The Red Palace is yet another outstanding historical fiction novel by author June Hur. This time the setting is 18th century Korea.
Baek-Hyeon (Hyeon) is an eighteen-year-old nae-uinyeo or nurse who works in the Hyeminseo, "a vast walled-in compound that held the medical office and its spacious courtyards." Hyeon and her fellow nurse, Jieun are called by Royal Physician Nanshin to accompany him from the Royal Apothecary to Joseung Pavilion, the main house in the Donggungjun compound. It is the residence of the Crown Prince, Prince Jangheon.
There in a darkened chamber, Lady Hyegyoung, wife of the Crown Prince tells them that he has been feeling ill the past two days. However, when Hyeon glances up as Physician Nanshin examines the patient, she is shocked to see that it is the old eunuch in the bed and not the Crown Prince.
Suddenly Eunuch Choe arrives, informing Lady Hyegyoung that he has been unable to locate the Crown Prince as she had ordered him to do. He also brings news of a terrible massacre in the capital. Hyeon and Jieun are ordered to leave, but Hyeon overhears the eunuch state that four women have been murdered at the Hyeminseo.
At the Hyeminseo, Hyeon manages to lie her way in to see the crime scene, where she finds the bodies of the four murdered women covered by straw mats. Hyeon's examination of the bodies reveals nineteen-year-old student nurse Bitna, twenty-year-old Eunchae also a student nurse and the elderly Head Nurse Heejin, their throats all slashed. She also finds Court Lady Ahnbi who served Madame Mun, one of the king's concubines. Lady Ahnbi, who was dressed as a servant, had been killed by a single stab to the throat.
Commander Song questions Nurse Jeongu who insists that she saw nothing. Song, not believing her, orders Jeongu tied up and taken to the prison block. Meanwhile, Hyeon is confronted by a man she believes is a police servant. They argue about her presence and he threatens to take her to Commander Song. Hyeon explains that she is a nurse investigating the crime. After sharing some of what she's uncovered, Hyeon is helped by the police servant over the stone wall that encloses the Hyeminseo.
The next day Hyeon returns to the police station with a letter that she hopes will help Nurse Jeongsu. But on her way she sees that someone has put up handbills claiming the Crown Prince is a murderer. At the police bureau, Hyeon meets Nurse Inyeong who tells her she was the one who reported the murders. She tells Hyeon she encountered a frightened Lady Ahnbi running away and tried to follow her. Later on when she looked into the open gate of the Hyeminseo, she saw the murdered women.
Commander Song questions Nurse Jeongsu as to her whereabouts during the night as she was seen leaving her home around midnight and not returning.Jeongsu claims to have been out for a walk but she admits to having no alibi. Commander Song doesn't believe her, insisting she had an accomplice to help her plan and carry out the murders, and he has her taken away.
Sulbi, a damo at the police bureau, tells Hyeon she believes Nurse Jeongsu is innocent and that Commander Song holds a personal grudge against her because Jeongsu was unable to save his wife and son during labour. She also tells Hyeon that anonymous handbills claiming the Crown Prince committed the murders at the Hyeminseo were posted all over the capital. Hyeon tries to have Sulbi give her letter to Commander Song but is interrupted by the arrival of her father, Lord Shin who works for the Ministry of Justice.
Hyeon is terrified of her father and hasn't spoken to him in five years. He tells her that the Commander will only be swayed by evidence and that her letter is useless. Lord Shin tells her to not to meddle and that as a "vulgar commoner", she has nothing to offer the investigation. After this encounter, Hyeon rips up her letter but remains determined to uncover evidence that will exonerate Nurse Jeongsu. Hyeon is devoted to her because it was Nurse Jeongsu who took her in after she was abandoned at the age of eight outside Gibang House in midwinter.
The next day at Changdeok Palace, Physician Nanshin warns the palace nurses against indulging in the rumour about the Crown Prince. Nurse Inyeong and Hyeon volunteer to check on the king's concubine, Madame Mun and her infant daughter. It is during this visit that Hyeon learns more about Inyeong: that she was a damo for nine years so that she could continue serving in the police bureau in Gwangju to help with a murder investigation. The murder was solved and with the death of her mother, Inyeong finally passed the exams to fulfill her mother's dream of her becoming a palace nurse.
Madame Mun attempts to blackmail Hyeon into becoming a spy for her, threatening to tell the king anything she wants about her. She does tell Hyeon that a servant saw Physician Khun and Lady Ahnbi arguing. Hyeon decides to pay a visit to Physician Khun's home but when she arrives, she finds the police servant is also there, this time disguised as a scholar. At the house, they discover a single garakji ring, implying that Physician Khun and Lady Ahnbi were in fact married. When Hyeon presses the servant, who has identifies himself as Seo Eojin, to tell the Commander of their find, he refuses telling her the Commander will only believe when they have discovered the real killer.
The police servant reveals his true identity as Police Investigator Seo Eojin, and asks Hyeon to work with him solve the mystery of the murders and uncover the truth of what happened in the Hyeminseo. As they draw closer to the truth, Hyeon and Eojin encounter political intrigue and unexpectedly... the blossoming of first love.
Discussion
The Red Palace is another well-written and engaging murder-mystery novel set during the reign of King Yeongjo (1694 to 1776) in the Joseon Dynasty. Crown Prince Jangheon, also known as Crown Prince Sado, was the second son of King Yeongjo. He was born in 1735 to Lady Seonhui, a concubine of King Yeongjo. He lived in his own palace with his own eunuchs and staff. Prince Jangheon became heir to the throne when his older brother died prematurely.
Prince Jangheon was married in 1744 to Lady Hyegyeong, whose accounts provide some of the information about his life. Their actual married life began when he was only fourteen-years-old. When he was ten-years-old, Prince Jangheon became seriously ill and it was around this time that his behaviour started to change. At times, the young prince seemed to be mentally unstable.
Sadly, his relationship with his father was strained. King Yeongjo was often critical of the young crown prince, scolding him publicly. It seemed the young prince could do nothing right. As time went on, the prince's erratic behaviour grew worse, further straining his relationship with his father.
His mental health deteriorated when his father's adoptive mother and wife, both of whom Jangheon was close to, died. He would beat his eunuchs, and once brought in the head of an eunuch he had murdered. He was known to kill palace staff and assault the ladies within the court. He was even physically and sexually abusive towards his own wife.
In the summer of 1762, the situation was so dire, with threats of violence by Prince Jangheon, that King Yeongjo was persuaded to act. He ordered Prince Jangheon into a wooden rice chest which was then sealed. Eight days later it was opened and the Prince was dead. The king reinstated him as Crown Prince and he was renamed Sado.
In The Red Palace the events are set against the backdrop of palace intrigue and murder during King Yeongjo's reign. Palace nurse Baek-Hyeon is determined to save Nurse Jeongju who has been her mentor and saved her life eight years earlier. She is relentless in her pursuit of the truth, taking great personal risks.
Hyeon, with the help of a young, police inspector, Eojin, risks everything she has worked towards, to prove her mentor's innocence. Along the way, Hyeon finds a true friend in Police Inspector Eojin Seo who treats Hyeon as his equal and with great respect and care. Hyeon is not used to this, especially since Eojin is "highborn" and therefore, her "better". As they work together to solve the murders, Hyeon finds their friendship blossoming into the beginnings of an unexpected romance.
Hyeon's strained relationships with both her parents are an important driving force in her actions. Hyeon dreads the disapproval of her father who has abandoned her mother and her family. To gain his approval she worked hard to become a palace nurse, often suffering nose bleeds due to a lack of rest. Hyeon believed if she could gain his approval, others would view her more favourably. However, her investigation into the murders sets her father against her. He repeatedly warns her to stop "meddling" and when Hyeon persists in her investigation, her father has her demoted and removed as a palace nurse and forces her family to leave his house.
Hyeon also comes to realize that her belief that her mother doesn't love or care for her is not true. Hyeon has always felt anger towards her mother who seemed to favour her younger brother, because he was a boy. Hyeon is certain her mother wanted a boy, but when Hyeon was born she was disappointed, so she gave her a boy's name. As an infant she was left to play in the dirt and be raised by a servant whereas her brother was carried in her mother's arms and provided tutors and treats.
When Hyeon arrives home wounded, her mother tells her she must continue to investigate the murders, that she must be brave and continue to work to save Nurse Jeongsu. This is not how Hyeon expected her mother to act. Hyeon was certain her mother would be indifferent to her. Puzzled, Hyeon confronts her mother over the past and her abandonment outside Gibang House. Hyeon's mother tells her, "I wanted to raise you to be strong, to be prepared for the hardship that awaited you as woman of your status. Yet I almost crushed you instead, would have if Nurse Jeongsu had not intervened. I am forever grateful to her.She is more of a mother to you that I will ever be." Her mother encourages Hyeon to rejoin Inspector Seo, telling her that she is strong enough to continue. She informs Hyeon that she named her "...Baek, meaning eldest. And Hyeon, meaning 'virtuous, worthy, and able.'"
In the end, Hyeon more than lives up to her mother's expectations, while proving her father's belief that she is merely a "vulgar commoner" to be quite wrong. She courageously saves her own life and that of Eojin's, while helping to convince the murderer to confess. As a result she also exonerates the Crown Prince, earning the gratitude of the king. Her father however, is punished by the king for withholding the evidence as the Crown Prince's alibi. Despite how he has treated her, Hyeon asks the king to reinstate her father, rather than regaining her position as a palace nurse. She extends to her father the kindness and mercy he never offered her, but within her own boundaries. Hyeon no longer needs her father's approval.
The Red Palace is another engaging novel that offers readers a window into court and political life in 18th century Korea. Hur's portrayal life during this period of the Joseon Dynasty feels realistic, while providing readers with mystery, suspense and a touch of romance. Hur's novels are filled with a wealth of interesting characters: the main character is usually a strong, young woman who is intelligent and resourceful. Hur incorporates many cultural practices into her novels which helps develop the setting and atmosphere of her stories. Generally, Hur's novels have a wealthy of characters, and The Red Palace is no exception. What might be helpful to her readers is a list of characters at the front of the novel and a map of the palace buildings and compounds might also have been useful.
The Red Palace is another wonderful novel, offering readers a unique cultural setting to explore. Overall, another stellar offering from this Korean-Canadian author. Readers will be awaiting Hur's next offering with great anticipation!!
Book Details:
The Red Palace by June Hur
New York: Feiwell and Friends 2022
321 pp.
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