Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 147

“Hehe. We need to protect the small and weak.”

Of course, if they grow up and start doing bad things, I’ll beat them up.

“But you are also small and weak, Princess.”

“That’s why I drag around people who can protect me, like this entourage.”

When I pointed to the royal guards, Soi, and Cheonho surrounding me, all three chuckled.

Joseon [Korea’s last dynastic kingdom, lasting from 1392 to 1897], especially the capital, wasn’t a place where children couldn’t run around during the day because the public order was so terrible.

Of course, it might be different in each era.

Actually, in quiet neighborhoods… tigers are scarier.

‘Most of the thugs have been pushed into the mines. And most of the relatively decent kids are being rehabilitated in Siyoungwon [an orphanage and educational institution].’

For various reasons, the capital itself had relatively good public order.

Moreover, rumors about Siyoungwon had spread, and no one dared to touch the neatly dressed children, making ordinary people much safer.

Siyoungwon had not only Princess Suyeong as a powerful backer but also an overwhelmingly large number of members with a strong sense of belonging.

In addition, they had at least learned self-defense, and some were quite skilled in martial arts.

Until a few years ago, the overall proportion of the elderly and children was high, but most of those children had grown up and learned martial arts. They were definitely not opponents to mess with in a group fight.

If you messed with one child, it was like stirring up a hornet’s nest.

Thanks to the Princess’s kidnapping incident, they had been turning everything upside down to find seditious people for a while, so the capital was bound to be peaceful.

In such a peaceful Hanyang [the historical name for Seoul, the capital of Joseon], Siwolgak [a Goryeo-style establishment] opened, and for some reason, the Goryeo [previous Korean dynasty, 918-1392] style began to become popular.

Even if it was difficult to get new clothes made like the people of Siwolgak, people subtly started changing their hairstyles.

The girls who were tired of braided hair started to experiment with different styles.

Even when I was young (?), I popularized the half-up hairstyle, and many children who followed me had grown up and were now following the trend I created again.

I didn’t intend it, though.

“Thanks to Siwolgak, the Goryeo style has been popular lately.”

“I thought the hairstyles of people walking on the streets seemed to have changed a bit these days.”

As I offered tea to the rare guest and we talked about current events, the topic of Siwolgak naturally came up.

It was the talk of the town, so it was only natural.

The Goryeo style has been popular lately. And thanks to that, it was so fun that even if I went around in a similar Goryeo-era style, it wasn’t noticeable.

‘Hmm… now that it’s come to this, I honestly want to get rid of the wig fashion.’

I don’t need to wear a wig yet, but I don’t know what will happen later when my body grows.

Realistically, I’m too scared of neck problems.

Of course, it’s not like people in the royal family wear wigs every day like they do in historical dramas, but even if they don’t, they wear them to formal events, and they’re quite heavy.

Actually, the royal family could use something else instead of wigs, but it was difficult for me to change that.

It wouldn’t be good to mess with something that had already been established as law.

But isn’t it human nature to want to emulate what the royal family uses, even in ordinary homes?

The two groups that usually lead the fashion trends for women in this era are:

Royal women. And courtesans.

They are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but they both have in common that they are objects of envy in different ways.

They are also the women who can wear the heaviest and most elaborate hair in the Joseon Dynasty.

‘I heard that there was a woman in the Joseon Dynasty who broke her neck and died after turning her head quickly with a heavy wig on her head.’

Instead of putting other people’s hair on my head, I’d rather just wear jewelry…

People who grow their hair long, saying that their body, hair, and skin are received from their parents, why do they end up putting other people’s hair on their heads?

It’s not like they need a wig because they’re bald.

Wigs are also luxury items anyway, so wouldn’t it be better to use precious metals, which are less unsettling and can be passed down well for generations?

‘It seems like it would be more valuable even if it were left as a relic….’

It’s a bit disappointing to see the lack of Joseon Dynasty jewelry in museums.

I didn’t think deeply about it because I couldn’t change it even if I wanted to.

Thinking like that, I looked at this rare guest.

The person who had contacted me a while ago, saying they wanted to visit suddenly, smiled and quietly put down the teacup.

“So everyone is looking forward to what kind of trend the Princess will create next.”

“I don’t create them on purpose.”

“Even if you didn’t intend it, it can’t be helped that we’re looking forward to it.”

Songan said that and laughed happily.

Don’t expect anything…

“Did Songan also visit Siwolgak?”

“My father recommended it, so my family and I went together.”

That Hwacheon-gun [a noble title] uncle is surprisingly domestic.

Whether my thoughts were showing on my face or it was just a meaningless excuse, Songan immediately continued.

“My father has been very concerned about me since my marriage fell through.”

“I heard that he is carefully considering potential grooms.”

“But he keeps finding flaws, so everyone is very disappointed.”

“Ahaha. I see.”

I should be glad that he didn’t just tell me to suck it up and get married.

When I laughed awkwardly, Songan also laughed awkwardly, as if trying to lighten the mood.

“But after seeing it repeated several times, I’m starting to think that living alone might not be so bad.”

“If you can manage that, it’s not a bad idea.”

But it was an era where, even if your family wasn’t struggling, you would be seen as having a problem if you didn’t get married.

If you don’t get married, you can’t help but receive harsh looks from those around you.

‘Everyone can see my current appearance, so no one would dare to urge me to marry, so I don’t have to worry about that.’

Come to think of it, I might have to get married after I cure this disease.

It’s good to grow up, but that’s a bit of a hassle.

“Actually, it might be better to live alone than to marry a mediocre man.”

“Yes? Would that be acceptable?”

“It’s not like your family is poor.”

Hwacheon-gun and his son, Muyeong-gun, were not the type to begrudge their younger sister’s wealth.

Well, if you’re worried about making a living, I, as a relative, could take care of you.

“But who would allow me to remain unmarried? Living alone is not easy. It’s not like I have the influence the Princess wields.”

I don’t know about influence, but I think I’ve heard that Songan is intelligent.

Her personality seems to be a little less docile than before, perhaps due to the aftermath of the recent failed marriage.

“Hmm. Then… shall we see if you have the aptitude?”

“Yes?”

“I heard you’ve mastered the Four Books and Three Classics [foundational texts of Confucianism].”

“Yesss……”

For your information, that’s basic education these days.

In the past, there were many families that didn’t teach girls to study, but as word spread that Siyoungwon was teaching beggars and slaves to read, it became a trend for everyone to teach girls to read.

If commoners can read, wouldn’t it be embarrassing and frustrating if nobles couldn’t?

“I can also do some arithmetic.”

“Is that…… right? The numerical system that the Princess created was easy to learn.”

In this situation, she naturally praises me, which shows her excellent social skills.

“Actually, I’m thinking that we might need a high-ranking official to manage Siwolgak.”

“!”

Siwolgak has many high-ranking guests.

Perhaps because I invested a lot of money into it from the beginning, it has a luxurious atmosphere, which seemed to suit the tastes of high-ranking people. Thanks to that, there were quite a few people who naturally spent money.

But the law of conservation of assholes applies everywhere.

There are excellent customers who come quietly, spend money, and leave, but there are also people who cause unimaginable trouble.

Trouble doesn’t discriminate by gender, but the people who are bold enough to cause a commotion are usually those with status and power.

It’s been a while since we opened, but there are still people who occasionally shout, ‘How dare you humiliate me with the Princess in your corner?’

They probably wouldn’t be able to do it if they were in their right mind, but they become brave when they’re drunk.

Originally, drinking was prohibited inside Siwolgak, but we couldn’t stop people from drinking outside and coming in.

“Ah… I heard about what happened on the opening day.”

“The rumors spread quickly.”

Songan, who quickly realized why I felt the need for a ‘high-ranking official,’ sighed softly.

Yeongcheon-gun became infamous at the same time as Siwolgak opened, but there were also other big and small incidents.

‘The big problem is that they don’t realize that they shouldn’t behave that way.’

There’s nothing wrong with applauding and cheering after a performance, but some people went further and tried to forcibly drag those who came down from the stage later, so I had to intervene at a young age.

‘Thanks to that, I was busy getting things in order for a while after opening.’

But now that things seem to have stabilized to some extent, I don’t have to be present every day.

It seems that the fact that I strictly kicked out even a relative on the first day has spread effectively, so there haven’t been any major problems since then.

It meant that if I was strict with relatives, how much more would I be with others.

Of course, thanks to that, I was summoned to the Queen and told not to overdo it too much, but I heard that the Crown Prince also defended me appropriately.

They were surprisingly moderate mother and son.

In the first place, knowing that I was directly involved in the operation of Siwolgak, the fact that he harassed a woman there, of all things, was very rude. I heard that the King was rather displeased about that.

He must have heard that in his ears, so he probably won’t act rashly for a while.

“It is not in accordance with etiquette to say these words…… but I was actually a little, relieved.”

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Songan’s shy confession.

“Hmm. I thought that he might get angry and start a full-scale fight, but I was more surprised that he was so quiet.”

“Ah…… actually, I have something to tell you because of that.”

“?”

“Actually, Uncle Yeongcheon-gun called close relatives and told them about what happened at Siwolgak, complaining about his grievances.”

Yeongcheon-gun planned to sway public opinion in that way, but according to the testimonies of those who participated at the time, the atmosphere was generally like this.

‘I see. I went with my family and had fun eating gamlanjeonbyeong [a type of traditional Korean pancake].’

‘I went with my wife too, and it was quiet and the atmosphere was good, so why would he do that?’

‘They recognized that I was a relative and gave me more refreshments.’

‘My daughter went and said she wanted to change her hairstyle, so they said they were planning a costume experience event soon and asked her to come back later, so she’s making a fuss about going again.’

They treated me~ well~ why would he do that~

The relatives who were having a good time gossiped to me about Yeongcheon-gun’s actions as if they had made a promise.

Those who didn’t have an excuse to visit me sent detailed letters.

If there was someone in the family who was close enough to visit me without it being strange, they made an excuse to tell me directly.

Just like Songan is doing now.

“My father said that he was ashamed of his immature brother and asked me to convey his apologies to the Princess on his behalf.”

“Even if he’s your brother, you can’t control him.”

Right, right. I know all about how sometimes you want to beat up your siblings because they don’t listen to you.

If those people aren’t all lying in unison, then those words of apology are true.

And I made the same offer to the female relatives as I did to Songan, asking if they would help me with work, but they all shook their heads as if they were grateful.

The reasons were all similar.

They don’t have the ability. They’ve never thought about standing in front of people.

They may be afraid of being misunderstood for being greedy, but that answer is probably not a lie either.

Even if it’s not as much as Songan, it seems that they’ve never imagined such a thing.

“I am grateful that the Princess understands generously.”

Songan, who brought a gift, sighed softly and lowered her head, as if relieved that she had completed her mission.

Her face said, ‘I really don’t want to get involved with that uncle!’ so I smiled wryly inside.

It’s already bad enough that the uncle who brought a strange marriage proposal has incurred the Princess’s wrath and is about to be lumped together, so how could she be happy?

To Hwacheon-gun, he’s still his brother, for better or worse, but to Songan, well….