Chapter 5

That evening, I listened toward the men’s quarters.

The sounds leaking out from the servants’ quarters would have carried all the way to the men’s quarters.

And if it was Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung, there was no doubt he had heard them.

As expected, Gaksim quietly approached me.

“Young Master, earlier His Excellency started walking toward the servants’ quarters, but then he stopped. He stood there for a while before returning to the men’s quarters.”

I nodded.

Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had heard.

But he had not stopped us.

He had not abandoned his plan to put his second son, Yi Myeong-bok, on the throne, yet he was also keeping a close eye on what his eldest son, Yi Jae-myeon, was doing.

That meant Father was keeping an insurance policy.

Even if Yi Myeong-bok became king, he would keep Yi Jae-myeon around if he proved useful.

And if Yi Jae-myeon turned out to be more advantageous than Yi Myeong-bok, he might even change his plans.

The fact that he had not stopped me just now meant that he had not made his decision yet.

My next task was to pull that decision toward my side.

---

Autumn, 1859 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence in Hanseong

I sat in front of the writing chest and ground the ink.

It was the morning of my twelfth birthday.

I went over the past three years in my mind.

Grand Queen Dowager Jo had summoned me twice more.

Each time we met, I could feel her trust in me growing little by little.

But it was still not enough.

Grand Queen Dowager Jo liking me and designating me as her choice for the succession were two entirely different matters.

My relationship with Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung had not yet been settled either.

The servants’ English and Japanese lessons were still at the basic stage.

And I had yet to uncover the Haedong Kim clan’s weakness.

I needed a decisive move.

I had to place in Grand Queen Dowager Jo’s hands the sword she had been sharpening for decades.

Then she would entrust that sword to me.

There were four years left until King Cheoljong’s death.

Gaksim knocked on the door.

“Young Master, a letter arrived from the Haedong Kim clan for His Excellency this morning.”

I put down my brush and looked up.

“Whose name was it under?”

“They said it was sent under the name of His Excellency Kim Ja-geun, the leader of the Haedong Kim clan’s faction.”

Kim Ja-geun.

The leader of the Haedong Kim clan.

The man who had been instrumental in placing King Cheoljong on the throne and had kept the Joseon court firmly in his grasp for twenty years.

My thoughts began racing as I considered what it meant for him to have sent a letter to Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung.

Was it surveillance?

Or a threat?

I stood and looked straight at Gaksim.

“Find out what the letter says before the end of today.”

“No matter what means you have to use.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“And, Gaksim.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell His Excellency about this either.”

Gaksim nodded and left the room.

The leader of the Haedong Kim clan, Kim Ja-geun, had begun to move.

That meant it was time for me to start moving in earnest as well.

Kim Ja-geun.

Why now?

---

Autumn, 1859 — Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence in Hanseong

Gaksim entered my room.

“Young Master, I found out what was in the letter.”

“Tell me.”

Gaksim lowered her voice.

“It said that they intended to send His Excellency a gift for the upcoming holiday.”

She paused.

“And they also said they would transfer a plot of land near the residence into His Excellency’s name.”

The moment I heard that the leader of the Haedong Kim clan intended to give Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung land, I knew instinctively that it was not a gift.

It was a leash.

This was how the Haedong Kim clan dealt with the royal family.

They had survived for sixty years by using money and land to seal people’s mouths and bind their hands and feet.

Moving Grand Queen Dowager Jo.

Pressuring Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung.

Standing against the Haedong Kim clan.

All of it ultimately required money.

And Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s residence was poor.

One of the reasons Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung pretended to be a wastrel was precisely this poverty.

His household lived under debt.

I stood and looked at Gaksim.

“Gaksim.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Have you ever seen black stones in the hills around Siheung?”

“Black stones?”

“Stones that leave black powder on your hand when you touch them.”

Gaksim thought for a moment before nodding.

“There are stones like that around Gahaksan. The village children sometimes pick them up and play with them.”

“Bring me a basketful tomorrow.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

---

Early Winter, 1859 — Road in Front of Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence, Hanseong

As I was passing along the road in front of the residence, I noticed something huddled at the entrance to an alley.

When I approached, I saw that it was a child of about eight years old.

His lips had turned blue, and he was barely breathing.

I called for Kang-soe, one of the household servants.

“Carry him.”

Without complaint, Kang-soe put the child on his back.

We brought him into the servants’ quarters, lit a fire, and fed him warm porridge.

It was only after three days that the child finally opened his eyes.

“What is your name?”

“Gwi-dong.”

“Where are you from?”

“I don’t know.”

He had no parents.

He did not even know his hometown.

I looked at Gwi-dong.

His eyes were strangely clear.

They were not vacant or frightened.

They were not the eyes of a child who had just woken up in an unfamiliar place.

“Can you read?”

“I know a little.”

I took out the Analects and opened it.

“Read this.”

Gwi-dong looked at it for a moment.

Then he began reading fluently.

He did not stumble once.

I closed the book and opened to another section.

“Recite what you just read.”

Gwi-dong recited it exactly as it had been written.

Not a single character was wrong.

I closed the book.

This child is exactly what I need.

---

Early Winter, 1859 — Servants’ Quarters, Heungseon-gun Yi Ha-eung’s Residence in Hanseong

I held the stones Gaksim had brought me.

They were lignite.

Its degree of carbonization was lower than anthracite, so it produced less heat.

But it could burn.

In some regions of Joseon, local residents had used stones like these as winter fuel since the seventeenth century.

But they had never been properly distributed in the markets of Hanseong.

The problem was that when the coal was used in large chunks, it did not burn evenly and went out quickly.

But if it was ground into powder, mixed with clay, and molded into a uniform shape, things were different.

I ground the lignite finely.

I mixed it with clay, added a little water, kneaded the mixture, and shaped it with both hands into the form of a shell.

One side was rounded.

The other was flat.

After drying it in the shade for two days, it hardened.

The next morning, I gathered everyone behind the servants’ quarters.

There were six people.

Gaksim.

The household servants Dol-soe, Bok-dong, and Mak-soe.

Kang-soe, another household servant.

And Gwi-dong.

I placed one of the shell-shaped briquettes into a brazier and struck a flint.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

Sparks flew.

The shell briquette caught fire.

At first, smoke rose from it.

Then the smoke subsided, and red embers spread evenly throughout the entire briquette.

The six exchanged glances.

“It burns longer than firewood.”

They stared into the brazier.

And indeed, the briquette burned longer than the firewood.

“We’re going to make these and sell them in the Hanseong market.”

Kang-soe cautiously opened his mouth.

“Young Master, will this really sell? Won’t people just continue burning wood?”

“Sell them for half the price of a bundle of firewood.”

“If they burn twice as long, people will buy them.”

Kang-soe nodded, though he still did not look convinced.

I looked at him.

“Kang-soe.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“You’re going to handle selling them at the market, buying land, and establishing trade connections.”

Kang-soe’s eyes widened.

“Me?”

“That’s right.”

“Everyone in the residence knows you’re as strong as an ox.”

“If you step forward using that strength of yours, no one will dare mess with you.”

Kang-soe straightened his shoulders.

But I continued.

“However, Kang-soe, you’re too honest and straightforward by nature.”

Kang-soe’s shoulders drooped again.

“That’s not a bad thing.”

“But there are plenty of people in the market who deceive others with words.”

“No matter how strong you are, if you’re slow with numbers and someone has a silver tongue, you’ll eventually get taken in.”

“I am still young.”

“I can’t go out and handle these things myself.”

Kang-soe lowered his head.

“So I’m going to assign Gwi-dong to you.”

Kang-soe raised his head and looked at Gwi-dong.

There was a trace of bewilderment in his eyes as he looked at the eight-year-old boy.

“Don’t look down on Gwi-dong just because he’s young.”

Kang-soe fell silent.

“Gwi-dong doesn’t forget anything he hears even once.”

“He’s quick with numbers, and he has a good eye for people.”

“If you block things with your body, Gwi-dong will figure them out with his head.”

“Whatever Gwi-dong says, you listen carefully.”

“Understand?”

Kang-soe looked at Gwi-dong again.

Gwi-dong was staring straight back at him.

There was no fear in his eyes.

Kang-soe slowly nodded.

“I understand, Young Master.”

I looked at Gwi-dong.

“Gwi-dong.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Follow Uncle Kang-soe around.”

“If you notice anything strange, make sure you tell me.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Gwi-dong’s answer was clear.

Beside me, Gaksim had been watching and let out a small laugh.

I turned toward her.

“Gaksim, you handle demonstrating the fire at the market yourself.”

“You need to show people with their own eyes if you want them to buy it.”

“Understood, Young Master.”

---

Winter, 1859 — Chilpae Market, Hanseong

Gaksim placed the brazier down and struck the flint.

Tak! Tak!

The shell briquette caught fire.

A passerby stopped.

“What is that?”

“It is fuel used in place of firewood.”

“It is made by grinding lignite, mixing it with clay, and shaping it into a shell.”

“It costs half as much as a bundle of firewood, and it burns twice as long.”

The man tilted his head.

Then he reached out and picked up one of the shell briquettes.

He put it back down and stared into the fire.

After hesitating for a moment, he pulled out a few copper coins.

“Give me two bundles.”

That was how it began.

Ten bundles were sold on the first day.

Three days later, thirty bundles were being sold.

About ten days passed.

Kang-soe and Gwi-dong returned from the market and placed a bundle of coins on the floor.

Kang-soe spoke.

“Young Master, someone suspicious approached us at the market today.”

“What kind of person?”

“He said he wanted to buy lignite and asked all sorts of questions.”

“Where the stone came from.”

“Who made it.”

“How we shaped it into that form.”

I looked at Gwi-dong.

“What do you think?”

“He wasn’t a merchant.”

“He came to investigate.”

“What makes you think that?”

“If he were a merchant, he would have asked about the price first.”

“But he didn’t ask about the price.”

“He only asked where it came from.”

Kang-soe looked down at Gwi-dong.

There was something like recognition in his eyes.

“You saw through him well.”

“If someone like that comes again, tell him you don’t know.”

“Don’t tell him where the stones come from.”

“Don’t tell him who makes them.”

“And if he appears again, inform me immediately.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

A month passed.

Kang-soe poured a bundle of coins onto the floor of the servants’ quarters.

Jingle!

I counted the coins.

It was a considerable amount of money.

But it was still not enough to buy the land in Gahak-ri.

Kang-soe added,

“Young Master, the owner of a tavern near the market said he wants to buy them in bulk.”

“He said he could use two gamals a month.”

A tavern burned fires all day long.

They had to heat alcohol, boil soup, and cook rice.

Their consumption of firewood was several times greater than that of an ordinary household.

If they switched to shell briquettes, their fuel costs would be cut in half.

“Sell to him.”

“But don’t lower the price.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Once we secured the tavern as a regular customer, our monthly profits would double.

Even so, it was still not enough to buy the land in Gahak-ri.

No one knew the value of that hillside yet.

That was precisely why now was the time to buy it.

In the end, I would have to use Grand Queen Dowager Jo’s card.