Once Jin Kui grew older, his biological mother revealed a secret to him, that his real father was from the Yu-cen nation and had passed away. That was the secret.
Jin Kui fully realized his Yu-cen descent and even though he kept this to himself, when he rose to the position of Prime Minister, he silently sympathized with the Yu-cen nation's movements. This was what led him to persistently try to make the emperor make peace with the Yu-cen nation, especially since the Kin Kingdom sent many gifts to him and had been conspiring with him for a long time.
Upon hearing the news that Hak Bu Cu was killed by two rebellious women, Jin Kui was naturally shocked and immediately held a discussion with the four others.
"Damn it!" Jin Kui slammed the table. "Hak Bu Cu is dead. If General Wu Chu hears about this, he will certainly feel regret and anger. Jian Kiat, why didn't you accompany him this time to help him?"
"When you received that secret news that two rebellious women disguised as beggars escaped from the north gate, you sent Hak Bu Cu with a special force to pursue them, and I didn't know," retorted Jin Kiat, not wanting to be blamed.
"Ma-ciangkun, call one of the seven surviving officers here. I want to hear from him directly."
"Alright, tai-jin." Ma Kiu It promptly left and returned shortly with a visibly frightened guard.
After the guard officer knelt in front of Jin Kui, the Prime Minister sternly said,
"Tell me clearly how Hak Bu Cu died!"
"This is how it happened, tai-jin. We, the sixteen officers along with Hak-sicu, successfully chased down the two rebellious women. Hak-sicu, assisted by five guards, attacked the older woman while ten guards attacked the younger one, and as per Yin-kongcu's wishes, we tried to capture them alive."
Jin Kui glanced at his son with his squinted eyes.
"Hmph, all you think about is women!"
"Father, I indeed ordered to capture them alive so that she can tell us where her companions are!" Jin Kiat cunningly retorted.
"Continue!" ordered Jin Kui to the guard. "In fact, we had started to corner the two women and were just waiting for the moment to capture and overthrow them. However, a young man appeared and helped them. The young man confronted Hak-sicu while the two women went berserk against us, the fifteen guards. Without Hak-sicu's help, we were overwhelmed and eight of our men were killed by the two women. Then we saw Hak Bu Cu being thrown and falling near the older woman who then killed him. We seven then fled."
"Hmph, who was that young man?"
"We all didn't recognize him, tai-jin. He fought Hak-sicu using a twig."
"A twig? Against Hak Bu Cu armed with a machete?" exclaimed Kui To Cin-jin while stroking his beard.
"Indeed, to-tiang. The young man was very skilled and his movements were so fast that only his shadow could be seen."
"What kind of young man was he? Would you recognize him if you met him?" asked Jin Kui.
"We seven couldn't see him clearly, tai-jin. Apart from being busy fighting the two women, the young man's movements were so fast that we could only see his shadow."
"Idiot! Damn it. You may leave!" Jin Kui barked while slamming the table.
With a sigh of relief, the guard quickly left the place after saluting. He felt very lucky to only be scolded and not punished.
After the guard left, the five of them continued their discussion. "Now, what should we do? The main issue we face is General Wu Chu from the Kin Kingdom. How do we explain to him that his aide died here?"
Everyone remained silent, contemplating and looking for a solution.
"There is no other way," Kui To Cin-jin finally gave his opinion, "other than explaining the actual situation, which is that Hak-sicu was killed by a capable rebel. We just need to find a way to comfort him and alleviate his anger."
"What about sending valuable items to appease him?" suggested General Ma Kiu It.
"Hmm, I don't think that would be enough. Besides being extremely wealthy himself, Hak Bu Cu was also Wu Chu's main aide whom he held dear. There must be another way to please him," said the Prime Minister.
"Ahh, I know the way!" Suddenly, Jin Kiat exclaimed joyfully. "Father, remember when he once visited here as the King of Kin's envoy? You, representing the emperor, hosted him at the Palace and I who sat next to him saw that he was totally mesmerized by Princess Sung Hiang Bwee's dance. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets and he repeatedly swallowed and asked me about the princess. When I told him that Sung Hiang Bwee was the emperor's daughter from a concubine, he looked disappointed and regretful, repeatedly saying it was a pity. I know for sure that he was infatuated with her!"
"In that case, what next?" His father urged. "If we can hand over Hiang Bwee to General Wu Chu, his anger will surely subside. For him, Hiang Bwee would certainly be valuable enough to replace Hak Bu Cu's life," Jin Kiat cleverly said.
"Hmph, have you gone mad? She's the emperor's daughter! How can we hand her over to General Wu Chu?"
"She's only the daughter of a concubine, father. If we can kidnap her without anyone knowing and send her north, no one will know and the emperor will not suspect us for doing it."
Jin Kui stroked his beard, his squinted eyes seemed closed and he started nodding, a smirk creeping onto his lips.
"Hmph, indeed, that plan could work. But it must be executed by a professional, and absolutely no one can find out about it,"
He stroked his beard and looked at the four others with squinted eyes,
"So, who do you think can carry out the kidnapping without being detected?"
"Father, who else would be more appropriate for this than Commander Ciang Sun Hok? He's a former palace expert who knows the palace inside out. If he does it, I guarantee it will go well."
Ciang Sun Hok looked slightly uneasy when he heard the young man's words, but of course, he did not dare object because he was indeed a former palace expert and was assigned there also due to the Prime Minister's help, who later drew him in to be his personal guard.
"Good, are you willing to do it, Ciang Sun Hok?" asked Jin Kui to his personal guard.
"I will obey all of tai-jin's orders. However, the problem is not kidnapping the princess. That could be easily done. But the issue is, how do we get her out of the royal city without anyone noticing?"
"That can be arranged," said Prime Minister Jin Kui. "After successfully kidnapping her out of the palace, hide her in the An-Iok inn. Then, the next morning I will send the concubines out of the city to visit that temple and you can use that opportunity to smuggle the princess into the carriage so that she can be taken out of the royal city without much difficulty."
"Great, that's a great idea, father! Once outside the city, let me lead the troops to escort her north with the carriage."
"Not you, Jin Kiat. If it's discovered that we arranged the kidnapping, the emperor will certainly not spare us. Let Ciang Sun Hok handle this task."
"Alright, tai-Jin. I will carry out all of tai-jin's orders."
The discussion to arrange the strategy continued until late at night and finally they dispersed, each preparing for the plan. 0oo-dw-oo0
Glossary
- Jin Kui: A character in the story who is of Yu-cen descent and is the Prime Minister.
- Yu-cen: A nation or tribe in the context of the story.
- Hak Bu Cu: A character in the story, an important aide who is killed.
- Wu Chu: A character in the story, a General from the Kin Kingdom.
- Jian Kiat: A character in the story, apparently the son of Jin Kui.
- Ma-ciangkun: An honorific or title used in the story. Its exact meaning is unclear without further context.
- Ma Kiu It: A character in the story, a commander or military officer.
- Hak-sicu: A term used in the story, likely a title or rank of some sort.
- Yin-kongcu: A term used in the story, likely a title or rank of some sort.
- Kui To Cin-jin: A character in the story.
- Sung Hiang Bwee: A character in the story, a princess who is the daughter of a concubine.
- Ciang Sun Hok: A character in the story, a personal guard and a former palace expert.
- An-Iok: A location in the story, an inn where the kidnapped princess is hidden.