Ch.140Origin Point (4)

Belgutei had earned Yi Uibang’s respect.

Despite being a Mongol, whom Goryeo considered barbarians, Yi Uibang respected and cherished Belgutei as his son-in-law.

He cherished him so much that he even introduced Belgutei to his close associates Jeong Jung-bu and Yi Go.

“This is my son-in-law.”

In a public setting, Yi Uibang couldn’t have referred to Belgutei as his son-in-law, since Belgutei was married to the princess.

This was because the princess was legally the daughter of the King of Goryeo.

However, since this was a private gathering, it didn’t matter.

That’s why Yi Uibang proudly introduced his son-in-law to his followers.

“Pleased to meet you. My name is Belgutei.”

Belgutei introduced himself with confidence despite his awkward pronunciation.

He had been able to learn the Goryeo language with the help of Princess Hwasun and an interpreter.

The similar structure between Mongolian and the Goryeo language had significantly helped Belgutei learn it quickly.

“We’ve heard you’ve earned the lord’s recognition.”

“Someone like you certainly deserves our respect.”

Jeong Jung-bu and Yi Go showed their respect to Belgutei with formal bows.

Both men originally shared the common Goryeo view of looking down on barbarians.

But Belgutei was different.

He was a man recognized by Yi Uibang, whom they trusted and followed.

Therefore, the two men showed Belgutei the same respect they would show to Yi Uibang.

“Thank you both.”

Belgutei smiled and expressed his gratitude to the two men.

In this warm atmosphere, Yi Uibang smiled and raised his cup.

“On such a joyous day, we can’t do without some drinks.”

“Indeed, my lord.”

“Your words are true, my lord.”

Belgutei also raised his cup.

“To the health of my son-in-law, Belgutei!”

“To the well-being of the princess and Your Majesty!”

“May your marriage last forever!”

The three men toasted to celebrate Belgutei and Princess Hwasun’s marriage.

As more drinks were served, the atmosphere grew livelier.

When the cheerful mood reached its peak, Yi Uibang spoke to Jeong Jung-bu.

“By the way, what happened with what we discussed before?”

“Well…”

Jeong Jung-bu glanced at Belgutei cautiously.

Yi Uibang waved his hand, indicating it was fine to speak.

“My son-in-law is practically one of us from the Yi clan of Jeonju, so it’s fine for him to hear.”

At Yi Uibang’s words, Jeong Jung-bu nodded.

Then he continued.

“It seems His Majesty will visit Bohyeonwon before heading to Heungwangsa.”

“Heungwangsa…”

Yi Uibang swallowed hard as he said this.

Seeing this, Yi Go bowed and shared his opinion.

“Heungwangsa isn’t far from the palace. If it’s there, it would be easy to deploy the Gyeongryong unit. How about carrying out our plan there?”

At the word “plan,” Belgutei’s eyes widened.

Seeing this, Yi Uibang calmed Belgutei, indicating there was nothing to worry about.

“Don’t worry, son-in-law. This is our business.”

“But as your son-in-law, shouldn’t I do something to help with your affairs?”

“Hahaha! I appreciate your concern, but I’ll just accept your goodwill. This is about rooting out the deep-seated evil deeds of Goryeo’s civil officials.”

At Yi Uibang’s words, Jeong Jung-bu and Yi Go nodded.

“What evil deeds of the civil officials?”

At Belgutei’s question, Yi Uibang turned to look at Yi Go.

Yi Go bowed and began to explain.

“Currently, Goryeo is suffering from the tyranny of civil officials.”

“Tyranny of civil officials…”

“The civil officials have seized power and are sending us military officials to our deaths.”

Yi Go then explained in detail about the civil officials’ tyranny.

Although his explanation was biased against civil officials, it was based on facts, which shocked Belgutei greatly.

“How could they treat soldiers, the defenders of the country, in such a way?”

Belgutei was also a warrior and soldier in his own right.

Because of this, he couldn’t understand how Goryeo could mistreat its soldiers this way.

“This is the current state of Goryeo.”

“We are trying to correct this wrong in Goryeo.”

Yi Uibang nodded at the words of Yi Go and Jeong Jung-bu.

Sensing the firm resolve of the three men, Belgutei carefully asked a question.

“It seems necessary to correct what’s wrong through a coup. But isn’t Goryeo currently facing a great enemy in the Jin Dynasty?”

“Even with the Jin Dynasty, what’s wrong must be corrected.”

“That’s right.”

“But if you stage a coup like this, the Jin Dynasty might take the opportunity to annex Goryeo.”

At Belgutei’s words, shadows fell across the faces of Yi Go and Jeong Jung-bu.

The relationship between the Jin Dynasty and Goryeo was not good.

Therefore, the Jin Dynasty wouldn’t just stand by and watch a coup that presented such a golden opportunity.

“My son-in-law makes a good point.”

Yi Uibang also nodded.

Initially, he had felt great anger toward the civil officials who had forced his daughter to marry a barbarian.

So he had been planning to stage a coup regardless of the consequences.

But after meeting Belgutei in person and recognizing his character and abilities, his feelings toward the civil officials had softened considerably.

Of course, that didn’t mean his anger toward the civil officials had completely disappeared.

He was just being realistic.

The same was true for Belgutei.

If the Ulus and the Jin Dynasty went to war, Goryeo might not provide military assistance, but at least there needed to be a legitimate government that could serve as a check.

If not, it would be better to stage a coup and let the Jin Dynasty attack Goryeo.

Then the Jin Dynasty would invade Goryeo, and the Ulus could take advantage of this to attack the Jin Dynasty.

In fact, this method would be most effective.

However, the Ulus had not yet recovered enough strength to engage in war with the Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, Goryeo should not become a battlefield yet.

Additionally, Belgutei’s personal opinion was included.

If Goryeo became a sea of fire, all the people Princess Hwasun cared about would suffer.

Of course, Belgutei could take them and escape Goryeo to settle in the Ulus.

But Yi Uibang was the head of the Gyeongryong guard who protected the king, so he had to stay here.

For this reason, Belgutei had to avoid this method as much as possible.

For these reasons, Belgutei calmed Yi Go and Jeong Jung-bu, who were expressing radical opinions out of concern for Goryeo’s safety.

“It seems my son-in-law has a good idea.”

At Yi Uibang’s words, Belgutei bowed.

Then he shared his thoughts.

“First, we need to get His Majesty’s approval. And instead of killing all the tyrannical civil officials, we should make an example of the most notorious ones by executing them in the most horrific way.”

“If civil officials remain, the military officials will eventually suffer.”

“That’s right. We need to eliminate them all.”

“The Ulus is also a nation of warriors, but it’s the civil officials who handle administration. If civil officials disappear from Goryeo, the entire country’s governance will be paralyzed.”

At Belgutei’s words, Yi Go and Jeong Jung-bu held their tongues.

They turned to look at Yi Uibang.

Yi Uibang thought deeply before nodding.

“I will follow my son-in-law’s suggestion.”

“My lord!”

“Why…!”

“The truth is, we have a lot of pent-up anger. And the real culprit behind all this is actually His Majesty.”

At Yi Uibang’s words, Yi Go and Jeong Jung-bu’s eyes widened.

This was because his words were true.

In fact, the current King of Goryeo had been able to ascend to the throne thanks to the full support of the military officials.

The military officials had expected appropriate rewards for helping with his ascension.

But the king did not do so.

He deliberately employed civil officials to strengthen his own power.

And he allowed the civil officials to look down on the military officials.

Whenever the military officials expressed their dissatisfaction, the king would just placate them with empty promises, like dangling a carrot in front of a horse.

With the king behaving this way, one might think the civil officials would follow him, but that wasn’t the case.

While civil officials had higher status, the real power to move the army lay with the military officials.

Because of this, most civil officials, except for high-ranking officials or those favored by the king, feared the military officials.

And they were afraid that the military officials, who had been discriminated against due to the misconduct of some civil officials, would harm them.

For these reasons, most civil officials also didn’t show much trust in the king.

In other words, as Yi Uibang had said earlier, the current situation was essentially created by the king himself.

And parasites like Kim Bu-sik and Kim Don-jung were taking advantage of this and eating away at the country.

“Therefore, I will meet with His Majesty and demand punishment for Kim Bu-sik and Kim Don-jung.”

“M-my lord.”

“That’s too dangerous.”

“I know it’s dangerous. That’s why I will make my plea when His Majesty stays at Heungwangsa.”

At these words, Yi Go and Jeong Jung-bu swallowed hard.

If the king refused Yi Uibang’s proposal at that meeting, it was obvious what would happen.

They would kill the king.

There was no other choice.

* * *

Deputy Minister Kim Bo-dang was deeply troubled.

Recently, the movements of the military officials had been unusual.

For this reason, he had advised the king, but the king, who was immersed in wine and women every day, ignored Kim Bo-dang’s advice.

“If things continue like this, the military officials will surely rebel. But…”

The king was incompetent.

He thought that it might be better not to have such an incompetent king.

But he couldn’t act on this thought.

This was because the king’s eldest son, Crown Prince Hyoryeong, was critically ill.

The situation was not good, as his condition was so severe that he could die any day.

“But Crown Prince Manhyo can’t succeed either.”

Manhyo was a relative adopted into the royal family to deceive the Jin Dynasty.

He was essentially a fake, so having such a person as king would damage Goryeo’s legitimacy.

“No, it’s not about legitimacy. At this rate, the entire country will be ruined.”

Kim Bo-dang genuinely worried about the country as he said this.

He believed that to save Goryeo, King Uijong, who was lost in wine and women, had to step down.

As he was thinking this, someone suddenly knocked on his door.

Kim Bo-dang quickly composed himself, adjusting his clothes.

“Come in.”

“I apologize for visiting so late at night, my lord.”

“It’s fine. What’s the matter?”

“Well… Deputy Prime Minister Woo Bang-jae is here to see you.”

“The Deputy Prime Minister… I understand.”

Kim Bo-dang nodded and got up.

Then he walked to meet Deputy Prime Minister Woo Bang-jae.