Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 207

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine.

Of course, there are instances where this logic is strangely applied to deregulation or privatization, with absurd claims that private companies will compete and lower prices. This is either the act of a fool unaware of the culture of collusion (談合, where companies in the same industry coordinate prices), or someone bribed with money or promised profits, or both.

“I don’t think their intentions are entirely pure either.”

“Well, I don’t care.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Let them do whatever they want.”

I said indifferently, taking a spoonful of *Yeonlanggo* [a traditional Korean sweet] made by Songbi and savoring the taste.

‘Hmm. Songbi’s skills are unmatched.’

The children who learned from Songbi are also working hard, but the taste is just not the same…

“But if they also submit [their *jobo*, illustrated storybooks], doesn’t that mean we don’t have to do the initial review anymore?”

“Ah….”

“Then there’s a high possibility that the Royal Secretariat will handle it themselves, right? The busy Royal Secretariat wouldn’t do the work twice, reviewing our stuff and reviewing theirs. And they can’t just take our review as their own, right?”

“The Royal Secretariat might refuse because it’s too much trouble…”

“Hahaha.”

In reality, this venture is just starting, so it’s better to intervene now before the system is fully established.

In truth, no matter what they do, we are more competitive.

‘I don’t know for sure since I’m just distributing *jobo* right now.’

I wasn’t planning to increase distribution significantly until the system became more established.

“But are they also going to sell it in other provinces? The provincial distribution was originally supposed to be linked to the postal service later. Will they submit it together when they submit subsidy requests?”

“I think we need to discuss that. I don’t know if permission will be granted.”

“Why?”

“It seems like they also have a backer, so Father [the King] doesn’t seem to like it.”

A backer that even the Crown Prince acknowledges?

“Who is it?”

“I found out after looking into it. You probably know them too. You might not remember because you met them when you were very young…”

“Who is it?”

Trying to recall someone I only saw when I was young… there are many, and yet few.

“Do you remember the Crown Princess of Hyungnim’s [older brother’s]… Seongwon Hyungnim?”

“Yeah. I remember she was kind, but she couldn’t adapt to the palace well. She often gave me snacks.”

As I recalled the past and nodded, the Crown Prince made a sullen expression.

“Why do you remember it like that…”

“Anyway, judging by what you’re saying, it seems to be that family.”

“Um… it seems quite entangled. There are probably some around Seongwon Hyungnim…”

“Ah.”

There are many annoying grandpas.

He had an ambiguous relationship with the current Crown Prince, who suffered quite a bit in the beginning because he didn’t have much power on his maternal side.

If he had supported the Crown Prince when he was having a hard time, it would be different, but he kept his distance, talking about that tiger or something.

‘Still, the Crown Prince didn’t treat Seongwon Oraboni [older brother] badly, thinking of him fondly in his own way.’

Now that the Crown Prince has firmly established his position by acting as regent, it’s time for that side to approach the Crown Prince.

“Actually, it seems like that family wants to put out another Crown Princess.”

“Oh….”

The Crown Prince, hurt by my reaction, burst out and questioned me.

“Why do you just say ‘Oh….’ so casually whenever I tell you something?”

“No, wouldn’t that be the only reaction I could have right now?”

“Why isn’t there? Isn’t there a suitable daughter in that family? Considering the age difference between Seongwon Hyungnim and me, there can’t be a suitable daughter, etc.”

Why are you saying all that when you’re going to explain it yourself?

While thinking that, I decided to agree with the Crown Prince for now.

“That’s right. Considering the age of the Crown Princess at the time, I don’t think there was a daughter in that house who was the right age for Oraboni. Ah, I think I heard that the Crown Princess had a young niece at the time.”

“……”

“Oh, could it be that niece? I think she was younger than me in my memory.”

I think I heard that when I was having small talk with the Crown Princess while having refreshments. It was so long ago that I honestly don’t remember it well now.

‘Um… Surely, Queen Shin, the deposed queen of Yeonsangun, and Queen Dangyeong, the first wife of Jungjong, Yeonsangun’s half-brother (*She was even appointed as queen with Jungjong, but like Deposed Queen Shin, she was deposed after only 7 days. She was reinstated during the reign of Yeongjo and is called Queen Dangyeong.*), were aunt and niece.’

Queen Dangyeong might not have been deposed if her father had participated in the coup, but she was a pitiful person.

Of course, if her father had participated in the Jungjong coup, he would have been criticized for abandoning his younger sister to make his daughter a queen.

Anyway, even though the Joseon Dynasty didn’t care much about double marriages, it feels a bit strange that she’s Hyungsu-nim’s [older brother’s wife’s] niece. It would be less strange if there wasn’t such an age difference.

The name would be based on the royal family, so there would be no problem.

“That’s what I heard. Fortunately, everyone seemed to accept it when I said I was a bit reluctant to have a child younger than you…”

“It’s already a proven prestigious family, so it wouldn’t be bad. But even so, her younger sister, who had already entered as Crown Princess once, left so young, but this time she’s thinking of sending her daughter as Crown Princess. That’s quite an ambitious family…”

It’s my house, but to be honest, I don’t really want to recommend the royal family as a marriage partner.

If you only look at the Crown Prince, it’s okay, but the family is a bit…

“If they’re so ambitious, even if they’ve passed it over appropriately now, I don’t think they’ll just let it go like this?”

“Do you think so too?”

“Well, Oraboni has to work hard as he has done so far. Is there any other way?”

“Haa.”

The Crown Prince drooped his shoulders.

There seemed to be aftershocks after declaring that he would marry after my illness was cured.

“How is it with Sehwa?”

“……Nothing’s happening.”

“Has there been any progress?”

“What are you asking? You’re a child.”

Even while saying that, the Crown Prince seems to want to say something. Well, it seems like he doesn’t want to talk to Song Naegwan or Moon Sang-gung, who have taken care of him since he was young.

“It seems like Sehwa has a secret that she can’t tell me.”

“Oh.”

“I told you not to say that oh.”

No, I just thought you noticed.

‘Yes. That’s what a romance novel’s male lead should be like.’

Don’t become a regretful male lead who acts rudely and then regrets it clumsily later.

It’s a good thing that he realized that Sehwa has a worry that she can’t tell him, but it would be difficult if I pretended to know it clumsily.

Let’s just pretend I don’t know and listen.

“Okay, okay, I understand. So what is it?”

“Why can’t she tell me? I’m the Crown Prince of a country, and even acting as regent. What am I so untrustworthy that she can’t even tell me and is worried?”

“……”

No, come to think of it, how did I end up giving love advice…

Besides, this was a part that I knew the answer to but couldn’t tell.

‘If they can’t solve this problem, will they continue to be like this?’

I patted the Crown Prince’s shoulders, which were drooping powerlessly, and then reached out to the *Yeonlanggo*, which was still in its original form in front of the Crown Prince.

It seemed like he wasn’t paying attention, but the Crown Prince’s hand flicked my hand away.

“Uh-huh. How can you covet Oraboni’s things?”

“I thought you didn’t want to eat it.”

“Who said I wasn’t eating it?”

“You treated me coldly when I called it Tangri in the past.”

“I just didn’t like the name, I didn’t treat you coldly?”

Saying that, the Crown Prince also started eating the yellow *Yeonlanggo*.

He secretly likes it while pretending not to.

While bickering with the Crown Prince, I started organizing the information I had just heard in my head.

‘Leaving Sehwa’s matter aside, the side that’s trying to sell *jobo* is that side?’

I think I need to find out through people.

After a while, after finding out about this and that through the Siyoungwon children, it seemed certain that they were planning to do business.

“Hoo. They acquired a *Sechaekbang* [book lending shop]?”

“Yes. Jang’s *Sechaekbang* is doing so well. There are quite a few people who want to follow it, but they can’t easily follow it because they basically need capital. This time, a wealthy man in Hanyang acquired a *Sechaekbang* and is gradually following it by selling books with pictures in a similar way.”

“Is that wealthy man the one who’s trying to make *jobo*?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm. I can’t really tell them not to follow.”

“I heard that Ongju Jaga [a royal title] came up with it…”

“Hmm. But if I put pressure on them, it really looks like I’m suppressing them with power, right?”

This side took quite a risk and started making profits.

No matter how well it sells in modern times, there’s no guarantee that it will work in this era.

“Even so, recently, they’ve been saying that they were going to sell *jobo*, but Ongju Jaga preempted them and took it away.”

“Hmm. They’re throwing ashes on other people’s reputations while staying still.”

This isn’t just aiming for the Crown Princess position.

‘Are they perhaps keeping me in check?’

But what are they going to do by keeping me in check while aiming for the Crown Princess position?

First of all, the Crown Prince is setting the standard with me for the Crown Princess position, but in other words, he rejected them, saying that they were too young to marry.

‘The people around me are probably annoyed, saying that it’s difficult to match that bastard’s taste…’

From the beginning, Seongwon Seja [another royal title] didn’t get along well with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince is trying to get along as smoothly as possible, respecting the dead Seongwon Seja, but basically, his interests don’t match well with the existing power structure.

Instead, the newcomers are growing as the Crown Prince’s power, so the other side may be newly troubled by the Crown Prince, who doesn’t yield to them.

‘Then should I wait and see what His Majesty the King says?’

Surprisingly, the conclusion came out quickly.

I thought it would take quite a while, but it seemed like there were people who were urging for an answer.

After collecting the opinions of the vassals, this was the rough result.

“Ongju Jaga told His Majesty that she was not simply trying to make a profit by selling *jobo*, but that she intended to return the benefits to more people. And if the people that the *gangan* [officials] are talking about truly want a means of livelihood, it would be one way to entrust themselves to Ongju Jaga, who has already established a system and started a business, rather than starting a new business with risks. The Seungjeongwon [Royal Secretariat] officials also said that they could not consume more manpower on that matter.”

“Humm.”

If they are pitiful people who are trying to earn money to make a living, they should go to Ongju and ask to be hired or receive a subcontract.

From the perspective of the King, he seemed displeased that they were trying to take away what Ongju had come up with and explored.

It was because he knew that the beginning was due to the postal service.

‘But it’s still a bit difficult to reveal that.’

I’m planning to establish a system first with the profitable *jobo* business.

Besides, it was easier to manage only one side.

It seems that it’s also convenient that I’m a member of the royal family, so I can solve it internally.

What are you going to do later…

Well, even if it’s not me, I can use the palace people to do it.

‘Should I break up the businesses as much as possible before I die?’

It was difficult for someone who didn’t have the ability to manage to have too much.

It’s a structure where one side can cover the deficit if the other side is in the red.

Currently, Siyoungwon affiliates (?) are generally like that.

So, when starting a new business, the seed money generally comes from the merchants run by Gaia.

‘Recently, they’re making a lot of money with red ginseng.’

Even when Gaia is not there and entrusts it to an agent, the profits seem to be good.

Thanks to the merchant operations, they know a lot about local information, so it was easy to build Siyoungwon and Siwolgak in the provinces.

Building buildings in the provinces was progressing faster than expected. It seemed that it was easy to select a location because the *gisaengs* [female entertainers] had to perform at Siwolgak, so it was convenient to use the existing *gibang* [entertainment houses] buildings as they were.

From the beginning, it became easier to base it on provinces that were large enough to have *gibangs*.