Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 313

I was born as the daughter of a low-ranking concubine (313) [This likely refers to a previous chapter or footnote].

‘That ended more easily than I thought.’

I watched the situation resolve in an instant and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

There were a few who resisted, unaware of the circumstances, but the Crown Prince’s aides struck them down from behind first. As they panicked, the people I brought ambushed them from behind again. Those who had been struggling to clear the path were unable to put up much resistance and fell.

The subdued were tied up and moved aside, and I immediately checked on Grand Prince Seongwon.

“Jwasema [likely a term of respect or endearment], is my brother alright?”

“He is fine. I was worried because he held out for quite a while, but fortunately, the drug seems to be working well.”

“I’m glad he didn’t fall asleep on the horse.”

“Even then, I would have held on to him somehow, so please don’t worry.”

I don’t know why he sounded so confident, as if he had done it many times, but Yeon Seon-oh’s voice, betraying his lord for the first time, seemed full of relief.

‘He must have had a hard time.’

Indeed, he had fought tigers with his life to save him and taken care of him after his escape.

But now that this guy was saying he would walk into a death trap with his own feet, I honestly would have liked to hit him if he weren’t my lord.

‘He must have thought that they couldn’t stop him on their own, so I stepped in.’

No wonder he made a decision so quickly.

Yeon Seon-oh plopped the sleeping Grand Prince Seongwon onto the horse that Grand Prince Seongwon had originally been riding.

‘Is that okay?’

I shouldn’t be thinking this, as I often dozed off on horseback and horrified those around me.

“Um, should I just carry him?”

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho, who was next to me, said with a worried voice, probably thinking the same thing as me.

Since the distance wasn’t far, Yeon Seon-oh must have heard it, as he made excuses in a hurried voice.

“No, the ground is cold, so I’m just putting him there for a moment. I don’t intend to carry him like this.”

“Okay… do as you see fit.”

What more could I say to someone who gave his lord medicine to save him after serving him for over 10 years?

Instead, I told my kid.

“Cheon-ho, don’t learn things like that.”

“I’m not confident I can handle the aftermath.”

Cheon-ho nodded firmly in response.

“Hey? I can hear you.”

Talking nonsense, we hurriedly prepared to descend the mountain without any tension.

A palanquin [a covered litter carried on poles] was already waiting at the foot of the mountain to confine… no, to carry Grand Prince Seongwon.

It was best to hurry since the night air was still cold.

However, Yeon Seon-oh looked a little uneasy, contrary to his bold actions.

“But I really don’t know if this will be okay.”

“Now, the aftermath will be handled by people higher up than us.”

“To us humble folks, the Princess Consort is high enough.”

“Eh. My role is just this much. My brother’s role is up to here too.”

I smiled slyly as I said that.

“Maybe it’s because we were separated when I was too young. It seems my brother doesn’t know me very well.”

“…I think so.”

It would be a big mistake if he thought I would blindly believe and follow everything the Crown Prince said.

‘To act like someone about to die and hope I wouldn’t notice.’

In fact, it wasn’t strange to think that a princess who had grown up so preciously in the palace and was not even twenty years old wouldn’t know anything.

There was no way he could know that the core had lived 20 years longer in another world.

Considering Grand Prince Seongwon’s personality, situation, and other factors, I somehow knew that Grand Prince Seongwon was prepared to die.

‘Perhaps if things had proceeded as the Crown Prince had planned, it could have been a one-sided massacre by the government army, but either way, there would have been casualties.’

It was obvious what would happen to the rebels if the government forces, who knew the information in advance, attacked.

Of course, Yeon Seon-oh predicted that fact more accurately than I did.

The day after Grand Prince Seongwon’s plan to imprison me failed and I left, Yeon Seon-oh came to my private residence early in the morning to ask me to deliver a message.

It seemed they had discussed it among themselves all night and made up their minds.

As I had given them a heads up in advance, they immediately sent a message to me from my private residence, and I moved quickly as well.

‘I want to save His Highness the Grand Prince.’

‘I understand your feelings, but let’s correct the title right away.’

‘Please save our lord, the Princess Consort’s first older brother.’

The reason Grand Prince Seongwon could be called the Crown Prince was because he was a dead man.

Now, there was only one Crown Prince of Joseon [Korean Dynasty] alive in the world.

‘Is my brother thinking of dying?’

‘In my opinion… yes.’

‘Humans are so inept.’

You could just throw a complaint and run away to ruin the Grand Prince Consort.

If the goal was to thwart the things the Grand Prince Consort was doing, it was possible with just an accusation.

It was also possible to punish them firmly and silence those involved with Grand Prince Seongwon’s birth mother.

However, according to Yeon Seon-oh, the Crown Prince seemed to be ashamed of killing them and being the only one to survive.

At the same time, it could also give his younger brother, the current Crown Prince, a more stable position.

That meant Grand Prince Seongwon was an excessively conscientious person.

Well, if he were such a shameless person, he wouldn’t have been so popular.

‘I don’t want my brother to die either.’

‘!’

How many blood relatives did I have that I would let him die?

‘What’s your brother’s plan? To die together when the rebels are suppressed by the government army?’

‘Y-You’re being too blunt.’

‘I don’t have time to beat around the bush.’

It was a cruel plan for Grand Prince Seongwon… but I couldn’t say I didn’t understand his feelings.

‘To leave home and risk his life for his role as an older brother, a brother.’

‘Princess Consort.’

‘Isn’t that right? You’ve already given all the evidence of the rebellion, what more are you trying to feed him? Does the Crown Prince, who is already handling state affairs, still seem like a child?’

‘Yes….’

After discussing a few good timing points with Yeon Seon-oh to get Grand Prince Seongwon out, I returned to the palace to report the situation to the Crown Prince, match our stories, and lay the groundwork.

And unexpectedly, I ran into Seong Gyeom-sabok, whom I thought would take longer to return.

‘Princess Consort!’

‘Wow, you’re back already? You’re fast this time? Did you report to His Highness the Crown Prince?’

‘Yes. But where are you coming from at this hour, Princess Consort?’

‘Ah. There was something.’

The local branch went on a long-term business trip, and the headquarters is on the verge of war.

It was a tearful story, so I decided to take Seong Gyeom-sabok out after meeting with the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had a complicated expression after hearing my words but soon nodded.

‘…Is that what you’ve decided to do?’

‘Yeah. What do you think, brother?’

‘If it’s something you’ve decided to do, then do it.’

He gave me permission to help with anything needed.

The Crown Prince’s complexion wasn’t very good as he was still unable to escape from overwork due to the sudden flood of information about the rebels, so I felt a little sorry, but there was something I needed to confirm properly.

‘Then, what does His Highness the Crown Prince think?’

‘…Even as the Crown Prince, I have brotherly affection. Not for a brother who tries to kill me, but for us….’

The Crown Prince, who had paused for a moment, raised his head again and continued.

‘I know why he did such a thing. What’s wrong with trying to save such a person?’

‘It’s enough if His Highness the Crown Prince thinks so. Brotherly affection is important, but you must not forget that you are the Crown Prince.’

‘…You are truly strict, Princess.’

The Crown Prince, who had been stiff the whole time, smiled with a slightly relaxed face.

‘Seong Gyeom-sabok was here, did you get anything?’

‘Yes. And they also brought information about the rebellion.’

‘Ah, that could be.’

Cheon-ho’s uncle was also a chakhogun [a type of military unit], so he might have heard something while going to Hamgyeong-do this time.

Moving troops is noticeable, so rumors spread to some extent.

‘You must be tired from the long journey, so don’t torment him too much.’

I don’t think I’m the type to make people work like that.

But it was as the Crown Prince said.

The manpower I could use was so limited, and the matter of Grand Prince Seongwon’s survival was top secret, so I had to take only those I could trust.

So, after a suitable explanation, Seong Gyeom-sabok was forcibly joined the operation to capture Grand Prince Seongwon.

This had to be done secretly without anyone officially knowing, so former and current chetamins [likely a type of secret agent or guard] who were in Siyeongwon [likely a government agency or division] or who were contacted urgently, unofficially received the Crown Prince’s orders and escorted me.

First, I had Yeon Seon-oh convey that I had hidden in a safe place in a cooperative manner, and he told me when Grand Prince Seongwon was expected to move.

It was easy because they wouldn’t suspect if I said I was contacting another former Igiwisa [likely a military unit or guard] colleague who was protecting me.

I deliberately placed obstacles in the place where Grand Prince Seongwon was supposed to pass to buy time to meet and also to exhaust the soldiers who came with him.

Thanks to that, the task of getting Grand Prince Seongwon out ended smoothly, so all that was left was to catch the rebels.

Information came in at the level of receiving answer sheets in advance. This was also easily handled by the Crown Prince.

The site of private soldiers being trained before the revolt was also caught, and those listed on the signed petition I brought were all sent to the Uigeumbu [a high court or tribunal] for now.

It all happened so quickly that it felt unreal.

Usually, in historical dramas, when there’s a rebellion or treason, the military leads troops into the palace and has a bloody fight with the Geumwi army [royal guards], but in reality, many rebellions don’t even reach that stage.

‘If it had gone according to Grand Prince Seongwon’s plan, there might have been some of that action.’

If it were a historical drama, there would have to be a cool scene.

Conversely, if it were a novel or comic, the author would like the development that skips the labor-intensive scenes.

Since both the Crown Prince and I were pragmatic, we naturally chose the latter.

There was no intention of taking risks or increasing damage to show off the Crown Prince’s cool side.

Isn’t it better for reality to be less dramatic?

“…It’s not a real historical drama, so there’s no need for war scenes.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing.”

I shook my head at Cheon-ho, who was looking puzzled, and mumbled.

“But is it okay to keep ‘that person’ at the Princess Consort’s private residence?”

“There’s nowhere else to go.”

What would have happened if Father hadn’t made a private residence for me in advance?

For now, Grand Prince Seongwon and Yeon Seon-oh were staying at my private residence with the chetamins.

Grand Prince Seongwon was currently isolated from most of his close aides in case of an emergency, but he didn’t seem to show any signs of resistance.

Once the matter was over, I returned to the palace and delivered the news to reassure the Crown Prince, but he was currently unable to move.

Seong Gyeom-sabok and Cheon-ho’s uncle brought witnesses from Hamgyeong-do, so the Crown Prince had a lot to do.

‘Then I need to deliver this news to someone other than the Crown Prince….’

I had already sent a message in advance before going to see Grand Prince Seongwon today.

“Father.”

“Yes. Sia is here.”

It was the first time I had visited the main hall in a while.