Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 133

Most people’s opinions on inoculation could be summed up like this:

It was widely believed that the Princess Consort was acting strangely due to fear after her recent ordeal.

“What else could explain it if not sheer madness?”

“Exactly! Injecting cowpox—from a cow, no less—into a person with a needle to prevent smallpox? Where did such a bizarre superstition even originate?”

“I vaguely recall hearing such rumors before, but it’s utterly absurd.”

“Rumors?”

“The story was that some woman made such a claim, but it must have been a mere coincidence.”

Some vaguely remembered the tale, but they dismissed it without much thought.

“I heard that even the physicians at the Hyeminseo [a Joseon-era medical institution] are actively participating in this inoculation.”

“But I heard that the Princess Consort herself is the one pushing this forward from the very beginning.”

“It’s probably just a few gullible female physicians following her lead, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. No matter how much they’ve studied, women have limited knowledge and are easily swayed.”

Some were slightly influenced by the rumors.

“But Maehyang… I heard that the courtesan is doing fine after the procedure.”

“It’s probably just a coincidence that she didn’t get sick. Not everyone who comes into contact with a patient contracts smallpox.”

“That’s right. Being a lowly courtesan, she probably just blindly followed the Princess Consort’s orders.”

“Indeed, whether they’re female physicians or royal physicians, aren’t they all just blindly following whatever the Princess Consort does?”

“I heard that the Princess Consort is using her private funds to financially support the Hyeminseo, so it wouldn’t be easy to openly disregard her wishes.”

As the rumors spread, even officials gathered to whisper such conversations.

And that conversation, with appropriate embellishments and omissions, was being relayed to me.

Since it wasn’t a secret conversation, the story circulated freely, eventually reaching my ears.

“The Office of the Censorate [an office in Joseon dynasty that monitored the administration and judiciary] is also submitting petitions regarding inoculation.”

“Hmph. Isn’t it a bit late for that?”

They should have argued long ago that the Princess Consort was deceiving and confusing the people.

‘Well, the rumors only spread long after those who had contact with smallpox patients in the gibang [a traditional Korean house of entertainment] had been inoculated, and even after they had fully recovered.’

The spread of rumors was naturally delayed because those who had contact with patients were isolated.

Moreover, words didn’t spread from Siyoungwon [a facility, in this case, for isolating and treating those affected by smallpox] either.

Surprisingly, the people of Siyoungwon don’t talk about what happens within its walls outside.

It seems they don’t know what they shouldn’t talk about, so they simply don’t talk much at all.

Since there are so many people, not everyone is like that, but most of the insiders who have a lot of contact with me tend to be that way.

It might seem like I’m being overly critical, but as the number of people in Siyoungwon increased, it became difficult for me to personally oversee or manage everyone.

“However, Princess Consort, is it really true that if you get that inoculation, you won’t get smallpox?”

“It’s true, which is why I’m inoculating people. It’s quite a labor-intensive task; would I do such a thing if I were bored? I’d rather be finding ways to make more money during that time.”

The court lady who came to deliver the rumors suppressed a laugh at my words and lowered her head.

Thanks to how well I’ve treated those around me, the court ladies have been quite diligent in bringing me rumors whenever they hear them. It wasn’t a closely guarded secret, so everyone was receptive.

Thanks to that, I also had a decent grasp of public opinion.

I’m not particularly interested in politics, but I’m curious about rumors about myself, so I simply asked them to tell me anything they hear.

Unless it’s a politically sensitive issue, no one found that request difficult.

‘It’s always good to have high-ranking people who will take your side when something happens.’

Anyway, it seems that stories about me, along with inoculation, are spreading among the officials in that way.

My perspective is sometimes mixed with that of a modern person, so it’s not always typical. It wasn’t bad to hear stories from various points of view.

‘By the way, female physicians and royal physicians listen to me well, huh? Well, it’s no wonder I’m popular with them.’

I’ve worked hard to improve their working conditions in many ways, and their salaries have also increased.

Moreover, since I shifted the focus to treating mostly female patients, they are exposed to less danger than before. I also noticed some who were happy that there were fewer unwanted advances since they changed affiliations.

I even brought medicine and snacks to the Hyeminseo… I’ve been paying a lot of attention in various ways, so they listened to me better than others.

What can I say? Everyone appreciates someone who takes good care of them.

Moreover, the royal family is usually seen as being above the clouds, so any kindness is greatly appreciated.

I thanked the court lady who told me the story and told Soi to give her some snacks before sending her away.

“But why are you listening to these stories in a place like this?”

“Because I’m bored.”

Cheonho, who still wasn’t used to me sitting in the pavilion and enjoying the breeze, was the only one who objected.

Well, it must seem strange. It seems like this kind of thing should be secretly conveyed in a room, but it’s not.

I was sitting in a pavilion overlooking the pond, receiving letters, and meeting with court ladies in plain sight.

“It’s better to act confidently than to look like you’re secretly plotting something. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong.”

“But why specifically in the pavilion?”

“It doesn’t matter where I relax as long as I’m at home. As long as I don’t leave the palace grounds.”

“You mean you’re bored to death, Princess Consort.”

I’m glad you’re perceptive, rookie.

Even though you’re a rookie, it seems like quite some time has passed already.

Cheonho’s main job was to tell me various stories, just like Sung Gyeom-sabok used to do.

Sung Gyeom-sabok has a lot of responsibilities, so it felt like a young guy, no, Cheonho, was doing it instead.

I heard that these days, when I’m not with him, he’s being dragged somewhere and put through rigorous training. I don’t know what Sung Gyeom-sabok is trying to turn him into.

I lamented inwardly, looking at Cheonho, who seemed happy to have received a snack after a long time.

“I don’t know why everyone is following me around like this, as if I’m going to cause some kind of trouble alone in the palace.”

“It must be because of your… colorful track record, Princess Consort.”

“Hmph.”

Look at that guy, he’s already used to it and being sarcastic.

“I’m already at the age where I should be getting married and leaving the palace to live comfortably. I’m not going anywhere far, just wandering around the marketplace, so it’s enough to have only one or two bodyguards. Two big escorts!”

I stand out so much on the street!

It’s not like I’m putting on a grand show; I’m just going out to enjoy myself.

If I wanted to do that, I would have just taken a palanquin [a covered litter carried by poles].

“…You were actually kidnapped, so what can you do?”

“That’s why I’m being so well-behaved.”

In fact, now that I’m sixteen, everyone seemed to be wondering whether they should treat me like an adult or not.

That’s why the punishment for Soi became ambiguous. If they punished Soi for not serving the Princess Consort properly, Soi’s superior was me, so it would be disrespectful to me.

Of course, there was no reason why the Queen wouldn’t do it if she wanted to, but she was already worried about me not maturing properly in many ways, so she didn’t interfere with my close aides who had served me since I was young.

‘If anyone were to be punished, it would be me. Soi was just following my orders, so there’s no reason for me to punish her.’

Moreover, the royal elders also seemed to subtly acknowledge Gai, Soi’s older sister.

I didn’t know Gai’s business skills would be so outstanding….

‘Maybe other people are wasting abilities that even they didn’t know they had.’

Thinking that, I frowned as I reviewed the recent news from Hyeminseo and Siyoungwon that had been conveyed through Cheonho.

Since there were things that were lacking in the written reports alone, it was faster to confirm them through someone’s direct account like this.

“How’s Maehyang doing these days?”

“Maehyang is still singing in the playground these days. However, there are people who go to the playground to listen to her songs, but it seems like there are no customers specifically calling for her at the gibang. Of course, who would call a gisaeng [a female entertainer in traditional Korea] or go to a gibang these days when there are so many smallpox patients? It seems like they’re reluctant because it’s a place where many smallpox patients occurred.”

“Hmm.”

It might be a good idea to change the performance culture this time.

It’s a good thing that the noble gentlemen are reluctant to get close to the gisaengs who have been inoculated.

The way performers and audiences are too close to each other like now is prone to unhealthy interactions and facilitates the spread of disease.

It would be a waste of the gisaengs’ talents, so I was considering other ways to generate income this time.

‘It’s possible to perform on the playground stage like now, but Maehyang has a high reputation, so I should upscale it and sell it.’

The plan has been in place for a long time, so the building has already been built to some extent, and I need to seriously ask the gisaengs for their opinions.

‘Should I do some kind of event at the beginning of the opening? It would be fun to decorate the costumes and interior in the Goryeo style [a Korean kingdom that ruled from 918 to 1392]. I wonder what people in this era would think?’

Since there are more well-preserved materials from that time in this era, it wouldn’t be difficult to recreate the clothing designs.

This isn’t retro, it’s a bit… like a concept cafe.

Come to think of it, I heard there’s a gisaeng who specializes in Goryeo Hyangga [old Korean songs], so should I make it a special feature?

‘Ah, if possible, it would be nice to match the tableware with celadon [a type of green-glazed pottery].’

Last time, while talking with the Crown Prince, I found a potter who was skilled at firing celadon through Saongwon [a royal workshop], and his skills were quite impressive.

‘I should place a large order personally.’

Caw- Caw caw-

While I was lost in thought about business-related matters, a noisy crow’s cry disturbed my thoughts.

I turned my head towards the direction of the loud noise and saw a crow loitering around.

‘Come to think of it, birds have a surprisingly long lifespan, so is that the same guy from back then?’

The location is right here too.

He was a cute little kid.

I wonder if that little kid is doing well.

‘Sehwa… I think she’s probably the female lead.’

I’m still a little unsure, but I don’t think it’s anyone else.

As expected of the female protagonist, she must have escaped safely back then, but she probably didn’t meet Sucheon back then.

‘If it weren’t for that servant back then, I could have let the siblings escape together.’

Thinking that, I turned my head back to the letter I hadn’t finished reading, but suddenly my eyes met Cheonho’s.

‘…I felt like I was about to remember something just now?’

I asked since our eyes met.

“…What are you looking at?”

“I’m sorry. I heard the crow’s cry and wondered if it was aiming for the Princess Consort’s hair ornament… Ah?”

“Why, what’s wrong? Ah!”

I turned my head at Cheonho’s strange reaction, who was chasing the crow with his eyes, and exclaimed in surprise.

The place where my gaze was directed was on a tree near the pavilion.

There was still a small kitten on the tree, and the crow that had been noisy since earlier was threatening the kitten.

“He’s not afraid even though there are people so close by.”

“Well… since I’m the only one in the pavilion, it probably wasn’t very threatening. Anyway, everyone in the palace is known to be refined, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

You guys should know that you’re living in good times. There used to be a crazy person living in the palace.

But being looked down upon by a speechless animal didn’t feel good either. Should I show him a taste of my spicy side?

“By the way, that seems to be….”

Of course, the sight of a kitten being attacked by a crow looked precarious even without any other context. And the bigger problem was that the cat looked familiar to me.

More than anything, the necklace dangling from that small neck.

“Ugh, no. If he gets hurt, Brother will go crazy.”

“Yes? Is it His Highness the Crown Prince’s cat?”

“Uh-huh. Officially, His Highness the Crown Prince doesn’t have that many cats, but there are quite a few cats freely roaming around in the palace. So, I put a necklace on them to distinguish them.”

“Ah. Are you talking about that small, sparkling thing over there?”

“Um. But it looks like the crow is aiming for that.”

Geez. But how did he get here alone?

The Crown Prince was a hands-off owner, so he had the court ladies take care of feeding him, but he usually let him roam around freely.

“Ah, ah….”

I couldn’t help but groan as I watched the crow pecking at the cat with its beak.

Cheonho, who had been observing the situation somewhat calmly, asked as if seeking permission.

“Should I chase away that crow for now?”

“How?”

“I’ll throw a rock or something.”

You son of a… You’re not trying hard enough.

Cheonho picked up a stone near him and threw it without much enthusiasm.