The Court Maiden's Prince

This story, characters, events, customs, and places are purely fictional and in no way accurately represent the history and customs of any country's past or present.
On the first night of the Rice festival, a shadowy figure walks along the capital's streets. The shadowy figure glanced left and right at the people. The streets were filled with people celebrating, and merchants selling their wares lined the crowded streets. On his way to his destination, he often came across drunk men offering him a drink, which he rudely refused.
The figure reached the Gadudong district and immediately went to the Cherry Blossom Kisaeng house, his destination. The Cherry Blossom was filled with patrons that night drinking, feasting, and showing off their wealth. As the figure entered the grounds of the establishment, he observed how unruly the intoxicated guests were. While some were simply having drinks and making merry with friends, others were shouting, laughing so hard, talking excessively, and some made a fool of themselves by vomiting and passing out in a puddle of their vomit and piss from intoxication.
The figure proceeds to the back of the establishment. He went to a secluded area of the establishment and when he turned a corner, the figure was met by a seemingly random person. The figure stopped, he pulled something out of his sleeve and showed it to the man.
The man bowed to the shadowy figure and then guided him to two large doors, When the doors swung open the shadowy figure entered. The man quickly closed the door as soon as the figure entered.
Once inside, he sat down in front of a long table filled with food and drinks, he took off his hood revealing his identity as Minister Gi, the minister of the royal treasury. Gi Un-Tak, sixty years old, with small eyes and a crooked nose, sports a thin grayish mustache and beard. His expression is filled with nervousness and doubt.
"How fares the task I gave you, lord Gi?" The man at the head table asked
Lord Gi faced the man and answered the question "Lord Lim, all fares well, I raised the taxes by five times this year alone. The people are angry at the royal family, the situation is like a powder keg...all we need to do is to light the fuse"
Lord Lim Do-Yung, the patriarch of the Gwandong Lim clan and the highest-positioned Minister in the King's court. Despite his age of sixty-three, he has a well-built frame of average height. A rounded face with eyebrows that tapers near his stubby nose. His eyes were as black as night, and his mouth was thick and always expressionless. He sports a thick black beard and mustache. "Well done Lord Gi," he said expressing joy at the completed task. He turned to the other man present in their secret meeting. "How about at your end Lord Lim?"
Lim Do-Yun, the only child of Lim Do-Yung thirty-six years old, is the youngest councilor in the King's court and the current minister of war. Like his father, he has a rounded face, a pointed nose, and thick lips. His eyes are black and always alert. "All is well Father. I stationed most of our soldiers along our borders, far from the capital. The ones I left to guard the capital are all disgruntled and unhappy with the King's new wage and taxes"
Minister Do-Yung sighed out of contentment "Our plan is well underway; we will take the throne in five days. To save our beloved nation from devastation, the Gwandong Lim clan will rule supreme over all of Chiongsun!"
"Father...what of the royal family?" The Younger Lim asked of his father
"Leave none alive!" Minister Do-Yung instructed them "We cannot allow a single seed to be left, for one day that seed might grow into a forest and snuff us out. The line of King Seo-Jung must all be eliminated!"
On the twenty-fifth day of the month of the snake, crowned Prince Seo-Joon called upon his brothers. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Seo-Joon said to his brothers, expressing his gratitude.
"Why did you summon us, Your Highness?" Man-Ju curiously asked
The crowned prince smiled and replied, "I asked permission from our father the King, to give you lessons about the duties and responsibilities of the royal family?"
"Oh no...so you're now our teacher and not just our elder brother?" Young-Sik said, as he dramatically fainted on the floor, prompting laughter from his two elder brothers.
"Hey get-up, now is not the time to faint. You can do that later after I grade your exams" Seo-Joon said, as he tried to pull Young-Sik up.
Upon hearing that there would be an exam, Young-Sik's eyes immediately opened and stood up. "An exam? You're going to give us an exam on the first day?" He then playfully thumped on his chest with his hand and added "Why? Why? Why? The lesson has not even started and the first thing you come up with is an exam?"
The crowned princess chimed in on the conversation "Of course, your brother is going to give you a lecture first before the exam" she said sweetly to the two boys "If you listen to the crowned prince, I know you will do good on his exams"
Young-Sik slumped on the floor and threw a tantrum "I don't want any exams or school...what I want is to play all day and sleep all night!"
Prince Man-Ju took Young-Sik by the hand and tried to make him stand "Get up will you... you are embarrassing me in front of the future King and Queen!"
"No... I don't want to" the youngest prince declared, adamant on leading a carefree lifestyle.
Holding his laughter, the crowned prince, tapped Man-Ju on the shoulder "Let him be Prince Man-Ju if he does not want to take the lecture" Seo-Joon, walked to his seat and prepared to conduct the lecture. "Just so you know, whoever gets the highest score on the exam, Father has authorized me to give them their steed"
When Young-Sik, heard that the prize would be a horse, he quickly got up and sat in front of the prince, ready to listen. Man-Ju lightly taps the youngest prince on the head "What the? You are indeed a shameless little punk"
The lecture was about to start when they all heard a commotion coming from the palace gates. The crowned prince stood up to see what was happening when a royal guard came rushing in to deliver an important message from the King.
Seo-Joon took the scroll, opened it, and read the contents. His eyes widened as beads of sweat started to form on his brow.
Princess Yoo-Na sensed something was amiss, went up to the prince, and read the scroll contents. Surprised by the message, she placed both her hands over her lips. She looked at the prince and said "Your Highness...what shall we do?"
"Princess, take my brothers and go to the Queen Mother's residence...Hurry!" he instructed his wife
"What's wrong brother?" Man-Ju nervously asked as he tugged on the Crowned prince's sleeves
The crowned prince did not wish to mince words, for he knows that telling the truth is the best course of action in such times "A rebellion...the commoners and farmers from the neighboring villages have staged a rebellion, they have broken through the palace gates as we speak," Seo-Joon said as he reached for his sword.
Upon hearing that the palace was under siege, Young-Sik began to cry out of fear. The Crowned prince approached the messenger. "Escort the crowned princess and my brothers to the Queen's palace...and stay there and guard them."
The messenger bowed to the prince and answered "Yes Your Highness"
Princess Yoo-Na held on to Seo-Joon's arm as he tried to leave "What about you, my prince?"
Gently removing his wife's grip on his arm, he touched her delicate face and kissed her. "Worry not about me. I will head to the throne room. Father will surely be there. We must think of a way to calm the people and stop this rebellion." With those words, the prince dashed towards the King, while the soldier led his wife and brothers to the Queen's residence.
When the prince entered the Throne room, only the King, a few soldiers, and the head eunuch were there. "Your Highness...are you alright? The Ministers, where are the Ministers?"
"None of them came, not even the minister of war," The King said as he gritted his teeth
"Cowards...the lot of them. How dare they say loyalty when they can't even be bothered to be with you during such trying times!" The price shouted in frustration.
The King calmed his eldest son "I prepared two caravans for the Queen and Consort Lee" The king held the crowned prince by his shoulders and continued to speak "Go with your mother and protect them."
The prince stepped back protesting the King's request "No... I will not leave your side, not when you need me the most!"
"Listen to me, my son...The situation is dire, I fear. You must join your mother and brother and lead them through Mt. Yangge to your grandfather's land for safety. As long as my sons are alive, Chiongsun will have a bright future" The King explained to the prince with tears rolling down his eyes.
"But father..." Seo-Joon continued to protest, not wanting the King to face the rebellion alone.
The King sighed and embraced his son "Do I have to command you as your King? Or would you rather heed your father's request?"
Hesitantly the prince relented to his father "I will do as you requested Father" he said as he embraced his father the King.
The King turned to the Head Eunuch "Take him to the Queen's caravan, hurry we have little time left"
The prince bowed to the King, but before he left, he stopped and asked the King "Father...what about Man-Ju?"
"He is with his mother Consort Lee, I sent them to her father's land" The King replied
Upon hearing that his other brother was safe, he bowed to his father and left with the Eunuch. With sword in hand, the King marched out of the throne room and headed to the Northern gate.
The caravan was almost set to leave when the prince arrived at the Queen's residence. Princess Yoo-na got out of her palanquin and ran to the prince. "I thought we would leave without you, my prince"
The prince smiled at his wife and embraced her tightly. He then went to the queen's palanquin to check on her and Young-Sik "Are you alright Ma-ma? How is the prince fairing?"
Queen Min-Ah nodded as she stroked the hair of the sleeping Young-Sik "He is fine, a little tired from all the crying that's all"
One of the soldiers approached the palanquin with the prince's white horse in tow. The prince took the reins and mounted his horse. He then rode towards Consort Lee's palanquin to see Man-Ju
"Consort Lee, are you alright?" He asked, and glanced at his brother "How about you brother?"
"Yes Your Highness" they replied, confirming their condition to the crowned prince.
Seo-Joon nodded and said "Be careful on your way to Mong-din. Stay there until I fetch you there personally" he then rode his horse in front of the queen's caravan, and he glanced at the court ladies lined up behind the Queen's palanquin. He noticed that even a little girl was in line with the other court ladies. He looked forward "March on," he said, giving the order for the caravans to start their respective journeys.
In that very instance at the Lim clan residence, the head of the clan is preparing himself to storm the palace. A servant approached him and gave him a rolled-up piece of paper. He read what was written, angrily crumpled the paper, and threw it in the brazier. He toppled his table and scattered anything he got his hands on.
Lim Do-Yun, came running inside his father's room when he heard the commotion. "Father...is anything the matter?"
When he heard his son's voice, the elder Lim calmed down. Do-yung calmed his breathing and looked upon his son "I received word that General Shin's army, is marching back to the capital as we speak. They will arrive before nightfall"
"General Shin is loyal to the King and his army is loyal to him. His arrival is a death sentence to our plans" The younger Lim said as he punched the thin wooden wall, creating a hole.
Then with a stroke of luck, another servant came in bearing an interesting message "Lord Lim, a carrier pigeon just arrived, it bears an important message"
"Give it to me" Do-Yun ordered the man. The servant quickly placed a small piece of rolled-up paper on the open palm of the younger Lim.
Do-Yun opened the message and quickly gave a sinister grin "We may accomplish something yet" he said
"What is it?" Do-Yung enthusiastically asked
He handed the paper to his father and said "Our spy sent word, that the Queen with his two sons is headed to Nyuong gum, the Queen's homeland, by taking the narrow pass within the mountains. They are only escorted by a handful of soldiers and several court ladies"
"This is a sign that the heavens favor our cause. I will lead some peasants to the mountain path and kidnap the royal family. You go to the northern gates quickly and make our private troops retreat. You make sure that this rebellion won't be traced back to us" Do-Yung said to his son, the urgency of his instructions is very evident in his tone.
Do-Yun nods to his father and with a simple wave of his hand, two men clad in black followed him with haste. After his son left, Do-Yung made his way out and headed towards the mountain pass.
An hour later, the king strolled into the palace courtyard, prepared to negotiate with the rebel leaders.
"NO! That is unacceptable" shouted one of the rebellion leaders "We want you to abdicate the throne and with your entire family, leave Chiongsun forever. We will choose our own King"
"That is impossible, I can abdicate the throne but whether my sons refuse the throne is not something I can decide for them" King Seo-Jung defiantly said
"Then we have no choice but to drag you and your family out of the palace and into the streets, take this chance we are giving while we are being generous to you," said another leader
"Before I pass judgment on you people, answer me this question" The King paused for a while and sighed "Why do you want me and my family removed? What have we done to merit such hatred from you?"
"You don't know?" one of the leaders asked, openly mocking the King "You are worse than a thief, you even deny the evil deeds you have done. If you don't know all the misfortune that you have caused us, then that is your problem"
"If you won't tell me, I cannot force you. But know this, General Shin and two thousand of my soldiers are marching back to the capital as we speak. They will arrive by nightfall, make no mistake the royal palace with what little soldier we have left, can hold on until they arrive. Take this chance I am giving you and go home, while I am being generous" The King turned his back and went inside the great hall. The guards then closed and barred the doors.
The rebellion leaders started to panic upon learning that the King's most loyal and fearsome general was on his way back to protect the King. Just then Minister Lim Do-Yun arrived and immediately met with the rebellion leaders.
One of the leaders quickly went to Do-Yun to tell him about the news "Minister, glad that you came the King is being stubborn and refuses our demands. He also said that General Shin would be arriving tomorrow"
Instead of answering their concern, Do-Yun drew his sword startling the rebellion leaders, he mercilessly cut down one of them and shouted "Death to those not Loyal to King Seo-Jung, death to the infidels" With those words, The Lim private army, who was part of the rebellion began to attack and mercilessly killed the farmers and commoners that they goaded to overthrow the King.
Do-Yun approached one of his men and said "Kill everyone, this must not be traced back to us. I'm going to the mountain pass and help my father"
The soldier bowed his head and said "Yes, my lord" in acceptance of the task given to them
With their lethal halberds, the private Lim soldiers impaled their targets, even those begging for mercy were not safe from death. They hacked and slashed at anyone within range of their blade, they intended to kill everyone who knew who the leader of the rebellion was.
The King who was inside the great hall, started to hear people screaming "What is going on out there?" he asked
A soldier looking out from the second floor, came rushing to the King "Your Highness... Minister Lim Do-Yun's men...they are slaughtering the rebels"
"What did you say?" the King looked at the guards of the palace doors "Open the doors, Stop them now! Let the rebels in!" he shouted
The soldiers quickly opened the doors of the grand hall, but when the King emerged, it was already too late. Bodies were strewn all over the palace courtyard. One of the Lim Private Soldiers approached the King, knelt, and said "My King, the rebellion has been quelled, and the instigators have all been executed."
King Seo-Joon immediately recognized the men to be under the Lim clan's employ "What have you done? Where is the minister of war and his father?" The King asked the horror of the carnage was palpable
The soldier replied "They received information, that the caravans were in danger, so they went to the mountain pass to protect them, Your Highness"
The King turned his sights to Mt. Yangge, hoping his family was safe "Captain gather your men, we are going to the pass and help the Queen's caravan" he ordered his soldiers
At that very moment, The Queen's caravan was trekking through the pass. The crowned prince was riding on his horse beside the palanquin of his wife. "We are nearing the border of Nyuong gum, we will arrive at my grandfather's house before nightfall," he said confidently
Princess Yoo-Na smiled at her husband "Is it as beautiful there as you said in your stories?"
"My words do not do justice to that place's beauty and allure." The prince quipped
"It is a beautiful place, Princess, I was there last year in time for the cherry blossoms to fall, it was so beautiful. Plus, they serve the tastiest chicken and pork stew in the whole kingdom" Young-Sik shouted, interrupting the conversation between the couple
"Prince Kim Young-Sik did I not tell you not to involve yourself in the conversation between adults?" Queen Min-Ah reminded the young boy
"It's quite alright Your Majesty, our conversation is not that serious anyway," Princess Yoo-Na said, amused by Young-Sik's innocence
The young prince turned to his mother and said, "See, mother, it's alright that I talk with them. The crowned princess said their conversation is not serious," he reasoned to his mother.
"Maybe so, but you still need their permission first" The Queen reminded Young-Sik
"Mother...I'm hungry. Do we have any food?" Young-Sik asked while rubbing his round belly
The queen looked at his youngest son with tenderness and pinched both his cheeks "Of course we do my darling prince" She then called to her lady-in-waiting "Kindly bring the prince's favorite honey biscuits."
The lady in waiting bowed and called Eun-Ae who was carrying the biscuits. She guided the little girl to the palanquin and helped her up. The young court lady bowed to the Queen and prince and handed the basket filled with biscuits.
The Queen beamed at the young girl, reaching out to take the basket. The Queen took out a honey biscuit and gave it to her son. She hummed a lovely tune to the youngest prince.
"That is a lovely song Your Majesty," Eun-Au said admiring the beauty of the Queen's voice and the serenity of the song
"It's a lullaby from my family. It was passed down from mother to daughter. I learned it from my mother, who learned it from her mother" The Queen said smiling at the very curious young girl
"How are you going to pass it down, you have sons You Majesty" Eun-Ae inquired
The Queen simply smiled at the inquisitive girl "You're right, I have two sons, but I also have a beautiful daughter-in-law that can learn it from me" The Queen glanced at his nibbling prince, still eating away at the honey biscuits. She then looked at the little girl in front of her "Would you like to learn it?" To which Eun-Ae eagerly nodded
The Queen started to hum the lullaby, Eun-Ae faithfully listened and when the Queen repeated the song, Eun-Ae joined in to hum with the queen. When they finished the song together the Queen commends Eun-Ae "That was pretty, let's go again" Queen Min-Ah suggested
While humming, Eun-Ae felt a tickle near her ear from a passing fly. She instinctively scratched at the itch and began to say, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, there was..." but her words were cut short. Her eyes widened in horror as she noticed an arrow protruding from the Queen's chest, crimson blood seeping through her elegant white garments. The Queen gasped, blood escaping her lips, and collapsed, her life slipping away.
Despite the initial shock, Seo-Joon was able to give clear and concise commands, "Protect the palanquins! Soldiers form a perimeter around the palanquins...archers inside the circle!"
The soldiers quickly took their formation, making a protective circle around the royal family. Princess Yoo-Na with her handmaidens took their bows and arrows and made defensive stances.
Young-Sik cried as he held onto his mother's arm "Mother! get up, you're not hurt, are you? This is just a joke, right?"
Reaching out to her son, the Queen whispered, "Be strong, my dear child; now is not the moment for tears." She then turned to Eun-Ae, her voice filled with urgency, "I beg you, take care of my boy." The young girl nodded solemnly. After one last look at her two sons, the Queen closed her eyes and breathed her last.
Prince Seo-Joon dismounted his horse and rushed to his mother, only to find Young-Sik weeping over their fallen mother. Rage surged through him as he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Determined not to let sorrow overwhelm him, he swiftly got back on his horse and drew his sword. He took his place alongside his soldiers, ready to confront the source of the deadly arrow.
Suddenly, from the same path, they spotted a wave of forty or fifty insurgents barreling toward them, their shouts echoing fiercely. With his sword raised high, Seo-Joon proclaimed with unwavering resolve, "For the Kingdom!"