Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 179

“How can anyone believe you’d harbor such resentment towards a mere young Ongju [royal princess] to do something like this!”

“I, I only tried to pilfer some medicinal herbs! Your Majesty!”

“Investigate the area around Yeongcheon-gun [a royal title] even more thoroughly!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Thanks to this, those who had previously associated with Yeongcheon-gun and their close acquaintances were caught in the crossfire.

“No, Your Majesty! We were once close to Yeongcheon-gun, but we distanced ourselves some time ago!”

“Yes! We distanced ourselves early on after hearing him speak ill of Suyeong Ongju! Oh, Ongju will know this as well!”

“W-what??”

Yeongcheon-gun’s eyes flashed with betrayal at the words of his acquaintances, who had not only quickly cut ties but had even tattled to the Ongju.

“No, Your Majesty! If I am a traitor, then so are those men!”

“Have you lost your mind, Yeongcheon-gun!”

“Who are you trying to drag down with you! Unlike some, I have never even considered harming the Ongju!”

It was chaos.

The situation was not much different for those who had been close to Yeongcheon-gun and had spoken ill of the Ongju.

“I merely echoed his words a little when he complained.”

“How could I possibly argue with everything someone says when they are drunk!”

The important thing was that no one was speaking about those who actually intended to harm the Crown Prince.

“Your Majesty! It is clear that Yeongcheon-gun harbored treasonous intentions!”

“No, Your Majesty! Everyone, even the young children in the marketplace, knows that Yeongcheon-gun is a clumsy and frivolous speaker, though he is a member of the royal family. How could such a person have planned such a meticulous scheme!”

“If Yeongcheon-gun was used by someone, we would be making an innocent person suffer without catching the real mastermind of the treason!”

“He did try to harm the Ongju, so how can he claim to be innocent!”

The ministers also recognized the importance of this matter, but many were cautious, so they only argued and debated among themselves.

The problem was that there might be informants among the military officers who had participated in the martial arts demonstration.

Thanks to this, those who had been mobilized for the demonstration had to undergo hardships such as having their identities reconfirmed and being re-questioned about the events of that day.

The conclusion leaned towards the idea of an external intrusion, but that would be proving the incompetence of the soldiers, so… it is said that wailing echoed from all over the palace.

In the end, Yeongcheon-gun was stripped of his title and property and exiled as a criminal.

The suspicion of trying to harm the Ongju was clear, so exile was confirmed even before the charge of treason.

Thanks to this, there was no need to feel wronged.

However, the fact that he could receive a death warrant at any time and that he would not be able to live his life as he had until now drove Yeongcheon-gun to despair.

Because of the nature of the charges, he was not allowed to be with his wife and children.

Yeongcheon-gun’s older brother, Hwacheon-gun, was able to avoid punishment thanks to his own conduct and the fact that his son, Muyeong-gun, had searched for the Crown Prince at the time of the incident and devoted himself to the task.

In addition, the palace maids of the Ongju’s residence testified that Songan, Hwacheon-gun’s daughter, had visited the Ongju to apologize for the fact that Yeongcheon-gun was plotting against the Ongju.

Hwacheon-gun and Yeongcheon-gun were biological brothers, so naturally, there were many voices of suspicion, but as soon as he was brought in, Hwacheon-gun pleaded for his own punishment, saying that it was his great fault for not properly controlling his younger brother, so people could not show such harsh reactions.

It would be more than suspicious to say.

Was Yeongcheon-gun the kind of person who would risk his life for his brother and commit treason?

An act that would risk not only himself but also the lives of his entire family.

Not for himself, not for his children, but for his brother?

Among all those who knew Yeongcheon-gun, not a single person said ‘yes’ to this question.

Everyone who knew him was well aware that he was a troublemaker who did not listen to his brother.

Thanks to this, Hwacheon-gun was able to avoid punishment, but he requested that his title be taken away, saying that his guilt for not properly controlling his younger brother was deep.

When the king did not accept, he almost completely cut off contact with the outside world and lived quietly in his house as if he were dead.

In other words, it was an extreme act of self-preservation to survive.

Of course, the other members of the royal family were also terrified and tried to protect themselves.

And in the end, it was not possible to find out who was targeting the Crown Prince.

After reading the report and asking a few questions, I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until after noon the next day.

I didn’t realize it, but I must have been very tired.

I woke up and, with a relatively clear mind, rechecked the report and muttered.

“More happened than I thought.”

“The atmosphere in the palace has been like walking on thin ice because neither the Crown Prince nor the Ongju were here.”

There was a reason why everyone was welcoming me back with tears in their eyes.

“Why does this kind of thing keep happening, really.”

“It’s as the Ongju says. There’s no good in having so many of these things happen.”

I heard that there weren’t that many people who were interrogated, but well… it was true that there was no good in having so many bloody things happen.

It seemed that the members of the royal family would have to be more careful and humble because of this incident.

‘Being a member of the royal family is really hard work.’

As for me, who was literally minding my own business, I resisted my heavy eyelids while the palace maids combed my hair.

“Ongju? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Yeah. Sleepy.”

“The journey was long, so you must be tired from the travel.”

Well, even though I was raised delicately, I suddenly went on a long trip, so even if I traveled in a palanquin [covered litter or sedan chair], I was bound to be tired.

And there was another expected cause.

“Ah… don’t be too surprised if I start sleeping a lot after starting the medicine.”

“Are you referring to the new medicine that Physician Sehwa made?”

“Yeah. Thanks to that, I’ve been feeling sleepy a lot lately.”

Sehwa went through so much trouble to get the medicine, so I was taking it over a period of days because it was so strong.

Even so, I felt very sleepy for a while after taking it.

It was quite severe at first, but now it’s not every day, but about one or two days a week that I feel very sleepy.

‘I don’t know if I’m sleepy now because of the medicine or because I’m tired.’

Even so, I finally returned to the palace, but I slept until the sun was high in the sky, and now I’m going to sleep again. Is this okay?

While worrying, I finally went outside.

“Ongju. Wouldn’t it be better to sleep again if you’re feeling unwell?”

“Hmm. I feel like I’m sleeping too much.”

The medicine must be strong, because my eyelids keep closing.

“Please be careful, Ongju.”

“Oh. Cheonho?”

“Yes. Ongju. It is Cheonho.”

Cheonho, who was holding several letters, came over to me and reached out his hand after delivering the letters he had brought to the maids of my residence.

“It’s dangerous, Ongju. Let me help you.”

“Hmm. Sleepy. Give me a piggyback.”

“Yes.”

I spent a lot of time clinging to Cheonho while traveling, so now I’m so used to it that I naturally clung to Cheonho.

Cheonho seemed to have given up and accepted me familiarly.

“I’m okay with carrying you. Ongju, shall I carry you?”

“It’s okay. Wouldn’t it be more stable if I carried you?”

“That’s true, but…”

Many people were worried because I was just dozing off like a sick chicken.

Thanks to this, Sehwa and Seongji had to constantly persuade people that it wasn’t a strange symptom.

Originally, Sehwa said that it would be good to continue exercising as before, but lately I’ve been feeling hungry and sleepy, so it hasn’t been easy.

The consolation was that it wasn’t happening every day and that it would get better little by little.

I blinked my sleepy eyes and continued chatting with Soi.

“Come to think of it, it’s the end of the year…”

The martial arts demonstration was in early winter, and because of the Crown Prince’s injury, we returned leisurely, so it was already the end of the year.

Since it’s based on the lunar calendar, it’s probably around January in the solar calendar now.

“Yes, it’s almost New Year’s Eve. Will we have the Narye ceremony this year?”

“The atmosphere in the capital isn’t very good because of the talk of treason and the Crown Prince being injured, right? The Narye ceremony this year probably won’t be very fancy, right?”

“Ah. That’s true.”

The Narye (驅儺禮) [a ritual to drive away evil spirits] originally referred to a ritual held on New Year’s Eve in the royal court, government offices, and among the common people, in which people wore masks and chanted spells to drive away evil spirits and get rid of the bad luck of the old year.

At first, that was the meaning, but as time went by, the nature of the Naryehee (儺禮戱) [a performance associated with the ritual], which focused on plays and performances, became stronger, so it was also called Naryehee or Narye banquet (儺禮宴).

Even though the nature has changed somewhat, the original purpose of this was to ward off bad luck, so it seemed that it would have to be done in a grand manner to erase the incident in which the Crown Prince was almost assassinated and even injured.

It was better for people to be distracted by watching performances and playing than for public sentiment to become turbulent.

“A lively event isn’t bad.”

After all, the palace is a bit desolate.

‘Certainly… it might be less desolate if there were several children.’

However, the children of the royal family had to leave the palace except for one, so it was bound to be lonely.

“Ah, come to think of it, how far along is the order I placed to build new playground equipment in the inner palace?”

“The making itself doesn’t take long, but it seems that it takes time to decorate it to be suitable for placing inside the palace.”

“The appearance is important, but stability is also important. Well, it’s a life-or-death matter for the people who made it, so they’ll work hard, right?”

“Of course, Ongju. Aren’t you hungry? Let’s sit in the pavilion and have some snacks.”

“Yeah.”

I feel like I’ve just been eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping lately….

I blankly thought so and returned to thinking about the playground equipment.

I ended up making it because of a sudden petition, but I had already placed the order before leaving.

I’m not worried because they’re already technicians who have made several playground equipment, but it’s never bad to be careful.

‘Ah. Come to think of it, if I have a nephew or niece, I might have to make it for them.’

I don’t know when that will be.

Maybe I should make a children’s Viking ride at that time.

If it’s just for one or two small children, the size will be small and the weight will be light, so it doesn’t seem that dangerous….

While I was lost in thought, a familiar voice whispered to Cheonho.

“Keep a close eye on her. When the Ongju has that thoughtful look on her face, she’s usually thinking about some work to do.”

“But why does the Ongju keep creating new things to do?”

“How would I know?”

Saying that, Seong Gyeom Sabok shook his head. It would be rude if he did it anywhere else, but I let it go.

“Oh, when did Seong Gyeom Sabok come?”

“Didn’t the Ongju ask me to find out the news and let her know? Thanks to you, do you know how much I wandered around Gangwon-do in this cold? Everyone was so wary of me because I was a stranger they had never seen before.”

I had asked Seong Gyeom Sabok to find Jwasesa, who had disappeared from the village without a sound that day. Thanks to this, I hadn’t heard from him for a while, but seeing him return like this, I wondered if he had found a clue….

“Did you find him?”

“I couldn’t find him. I don’t know why he disappeared as if he was running away.”

“Did he commit a crime or something….”

Why is Jwasesa so desperately running away?

“Actually, I heard that we met him once when we were coming back.”

I said that and pointed to Cheonho.

“Huh?”

Seong Gyeom Sabok, who had worked hard to chase after him but couldn’t find him, looked at me and Cheonho alternately with a wronged look, but what could I do if we met by chance? We were traveling slowly because we had an injured person, and we deliberately set the route randomly.

Anyway, what is Yeon Jwasesa up to? Why is he avoiding us so much?

Even if he feels responsible for the death of Crown Prince Seongwon, to this extent….

‘Maybe he secretly embezzled Crown Prince Seongwon’s property?’

Perhaps the King or the Crown Prince knew something. Those two would know a lot about Crown Prince Seongwon’s belongings or property.

‘Even so, it’s too much.’

Even so, the merit of saving the Crown Prince’s life this time is not a common merit.

Even if he had made a mistake in the past, wouldn’t he be forgiven if it was reasonable?

Of course, if he embezzled Crown Prince Seongwon’s property, it wouldn’t be a normal matter, but if he saved the current Crown Prince, it seems like he could offset it to some extent.

Of course, we can’t help it if he doesn’t want to receive a reward.