The Prime Minister's last words resounded throughout the King's head, causing him to totter as he walked across the palace grounds. The memory of Jung Ho's sinister grin and scathing eyes leached into Jae Joong's bones, sucking out his life force. His hwarangs and court ladies behind him got worried at his blank face and increasingly wobbly movements. Another move—he finally lost balance and tripped on the ground.
A hwarangdo grabbed his arm, holding him firmly before he could fall. "Forgive my insolence, Sire. Are you all right?"
"Yes, I am," Jae Joong replied. "People are watching. I can walk to my bedchambers."
The hwarangdo let his arm go, and the distressed king continued walking towards his chambers, thinking about his twins' fate now that the Prime Minister has known everything. An opportunistic monster was about to prey upon his children! Was there even more ominous than that?
He reached his chambers and sank into one of the chairs at his table. His head hung, and he clutched it with his hands in despair. One of his ladies-in-waiting distracted him with the announcement, "Sire, Minister Dae Wong wants to have a word with you."
"Let him in," he responded softly.
Dae Wong noticed the King's troubled face as he sat awkwardly in front of the troubled king. He asked him what was wrong, and the King explained everything that had happened between him and the Prime Minister. Dae Wong was not totally surprised. He had expected that the day might come, considering there were many eyes and ears in the palace. Like birds, news were also winged creatures that could travel as quickly as a lightning bolt. No secrets could be kept in the palace forever, especially from the Prime Minister.
"What shall we do? I am pretty sure that he would target my sons the moment they were born on the same day as the eclipse."
Jae Joong stood and walked back and forth across his room. Anxious, hysterical, fidgeting. Dae Wong leaned an elbow on the table, rubbing his temple—thinking of ways to solve a big problem. He was distracted when the King snapped his fingers as an idea popped into his mind.
"We need to hide the Queen! I will send her to a faraway place to deliver the babies. After that, no one could discover that we had twins."
Dae Wong gazed at the King, listening to his interesting plan. His pupils suddenly goggled seconds later, and he exclaimed, "Sire, I have a better idea! We will plan this ahead... By the way, Sire—regarding the—"
"Oh yes! Now, how was it? Have you gotten any information about the almanac from your surveillance of Lady Jang?"
The young minister picked a black-covered book from his sleeve and handed it to the King, "Here you go, Sire. The almanac she uses to predict the solar eclipse."
"How did you get it?"
Dae Wong smiled and told the King his story. "I went to the royal library to look for any books with a plain black cover. Then, I went straight back to the temple, hoping to find Lady Jang there. The monks said that she might finish the ritual and go somewhere else after two hours. That's why I waited outside the temple until she got out. Luckily, I saw her leaving, carrying a lot of things piled up on her arms. I saw the book that you described. I instructed one of my nangdos to bump her intentionally so her things would scatter on the floor. He secretly switched the books hidden in his sleeve with the black book on the floor."
"Wait, didn't she even check the book?" Jae Joong asked, squinting in doubt.
"I doubt, Your Highness. She seemed to be in a hurry at that time. There is a little possibility that she will randomly open that book."
Dae Wong paused, his forehead wrinkled like a prune, "Unless she will give it to someone else."
Their eyes met upon intersecting at the same idea. Jae Joong exclaimed, "Right! Possibly to Jung Ho or any of his minions... Well, it won't matter anyway since I am the one who has it now. Would they even dare to do treacherous things to me?"
"Sire, we both know that they could not do that directly. However, you know what your brother is like as well. Just be very careful."
"Fine. Will do. By the way, job well done. Very clever! So, did you open this almanac?"
"Yes Sire, but I could not comprehend a single word. It is written in a strange language. I have a feeling that it is like a combination of... Göktürks and Tang handwriting, just like what you have told me."
"We need to find someone who could read this. Do you know someone?"
"No, Sire. But, uh, I have ordered two nangdos to follow Lady Jang. They should be coming to report at any moment from now."
A few minutes later, two nangdos came, requesting for audience. Their damped bright yellow headbands, with tiger head insignia, blots of dried sweat in their fitted robes and loose pants, and streaks of mud on their black, high boots made Jae Joong frown in disgust. Panting like running dogs, their sweats also dripped into the precious mink carpet.
"You had the nerve to present like that in front of our King?" frowned Dae Wong.
The two bowed their heads and apologized. The older nangdo reported, "We're sorry, Sire. We ran here as fast as we could. You need to know something."
"Speak," allowed Jae Joong.
"We followed Lady Jang. She went to Lady Min's house."
The minister jerked his fist. Eureka! A toast for the discovery of a huge puzzle piece. "I knew it!" He shrieked, "Sire, this might be it! There is a huge possibility that Lady Jang works for the Prime Minister!"
Jae Joong's eyebrows met, and he rolled his palm into a fist as he ordered the minister and the two nangdos to go to Lady Min's house. A hot, steamy smoke of anger belched out from his nostrils.
"Go."
"Sire, we will report anything suspicious, and I would make sure to get the black book back before they discovered that it was fake. I would also gather information that could be possibly useful to us."
~~•~~
Dae Wong and his two nangdos saddled their horses and left the palace, going to Lady Min's house. Her house was roughly fifteen ri away from the palace gates, in the woods. Average sized, thatched roof of hays—typical. It was a bit elevated, supported by four timbers rooted in the ground and a wooden porch surrounding the perimeter. Huge trees shielding it from possible intruders. Upon reaching the house premises, Dae Wong's group hid on the big green skyscrapers—about a few ri away from the house.
"My Lord, someone is coming. I can hear horse steps!" one of the nangdos alerted.
"Everyone, hide properly!" the minister whispered, turning around and leaning against the tall trunk. The nangdos followed, stealing quick, calculated glances towards the house.
When the stomping of the horse stopped, Dae Wong slowly turned around and took a peek. Recognizing that it was Chil Yook who just descended from the horse, the vexed minister frowned, his teeth clenching each other. "What are you up to, Chil Yook?"
As the gust of cold wind nipped Chil Yook's face, he looked around and observed the graceful swaying of the leaves and branches in the woods. He cleared his throat and finally entered the house.
After a few moments, Dae Wong signaled and mouthed his nangdos—that they would serve as lookouts. He then tiptoed slowly closer to the house. With regulated breaths and calculated rhythms of his feet, he had managed to crawl to the small three-leveled steps going to the porch. Credits to his lightweight body, his movements were cat-like. Every motion made no noise. He crept silently towards the main door and leaned his head slowly. Then he heard their conversations—muffled but understandable.
~~•~~
"Forgive me for coming over so late. The Prime Minister had ordered me to finish some errands," Chil Yook said. He sat on the floor and crossed his arms on a round table, observing Lady Jang who was biting her lips and tapping her fingers idly. Her other hand was on top of a pile of books. "Lady Jang, is something bothering you?" he asked.
The Head Priestess's face was ghastly pale. Like traveling towards the complete path of senselessness, she seemed to hear nothing, see nothing, or think nothing.
Chil Yook raised his voice, "Lady Jang!"
The woman turned her head slowly, her face as blank as an unwritten scroll. "Yes? What is it?"
He shook his head. "It seems like you are not in good condition."
Suddenly, Lady Jang jerked her hands to the pile of books, pulled out a black book and handed it over to Chil Yook, leaving him in surprise. "What is this?"
"The almanac that the Prime Minister gave me about two weeks ago. He said that one is the most accurate almanac ever existed. He has trusted me that book because he couldn't read it. I have no idea what the Prime Minister has been scheming, but he wants to know if the eclipse will happen or not. If it does, he wants to know the exact date and time as well."
"Why are you giving this to me?" Chil Yook asked, his eyes were wide as the owls'.
"Please give that book back to the Prime Minister firsthand."
In the middle of the growing tension, Lady Min approached them and poured tea on their cups, cutting in, "Why?"
"W-wa-wait! I thought that the eclipse would not happen," Chil Yook hypothesized.
Lady Jang did not respond. The skeptical man scrutinized her, his forehead puckering with suspicions. He leaned backward, scratching the back of his head. "I know it. You're a fake. You are fooling the King and the entire kingdom. Is that what the Prime Minister has told you? To keep the truth about the eclipse and for the King to declare something false?"
The Head Priestess bit her lip in silent confirmation. Chil Yook waved his two hands and shook his head, satisfied with the non-verbal response. "No, no, no. You do not need to answer. As if you have a choice! You owe the Prime Minister your position right now."
"The King is starting to doubt me. He asked me to explain all the things that I use to predict the eclipse. I had no choice but to comply. My only protection would be the Prime Minister since he mentioned that when everything screwed up, he would protect me."
Chil Yook raised a brow and asked, "So, did the King believe you?"
Another silent moment. In fact, she had no idea how to read the almanac. The Prime Minister had delivered it to her through a messenger when he was still in Tang. With Lady Jang's title and connections, Jung Ho had believed that there was a high chance that she could find someone who could interpret the contents of the book. But, as the moons passed by and the days went by, she found nothing. Despite her vigorous efforts asking all abbots and monks all over Silla (all that she knew), she still failed to uncover the secrets of the mighty scripture from the Göktürks and Tang.
Certainly, her time was running too fast. Once the King found out the truth inside the almanac, it would be her end. The moment Jae Joong discovered the true date and time of the eclipse, unfathomable death punishment would be bestowed upon her.
Lady Min decided to fully join the conversation. She sat beside the Head Priestess and patted her shoulder, "So you are telling us that you cannot read that? If that is the case, you're not sure if there will be an eclipse or not. What if the prediction you had given to the King was right? What if there is really no eclipse?"
"I have thought of that possibility. If that is the case, then the Heavens has a way to favor the King. So be it. I just do not know what the Prime Minister would do next."
Lady Min nodded in agreement. "I'm sure he has something in mind. By the way, what language was written in there?"
"I am not sure. Judging the strokes of the characters, I think there are elements of Göktürks and Tang's calligraphy."
"Hmm, Göktürks and Tang? The only solution to your, and in the near future would be our problem too, is to find someone who could read the scripts inside the almanac. I think I know someone who could read those characters. He is an abbot in a small temple, deep in the forest of Anju Village, Jinhae District. I accidentally met him when I visited a cousin. Though, I am not sure if he still lives there."
Lady Jang gasped, her eyes glinted with small flakes of hope, "Let's give it a try, please!. Thank Heavens! I have spent my time searching through the northern side of the kingdom. I did not know that the answer to my problem might be living in the most remote area in Silla."
While listening to their conversation, Chil Yook butted in, flipping the book, trying to figure out any written words on the cover, "May I open this?"
"Sure." Lady Jang mumbled.
But just as Chil Yook reached his finger underneath the cover to flip the book open, a strange feeling kicked his spine, telling him to stare at the door. His eyes glued at it, but instead of going away, the inkling intensified, like a sting of an ant. It had to be scratched to subside. Weirdly, his heart raced. Du du dum du du dum! So he finally snapped.
"Wait, stop!"
The two ladies were shocked, exchanging glances with each other as Chil Yook stood and unsheathed his sword.
~~•~~
Dae Wong heard footsteps approaching him. There were only a couple of seconds left before someone opens the door. Panicking, he rubbed his temple and looked around. He mouthed a curse and quickly jumped from the porch and crawled into a small space under the house.
Bam! Chil Yook opened the door and saw nothing. He prowled down the four corners of the house, inspecting the perimeters, and pointing swords in each of the corners. When he finished surveying, going back to the front door, he jumped off the porch, iron rings clunking from his leather vest. He walked slowly, scanning the surroundings carefully. He pressed his lips into a thin line and twitched his sword. Convinced that there was no one in the vicinity, he turned around and walked back to the house.
When Dae Wong caught sight of Chil Yook's legs, he pressed his palm hard against his mouth, trying to muffle any sound. His other hand formed into a fist, nails digging into his tender skin.
Chik Yook lurched closer to Dae Wong's hiding place and slowly bent forward, turning his head left, then right. The minister bit his lips and closed his eyes, knowing that he was about to be caught and worse, killed. He had learned too much to be allowed to leave with his life. No, no, not today! Dae Wong's nangdos watched helplessly from the woods. They prepared their swords, ready to attack Chil Yook only if their minister was discovered.
Chil Yook bent further, and Dae Wong began to shake as the other man's beard came into view. He was so close! Just before Chil Yook could completely see the base, Lady Min came out and asked what was going on, "Is there a problem?"
The searching man straightened, walked towards her and reported, "Oh, I thought I heard something. Must have been a sneaky animal scrapping for food."
"Oh, I'm used to all of them. They're harmless," the matron chuckled. "Let's go back?"
Chil Yook's sharp, slit eyes snatched a glance on the porch as he was plodding to the house. When the door slid closed, Dae Wong slowly opened his eyes, his hot shaky sigh of relief normalized his speeding heart. He crawled out from under, mud and dirt bathing his beautiful robe. Certainly, no genes for surrender had been encoded in his system. He moved back to where he was almost got caught to continue spying.
As Chil Yook entered, he asked the two while he was standing beside the front door, his voice raised in an unusual volume. "Well, so where were we again? The almanac?"
The two women were confused by Chil Yook's tone. They stared at each other for a moment, until Lady Jang answered timidly, "Yes, I told you, the almanac..."
Lady Jang did not have the chance to continue because Chil Yook suddenly re-opened the door, revealing the startled minister, who fell onto the floor with a thump. The women gasped in shock. Dae Wong stood quickly, flabbergasted upon being caught. His horror!
"And what do we have here?" Chil Yook smiled, his eyes casting a stupefied snigger to the surprised minister.
__________
NOTES:
Ri (리) - Silla's expression of long distances. 1 ri = 350 meters.
Anju Village (안주) - a fictional village in Silla.
Jinhae District (진해) - a district in Modern day Changwon City, South Korea.