Secret of the Red Lotus Flower (빨간 연꽃의 비밀)

Prologue

The doors and shutters of Gyotaejeon, the Queen of Joseon's quarters, shook and rattled as the wind and rain lashed at the building. The hour was late but the pacing figure in a white undershirt and petticoats did not care about the time nor the storm. Her sole focus was on the tiny life growing in her womb.

"We shouldn't be doing this, your majesty. It is not right," cried Min-jeong, the court maid assigned to the queen. "If the King learns that we brought a practitioner of Mugyo here, he will-"

"Enough!" commanded the queen as she silenced her maid's wailing with a slap. "The King has sent countless Confucian scholars and physicians to poke and prod me over the years and all have been ineffective. If it takes a shaman to ensure this birth is successful, then I will defy the King, the Heavens, and Buddha himself."

While only in her mid-twenties, Queen Ae-ri had helped her husband rule Joseon for over a decade. While her legendary beauty with her glossy black hair, flawless skin, and dark, alluring eyes may have won her the throne, it was her intelligence and political acumen that had kept her there. However, during that time, she had never felt peace and knew that her legacy was dependent upon giving him an heir.

There is a rap at the door and a tall figure dressed completely in black slips into the room. Normally, it would be a death sentence for a man to enter the queen's rooms at this hour. Only court ladies and eunuchs were allowed within the palace grounds after the gates were closed for the night. However, this was Tae-hyeong, the queen's brother and the man she trusted the most in all of Joseon. He dropped to one knee as he bowed to his sister.

"I brought the mudang as you requested, your majesty," he informed his sister.

"Excellent," the queen responded, flashing a rare smile of affection for her loyal younger brother. "Send her in."

With a nod, he left the room, only to return seconds later accompanied by an elderly woman in an elaborate outfit. The mudang stood tall and proud, not showing the customary deferment to the Nation's Mother. The mugu bells chimed against her hip as she crossed the room.

"I do not appreciate being pulled from home like this, your majesty," the mudang told the queen. "Especially when a night like this is filled with ill omens."

"My apologies," the queen said sweetly, keeping the impatience from her voice with practiced ease. "However, I am in need of your services and I am running out of time." She rubbed her stomach to highlight the reason.

"If you wanted a jaesu-gut ritual to bring blessings for the birth, you could have sent a simple missive. I will need some time to properly sanctify the room in order to perform it safely," the mudang stated. "Although, I feel that there is more to this."

"You are correct," the queen replied. "I need a fortune to be told."

"You called me all the way here in the middle of a storm for a simple jeom?" the shaman sighed. "Fine. I will need your saju. What is the hour, day, month, and year of your birth?"

"Not for me. For my child," the queen corrected, stroking her enlarged stomach. "I have given the King three boys, all stillborn. The King's concubine gave birth to a healthy son six months ago. There is already talk that, if I fail to produce an heir this time, the King should divorce me and elevate the concubine to queen in order to make that... child the Crown Prince. I need this pregnancy to be successful. Can you guarantee this?"

"What you ask is very unorthodox," cautioned the mudang, "and even a little dangerous."

"If this is too much for you, there are many other shamans in Gyeonggi that I can get," the queen hissed. "Perhaps they will have enough skill and power to do what I require."