Secret of the Red Lotus Flower (빨간 연꽃의 비밀)

Chapter 43

Ha-neul shielded their eyes as they stepped out of Geunjeongjeon Hall and out into the sun. Most of the Ministers were already gone, leaving behind their underlings to run their errands. Ha-neul's blood boiled as they watched Lord Min's palanquin leave the courtyard. The Crown Prince knew how much their father-in-law delighted in rubbing his power in the royal family's faces. The marriage between Ha-neul and his daughter had done little to temper his arrogance. In frustration, Ha-neul kicked the stone railing.

"Careful, Little Brother. Father would be quite upset if you broke your foot so soon after recovering from your wound." Ha-neul turned around to see their older brother casually leaning against the outer wall of Geunjeongjeon. The other prince was wearing the dark red dalryeongpo of a concubine's son. Before the king had officially declared Ha-neul the crown prince at their Gwallye ceremony, Ha-neul had worn a similar one, only in purple, as befitted the son of the queen.

"Furthermore, there is no way I'm carrying you all the way back to Donggung," Bon-hwa said as he pushed off the wall to stand next to Ha-neul. "You'd just have to sit here in agony, waiting for a servant to find you. Knowing you, though, you'd probably limp back to your quarters instead before deigning to ask for help."

"Where were you, Bon-hwa? I could have used your help in there today with Father," said Ha-neul. "Lord Min has been consolidating his power and I need every ally I have for support."

"Do you honestly think my presence would have helped, Little Brother?" Bon-hwa asked. "Considering what Father thinks of me, the only way I could assist you in achieving your goals would be by backing your father-in-law's proposals. Father would automatically approve of anything you proposed then."

"You're exaggerating, Bon-hwa. Father cares for you. You've always been the only one that could pull him out of one of his black moods."

"True, but he loves you more," said Bon-hwa. "Besides, the only way I could ever make Father smile was by playing the fool and making him laugh. That makes me a perfect candidate for court jester, not a politician. Either way, he would still stay in his rooms. You were the one that used logic to get him to come to court and do his actual job."

Ha-neul thought about denying their brother's claims but knew Bon-hwa was merely speaking the truth as he saw it. Not for the first time, Ha-neul cursed their mother for denying their brother his birthright. If not for the queen's ambitions, Bon-hwa would be crown prince, while they would have been married off to some foreign nobleman like their foster sister, Uisun. They decided to change the conversation before either of them got too depressed.

"If you weren't here for court, then why did you return?" asked Ha-neul. "You and Jianjun are supposed to be investigating the men on Soo-yun's list."

Bon-hwa looked around the courtyard. While most of the officials had returned to their duties, there were still a few servants milled around. One thing the two of them had learned over the years was that everyone had a price, even servants who swore an oath to serve the royal family.

"Let's move our conversation to the gardens," said Bon-hwa. "More privacy and fewer prying eyes."

The two princes moved away from the entrance of Geunjeongjeon and circled the throne hall to continue their talk in one of the side gardens. The royal gardeners would be done with their daily tasks there by now and it would be harder for any spies to eavesdrop on them.

As they entered the garden, Ha-neul saw Soo-yun and her servants enter from the other side. They couldn't help but think how striking Soo-yun looked in her peach dangui topcoat. For a brief second, their eyes locked and Ha-neul thought their wife would say something. Instead, she paled and made an abrupt right turn, leaving her servants behind to rush to catch up.