unclear

Chapter 822 The Bourne Supremacy 3
Although the Han-Korean Chamber of Commerce had always provided sponsorship to the rebels through Huang Shi as an intermediary, the truth could not be hidden. During the investigation, it still attracted the attention of the Yijinfu.

In order to prevent Huang from being exposed in advance and thus destroying all the efforts made in the past few years, Jin Gui made a rescue plan. But whether it can work or not must be approved by the emperor. So he followed the cargo ship of the Han-Korean Chamber of Commerce back to the capital under the pretext of purchasing goods.

However, they did return, but they also brought two tails with them. Queen Kim sent two trusted aides to accompany the ship, saying that the king attached great importance to this purchase, and that they were to protect the payment for the goods.

Jin Gui, who had received spy training since childhood, immediately smelled the same scent on the other person after meeting him, and roughly guessed his origin. That's why he staged a horse-frightened and injured person drama at Chaoyangmen East Station, used Jinyiwei to avoid the two men's pursuit, and snatched a few hours to enter the palace to meet the emperor.

"This broken thing is not as comfortable as walking!" Sitting in the sedan, feeling the rough and bumpy stone road surface, Jin Gui cursed in his heart.

The sedan chair under me is called a sedan chair, but it is completely different from the sedan chairs of the Ming Dynasty. It has a single wheel and poles in front and back. People sit on it, and the sedan bearers do not carry the sedan but push it. They only lift it for a short time when they encounter steps or ditches.

As for the effect, the wooden wheels collided with the stone road, and whether it was bumpy or not depended on whether the road was smooth. Most of the time, you had to put thick straw or felt under your buttocks, otherwise your tailbone would break after walking a few hundred steps.

This type of sedan chair is usually used by merchants and military commanders, and is called a 齺轩. Civil officials and their wives would ride in another type of sedan chair, which has no wheels but is very short and has no seats, so they must sit cross-legged.

Jin Gui tried it once, and then he never sat on it again, even if it was considered vulgar and impolite. It was not enjoyment, but torture, more painful than torture. After walking two miles, his legs became numb. If he didn't get off to move around, it would feel like ants biting him and thousands of arrows piercing his heart!
If it weren't for the great plan of His Majesty, no one would be willing to work here. Although he has Korean blood in his body, every muscle and every inch of skin is full of rejection of this land and the people here.

When I was a kid, the Emperor always talked about the corruption in the government and gave many examples. I was so angry that I wanted to rush out with a knife and kill all the corrupt officials who were eating people's food but not doing their job.

Let all the people in the world have enough food and warm clothing, have jobs to do and a place to live. There should no longer be orphans like me who have no one to cry out for help, no one to love them, no one to care about them, and can only wait to starve to death or freeze to death.

But compared with the officialdom of North Korea, the things in the Ming Dynasty court didn't seem to bother me that much, because it was poorer and more corrupt.

Despite the shortage of supplies, the yangban and middle-class people still lived a luxurious life, often visiting the Han-Korean Chamber of Commerce and spending a lot of money on imported goods.

A small number of middle-class people and good people barely make ends meet with their meager income, eating two full meals a day and only able to buy cloth to make new clothes during festivals.

The majority of the bitches were like rats, living in shabby huts that leaked rain in the summer and were drafty in the winter, wearing ragged clothes of unidentifiable colors, and were semi-starved every day, yet had to bear the heaviest taxes, labor, and military service. Many soldiers didn't even have straw sandals, and could only wrap their feet with bark and hay in the winter.

If such a king and court could continue, Jin Gui felt that it would not only cause suffering to the Korean people, but also be a dereliction of duty for the Ming court.

Fortunately, His Majesty was wise and wanted to overthrow the corrupt rule of the King of Korea, and he chose the method with the least cost and the least casualties. This is called great kindness! And I was fortunate to be involved in it, and I have done my best for my people, and I have no regrets in death.

The West Palace is located in the south of the city. It was originally the residence of Prince Wolsan. After Gwanghaegun ascended the throne, it was renamed Gyeongungung. Now it is the place where the Queen Dowager is imprisoned. After seeing the waist badge of Queen Sang-Gong, the guards guarding the West Palace simply patted the package carried by the sedan bearer and let her go. Manager Wang of the Han-Korean Chamber of Commerce comes here almost every month to bring some daily necessities and seasonal fruits and vegetables to the Queen Dowager.

The Lord did not allow the Queen to visit her at will, but he did not forbid her. Since she had the badge of the Concubine Jin, no one would investigate the matter carefully.

In fact, in Korea, which advocates Confucianism, people from all walks of life still have some feelings for the Queen Dowager. After all, she is the mother of the current king. It is unfilial to put her under house arrest, and it is too much to demand more food and drink. What's more, the person who came to visit was a Han Chinese, so what bad intentions could he have?

The most important thing is that this Han man is very generous. Every time he comes, he never relies on the power of Queen Kim to look down on others. He shows all the sincerity he should show. If you meet him at the Han-Korean Chamber of Commerce afterwards, he can even give you a discount.

"Is Manager Wang back?" Normally, Queen Dowager Wang would not receive guests so late at night, but today was an exception. Jin Gui only waited outside the palace for a short while before being led in by two palace maids.

"Replying to the Queen, Wang Gui has returned. The fine cloth and scriptures you requested have all been prepared according to the list."

Whether he likes it or not, Jin Gui had to take off his shoes and kowtow to the figure sitting in the inner room behind the curtain. Just for this reason, he hated him even more. Even His Majesty didn't kneel so many times, how could you be worthy?

"Thank you for your hard work. I will go to worship Buddha the day after tomorrow. I was worried that I would not have offerings. Fortunately, you came back in time. It's a little late today. I will reward you another day!" The figure behind the curtain spoke like chanting a sutra. The content and tone did not match at all, and it seemed that he lacked sincerity.

"I dare not, I dare not, I'll take my leave..." Wang Gui didn't say anything. He retreated to the door obediently, stood up and followed the palace maid out of the palace along the same route.

But just two sentences and a few hundred meters of walking had already made Wang Gui's back soaked with sweat. The cold sweat was more than half from anxiety and less from fear. After four years of carefully covering up, it was not easy to get to where he is today. He was afraid that something might go wrong during the days he was away, which would lead to all his efforts being wasted.

"Go to Changdeok Palace, quickly!" Fortunately, the Queen Dowager made it clear that everything was as it was, and the date for the secret meeting with the Ming envoy was set for the day after tomorrow. But there was one thing that had not been arranged, and it had to be implemented as soon as possible.

Changdeokgung Palace is located in the eastern part of Seoul, so it is called Dongque. It was burned down together with the main palace Gyeongbokgung Palace during the Imjin Japanese Invasion, and was rebuilt after Gwanghaegun ascended the throne and became the main palace.

As a national palace, Changdeokgung completely imitates the Forbidden City in shape and is divided into three parts: the front court, the main palace and the harem, which are used for ministers on duty, the king's office and concubines' residence respectively.

However, in terms of scale, Changdeokgung is far inferior to the Forbidden City. Not only is its area small, but its buildings are also low. It is called a palace wall, but in fact it is similar to the courtyard walls of wealthy families in Jiangnan.

(End of this chapter)