Chapter 5

The domesticity of the scene was ironically deceiving. The Consort was lulling his youngest child Princess Jisoo to her sleep, another child growing on his belly. The King was sat on the chair opposite to Jiyong watching his firstborn Prince Heir Minho wobbling around the room playing with some toys. Their Royal Guard was standing in a strategical position where he could see everything, with clear access to reach any area of the room in seconds.  

“You look tired, my King. Are you still deliberating who is going to be the next Chief of Commerce?” The uninterested tone in which the question was made did not show the Consort’s eagerness to get that information.

“No, I already chose Noble Lady Hak for that position” Informed the old King swiftly, already bored and unconcerned by the subject. He restlessly crossed his legs and changed the hand in which his face was resting, apparently unable to keep still. “This room feels stuffy. Why don’t we take Minho to play outside, Pretty?”

“I’m deeply sorry, my King, but Jisoo had just felt asleep and I do not want to wake her up” Waking up the cosily sleeping baby seemed like a crime. “May I offer you a game of Go to distract your mind instead, my King? You seem troubled by something, and I can show you a new strategy I learnt recently while you tell me about it.”

“You know I do not like to play Go, Pretty, but thank you for the offer.” Replied with a heavy sigh the old man, lightly shaking his head due to his Consort’s endearing sign of concern while rising from his seat. “Do not wake her up, Pretty. She needs to sleep well to grow strong. I would take Minho to play in the garden instead.”

King Yang could be a lousy spouse and lover, but he was a caring parent.

“Take the Caretaker with you to help you with him. He is getting too cheeky when he is playing outside. Lord An, would you please be so kind to join the King and the Prince Heir?”

“Captain Choi” Called suddenly the old King with a pensive gesture on his face “I heard that you are a good strategist.”

“My humble skills are at your service, my King” Bowed the Captain, not denying the fame he had gained among his peers and the Court. It would come as more sassiness than modesty.

“Do you know how to play Go?” When the question received an affirmative nod, the King seemed satisfied with the answer and added. “Then play with the Consort to keep him entertained while we are all out.”

“At your command, my King. May I have a play of Go with your Majesty?” Bowed again the Royal Guard, now at the Consort’s direction.

“Thank you, my King, and thank you to you too, Captain Choi.”

Pleased with himself, King Yang said his good-byes to his spouse and Guard, taking Minho and his caretaker with him to leave the secret lovers alone.

Not he, or anyone among the Court members, had the slightest suspicion of the Consort’s infidelity.

“Hak is a fricking moron. What the Hell is he thinking?” Spited the young carrier, the disdain he felt for said woman easily dripping from his lips. His guarded tone did not even make the little sleepy Princess stir.  

“Indeed. She likes to bite off more than she can chew. Daesung thinks that she is nothing more than a pompous idiot too.”

“Daesung?”

The underlying jealousy on Jiyong’s innocuous inquiry could have been overlooked if Seunghyun did not know his lover so well.

“Kang Daesung, a dear old friend. He is also Minister Jeong’s Head Secretary” Offered apparently in passing Seunghyun, moving his chip to continue the game. A move that left a weak spot on this strategy. A peace offering to his lover for his lack of tact.  

“Really?” A spark of interest shined in the Consort’s eyes. “He seems like a well-informed and reasonable man” Jiyong’s chip did not take advantage of the opening his lover had offered. It was Jiyong’s way to reassure Captain Choi that his little outburst had been inconsequential.   

“He has some quite interesting ideas” Added the Royal Guard, lifting his cold dark eyes to stare at Jiyong while making his next move. “It is a shame that he has been having to hush them. His way of thinking seems to be too… revolutionary for his employer and most senior members of the Council.”

Jiyong smile was as sharp as Seunghyun’s sword.

“If the King keeps choosing incompetent people like Hak, I’m sure that eventually, the forced silence will become displeased murmurs.”

“Daesung told me that the King’s new reform has been very well received among kindred spirits.”

“Glad to hear that at least some people have enough vision to understand what I was trying to do with that” Huffed the Valley Consort with pursed lips, turning his gaze towards the nearby King, who was watching his son play with some fallen leaves with his caretaker’s assistance. “It was a simple but necessary reform that cost me a week-long limp, and yet it was worthy.”

Seunghyun just heavily sighted due to the King’s reluctance to heard Jiyong’s excellent but controversial proposals, just because he was too afraid to clash with his Council and get caught in a conflictive situation.   

“I trust in his character and judgment to consider him a potential ally, my Sun” It was all Seunghyun needed to say for Jiyong to trust in him too.

“Then let him know that he and his kindred spirit colleagues would always find a willing ear on me” Promised Jiyong, moving his chip and winning the game “As long as they share with me some good-old Courtesan gossips to fill my boring evenings of course”

“Of course, Consort Jiyong” Nodded the Royal Guard, graciously accepting his defeat.

“Pretty, I will go to my bedchambers now. I feel quite tired so I will skip supper today. Do not come tonight.” Informed the old King as soon as all came back from the garden.

“I am so sorry to hear that, my King. Please have a good rest. You are such a hard worker, my King. Come here Minho my dear, it is nap time, and your sister needs to take a bath. Lord An, would you be so kind to request the servants to prepare Jisoo’s bath?”

“I would later go to your Majesty’s chambers to you for supper, Consort Jiyong.”

“Thank you, Captain Choi. I leave this in your hands.”

Contact Kang Daesung and recruit him for me.

“At my King and your Majesty’s service, Consort Jiyong.”

Considered done.

That was the beginning of an underground network of eyes and ears that silently, but steadily, extended among the Valley Court. A network that whispered into Jiyong’s ear and heard Jiyong’s whispers across multiple walls of smoke and mirrors. A well-built spiderweb in which the Dragon of the Valley relied on when he took the Valley Throne. 

The moon was high, and the stars were shining bright in the clear sky but his time, the renowned Sky Reader Kwon Jiyong was not paying any attention to them. The Dragon of the Valley’s clothes and hands were covered with dirt, fingers clutching the gardening tools to keep digging into the soil and rocks. He had to be methodical and precise. Too much and they would notice the digging, too little and the hole would not be ready on time.

He had good progress, but it was getting increasingly difficult to cover the removed dirt. The branches, rocks, bushes, and broken parts of trays were doing a good enough job for now, and the Dragon wished these tricks would suffice when he gets to the needed size.

When the hand shovel hit a big rock, Jiyong swiftly tossed the tool and started removing it with his bare hands. He could not afford the sound of metal against rock reverberating in the quiet night.

“!” Cried painfully the Dragon when the edge of the rock cut his palm. A quick assessment of the injury to ensure that the cut was bearable, and the Consort Dowager got back to his task.

Once the rock was removed, Jiyong allowed himself a moment to catch his breath. He was not a delicate flower but working with injured hands and sore fingers was not pleasant at all. He had tried to keep his hands’ appearance as clean as he could, but he had reached his limits. The need to keep all his midnight activities secret only added difficulty to his task. He could not work every night or for long, so he had to make the most on that short time. Having to use tools made for small gardening tasks and not digging fricking holes in hard soil did not help either.

“Time to go back.” Whispered the Consort of the Valley Kingdom to the cold air, covering that night’s progress carefully.

His clothes were partially cleaned, leaving some stains and fresh soil on them so he could use them the next day and pretend that he had been busy working on the garden during the morning. He had already messed a bit with some Mulberry bushes to justify his need to be attending the gardens lately.  

When the Dragon of the Valley finished his nigh-time routine, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep as soon as he grabbed his pillow. He had been so tired lately, so drained, that he felt like a cat, peppering his daytime with short naps to get some much-needed sleep while staying alert for unannounced visits. At least all his efforts would be rewarded soon.   

The night-sky guarded the Sky Reader’s sleep on its cold embrace as always.

The King’s mysterious illness started with general weakness, dizziness, and a fever that never receded. The physicians were confused trying to find the cause of it but more importantly, a cure. The symptoms just accumulated, aggravating the old King’s health. Jiyong had been smart enough to stay by the old King’s side like a dutiful and attentive spouse, changing the wet cloths on the King’s forehead while low-key listening the physicians’ theories and proposals of remedies first-hand. Remedies that were not working as they should.

The physicians did not dare to say it aloud, but the inevitable conclusion was written all over their ashen faces.

In public, the Court and his Consort diligently prayed for the King’s recovery. In private, they were all plotting and preparing for the King’s death.

It was all happening too fast. Prince Heir Minho was a toddler, unfit to rule an orphaned Kingdom. The Council was ready to take control of the Valley Kingdom until the Prince was of age. The representatives of the factions inside the Court were scheming to determine which of them would take the power as Regent and guardian of the King’s Heir. They did not even consider Jiyong in their plans. What role could he possibly play in a highly political game beyond accepting his fate as a Consort Dowager and the new Regent’s influence over his children?

The Council underestimating the Valley Consort served Jiyong’s purposes perfectly.

Jiyong used his access to the Lake Temple as an excuse to justify his visit. The Lake Temple was a famous holy place with restricted access, so no one batted an eye when he informed about his intentions of visiting it to pray for the King. However, Jiyong was not looking forward to praying but to snooping in the Temple’s extensive and exclusive library. The King was going to die, and no amount of praying was going to save him. Prayers were not going to protect him or his children either.

The staff at the Lake Temple welcomed him with open and tender arms, already informed of the sorry situation on the Valley Kingdom.

“You need a distraction, Consort Jiyong. Why don’t you take a walk around the grounds and go see the lake?” Proposed the Sky Reader, worried about the visibly stressed young man that had become part of the Temple.

“Thank you, Professor Gwan, I really need something different in which I can occupy my mind. Would you mind if I use the library for a while?”

“Not at all, your Majesty. Take your time and I would make sure no one interrupts you.”

“You do not know how much this would help me, Professor Gwan. Thank you” Assured Jiyong eagerly, deeply grateful for the Temple staff’s sincere considerations. During his reign, the Lake Temple became one of the best equipped and funded observatories.

Jiyong buried himself in old books, not about astronomy, but about botany. Rare volumes about little-known medical properties of certain plants. Obscure mystical uses of herbs and leaves. The Lake Temple’s library was mostly linked to astronomical topics, so this old knowledge had remained inside forgotten pages. Jiyong only found out about them when his curiosity one day made him wander around, and his boredom made him look through their cracked pages.

“Seunghyun, come as soon as you can” Commanded the young Consort from behind the library’s threshold, keeping his voice low, before running again inside. The Royal Guard just nodded promptly, already scanning the area to assess the best moment to follow his lover. The hall was empty. The Temple staff had decided to give the troubled young man some space. Good.

“I am here. What do you need for?”

The Consort’s robes were in disarray. Folded sleeves revealing bare arms and picked up clothes showing legs. But they were not an invitation to any activities. Jiyong’s skin was marked by groups of stains of ink, his handwriting imitating the letters in the books opened in front of him. He was coping sections from the old books.

The future Dragon of the Valley was about to commit sedition and get an accomplice.  

“I need you to listen to me, my Moon” Started Jiyong, making sure the ink had dried before rearranging his clothes and putting all his attention and faith on his lover. “The Council wants to take control of the Kingdom, my children and my life, and I would not let them do it. The King has always been too weak to challenge them, but I am not. This is my only chance to gain power, real power, and I am going to take it even if I must commit treason. I will do anything to get what I want. Alone or accompanied.”

Would you be guilty of subversion with me?   

“I would never leave you alone, my Sun” Solemnly swore Seunghyun, taking Jiyong’s hand to place it in his heart and show his conviction.

“You can stop loving me, fall in love with someone else or get tired of being a secret, and I will not reproach you anything and let you go willingly” Continued the young carrier, tightening the grip of his hand and never looking away from his lover’s dark eyes. “But if you ever betray me or my children, Choi Seunghyun, I swear in the name of all the Deities that I will slaughter you with my bare hands and make it look like a suicide. Make your choice and live with the consequences.”

“I know you would, Kwon Jiyong, and I make the Gods my witnesses when I pledge my life and my sword to you. I had already chosen you, and now I am ready to live with the consequences. What do you need me to do?”  

Jiyong’s smile exuded confidence and exhilaration, all the tension on his body melting in pure action and readiness. His lover had proved once again that he was his perfect partner.

“I need you to get me some tree barks and flowers in absolute secret” Explained Jiyong, swiftly putting back the books on their places to go back to the Valley Palace, before emotionlessly revealing the core of his plan “I am going to drug the King to making him appoint me as the next Valley Kingdom’s Regent, before giving him a mercy killing.”  

That day, the Dragon of the Valley was born from high treason to commit regicide.

“New letters from the Valley Kingdom?” Asked Sehun, taking the letter the other man handed him to take it out of the envelop and start reading.

“Yes, and a bunch of well-timed and relaxing lavender flowers and mint for our feisty guest” Offered his brother-in-law without lifting his gaze, already engrossed reading another letter. “Prince Jiwon was dying to tell his parent everything about King Minho’s new girlfriend, Princess Yerin. From his jokes, it seems like he is expecting for this lady to become the next Valley Queen.”

“Prince Jiwon would be so disappointed when he realises that his parent already knew everything about her and had enthusiastically given the relationship his full support.” Prince Sehun was ashamed to admit that he found the gossips and bickering among siblings highly entertaining.

“King Minho can be a King now, but the Consort Dowager is his parent. I still remember when I asked for my parents’ advice about accepting Minseok’s courting.”

“Well, he was a random guy trying to sweet-talk their handsome son into running way with him. A real charmer let me tell you” Teasingly assessed the younger man, resting his chin on his hand to nod dramatically.

Han’s belly laugh was soon joined by Sehun, who never missed a chance to have a good laugh at his older brother’s expenses.

“Minnie really is charming, isn’t he?” The smile on the Imperial Consort Luhan’s lips was dreamily and made Sehun smile too. A long time ago that kind of comment would have made him feel jealous and miserable, but not anymore. Not with Jongin by his side.      

“You do not know how many times that cat-like smile and smiley-eyes got us out of trouble with Junmyeon” Proudly declared the younger giver, remembering how he and his siblings almost gave poor Junmyeon a heart attack more than once. “Let’s see if our caged Dragon can keep himself out of troubles too”.

The in-laws returned to their readings after a few jokes and chuckles. Since their first meeting, he and Han had decided that it was wiser for Sehun to examine the secret spouses’ letters and Han the rest, due to the younger man’s familiarity with the subject.

“It seems like our Dragon’s morbid mood had softened the stiff and frosty Captain Choi”. Informed after a moment the Lee Prince with the Captain’s letter on his hand. His thoughtful expression did not mirror the sarcasm of his tone. 

“What is he saying?” Inquired immediately Consort Luhan, the Yangs’ family drama completely forgotten on the nearest table.

“He sent Du Fu’s poem ‘The Heavenly River’ from the Tang Dynasty” Something in Sehun’s collected voice made Han paid even closer attention to his next words.

‘Most of the time it may be hidden or fully visible,
but when autumn comes, it gets immediately bright.
Even if covered over by faint clouds,
in the long run it can be clear through the long night.
Full of stars, it stirs by paired palace gates,
moon’s companion, it sinks by a frontier fort.
Oxherd and Weaver cross it every year,
and when have storms ever arisen thereon?’

“The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl” Mumbled Han, lost in his own thoughts. “The star-crossed lovers’ story by excellence”

“Eternal lovers forever separated by the Milky Way” Ended Sehun, taking the Dragon’s last letters to examine them again. “There is something that I’m missing here. I feel it, but I have nothing. Like a realisation inching on the tip of my tongue. The Dragon’s previous letters are references to the Temple, The Heap of Corpses and the constellations with 2 stars from the Emptiness asterism. They mean: The empty garden tomb, the body within the tomb; and the most overpowering stars from the Emptiness: Crying, Weeping, empty ruins or the officials responsible for funerals, and all the Deified Judges that grant disaster, punishment, life or fortune”.

“He knows he is going to die here in solitude and is grieving what he lost.”

“That’s what I thought in the beginning. With the news about King Minho’s new relationship, it must be inevitable to think how he would never see them starting their own families or be able to hug his grandchildren freely… and Captain Choi’s response makes sense. A reassurance of love and hope to cheer his lover up. Yet, neither the Dragon of the Valley nor Captain Choi seems to be the type of person that mopes while his wounds or offers misguided and gratuitous optimism. They ruled a Kingdom with iron and blood. The Consort Dowager plotted a massacre.”

“Power can make people feel intoxicated and invincible, but the hangover when you lost it can be brutal” Offered Han, his pale hand caressing his brother-in-law’s arm tenderly to convey his support and ease his tension. “He was the closest he could be to a King, and now he is a prisoner of another State, with his family tricked to happily encourage his exile. He is savouring defeat, maybe for the first time in a long time, and he is finding it to be hard to swallow.”

“Maybe you are right, and that’s still my impression, but I cannot put my mind at rest.”

“Good” Affirmed the Imperial Consort with resolve. “Always follow your heart, Sehun. The heart always knows the right answer even before we acknowledge it ourselves.”    

Prince Sehun nodded, still troubled but accepting that he needed to keep investigating the issue to find his answers.

As expected, Captain Choi delivered the requested plants timely and under tight secrecy. Jiyong did not waste any time to carry through his plan. The soldiers and physicians let him enter the King’s chambers without any fuss. It was more frowned upon his absence near his spouse’s deathbed than his presence. The Consort and the King were alone that night.

Meticulously, Jiyong emptied the incense burner and placed the pieces of incense that he had prepared following the instructions on the ancient book. Smoke did not leave evidence behind.

“My King, it’s me, Pretty. Open your eyes my King” Sweetly implored the cunning Consort, kneeling at his spouse’s side after making sure that the old man had inhaled enough of the narcotic, replacing the lid of the burner to leave the rest of the incense be consumed.

“Pretty…? Jiyong…?” Slurred the King, his eyes and mind clouded by the hallucinogen.

“I’m so happy to see that you can still recognize me, my King.” The fake wetness on Jiyong’s wavering voice gave his performance a much-needed dramatic effect “Our children… oh, my King. Do you still remember our children?”

“Are they here?” The pretendedly torn young carrier shook his head in remorse. His next words, however, were not a lie.    

“No, my King. They cannot come to see you. The physicians are afraid they can get sick too, but I am here my King. They are so young, my King… they still need you… give them a reassurance that you still care about them. Oh, my good and generous King, let them know you have them in your heart and mind.” Jiyong’s hands were methodically caressing the King’s damped hair tenderly, lulling the old man’s mind into staying in a dream-like state.  

“I love my children, Pretty.” The King’s words could sound clear, but his rolled-back eyes were looking at invisible matters “You know I do.”

“I know, my King, I know. That is why I need you to write something for them. To safeguard their futures. Here, let me help you sit and take quill and paper. Do not exert yourself, my King. Save your strength, my sweet King. I will dictate to you what you need to write.”

I appoint my Consort, Noble Lord Kwon Jiyong, as Consort Regent to rule and protect…      

The drugged King did not stir or questioned his spouse’s instructions, writing the sentences that would give Jiyong the keys of his Kingdom with a satisfactorily steady hand.

With the document well secured on his pouch, the soon-to-be Consort Dowager reopened the incense burner to add the original incense, lighting again the now pieces of charcoal. He then proceeded to remove a thick handkerchief from his sleeve to delicately cover the King’s head and the smoking burner.  

“Thank you, my King. I promise that I will take care of everything from now on. Now close your eyes and rest well. I may not love you, but you gave me the chance to unleash my ambitions and three precious children. I am thankful for that. That’s why you do not have to worry about a thing other than fall asleep and dream.”

The carbon dioxide of the burner entered the already narcotized King, relaxing him and ending his life peacefully. Once the charcoal was consumed for a second time, making it unrecognizable and inert, Jiyong put aside the handkerchief and checked his spouse’s pulse. Nothing. The cloth went back into his sleeve, the King’s hair was rearranged to give him a more dignified look, and Jiyong moved to his resting chair to pretend he had fallen asleep during his vigil.

The next morning, the physicians declared the King’s death. The old King had died during his sleep. The Court and his spouse were shocked. The evidence of the Consort’s crime was dutifully cleaned by diligent servants preparing the chambers for the King’s mourning ceremony. Even years later, at the height of the gossip, rumours and intrigues about the Dragon of the Valley’s involvement with the King’s dead, no one found a trace of what had truly happened that night.     

“Captain Choi, any letter from Father yet?” A wide mischievous grin was nearly splitting in haft the face of the youngest Prince of the Valley Kingdom, Jiwon, whose body was vibrating in excitement waiting for his parent’s reaction to his hot gossip.

“No, my Prince. May I kindly remind you that I sent the letters less than a fortnight ago?” The usually stern way in which Seunghyun lifted his black eyebrow was almost playful. The scary and serious man always had gentler edges around the Yang siblings.

“I know, I know, it’s just that it’s taking so long…” Rolled his eyes the young Prince in frustration.

“The consideration of time is an important part of the development of any effective strategy, Prince Jiwon. Patience is a virtue that Consort Jiyong has in high esteem.” Coolly instructed the older giver, knowing exactly what was going to be the young Prince’s reaction.

“Captain Choi… are you really scolding me and giving me a lesson at the same time as if I was still a child?” Countered the young man, trying to school an offended face but already cracking an amusing smile.  

“We never stop learning, don’t we?” Observed the Royal Guard with his famous impassive face, shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly.

“And you would never stop teaching us, don’t you, Captain Choi?” The affectionate smile in the young giver’s lips was sincere but quivering. All Jiyong’s children loved the carrier deeply and missed him a lot, even though they were glad he had found a place where he can have a quiet and nice life. And they were all fond of the formal and straight-faced Royal Guard.

“It is my duty, Prince Jiwon, and I take my duties quite seriously.” Clarified the older man gravely, tilting his head slightly to add immediately. “Since the day you all were born, I promised your carrier parent that I was going to be by you and your siblings’ side as your loyal and devoted Royal Guard until King Minho decided to relieve me from my responsibilities.”   

“Like that would ever happen.” Huffed the youngest Prince, waving his hand dismissively. “I am afraid you are sticking with us for a long time, Captain Choi.”

“I cannot sincerely think in a better way to spend my life, my Prince.” The corner of the Captain’s mouth lifted a little bit, the biggest of the smiles by Seunghyun’s professional standards, but his usually menacing dark eyes were caring.

“Captain Choi, there you are. Minho’s meeting finished earlier than expected.” The voice of Princess Jisoo made the two men turn around to give her their attention.

“Thank you, Princess Jisoo. Prince Jiwon, I promise that I would take care of that issue we were discussing before.” Bowed solemnly the Royal Guard. “Would you like me to you to your study room, my Princess? It’s almost time of your evening lesson and it is on the way.”

“By the Gods, I forgot they changed the schedule for today.” Exclaimed the normally responsible young Princess alarmed, giving his brother the stink eye when he chuckled. “Thank you, Captain Choi. You really are a lifesaver.”

“At your service as always, my Princess. Have a pleasant evening, Prince Jiwon.”

The Princess and the Royal Guard parted ways with the youngest of the Yang siblings, walking side by side through the Valley Palace halls. The young lady and the dangerous man had walked through those same corridors many times before, many of those times with Jiyong.

The Consort Dowager’s offspring were not the only ones waiting impatiently for the former rule’s letters.

Captain Choi needed the Consort’s constant updates to keep polishing their plan.

They could not leave anything to chance.

He was never going to let down either his spouse or his children.