Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 269

“The person in charge should report, shouldn’t they?”

The Royal Guard’s face looked weary enough to be begging for retirement, but the Crown Prince pretended not to notice.

“So, you discovered the list of those involved in the treason that day?”

“Yes. A *sabal* communication [a circular letter where participants write their names around the edge to conceal the instigator, often used for conspiracies] was found, and some of those accused of treason were included.”

As he spoke, the Royal Guard handed a transcribed copy to the Crown Prince via Eunuch Song.

The original, of course, had already been submitted through the initial reporters, but this was a precaution.

“Hmm. It matches the original I received.”

“You trusted me enough to send me, yet you’re still like this.”

“Why are you saying things you don’t mean?”

This concerned treason.

Even if it was suspected to be a framed treason, negligence was unacceptable.

“By the way, looking at these names, it seems they never do just one thing.”

It wasn’t surprising that someone involved in a previous treason was also involved in one several years prior.

There were likely more than a few would-be traitors whispering amongst themselves before disappearing.

While he didn’t actively suppress dissatisfaction or encourage accusations, the fact that several factions had aligned their intentions indicated an unacceptable level of unrest.

Importantly, Minister Kim Sun-ik’s name, which the Crown Prince sought to confirm, wasn’t on the list.

‘Of course, he could have joined later. But how likely is it that he was clearly accused of being the mastermind, yet his name wouldn’t appear here?’

Instead, the name of the person who had accused Kim Sun-ik was listed.

Betrayal among treasonous plotters was common, but this wasn’t necessarily a positive sign.

“However, why would these people risk keeping evidence of such an old matter until now?”

“Perhaps those who accused each other wanted to maintain leverage.”

Unlike the Royal Guard, who couldn’t easily identify individuals from so long ago, the Crown Prince seemed to perceive something deeper.

‘It must have bothered him quite a bit, even though it was a long time ago.’

The Royal Guard hid his expression, inwardly admiring the Crown Prince.

Showing such thoughts would be disrespectful.

‘He can’t help but feel uncomfortable about this.’

If it were Ongju, she would have simply grumbled and moved on.

Unlike the Royal Guard, who wanted to follow orders and leave quickly, the Crown Prince’s mind was filled with complexities.

‘This matter needs further investigation.’

But more important than the *sabal* communication were the letters found with it.

“Among the letters, there was content about training soldiers for the future. Do you have a detailed report on this?”

The Royal Guard knew what the Crown Prince meant.

From the moment he found it, he anticipated trouble.

In fact, the *sabal* communication wasn’t the first thing he discovered.

The letters the Crown Prince held were what they’d found initially.

‘These are letters.’

‘With this… there seems to be enough evidence of treason.’

After confirming the unusual content, everyone felt relieved that the trip to Gangwon-do hadn’t been in vain.

‘Now that we’ve found something important, let’s move quickly before others notice.’

‘No, wait a moment.’

The Royal Guard stopped his colleagues.

‘Why are you doing this?’

‘Here, it seems like there’s something… hidden.’

‘Aren’t you being too sensitive?’

‘For people like us, it’s better to be sensitive.’

‘That’s true, but.’

It was hard to explain, but something felt different to the touch.

He had the area guarded again and tore down the wall behind the letters.

‘It’s out.’

‘Really? Is it treasure? If it’s valuable, let’s secretly divide it.’

‘Keep dreaming. This is just paper too. Paper that will kill and save many lives.’

The *sabal* communication was behind the wall.

He wondered if they had repeatedly wallpapered the area, so he tore down other places, but found nothing else.

Of course, what they already had was enough, but its contents meant their work didn’t end there.

“Wasn’t the training of soldiers also thwarted when the treason was discovered back then?”

It had been several years, so it was a reasonable assumption.

But the Royal Guard shook his head.

“The letters aren’t that old. Compared to the *sabal* communication, they don’t seem that old. It seems like they were exchanged by the guys caught for treason last time.”

“Those guys were raising soldiers too…?”

If it wasn’t a civil revolt, and it wasn’t about persuading someone with military power to participate in treason, then raising soldiers for treason was very troublesome.

Finding people, training them, and providing resources were all problems.

Moreover, avoiding detection was an even bigger problem.

“So, I went directly to the nearby areas, or areas inferred from the letters, to secretly inquire, which delayed my return.”

“But I heard there were results.”

“Yes. Unfortunately, not right near there, but while inquiring with residents near the area we went to, we heard stories of people witnessing soldiers training in the mountains.”

“They didn’t report it?”

“How could they, out of fear? Some even said it was good because the metallic sounds from training scared away wild animals.”

“Chasing away wild animals with metallic sounds, huh….”

“Isn’t that what they do on purpose when hunting?”

He probably knew what the Crown Prince was thinking—the tiger that entered the palace.

Even with artificial manipulation, the tiger’s appearance in the palace was likely a coincidence, but that didn’t mean there was no fault.

“However, they suddenly disappeared one day, and no one knows where they went.”

“It wouldn’t have been easy for an outsider to find out. You managed to find that out.”

At the Crown Prince’s words of admiration, the Royal Guard shook his head.

“At first, they were wary and wouldn’t talk to me… But they found out I was from Siyoungwon [a charitable organization], and their attitude softened.”

“The Royal Guard was from Siyoungwon?”

Not a public official?

The Royal Guard, noticing the Crown Prince’s question, explained, “Ongju told me to stop by the Siyoungwon branch for lodging and meals if I went to another province, so I stayed there. Many people knew me from when I served Ongju, so they assumed I was from Siyoungwon.”

“Isn’t that too noticeable?”

“Outsiders are noticeable anyway, and travelers often rely on Siyoungwon.”

It was a lodging place where safety and food quality were more guaranteed than other places.

Besides, there were many things to see around, so many people didn’t want to pass it by.

“Thanks to the people of Siyoungwon gaining the hearts of the people in the neighborhood, they vaguely said that I wasn’t doing strange things but working for Ongju, so they let their guard down and told me everything.”

Officials working under the Crown Prince were scary, but people working for the owner of Siyoungwon, who fed the children, were not.

“Did Ongju distribute more food again?”

“She believes no one should starve where Siyoungwon is located, but it wasn’t just that.”

“Another reason?”

“Ongju worried that those who went to local branches might get sick or injured, so she ensured a doctor was stationed at each branch. The doctors at Siyoungwon are employed and paid, so they try to accept as many patients as possible.”

“Sia is… no. Keep talking.”

The Crown Prince, unaware of this, looked conflicted.

“Moreover, for illnesses other doctors can’t cure, they contact Siyoungwon doctors in Seoul or other regions to find out how to cure them. After experiencing such things, everyone is friendly to those who work at Siyoungwon.”

He heard there were negative opinions about Ongju sending Siyoungwon teachers to teach children to write, saying she was giving them vain dreams.

But seeing her save dying people, few dared to speak badly.

The Royal Guard’s information came from a villager whose son’s life was saved by a Siyoungwon doctor.

“Ah, I heard the communication network improved by selling newspapers, but they’re using it like that.”

“Yes. Depending on the region, they send reports almost daily.”

It seemed distant for commoners, but letters were exchanged between Siyoungwon branches, increasing the number of people sending letters to acquaintances through Siyoungwon.

It was slow between regions not on the path to Seoul, but the network wasn’t created for rapid information exchange, so that would take time.

The Crown Prince was interested but asked something important.

“It’s good that information gathering is easier thanks to Siyoungwon, but was it still impossible to find out where the missing soldiers went?”