The capital's marketplace was one of the busiest places in the kingdom. Its large courtyard, with the outer walls and inside filled with a maze of stalls, hocking products from all over the world, never ever tasted a moment of serenity. Sleep was an alien, meaningless word. Visitors first entering the marketplace had every sense assaulted—with strong smells of incense, flowers and perfumes, the sight of brightly colored clothes, glittering brass pots, steamy freshly-made, mouth-watering Silla delicacies, and the shouts of sellers advertising their wares, haggling with potential buyers and other merchants. Unwary visitors would definitely be trampled by hand-and horse-drawn carts and pushy shoppers.
However, some of those activities came to a halt when two nangdos posted an announcement in one of the market's walls. People gathered, and some merchants led the way in reading the pronouncement to convey the information to those peasants who could not read.
People of Silla, listen to your king. Bring your families to the royal courtyard and witness the eclipse ceremony the next day, afternoon. Let us all pray to the Heavens for good fortune.
After a random merchant read out loud what was written, the people discussed and many of them were surprised to know that the King had invited them all for the ceremony. They praised the King's name, agreeing that they have the privilege to be involved since they were the people of Silla. Many people looked up to the skies and prayed.
But as per an old saying, not all doves were white.
There was a cloth seller who was not interested in attending the ceremony. He believed that people should not always depend on their lives to the Heavens. He stepped forward out of the blue and spoke, "So what if the King invites us to see the ceremony? Do you really think that witnessing the eclipse would bring good fortune to you and your families?" he scoffed.
Everyone turned to look at the angry man, astonished for the blatant disrespect to the King and the Heavens with such an outburst.
"What are you talking about? Do not say anything like that to the Heavens. Wooh! You are giving me the creeps!" a woman sneered and strode away from the man.
Another old man butted in, "We believe in our King. He is sent by the Heavens to give us good fortune in life. It's already been tested. Just take a look around this market."
"W-wh-whatever! Attend if you want to. I'll just focus on my work."
"Try to relax once in a while, mister. This is a rare opportunity for commoners like us. Can't you imagine stepping your feet inside the palace? Breathing the same air the royals and nobles breathe? Do a sacred ceremony with them? They're giving us the honor to be involved. We exist! We are important."
The seller did not respond, his lips curling in annoyance. He just arranged some of his precious silk clothes, probably to attract more attention from potential customers.
"I will just pray for your soul. I hope the Heavens won't punish you."
~~•~~
Meanwhile, at the palace, all nine provincial governors gathered at the balcony of the Prime Minister's pavilion for a tea meeting—to welcome him from his long journey. Fantastic view of the pavilion roofs, the vibrant green forest, and the blue mountain ranges from afar. The wind rushing by their skins. All of them sat at a round table while the Prime Minister was at his special table in front of them, with Chil Yook standing to his right and Hoon to his left.
Jung Ho sipped his tea, commencing the gathering formally. "Governors, I am very delighted that you've accepted my invitation despite the sudden notice and your distance from the capital."
"You honor us, Your Excellency," the governors answered in unison.
Jung Ho smiled. "Sip your teas and enjoy."
One governor asked, "My Lord, is it true that the solar eclipse will not happen? How could this be?"
Jung Ho pursed his lips and smirked. "Minister Hoon over here shall explain to you what had happened in the council meeting."
Darting his eyes at the waiting governors, Hoon bowed his head and started reporting, "Apparently, yes, according to the King, there will be no eclipse this year. The Head Priestess told us that there was some strange misalignment in the positions of the stars in space, causing the alteration of the cycle."
All governors looked at each other, exchanging murmurs. A cliche of response—disbelief.
Jung Ho cleared his throat and interrupted, "I gathered you today not to talk about the eclipse itself."
"What do you want us to do, Your Excellency? We have mobilized our men to inform our people in the province," an old governor said.
Nodding, Jung Ho sent a sign of gratitude to the governor. "As expected, you are really doing your jobs very well. If you continue doing that, we will have a good, spontaneous relationship in the future." He continued, "Let us not worry too much about that. It is the King's responsibility to predict the eclipse correctly. Our job is something else. Let us focus on the ceremony. I want to ask a favor from each of you," the Prime Minister said.
"What is it, My Lord?" another governor asked.
"I anticipate a large number of commoners and nobility in the palace during the ceremony, and I am concerned that the palace guards are unable to handle any mass security issues. I want two battalions, with at least a hundred of your best hwarangs from each of the provinces. Will there be any problems?"
"No, My Lord. We would be very honored to help." another governor said.
Jung Ho continued, "I am also concerned with the security of our borders, with the majority of our people attending the ceremony. Mobilize the rest of your hwarangs and post them in the markets, the temples, the borders, and any other place at risk of outside attack."
In the middle of the meeting, a rustle at the door made the Prime Minister pause. The door opened to reveal Lady Min, who entered the room and bowed low. When she straightened, she announced that the King wished to talk to the Prime Minister, and that he was right outside the door. The governors looked at each other uneasily, but Jung Ho merely waved his hand. "The meeting is adjourned anyways. Go."
"Can I expect your full cooperation?" asked Jung Ho, his attention back to the governors.
"Yes, Your Lordship."
"Good. You can go now."
He stood, followed shortly by the governors. The group bowed to the Prime Minister before shuffling out the door. Upon seeing the King, waiting outside, they dipped their heads low, like tame dogs—scared and nervous of the bigger master.
Chil Yook bowed to his lord and asked permission to leave. "Your Excellency, I'll have a meeting with the hwarangs."
Hoon butted in shortly, "Me too, Your Lordship. I have some errands to do."
Jung Ho raised his brow in a quick approval. The two left, leaving him alone in his sanctuary. A minute or two had passed before he called Lady Min. "Please let him in."
Jae Joong entered the balcony finally meeting his brother whom he did not see for a month. The span of time brought no change on Jung Ho's sharp eyes that recognized no boundaries even the tallest mountain or the King.
The Prime Minister bowed his head and genuflected before the ruler. "Sire, what a pleasant surprise!"
"No need for that. Stand up and let us talk at your table," Jae Joong ordered.
Jung Ho straightened and offered his older brother a seat at the larger round table. As they sat, the dignified-acting prime minister offered a cup of tea but the King politely declined with the explanation that he would not be staying long. Jung Ho just raised an eyebrow before pouring himself a fresh cup.
Jae Joong pursed his lips before smiling with an appreciation of his brother's warm welcome. "What a splendid assemblage."
"Oh, it was just a little something to nibble on as we discussed the ceremony," Jung Ho explained dismissively. "I asked them each to deploy two battalions of provincial hwarangs to the palace."
"I can see that the governors are all on your side. Amazingly, with just one word, you could actually tell them to deploy a significant amount of military force."
A half-smile came out from Jung Ho's lips. "Tsk, Your Highness, you keep on misunderstanding things. These governors are not on my side. They serve no one but the kingdom. All we want is to protect the whole Silla."
"Right! For the kingdom." Jae Joong goggled his eyes before he continued, "Just like what you have been always pointing out since I could not remember when. Very well, then. By the way, how are you? How was your trip to the Tang Empire?"
With a brightened face, Jung Ho shared his experiences, learnings, and admiration on Tang. "Oh, it was phenomenal! I was very enthralled with their architecture. The word, 'majestic' would be a disgusting understatement. It was divine. Everything was undeniably perfect—the education, the agricultural system, weapons, and..." he paused, examining the King's annoyed, offended reaction.
"As far as I know, I sent you there to study their language—for us to have a better trading relationship with them. I didn't know that you've also spent a lot of your time studying their entire culture."
"I'm a fast learner, Your Majesty. I've learned to speak and write their language in just a short period. Besides, it was not my fault if the Emperor was fond of me. He was the one who showed me all of their wonders... Almost all of it." Jung Ho tilted his head gently to the right and resumed, grinning, "Including technology... Science perhaps. Sire, I would be willing to share all my knowledge," Jung Ho proposed, his eyes grappled with the King's.
"In fact, the Emperor wants me to visit more often." With that revelation, Jung Ho sat back and took a sip of his tea with a smug little smile.
Jae Joong frowned at his younger brother's rude bragging about Tang's glorious kingdom. "What do you mean by that?"
"He had a proposition."
The King's eyebrows scrunched, an interest sparked in his eyes. "And what is that?"
"About being their vassal state... The Emperor gives us the opportunity to annihilate Balhae. Didn't we learn from the past? Silla had experienced too much turmoil during the war with Tang. In our time, we should do our best to appease them."
"No!" the King yelled, slamming his fists onto the table.
The Prime Minister leaned forward. "Sire, please reconsider. This is serious. We do not want to anger the Tang Empire again. They had considered Silla an ally before, but our previous kings took them for granted. This offer might be the only chance that we have."
"That will be a perilous move. Basking through Tang's glory? Yes, I have learned from the past. The kings' alliance with Tang had caused the unification of the Three Kingdoms, but that also had brought a lot of people during the war to fall under the claws of death."
Digging his nails into his palms, the King scowled at the Prime Minister. To even suggest such a thing! The audacity to mock his leadership! Silla's alliance with Tang should have ended with the unification of the Three Kingdoms, and they would never consider becoming a vassal to Tang no matter how appealing the offer was. It was imperative that Silla stands on its own!
"Silla can live as an independent nation. The hwarangs and the current weapons are already enough to protect the entire kingdom. In terms of technologies, we are not on the losing end as well. I can guarantee that," Jae Joong defended.
The Prime Minister looked askance to the King, sniffing an awful sense of doubt. "For real, Sire? Speaking of technologies, are you completely certain that our current methods are really capable of predicting the exact time of the eclipse?"
Upon hearing the Prime Minister's question, the King's eyes bulged in surprise. His face drained in color for a couple of seconds, but it recovered its vibrancy again after Jae Joong had composed himself. "Y-Ye-Yes!" the King stammered, lips trembling.
Jung Ho leaned back, satisfied with the King's response. It seemed like his older brother was not confident in the capabilities of their Head Priestess. Did Jae Joong just think that Jung Ho would not be able to see an obvious change in facial reaction in split seconds? No! The King thought that he could cover himself. That made him more foolish and suspicious. Jung Ho tried to hold back a laugh, and as a result, his lips formed a shaky smirk. "As you say, Sire."
Those worried eyes anchored at the Prime Minister, his heart beating fast. Jae Joong swerved the topic to lighten the mood, so he asked about the Prime Minister's personal life. The sly brother sensed the King's anxiety with the mood of their conversation and decided to ride along.
"I guess this is where we end our discussion about political matters. I actually want to talk about your family. When will your wife give birth?" Jae Joong curiously asked.
"That was very nice of you. I guess any day within this week."
"Finally! Jung Min will have a new baby sister. Oh, right... when will Jung Min come back? It has been a while since I have seen my nephew."
The name of his son rang like a gong in Jung Ho's eardrums, over and over with the ceaseless peals of a temple's alarm. Bright circles of red formed on his cheeks as he fought to calm himself of his irrational reactions, biting back any harsh words. Finally, he managed to jab out, "Sire, I'm afraid I cannot answer that."
"Why is that?"
"Because I don't have an answer yet. He will be out there in Manno County for a long time." Jung Ho looked away.
Jae Joong pouted his lips, acting disappointed. "How unfortunate. Didn't you miss your son? He's been out of the palace for quite some time. I cannot even remember his face."
He continued to babble about how he missed Jung Min and his warm personality, while the Prime Minister clenched his fists under the table. If only those hands had their own life—if only, if only... Having made his point, the King gave his younger brother a crocodile smile and stood, with the excuse that he had personal errands to run and must cut their reunion short. However, Jung Ho refused to let the King leave with the upper hand.
As Jae Joong swept towards the door, the Prime Minister blurted, "By the way, Sire, since you've already asked about my wife and my children, I'll ask too..."
Curious, the King turned back.
"How're your twins?"
Boom! The explosive question. Jae Joong was rooted in his position, and his entire body froze in place. Vines and stumps of dark trees tangled around his legs, pulling him to the depths of the underworld. Oh no! How did he find out?
"W-Wh-What are you talking about... twins?" the stunned king stammered.
"I already know, Sire. They are my future nephews after all." The Prime Minister smirked and decided to twist his metaphorical dagger straight into his older brother's heart. He mentally thanked Chil Yook for this essential piece of information. "It makes my heart soar that the solar eclipse will not occur this year. That means that I will have many years in the palace to play with both my nephews. Am I not right, Your Majesty?"
"Yes, that... that is true. It will not occur this year! The kingdom will know about my twins, and they will love them," Jae Joong declared.
"Very well then, Sire... I guess that's it then." Jung Ho mumbled.
"Sure. I'll get going." Jae Joong exhaled deeply and walked out of the door.
Silence enveloped the entire chambers when the King left. Jung Ho twitched his eyes, thinking deeply about his future sinister plans for the King and the twins. He leaned back in his chair, toying idly with his teacup. "Very splendid. Let us see who among us will lose this game, Sire."
His lips twisted into a smile. "I am very thrilled to see your twins."
__________
NOTES:
Balhae Kingdom (발해) - a kingdom located north of Silla. It was formed by resisting officers of the fallen kingdom of Goguryeo, alongside with the Mohe (모헤) tribe. It was located in Modern day China, North Korea, and some parts of Russia.
Manno County (만노) - Modern day Jincheon County in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea.