I Became the Crown Prince of a Ruined Country

49 – Prime Minister

Speaking this far, I couldn’t push ahead with my state affairs anymore.

The government treats me as Young master, a key member of the royal family who will become the crown prince, but strictly speaking, I am not yet the crown prince. On the other hand, Kuk-guk is a famous official of the Yan Dynasty with the title of father-in-law, the king’s teacher.

If I pushed him excessively, the state might feel like I was being ignored.

‘And the national government has its own line firmly.’

The government’s respect for me is not just a facade. It got to the point that he really, truly cared about me.

But the state government prioritized Yan itself more than me.

Otherwise, if he had been more concerned about me, he wouldn’t have done this in the first place. If the feelings between the two countries deteriorate, I, who is stuck in the middle, will be even more distressed.

There is no way that the Gukmu did not know that, but he protested to King Jo despite knowing it.

‘Rather than the personal feelings of worrying about me, even though a war might break out, he put more importance on his public responsibilities as the father of Yan.’

Or, until you really met me, you thought Yan was stronger than Jo, and you dared to believe that Jo couldn’t do anything to you.

But it’s fortunate that I’m not completely obstinate and obstinate. Considering that they accept the danger of war and value friendship.

Because there is a very big difference between someone insisting on negotiations from within and not.

“Can we talk about the next one?”

“Ah, yes. Father. Please tell me.”

If I had to talk about it separately, it would be things like how I’ve been and how much I’ve accumulated.

With that in mind, I was preparing an expected answer in my head, but the State Department brought up a topic that was completely different from those things.

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“Since Young master has reached the age of 12, shouldn’t he also find out about marriage?”

“…Yes?”

§

As soon as I returned from a short meeting with the Prime Minister, Hankyung came to visit me.

He’ll be in trouble too. Because we are standing at the crossroads of whether or not a war will break out.

“What does the father say?”

“Let’s talk inside.”

I was about to go inside in a hurry, but I caught the eye of Jeong, who was hesitant next to me.

Maybe Hankyung and I rushed to greet me with a serious attitude, so we missed the time to talk.

As soon as our eyes met, Jeongeun and Dodo also approached and said.

“He… Is he here?”

“Did he wait long?”

“No? Oh, yes, sweet. I’m today…”

“Sorry. I’m busy right now. I’ll visit you tomorrow.”

“Oh, yes.”

I tried to hide it, but it was so obvious in my eyes that I was sullen. In the past, he would have captured his facial expressions skillfully, but spending time with me made his emotional expressions richer in front of me.

Judging from the fact that I still don’t know anyone else, I could say I’m the only person in this mansion with whom Jeong can still open her heart. Knowing that, I also wanted to spend a little more time with Jung, but I really couldn’t afford it right now.

Feeling sorry, I stroked Jeong’s head and went into the bedroom with Hankyung.

As soon as the door closed, Hankyung quickly started talking.

“Has Tae-bu accepted it? You’re saying you’re going to get over this and make peace now?”

“No.”

“uuu?

“You expected it?”

“It’s because I’ve been acquainted with the father-in-law. I know a little bit about what kind of person he is.”

And you didn’t give me a tip beforehand. Is there not enough urgency?

I felt a bit embarrassed, but Hankyung quickly made an excuse as if he had read my thoughts.

“Isn’t Young master’ special skill unexpected and beyond everyone’s expectations? It’s not even.”

“Who said what?”

I shrugged my shoulders and took my resentment towards Hankyung.

Indeed. If Hankyung had been smart about national affairs, he would have said he would solve it on his own without me stepping out.

“Still, there is a harvest. Even if a war breaks out, they will cooperate so that the war can end through negotiations as soon as possible.”

“Is that true? Didn’t it say that the one who urges war in the home country is Yulbok in the upper region? That person is His Majesty’s favourite.”

Among those who sit in the highest official position, Sangbang, there are few who do not enjoy the favor of the king. It is impossible without the king’s favor without proving overwhelming prestige or tremendous ability like Pyeongwon-gun.

Just look at Gunsin-gun, who went down from his seat to the throne after the king’s favor fell off a little.

Anyway, even if the state government takes care of the dove faction from within, since Yulbok is the head of the hawk faction, King Yeon will want to go to war.

“Unless the father’s heart is changed, it is impossible to stop the war.”

No. Now, even if the government changes its mind, Yulbok will definitely start a war, whether it’s because of this or by doing something else. Since that is also the will of my father, King Yeon, there will be nothing to hold back.

“Then end the war as quickly as possible.”

Rather, this may be an opportunity.

Crisis and opportunity are always one mind. If you change the direction a little, there is always a place where light shines even in the darkness.

“Whew, sure that’s for the best.”

“Come to think of it, Taebu and I talked about other things.”

“Any other story?”

It was a bit out of the blue, but I didn’t bother to hide it, so I said it lightly.

“He said he was talking about marriage.”

“It’s a marriage story… I don’t think it’s a little early, but it’s not strange even if the story comes out.”

Hankyung added that according to the Zhou Rye, which covers the manners of the time, men start marrying at the age of 16.

In addition, since it is important for royals to see their heirs, it is common for them to go faster than that, and even if they are over 10 years old, they say that marriage talks come and go.

“We don’t go through the six rites to get married right away, but engagement is common.”

“Really?”

“But the father-in-law brought up a marriage story…”

“Well, since I’m only talking too seriously, isn’t it just to lighten the mood?”

Marriage is still a distant word to me, probably because of modern people’s sensibilities.

I was about to pass it on, thinking it would be one of the common repertoire of conversations we hear on holidays, but Hankyung shook his head with a rather serious face.

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

“I think the father-in-law gave advice to Young master. The father-in-law is clear that he will never bury this matter, but as much as he values principles, he is not the kind of person who would leave his majesty’s eldest son Young master in danger. .”

“So, the marriage talk that the father-in-law brought up is…”

“Yes. Maybe it’s better to secure safety through marriage. I guess that’s what it means. There are people who are close to Young master, are of the same age, and have a high standing in Jo Nara.”

“Are you talking about the granddaughter of Pyeongwon-gun?”

“Yes. Although it is known that they broke up badly, Gongja-nim has that.”

I inadvertently reached for it, which is still well kept in my bosom.

His legacy that Pyeongwon-gun left me. It was a seal.

I informed Hankyung that I had inherited his signature from Pyeongwongun. Because Hankyung is my closest colleague and has been by my side from the beginning to the end.

“Your father may not know this, but marriage is somehow possible even if it’s not Pyeongwon-gun’s granddaughter.”

“It’s a marriage story…”

Certainly, marriage is the fastest and surest way to seek an ally regardless of the era.

I also have no intention of not getting married. As much as he aims to become the King of Yan, he has been thinking about marrying an aristocratic class within the Yan Dynasty. But that wasn’t the case now.

‘Come to think of it, this route is exactly Yeongjacho’s wedding pattern.’

Yeongjacho formed a foundation by marrying Johee, the daughter of a wealthy family in the Zhao Dynasty, and marrying a daughter of an aristocratic family in the Qin Dynasty.

As a former hostage, I wonder if it is an inevitable way to return to my country and aim for the throne.

‘I have no intention of following along.’

I am different from Yeongjacho.

His patron, Yeobulwei, was a huge merchant, but she was originally from the Han Dynasty.

Yeongjacho himself had no special foundation, so he had to register as an adopted son of Lady Hwayang to establish justification and marry into a noble family to build power.

I was the eldest son whose legitimacy was secured since I was born, and I also have an independent foundation through the upper ranks.

Marriage is a page to cherish and carefully write, not a stepping stone for a cornerstone.

“If possible, let’s save it until the end. First of all, let’s focus on bringing the war to an early end, as planned in the first place, and inducing it to end in our favor as much as possible.”

Hankyung also nodded, saying that I was right, and that we should leave this as our last move.

However, not everything that came out during our conversation was discarded or turned into reserve.

I put my hand in my chest and grabbed the seal left by Pyeongwon-gun.

Much earlier than expected, the time to write this seemed to have come.