Though Hyang's unexpected choice during the doljabi caused a brief stir, the birthday feast continued on.

"Hahaha!"

"Minister! Have a drink!"

"You too, Minister!"

The guests laughed merrily as they exchanged cups and continued enjoying themselves.

"Our nephew already looks exceptionally clever!"

At the Crown Prince's praise, Grand Prince Chungnyeong smiled and replied.

"My wife says he smiles whenever he hears me reading books aloud."

"Hahaha! Father and son alike are truly gifted men!"

"Being blessed with such a child is itself a great fortune. Chungnyeong, congratulations."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

While the brothers exchanged warm words, Hyang remained in the Crown Prince's arms. Ever since touching the Crown Prince's earring, he had stayed there quietly indulging in his own thoughts.

'Since Hangul gets invented eventually anyway, it'd be better to start subtly nudging things in that direction early. If it appears during the middle of Sejong's reign instead of the latter half, my room to move becomes much wider. After that, I can start improving firearms...'

As he continued making plans to himself, drowsiness suddenly overwhelmed him.

'Damn this trash stamina. No wonder I died right after finishing three years of mourning rites.'

Completely forgetting that his body currently belonged to a child who had only just turned one year old, Hyang grumbled internally while the atmosphere among the seated royal brothers gradually began turning strange.

The feast was slowly nearing its conclusion. The guests had begun shifting restlessly in their seats, but everyone continued carefully watching the Crown Prince seated at the highest position.

"Would it not be best for everyone to return home now? You must all attend court early tomorrow."

"Should Your Highness not also return to the palace?"

"I still have matters to discuss with my brothers. Please leave ahead of me."

"Then..."

At the Crown Prince's dismissal, the guests slowly began taking their leave one by one.

"How stuffy."

Once the guests had all departed, including even Hyang's maternal grandparents, the Crown Prince loosened the ties of his robes, apparently flushed from drink. The moment he loosened even the ties of the inner jacket beneath them, Chungnyeong immediately intervened.

"Your Highness, please straighten your attire."

"What is the problem? A man should be comfortable."

"Your Highness is the foundation of this nation. You must not forget that."

"Hoo..."

At Chungnyeong's reproach, the Crown Prince sighed heavily with drunken irritation before fixing his clothes.

Seeing the Crown Prince comply, Chungnyeong lowered his head respectfully.

"Thank you for listening to this foolish younger brother, Your Highness."

As he poured liquor into his cup, the Crown Prince spoke.

"Chungnyeong."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I once told Mother this. That you are no ordinary man. At your age already, your scholarly achievements surpass those of ordinary people. This foolish elder brother cannot even comprehend your level."

"You flatter me. It is merely because Your Highness has not devoted yourself to the classics. Should Your Highness apply yourself even slightly, you would soon surpass the pitiful accomplishments of this younger brother."

The Crown Prince burst into laughter, clearly pleased.

"Hahaha! Chungnyeong, I didn't know you possessed such talent for flattery!"

"It is not flattery. If Your Highness would only spend more time with the classics..."

"Chungnyeong, are you too preaching virtuous rule and kingly governance?"

"Would that not be the proper path?"

At Chungnyeong's answer, the Crown Prince shook his head.

"That is merely an ideal. Joseon and even Ming now live in an age ruled by domination and power. Once I ascend the throne, I shall reclaim the lost lands of the ancient Three Han and transform Joseon into a Great Joseon."

"Your Highness!"

Startled, Chungnyeong tried to stop him, but the Crown Prince remained utterly confident.

"Do not worry. Once I take the throne, I shall certainly accomplish this great undertaking."

Frustrated by the Crown Prince's confidence, Chungnyeong continued arguing.

"Your Highness, it is impossible! Ming is a great empire! With Joseon's current strength, defeat is certain! You must not forget why Taejo turned back at Wihwado, nor why Father had no choice but to eliminate Jeong Do-jeon!"

"Are you perhaps a prince of Ming instead?"

"No! I am saying Joseon lacks the strength for such a thing! We must build our power first!"

At Chungnyeong's criticism, the Crown Prince lightly raised a hand.

"Yes, yes. I know that too. I have no intention of immediately launching such a campaign. I am thinking of a ten-year preparation period."

"Ten years is far too short!"

"Ten years is enough! The brilliant generals who once served Zhu Yuanzhang are nearly all dead from purges and old age. The remaining commanders disappeared during the civil war waged by the current emperor Yongle. And the generals Yongle himself raised have likewise perished through wars and campaigns. Therefore, as I said before, ten years is enough!"

Apparently finding the response unbearable, Chungnyeong abruptly rose to his feet.

"Damn it, hyung! Have you thought this through at all? After Yongle seized power, do you remember how many troops he mobilized while crushing the remnants of Yuan? Five hundred thousand! Five hundred thousand men! And those campaigns didn't happen just once! Every campaign cost thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of casualties, yet they still maintained armies of half a million every single time! Mobilizing forces on that scale is terrifying enough, but what's truly frightening is the administrative and logistical system that made it possible! And what about Joseon? We still haven't even completed a proper census, and land surveys haven't even begun! Yet you say ten years is enough? Wake up!"

"You brat! One year for land surveys, one year for census work is enough! And considering Father's age, by the time I inherit the throne and ten years pass, all those mighty Ming generals you fear so much will already be dead!"

"And you never once considered that middle-ranking officers gaining experience through all those campaigns would replace them? Even assuming Ming's next emperor avoids war entirely, we would still need thirty years before those men retire!"

Before long, both the Crown Prince and Chungnyeong were standing face to face, their argument escalating to the verge of grabbing each other by the collars.

The moment the atmosphere turned dangerous, Hyoryeong swiftly retreated with Hyang in his arms and let out a sigh while draining his teacup.

"Hoo... Blood truly cannot be hidden. No wonder they're the sons of a military family."

While Hyoryeong grumbled quietly, the heated debate between the Crown Prince and Chungnyeong approached its climax.

"Once the army is reorganized, the first things that must be dealt with are private armies and the wako pirates! We must secure our rear before anything else!"

"Father already dealt with the private armies! Even the pirates have quieted down lately! The Jurchens are far more troublesome now! If we are thinking of the future, the Jurchens must be handled first!"

"And you think private armies disappeared completely? I'm telling you private armies and pirates come first!"

"Enough! I am the Crown Prince! I admit you're intelligent! But the one who will inherit the throne is me, not you! All you need to do is support me!"

"..."

At the Crown Prince's sharp outburst, Chungnyeong ground his teeth and glared at him.

Meanwhile, Hyang, still in Hyoryeong's arms, stared intently at Chungnyeong's face.

The subtle emotions flowing across Chungnyeong's expression sent cold sweat running down Hyang's back.

'Wasn't this man supposed to become king only because he got pushed into it?'

According to the common understanding from Hyang's previous life...

'Chungnyeong became king because Yangnyeong's conduct was a disaster and Hyoryeong devoted himself to Buddhism, leaving Chungnyeong as the only possible choice. And that ended up becoming a divine move.'

That had been the accepted narrative.

Which made the subtle emotions visible on Chungnyeong's face deeply shocking.

As Hyang stared at him, it almost felt as though the soundtrack from a famous historical drama was echoing inside his head.

'Shit! This isn't some fusion historical drama. It's a real one! Don't tell me my reincarnation is causing some butterfly effect that changes history?'

His worries piled up endlessly, but the body of a child barely over one year old could no longer resist exhaustion. Fighting desperately to keep his eyes open, Hyang grumbled internally.

'Damn this useless body. Trash stamina...'

Hyang did not yet realize it, but the rivalry between Yangnyeong and Chungnyeong was already rising steadily toward the surface.

Two months after Hyang's first birthday celebration, in December, Chungnyeong visited Nam Jae's residence alongside several others.

As the gathering continued, Nam Jae praised Chungnyeong's profound scholarship before saying the following:

"When the former king still resided outside the palace, I once encouraged him to study. His Majesty replied, 'What use is scholarship to a mere prince with nowhere to participate in governance?' To which I answered, 'Among the sons of a king, who can say who will never become king?' Seeing the Grand Prince now devote himself to scholarship in the same manner brings joy to my heart." (1)

It was an extraordinarily meaningful statement.

Though Nam Jae never explicitly explained his intentions, the position he occupied and the nature of his words ensured that the story quickly reached King Taejong.

Yet Taejong merely laughed it off after hearing it.

"That old man has gone too far."

Though Taejong dismissed it lightly, the competition between those supporting Crown Prince Yangnyeong and those backing Chungnyeong steadily intensified.

The greatest reason for this fierce rivalry was Taejong's own ambiguous behavior.

Officially, he acknowledged Yangnyeong as the legitimate Crown Prince. Yet at the same time, he continued showing deep interest in Chungnyeong and frequently praising him.

"Look at Chungnyeong!"

Whenever reports arrived criticizing Yangnyeong for neglecting his studies, Taejong would immediately bring up Chungnyeong while scolding the Crown Prince.

Eventually, unable to endure the comparisons any longer, the Crown Prince criticized Chungnyeong during a private audience with Taejong.

"Chungnyeong lacks courage!"

Taejong openly rejected the criticism.

"Though he may not appear brave, when faced with great matters and difficult decisions, there is no one in this age who can compare to him."

Combined with Chungnyeong's compassion toward the suffering of the common people, such praise transformed him into Yangnyeong's greatest rival.

Ironically, despite creating this rivalry himself, Taejong still continued recognizing Yangnyeong as Crown Prince.

Eventually, whether by Taejong's intentions or through ministers independently attempting to prevent another bloody conflict among royal princes, Park Eun delivered a warning to Shim On, leader of the faction supporting Chungnyeong.

"Because Grand Prince Chungnyeong is virtuous, the hearts of people both inside and outside the court lean toward him. You should properly inform him so that he understands how he must conduct himself." (2)

Park Eun issued the warning, but Shim On ignored it and never relayed it to Chungnyeong.

In the end, after enduring long enough, Park Eun personally visited Chungnyeong's residence.

Hyang remembered that incident as well.

Though he still spent more than half of every day asleep like any child barely past infancy, the commotion outside was enough to wake him.

"Lord Shim! Have you lost your senses?!"

"Haha... Lord Park, that is not..."

"This cannot continue, Lord Shim! Do you wish to witness again the bloody tragedy that occurred during King Taejo's reign?"

"Surely such a thing would never happen."

"Then what exactly is this behavior I am seeing?! Step aside immediately! I must meet His Highness the Grand Prince personally!"

"I simply forgot last time. I shall certainly deliver the message this time. Let us end matters here for today."

"Lord Shim!"

"Come now... Let us stop here for today."

Though he could only hear the voices rather than see the scene itself, Hyang immediately realized the situation had become extremely serious.

'This really might become a disaster...'

"Hooo..."

After pushing Park Eun out through the main gate, Shim On released a long sigh. He stared at Park Eun's retreating figure for quite some time before finally turning around with a hardened expression.

"There is no turning back now."

Shim On's muttered voice was resolute.

The current Crown Prince Yangnyeong was not incompetent. However, his conduct possessed too many flaws. The second son, Hyoryeong, had no interest whatsoever in the throne. Eliminating the possibilities one by one left only Chungnyeong, the legitimate son of the current king and Shim On's own son-in-law.

'For the future of Joseon, only Grand Prince Chungnyeong is the answer!'

Having made his decision, Shim On committed himself to supporting Chungnyeong as the next Crown Prince.

It was a gamble that risked his life, but Shim On believed the odds favored him because Taejong's reactions remained lukewarm.

As more supporters gathered around him, Shim On's confidence only grew stronger.

"Though His Majesty despises the influence of royal in-laws, everything will be resolved once the Grand Prince becomes Crown Prince! I merely need to lower my head and endure until the day the Grand Prince ascends the throne!"

And on that future day, Shim On would become the king's father-in-law, the maternal grandfather of the Crown Prince, and the greatest contributor to the succession.

A position beneath only one man and above all others.

(1) Veritable Records of Taejong, Year 15, December 30

(2) Veritable Records of Taejong, Year 17, October 6