At Zhu Jianshen’s resolute answer, Pilsu burst into laughter.
“Now that’s our Hidden Dragon.”
“I’ve always been myself.”
“True, the Hidden Dragon is always the Hidden Dragon.”
Finishing his words with a smile, Pilsu crossed his arms and fell silent. With an uncharacteristically serious expression, Pilsu silently stared at Zhu Jianshen, who swallowed dryly as he looked back at Pilsu and his other friends.
As the silence stretched on, Pilsu finally spoke.
“It’s only natural for a man to dream of soaring into the heavens. Hidden Dragon, can you give us positions below only one person but above ten thousand others?”
“It might be difficult right now, but until I die, I’ll always have Geum-soon and all of you by my side.”
“Geum-soon until the very end…”
Chuckling, Pilsu seemed to have firmed his resolve.
“Let’s dream your dream together. What about the rest of you?”
At Pilsu’s question, the other friends who had been maintaining silence straightened their clothes and answered.
“I’d like to dream that dream too.”
“It’s not the skies of Seoul but of Nanking, but let’s fly magnificently.”
“Hidden Dragon, if you’re going to soar, you must do it properly. Only then can we fly splendidly too.”
As the members of the Hidden Dragon Society one by one expressed their support, Seokjun spoke to Zhu Jianshen.
“As Pilsu mentioned earlier, we’re Empire citizens. We won’t even think of doing anything harmful to the Empire, let alone actually do it. If such a situation arises, I won’t hesitate to leave you, no matter how sweet the allure of power might be. Can you promise never to do anything harmful to the Empire?”
Without needing to think twice, Zhu Jianshen immediately answered Seokjun’s question.
“I already answered, didn’t I? I swear to the gods of heaven and earth that as long as I remain on the throne, such a thing will never happen.”
“What about after you die?”
“Honestly, I can’t promise that.”
Seeing Zhu Jianshen’s uncertain expression, Seokjun burst into laughter.
“That actually makes me trust you more. Good. Then I’ll join you too.”
“Thank you!”
Zhu Jianshen was genuinely grateful for Seokjun’s participation.
“We may play around, but if we actually tried, no one could match us!”
Among the members of the Hidden Dragon Society who always carried this phrase on their lips, Seokjun was the one who embodied it best.
Even his recent success in passing the first round of the Science Academy entrance exam had come after just three months of preparation.
“That Seokjun, if only he had the right connections, he’d be playing in Gyeongbok Palace by now.”
A dragon unable to ascend to heaven because of a small pond.
This was how people around them evaluated Seokjun.
***
Beneath the pavilion where the Hidden Dragon Society was having their serious conversation, several beggars lay scratching their backs.
However, these weren’t ordinary beggars but disguised agents from the Secret Police who had been sent to monitor the Hidden Dragon Society.
Pretending to be drunk and reeking of alcohol, the Secret Police team leader issued an order while bringing a gourd bottle to his lips.
“Report that we need an in-depth investigation of the Hidden Dragon Society members.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the subordinate who received the order silently slipped away, another subordinate quietly asked.
“Won’t the existing investigation be sufficient?”
“Until now, they were just friends of an abandoned prince, but from now on, they’re close friends and trusted advisors of the Ming Emperor. We need to dig deeper. Starting from what their parents are like, we need to find out as much as possible about their true nature hidden behind that middle school syndrome.”
“Ah, I see. I’ll prepare for that.”
“See that you do.”
Having ordered his subordinate, the team leader muttered quietly.
“It’s time to shed these rags.”
***
When stealing the pulse of public opinion, the best disguise was that of a beggar. Few people paid attention to dirty-faced beggars in tattered clothes who bowed obsequiously.
However, beggars weren’t suitable for situations requiring deeper infiltration. At such times, a different appearance was needed.
Over time, the Secret Police had changed significantly. In its early days, it mainly operated around pleasure quarters, so the appearance of a sword broker was sufficient.
But as time passed, they needed to gather information from more diverse places. Many of these locations were difficult to access as sword brokers, so the Secret Police agents needed different disguises.
That wasn’t all.
Those who entered to steal the Empire’s secrets came disguised in various identities and appearances. To find them, Secret Police agents also needed increasingly diverse disguises.
As a result, field agents of the Secret Police took on many forms. Some agents were skilled at disguising themselves in various identities, while others operated with just one appearance and identity. The former mostly worked on the frontlines, while the latter typically operated intermediate bases or targeted the upper class.
Those who maintained the most primitive form of the Secret Police were the strike teams responsible for physical force.
***
Given these circumstances, the Hidden Dragon Society members became targets of surveillance and observation both openly and covertly.
The overt presence was the officials from the Administration Office.
“The Ming Emperor has requested that you accompany him. Have you heard about this?”
“Yes, we have.”
“And have you decided?”
“Yes, we will go with him.”
“It won’t be easy.”
“How could fulfilling a grand purpose with a dear friend ever be easy?”
Hearing the Hidden Dragon Society members’ response, the official made a peculiar expression.
“You’ll be working in the Ming court, not the Empire. Territorial disputes will be the least of your worries in a place overflowing with political machinations. You’ll be in deep trouble if you’re thinking only of the heroic tales from popular fiction.”
“We’re prepared for that.”
“We’re not so foolish that we can’t distinguish between reality and fiction.”
At their answers, the official smiled bitterly and muttered inwardly.
They all said these guys had middle school syndrome… Such serious pretentiousness…
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Clearing his throat to compose his expression and inner thoughts, the official got to the point.
“Submit copies of your household registers and academic records from Commoner’s School and Middle Academy to the Administration Office.”
“The household register makes sense, but why our academic records?”
Seeing the members’ confused expressions at this unexpected request, the official added an explanation.
“You’re going to be the Emperor’s close associates, so shouldn’t we know if you’re intelligent or stupid? Besides, academic records also include evaluations of your conduct during your studies. Shouldn’t the court have some idea of what kind of people you are to anticipate future developments?”
“Ah…”
Seeing the Hidden Dragon Society members nodding, the official concluded.
“Submit them within three days. It’s an imperial order.”
“Yes, we’ll do as commanded.”
Interestingly, although the Hidden Dragon Society members didn’t know it, their academic records had already been secretly submitted to the Administration Office. The plan was to compare the records they submitted with those secretly obtained to assess their character.
While the Administration Office officials operated in the open, Secret Police agents worked in the shadows.
Sometimes as customers visiting shops, sometimes as day laborers, the infiltrated Secret Police agents assessed not only the Hidden Dragon Society members but also the temperaments of their parents and other family members.
All this gathered information was well-organized and submitted to Wan.
After receiving the report, Wan sought out Sejong to exchange opinions.
“…There appear to be no character issues. Fortunately, none of them view becoming the Emperor’s close associates as an opportunity for corruption.”
Sejong nodded at Wan’s words.
“I agree. Having people of poor character blind the new Emperor and ruin Ming might be a good strategy, but the new Emperor’s foundation is too weak for that. If we make a mistake, we might end up discarding good cards.”
“Indeed. The only remaining issue is the marriage matter.”
Sejong immediately responded to Wan’s words.
“Duke Anpyeong has already sent someone for that matter, so we should hear good news soon.”
***
While things were progressing this way at Gyeongbok Palace, Geum-soon’s home had the atmosphere of a house in mourning.
As soon as rumors spread that Zhu Jianshen would become the Emperor of Ming, Geum-soon’s home turned into a funeral house.
“Oh, my wretched fate! This is why I told her not to associate with him!”
Upon hearing the rumors, Geum-soon’s mother immediately clutched her head and collapsed on the floor.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Zhu Jianshen was constantly following Geum-soon around.
Because of this, Geum-soon’s parents not only earnestly implored her not to associate with Zhu Jianshen but sometimes even took up the rod.
Despite all this, the relationship between Geum-soon and Zhu Jianshen had been gradually growing closer, and Geum-soon’s parents were consumed with worry.
“Why did it have to be a Ming citizen, and a prince at that!”
***
During this period, households with marriages to foreigners were gradually appearing in Seoul.
Foreign exchange students studying in Seoul were marrying Empire women and forming families.
Of course, these marriages had some tragicomic backstories.
Most of those studying abroad in the Empire were virile men in their twenties. Consequently, cases of crossing boundaries with Empire women frequently occurred, and that’s when the Empire court stepped in.
“What will you do? Will you marry her or not? Just for reference, if you don’t marry her, we’ll punish you for the crime of rape. Oh, one more thing! In our Empire, the punishment for raping a woman is the most severe.”
Most exchange students who heard this chose marriage. Then, the Empire added one more thing.
“Now that things have come to this, how about becoming an Empire citizen? If you want to receive proper support after marriage, it’s better to become an Empire citizen.”
In the end, foreign exchange students who married Empire women became Empire citizens.
In another case, Empire soldiers, merchants, or sailors residing abroad sometimes married local women. However, this didn’t elicit much negative reaction.
***
While marrying foreigners had become unremarkable, the problem was Zhu Jianshen himself.
- Son of the Liaodong King who started the last war
- An abandoned prince.
It was Zhu Jianshen’s background that caused Geum-soon’s parents such anxiety.
In this situation, the news that Zhu Jianshen had become Emperor was like pouring oil on fire.
As soon as they heard the rumors, both Geum-soon and her parents turned pale and collapsed.
“We’re ruined!”
“Oh, you stupid girl!”
“Mom, what should I do?”
The desperate family hugged each other and wailed.
While scolding Geum-soon, her parents had anticipated that Zhu Jianshen and Geum-soon would eventually become a couple.
- Despite various disqualifying factors, Zhu Jianshen is an abandoned figure.
- He won’t return to Ming.
- Although there’s a difference in status, as long as he doesn’t return to Ming, it’s not a major issue.
- Since rumors have already spread far and wide, no one but Zhu Jianshen would take Geum-soon.
But with Zhu Jianshen becoming Emperor, everything had changed.
- He’s not just an abandoned prince but an Emperor. The immense gap in status is insurmountable.
- Since rumors have spread everywhere, no family would take Geum-soon. In the past, she might have become a concubine, but now the Empire prohibits concubinage.
This was why Geum-soon had locked herself in her room, and her mother had collapsed with her head in her hands.
***
While the entire household had the atmosphere of a funeral home, a middle-aged man visited Geum-soon’s house.
“Is anyone home?”
“Who’s there?”
To the question posed by a worker in Geum-soon’s house, the man revealed his identity.
“I’ve been sent by Duke Anpyeong.”
“What? Wait, please wait a moment!”