Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 158

“Hmm. This is a bit of a dilemma.”

“?”

“I need to hear what she thinks first.”

I have to go see her before I leave anyway.

***

“Oh, if you go, Little Miss, I must go too.”

When I asked Maehyang for her opinion, she agreed to go without a moment’s hesitation.

“What about Siwolgak?”

“It won’t fall apart just because I’m gone for a bit. The weather is getting colder, so the theater stages will all be moving inside Siwolgak anyway, which means there will be less work for everyone else.”

“Well, that’s true.”

We can still do short performances outside for now, but when it gets colder, no one will want to sit outside for long. Not to mention how hard it is for the performers.

“The Gisaeng [female entertainers] from Gangwon Province might not trust me, so it would be good to have someone who can act as a bridge. Do you know anyone who could do that?”

“We Seoul Gisaeng don’t really know any Gisaeng from that region.”

Maehyang shook her head at my words.

“The famous Gisaeng who perform at royal banquets only know each other by name. Even when they come to Hanyang [old name for Seoul], they’re all busy preparing for their own performances.”

It’s a royal banquet held in front of the King and many high-ranking officials, so there must be a lot to worry about. They wouldn’t have time to relax and watch the skills of other regional Gisaeng who could be considered rivals.

‘Ah, now that I think about it, Maehyang was the last performer at the banquet.’

It would be hard to relax and watch.

Hmm. But Maehyang seems to enjoy watching too.

“Hmm… Do you want to go and see?”

“Go, go and see! Of course!”

“Then Maehyang will come with me…”

“Really?”

Maehyang was so happy that she hugged me and spun me around, but when she met Gai’s eyes, she quietly put me down.

‘Maehyang is also afraid of Gai.’

Maehyang isn’t usually one to back down. Hmm.

“Other regional Gisaeng want to change their system like we did here, but will they welcome it?”

“If they have a long-term perspective, they will beg you to do so…”

“But?”

“If they are foolish enough to be swayed by short-term gains, they will try to block the future of their successors.”

“Hmm.”

Maehyang is so cynical.

“Whatever the future holds, I’m going to get everyone vaccinated somehow.”

“Ah.”

“It would be good if Maehyang’s words could have some influence on that as well.”

“Would it be alright if I brought Songhwa with me?”

Maehyang asked in a rare, hesitant voice.

“Yes, if she’s okay with it.”

Did the thought of having to persuade others undermine Maehyang’s confidence?

‘There were many who ridiculed Maehyang on stage for getting vaccinated and suffering from cowpox.’

Even though Maehyang verbally abused those who bothered her, it was hard to say for sure that she wasn’t hurt by such ridicule.

There were still many who refused vaccination.

‘So the answer is mandatory vaccination.’

After all, the Joseon Dynasty [Korean kingdom from 1392 to 1897] was a monarchy.

There was no way that the King’s public servants, of all people, could disobey his orders.

Besides, there’s a use for people who refuse.

‘I have to forcibly vaccinate not only the Gisaeng but also the female public servants in Gangwon Province.’

How fortunate that people don’t want to keep women with cowpox around.

I smiled bitterly, recalling the time when I vaccinated the Gisaeng. It was a struggle, to say the least.

Even people who had some education were like this, so I could only imagine how reluctant everyone else would be to get vaccinated.

After checking the business situation of Siwolgak, I changed the date and visited my private residence.

It was good timing because Yeongseon had sent me a letter asking me to take a look at the newly arrived porcelain.

Yeongseon, with a more excited face than usual, urged me to see the new collection.

‘It’s unusual for her to be so excited.’

Yeongseon was always calm, perhaps because of her habits from her noble days.

That made her more trustworthy.

And after checking the porcelain that Yeongseon showed me, I could understand why she was so excited.

“This is it.”

“Oh, huh?”

Why does this look so familiar?

Yeongseon, seeing my reaction, nodded with a confident look.

“Does it look familiar to you too, Princess?”

“It does. Hmm. How did this happen?”

This porcelain that has been added to my new collection is definitely the same porcelain that led to my kidnapping before.

‘Of course, it’s been quite some time since that happened, so I can’t be sure it’s exactly the same…’

If it looks that way not only to me but also to Yeongseon, then there is a high probability that it is the same item.

But no matter how you look at it, it’s not a common item.

“How did you get this?”

“Actually, I don’t know who gave it to me. Someone came one day and said that they had received help from you, Princess, and wanted to give you a gift in return.”

“Didn’t even say who it was?”

“No.”

What is it?

I’m happy that the thing I wanted rolled in on its own, but what is this unsettling feeling?

“Hmm. Let’s put this on display for now. Did you get it appraised?”

“Yes, they said it’s definitely from the Goryeo Dynasty [Korean kingdom that ruled from 918 to 1392]. I’ve already called Master Ongju to come again today.”

To be honest, I’m so comfortable because Yeongseon does her job so well.

‘She does such a good job that I take care of her salary separately.’

There was something unsettling, but I had a good time looking at the newly increased collection with Yeongseon.

And when I came out, I saw familiar faces waiting for me.

“Oh, Master Ongju.”

Unlike the Siyoungwon [government-run hospitality houses during the Joseon Dynasty] people or the servants of my house who are already familiar with me, these people were trembling as soon as they saw me.

Am I scary? Or does seeing me remind them of that day?

“Yes. It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Yes. Thanks to Master Ongju, I’m living comfortably.”

It certainly doesn’t seem like an empty compliment; their faces have gotten better than before.

Well, it wouldn’t be easy to be worse off than right before being sold into slavery by the family they trusted.

“Has there been anyone causing trouble while you’ve been here?”

“Who would dare come to Master Ongju’s private residence and cause trouble?”

Yeongseon smiled and answered instead of me.

Right. Unless they want to die.

“Well, tell me if you have any difficulties.”

“Yes, Master Ongju.”

They bowed their heads repeatedly and answered, busily setting the table, saying they wanted to treat me to the food they made.

‘You don’t have to go that far.’

But there aren’t many things they can do to repay me.

There are some people in the world who don’t feel comfortable unless they give back as much as they receive.

“Oh, this is delicious.”

“Is that so?”

I received another new style of meal and gave sincere reactions as I tasted each dish.

“This would be good to put in a cookbook.”

“Yes? A book?”

Unlike the newcomers who were flustered by my words, Yeongseon, who had occasionally worked at Siyoungwon, immediately understood and nodded.

“Shall I write down the recipes in detail and send them to Siyoungwon?”

“Yes. Please do that. It’s okay if there’s anything else you want to add.”

“Yes. I’ll prepare it.”

Yeongseon, who knew my hobby, left the room to find paper.

As soon as Yeongseon disappeared, one of the women who made and served the food quietly approached and opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Master Ongju. I have something to tell you about Miss Yeongseon.”

“Yeongseon? Why?”

What is it that’s so secretive? Is she selling my porcelain somewhere?

I already checked the list one by one, so I knew that couldn’t be the case, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Actually, I saw her secretly meeting with a man…”

“Oh. A man…”

That was unexpected.

‘Oh. I didn’t expect someone to be dating here.’

It seems like it’s slowly starting to happen in Siyoungwon too.

“Well. It’s okay as long as he’s not too weird…”

It’s a bit much for the owner to interfere in the love lives of her subordinates.

But to be honest, it was a bit surprising.

‘Yeongseon seems to have a strong sense of pride, so I didn’t think she would meet a man unless she was freed.’

As if reading my mind, information about him came out as well.

“That is, presumptuous as it may seem, the man’s status didn’t seem low.”

“Hmm.”

If so…

‘Unexpectedly, there might be someone from an old relationship.’

I don’t think nobles would have love marriages… but love is something that those who do it will always do.

But it’s already been 8 years since she became a slave. Wouldn’t the other man be quite old too?

If he were a son from a decent family, he would have been married and had three or four children by now.

‘If you’re blinded by love, there are surprisingly many people who rush in without looking back…’

I wonder what Yeongseon will be like.

Even in my past life, I remember seeing a friend who was so rational and normal suddenly act like a different person after dating, so it was hard to say for sure.

Still, there wasn’t anyone around me who caused ethical problems.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Yes, Master Ongju.”

Anyway, if Yeongseon is dating, I don’t intend to interfere. If the other man is sincere, I’ll hear about it again somehow.

Of course, if he’s not sincere…

“But it’s okay to keep an eye on things like the household items.”

“Yes.”

If he runs away with my money… well… that would be a problem.