Inside the palace, Yi Sung had been reading the reports that the Royal Secretary handed to him. Eyeing the young man before him, he closed the report and set it aside.

"Kang Seungyoon, you are Kang Daesung's brother right?"

"Y-y-es..." The young man gulped down after he admitted right away.

"How are the things in my uncle's estate? Is he back?" He asked. Park Won-hee was away to keep an eye on concubine Sun Hae's activity and to make sure she stays at the temple without anyone from her family allowed to visit her, so Yi Sung had no one to rely on these days. Wanting to put the young royal secretary to good use, he decided to test his capability.

Meanwhile, Kang Seungyoon hesitated for a moment. Wasn't he supposed to help his older brother get information about the palace and not the other way around? 

"This one has no idea, Jeonha, forgive me." Kang Seungyoon bowed apologetically.

Yi Sung only glared at the man. Surely, he was new in his job for him not to know the King pretty well. But Yi Sung had been in a very bad mood lately.

He knew his uncle was a very busy person but how could he be so heartless and not even think of coming into the palace to see him? Deposing Sun Hae should be quite an achievement and his uncle should be proud he handled this matter well!

"Then if you don't have an idea what should you do?" Yi Sung coldly asked the man.

Kang Seungyoon may be young but he was very competent. Fully understanding the King, he bowed and spoke, "Then this one shall find out,"

"I'm glad we're both clear. In the future, always inform me about my uncle's movements."

"Yes, Jeonha." Kang Seungyoon shut his eyes as he uttered those words but what could he do? If his older brother is afraid of Kwon Jiyong, then he is too! Well, he meant, Yi Sung is the King but Kwon Jiyong was simply way too scarier. If that royal uncle finds out he and his brother were selling him out to the King, what could be the consequences?

Heaven forbid, the year might haven't ended yet but their lives might have already soon. However, he's position was difficult as well.

 How could he straight off refuse the King?

"One more thing. Tell Minister Lee to see me tomorrow after the assembly." Since the two were from the same faction, Yi Sung understood that the royal secretary had close ties with the Minister. Yi Sung was planning to make a complete reform on the major offices and balance the power between the North and South Faction. Since the Ministry of Personnel is concubine Sun Hae's father, a post which has a control on the officials, he wanted to replace him. A minor reshuffle won't hurt, he thought. 

His uncle is a very capable man. What a waste of his talent if he would only keep slaughtering beasts and sending off imoogis to thr Dragon Realm. Besides, he still had a few years left before he becomes a full fledged dragon, so might as well give him a good position to help him make Joseon a better place. After all, a great dragon should dwell on the Dragon Realm only, far for the humans, unless he has a mission to accomplish. Before he leaves, Yi Sung wanted to spend more time with him.

After years and years and countless appeals, his uncle still refused to be officially reinstated as a Grand Prince Yi Jiyong, which was his former title before he adapted the late Queen's last name and left for Ming. He did this to centralize the power to him as the King. If Yi Sung insists on giving Kwon Jiyong his royal title back, the cold-hearted man would only nag at him and tell him that the officials would surely look at him as a threat to the throne, and that would only divide his power. This is also why Kwon Jiyong rarely interfered with politics.

But Yi Sung didn't mind at all. In fact, one of his biggest dreams was to make his uncle take his place as Joseon's King. He would be willing to abdicate the throne for him. This was also one of the reasons why he didn't want a child yet. But lately, after that night in Gyeongju, Yi Sung had been greatly bothered.

While the Queen straight out refused his advances after that kiss that night in Gyeongju,Yi Sung was very much ashamed of himself for harboring hurt because of being turned down. How could he not realize the greater hardships that Kim Jisoo had to bear for him all these years?

After concubine Sun was deposed and sent to a temple in Incheon, the Queen confessed to him. He learned that Kim Byung Chul had been trying to feed the Queen fertility potions and even urged her to feed the him aphrodisiacs. Since the Queen refused to this, her father hurt her but the Queen only silently accepted all the mental, emotional and physical pains from her father in order to protect his dream. 

The Queen knew that once they consummate the marriage and she bears a child, that child will naturally be his legitimate heir. Then how about his royal uncle?

He realized Kim Jisoo had been so selfless all along and the rumors about her had been very cruel. But instead of crying over spilled milk, it made him even want to appoint his uncle to a higher, official post even more. With his uncle by his side, he would become invincible, and Minister Kim, or anyone who had a greed for power, wouldn't even be a threat anymore. Then probably, when everything had been resolved, he could start his own family and he would make sure he would never allow his own future child to be used in politics.

Yi Sung sighed and slumped in defeat. How does he accomplish these plans when his uncle had always been avoiding the palace?

As he buried himself in the pile of work once more, a sudden knock resonated into the silent room.

"Jeonha, it's me," Chief Eunuch Lee Soogeun hesitantly said from the outside. He kept nagging at the King earlier about skipping his lunch so he had to kick him out and made him repent. Seriously, to