I Became a Fallen Noble of Goguryeo

Chapter 21: Marriage (1)

"Not Gosan, but On Dal?"

Supreme Chancellor Wang Godeok let out deep sighs.

It was the opposite reaction from when the news of the Princess’s escape had first arrived not long ago.

Back then, Wang Godeok had smirked.

‘His Majesty must have intervened.’

He had used the mischievous Princess to shift the issue from politics to a mere act of rebellion.

‘But it’s far too obvious.’

The method had been forceful, but the direction had been predictable.

He already knew that Go Yangseongg had been in close contact with Gosan, the heir of the Eastern Division Leader who held sway over Domestic Fortress.

Even when he had initially pushed for marriage, Wang Godeok had assessed that the chances of Go Yangseongg offering his daughter to him were low. A marriage alliance with the Eastern Division was far more likely.

What Wang Godeok had been aiming for was to use that as a pretext to rally the Pyeongyang Faction and reassemble his power base.

‘His Majesty has abandoned the Wang Clan, who have served the royal family for generations, in favor of the Domestic Fortress Faction!’

‘Moreover, the Domestic Fortress Faction, now under royal protection, has become part of the royal family by marriage—so we must unite once more!’

This alone provided sufficient justification.

To pass it off as the Princess's rebellion? Who would fall for such an obvious cover-up? Perhaps better than no cover at all, but still.

In other words, Wang Godeok didn’t care whom the Princess married.

If she accepted his proposal, it would make him part of the royal family—good.

If she went to the North, it would allow for a comeback—also good.

A win-win scenario in political engineering. For this one move, Wang Godeok had spent two years sacrificing half his estate to win the support of commoners and nobles alike.

But this had ended in complete failure.

The Princess had not been found in Domestic Fortress, nor in Gosan’s house, but in the house of On Dal in Gromchon.

"Ha, I really didn’t see this one coming."

That was why Wang Godeok kept sighing.

Before him, his son Wang Jun spoke up.

"Father, it’s not too late even now. If we send troops to Gromchon at once and retrieve the Princess…"

"Ha, why don’t you just shout to everyone in Pyeongyang that the Princess ran away because she hates our family? If it comes to that, who would ever follow us again?"

Had the Princess married into the Domestic Fortress Faction, Wang Godeok could have interpreted it as a political attack and rallied his forces.

But now?

Princess Boknyeo had married not a powerful noble of the Domestic Fortress Faction, but the fool On Dal.

This was no longer a political matter, but a love story that people in Pyeongyang would rave about—an easy, entertaining tale of love that transcended status.

To go retrieve the Princess now? They would be seen as infamous villains who destroyed the romance of the century.

The people of Goguryeo loved romance, and nearly as much, they loved a good fight. If one dared to meddle in such a love story, it wouldn’t just end with a few roof tiles thrown at their house.

Wang Jun spoke again.

"But that man is still the heir of the Domestic Fortress Faction, once involved in the Rebellion of Chugun and Segun. If we leverage that…"

"Leverage what? Doesn’t it sound laughable even to you? We’re the ones who mocked On Dal for fun—and now we’re going to elevate him as a key political figure?"

And what then?

‘His Majesty weakened our faction by marrying off his precious daughter to that fool On Dal whom we constantly ridiculed?’ Are we asking to be executed?

Only a man with no brains would say something like that out loud, and if he’s that stupid, perhaps it’s no big loss if his head gets chopped off.

"Enough. Go prepare my robes. I need to see His Majesty."

"Your Majesty? But why…?"

"We'll claim that the Princess didn’t run because she hated you, but because she didn’t want to marry Gosan of the North. If the Grand King permits it, I’ll be willing to give up my position."

If left alone, their family would go down in history as the one spurned by the Princess.

If his hometown were far from Pyeongyang, he could retire to the countryside. Just like the Domestic Fortress Faction had done after losing past political battles.

But Wang Godeok was from the Wang Clan of Lelang—a native of Pyeongyang.

If a native of Pyeongyang became the laughingstock within Pyeongyang?

There’s nothing more pathetic than a noble who loses his local reputation. That was the one thing he had to avoid.

"Jun, we’re finished. The only thing we can do now is pray… that at least the family survives."

"Father!"

Wang Jun cried out.

"There are still many who support us. There may yet be a chance."

"Who would support us now?"

Wang Godeok replied.

"When the nobles of Pyeongyang began to defect to Yeon Jayu, I hinted at the marriage with the Princess to keep them close. Even so, I had to give up half our estate to stop the deserters. And now, how are we supposed to keep anyone?"

"But… what if His Majesty calls On Dal, now his son-in-law, into the palace? Surely there will be dissatisfaction, and that could be the spark to rally once more…"

"Yes, that’s a good point. But think about it."

Wang Godeok said.

"Do you think His Majesty doesn’t already know that? I’m sure His Majesty will not summon that man called On Dal."

"Not summoning On Dal means not seeing the Princess either. Everyone knows how dearly His Majesty cherishes her!"

"If that were true, he wouldn’t have married his daughter to On Dal."

Wang Jun fell silent for a moment, then spoke with determination.

"In that case… then please abandon me."

"What nonsense is that?"

"I’ll take the disgrace upon myself. Father, you survive and wait for another opportunity…"

"You fool."

Wang Godeok responded in exasperation.

"My clinging to ambition was for your sake, and now you want me to survive by abandoning you? Was I such a shameful father to you?"

Wang Jun didn’t answer.

He merely shed tears, like a child. No son could witness his father like this and not cry.

Wang Godeok patted his son’s shoulder.

"Let’s start preparing to step down. Our era has ended."

As he said so, Wang Godeok’s gaze naturally turned toward the heart of the palace, where the Grand King resided.

‘Your Majesty, you’ve made a truly harsh choice.’

Even if for politics, to marry your daughter to that fool On Dal…

‘Though I may have lost in politics, as a father, perhaps I’m a bit better than you.’

Wang Godeok sincerely believed so.

Contrary to Wang Godeok’s thoughts, Go Yangseongg’s head throbbed.

‘Not the North… but On Dal?’

Even Go Yangseongg had not anticipated this outcome.

But a ruler with sharp instincts could still grasp the implications even when things didn’t go as expected.

‘Wang Godeok is finished.’

Go Yangseongg, after a train of thoughts similar to Wang Godeok’s, also concluded that the marriage between Boknyeo and On Dal was not a politically bad choice.

Had the original plan gone through and Boknyeo married Gosan of the North, the anti-Domestic Fortress faction led by Wang Godeok would have interpreted it as a political move and regrouped.

Go Yangseongg had understood this much as well.

But he couldn’t bring himself to marry his daughter into a truly low-status family.

Not every king could throw his own child’s fate into the abyss for politics, like Liu Bang of Han or King Seong of Baekje.

Moreover, perhaps because he had witnessed fratricidal conflict at a young age, Go Yangseongg had a negative view of sacrificing human ethics for political gain.

In other words, the “pretend” plan of escaping and marrying into the Northern Go Clan had been the best compromise between himself and the Grand King Go Yangseongg.

But Boknyeo had chosen On Dal on her own, and that choice rendered Wang Godeok’s anti-Domestic Fortress faction completely impotent.

In short, this marriage had already decided the collapse of the faction led by Wang Godeok.

And since that brought them one step closer to uniting Goguryeo again, divided since the Rebellion of Chugun and Segun, it should have been something to celebrate….

‘Damn it.’

Rather than rejoice, Go Yangseongg was furious.

‘Did Boknyeo… sacrifice herself?’

It wasn’t anger at his daughter—it was anger at himself. Go Yangseongg also couldn’t believe that Boknyeo had gone to On Dal simply because she liked him.

It was far more plausible that his daughter had sacrificed herself for her father’s goal and married the fool.

Wasn’t even the choice of man suspiciously deliberate? On Dal, a fallen lower noble of the Domestic Fortress Faction.

On Dal was the very epitome of the fallen Domestic Fortress Faction, someone the Pyeongyang Faction scorned as easily as chewing gum, so he would never be swayed by Wang Godeok.

At the same time, being a lower noble, he wasn’t high enough in rank to be politically useful.

This was likely why Boknyeo chose On Dal. That point was made clear in the letter Boknyeo had sent.

In it, Boknyeo claimed that, as a child, she was told, “If you keep crying, you’ll be married to On Dal!”

And because a king’s word—even in jest—could not be broken, she had no choice but to marry On Dal.

That alone elevated the national ideal of just and fair governance that she had always upheld, and made it difficult for opposing factions to argue against.

Anyone who tried would be interpreted as saying, “So it’s okay for a king to break his promise?”

It was a brilliant move—but Go Yangseongg felt as though his guts were being torn apart.

‘Even peasants in the mountains would stop their daughters from cutting their fingers to support their sick parents—yet I sustain myself by drinking my daughter’s blood. What kind of parent does that make me?’

Even words like, “I’m really okay. On Dal is a good man. I’m happy,” written in her letter seemed nothing more than attempts to comfort her parents.

But perhaps grief was a luxury even kings couldn’t afford.

“I am the Head of the Jungri Bureau.”

“So it’s Yeon Jayu. Come in.”

Just in time, Yeon Jayu entered.

Go Yangseongg asked,

“Have you read the Princess’s letter?”

“I have. But… are you all right?”

“How could I be all right?”

Head of the Jungri Bureau Yeon Jayu was Go Yangseongg’s most trusted man. Trusted enough to confide in.

When the Pyeongyang Faction, centered around Wang Godeok, pushed Yeon Jayu to be appointed as Head of the Jungri Bureau, Go Yangseongg had burned with anger.

The plan had been obvious—place someone from the same faction in control of Goguryeo’s intelligence, someone unproblematic, and thereby bind his hands and feet.

So Go Yangseongg had, in a fit of defiance, summoned Yeon Jayu for a private meeting. They drank heavily, got drunk, and shot arrows on horseback.

That day, Yeon Jayu abandoned Wang Godeok and became Go Yangseongg’s right-hand man.

To be honest, Go Yangseongg barely remembered what he’d said that day. He had been too drunk.

Even when asked, Yeon Jayu only replied, “You won me over with your drunken swordsmanship.”

But the result had been good.

If he hadn’t won over Yeon Jayu and the Jungri Bureau he controlled, Go Yangseongg might have still been tiptoeing around the Pyeongyang nobles.

Even a king with a grand vision could do nothing without eyes, ears, hands, and feet.

Thus, Yeon Jayu had been Go Yangseongg’s first card—drawn with empty hands—and remained his most precious.

That was why Go Yangseongg now met him alone in the dead of night and confided in him.

“You should’ve birthed Taecho just a bit earlier, eh? Then I wouldn’t have had to struggle with all this.”

“I’m honored you say so, but it would have been a poor move. Taecho is just now preparing for the Scholarly Academy, still unproven.

“Besides, if Your Majesty had shown me that much favor, Wang Godeok would never have stayed still. Following the Go proverb ‘lean on the enemy when in difficulty,’ he would’ve used it to his advantage. Excess is as bad as deficiency. In fact, I think marrying her to On Dal was the best move.”

The words were cold.

He didn’t speak of his own gain, nor did he attempt to soothe Go Yangseongg.

But that coldness was what the moment required, and so Yeon Jayu moved on to the main point.

“Supreme Chancellor Wang Godeok asks that the Princess’s escape be blamed on the North rather than the Wang Clan of Lelang. He says he’ll step down from his post when his term ends and withdraw from politics altogether.”

“He wants to protect his family, huh…. If he’s willing to bow his head, there’s no need to humiliate him. We’ll do as he asked.”

“But in that case, won’t the Northern Go Clan be unfairly blamed? They’re enemies of Wang Godeok, after all—I doubt they’ll be keen to take the hit.”

“That’s true, but their base is still Domestic Fortress. If we offer suitable compensation, a bit of disgrace in Pyeongyang won’t matter much to them.

“Besides, Gosan, who leads the Domestic Fortress Faction, is smart enough to know that if you corner a rat, it might bite your nose. If the compensation is enough, they’ll accept it.”

“Hm, in that case…”

Yeon Jayu then cautiously asked,

“What shall we do about the Princess?”

“Assign ten Royalist guards to Gromchon for her protection. As for the story Boknyeo created, we’ll just substitute Gosan’s name for Wang Godeok’s.”

“May I interpret that to mean that the Princess will not be summoned to the palace?”

“Yes.”

Go Yangseongg nodded.

“Calling On Dal to the palace, a man with no achievements, as son-in-law, would only give the anti-Domestic Fortress Faction a chance to regroup. So…”

His gaze turned toward the door.

“…I too must live as if I have no daughter.”

A parent who sacrifices their daughter is a poor parent.

But one who sacrifices their daughter and fails to gain anything from it—that’s worse. That’s an incompetent parent.

I prepared for a formal marriage with Boknyeo.

“There’s only one parent—your mother-in-law. Normally both sets of parents should attend… but the circumstances being what they are.”

Go Yangseongg, being the Grand King, had no choice.

As for Boknyeo’s mother—she wasn’t just unable to come; she had passed away.

“What kind of person was your mother?”

“She was a noble of the Pyeongyang Faction.”

In the early days of Goguryeo, the Yeonna Division had produced queens as the Royal Consort Division, but with the disbandment of the division-based system, queens began to come from a variety of families.

And since Go Yangseongg’s father, King Yangwon, was enthroned by the Pyeongyang Faction, it had been natural for Crown Prince Go Yangseongg to marry into that faction.

“Well… not exactly from a distinguished family though.”

It was said the nobles of the Pyeongyang Faction had been greatly troubled over Go Yangseongg’s marriage.

Everyone hoped the crown princess would come from their own family—after all, becoming royal in-laws meant securing royal favor.

The problem was, everyone in the Pyeongyang Faction thought the same.

No one wanted to see some random house gain royal favor and become close to the king.

Back during King Gogukcheon’s reign, remember how royal in-laws from the Jeollo Division—Left Garyo and Eo Biryu, relatives of Queen U—rose to power and eventually rebelled?

Wang Godeok, now, had backed a powerful house to become in-laws because marriage was his faction’s only survival route—but originally, royal in-laws were better off weak.

So the Pyeongyang Faction had chosen the family with the fewest male members to supply the crown princess. Fewer men meant fewer chances to gain official positions.

That’s why even though Boknyeo’s mother became a royal in-law, she couldn’t wield any real political power.

And shortly after giving birth to Boknyeo’s younger brother, Go Daewon, she died.

In the original timeline, Go Yangseongg remarried and had sons Go Geonmu and the future King Bojang—becoming father to both King Yeongryu and King Bojang.

But in this timeline, despite the queen’s absence for so long, Go Yangseongg had not remarried.

It made sense. Go Yangseongg had endured the Rebellion of Chugun and Segun as a child.

Watching his father and half-uncles kill one another must have left deep scars.

That might be why he left the queen’s position vacant until Crown Prince Go Daewon could mature.

As far as I knew, there was about a 20-year age gap between Go Daewon and Go Geonmu from the second wife.

‘Come to think of it, Go Daewon… he becomes King Yeongyang.’

A perfect king, victorious in war against the Sui Dynasty, built on the foundation Go Yangseongg left behind.

His posthumous title was a perfect score.

‘And he was closely tied to On Dal too.’

In the original history, On Dal, despite being just a Middle Elder, became a General thanks to the strong support of his brother-in-law King Yeongyang during the conquest of Silla.

Equivalent to a mid-ranking officer becoming supreme commander in modern terms.

And now that was the future before me.

So sweet, it could rot my teeth.