Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 270

“Even if they accidentally witness something in the mountains, no one is reckless enough to chase after it dangerously. I don’t know what His Highness the Crown Prince thinks, but for the uneducated commoners, their own lives are more important.”

“Rebellions are usually plotted by those who claim to be educated. For the common people, a king they barely know exists is the best kind of king.”

Seeing the Crown Prince smile wryly, the Royal Guard Commander felt a little relieved.

“It seems they moved as quietly as possible to avoid being noticed.”

“Of course. But how did they gather such a force?”

At the Crown Prince’s words, the Royal Guard Commander relayed what he had heard.

“Isn’t it difficult to turn slaves into private soldiers? Although it has been blocked by royal decree recently, it was not uncommon for people to become slaves due to gambling debts. In a way, gathering people wouldn’t have been too difficult.”

“It hasn’t been that long since Princess Su-yeong blocked people from becoming slaves due to debt by royal decree, so it would have been possible if they were determined.”

“Yes. It’s not uncommon to incur debt during a famine or from gambling.”

“Slave trading, gambling… it feels similar to what Sia went through before.”

“……”

A moment of silence passed between the two men.

‘What on earth has she been up to?’

‘She should be one of the most cherished children in Joseon [historical Korean kingdom].’

Of course, there was an unpleasant incident in her childhood, but after that, she was truly raised with great care. Could there have been a problem?

The Crown Prince briefly pondered the methods of upbringing in the palace but decided to handle the more urgent matter first.

“I will investigate this matter separately through my own people.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

It was a natural course of action since it concerned a rebellion.

The existence of the private soldiers that the Royal Guard Commander had discovered was information that had not been captured when the rebels were rounded up last time.

Therefore, they had to find out if someone was planning something else with those soldiers.

‘Since those who plotted the rebellion together have all been caught, they must be lying low and waiting for their chance.’

However, nurturing and secretly hiding private soldiers required a considerable amount of wealth, so they would not be able to wait long.

“Your efforts are commendable.”

“It was just good fortune; how could it be our merit?”

The Royal Guard Commander’s words were accurate.

The Crown Prince also knew that his one and only younger sister had created the ‘fortune’ that the Royal Guard Commander was talking about, so he couldn’t help but feel a little strange.

‘Mostly, she doesn’t do things with deep thought or schemes. That child.’

Of course, having watched her grow up from a baby who couldn’t even crawl to shooting tigers with a bow, the Crown Prince’s one and only younger sister was, strangely enough, not an innocent child who didn’t know the ways of the world.

If necessary, she knew how to use her status or position to her advantage or to get back at someone who picked a fight with her.

But despite that, everything she did was for the sake of others, not for her own selfish desires.

He couldn’t help but admire that.

‘The children have nowhere to sleep?’

‘Then let’s give them homes!’

‘People are hungry?’

‘Then let’s give them food!’

‘People are having trouble because they don’t know how to read?’

‘Then let’s teach them to read!’

‘There are sick people who need treatment, but there are no doctors?’

‘Then let’s increase the number of doctors!’

‘What? There are no female doctors?’

‘Let’s train them!’

Wasn’t it almost always like this?

When you listed the things that Princess Su-yeong had done, they were all so obvious, yet none of them were easy to accomplish.

‘In fact, these are things that I, as the Crown Prince, should be doing, but I couldn’t do them.’

Then shouldn’t he do the things that Sia couldn’t do?

‘The rebels seem to dislike me touching the slave system.’

If he rooted them out this time, wouldn’t things be easier in the future?

So, first, he had to catch the remaining rebels.

And…….

“You have done a great job, but I’m sorry to say that there is a problem that cannot be solved with just this.”

“Are you perhaps referring to the matter of Minister Kim Seon-ik?”

Wasn’t Minister Kim Seon-ik the original cause of this whole thing?

If he was being falsely accused of treason, then they had to clear his name this time.

“That’s right. What you found could be one piece of evidence, but it is not enough to prove definitively that he did not participate in the rebellion. Therefore, we will have to reinvestigate the Northern Army Garrison in Hamgyeong Province, where Minister Kim Seon-ik was stationed at the time.”

As the Crown Prince said that and stared intently at the Royal Guard Commander, the Royal Guard Commander, realizing his unfortunate future, quietly shuddered.

“Surely, you are not telling me, who has just returned, to leave again, are you?”

“Hmm……”

At the Royal Guard Commander’s words, the Crown Prince subtly avoided his gaze.

Moreover, the area being mentioned now was Hamgyeong Province.

North of Gangwon Province.

It wasn’t like he had just passed the military examination and was being forcibly dispatched, and even in this season when it was still snowing?

‘Even to me, who said I was going to retire?’

He had to resign! He absolutely had to resign.

“There are so many talented people around Your Highness the Crown Prince, why would you entrust such an important task to me again? I must have been overthinking things.”

“……Ahem.”

“I clearly stated that I would retire after this mission, didn’t I?”

“……Cough, ahem.”

Even in a bureaucratic society where you had to do whatever you were told, it was difficult to hold onto someone who was submitting their resignation.

And it was also difficult to refuse when His Highness the Crown Prince was asking you to do something.

“No, really, do I have to go again?”

“No, come on. There’s no one as capable as you.”

The Crown Prince also knew why his father had held onto the Royal Guard Commander, who had wanted to leave a long time ago.

It was easier for superiors to keep talented people from running away.

So, you needed the right skills to manage people.

“Don’t be like that. The day Minister Kim Seon-ik’s family was arrested for treason, the Princess actually saw them being chased. She was very young, but the fact that she still remembers it means she must have been greatly shocked at the time.”

“……”

He didn’t know the exact reason, but since he knew that the Royal Guard Commander followed Princess Su-yeong, there was no reason not to use it.

‘Does he perhaps have a lost younger sister or daughter?’

He didn’t have a hobby of poking at other people’s wounds, so he wouldn’t ask, but the Crown Prince roughly thought so.

He felt sorry for making the Royal Guard Commander work, but it was true that Princess Su-yeong was concerned about the matter, so he didn’t feel too guilty.

‘The day Princess met me for the first time was the day Minister Kim Seon-ik’s treason was revealed.’

He hadn’t heard the details, but perhaps she had witnessed something scary that day.

His heart felt heavy when he thought of the young child who had been wandering alone on horseback on a dark night.

‘She was even almost scammed out of her money by some strange guys that day.’

Of course, knowing Princess’s personality to some extent now, if he looked at it objectively, there was a greater chance that she would have run them over with her horse, but that didn’t mean that the young child wasn’t scared that day. Just because someone’s actions were bold and aggressive didn’t mean they didn’t feel fear.

The Royal Guard Commander couldn’t continue to refuse when the Crown Prince even brought up Princess Su-yeong.

In fact, the Royal Guard Commander didn’t dislike the Crown Prince for not acting coercively just because he was in a position of power.

“I’m getting old now, so the cold season is a bit tough for me.”

“Isn’t it spring now? It’s an unnecessary worry.”

The Crown Prince smiled brightly at the words of tacit consent.

“The Lunar New Year and the Start of Spring have passed, and now only warmer days remain.”

“……Yes. I hope so.”

Even if it was spring, it would be cold if he went to the Northern Army Garrison…….

The Royal Guard Commander felt sad.

Of course, when he recalled the memories of surviving all sorts of hardships in his youth, this was nothing, but honestly, he wanted to live a more comfortable life now.

“I will take my leave now.”

“Alright, I will call you again when the personnel are decided. You must be tired from your hard work, so take a rest for a while.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince smiled and sent the Royal Guard Commander away.

“Sigh, resignation failed…….”

Resignation was impossible without permission.

Of course, it would be nice to just abandon everything and run away, but it didn’t seem like they would let someone like him, who knew so much, go so easily.

‘Above all, I can’t see Princess.’

He could see how much she had grown while he was away in Gangwon Province, and it made him feel so proud.

When he looked at her bright smiling face, it reminded him of a familiar face, and old memories would come flooding back.

‘She must be happy.’

She looked happy now, but shouldn’t she always be smiling in the future?

She had truly grown up so much during that time, so it was only a matter of time before she got married.

His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince clearly cherished Princess, but what if her husband was not a good man and Princess suffered?

Without him knowing!

‘If there was a guy who dared to forget his place and look at other women, I would secretly break his legs so he couldn’t go out…….’

As the Royal Guard Commander was setting up a crime plan, making use of his aptitude, imagining a future that hadn’t even happened yet, he saw a familiar face.

“Hmm? Cheon-ho? Is that Cheon-ho?”

“Oh? When did you return?”

Cheon-ho was covered in sweat even though the weather was still cold, which meant he hadn’t been neglecting his training while he was away.

‘This guy is in the Royal Guard, so could it be…….’

The Royal Guard Commander had heard rumors that Cheon-ho had caught a tiger with the Royal Guards.

For some reason, his name hadn’t spread, but the fact that the Princess’s guard had caught a tiger had been published in the newspaper.

Still, he had to confirm this with the person himself.

“I heard you caught a tiger, is it true?”

“Yes. Well…… I didn’t catch it alone, but it’s true.”

“Tell me about it in detail.”

“Haha…….”

Cheon-ho, who had to repeat the same repertoire to the point of being sick of it because everyone he knew asked him the same thing, looked tired, but he explained what happened at the time to the Royal Guard Commander, whom he was seeing after a long time, with a somewhat welcoming face.