Chapter 2

Autumn, 1856 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

It was deep into the night, but I kept my eyes fixed on the Analects, which lay open on my lap, and continued reading through it for the third time.

Moving my lips silently, I engraved each passage into my memory one by one.

The Analects consisted of twenty books and contained conversations between Confucius and his disciples, so rather than simply memorizing it, understanding the flow of the text came first.

The problem was mastering both the pronunciation and the meaning at the same time.

Simply memorizing the sounds wouldn’t be enough to pass Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s test.

He was an intelligent man, and he was the sort of person who could distinguish between simple memorization and genuine understanding with a single question.

I need to master the meaning perfectly, too.

The servant boy was nodding off in a corner of the room.

My own eyelids were becoming heavy as well, so I pinched my cheek with my fingers.

Pinch!

It stung, but the pain brought my mind back into focus.

I turned another page.

There was a passage about how a gentleman devotes himself to strengthening the fundamentals, and once the fundamentals are established, the Way naturally emerges.

It asked whether filial piety and respect for one’s elders were not the foundation of practicing benevolence.

I paused briefly at that passage.

I converted each passage of the Analects into a scene and stored it in my mind.

If I connected the context—what situation Confucius had been in when he said those words and what his disciple had been asking—then I didn’t have to remember each individual character.

I could remember the entire conversation.

It was a modern memory technique.

It wasn’t the method used by scholars of Joseon, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

Woof! Woof!

A dog barked in the middle of the night.

I closed the final page and shut my eyes.

The flow of all twenty books unfolded in order inside my head.

Not a single passage was missing.

That night, I confirmed that the memory skills of a modern person could become a weapon in Joseon.

Children in Joseon spent years learning the Analects. At village schools, they would read each line aloud under the strict instruction of their teachers, sometimes enduring beatings from the schoolmaster as they learned the text until it became ingrained in their bodies.

That method wasn’t wrong.

But it was different from modern memory techniques.

Remember through context.

Create connections.

Group information into meaningful units.

The Analects was only the beginning.

If I compressed the Great Learning, Mencius, and Doctrine of the Mean into my modern brain, then at least in terms of scholarship, I could avoid falling behind anyone in this era.

That was the first key to moving Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung.

And the second key to catching Queen Dowager Sinjeong’s attention.

I pulled the blanket over myself and muttered inwardly.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll move Father.

---

One Day’s Journey West of Hanseong — Entrance to a Gyeonggi Village

Before dawn had even broken, Village Headman Park was dragged out by three constables from the local government office.

The reason was simple.

He had rented farmland that was supposedly registered as belonging to the Haedong Kim clan.

Even after surrendering seventy percent of this year’s harvest, the constables were demanding that he hand over the remaining thirty percent as well.

“His Excellency has increased this year’s tax collection. Open the granary.”

“My lord, if we do that, how will my family survive the winter? All we have left is the grain we’ve set aside as seed.”

“Seed grain or not, you can just hand over all of it.”

Park dropped to his knees and begged, but the constables paid no attention.

They smashed open the granary door.

The constables entered with sacks and began scraping up the remaining grain.

The villagers watched silently from behind the walls.

Not a single person dared to step forward.

They already knew that if they intervened, they would be dragged away by the constables and beaten, or their entire granary would be looted.

The Pungyang Jo clan was no different.

In a village south of Hanseong, an agent of the Pungyang Jo clan collected additional money from tenant farmers under the pretext of charging them for gongmyeongcheop.

A gongmyeongcheop was an honorary government appointment certificate sold by the state in exchange for money.

To tenant farmers, however, it was nothing more than a useless sheet of paper.

For households that couldn’t afford to pay for that piece of paper, their daughters were taken away.

The sound of a child’s crying continued for a long time at the entrance to the village.

Then it stopped.

The sky was clear.

There was no wind.

Yet the village was silent.

Not peaceful.

Exhausted.

On a notice posted in one corner of the local government courtyard was a portrait of His Majesty the King.

Yet not a single passerby raised their head to look at it.

No one asked who the king was or what the king was doing.

There was no point in asking.

Nothing would change.

---

Autumn, 1856 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Men’s Quarters

As soon as I finished my morning greeting, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stopped me.

“Jae-myeon, sit down for a moment.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung took a copy of the Analects from the cabinet and placed it in front of me.

It was the same book I had been reading the night before.

“How far have you read?”

“I’ve finished it.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s hand stopped for a moment.

He slowly raised his head and looked at me.

“Finished?”

“Yes.”

“Last night?”

“Yes.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stared at me for a long moment.

Then he opened the book, pointed to a random page with his finger, and said:

“Read from here.”

I didn’t even look at the book.

I simply recited it from memory.

“A gentleman does not pursue fullness of food when eating, nor comfort in his dwelling. He is diligent in his work and cautious in his speech. When he finds someone who possesses the Way, he approaches him and corrects himself. Such a person may be said to love learning.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s eyebrows slowly rose.

He turned to another page and pointed again.

I recited that one as well.

I didn’t stumble.

I didn’t miss a single character.

When Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung closed the book, the men’s quarters fell silent.

“When did you memorize all of this?”

“I memorized it all last night.”

“In one night.”

“Yes.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung said nothing.

But within that silence, I could feel his thoughts rapidly calculating.

I’ve passed the first stage.

---

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung pointed to a passage with his finger and asked:

“‘To learn and, from time to time, practice what one has learned—is that not a pleasure?’ What does this mean?”

“It means that when one learns something and practices it from time to time, it brings joy.”

“Does it simply mean that studying is enjoyable?”

I pretended to think for a moment.

In reality, I already knew the answer.

“No. It doesn’t simply mean that studying is enjoyable. It means that true joy comes when learning is mastered and put into practice. I believe Confucius chose this as the opening line of the Analects because he wanted to make it clear from the very beginning that learning should not stop at knowledge. It must be put into practice through one’s actions.”

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s eyes narrowed.

“A nine-year-old thinks like that?”

“My father taught me.”

“When did I ever teach you that?”

“In my dream.”

A brief silence followed.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stared straight at me.

I calmly met his gaze.

After a long moment, he let out a small laugh.

It was the first time I had seen that expression on his face.

There was both suspicion and interest in it.

“Then what about the Great Learning?”

“I haven’t finished reading it yet.”

“Is there a reason?”

“I read the Analects first because it contains Confucius’s voice most directly. I thought I could understand the Great Learning more firmly if I built upon it.”

The men’s quarters fell silent again.

But this silence was different.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung put down his brush, folded his arms, and looked directly at me.

Something was turning rapidly behind his eyes.

---

The door to the men’s quarters opened, and a small boy entered.

He was five years old.

His cheeks were chubby, and his eyes were round.

The moment he saw Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, he spread his arms and ran toward him.

“Father!”

Thump!

The boy crashed into Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s arms.

For the first time, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s face softened.

It was a completely different expression from the one he had shown me.

“You little rascal. Your older brother is here, and yet you have no manners.”

“Is my brother okay?”

The second son, Yi Myeong-bok, turned toward me.

His black eyes sparkled.

There wasn’t a trace of suspicion in them.

It was Yi Myeong-bok.

The child who would eventually become King Gojong.

I quietly looked at him.

Honestly, he was quite cute.

But I couldn’t allow my emotions to sway me.

If that child became king, Joseon would likely follow the course of history.

And eventually, that course could lead to the fate of the country being taken away by Japan.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung stroked his second son’s head.

“Myeong-bok, greet your older brother.”

“Brother, are you completely better now?”

Yi Myeong-bok walked over to me and bowed politely.

I smiled and answered.

“Yeah. I’m completely better.”

“That’s good. I was worried when you were sick, Brother.”

He was sincere.

This child had genuinely been worried about me.

And somehow, that made me feel even more guilty.

I thought for a moment before speaking.

“Myeong-bok, want me to teach you something fun?”

Yi Myeong-bok’s eyes lit up.

“What?”

“Between father and son, there should be affection. Between ruler and subject, there should be righteousness. Between husband and wife, there should be distinction. Between elder and child, there should be order. Between friends, there should be trust. Can you repeat it?”

Yi Myeong-bok opened his small mouth.

“Between father and son…”

He scratched his head and lowered his gaze.

His lips moved twice more, but he couldn’t continue.

“It’s difficult.”

“It’s okay. I’ll teach you again later.”

I said it casually.

But Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had been silently watching the entire scene from beginning to end.

---

Autumn, 1856 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence

After returning to my room, I sat in front of the cabinet and calmly整理ed what had happened in the men’s quarters that day.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had been shaken.

Of that, I was certain.

He hadn’t changed his mind yet.

But he had begun considering his eldest son in his calculations again.

That was enough.

There was no need to change Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s decision immediately.

All I needed to do was plant the seed.

The problem was what came next.

The true decision-maker in this game was Queen Dowager Sinjeong.

No matter how strongly Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung supported his second son, it would all be meaningless if Queen Dowager Sinjeong didn’t designate him as heir.

I needed a way to approach her.

Daejojeon Hall in Changdeokgung Palace was where Queen Dowager Sinjeong resided.

Although the Heungseon-gun family was part of the royal family, they couldn’t freely enter the palace.

There were occasions when they could visit to pay their respects, such as holidays or royal ceremonies.

That’s the opportunity I need.

Even if it’s only once, I have to stand before Queen Dowager Sinjeong.

I opened a book.

It was the Great Learning, the natural next step after the Analects.

When I opened the first page, I noticed Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s handwriting.

It said that the book was for Jae-myeon to read.

So Father hadn’t always had no expectations for his eldest son.

His own plans had simply taken priority.

Then I’ll change those plans.

I began reading the first line of the Great Learning.

“The Way of the Great Learning lies in manifesting one’s bright virtue, renewing the people, and resting in the highest excellence.”

These were the Three Principles.

To manifest virtue, renew the people, and rest in the highest excellence.

Those were the foundations of governance according to the Great Learning.

And to realize them in this country, I needed the throne.

Now, I was turning the first page toward that throne.

---

After finishing my evening greeting and turning to leave, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung called out to me.

“Jae-myeon.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Starting tomorrow, we will study the Great Learning and Mencius together. Prepare yourself.”

I stopped for a moment.

This was the result of one night with the Analects.

More importantly, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung himself had chosen my next textbooks.

The way he looked at me had changed.

It was no longer the wary gaze from earlier.

There was something expectant in his eyes.

I lowered my head and answered.

“Understood, Father.”

“I won’t find another teacher.”

I raised my head and looked at Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung.

“Will you teach me yourself, Father?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“No. Thank you, Father.”

As I left the men’s quarters, I muttered inwardly.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung was going to personally teach me the Great Learning and Mencius.

That meant one of the greatest strategists in Joseon was going to personally educate me.

I even began to think that Father himself might be able to create a path for me to meet Queen Dowager Sinjeong.

The game was slowly beginning to change.