* * *
Minhyuk looked at the Queen Mother with a stiffness she had never seen before.
He clearly resembled the late Emperor, but his face held a coldness that was never found in his father.
The Queen Mother thought that this icy side of him resembled her instead.
“Plans change to fit the environment and the situation. You should know that well. And often, a changed plan is much better. Just like now.”
“Just like now?”
“Yes. The plan changed the moment I learned the Great Consort was being abused by the Prime Minister. Let’s call it a small adjustment. A plan revised due to a slight change.”
Minhyuk knew the Queen Mother was unhappy because of that “small change,” but she had to admit it: Minhyuk had already reached a point where he could not let go of Haejoo.
“I clearly told you that I wanted Cha Haejoo and Cha Hanbin. When the chance to have them came, I simply didn’t miss it. So, I took what I wanted, and I confirmed that they are people who will be helpful to me.”
“I am still uneasy. That family is the one that powerlessly broke the late Emperor. I know how upright Brigadier Cha is, and I know the Great Consort is not a shallow person, but they still have the Prime Minister’s blood.”
“…Mother. If I hadn’t known anything… if I had just left the two of them alone without knowing… the Great Consort and the Brigadier wouldn’t have betrayed us; they might have ended up just like my father.”
The Queen Mother fell silent at Minhyuk’s meaningful words.
The Prime Minister was not the type to leave anyone alone if they held different intentions from his own.
If someone got in his way, he was a man who would strike them down regardless of blood relations.
If Minhyuk hadn’t noticed what was happening with Haejoo and Hanbin, the two would have certainly been in a difficult position.
Minhyuk’s blood ran cold just thinking about it.
“Mother, I will emphasize it once more: those two have nothing to do with this internal rebellion. It is only natural that they are excluded from punishment, and the Great Consort will remain by my side.”
The Queen Mother gazed blankly at her son’s face, which was firmer than ever.
Minhyuk had always smiled and catered to her out of politeness.
For him to be so dead serious even with his own mother meant there was no room for compromise regarding the Great Consort.
Acknowledging that she could not defeat Minhyuk, the Queen Mother let out a sigh mixed with a groan.
“Then when are you going to tell the Great Consort?”
“Tell her? Tell her what?”
At the Queen Mother’s sudden question, Minhyuk tilted his head with a puzzled look.
The Queen Mother looked completely flabbergasted by his reaction.
“No, Your Majesty, you must give the Great Consort a hint about this matter.”
“…Ah.”
However, Minhyuk’s reaction was unexpected.
His expression, which seemed to say, ‘Why would I bother doing that?’ showed he had no intention of saying anything.
The Queen Mother’s brow furrowed at his lukewarm attitude.
Even though she had given birth to him, she wondered what her son was thinking behind his unreadable face.
“Mother. What the Prime Minister is planning is a coup. It is high treason that destroys three generations. Nothing good comes from many people knowing about it. It will only be distressing for the Great Consort if she finds out. The sentence is different for someone who knew and pretended not to know versus someone who truly didn’t know.”
Either way, it would be difficult for Haejoo whether she knew or not.
It was a treasonous act where her own family was trying to strike down her husband, the Emperor.
This event would be a fatal blow to Haejoo in the future.
In that case, it might be better for her to not know at all. No one can win against ignorance—if she says she doesn’t know, what can anyone do?
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
If Haejoo knows nothing about the coup or the Emperor’s plan to suppress it, she might be flustered later, but she won’t be in a difficult spot with either side.
At the very least, Haejoo wouldn’t be lying.
If the Prime Minister ever asked if she truly didn’t know, she could defend herself because it would be the truth.
It was actually better that way.
Furthermore, the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
There would be no greater failure than the plan leaking out.
Since silent, secret, and sure preparation was the most important thing, he concluded that Haejoo didn’t need to know.
Haejoo didn’t have to do anything.
She only needed to follow Minhyuk and walk the path he created.
He would handle everything.
He would help her walk a path where she didn’t have to make painful choices or worry.
“She won’t be in trouble, but she will be upset. With Your Majesty. If you are in the same boat, worrying together and finding solutions is what makes a relationship strong.”
“No. I can do the worrying and finding solutions by myself. Haejoo just needs to smile comfortably by my side. Why should she have to go through difficult and bad things? Besides, only if Haejoo knows nothing can we deceive the eyes of others.”
“…It’s good to be comfortable. But have you never thought of this? Finding out that everyone around her husband knew something except for her… it’s a feeling that ‘upset’ doesn’t even begin to cover. Moreover, if she finds out she was used as a screen to deceive people, the Great Consort will surely misunderstand.”
“The phrase ‘used as a screen’ is a bit uncomfortable. This is all for Haejoo. I told her to just trust me. So…”
“Ha, Your Majesty. This is not that kind of problem. Doing things ‘for her’ can lead to many misunderstandings. You are destroying the Great Consort’s family. It’s not a matter where she can just think, ‘Oh, the Emperor hid this to be considerate of me,’ and feel at ease while watching that happen.”
Minhyuk understood what the Queen Mother meant.
But there was another reason why Haejoo had to stay in the dark.
As he said before, that was the only way to deceive people.
Minhyuk had his own plan for not giving Haejoo a hint about the coup.
Regardless of his feelings of liking and cherishing Haejoo, he needed her for this plan.
To be precise, he needed Haejoo to divert people’s attention.
Humans are like that.
The behavior of someone hiding what they know is different from someone who truly knows nothing and has nothing to hide.
It shows in the expressions on their face.
Unless someone can act like a professional actor, Haejoo is not that shameless of a person.
The news of their relationship had surely reached the Prime Minister’s ears.
The Prime Minister would be considering the possibility that Haejoo had become the Emperor’s person.
He would watch Haejoo to see how the Imperial Court was running through her.
The Prime Minister, who knew Haejoo well, would see that her behavior was no different from usual and would likely feel relieved.
Haejoo just needed to play that role.
And Minhyuk would carry out the operation in that opening.
Lately, the speed of the Prime Minister’s movements had increased.
Of course, the Prime Minister wouldn’t know that Minhyuk was running ahead of him.
As the Queen Mother said, Haejoo might feel upset.
But he just had to persuade her and make her understand, just as he always had.
He would tell her it was all for her.
Since Haejoo was weaker toward Minhyuk than she thought, if he targeted that part well, she would probably give in again.
“Once everything is finished, I will have Haejoo adopted into another family and make her the Empress. Brigadier Cha as well.”
“Wha—What? No, Your Majesty! How can you decide such a thing without even consulting me! You know that isn’t such a simple matter. That is…”
The Queen Mother was speechless.
Her head spun, wondering when he had even thought that far.
If he was saying this, it meant he had already finished thinking about which family she would enter.
He might have already finished talking to the family where the Great Consort would be sent.
“I don’t need anyone else. You would oppose it anyway, Mother. But in this matter, there is no ‘agree’ or ‘disagree.’ I am simply going to do it.”
The Queen Mother half-rose from her seat in shock.
Minhyuk looked at her with a calm, clear face.
Minhyuk was going to cut off Haejoo’s family at the roots so they could never rise again.
Then, Haejoo would be the problem.
She would become a weakness that people could easily use against Minhyuk.
However, Minhyuk had no intention of making anything a weakness, nor did he intend to be criticized.
He would just make Haejoo into a different person.
There was no need to think deeply about it.
He just had to change Haejoo’s identity.
The talk was already finished.
He just had to put Haejoo into an Imperial-aligned family that people could accept.
People would surely say it was just a cover-up.
But he didn’t care.
Those words would disappear with time.
Since his future with Haejoo was the most important thing, this kind of effort was nothing.
“Then the Great Consort wouldn’t know about that either.”
“Yes. But since it will benefit her and not harm her, she will understand.”
“No, Your Majesty. This is not such a light matter. The person involved should at least know something, not stay in total ignorance…”
“Mother.”
Minhyuk cut off the Queen Mother’s worried words.
“I have been a filial son who listened to your words well until now, so I will do as I wish this time. I will resolve your lifelong grudge, so give in on this one thing. I have no intention of compromising. You may do everything else as you wish, Mother. Now, let’s slowly move according to the plan.”
It was a firm answer—he had no intention of backing down or changing his mind.
The Queen Mother knew that when he spoke with a smile like that, he could never be broken.
But everything the Emperor was planning now was too dangerous.
Because nothing had been discussed with the person involved.
She was even worried if the Great Consort could handle an Emperor like him.
But since it couldn’t be undone now, she could only hope that the things being carried out in secret would finish without any trouble.
* * *
Yippee foreshadowing misunderstanding