Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 113

‘Thinking about it, the Crown Prince must have been taken aback since I’ve never really gotten this angry before.’

Come to think of it, I usually brushed things off after a fight.

Though, the fights I remember were from when I was little and about trivial things, so they don’t really stick in my mind.

But this was the first time I’d received an apology like this.

Perhaps, this was also the first time a cold war had lasted this long. For the Crown Prince, who has a narrow circle of relationships and has never had an equal relationship with anyone, this must have been a pretty novel and unsettling experience.

‘It seems the Crown Prince was more anxious than I thought.’

I naturally assumed he’d either wait for me to come to him with a sulky face, or the palace staff of the East Palace, unable to bear it, would come to me, begging me to reconcile.

I never expected him to actually get a book and apologize.

‘But until I figure out exactly what happened this time, it’s better to keep some distance from the Crown Prince. Let’s not create unnecessary complications.’

I had already visited the Queen Consort beforehand to assure her that I had a minor squabble with the Crown Prince, so she shouldn’t worry.

The Queen Consort told me gently not to act like a child, but I persuaded her by saying that the Crown Prince needed the experience of arguing and reconciling with someone to do politics.

It would be troublesome if someone kept looking for me.

The Crown Prince’s regency was not far off. I didn’t want to complicate things unnecessarily at this time.

I stroked the book the Crown Prince had brought, and a small sigh escaped my lips.

I actually have several copies of this book, but it wouldn’t have been easy to find one right now.

Once this matter is settled, I should bake some snacks and visit him with a smile, geez.

***

Court Eunuch Song returned from Princess Suyeong’s residence and immediately rushed to the Crown Prince.

“How did she seem?”

“She didn’t seem angry.”

“Oh, really?”

The Crown Prince’s face brightened at Court Eunuch Song’s words.

He was trying not to show it, but Court Eunuch Song, who had been serving the Crown Prince since childhood, could clearly see the change in his expression.

“However, it seems the Princess is still a bit embarrassed to immediately show that her anger has subsided, so perhaps you should wait a few more days.”

“No, what makes me so great?”

But he grumbled as if he didn’t like Court Eunuch Song’s subsequent words.

“Your Highness, the Princess is now sixteen years old. Although her marriage has been postponed, you shouldn’t treat her like a child.”

“Hmm.”

The Crown Prince nodded in agreement, as Court Eunuch Song’s words were correct.

Even so, his face was much brighter.

And those who watched the Crown Prince every day also keenly noticed the change in him and spoke up first.

“Your Highness, Crown Prince, how have things been with the Princess lately?”

“When were the Princess and I ever on bad terms?”

“That’s a relief then.”

And those who confirmed that the two had reconciled were generally relieved.

They were asking about the Princess’s mood, but what directly affected them was the Crown Prince’s mood.

It wasn’t that the Crown Prince unreasonably tormented anyone, but the prickly atmosphere itself was stressful.

“Wouldn’t we be nervous if the Princess was not her usual self?”

“Haha. That’s true.”

Everyone was laughing amicably for the first time in a while, but one person had a slightly ambiguous expression.

“Why are you like that?”

“It’s nothing. Just……”

“Just?”

“I was just thinking that I hope Your Highness will continue to have a close relationship with the Princess in the future.”

The Crown Prince tilted his head at the unexpected words.

“Suyeong and I are siblings. Why are you saying something so obvious?”

“I’m saying this because I recently visited Siyoungwon [Princess Suyeong’s private academy for orphaned or disadvantaged children].”

At those words, the gazes of the others in the Gyujanggak [Royal Library] also focused on him.

He was the one who had been selected after a somewhat strict screening because the Princess needed someone to provide sex education for the boys in Siyoungwon.

“Ah, you said you went with your wife. How was it?”

“The Princess spoke as if it were a small-scale private school, but the scale was by no means small, and the children of Siyoungwon were much better educated than I expected.”

“Is that so?”

“I heard that the person in charge of the children’s education was a former court lady from the inner palace.”

“Yes, she was Yoon So-ui’s [a former concubine] head lady-in-waiting, who was Suyeong’s birth mother.”

The Crown Prince answered, now vaguely recalling the past.

It was natural that he didn’t remember well, as she had left the palace after So-ui’s death and had not been able to return.

“I don’t know if it’s because of that, but everyone in Siyoungwon has a very deep loyalty to the Princess. It’s as if the court ladies are treating their superior.”

“That could be…… possible.”

Court ladies are originally trained to be loyal to their superiors, but the court ladies in the Princess’s residence were particularly loyal, even to the Crown Prince’s eyes. Perhaps it was because Sia had suffered so much hardship in her childhood.

“Besides, I heard that Siyoungwon also teaches the children martial arts.”

“I’ve heard that too.”

“Isn’t Princess Suyeong already someone who owns many slaves? She teaches both slaves and commoners to read and write, and also teaches them martial arts.”

At those words, everyone’s expression hardened slightly.

The Crown Prince also spoke in disbelief.

“What are you thinking? When Sia, Princess Suyeong, first created Siyoungwon, she was only eight years old. She didn’t take care of as many people as she does now.”

“I am well aware of that fact. And I also know that the Princess has no other intentions. But if someone has foolish thoughts, there is no one better than the Princess to bring them to our side. She has a lot of wealth and connections, and above all, she is a highly respected person.”

“……I understand what you mean.”

The Crown Prince sighed and laughed as if he was a little dumbfounded.

“Are you telling me not to fight with my sister and get along?”

At the same time, laughter erupted from the Gyujanggak.

“By the way, why don’t the people of Siyoungwon get married?”

The Crown Prince asked, since the topic had come up.

“There were quite a few children who said they didn’t want to get married before the Princess, since she is unmarried.”

“They are certainly very loyal. It’s just that the direction is a bit strange.”

“And my wife, who went with me, said that most of the girls are too busy studying or working to postpone marriage until later.”

“Postpone?”

“Yes. Besides, the living spaces for men and women are separated somewhat strictly, so there are few opportunities to meet, and even if there is a woman they are interested in, it is difficult to approach her rashly. They are also conscious of others. It seemed that many were afraid of Court Lady Min.”

In other words, they were being mindful because their superiors were all unmarried.

“And the Princess said that it’s good to get married after you can take care of yourself…….”

“Sia…… the Princess?”

“Perhaps the Princess doesn’t remember saying that because she said it in passing…… but she said that you should at least have a house to raise children in. So those who want to get married are too busy saving money, so there aren’t many who are thinking about marriage yet.”

It was the kind of thing the Princess would say, so everyone who heard it nodded.

“Besides, I heard that the women among the Princess’s slaves act like noblewomen, so they don’t dare to allow men to approach them.”

“Ah.”

The Crown Prince recalled that His Majesty had given the slaves who were created during the rebellion to Princess Suyeong.

“There are often cases where noble families do not marry off the female servants who attend to the lady of the house.”

“They must want to imitate the royal family.”

“Besides, they usually want to increase the number of slaves, but I also heard that the Princess doesn’t seem to like it when slaves get married.”

Various stories were being told, but the Crown Prince had only one thing to say.

“……Geez. She’s my sister, but I still don’t know what she’s thinking.”

“The important thing is that there are quite a few people who are influenced by Siyoungwon.”

“That’s right. They follow the Princess’s words and are under her protection, so who would dare to treat them carelessly? I heard that the children of noble families who were bullying the children who became slaves as children of traitors were chased away by the children of Siyoungwon.”

Moreover, the number was not small and the ripple effect was great, so they also led trends.

Sia was tired of the braided hair and braided her side hair, tied it in the back, and wore hair ornaments, and the children of Siyoungwon followed suit, and later it became popular in the capital.

“Besides, thanks to Siyoungwon, the Princess’s reputation has improved, and so has Your Highness’s reputation.”

“The Princess is Your Highness’s only sister, and they are famous for being close.”

“It is also well known that Your Highness has contributed funds to Siyoungwon.”

“Ahem. Is that so.”

The Crown Prince nodded as if he didn’t dislike these words.

“So we can only hope that the two of you will continue to have a strong sibling relationship as you have until now.”

“Aren’t we the only two siblings? Naturally, my heart goes out to her.”

The Crown Prince said a little sadly, but really, it was never a bad thing for the two to have a good relationship.

Especially those who have been close to the children of Siyoungwon would know.

The Princess’s influence on the children from Siyoungwon was absolute. The long-term loyalty education was formidable.

It may be the intention of the court ladies who are in charge of the education of Siyoungwon, not the young Princess, but if someone later rebels against the current Crown Prince, Siyoungwon could be the most effective means to prevent this.

‘But no matter how I look at it, the movements of those in Siyoungwon were not ordinary.’

He emphasized both caution and praise for Siyoungwon, but that alone bothered him.

Of course, the Crown Prince knew about it, but he didn’t tell them.

After all, they had no way of knowing what the former secret agents belonging to Siyoungwon were doing now.

***

After a short reconciliation with the Crown Prince, I left the palace as planned and headed to Dabang-gol.

Soi didn’t seem happy that I was going to a gibang [traditional Korean house of entertainment] again, but she didn’t object to me meeting Maehyang.

Well, at first she told me not to go in person and receive a letter instead, but since words like human trafficking appeared in this case, I couldn’t help but pay attention to security.

Besides, it takes a lot of time for letters to come and go. There seemed to be a reason why she specifically asked me to come today.

‘It would be a relief if she called me for something unrelated to that matter, but it seems likely that it is related.’

Is it because they drink alcohol when they meet at a gibang? Surprisingly, there are quite a few people who become loose-lipped in front of the gisaengs [female entertainers].

This time, there was no guarantee that I would meet Eunhwa-gun by chance like last time, so from the beginning, I just wore the clothes of an inconspicuous commoner child and entered the gibang through the back door.

They just thought I was a kid working here and no one paid attention to me. Is the security here okay?

When Maehyang, who met me, saw me appear in different clothes than usual, she froze for a moment and then burst into laughter.

“Oh my, did the young lady come?”

“Yeah.”

You didn’t have to laugh that much……. I felt a little embarrassed, but that wasn’t important right now, so Maehyang took me inside.

“About the men that the young lady pointed out that day. They came back several times after that, and there seemed to be something suspicious, so I urgently asked to see the young lady. Will you forgive my rudeness?”

“Don’t worry about the small stuff. But what’s suspicious?”

“There are quite a few people who have strange conspiracies in the gibang…… but these people, I don’t know what they’re worried about, but they suddenly kicked out the gisaengs, saying they had something important to talk about.”

“But how did you hear it?”

Maehyang smiled at my words.

“I heard they eavesdropped.”

“No, that’s dangerous.”

I sighed, but Maehyang laughed as if it was nothing.

“Come to think of it, aren’t gisaengs not supposed to talk about what they heard at drinking parties?”

“Hoho. But you’re the young lady. Not just any guest.”

It means they’re giving me special treatment, but is it okay to be happy about this?

“That child also noticed that there was a bad conversation going on, so wouldn’t she have eavesdropped?”

“That’s true…… So what did they talk about?”