When the sole heir to the kingdom refused to become King, political conflict within the palace began.
Accusations of slander, treason, bloodshed--all were done to get rid of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's plan for survival did not include fa...
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A normal day in Baekje. The people carried out their activities as usual in peace, the weather that day was also very good. There were no signs of rain even though the clouds slightly covered the hot sun. Baekje landscape is divided into 4 main areas--the market area, farming area, livestock area and a industry area.
In the market area, that is where local traders and travelers from various regions come to carry out transactions. People who are looking for certain items can also go there to shop.
The farming and livestock area are the area most prioritized by the King. Considering that these two areas play a crucial role in ensuring the availability of food stocks, the King does not allow foreigners to wander around these areas as they please.
The industry area is mostly dominated by blacksmiths, roughly eighty-five percent. It's no surprise, considering the number Baekje soldiers always increase from year to year. The people's love for Baekje is so great that they are moved to protect it, one way is by becoming a soldier. Nearly two thousand blacksmiths received orders from the palace every day to make new weapons.
Everything went smoothly, beautifully. Except for one thing in the palace. The Crown Price has disappeared, again. It often happens whenever the King summoned him to attend meetings with government officials.
"Three hundreds coin for one of these?" A young man inhaled a gasp, he fixed his gat on his head when he got pushed a little bit by the crowds behind him, "That's way too expensive."
"But sir, these sea urchins are very fresh, just harvested from the best sea of Jaehwa--"
"Jaehwa? You mean the kingdom of Jaehwa in the far East there?" The young man asked again, fanning his face with his handheld fan.
"Correct, my Lord. Surely three hundred coins is a fair price for a noblemen like you." The trader glanced at the young man's clothing that was made out of expensive silk.
The young man simply replied with a head shake, also clicking his tongue while eyeing the trader from head to toe.
"You really think I have no idea that Jaehwa strictly restricts strangers from entering their sea area?" Said the young man while poking the sea urchins with his handheld fan, "Sea urchins like this can be found in the waters across Baekje's West Mountain."
"I- uh...I don't know what you're talking about, my Lord. I just came back from Jaehwa yesterday with these sea urchins." The trader couldn't look back into the young man's eyes, his gazes keep going back on forth from here to there.
With just one swing the young man unfolded his fan to hit the trader right on his head repeatedly. The commotion attracted the attention of many people who were busy passing by in the trading area. Because the young man's status was clearly higher--could be seen from his clothes--no one dared to interrupt this person who was thought to be a noble.
