Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 28
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The sky should have been clear and cloudless in the season of Korean Autumn, yet darkness hung low and heavy overhead.
Was a relentless autumn rain about to break? Or perhaps the heavens themselves were drawing a veil over the sordidness of today’s Royal Council Meeting? Sunlight trapped within thick clouds struggled to brighten the morning.
With the meeting set to begin at nine o’clock, vehicles carrying members of the royal family had lined the avenue outside Changgyeong Palace since early morning.
Journalists eager for a story, YouTubers hunting for anything sensational, ordinary citizens on their way to work—all manner of people mixed together, turning the area into a chaotic circus.
“Will the successor be decided at today’s Royal Council Meeting?”
“Is it certain that Ui-gu Dae-gun will become Crown Prince?”
It was not merely one or two voices shouting; a barrage of questions pierced even the thick body of the limousine, and cameras were brazenly thrust toward its windows to capture glimpses of those inside. The Palace Security Force rushed in to control the journalists, but their efforts proved futile against such insatiable curiosity.
This chaos resulted entirely from those with no qualification to attend the meeting gathering in throngs. On an ordinary meeting day, everyone would have long since been admitted. The passage through Seoninmun Gate proceeded slowly, almost leisurely.
It was not until nearly ten o’clock that Gyeongchun Hall was finally full. Gong Chin Wang raised his gavel several times to signal the start, but whenever he attempted to begin, more royal family members continued to arrive in intervals, making it impossible to commence.
“Park! From this moment forward, lock the doors. All Council members are now present—we will accept no further uninvited guests!”
Only after Gong Chin Wang’s outburst to Park, the Royal Court Administration official assisting with the proceedings, did the meeting finally begin. It spoke volumes to the intensity of public interest.
This time, Sun was seated at the front table. Unlike the previous meeting, the Council Member Seating had been arranged uniformly toward the front.
From a front-row seat, the conference chamber was nothing short of magnificent. Even at the last meeting, Sun had believed the entire royal family was present, but that paled in comparison to today.
From the aged elders who had withdrawn into seclusion, to the reprobates who should ordinarily be drinking at this hour, to those temperate royals who typically refrained from involving themselves in any affair—they had all gathered.
There were still those entering through Seoninmun Gate, Sun was told; perhaps today truly every royal family member with a claim to succession had assembled in this place.
‘Stay calm.’
Sun swallowed her anxiety like a self-administered sedative.
She turned on the mobile phone resting on her lap, then turned it off again. Before entering Gyeongchun Hall, a message had arrived from Dong—a brief text stating that they had arrived at Suhak Hospital with Tae-o.
All of this was theater for the Crown Prince’s autopsy, arranged by the Emperor himself and now a stage on which Sun must perform. She could not allow her secret to slip before these many vultures, nor could she grant them everything they desired.
The gathering of so many royals represented a significantly disadvantageous position for Sun.
By nature, people gravitated toward rising power rather than waning authority. In such moments, one must conceal agitation and reveal the blade.
Since the succession that Ui-gu Dae-gun so desperately craved lay before them, Sun too had her part to play.
“This meeting is convened by imperial decree to address the posthumous arrangements concerning Crown Prince Hong-seo. As this matter demands solemnity and gravity, it is hoped that none save Council members will dare interfere with its proceedings.”
Gong Chin Wang opened the meeting with the sharp tone he always employed.
The breathing of the royal family members filling Gyeongchun Hall. Greed, worry, anxiety—countless emotions mingled in the air.
Sun too inhaled deeply. Since the formal opening of the meeting, neither Dong nor Tae-o had sent word.
In truth, she found it reassuring. Any urgent message would suggest something had gone wrong.
“We now face an unprecedented crisis.”
Gong Chin Wang spoke. His eyes, magnified behind magnifying glasses, were fixed on pre-prepared documents, yet he did not appear to be simply reading from them. It was the lament of one who had lived longer than most.
“It is true that the lack of a successor for the Crown Prince created internal instability. Yet from that day fifty years ago when His Highness ascended to the position as merely a youth, he has admirably upheld it to this very day and earned the respect of the nation.”
Sadness resonated in Gong Chin Wang’s voice. It was an expression of condolence that moved even Sun to sorrow.
But Ui-gu Dae-gun, seated across the way, seemed not to feel his cousin’s emotion at all.
He covered his mouth and yawned as though bored, crossed his legs and tapped his foot idly. He displayed not the slightest courtesy one should show before a brother’s death.
Before the cameras, he had performed well the role of the grieving younger brother lamenting his elder’s passing. But here, among those he apparently deemed beneath his notice, he saw no reason to conceal his true feelings.
“Those of us royals well understand that he took on even the Regency when the Emperor’s health declined, and did everything in his power to ensure there were no gaps in the nation’s governance.”
Sobs, sobs—mercifully, tearful sounds drifted from among the observers. Even in this rotting imperial family, some retained their wits.
Meanwhile, Sun glanced anxiously at her mobile phone. The lack of news since the arrival message at the hospital troubled her.
“Considering the weight of the duties the Crown Prince has performed, his dedication to the imperial household, his love for the nation—I have come to believe that our imperial family would be better served by focusing on mourning and remembrance rather than rushing forward with succession and practical concerns.”
At Gong Chin Wang’s pronouncement of the main point, Ui-gu Dae-gun’s foot, which had been swinging idly through the air, froze abruptly.
“The Crown Prince held a special position, and moreover, given that he showed high recognition and support in various public opinion surveys we have conducted, we must consider public sentiment. It seems the Emperor believes that for the time being, it would be more fitting in the eyes of the people to concentrate on mourning and lamentation.”
Scarcely had Gong Chin Wang finished speaking when all eyes in the chamber turned toward Ui-gu Dae-gun.
Everyone seemed eager to observe what expression he would wear, and Sun felt that innocent curiosity directed toward her as well.
Sun too joined in their gaze, glancing up at Ui-gu Dae-gun. The expression of her middle-aged uncle across from her was difficult to define in a single word. He appeared angry, yet also disillusioned.
Beside him, Gyeong Chin Wang, who had been sitting adjacent to the frowning man, slowly opened his mouth.
“Surely we cannot ignore the competence Ui-gu Dae-gun has demonstrated, can we?”
Gyeong Chin Wang was the eldest son of Princess Jeong-hoe, the Emperor’s sister, and belonged to the faction classified as the Emperor’s loyalists.
All present inhaled sharply in surprise at his remarks, which appeared to advocate for Ui-gu Dae-gun.
It seemed Ui-gu Dae-gun himself had not expected such favorable words from the Emperor’s camp, and he turned to regard his cousin with evident surprise.
“Did not Ui-gu Dae-gun renegotiate the contract for the limousines supplied to the imperial household? A business might well have desired to cease dealings with the imperial family, given how demanding they can be.”
“That is simply my duty, which I performed as a matter of course, older brother.”
Ui-gu Dae-gun replied with a show of humility.
Yet those in the know understood the truth: it was the fruit of securing the engagement of Gyeong-an Gun’s bride-to-be—the granddaughter of that automobile company’s chairman—a matter that had languished for years.
With the meeting having proven unfavorable to him from its outset, Ui-gu Dae-gun seemed to find amusement in the shifting atmosphere, and the corners of his mouth twitched. It was a far cry from the vacant, disinterested gaze with which he had observed the proceedings moments before.
Another voice arose from the seat beside Sun, who had been observing Ui-gu Dae-gun. It was Suan Gun, also the son of Princess Jeong-hoe and aligned with his elder brother Gyeong Chin Wang in his measured approach.
“There exists within the imperial household something called the Imperial House Law. Within the Imperial House Law, the Right of Succession is clearly defined.”
“Precisely so. No matter what His Majesty may say about focusing on lamentation, that principle does not change.”
Young Chung Bu-jeong, receiving Suan Gun’s remarks favorably, raised his hand to voice his opinion. He and his father Sun-heung Gun were commonly referred to as Ui-gu Dae-gun’s chief operatives.
When the initial proposal had been made to forgo succession and focus on mourning and remembrance, Ui-gu Dae-gun’s faction, which had grown anxious, now voiced their agreement.
Under ordinary circumstances, Gong Chin Wang would have wielded his gavel long ago to silence the chamber, but now he sat quietly, listening to their opinions unfold.
“The words of our esteemed relatives ring true. Our Imperial House stands wounded at present, and in times such as these, should we not draw together firmly under the Imperial House Law?”
Gong Chin Wang continued in measured tones.
“Yet a crisis of this magnitude demands caution above all else. Now that the Crown Prince has suffered this misfortune, to enthrone hastily would only breed uncertainty and alarm.”
Gong Chin Wang’s gaze turned toward Ui-gu Dae-gun. The younger prince, who had been wearing a satisfied smile, found himself meeting those eyes.
“And what does Ui-gu Dae-gun make of this matter?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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