The Lies of Those in High Places (4)

In Rex and Duke’s previous lives, there was an idiom called Hamheung chasa: a messenger sent to Hamheung who never returned.

Roughly speaking, after Taejong (Yi Bang-won), the third king of Joseon, purged his brothers and took the throne, the retired first king, Taejo (Yi Seong-gye), was furious.

When Taejong sent someone to check on his retired father, Taejo did the poor messenger in, and no news ever came back.

Of course, that was only a rumor. The real Yi Seong-gye never so much as touched a hair on the messenger’s head, so it was an unfair accusation.

But by then, the phrase was already widely used to mean that you sent someone off and never heard from them again because they’d died.

And the Esirik royal family was in exactly that situation.

“The foreign minister was murdered?”

The king could hardly believe the news delivered by the aide who had been sent with the minister and returned alone.

Of course, it wasn’t unusual for diplomats to trade punches and for one side to send back only the other’s neatly wrapped head.

But once they sat down to negotiate an agreement instead of throwing punches, it was time for civilized behavior...