Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 310

“So, you’re deliberately walking into a death trap?”

“……You’re quite sharp.”

“Brother doesn’t have to go this far… Father and the Crown Prince aren’t that incompetent.”

Sungwon, the former Crown Prince, smiled as if pleased by my words.

“Yes, perhaps.”

But he didn’t change his mind.

“Even so, I was once the foundation of this nation. There are things I must settle with my own hands. Please understand.”

After saying that, Sungwon sighed as if in pain and continued.

“Their greed won’t stop until they die. As their blood relative and former master, I hope they won’t commit any more sins.”

“Even though it’s not Brother’s fault?”

“From the perspective of those who are caught up in this innocently, I am also a sinner.”

“Brother!”

“Don’t worry. You’re a smart child, so you already know. Even if I’m captured, Father won’t kill me.”

“But.”

“It’s just that I feel guilty for being unfilial until the very end.”

“Even if you don’t die, you might be exiled far away and confined until you die?”

At my words, Sungwon stroked my head silently for a moment.

“……Over the past ten years, I’ve traveled all over the Eight Provinces of Joseon [historical administrative divisions of Korea]. As the Crown Prince, I vaguely thought of it as the country I would one day rule, but it was the first time I saw it with my own eyes.”

There was a sense of longing in his eyes as he said that.

It was clear that the past ten years, neither as the Grandson nor as the Crown Prince, had brought him peace.

“It’s better for me to suffer in exile. That’s my conclusion after touring Joseon and its people for ten years.”

“What conclusion…….”

“Right. I’ve never been to Jeju Island, so being exiled there wouldn’t be so bad.”

“I heard there are endemic diseases there.”

“Ah, dear.”

Sungwon smiled awkwardly at my words.

It was a light voice, as if making plans to go on a trip, but the content was by no means light.

“So, I have one last request for you, Sia.”

“What is it?”

I asked, puzzled, as there was no sign of him asking for anything.

Sungwon whispered to me in a small voice, as if someone might be eavesdropping.

“In the cabinet of that room where you were almost locked up… there should be a signed list of those participating in this rebellion.”

“What……?”

“I thought that even if you didn’t come here on purpose, you might visit this place at least once out of anger, so I left it there.”

Hearing those words, I realized that there was another intention behind trying to lock me up earlier.

He probably thought that instead of waiting quietly, I would search for something and find it.

“You probably know what this means, right?”

“……Brother’s name isn’t on it, is it?”

“Haha. As you know, my name is too difficult to use because of the avoidance taboo (避諱: the custom of avoiding writing the king’s name. Because of this, the names of princes were usually made up of rare Chinese characters or newly created characters. In cases where someone unexpectedly becomes king from a collateral line, like Emperor Gojong, they sometimes changed their name because it was a common character).”

It meant that since everyone who needed to know already knew, there was no need to write it down.

Sungwon held my hand tightly and urged me.

“I knew it would be impossible to forcibly confine you, so I’m asking you this way. You can call someone, or… no, stay somewhere safe that I don’t know about, and then take it back.”

“Why are you trying so hard to get me to take refuge somewhere else?”

Sungwon sighed and gave a smile that I couldn’t tell if it was pleased or dumbfounded.

“It’s not just once or twice that you’ve interfered with what your uncle, no, those rebels, are doing.”

“I……?”

I heard similar words earlier, and although I had some idea, I couldn’t be sure.

“You may have been unlucky enough to get caught up in it, or you may have just been doing what you had to do, but originally, incompetent people always want to blame others for their mistakes, don’t they? They might take advantage of the chaos to vent their anger on you or the people around you, so you must never be seen by them.”

“Oh, then wouldn’t it be better to just stay inside the palace?”

At my words, Sungwon bit his lip.

“There’s a chance that things might go wrong… I’m just taking every precaution.”

“Even though you’ve already taken every precaution to make sure the rebellion fails?”

“……Yes. How did you know?”

“How could I not know when you left traces everywhere like that?”

Along with the letter Sungwon sent, there was another letter I received.

It was a letter from the Chakhogun [tiger hunters, a specialized military unit] who I often ran into at the arcade and who knew Chunho.

The letter contained a story about the suspicious behavior of hunters from the Chakhogun who had worked together in Hamgyeong Province, and a tip that they were moving troops under the pretext of tiger hunting and recruiting private soldiers.

The actions of the Chakhogun hunters were probably related to the tiger entering the palace, and moving troops under the pretext of tiger hunting seemed to be a ploy to lead troops across the borders of each region.

‘Was that the method used during the Gwanghaegun Injo coup [a historical event where King Injo overthrew King Gwanghaegun]?’

If it’s to catch a tiger, it’s easy to get permission to lead troops across the border into other areas.

With the news of a tiger jumping into the palace spreading, everyone’s vigilance against tigers has reached its peak, so it will be even easier.

The Chakhogun seemed to know this principle, and they wrote about the danger in the letter.

Through my private residence, to me.

And that wasn’t all.

Reports about the rebellion were also sent to the Crown Prince’s close aides through acquaintances from the Chakhogun, through acquaintances from the regions where they had previously worked, and through various routes.

These were naturally passed on to the Crown Prince.

As if someone had orchestrated it.

So that the Crown Prince could stop the rebellion.

“It’s Brother.”

It couldn’t be anyone else.

As if to prove my guess, the Crown Prince’s eyes, which were trying to maintain a blank expression, couldn’t hide his joy.

“The rebellion will definitely fail, and even if I don’t take that list, you’ll make sure the list of collaborators gets into the Crown Prince’s hands.”

“……Yes.”

At my words, Sungwon eventually smiled awkwardly as if he was in trouble.

“Now that you understand my intentions so well, I can die without regrets even if I get bitten by a tiger this time.”

“…….”

Thwack! Thwack!

“Ouch?”

I tried to bear it in consideration of the Crown Prince’s social standing, but this time I couldn’t bear it, so I swung my fist at his back.

If the Crown Prince’s subordinates heard our conversation, they would understand me.

“Sia, it hurts, Brother.”

“Everyone’s clothes are still thick these days, so it’s soft.”

“Haha. I guess this is what the rod of love is like. But who else did you hit besides this brother?”

“Another brother.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince must be suffering a lot.”

He was smiling brightly, so I wanted to hit him again, but I decided to refrain from ruining the atmosphere.

Even though Sungwon had planned the failure of the rebellion in various ways, he didn’t seem to have the certainty that it would necessarily go as he wanted.

‘Well, most of his people seem to be the ones here now.’

If it was because of loyalty to Sungwon, they wouldn’t have started a rebellion.

“The things you’re worried about won’t happen, so don’t worry.”

It sounded like he was saying he would blow himself up if something happened, so I felt uneasy.

“And can I ask you for one more thing?”

“What is it?”

Sungwon’s attitude was serious, so I asked seriously as well.

“The people here now are trustworthy people who have followed me since I was the Crown Prince. They heard the rumors that I was alive, or they heard someone’s call and came to find me. They may have had ambitions to succeed, but they never dared to dream of rebellion.”

Their faces all looked familiar, so it seemed my guess was correct.

“Please stay in a safe place with them. They’re just people who heard the news that I was alive and came to find me. They’re innocent, so please take care of them.”

“You’re still worrying about other people until the very end?”

“I was just happy to be able to meet you again and have this conversation.”

A gentle hand stroked my head.

“I was going to disappear as just a bad brother, but it seems that if you have a smart younger sibling, things don’t go as you please.”

“Brother.”

“I’m sorry to you, but I feel relieved that I can confide everything.”

The Crown Prince hugged me and whispered in a small voice.

“My cute, lovely, and proud siblings. I was really happy to have you.”

Because of Sungwon’s voice, which felt sincere, my eyes welled up, and I couldn’t hold onto Sungwon.

After Sungwon left, I asked Yeon Seon-oh, the Jwasesa (Left Military Secretary) who remained.

“Where did Brother go?”

“He probably went to the Grand Internal Prince. He’s the one who’s practically directing everything.”

“I’m worried.”

If the Grand Internal Prince thought of the Crown Prince as just his puppet, the information might not have been properly conveyed.

Of course, the Crown Prince had been acting as the Crown Prince for years before he disappeared, so he wouldn’t be easily taken advantage of.

“Jwasesa.”

“I’ve already left my official post, so why do you still call me that?”

Yeon Seon-oh bowed his head humbly. He probably wanted to follow the Crown Prince, but seeing him stay by my side, he was truly a loyal subject.

Well, that’s why he’s still serving the Crown Prince who ran away from home.

“What does it matter? It’s not like His Highness the Crown Prince’s Jwasesa is in front of me right now. So, what do you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you really think we have to go this far? Can’t we just report the Grand Internal Prince as a traitor?”

“How can a nephew accuse his uncle of being a rebel?”

“Ugh, really.”

Thinking about it, it wasn’t a matter of the laws of morality or ethics.

His affection for his mother, who passed away early, must have remained with his uncle, so he couldn’t easily ignore that.

So, isn’t that why he’s trying to take joint responsibility like that?

Perhaps feeling uneasy about my frustrated appearance, Yeon Seon-oh unexpectedly opened his mouth first.

“Perhaps His Highness the Crown Prince thinks he should take responsibility for his own carelessness.”

“Carelessness? What carelessness?”

“Wouldn’t the Grand Internal Prince’s ambition easily collapse if His Highness the Crown Prince’s existence disappeared?”

“I guess so. I suppose.”

Of course, even without Sungwon, a rebellion could have been plotted, but without any justification, it was highly likely that they would have just played king among themselves and ended up there.

“His Highness the Crown Prince was worried that things had gotten this big because his existence was discovered.”

“Come to think of it, Brother, how did you get caught?”

Judging by the way he talks, it seems like he was traveling around the country and having a good time.

“Well, His Highness the Crown Prince went to the hometown of the deceased Queen, and then…….”

“And then?”

“He left Hanyang [old name for Seoul], so he often forgot to cover his face, thinking it was okay, and then he was caught by a family member who said he had seen His Highness the Crown Prince’s noble face there once.”

“Ah…….”

The Crown Prince only lived in the palace, so he didn’t know the scarcity value of his face.

It’s a face that’s hard to forget.