Chapter 217 — Revealing Everything at the Morning Audience
When the king rose from his seat, the inner part of the bedchamber moved quietly.
No words were exchanged, yet the court ladies knew first.
One held up a folded robe.
Another carried a small box containing the belt and ornaments.
Another held a tray with the official headpiece upon it in both hands.
They did not crowd in all at once.
They stood beside the king in the prescribed order.
It was the attire for the morning audience.
It was not a heavy and solemn dress like the myeollyugwan and gonbok worn during great rites, but closer to the court attire used when receiving the officials.
*The court attire of Goryeo kings differed by period. In the early and middle Goryeo period, yellow robes of the jahwangpo line were used, and later court attire such as the wonyugwan and gangsapo appears as well. In the portrait transmitted as that of King Gongmin, one can also see a flat-winged bokdu and a red large-sleeved robe.
One court lady first gathered up the hem of the king's nightclothes.
Her fingertips were quick, yet they showed no sign of haste.
Silk flowed over the backs of her hands with a very low sound, and the languor of the bedchamber that had remained on the king's shoulders began to recede little by little with that sound.
On the body of a man who had just risen in a warm room, the clothing of a monarch going out to court was added one layer at a time.
The collar of his inner garment was set straight first.
The court lady never peered deeply beneath the king's neck.
With her gaze lowered, only her hands moved precisely.
She aligned the line where the left and right collars overlapped, then pressed smooth with her palm the folds falling below his waist.
Within that movement was a distance: serving the king's body closely, yet never touching it with private familiarity.
Next, the robe was lifted.
When the large-sleeved robe with its red hue was spread, the morning light in the bedchamber softly diffused across the fabric.
The sleeves were broad and fell lightly below the backs of his hands, and the seam down the back descended straight, making the king's shoulders appear broad.
Two court ladies supported the sleeves on either side and guided the king's arms through, while the lady behind him adjusted the folds on his back one by one.
The body of the man who had sat beside the bed and drunk tea only moments ago gradually became, within that robe, the center of the morning audience.
The jade belt was fastened around his waist.
The court lady holding the box stepped forward, lowered to her knees, and raised the end of the belt in both hands.
As the belt wrapped around his waist, the robe's fullness was brought into order, and the hem that had flowed broadly gathered around the king's body.
Small ornaments and knots were placed in their proper positions, and the tassels at the ends of the knots settled straight under the court lady's fingertips.
Even after tying the knots, they withdrew their hands once more and checked whether the garments sat comfortably with the king's breath.
The headpiece came last.
The court lady holding the headpiece approached with the greatest caution.
Even in the bedchamber, raising one's hands over the king's head was not a light matter.
The eunuch beside her checked the direction of the headpiece in a very low voice, and the court lady raised both arms without trembling and set it in place.
Once the front and back of the headpiece stood correctly, the shadow beneath the king's brow grew distinct.
The fatigue of morning that had remained until a moment ago withdrew into that shadow, and in its place appeared the face that the officials would look up to.
The court ladies stepped back one by one.
When the hands that had been near him disappeared, the king's attire was visible at a glance.
The large sleeves settled heavily beside his arms, and the belt at his waist caught the light without disorder.
The collar gathered neatly beneath his neck, and the headpiece stood straight upon his head.
Even within the warm air of the bedchamber, that attire was already facing the cold air of the side hall.
The king briefly raised his arms and measured the weight of the sleeves.
A court lady immediately lowered to her knees and straightened the edge of the robe.
Her fingertips were so low they seemed ready to touch the floor, and her head did not rise above the king's knees.
It was the act of straightening the king's clothing, and also a rite that set the order of the court before the king.
Outside the door, the armor of the Gyeollyongwi stood cold under the dawn light.
Inside the door, the hands of court ladies pressed smooth even the last fold.
On one side were swords and spears.
On the other were silk, fragrance, and low breathing.
The two energies met within a single threshold.
Between them, the king straightened his body and finished preparing to go out to the morning audience.
"Come with Us."
"Your Majesty, this humble general is…"
He was not someone who should attend the morning audience, but the king had commanded him, so he followed.
"I said come with Us. Let us go and settle this."
"Loyalty."
The king strode forward.
He walked quickly, like a man about to bring out in the side hall the words he had kept pressed down all night.
It was not a great court audience attended by all high and low officials, but a smaller audience excluding the lesser officials.
After confirming that the king had entered, Park Geun-su circled around, but a Gyeollyongwi stopped him.
"Why?"
What the guard handed him were the weapon and equipment he had entrusted when entering the bedchamber earlier.
Sometimes such things were taken away and not returned.
That was why one did not carry good items.
If one wore weapons and gear meant to be taken and entrusted, they were light and looked decent.
The problem was that they had no use as actual weapons.
The sword had the shape of a blade, but its edge and spine were weak, so if it struck hard against something, the body of the sword would not endure it.
The shield too looked passable from the outside, but the wood supporting it within was thin; if it went beneath a horse's hoof, it would split as it was.
A helmet held at one's side or slung behind was heavy and uncomfortable.
If one stood for a long time, it hurt the waist.
So some used extremely light things that only looked like helmets on the outside.
But Park Geun-su's were real and genuine.
His things were different.
What he wore was not decoration, but the real thing.
They were not finely polished items for appearance, nor ornaments adjusted to palace etiquette.
They were iron that had endured blows, blocked and pushed back, and known blood.
When the smell of iron rose, the high officials beside him frowned, but he never replaced them with anything else.
When he received his weapons and equipment and put them on, his heart felt firm.
Loyalty alone cannot protect a man's body.
Even inside the palace, swords had been drawn, and blood had spread across wooden floors.
For Park Geun-su, who had lived through such days, armor and weapons were not vanity.
They were the final distance that protected his body and protected the king.
Considering the several battles that had taken place inside the palace, they were also necessary.
As he came around with his weapons clanking, it made him look as if he had arrived late.
The eyes of the senior minister contained a rebuke.
Above all, the face of the Pyeongjangsa was sharp, as if asking why he had come to a meeting of high officials.
The king said, "We ordered General Park to attend."
The officials who had arrived first turned to look at Park Geun-su.
The mood was cold.
They were not favorable toward him.
When one receives the king's trust, the agreement of colleagues and seniors grows rather distant.
They may recognize him as a rival competing for the same place.
It was a matter of sharing limited resources.
The king swept his gaze over those seated and said,
"We must send an envoy to Jin."
"Your Majesty."
Who was it?
Who was the man who blocked him before the matter could even be spoken?
The king asked, "What?"
"It is a Jurchen country that has only just arisen. It is not even worthy of being recognized as a country."
It was Han Yun-bo, an old minister of the Chancellery.
"Yes, it has not been long since it arose. Then We ask you: how long must a country exist before We may send it an envoy?"
Han Yun-bo answered.
"That was not my meaning. I meant that if the Jurchen send an envoy and make a request, it may not be too late to respond then. It does not seem proper for a great country to send an envoy first."
"So it is a matter of propriety?"
"The rank does not match, Your Majesty."
"Jin has defeated the great armies of Liao three times. The northern situation is changing urgently. Are you telling Us to remain still?"
There was a metallic edge in the king's voice.
"Your Majesty, forgive me. This humble subject merely…"
"Enough. Are you not a man who says no regardless of what is said?"
"Your Majesty, that is not so."
"You said no just now. When We say that you say no, you say no to that as well."
"Your Majesty!"
As Han Yun-bo was struck down first thing in the morning, Byeongbu Sangseo Yun Ja-gyeom lowered his head.
Inside, he was probably laughing with delight.
The man had needlessly said no and been rebuked before things even began.
He must have read the signs that the king had come out with something already decided.
"As all ministers know, the northern situation is changing rapidly. In such a moment, sitting still and doing nothing is not the proper course. If a friendly empire is established there, what could be better? You all know well that after the great victory at Gwiju, we enjoyed peace for many years. Now that we are entering another period of upheaval, the ministers must keep this deeply in mind."
Byeongbu Sangseo Yun Ja-gyeom spoke.
"That is so, Your Majesty. The northern situation is now so urgent that one cannot see even an inch ahead. Above all, we understand that the Liao emperor Yelü Yanxi, defeated in the Battle of Huanglongfu, plans to raise a large army and strike Jin."
Since he was in the Ministry of War, he would have received the first reports.
The king said,
"Exactly. Therefore, we must not simply discuss this way and that like a fool in a room."
"That is so, Your Majesty."
"The Ministry of Rites will send an envoy to Jin and arrange a date for Our meeting with the Great Khan. The sooner, the better. Since their war is urgent, We will have to go north. Set the envoy's schedule today. Seonchunryeong Fortress seems a suitable location."
The Minister of Rites bowed deeply.
"Who would be suitable as envoy?"
"Why do you ask Us about your own work?"
"I wished to first ask whether Your Majesty had someone in mind before proceeding."
"A Rangjung of the Ministry of Rites would lack weight. At minimum, it should be someone of Vice Minister level or above."