Empress Handbook

Chapter Fifty-Five | Stomaching

"An anti-Imperiality militia group has recently provided promising evidence to suggest Her Highness Empress Dowager Yunhee's attempt to rig the upcoming National Prime Minister Election to support current prime minister Lee Chungin. The group known as The Organisation has discovered from Her Highness' email an algorithm made to hack the optical scanners and a list of poll workers Her Highness intends to bribe to discard legitimate votes. Additionally, a voice recording proves Her Highness' idea to replace the pens at selected poll locations with invisible ink has also been exposed. Now, we will play the voice recording—"

The news report echoes through Myungbok Palace like a spell that renders everything in the palace an object of shame.

Yunhee curls her fingers into fists, struggling to believe the speakers that blasted Yeoreum's misery last night are now roaring Yeoruem's victory song. Yunhee's long nails scratch through the timber table next to her, digging them into the dense material until they snap away with a quiet crack.

"No," Yunhee screams. "This is not over."

Yunhee hurls a vase at the television. The jade amphora material crashes into fragments, refracting a sharp light into Yunhee's eyes. Flickers of a grey haze buffer the screen for a second, stammering the news reporter's solemn speech before blackness completely muffles the device.

The silent air in the room stabs Yunhee's chest like a sword. She shouldn't be hearing this grim silence. She should be hearing the fireworks of her enthronement.

Yunhee presses her bloodied fingers tighter against her palm. She turns to Assistant Gyo, who is kneeling on the other side of the room.

"Where the fuck is Park Chungin?" Yunhee says. "Tell him to control the situation."

Assistant Gyo bows down, her teeth chattering with fear. "Mr Park has decided to resign."

Yunhee kicks the television off its marble stand. "What? Why didn't he inform me? Where is he now?" she growls.

"I do not know. Mr Park's secretary said he lost contact with Mr Park," Assistant Gyo mumbles.

Yunhee grits her teeth. "That useless coward."

Assistant Gyo's phone rings for her attention. The last bit of colour on her face conforms to fear as she brings up another television station's news show on her phone.

"Your Highness, look," she falters.

Yunhee narrows her eyes at the familiar face speaking to the news reporter, and her mind flashes cold.

"Jung Hoseok," she shrieks.

"Hello, the people of the Empire of Korea. I am His Majesty, Emperor Taehyung's secretary and the Imperial Castle's butler, but more importantly, I am a victim of Her Highness, Empress Dowager Yunhee. My father is Jung Byeonghak, a parliament member who went missing after rumours of suicide. The truth is that my father did not commit suicide. Instead, he was tormented and beaten to death on Cheonji Island because he discovered Empress Dowager's Shinji Cult. He was captured to the island to do strenuous physical labour and grow opium."

Hoseok's eyes cloud with bitterness. He lowers his head to collect his emotions before he gazes at the camera again.

"After my father disappeared, Empress Dowager took his assets away, and I began investigating the truth behind my most-respected father's death. But it is not just my father who suffered. Hundreds of your fathers, brothers, friends and loved ones are suffering on Cheonji Island right now. Everything His Majesty said during the live stream a couple of months ago is true, and Empress Dowager highjacked it out of fear. Now, I will release the remaining evidence His Majesty could not show."