Royal Coup d'État - Chapter 57

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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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Episode 57
The call ended, and the screen faded to black, but Seon couldn’t bring herself to speak. Seok-chul, standing right beside her, had heard every word, yet he seemed lost in a daze, as though waking from a dream.
Seon deliberately pulled up the call log and checked the name and number again. She rubbed her eyes hard with the back of her hand, but the characters remained unchanged: Gyeong-an Gun.
“……The voice did sound like Gyeong-an Gun, though.”
Seon muttered uncertainly.
“Could someone have used AI to impersonate him and made a prank call?”
No matter how she thought about it, that seemed the most reasonable explanation.
Gyeong-an Gun and Seon were by no measure on warm terms.
When they were very young—back when Uiyeong Daegun was still alive, and Gyeong-cheon Gun and Cheong-song Hyeonju were still in the palace.
In those days, they’d kicked a ball together and roamed Changdeok Palace trying to catch dragonflies that had alighted in the garden. When they grew sweaty, her grandmother would wipe them with a soft towel, and her grandfather would laugh and order servants to bring them snacks. The memory was vivid.
But that was already years ago—twenty years, no less.
After Jung-baek Mo’s death, Gyeong-an Gun hadn’t left Changwon for a long time, and later, when Uiyeong Daegun and Cheong-song Hyeonju passed away, Gyeong-cheon Gun left the palace. The once-harmonious cousins’ bond had fractured long ago.
Besides, as Gyeong-an Gun grew more dissolute with each passing day and Seon began to emphasize duty and responsibility, a rift between them was inevitable.
“Impersonating a Royal Family Member is a serious crime. It’s the Crime of Imperial Defamation.”
Yet even Seok-chul’s correcting tone carried doubt. The two of them had rarely spoken on the phone, and never had they had such a long conversation.
Even when they’d met in person, they’d exchanged no more than three sentences, and usually it was Seon who cut the exchange short.
Both their faces bore the weight of gravity.
“So this really was Gyeong-an Gun?”
Seon rubbed her ear—the one she’d held the phone to—as though she’d just spoken to a ghost, her brow furrowed.
“He said he’d expose her to the world, and summon the Daedong Society……. Can we trust that information?”
If it really had been Gyeong-an Gun on the phone, how much weight could she place on the words he’d relayed in such haste?
Truthfully, her trust in him hovered near zero. Almost nothing he did was ever remotely sensible.
But could that urgent, faltering voice have been an act? No. Surely not. The Gyeong-an Gun she knew wasn’t even capable of that kind of deception.
“I don’t know why Gyeong-an Gun called, but…… it doesn’t seem to be a trap.”
Seok-chul reasoned carefully, as though arriving at the same conclusion.
“Uigu Daegun cherishes his son, but he doesn’t share much information with him. Rather, he shares secrets with and entrusts tasks to those who follow him around, yet he gives Gyeong-an Gun barely anything. I doubt Uigu Daegun would have used him as a spy.”
Seon nodded slowly.
Uigu Daegun protected Gyeong-an Gun in his own way. Even if his method amounted to closing off both eyes and ears, as long as he could shield his son, he didn’t care.
Gyeong-an Gun’s current stupidity bore much of his father’s responsibility.
“Then let’s assume Gyeong-an Gun’s information is reliable and act on it.”
Seon decided to trust him, at least for now. She didn’t believe he’d helped her without some ulterior motive. But it seemed wise to trust, at minimum, what had just been placed before her.
“His talk of exposing her to the world—that sounds like making an already-revealed Illegitimate Child publicly visible. If this woman, Seo-hyeon, appears publicly and Father disavows her, what would public opinion look like?”
“It would be poor, certainly. Seo Seon-yeong has passed away, and now only Uijeong Daegun remains as her blood relation.”
“So he means to stir sympathy and lower Father’s standing.”
Seon clenched her teeth.
The love story between Uijeong Daegun and Yeosan Bubuin had been revealed as a lie, leaving only the trace of an ill-fated romance in the world’s memory.
Her existence—bereft of even her mother, left alone—would monopolize the nation’s attention for a while.
If public discourse couldn’t hold people’s interest even with news of a Crown Prince’s murder, it would be buried soon enough. The power of opinion was that formidable.
“We should try to meet Seo-hyeon.”
If Uigu Daegun had made her his pawn, access would be difficult. Seok-chul wore a troubled expression but nodded slowly nonetheless.
“I’ll look into it from multiple angles.”
“And the other issue is the Daedong Society…….”
Seon tapped her fingers on the table, murmuring.
The Daedong Society was a kind of clan association. It was run primarily by members of the old royal lineage who hadn’t been incorporated into the modern palace.
They seemed inordinately proud of the days when they’d been called royal, and they still interfered in palace affairs—though now that the blood connection was so distant, their influence barely registered.
When brushed aside, they’d emphasize their shared ancestry and readily stage protests in front of the palace, unashamed to wage propaganda campaigns.
In short, they were a headache: troublesome the moment you were entangled with them.
“The reason for summoning the Daedong Society is obvious enough.”
“Yes. I anticipated this move.”
Seok-chul answered matter-of-factly.
There were certain topics the Daedong Society habitually raised their voices about, and one of them concerned Imperial succession law.
The proposal to reverse the current system—where Imperial Succession is determined by birth order regardless of gender—back to the old way. Voices insisting that only male members could legitimately become Emperor. In other words, a megaphone that would thoroughly obstruct Seon, who had emerged as a formidable contender.
“Even if the Daedong Society can’t directly influence me, they’ll certainly make noise. And if an Illegitimate Child appears at an official event precisely at that moment, public fatigue will rise. It’s a deliberate attempt to sideline me from the Imperial Succession race.”
A thin sigh escaped between Seon’s teeth.
His mention of summoning the Daedong Society meant word had already been sent out. Speed was critical now.
She could see the board Uigu Daegun had laid out. She could mount a response. But she had to look further ahead. This wouldn’t be the end of it.
Seon clenched her fist lightly, then released it.
“I can’t afford for Uigu Daegun’s faction to grow stronger right now. I don’t have time to spare building my own forces, do I?”
From the start, the struggle between Uigu Daegun and Seon was unequal. Standing barefoot against what he’d built over decades was foolhardy.
Seon had no time to waste gathering allies. The better strategy was to dismantle Uigu Daegun’s faction and prevent other forces from rallying to his side.
“If Uigu Daegun keeps trying to shake me, then I’ll shake him right back.”
The rhythm of Seo-hyeon’s fingers tapping the table quickened.
“Besides, if Gyeong-an Gun is willing to step in, it means this isn’t something I can brush aside so easily.”
“You’ve already killed the Crown Prince himself. What’s there to fear now?”
At Seok-chul’s words, Seo-hyeon’s fingers stilled.
That’s right. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
If they’ve steeled themselves to kill me, then I’ll steel myself to face them ready to die.
Seo-hyeon glanced up at Seok-chul. There was no trace of fear in his expression either. Backing down now would only expose weakness.
“So… how are things progressing with Gyeong-an Gun’s marriage?”
Seok-chul answered promptly.
“Nothing official has advanced during the mourning period. But I’ve heard that Uigu Daegun has been visiting the residence of the Mirae Motors owner several times—the one rumored to be the intended match.”
“I should give my brother a gift too. This marriage can’t be sitting well with only me.”
She could easily imagine how irksome a political marriage would be for someone who pursued a free and dissolute life.
Whether it was study abroad or marriage, most of the future Uigu Daegun had arranged for him hardly suited Gyeong-an Gun’s temperament.
She harbored no desire to shield Gyeong-an Gun, yet the truth was, she sometimes understood him.
Seo-hyeon’s lips curved into a long smile.
“Mirae Motors secured an expanded electric vehicle subsidy through this official vehicle agreement, didn’t they?”
“Yes. Once it takes effect in a few months, they’ll raise their prices and turn a nice profit.”
“Then suppose we take that profit from them?”
Seok-chul tilted his head at her crisp tone.
Seo-hyeon raised her index finger and wagged it side to side, clicking her tongue. A bright smile played across her face.
“What car was the Crown Prince riding in?”
“An Official Limousine… built by Mirae Motors.”
“Of course the accident wasn’t caused by any defect in the vehicle. But if we weave it together, what couldn’t we manage?”
“Would it work that easily?”
At Seok-chul’s concern, Seo-hyeon lightly tapped his shoulder.
“This is a propaganda campaign, Jo Jeon-wi. People believe the loudest story over the truth, don’t they?”
Seo-hyeon finished her thought with an unhurried voice.
“Let it slip casually. Say the TF Team is suspecting a vehicle defect. That Mirae Motors won’t be able to escape responsibility either.”
“Since there actually were signs of tampering in the chassis, it’s not entirely a lie.”
“A single drop of truth is enough. No need to fabricate lies. Even this much should keep them too preoccupied to think about marriage for a while.”
“And Gyeong-an Gun will gain a bit more freedom.”
“If Mirae Motors grows cautious about involvement in royal matters, I lose nothing either.”
She didn’t know why Gyeong-an Gun had suddenly come forward with information. Yet something about his urgent, guarded tone had felt genuine.
Even if she didn’t understand his purpose, this would be sufficient repayment for the intelligence he’d gifted her today.
A light breath escaped between Seo-hyeon’s teeth.

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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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