The imperial palace, which was entirely covered in gold, was extraordinary in scale. Consequently, it took Hwon a considerable amount of time to pass through the three palace compounds and reach Gunghwawon, the eastern garden to which the emperor had summoned him.

The emperor was feeding silk carp in the artificial lake from a two-storey pavilion adorned with ornamental trees. Upon hearing that Hwon had arrived, the emperor turned around, delighted.

“Hwon, my proud younger brother. You have come.”

“This subject has come in answer to Your Majesty’s summons.”

The moment he came before the emperor, Hwon prostrated himself and paid his respects. The emperor smiled at the sight and commanded,

“What need is there for such formality between us? Be at ease. This is a private meeting between an elder and a younger brother.”

Although he spoke that way, satisfaction was evident on the Emperor’s face. He walked towards the stairs of the pavilion and beckoned for Hwon to follow him.

Soon, the two men arrived at Hwanjeon, located in the centre of Gunghwawon, accompanied by dozens of eunuchs and palace maids. Upon entering the comfortably heated inner chamber, the emperor sat at a low table beside the window. He ordered wine to be brought and instructed Hwon to sit down too. Hwon bowed his head and took the seat opposite.

“I heard you severed the bandit leader’s head with a single stroke at Mount Chisu. Your contribution was considerable, Hwon. With you here, both I and my people can rest easy.”

“Your praise is far too generous. They were merely a band of common thieves.”

“How many generals lost their lives to those supposed common thieves? I also heard that the rebels were as numerous as a swarm of ants, covering the entire region around Mount Chisu. There is no need to be so modest.”

As the emperor praised his younger brother, he poured an aromatic wine made from red berries. Hwon sipped his wine quietly while listening to the emperor’s lengthy commendation.

“No matter how much more I say, you will only give such dull responses. Very well, then. Now that you have defeated the rebels, tell me what you desire. Shall I grant you gold? Land?”

“Please bear in mind that Your Majesty’s grace already exceeds what I can bear.”

Hwon desired neither gold nor land. What purpose would there be in acquiring more of what he already possessed in abundance? Although he addressed the emperor with impeccable courtesy, he remained indifferent.

The emperor clicked his tongue as he looked at Hwon. His younger brother was of pure imperial blood and was perpetually cynical, showing virtually no interest in worldly affairs. This was one of the reasons why the emperor cherished him all the more.

“You truly are an odd one… At times like this, you should ask for whatever you want. Then again, ever since that incident, you have never told me that you wanted anything.”

As far as the emperor knew, there had once been one thing that Hwon had desperately desired.

A single broken flower that he had once feared he would never possess, but which now rested within his grasp.

The emperor pictured the beautiful daughter of House Yu, a family now annihilated and gone.

“Your Majesty, this consort begs you. Please give Sehwa to me. I shall keep her in my palace and employ her as a slave.”

“Empress, do you not understand your present position? This is hardly the time to protect a traitor’s daughter.”

“Your Majesty……”

“Yoyeon, remember that your position is also precarious. Had I not mercifully chosen to overlook matters, House Sim would have followed House Yu down the same path.”

As she was close to Empress Sim, the emperor frequently saw the woman at Hwon’s residence during his years as a prince. With her delicate beauty and courteous nature, she had once seemed the perfect choice to become his younger brother’s first principal wife. In fact, he had arranged their marriage.

“Considering your contributions at the time, it was far too small a reward…”

Yet that woman had now entered his younger brother’s household as a mere slave. He had heard that Hwon summoned her to his chambers every day without fail. Recalling the faint frown Hwon wore when he was sent to the battlefield, as well as his first child, who was a newborn at the time, the Emperor casually voiced a question he had kept to himself for a long time.

“By the way, Hwon, why have you not fathered any more sons? Are none of your wives or concubines to your liking?”

Hwon’s first child had been born to a slave who had not even been elevated to the position of bicheop. Consequently, the child’s name had yet to be entered into the imperial genealogy. Of course, he would eventually receive a title. Whatever his mother’s status might be, his father was a prince favored by the emperor.

At the emperor’s question, a slight crack appeared in Hwon’s composed expression. The emperor found his younger brother’s sensitivity whenever his wives and concubines were mentioned amusing, pathetic, and somewhat concerning. Pretending not to notice Hwon’s discomfort, he continued.

“Of your two princess consorts, I remember Lady Jeong being as beautiful as her name……. I also saw the younger sister of Censor So from the Censorate, who entered your household as a secondary consort. She was quite lovely as well.”

“……”

“Are there not another four or five women besides them who could carry your bloodline?”

“However many there are, only one lowly slave has borne your child. If you are not satisfied with any of your wives or concubines, why don’t you take more? If you wish, I shall select suitable wives from respectable families. Many of the positions among your wives and concubines remain vacant, do they not?”

“……”

“Noble Consort Ryeo excels in matters like this. Perhaps because she is as beautiful as a peony in full bloom, she has many connections. If I mentioned arranging your marriage, she would immediately volunteer to search.”

The emperor’s casual mention of Noble Consort Ryeo—his favored consort and Chancellor Mun’s daughter—also concealed a political calculation.

Only then did Hwon speak and clearly state his intentions.

“I fear there are not enough annexes in the inner residence to accommodate any more women.”

“Oh, nonsense. I personally bestowed that princely estate upon you. Do you think I do not know its size? Moreover, did you not expel an unvirtuous concubine last year? At least one residence must therefore be vacant. How dare you attempt to deceive me?”

The emperor even brought up Hwon’s expulsion of Lady Yi. Hwon rose from his seat. Before the emperor could say anything, he prostrated himself—not with the informality of a younger brother, but with the deference of a subject.

“This subject is too inadequate to obey Your Majesty’s command, so……”

“I understand. Enough. Let us end this discussion. Whenever I offer my other brothers a new beauty, they bow in gratitude before I can even finish speaking. Why must you behave this way every time? Tsk. Enough. How dull.”

Only then did the emperor wave his hand, indicating that he would say no more on the subject. As he shook his head, his demeanor held a fitting blend of the supreme Son of Heaven and an elder brother who cherished his younger sibling.

“Still, you are better than Seo, Hwon. At least you have fathered one child.”

The emperor suddenly brought up another of their brothers.

Hong Seo, also known as Prince Jeong, was the youngest son of the late emperor. He was born to a concubine who had previously been a palace maid. Because of his lack of power, he grew up receiving affection without arousing the vigilance of his brothers. Despite having passed the age of twenty, he had no wives, concubines, or even a slave girl close to him. Consequently, rumors began to circulate in the marketplace that Prince Jeong was homosexual.

“Seo is out of his mind. Look at his age, yet he has taken neither a wife nor even a single concubine. I fear he may die without continuing his bloodline, so I am considering finding him a bride by imperial decree.”

From the moment the emperor mentioned Prince Jeong, Hwon’s eyes grew cold and forbidding. The emperor was so preoccupied with clicking his tongue and speaking that he failed to notice and continued to express his concern for their youngest brother.

After some time, a eunuch announced his presence outside. He then reported respectfully.

“Your Majesty, Prince Jeong, whom you ordered to be admitted, is waiting outside.”

“Well, speak of the tiger and it appears……. Let him enter.”

“Has Prince Jeong come to the capital?”

Hwon asked the emperor about Prince Jeong’s unexpected visit. The emperor initially looked puzzled by the question, then recalled something and replied.

“Ah! I neglected to tell you. While you were away on the battlefield, I summoned Prince Jeong back to the capital. The Grand Empress Dowager has been asking for him, and I have decided that he must marry this time.”

The moment the emperor finished speaking, the outer door opened. Soon, a handsome man neatly dressed in a pale green robe entered the inner chamber with a radiant smile.

“Your Majesty, this younger brother has come in obedience to your command. Oh?”

Prince Jeong, Hong Seo, immediately prostrated himself before the emperor in greeting. Only afterward did he notice Hwon. His bright smile briefly turned bitter.

But Prince Jeong soon offered Hwon a gentle smile as well and greeted him.

“……You were here too, Elder Brother. It has been a long time, Brother Hwon.”

***

The heart of Prince Yu’s inner residence, Hwisojeon, was surrounded by annexes housing his many wives and concubines, and was situated quite close to his own quarters.

The sound of a baby crying erupted from within.

“Waaah!”

“Yul, you must stop crying.”

“My Lady, please give the young master to me. I will try to soothe him.”

Cradled in Buyong’s arms, Yul refused to stop crying, displeased by something no one could discern. Eventually, Buyong sighed and handed the baby to his wet nurse.

However, the child continued wailing even within the familiar embrace. The wet nurse glanced nervously at the women seated around Buyong before finally voicing her thoughts to the mistress of the household.

“He is still very wary of unfamiliar faces……”

“I was thoughtless. Take him back.”

Buyong nodded at the wet nurse, who had spoken with evident difficulty. The woman repeatedly bowed her head before retreating backward.