“Your Highness,” the eunuch Noh Yeong-gil approached him too closely and spoke too softly. That could only mean something serious. “I have learned something interesting.”

  Yi Hyun motioned for him to follow and strolled unhurriedly toward the pavilion standing in the middle of the lake. There he could be certain they would not be overheard.

  “Speak,” Yi Hyun finally ordered, leaning against the smooth wooden railing.

  “I have a friend who works in the royal chambers,” the eunuch began cautiously. “Recently he overheard a conversation… It seems that on the night the Crown Prince died, messengers were sent from the throne hall for the Chief Royal Physician and to the Royal Medical Office.”

  “My father is ill. What of it?” Yi Hyun raised an eyebrow.

  Because his elder brother had stubbornly knelt in repentance before the steps leading downward, the king had not been able to leave that evening to return to his chambers.

  “I found the maid who was on duty that night and obtained a copy of the prescription.” Eunuch Noh rummaged in his sleeve and produced a worn scrap of paper. “It is not a medicine but a poison. The kind used for executions. And one of the guards on duty then confirmed that at dawn a bowl was brought to the Crown Prince from the throne hall.”

  “You dare accuse my father of murder?” Yi Hyun asked in astonishment.

  “Forgive me, Great Prince Dojun.” Eunuch Noh immediately began whining and bowing. “How could I dare? I only repeated another’s words and do not know what they mean.”

  “If I hear even a single rumor about this…” Yi Hyun warned. “You remember what happened to the Crown Prince’s eunuch?”

  At least that promise to his elder brother he had kept.

  His servant began to tremble.

  “I swear to you, I shall be mute as a fish, Great Prince,” he promised quite convincingly. Yi Hyun decided, for the moment, to believe him.

  Besides, he knew whom he truly ought to question about the events of that night.

  The king was in the best of spirits immediately after luncheon. He agreed to receive Yi Hyun without delay and even smiled at his son. Though the prescribed time had not yet passed since Yi Yun’s death, the king had already returned to red and gold robes, and his servants had removed the white mourning garments and resumed their usual attire. Yi Hyun, for his part, continued to wear cotton and linen, displaying brotherly respect. As he had heard, his younger brother Yi Hwan did the same.

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  “A strange rumor has reached me,” Yi Hyun said after the customary greetings and courtesies.

  “What might that be?” They were in the otherwise empty main hall, and the king sat upon the high throne in a relaxed posture, leaning against the left armrest.

  Yi Hyun glanced around to ensure they were not being overheard.

  “They say that the Crown Prince did not die of cold but of poison,” he said, lowering his voice. “That the medical office received a royal order…”

  “And you believe this?” his father inquired.

  “I have come to ask Your Majesty,” Yi Hyun bowed his head. “Is there any ground to these rumors?”

  The king laughed.

  “Hyun, is such bluntness customary at the court of Great Qing? What were you taught all those years?”

  “In Great Qing there are two courts,” Yi Hyun replied, explaining what he had learned during his years there. “The outer court, where outsiders struggle for a place by the throne, using forgery, slander, and bribery. And the inner court, the Emperor’s family, where princely titles and banners change, but where one’s own blood is protected. The Son of Heaven may execute a traitor, but I have not heard of anyone of the family dying from an accidental illness or freezing in a single night.”

  “How noble that sounds,” the king sneered, his face twisting. “But does it not seem to you, Hyun, that it sounds somewhat hypocritical coming from your lips?”

  “I do not understand,” Yi Hyun frowned.

  “I heard that it was your servants who brought the mat for the Crown Prince that day,” the king reminded him and sat straighter. “You knew what was happening. You knew and conveniently closed your eyes, hoping for another’s help, did you not?”

  “I did not think…” Yi Hyun protested.

  “Do not contradict me!” his father shouted. “You understood that there was only one path to becoming heir. You left me the dirty work, yet how dare you accuse me of what was done with your knowledge and for your own benefit? No, you continue to wear that fool’s mourning and dare to repeat absurd rumors!”

  Yi Hyun stood before the steps leading to the throne, fixing an unseeing gaze upon the carved wood.

  Had he understood?

  Had he truly known and allowed it to happen?

  “You are as guilty of his death,” the king spat. “Had I not ordered him to drink from the bowl, the stubborn fool would have stood there not one night but two, three. As many as it would have taken for him to die and clear your path to the throne. And now look me in the eyes and repeat what you accuse me of.”

  “Forgive me, Your Majesty,” Yi Hyun murmured quietly, not daring to lift his head. A sudden realization constricted his throat, making it difficult to breathe.

  Heavy silence fell upon the hall.

  “I no longer wish to see you in white,” the king’s voice made Yi Hyun flinch. “In the morning council I wish to see the future Crown Prince. And now leave me.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Yi Hyun left the hall without raising his head.

  He was shaking.

  He felt disgust toward himself, toward his hands, his legs, his face, and his voice, yet he did not know how to rid himself of them in order to become clean again. Or was he now cursed forever?