By Zephyria 
Min-hyeok looked at the Queen Dowager with a stiffness she had never seen before. He certainly resembled the Late Emperor, but Min-hyeok’s face held a coldness that had been absent in his father. The Queen Dowager thought that this cold streak was inherited from her.
“Plans change to fit the environment and the situation. You know this well. And often, the revised plan is far superior. Just like now.”
“Just like now?”
“Yes. The plan changed the moment I discovered the Grand Imperial Concubine was being abused by the Prime Minister. Well, let’s call it a minor adjustment. A revision of the plan due to a slight change.”
He wasn’t unaware that this small change had unsettled the Queen Dowager, but she had to admit one thing: Min-hyeok had already reached a point where he could not let go of Hae-joo.
“I told you clearly that I coveted Cha Hae-joo and Cha Han-bin. An opportunity to possess them came, and I simply didn’t let it slip. Thus, I have obtained what I wanted, and I have confirmed that they are people who will be of help to me.”
“I am still uneasy. They are from a family that broke the Late Emperor so helplessly. I know how upright Brigadier General Cha is, and I know the Grand Imperial Concubine is not a frivolous person, but he is the Prime Minister’s blood.”
“…Mother. If I had known nothing. If I had left the two of them alone without knowing anything… the Grand Imperial Concubine and the Brigadier General might have ended up like Father, rather than stabbing us in the back.”
The Queen Dowager fell silent at Min-hyeok’s meaningful words. There was no way the Prime Minister would leave someone with different intentions alone. He was a man capable of striking down his own blood if they became an eyesore. If Min-hyeok hadn’t noticed what was happening with Hae-joo and Han-bin, it was obvious they would have ended up in a dire situation. Just thinking about it made Min-hyeok’s blood run cold.
“Mother, I emphasize once more: those two have nothing to do with this rebellion. It is only natural that they be excluded from punishment, and the Grand Imperial Concubine will remain by my side.”
The Queen Dowager gazed blankly at her son’s face, which was more resolute than ever. Min-hyeok had always smiled and played along to please the Queen Dowager, even if only out of courtesy. For him to be so stern even with his mother meant there would be no compromise regarding the Grand Imperial Concubine. Admitting that she could not defeat Min-hyeok, the Queen Dowager let out a sigh.
“Then when do you intend to tell the Grand Imperial Concubine?”
“Tell him? Tell him what?”
Min-hyeok tilted his head with a puzzled expression at the Queen Dowager’s abrupt question. Seeing this, the Queen Dowager looked utterly appalled.
“I mean, Your Majesty, you must give the Grand Imperial Concubine a hint about this matter.”
“…Ah.”
However, Min-hyeok’s reaction was unexpected. The expression on his face, which seemed to ask ‘Why bother?’, showed no intention of saying anything. The Queen Dowager’s brow furrowed at Min-hyeok’s lukewarm attitude. She wondered what her son—whom she had birthed but whose inner thoughts remained a mystery—was thinking.
“Mother. What the Prime Minister is attempting is nothing less than a coup. It is a crime of rebellion punishable by the extermination of three generations. There is nothing to be gained by having too many people know about it. It would only be distressing for the Grand Imperial Concubine to find out. Furthermore, the severity of the punishment differs between someone who knew and pretended not to, and someone who truly did not know.”
Either way, it would be troublesome for Hae-joo to know, and troublesome for him not to know. It was a high crime where his own natal family was attempting to strike down his husband, the Emperor. And this event would become a fatal incident for Hae-joo in the future. In that case, it might be better to keep him completely in the dark. No one can be blamed for what they do not know. If the person himself says he doesn’t know, what can be done?
And in this world, ignorance is sometimes bliss. If Hae-joo remained entirely unaware of the coup and the Emperor’s plan to suppress it, he might be bewildered, but he wouldn’t be in a difficult position on either side. At the very least, it would mean Hae-joo wasn’t lying.
If the Prime Minister were to ask, ‘Did you really not know?’, he could defend himself because it was the truth. That would actually be better. Moreover, the fewer people who knew about this, the better. There would be nothing more disastrous than the plan leaking somewhere.
Since a secret, quiet, and thorough preparation was the most important thing, after weighing everything, he concluded that there was no need for Hae-joo to know. Hae-joo didn’t need to know anything. He only needed to do as Min-hyeok said and follow the path Min-hyeok had laid out. Min-hyeok would take care of everything. He would help Hae-joo walk a path where he didn’t have to make difficult choices or agonize.
“He won’t be in trouble, but he will be hurt. By Your Majesty. If you are in the same boat, agonizing and finding a solution together is what strengthens a relationship.”
“No. I can handle the agonizing and finding the solution by myself. Hae-joo just needs to smile comfortably by my side. Is there any need for him to experience something difficult and unpleasant? Besides, only if Hae-joo is unaware of this can we deceive the eyes of others.”
“…Comfort is good. But have you not considered this? To find out that everyone beside your husband knew something that only you were unaware of—that feeling cannot be expressed simply as being ‘hurt.’ Moreover, if the Grand Imperial Concubine finds out he was used as a screen to deceive people, he will surely misunderstand.”
“The phrase ‘used as a screen’ is a bit uncomfortable. This is all for Hae-joo’s sake. I told him to trust only me. So….”
“Your—Your Majesty. This is not that kind of issue. Doing things for the sake of the Grand Imperial Concubine can lead to various misunderstandings. This is the extermination of the Grand Imperial Concubine’s clan. This is not something the Grand Imperial Concubine can look at and think comfortably, ‘Ah, the Emperor hid this to be considerate of me.’”
Min-hyeok understood what the Queen Dowager meant. But there was another reason why Hae-joo had to remain ignorant. As he said before, that was the only way to deceive the eyes of others. Min-hyeok’s refusal to give Hae-joo a hint about the coup was part of his own plan.
Regardless of his love and affection for Hae-joo, he needed Hae-joo for this plan. To be precise, he needed Hae-joo to divert people’s attention. That is how humans are. The behavior of someone hiding something they know is different from someone who truly knows nothing and thus has nothing to hide. It shows in the expressions on their face.
Unless the person could act like a professional actor, Hae-joo was not that brazen. Their relationship had certainly reached the Prime Minister’s ears. The Prime Minister would be keeping in mind the possibility that Hae-joo had become the Emperor’s man. And he would observe Hae-joo—to see through him how the Imperial Court was currently operating.
The Prime Minister, who knew Hae-joo well, would see that his behavior was no different from usual and would likely let his guard down. Hae-joo only needed to play that role. And in that gap, Min-hyeok would execute his operation. Lately, the Prime Minister’s movements had quickened.
Of course, the Prime Minister didn’t know that Min-hyeok was running ahead of him. As the Queen Dowager said, Hae-joo might feel hurt. But he could just persuade and make him understand, as he always had. That it was all for his sake. Hae-joo was weaker toward Min-hyeok than one might think, so if he targeted that part, Hae-joo would pretend to lose and give in.
“Once everything is finished, I will send Hae-joo as an adopted child to another family and make him the Empress. The same for Brigadier General Cha.”
“Wha—What? Your Majesty! How can you decide such a thing without consulting me! You know it’s not such a simple matter. That is….”
The Queen Dowager was speechless. Her head spun wondering when he had even thought of such a thing. If those words came out, it meant he had already finished thinking about which family to enroll them in. He might have already coordinated with the family he intended to send the Grand Imperial Concubine to.
“I don’t need anyone else. You will oppose it, Mother. But in this matter, there is no approval or opposition. I am simply going to do it.”
The Queen Dowager half-rose from her seat in shock. Min-hyeok looked at her with a clear, innocent face. Min-hyeok intended to cut the roots of Hae-joo’s family so thoroughly that they could never rise again. Then, Hae-joo would be the problem.
He would become a weakness for Min-hyeok, an easy target for criticism.
However, Min-hyeok had no intention of letting anything become a weakness, nor did he intend to be held accountable. He just had to make Hae-joo someone else. There was nothing to think seriously about. He just had to change Hae-joo’s identity. The discussion was already over. He just had to place Hae-joo in an Imperial-affiliated family that people could trust. People would certainly say he was just covering his eyes and pretending not to see. But it didn’t matter. Those words would vanish with time. Since the future he would live with Hae-joo was the most important thing, such effort was nothing.
“Then the Grand Imperial Concubine doesn’t know about that either, I presume.”
“Yes. But since it will be a benefit and not a detriment to the Grand Imperial Concubine, he will understand.”
“No, Your Majesty. This is not such a light matter. At least the party involved should know something; to be in a state of knowing nothing….”
“Mother.”
Min-hyeok cut off the Queen Dowager’s worry-filled words.
“I have been a filial son who listened well to you until now, so I will do this matter according to my will. I will resolve the lifelong regret of your life, so please concede just this one thing. I have no intention of compromising. You may do everything else exactly as you wish. Now, let us move according to the plan.”
It was a firm answer, showing no intention of backing down or changing his mind. The Queen Dowager knew that words spoken with such a smile could never be bent. But everything the Emperor was planning now was too dangerous. Because nothing had been discussed with the party involved.
She even worried whether the Grand Imperial Concubine could handle such an Emperor. But since it could no longer be undone, she could only hope that the things proceeding in secret would conclude without any trouble, whatever they may be.