Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 221

Born as the Daughter of a Lowly Concubine 221

No matter how I think about it, this job really does make me worry about my blood pressure.

The Crown Prince sighed, put the letter down, and lamented.

“Why do these kinds of guys never disappear?”

“Well, they worked hard to get into office, so they want to be treated accordingly and get their money’s worth, right? It’s that vulgar mindset that they suffered to get to where they are, so they need to be compensated by lording over others.”

“You’re always so harsh. Why is a child like you so… Haven’t you been spending too much time outside lately?”

Is he trying to say I picked up bad habits from playing outside? But…

“I was supposed to be out living on my own by now, though.”

“Alright, I won’t mention you going outside. I just won’t.”

“No, what did I even say…”

Whether I said something or not, the Crown Prince only said what he wanted to say.

“Ugh, I don’t know how I should let you marry.”

“That’s why I’m saying don’t let me marry and just let me leave the palace!”

“Don’t say such things. How can I send you away alone when I’m worried?”

“No, isn’t it weirder not to worry if I go out with a complete stranger…?”

“…That’s true too. Since you have to find a *fuma* [the husband of a princess] younger than you to marry anyway, I wonder if a young *fuma* can handle you…”

Muttering to himself, the Crown Prince made a sullen face.

“No, I don’t particularly want to get married. And to be honest, isn’t my brother’s marriage more urgent and pressing than mine?”

“…Didn’t you say you’d welcome the Crown Princess when you get better?”

“Ah, yes. So, is that next year? Or the year after?”

Did you come to an agreement with Se-hwa? Don’t tell me you’re just going to have a sweet and sour romance?

As I asked teasingly, the Crown Prince avoided my gaze with a pout.

Ugh. I’m holding back because you’re still in your 20s.

If he weren’t the Crown Prince, I’d smack him on the back.

“I’ll take care of it myself, so don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll take care of myself too, so don’t worry about me and just let me leave the palace.”

“No.”

“Yes!”

The Crown Prince pressed my forehead, which was now a little higher than before, with his hand like a *sotttukkeong* [a large pot lid, implying a heavy hand], repeating ‘No, no.’

That’s how we were having a friendly conversation as siblings for the first time in a while.

Mun Sang-gung’s voice was heard from outside.

“Your Highness, the Princess. Physician Se-hwa has arrived.”

“!”

I answered without delay.

“Let her in.”

“No, wait…!”

The Crown Prince tried to stop me, but it was already too late.

Se-hwa, who came in as the door opened, bit her lip tightly at the sight of our friendly siblings.

The faces of Mun Sang-gung and the other court ladies who were briefly seen when Se-hwa entered were also generally similar.

Living a life with many attendants around you makes you get used to these things.

“Welcome, Se-hwa!”

“…Princess. Are you alright? Your hair is all messed up.”

As Se-hwa came closer and sat down, I sneaked closer and stuck to Se-hwa.

Se-hwa seemed a little surprised by my informal behavior, but I guess it can’t be helped, status is everything.

‘Hmm. Se-hwa has some breasts…’

It’s okay. My face value is still that of a young girl in the lower grades of elementary school at best.

There was no ethical problem.

…Probably.

“You see, Se-hwa? My brother is bullying me?”

“Oh my, how could His Highness bully such a lovely younger sister?”

“…Ahem. Bullying? Who bullied who?”

Whether the Crown Prince made a sullen face or not, I smiled while clinging to Se-hwa.

‘Why, are you jealous? Are you jealous?’

‘Stop it?’

Siblings who have spent a long time together can argue with just their eyes.

“I smell medicine from Se-hwa.”

“Because she’s a physician.”

Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve been hugged by an adult woman.

I felt comfortable and was about to leave my body to her when Se-hwa seemed to come to her senses after a while and stiffened her body.

“Princess. You need to have your pulse taken. I heard you’re busy today.”

“Yeah. Se-hwa is busy today too, right? I thought it would be nice to finish taking my brother’s pulse and mine at once.”

While I was busy with my business, Se-hwa was steadily building her career.

There were always sick women among the families of the ministers and relatives, and everyone wanted to have their pulse taken by Se-hwa, who had cured the Princess’s incurable disease, so the King occasionally ordered Se-hwa to make house calls.

Naturally, Se-hwa gained fame by treating patients whose illnesses other doctors couldn’t even diagnose.

‘I wish you hadn’t said the same thing until I was completely healed…’

I can’t stop her because she must have something in mind.

“Aren’t you overdoing it these days?”

“How can I overdo it when His Highness and the Princess are so healthy?”

It meant that she would be fine as long as her top priority patients, me and the Crown Prince, were not sick.

Well, house calls aren’t frequent, so she wouldn’t overdo it.

‘I’ve written a lot of stockpiled novels, so I think I can start serializing them as is.’

Listening to her talk before, it seemed like she had already almost finished the main story.

If it’s popular, I want to increase the amount a bit, but should I just ask her to write a side story later if possible?

I left the herbal medicine for me to the court ladies in our residence, and Se-hwa started by taking the Crown Prince’s pulse.

I could see the Crown Prince losing his mind as Se-hwa sat next to him.

“…”

“…”

“Why are you looking so much?”

As I stared blankly at Se-hwa holding the Crown Prince’s wrist, the Crown Prince spat out sullenly.

“Brother. Your pulse gets faster when you’re excited. Calm down.”

“…I am in an indescribably calm state.”

“…Your Highness. Your pulse is getting faster…”

“…”

At Se-hwa’s words, the Crown Prince shut his mouth again.

“Why are you so excited when your younger sister is in front of you too.”

“…!”

“…Your Highness.”

In the end, Se-hwa couldn’t hold back her laughter and turned her head.

After a while, Se-hwa somehow finished taking the Crown Prince’s pulse and took mine.

“The Princess is always so calm.”

“I know, right? My brother should learn from her.”

“…”

“Look, look. He’s glaring at his young sister.”

“Ahem. When did I glare at you?”

After finishing the pulse taking and talking a little about health, Se-hwa added with a bright face before leaving.

“I like it best when His Highness and the Princess are together like this.”

“I hear that a lot.”

Then she called Se-hwa and whispered in her ear in a small voice.

“?”

“But if you hear those words, His Highness might get sulky.”

Se-hwa, who opened her eyes wide, soon left a bright smile for the Crown Prince and stepped back.

After Se-hwa left, we were quietly eating tea and snacks for a while, and then we opened our mouths again when the outside became quiet.

It’s not that I don’t trust Se-hwa, but it was difficult to trust even the other female doctors or medical women who assisted Se-hwa.

“Let’s continue the conversation from before.”

“Alright.”

In fact, we would usually share snacks and chat in the Gyujanggak [Royal Library], but we were being careful not to expose ourselves to others regarding Si-yeongwon [a special government office] and the dispatch of royal inspectors, so we were meeting separately in the Donggungjeon [Crown Prince’s residence] to convey the information.

It’s not that I don’t trust the Gaksin [scholars] of the Gyujanggak, who can be said to be the Crown Prince’s close aides, but if you convey the information in an exposed place, the story will leak out.

In that respect, the Donggungjeon was a very closed place, and the people who came and went could be controlled, so it was suitable for having secret conversations.

Well, I don’t know what they do when they get their pulse taken by Se-hwa in such a closed place.

“Anyway, I can’t just trust the information coming through you and punish them, so I’m sending a royal inspector to check, but these rumors are never wrong, so it’s a pity.”

“No matter how good the reputation of the Si-yeongwon people who went to the provinces is, they are outsiders, so important information is alienated. But if it even reaches the ears of those Si-yeongwon children, it’s not just a rumor. Of course, I check to some extent before sending what you send me.”

“Does that mean he must be a terribly bad guy…”

I asked, looking at the muttering Crown Prince.

“Oh? Listening to you, it seems that the rumors about the magistrate of Wonju last time were true?”

“Well, in addition to what you told me, there are many things that come out as I dig into it, so the royal inspector has to investigate corruption and handle the accumulated administrative work, so it seems like he won’t be back for a while.”

“That’s rewarding in its own way.”

“Yeah. There’s a lot to do, so it must be rewarding.”

I asked what came to mind while listening to the story about the aftermath.

“Did they break into the government office with a *mapae* [royal decree牌] like the secret royal inspectors in the stories?”

The Crown Prince avoided answering with a subtle face.

“…Won’t you be contacted in detail about that soon?”

Looking at this, the kids might write a novel and upload it.

I smiled and asked the Crown Prince.

“By the way. Can I publish in the newspaper later that the secret royal inspector punished the corrupt officials?”

“Why do you need to get permission for such a thing? Just write it first.”

“Okay.”

Corrupt officials would probably read the newspaper, so it would be good for the people if they had a sense of caution.

Whether they are inherently bad or not, it is best to prevent people from being harmed by not doing bad things.

‘And in fact, even the corrupt officials seem to be watching while mentally *seungri*ing [triumphing], saying, ‘I’m not that bad, so it’s okay☆’ or ‘Those guys were caught stupidlyㅎㅎ’.’

I was smiling to myself while thinking about writing an article when the Crown Prince asked in a worried voice.

“But are the Si-yeongwon branches you made in the provinces okay? Since they were made in foreign countries and even forced the courtesans to join, some people seem to be looking at them with bad eyes.”

“Since it was made by a powerful person and it’s a useful facility in many ways, it’s not being ostracized. Everyone wants to ride the rides. Besides, they sell different kinds of food, and the performances are all new to everyone. It’s not just nobles who use it.”

“It’s a relief if it’s not going to fail. I don’t know if this is good or bad, but it’s unexpectedly useful to convey information in this way.”

“But I’m a little worried that they will be wary and oppress us when this fact is known later.”

“Didn’t you place the daughters of the Jongchin [royal relatives] there? Even if they find out that Si-yeongwon is an informant who reports information about corrupt officials to the top, they won’t dare to do anything easily.”

It meant that there wouldn’t be many bold criminals who would turn a matter that would end with *saktal gwanjik* [removal from office] into a death sentence.

‘That’s not why I placed them there… or is it?’

It seems like I’m going to defeat a different truth than I thought.

Anyway, it was good that the effort was helping.

“So give me some money.”

“…I think I’ve already given you quite a lot.”