21
"YOU WHAT?" Jin-Ri gasped, her voice echoing in the room. "A few friends? That's the entire village out there! Why would you do that? Didn't you realize his identity was supposed to be a secret?"
"Oops! I thought a few friends wouldn't be a problem," Dam shrugged, looking a bit too casual for the situation.
"We need to be in Guiong in three days, now, how can we get out with a flash mob outside?" Jin-Ri annoyingly asked her mother
"The back!" Seuk suddenly mentioned, "Go through the window to the back, the stables are there, you can ride out of the village before they realize you are gone." He suggested
"How about the mob outside? Wouldn't they get angry at you if I'm not here?" Young-Sik worriedly asked
"Don't worry about us, we can handle those old coots outside," Dam assured the prince
"Here, take this." Young-Sik gave Seuk his jade ring with the family crest, "Show it to them as proof that you know me," Young-Sik told everybody. The couple quietly got out of the back window, silently mounted their horses, and hurriedly jumped over fences to get out of the village.
"Going to the village was a terrible idea...Sorry, Yong," Jin-Ri expressed
Young-Sik smiled. "That was fine, at least I already met your parents and they seem to like me," he replied
"That they did," Jin-Ri answered as she smiled at the prince. "So, where are we going to meet them?"
"Tomorrow by the eastern foothills," he quickly answered
"So let's go then," Jin-Ri whipped the reins, and her horse started to gallop eastward. Young-Sik followed suit, galloping after the court maiden
It was midday when the couple caught up with the resting caravan by the foothills. He dismounted from his horse first before helping Jin-Ri get off of hers. "Check on the other court maidens, see if they are okay," He instructed Jin-Ri, before walking toward Kwan
"Captain Gi, how was it? Were you able to reach your destination without any troubles?" Young-Sik asked Kwan
"Yes, Your Highness," Kwan scanned his left and right, to see if anyone was within earshot. "Do you think they already discovered it? Back in Pyeongcheok, I mean"
"The other court maidens are doing fine, they're preparing the food as we speak," Jin-Ri informed Young-Sik, walking in on the conversation between the two. "So what are we talking about?"
"We were just wondering if they already discovered that thing," Young-Sik replied to Jin-Ri in a hushed yet mischievous tone
Jin-Ri raised an eyebrow. "Well, if they haven't yet, you need to fire them when we get back to the palace, cause those guys are idiots," she declared her voice laced with sass.
Meanwhile, back in the prison complex of the palace, the guards began to wonder why Lee Eri had not yet shouted at them, nor had she woken up yet. One of the guards went in front of the cell where the former Queen was being held, he looked inside and saw what he thought was Lee Eri still sleeping. The guard kicked the wooden bars and yelled, "Hey, you! Wake up, you can sleep when you're dead!"
The guard looked on, waiting for a reply, but he received none. It was then that he noticed the food served by Jin-Ri the previous night was still untouched. He quickly took out his keys to open the doors, but the lock was jammed. "Help! Come quickly!" he shouted when he could not remove the locks.
Four guards came running to the eastern cells after hearing the cry for help. "What happened?" the leader asked
"It's Lee Eri, she's not moving," the first guard nervously said to the leader. The leader and the other guards peered through the bars and saw the figure lying on the floor perfectly still.
Several guards came in and tried to open the lock, but the shank was jammed. "Move!" The leader said he drew his sword and started hacking at the chain and lock. After several swings, the lock gave way. The guards quickly opened the door and ran inside, They grabbed what they thought was Lee Eri.
To their horror, what was inside was nothing more than a faceless doll head attached to a white dress stuffed with straw. "Where is Lee Eri?" the leader shouted to his subordinates. "Tell the King...that his mother has escaped," he ordered the guards, but none dared to move to inform the king, for they feared that they might face his wrath.
"I said now!" The leader shouted, and two guards were forced to run and inform the King of the recent events.
King Man-Ju was strolling along the palace grounds when two guards came running to him. "See what those guards want," he told his eunuch
The eunuch quickly shuffled to the two guards, and what he heard shocked him to his core. He quickly went back to the King with the two guards in tow. He whispered to the king the reason he was being pursued by the guards. Upon hearing that his mother has escaped from her prison, he grabs the two guards by their necks. "Find her! If she isn't returned to her cell by nightfall...you two will be the ones to be executed tomorrow!" he shouted at the guards, before throwing them to the ground.
Man-Ju watched as the guards he threatened scampered to follow his order. Turning to his eunuch, he barked an order, "Summon Minister Lim and Gi to my residence...NOW!" he shouted as he turned around and stormed away back to his house.
It did not take long for the two summoned ministers to arrive at the king's residence. The eunuch announced to the King the arrival of the ministers. "Send them in," The king yelled back.
Upon entering the King's receiving area, the minister bowed to him. "We have arrived as requested, Your Highness," they said in unison.
King did not waste time informing the ministers, "She's gone...my mother escaped!" he told the two
"How could it have happened?" Minister Lim inquired, "Have you ordered a manhunt, your Highness?"
King Man-Ju paced around as he pulled on his hair. "I already did, but you need to intensify the search, command the entire army for all I care...just find her and bring her back!"
Minister Gi tried to calm the King, "Your Highness, I don't think this is a reason to mobilize the entire army."
The King grabbed the minister by his collar. "Listen here, you sniveling weasel...if she informs anyone of our involvement and knowledge of the murder of the previous King and Queen, as well as the three masters. Can you hold back the prince? Will you shield me from his blows?" he angrily asked the cowardly minister
Minister Gi whimpers as he glances over to Minister Lim, silently seeking his help. Minister Lim approached the King and gently freed Minister Gi from the King's grasp. "Calm yourself, your Highness, this is not the time to lose your temper," Do-Yun advised the King
"And what should we do? Let her escape so she can blackmail us into submission?" The King furiously inquired, and the tension in his voice and face was very evident.
"Just the opposite, your Highness, we should consider that she had outside help; it would be impossible for her to escape on her own," Minister Lim started to explain to the king. "As of now, we have two possible groups of individuals that have a reason to help Lee Eri escape."
"First, Eri herself must have found a way to secure help from her family. Then there is the prince, He is still adamant that your mother was not the sole perpetrator of the charges against her." Minister Lim deduced
"Then it would have been her family, the prison guards all assured me that my mother was still here even after Young-Sik and his caravan left." King Man-Ju assured the two
"It would seem like it, Your Highness. I will send soldiers to your grandfather's estate and have the place searched." Minister Lim assured the King, "However, I wouldn't dismiss the possibility that the prince had a hand in this." He cautioned the King
"A wise precaution, for now, send a regiment of soldiers to Mong-din," The King ordered the Ministers
"What shall we tell the soldiers to do upon arrival there, your Highness?" Minister Gi nervously asked the King
King Man-Ju's face turned fierce and dark upon issuing his command, "Whether they find her there or not, raze the place to the ground, let it serve as a brutal warning to anyone who wishes to help the former Queen."
After an exhilarating three-day journey, Young-Sik and his companions finally reached the majestic border gates of Guiong. He reined in his horse right next to Jin-Ri's, exclaiming, "Welcome to the Guiong Empire!" The court maiden was left speechless, her eyes wide with wonder.
Jin-Ri, along with the others who had never laid eyes on Guiong before, was utterly captivated by the breathtaking scenery and architectural marvels. "The way the forest and lake harmoniously blend with the city is simply stunning! Is that the capital, Your Highness?" she inquired, her voice filled with awe.
"Indeed! Unlike Chiongsun, where our capital is tucked away in the southernmost region, Guiong's capital, Xiaohong, is the very first city that greets travelers from Chiongsun as they enter their land," Young-Sik elaborates.
Kwan chimed in on the conversation, "Have you been here before, Your Highness?"
The prince nodded in response to the question, "Numerous times, my father, the late King, brought me here once to celebrate their prince's ascension to the throne and marriage."
"When was that?" Jin-Ri asked, thinking if it was only recently
Young-Sik glanced at his beloved court maiden. "When I was ten, their prince became emperor when he was fifteen," Young-Sik declared to the surprised Jin-Ri and Kwan
Young-Sik then pulled out a circular golden plaque with intricate Guiong letters and characters. It was adorned with golden laces and red tassels from underneath his robes, and he gave it to the nearest soldier. "Run to the gates and give this to the guards, they will understand what it means," he instructed the soldier
"At once, your Highness," the soldier said, bowing to Young-Sik before heading to the gates with the golden plaque.
"I hope Lady Hu and Yeng are not mad at us for leaving them," Jin-Ri expressed, lamenting at the fact that they left their two friends in Chiongsun to babysit the former Queen
"I don't think she minds, after all, she has a critical visitor to tend to," Young-Sik replied nonchalantly to Jin-Ri's concerns
Captain Gi, with a grin, chimed in, "I just hope their almost similar attitudes don't clash."
Jin-Ri then wondered for a bit, with her head slightly tilted and her temple resting on her index finger, "I wonder how they are? And what are they doing right now?"
In the Cherry Blossom, Mun-Hee let out a sneeze that could rival a firework show: "ACHOO!" After giving her nose a good wipe, she turned to Lee Eri and exclaimed, "Can you keep it down over there? Ugh, what was that sneeze about? Is someone out there sending me sneezy vibes?" she pondered.
"I wouldn't touch that slop with a ten-foot pole! Do you even know who I am? I'm the dowager Queen, darling!" Eri bellowed at the poor servants just trying to do their job.
"Oh, for the love of all that's holy, will you just zip it? If you don't quiet down, I might just toss you out of here for a little tête-à-tête with the chopping board! And trust me, there's still time for that!" Yeng warned the former Queen with a smirk.
"How dare you threaten me! I'll have your head on a platter, do you hear me?" Lee Eri bellowed like a banshee on a caffeine high. Fed up with the noise and drama, Mun-Hee gave the Queen a little wake-up call and punched her right in the face, sending her into dreamland. Yeng watched Eri fall to the floor, giving Mun-Hee two thumbs up.
"Finally, some peace and quiet!" she sighed. Then, spinning around like a tornado, she shouted, "Kim Young-Sik, you absolute nincompoop! How could you leave me with this royal pain? When you return, I will give you a neck cramp you won't forget! Are you listening, KIM YOUNG-SIK?"