Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Thirty-four

Counsellor Choi cursed his impetuous nephews. Springing an attack on a respected Minister of the Crown within twenty kilometers of the capital was stupid. There was not other way to describe it.

At first, it had been difficult to credit the whispered report about the incident but it was not long before news filtered through more official channels and the consequences started to mount.

The King called up more of his personal guards and increased the patrols along the roads in and out of the capital. Everyone was being stopped at the city gates and asked to account for their movements. It was now impossible to get the shipment of arms moved north and random searches of the waterfront warehouses were getting closer.

He had to trust the provisions for the northern separatists would stay well hidden. If not the full cache, then at least the family's connection to it, but nothing was certain. A determined investigator might pull a thread hard enough to unravel everything.

So far, greed vastly outweighed any scruples the mid-ranks of the palace investigators once held. The tension the attack generated meant planting additional decoys and spreading more bribes and this cut into the profits the family might reap from their foreign investors. The new reinforcements added unknown variable to plans developed over the past few years.

Counsellor Choi was even more angered by the loss of one of the finer mares from his stock. He had hoped to make the horse a wedding gift, and then negotiate continuing to develop the bloodline with his nephew's young bride. The girl seemed very biddable. His wife had scorned the second cousin link to the ruling family but it was one step closer to their goal.

He had to reminder the family their aim was not to take the throne, only to surround it with the right influences. The Crown Prince's battles with his first wife made him vulnerable to flattery and attention. The King seemed to be crippled by mourning and his aging inner court aging took their positions for granted. The junior ranks of the gentry yearned for more status and he was not opposed to offering a bit of recognition if it bought a double share of loyal gratitude. Now years of careful planning might get undone by one afternoon's misadventure.

His nephews had done the basic groundwork but who could imagine a couple of schoolboys could tip the balance. The master-at-arms had been protected by the Go brother's swords and their guest proved himself to be very capable with a longbow. Nobody had expected a teenager would be capable of drawing the string never mind managing a series of quick shots. To add insult to injury it turned out the Go's unexpected guest was the very same boy who had shown the twins up so badly at the junior selection tournament.

The younger generation had not learned from their earlier setback and he suspected Suk-jong had encouraged his cousin's rash plot. The younger boys might not have been direct participants but undoubtedly supplied the others with arms and horses. They would not have given a thought to the risks of being implicated in the attack.

Counsellor Choi shifted through the training options available for his eldest and decided the Naval Academy would be the best choice. The discipline on a ship should help curb some of his impulsiveness. The twins still had to get through the selection rounds but it was time to separate them to see how well they might stand on their own. The Prince's training yard would be suitable for Feng-xia but it would be harder to place Feng-lu who had such a lack-luster academic record. He dreaded broaching the subject of sending the boy to abroad with his wife. They still had to get through the selections and the wedding before any decisions could be finalized so he put off the discussion.

After the attack, their son's placements became more pressing concerns for the Go family. San Jin was happy to continue his classical studies but had raised the possibility of joining a training yard. Unfortunately, the level of commitment most training yards demanded of their new recruits would not accommodate external studies. The problem for his father lay in the supposed political alignments. The Prince's yard had the best reputation but San Jin's attendance might be interpreted as a shift in allegiance away from the King.

Me Yan had a pending invitation from a prestigious science academy run by the Qin. It was not the type of offer that should be declined but he was still young and his mother might not be ready for him to leave home. Madam Go surprised her husband with her whole-hearted endorsement of their youngest studying abroad.

"Why are you ready for him to go now? It's not about the attack, is it?"

"The attack didn't help," she admitted then explained, "Before I couldn't stand the thought of them being away on their own. Now I can see how they can make friends, good friends, who can be like brothers."

"It helps that Junseo is not from the capital. Even though he is in and out the palace regularly, he avoids court politics." Minister Go went on the explain what he had learned from the report about the boy and his association with the court's young northern hostage. He concluded by saying, "Strange how the boy has proved so helpful in difficult situations."

"Not strange if the dragon has drawn him here."

"What do you mean?" Minister Go did not follow.

"Well, doesn't Junseo remind you of the Old King? I can't say why exactly but it's a feeling."

Minister Go scratched his head. He did not know what to make of his wife's remark. She was sensitive to different things but she also liked to assure herself their family attracted the most noble friends.