Chapter 16…..
Honga was spending some time alone. Since it was the day her uncles’ teacher entered the palace, no one would come to disturb her. Her mother was busy catching up with her family, who had come to the palace after a long while. As for the Crown Prince, he was far too busy to even be considered.
She had firmly warned her nursemaids and attendants not to come in. They seemed to dismiss it as the cute fuss of a child, but Honga was serious.
“The future isn’t flowing the way I know it should.”
For some unknown reason, history’s course was changing. Lady Bong, Consort Sun, was supposed to be deposed and her mother made Crown Princess two years later. Yet events were happening much faster than they should have.
She wasn’t sure whether this was a good change. If things didn’t flow as expected, it meant they were out of her control. The more events strayed from what she remembered, the deeper her unease grew.
“The only thing that’s changed… is me. This must be because of me.”
Although the future had shifted, no one else had acted out of character. Her mother had remained quiet, just as in history. Consort Sun had been just as vicious as ever.
The only one who had been capricious and impulsive was Honga herself.
“I’ll have to be more careful.”
A sense of caution took root in her. As her body grew, it felt like her mental control was growing as well.
She regretted the impulsive things she had done when she was younger. Luckily, things had turned out in her favor and Consort Sun had been expelled sooner. But if it had gone the other way… she didn’t even want to imagine it.
The butterfly effects of actions that didn’t exist in history filled Honga with unease and vigilance.
“I need a plan.”
Everything needed to be planned. Especially when her goal was simple: to survive.
For someone born as the elder sister of King Danjong, even daring to dream of survival was an extravagant wish. A life that others lived simply by breathing was, to Honga, an uphill struggle.
On the desk in front of her lay a sheet of paper. Honga was painstakingly writing out crooked letters—the “Hunminjeongeum” that the King was still in the process of creating.
“Since it hasn’t been officially promulgated yet, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
Writing things down helped her organize her jumbled thoughts.
“Grandfather… since you’ll announce it anyway, let me just borrow it a little early.”
Thinking of the King, who even now must be drowning in work, she moved her brush without hesitation. At five years old, there were limits to what her small, undeveloped hands could do. Still, it was enough if only she could understand what she had written.
Lee Hongwi. Danjong. Born 1441.
“How much time is left? Five years?”
Too short to be called far, too long to be called near. Hongwi’s birth would mean her mother’s death. Every time she thought of it, her heart ached.
“Can I save Mother?”
Honga bit her lip.
Her mother’s cause of death was childbed fever. Without medical knowledge, curing it would be difficult. All she knew was that in modern times, antibiotics were prescribed.
But as a liberal arts student, there was no way she could suddenly conjure up penicillin like some kind of hero.
They said prevention through sterilization was possible. But even in this era, they already sterilized by fire-heating tools.
“I can’t focus only on saving Mother. Of course it’s important, but I can’t ignore what comes next.”
Honga was coldly rational. She loved her mother dearly, but she couldn’t fixate on her alone. Even the Crown Prince, who seemed healthy now, would not live for many more years. More than one life rested in her hands.
“The Crown Prince died of boils. That’s something that needs proper care.”
Boils weren’t something cured by care alone, but the real reason the Crown Prince had weakened so rapidly was his deteriorating health.
After the King and Queen both died and he observed three years of mourning, he barely ate. His immunity weakened, the boils worsened, and eventually he died, leaving behind his young children—and that was where the tragedy of history began.
As Honga circled the word boils on the paper, she let out a sigh.
The ink bled into the paper, leaving a large black spot. Her insides felt just like that spot—dark and heavy, spreading further and further.
The more she felt her parents’ overflowing love, the more guilt burned in her chest. She already knew what fate awaited her family, but her young body made it impossible to act immediately.
Still, she couldn’t stop. If she gave up now, she would only lose her precious people one by one. The only thing waiting then would be a hollow, lifeless existence.
She had to do everything she could. She didn’t know why she had been reincarnated into this world, but she had to live this life with everything she had. Gathering her wandering thoughts, Honga forced herself to focus.
“We need an elder in the royal family to stand on our side.”
During the Gyeyujeongnan (Coup of 1453), even Grand Prince Yangnyeong—considered a senior figure—had sided with Grand Prince Suyang. Queen Soebin Hong, the wife of King Munjong and now known as Hong Seunghwi, also turned her back on her nephew Danjong.
She had to think coldly. At present, Honga couldn’t trust anyone. The only certainty was that someone strong had to exist to support Danjong.
“What was Grandfather’s cause of death again…?”
She nibbled at the end of her brush, thinking hard. She remembered.
“Ah—diabetes, and symptoms of stroke.”
Given his large frame and love of food, it wasn’t surprising he had lifestyle diseases.
“That’s something I can’t fix.”
She decisively crossed out the name she had written: King Sejong.
Medical treatment was beyond her ability.
Besides, Sejong’s love of meat was well-known even in modern times. Even King Taejong’s dying wish had been, “Make sure His Majesty eats meat even during mourning.” It was a waste of time to attempt the impossible.
“And Grandmother… her health is already failing.”
Everyone in Joseon knew the Queen struggled with mental illness. Though she lived as if nothing was wrong, she would occasionally collapse with severe illness. It was a form of depression.
“She died, and not long after, Grandfather followed… Having endured back-to-back funerals before ascending the throne, even my father couldn’t have stayed strong.”
She remembered her own father’s funeral in her past life. Even though it was a small ceremony with few attendees, the exhaustion had left her bedridden for days.
If that had been so hard, then the funerals of both King and Queen must have been unbearable.
“With modern knowledge, I might delay death a little. But I’m no expert, and I don’t have deep medical knowledge either.”
Honga forced herself to think logically.
“This can’t be my top priority. I have to accept that I can’t control every life. I need to focus on what I can do.”
If they lived longer, then fine—Danjong’s legitimacy as the King’s direct grandson was unshakable. With strong support, there would be no reason for him to be deposed.
But relying on them to live was too slim a chance.
“Among the living, is there no one who could support Hongwi and protect us siblings?”
Kwon Jasin.
Her mother’s younger brother, whom she had barely met. In her past life, he had joined the movement to restore Danjong. The bond of blood made him a potentially strong protector. In later Joseon history, maternal relatives often became powerful political supporters. However—
“Uncle is still too young. He only reached high office after Danjong’s time. His foundation is too weak.”
Depending on him alone wasn’t enough. Especially since it hadn’t been long since King Taejong had wiped out his and his son’s in-laws.
Because of that, even after becoming the Crown Prince’s in-laws, her maternal family kept their heads low and avoided rash actions. It was disappointing, but understandable. Honga marked his name with a triangle.
“The princes?”
She frowned. In truth, very few royal princes had stood by Danjong. The handful who had were so rare they were famously called the Six Loyal Princes.
The most well-known were Grand Prince Anpyeong and Grand Prince Geumseong. But Honga had never even met them—or even Grand Prince Suyang, for that matter.
She was still too young, and her uncles who had already received titles and established households outside the palace were rarely encountered.
Of course, she sometimes met the princes still living in the palace or the younger sons of concubines. But none of them seemed reliable—and some were destined to become enemies.
Whenever she saw one of the uncles who would later participate in the coup, Honga would secretly stomp on their foot. Watching them flinch and pull back was her only little comfort.
“But the most troublesome uncle is someone else.”
The one she considered the most dangerous was Grand Prince Gyeyang, eldest brother of Grand Prince Gon. He would become one of Grand Prince Suyang’s strongest supporters.
Gyeyang’s marriage alliance tied him directly to Suyang. That bond, reinforced by family ties, was unbreakable. And his wife’s family was no ordinary house—it was the clan of Han Hwak, who was related by marriage even to the Ming Emperor.
“If only I could break off that marriage…”
But if she remembered correctly, Gyeyang’s wedding was next year. The talks were probably already underway, and there was little chance of finding a reason to break it off. Pressing her aching head with her brush, she groaned.
“If I can’t stop Gyeyang’s marriage, then I’ll have to ruin Dowon’s marriage instead. Han Hwak’s base of power is in Ming. Losing someone like that would be too much of a waste.”
Even her cousin Dowon, not yet born, was a concern. Thanks to his powerful in-laws, Grand Prince Suyang’s usurpation had even been acknowledged by Ming.
“Dowon and Danjong were three or four years apart, right? That would mean he’s about the same age difference from Queen Insu. It’s a bit of a gap… but still, there’s no stronger support than being tied to Han Hwak.”
