With a soft step, she neared her beloved prince, her heart breaking at the sight of his wild, unrestrained anger. "Yong?" she called gently. Young-Sik spun around, his eyes aflame with fury, his breath heavy and strained, sword lifted high, prepared to strike. Yet, Jin-Ri did not waver; she stood resolute and unafraid, trusting deeply that her beloved would never cause her harm.
The moment he saw Jin-Ri standing before him, the anger slowly faded away, replaced by sorrow. He slowly lowered his sword till he let it slipped from his hand to fall to the ground. He extended his hand to touch Jin-Ri's concerned face. "I'm sorry," he said, "I would never hurt you, I just...I'm so"
Jin-Ri gently took the prince by the nape and rested his head over her shoulders for a warm embrace. "I know you wouldn't, don't worry. I know why you are angry, just let it out, my love, cry if you need to cry." With those words, the prince becomes vulnerable and cries on her shoulders.
"She killed my father, and she is the cause of my mother's death. I'll kill her...I want to kill her!" Young-Sik told Jin-Ri and hugged her tightly as he did so.
"Just cry, my love, let it all out. Don't mind what others may think of you, even if it is just for today, let me be your strength." Young-Sik's knees buckled, and he weakly slumped onto the ground. Jin-Ri knelt and cradled him affectionately.
The next day, King Man-Ju was addressing the ministers when the courtroom doors burst open. Everyone in attendance was startled. The Dowager Queen angrily stood up from her seat and walked down to the middle of the courtroom to confront whoever threw the doors open. "Who dared to interrupt the King?"
Young-Sik marched in, followed by Captain Gi and several of his soldiers. Jin-Ri trailed behind them and stopped at the door. The dowager Queen walked over to the prince and yelled at him, "How dare you interrupt the King? is this how you disrespect your own brother?"
"Prince Young-Sik! Explain yourself," King Man-Ju ordered the prince.
Young-Sik paid his respects to the King before confronting Queen Eri. With a thundering voice laced with seething anger, he shouted at Eri, "Dowager Queen Eri, by the authority I hold as prince of Chiongsun, I hereby arrest you for the murder of my father, King Seo-Jung. You are guilty of high treason for revealing my mother, Queen Min-AhandPrincess Yun-Na's whereabouts to the rebels, leading to their death!" Young-Sik declared, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes.
The prince glanced over to Captain Gi. "Arrest the DowagerQueen!" Young-Sik ordered Kwan and the soldiers
"Yes, Your Highness!" The soldiers responded in unison
The soldiers surround the Queen, but the King intervenes: "Stop this madness!" The King shouted, "Release her immediately!" He turned to the prince, "KIM YOUNG-SIK! Tell them to let her be! What is the meaning of this?" The King was about to come between the soldiers, but Young-Sik blocked his way.
"Brother, please don't. We have more than enough evidence to convict the Dowager Queen. Don't sully your name trying to save her," Young-Sik said, trying to reason with his brother.
"Evidence? What evidence?" The King asked
Young-Sik glanced over to Jin-Ri, who hurriedly walked over to the prince and handed him several rolled-up parchments. "What is this?" King Man-Ju opened up the rolled parchments and began to read them.
Prince Young-Sik began to explain the documents, "These are the medical reports done by the late Physician Go. He detailed..."
"Father died of Arsenic poisoning, perpetuated by the three ministers! We all know that" The King said, interrupting the prince.
"WRONG BROTHER!" Young-sik was unable to maintain his calm because of the King's insistence, "While it's true that father died because of poisoning, it was not arsenic that killed him. What the Dowager Queen failed to realize is that the body reacts differently to different poisons, thus, each poison has different effects. The Queen does not know this fact, and she just wants to create evidence that she can use to blame someone else." Young-Sik explained to the King
"The Dowager Queen said herself, father exhibited difficulty breathing, weakness, and eventually heart failure, symptoms exhibited by cyanide poisoning and not arsenic" Young-Sik explained
"How can you be sure? It was my mother who poisoned our father?" The King challenged Young-Sik's interpretation
"The Eunuch that tastes the King's food, Eunuch Ahn, tasted our father's meal that night, yet there he is still alive" Young-Sik pointed out while gesturing at the person beside the King's throne "So if the eunuch was not poisoned, it only means the poison was added after it was tested. I don't think our father is stupid enough to poison himself, which means it was placed there by the only other person present at the time."
"That is purely circumstantial!" Queen Eri shouted, defending herself
Young-Sik laid out several parchments before him, his demeanor serious. "These letters and documents are from the Dowager Queen. And this..." He produced a smaller piece of parchment, carefully placing it next to the others for a side-by-side examination. "This one is also from her. I had the documents authenticated by a palace specialist, and the evidence is indisputable: they were all written by Queen Eri.
King Man-Ju seized the parchments, including the small letter, and the evidence struck him like a thunderbolt. "Queen Min-Ah and her children are heading to Nyuong gum through the Mt. Yangge pass. Kill them all!"
Queen Eri's eyes widened in disbelief. "How... how did you obtain this information?" she asked, her voice trembling with dread at the thought of the prince's wrath.
Minister Lim and Minister Gi stepped in, feigning interest in defending the Dowager Queen. "Your Highness, may we examine the documents?" The pair scrutinized the documents, and after a while, they came to a harrowing conclusion: "Your Highness, I'm afraid they are authentic. It would seem that...the Dowager Queen is guilty of the charges."
Queen Eri reacted violently, "What do you mean I'm guilty...if there is anyone..." but she halted mid-sentence when Minister Lim glared at her. The minister discreetly glanced at the King threateningly. The glance sent a shiver down the Queen's spine. Instantly, she understood what the minister meant: 'Reveal my involvement, and I will kill your son!'
Minister Gi hesitantly said to the King, "Your Highness, the evidence against the Queen is overwhelming. We have no choice but to interrogate her."
"Issue the order, brother, if not the people will think that you know the Dowager Queen's crimes," Young-Sik explained
"Are you threatening me?" The King furiously questioned Young-Sik
"No brother, quite the opposite. I am saving you from being accused." Young-Sik explained, begging his brother to do the right thing
"And if I refuse?" Man-Ju declared, glaring at his younger brother
Young-Sik, sensing that the King would do anything to protect his mother from being arrested, stared at the King. his expression of understanding turned to anger as he stepped closer to the King. "Mark my words, brother, I won't let my parents' murderer walk away from this."
The two brothers glared at each other, and everyone inside the courtroom held their breaths, waiting for which of the two would flinch first. "Arrest the Dowager Queen and interrogate her," The King ordered hesitantly
"What? No! Your Highness, I am innocent, please believe me." The Dowager Queen struggled to break free from her captors. "Release me now, I order you to release me! I am the King's mother! Release me at once!" She screamed as she was being dragged out of the courtroom.
Seeing her mother-in-law being dragged away puts a smile on Queen Ji-Hye's face. She glanced at her father, who discreetly glanced her way as well. After Queen Eri was taken out of the courtroom, Prince Young-Sik turned around to address the court. Raising the small note, he spoke, "This note is sixteen years old, it was hidden with great care. Whoever hid it did so, biding their time waiting for the exact moment to use it. I will find out who those people are and make sure they will pay dearly for withholding evidence!"
After speaking his piece, Young-Sik turned to bow to the King and left to go to where the Queen was detained. Captain Gi and Jin-Ri followed the prince, leaving King Man-Ju angry. Once the three were out of the courtroom, Man-Ju yelled at everyone present, "GET OUT! THE LOT OF YOU...GET OUT!!!"
As the Ministers, councilors, and servants rushed out of the courtroom, Man-Ju found himself alone, consumed by fury. He began to scream and toss items around, targeting an invisible foe. "KIM YOUNG-SIK!" he roared, "You've taken from me one last time! You are no longer my brother! I will see to it that you endure losses far worse than mine. I swear, you will end up with nothing!"
That night at the palace prisons, Queen Eri, after being stripped of her status, jewelry, and royal robes, and now clad in a white prison uniform, slumps on the cold cell floor. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a regally clothed man stop and stand just outside her prison cell. She lifted her gaze to the man looking down on her. "How dare you betray me, Lim Do-Yun?" Eri snarled at the man, "I am the Dowager Queen; I will have you hanged for your betrayal."
"Shut your mouth!" Minister Lim yelled at Eri, "You are nothing! Down here, you are less than worthless!" The minister let out a deep sigh to calm himself. "But I will...give you one chance to be useful for your son, if you shut up and confess to everything, he will live to be my puppet. If you insist on dragging our names, I will kill your son before you're executed!"
"No! Please don't hurt my son," Eri begged the Minister, "I will...I will confess to everything," Eri said, her head bowed in defeat.
Minister Lim grinned at the Queen, "That's a good mother, protect your son by suffering alone in silence." Minister Lim laughed diabolically as he walked away, leaving Eri to wallow and cry in sorrow and for fear of her son.
The following day, the trial and questioning of the former Dowager Queen Eri commenced on the palace grounds. She was secured to a chair with a thick white rope, her appearance disheveled and unkempt. Having spent the entire night awake, she was consumed with worry for her son's safety. King Man-Ju and Prince Young-Sik were present to witness the proceedings, though they refrained from participating due to their emotional ties to the case.
Minister Lim, dressed in the customary red ministerial attire, initiated the proceedings. "You, Lee Eri, stand accused of the murder of the late King Kim Seo-Jung through poisoning... how do you plead?"
Lee Erin shut her eyes momentarily before responding, "Guilty!" A wave of gasps rippled through the audience at the former Queen's admission.
Both Prince Young-Sik and King Man-Ju sprang from their seats, stunned by the Queen's declaration. Despite being seated at opposite ends of the courtroom, they exchanged glances, each scrutinizing the other's reaction.