Magnificent Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Chapter 6

(6/257)
[The chapter begins with an explicit intimate scene between Ryeohan and Okryeong. The narration details their lovemaking, her passionate responses, and Ryeohan’s conscious effort to control himself, as he is determined not to “sow his seed indiscriminately,” noting the difficulty of handling the consequences. He reflects on his “ascetic training” and internally laments the lack of a condom, even wondering if he should try to make one from a pig’s bladder.]
“Father, it’s your son, An.”
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
Uan (于安) left his straw shoes in the garden and stepped into the main hall.
In the warmest part of the room, his father, Uin (于仁), was leaning against a pillow. Uin was a man in his sixties with sharp, piercing eyes and a handsome beard. He watched his son enter.
“What is it?”
“Another matchmaker came by, pushing for the wedding.”
“Hmph.” Uin’s cheeks were sunken, making him look even more severe. He rolled a pair of precious walnuts in one hand. “And this time, did you get the details on his health?”
“The matchmaker said he’s relying on a staff now, and that his energy is fading fast.” Uan, a portly man, dabbed at his forehead, sweating despite the autumn cool.
“Hmm. Postpone the wedding again. Keep pushing it off.”
Having spoken, Uin’s lips pressed into a thin, hard line. He always looked like this after making a decision.
“Father?” Uan pleaded, shuffling forward onto one knee.
“Just do as I say!”
“Yes…” Uan’s voice trailed off in disappointment.
After a moment of thought, Uan asked, “If that’s the case, shouldn’t we also stop So-a (昭) from going out?”
“No. Leave her be. We can’t have them getting suspicious.”
“I understand.”
Uan bowed respectfully and turned to leave, but Uin stopped him.
“I assume Ran (蘭) is still dressing as a man?”
“Yes.”
“This is all your fault, you fool. How could you fail to produce a single son? The moment people find out this family line is broken, they’ll despise us. She is to keep it up until we build the seook (the son-in-law’s house)!”
“Yes, Father!” Uan replied, his head bowed in shame.
“Have you all been well? Great-grandmother, Grandmother, Mother.”
“Yes, our great-grandson. And you?”
“I’m well, Great-grandmother.”
It was the 15th of the ninth month. On the first and fifteenth of every month, Ryeohan visited the Secret Court, a secluded villa deep within the inner gardens, to pay his respects. He used to come daily, but they had insisted he cut back, worried it was getting in the way of his studies.
“How are the studies coming along?”
His great-grandmother was ninety-eight, nearly a hundred, yet her hair seemed to be growing dark again, her gums firmer.
“They are going well.”
“Now, who is this young man~?” his seventy-year-old grandmother asked, her head wobbling. She was growing senile.
“Mother, it’s your! Grand! Son! Ryeo! Han!” Ryeohan’s mother shouted, leaning in close. Her mother-in-law was hard of hearing on top of it all. “Don’t you recognize him?”
Ryeohan’s own mother was fifty-two. She had given birth late in life and was no longer young herself.
“Grandmother is still the same,” Ryeohan said with a gentle smile.
“She’s only getting worse. It’s a real problem. Say, has your wedding date been set yet?”
“Not yet.”
“What’s the hold-up?” his great-grandmother, Lady Kang, asked, her lovely face creasing with worry.
“I’m sure they just have a lot to prepare. They’ll set it soon enough.”
“I hope so…”
“Young Master!” A voice interrupted them. The general steward, Eom Chungeom, had come to find him. “The Guksang (Prime Minister) is looking for you.”
“Of course. I’ll be right there.”
“I will wait for you.”
It wasn’t a request. Left with no choice, Ryeohan gave his family a quick bow and followed the steward out.
In the Central Hall, Ryeohan’s eyes went wide.
It was rare for all the household’s key figures to be gathered in one place:
General Steward Eom Chungeom.
Strategist Eulji Zemeun.
Seonin General U Deukmu.
Captain of the Guard Yeon Mussang.
Every one of them looked deadly serious.
“I gave them a hint of what was coming,” Myeongnim Dapbu began, his voice thin but firm. “The plan was always to hold your wedding first, but we have to change the order of things.”
Dapbu paused, taking a slow, rattling breath.
“As of today, I am passing the title of Family Head to you.”
“Great-grandfather…!” Ryeohan started, shocked, but Dapbu raised a frail hand to silence him.
“Quiet. And listen.”
“I have less than half a month left. That is why I’m rushing this. Now… all of you. Here, in front of me, I need you to swear your loyalty to Ryeohan. What do you say?”
Dapbu looked slowly from one man to the next.
“Is there even a question?” Yeon Mussang boomed, stepping forward. “I, Mussang, will be the first!”
“My Lord! Please, accept my bow!”
That was Yeon Mussang for you—all bluster and immediate action.
“You really shouldn’t…” Ryeohan was so embarrassed he tried to turn away, but—
“Myeongnim Ryeohan! You will sit up straight and accept it!”
It was Dapbu’s roar. It was astonishing, the power he could still summon. The hall practically shook with his voice.
“Yes. Thank you,” Ryeohan said, his face burning as he returned the bow.
“Hahaha! Nothing to thank me for, my Lord!” Yeon Mussang grinned, trying to break the tension. “I plan on working you to the bone from now on!”
It was unclear if he meant sparring or service, but Ryeohan knew he’d be seeing a lot of the Captain.
“I, U Deukmu, pay my respects to my new Lord!” The head of the Seonin was next, his bow just as sharp and decisive.
“Thank you, General U.”
“Lead us well, my Lord. Lead us, and let’s flatten the noses of those scoundrels in Hwa-ha (China)!”
“I will do everything in my power to make that happen.”
“I believe you will!”
Next, the steward stepped forward. “As General Steward, I, Eom Chungeom, swear to serve you with all my loyalty, just as I served your great-grandfather. I will devote my heart and soul to seeing this family stand on a foundation of iron!”
“Thank you, Steward. I will be in your care.”
“I will do my utmost, my Lord, until my last breath.”
Finally, Eulji Zemeun knelt. “And I, Eulji Zemeun, offer what little wisdom I have. I will not shirk from any toil to see this family prosper, and I pray that your path ahead is brighter than the sun.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Ah!” The strategist clicked his tongue. “I’m not your ‘Master’ anymore. I’m just a humble retainer. From now on, you can’t call me that. Just call me by my name, or ‘Strategist Eulji’ if you must. Consider this the last time I’ll ever get to scold you.”
“Uwahaha!”
“Hahaha!”
As their laughter filled the hall, Myeongnim Dapbu’s eyes shimmered. He quickly wiped them with the back of his hand, his voice thick when he spoke.
“Time is short. We won’t summon the men from Sinryeoseong. Instead… Steward Eom, you will go there tomorrow, after the inauguration. You will… you will deliver the news of Ryeohan’s ascension, and you will collect the written oaths of loyalty from every retainer there.”
“I will see it done, my Lord,” Eom Chungeom replied, bowing his head.