Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 325

“Are you saying that what the Crown Princess can do is different from what a court physician in the Royal Clinic can do?”

“Yes. Don’t you feel that way, Se-hwa?”

“Well, yes.”

Working in the field is important, but you can accomplish more when you rise in rank.

‘Either way, working in the Royal Clinic will distance me from direct patient care.’

Ultimately, you end up primarily examining high-ranking officials.

Of course, there are endless tasks, including the medical book compilation I’m currently involved in.

“Originally, the position of Crown Princess wasn’t like that, but things are a bit chaotic these days, right? Have you ever considered that we could place the entire medical operation under the jurisdiction of the Crown Princess and the Queen?”

“That’s……!”

Of course, in the event of an epidemic, one would naturally follow the instructions of other officials.

Se-hwa was aware that the Queen had become involved in the affairs of the Royal Clinic as the number of female doctors increased, but she probably hadn’t truly felt the impact.

‘Because Her Majesty the Queen entrusts a lot of work to me and isn’t someone who creates problems.’

She moves so cautiously that it seems a bit frustrating, but in a way, it can be said that the Crown Prince owes his life to her.

“But without someone sufficiently motivated, there’s a high possibility that it will all fade away over time. The increase in the number of female doctors is also something that might not last long if someone with power doesn’t actively protect it.”

Saying that, I watched Se-hwa’s expression.

“Right now, Her Majesty the Queen isn’t very active in such matters, so she’s entrusting some work to me, right? I’m also busy, and since I’m someone who will leave someday, I don’t want to get too involved.”

“Princess Consort.”

“No matter how you look at it, it’s not something I can handle forever, right? If the Crown Princess arrives, I’ll naturally hand it over.”

“Yes……”

Depending on the next Crown Princess’s character, the current policies could be maintained or abandoned.

“No matter how much I try to help, if the Crown Princess strongly opposes it, what power would I, a mere Princess Consort, have in the palace?”

It’s not like I’ve been building up my own power base.

Se-hwa’s face grew more complicated, as if she realized what I was trying to convey.

I gently coaxed her to encourage her.

“As the Crown Princess, you’ll be able to do things that the Queen can’t. If it’s Se-hwa, who knows more about medicine and what the medical bureau needs than anyone else, you’ll be able to accomplish more if you get permission from His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“……”

“Of course, I don’t think the two of them will refuse, because Se-hwa has built up trust over the years. It’s also possible to spread and teach new medical techniques more widely. No matter how outstanding you are, there’s no way around the fact that as the Crown Princess, you can do more and save more people than Se-hwa, an ordinary doctor.”

“……”

“Se-hwa is smart, so you know what I’m talking about.”

“……Yes.”

Even if Se-hwa becomes the Crown Princess, it will be quite difficult for a while. There may be people who look down on her because of her background.

But no matter what anyone says, if she becomes the Crown Princess, she will be the second most noble woman in Joseon [historical Korean kingdom]. Who would dare ignore her words?

Besides, although cleanliness and hygiene have already spread a lot because of me, if they are made into a kind of trend, they will spread on their own without being told to do so, so there is no one more suitable than the Crown Princess.

Still, I threw one more bait to Se-hwa, who still seemed to have some concerns.

“And Se-hwa knows, right? That there are many girls studying at Si-yeongwon [private educational institution].”

“Yes, I know.”

“No matter how talented those children are, they can’t enter government service. Don’t you think it’s unfair?”

“……Currently, only doctors can take the exam and enter government service.”

There were many complaints, but thanks to Se-hwa and Seong-ji’s efforts, everyone was properly entering government service, even if their rank was low.

There might be problems, but those were things that had to be changed.

“But as you know, medicine is a field that requires a certain aptitude. Even if you’re smart, if your eyes or hands are clumsy, you can’t even place a needle. And some people have weak stomachs.”

“Yes.”

“But if we suddenly say that we’re going to bring women into other government positions, there will be a lot of opposition. So, there was something that my brother and I had been talking about for a while… what do you think it is?”

“……Could it be female historians?”

I nodded.

The radical, principle-based argument that female historians should be placed in the inner palace, where men cannot freely enter, had been made before.

Of course, it wouldn’t be pleasant to think about being monitored even in your private life.

The Crown Prince also gets annoyed sometimes.

“But if the Queen or the Crown Princess who His Highness will marry vehemently oppose it, the ministers will have a good excuse to oppose it as well. Don’t you think so?”

“!”

Se-hwa’s hand trembled. Then, she frowned and seemed to think for a moment before clenching her fist and opening her mouth.

“……If I become involved in the affairs of the medical bureau, it would be right to keep records of it.”

“Right?”

Seeing Se-hwa filling in the logic for bringing in female historians on her own, it was as good as her having already agreed.

‘Oh dear, the Crown Prince doesn’t even know that the table is all set.’

Even though he knows that Se-hwa is someone who has proven herself to be no less capable than men just because she is a woman.

He didn’t even connect the fact that Se-hwa would actively step forward if there was something that would pave the way for other women.

He doesn’t think that Se-hwa would be happy to create a way for women to take the civil service exam.

‘Well, it might be too radical of a way of thinking.’

It would be a problem if the way of thinking of a modern person living in a democratic society was the same as that of other people in the same era as the novel’s protagonist.

“No matter how I think about it, it seems like this is something only Se-hwa can do, what do you think, Se-hwa?”

“……”

In that way, Se-hwa ended up rolling into the position of Crown Princess with the opportunity to take charge of the country’s health and welfare and the opportunity to bring in female historians as bait.

‘If I’m not careful, the people who become Crown Princess in the future might have to study medicine even harder.’

But wouldn’t it be better to have a definite job of your own than to live being nagged by your in-laws?

In fact, it seems that doing work rather than spending time idly would be helpful in maintaining a healthy mind for the concubines as well.

‘Surely there won’t be anyone who says that we should bring in concubines because it’s hard to work later…… The work can be distributed to the medical staff and palace maids to some extent.’

Of course, it would be nice if we could separate it later…… but for now, it seemed right for Se-hwa to handle it.

“But is Princess Consort really alright with this?”

“With what?”

“With me…… becoming the Crown Princess, I mean.”

If Se-hwa becomes the Crown Princess, it means that she will not only become my new sister-in-law, but also my superior.

‘My power ranking goes down by one.’

But now is not the time to worry about that! It’s normal for my power ranking to go down several more levels!

Nephew! Let’s see my nephew!

I desperately wanted to rush forward, but I calmly replied.

“It’s okay. And there’s one more important thing to talk about.”

“What is it?”

“Are you going to tell my brother about you…… writing a novel?”

“!”

Se-hwa’s face, which had been calm all along, flushed red.

***

‘Well, let’s think about that matter later.’

It seemed that she was embarrassed to reveal that she had written a story based on the Crown Prince.

In fact, it’s a novel I commissioned, so I can just take the blame. There was also a purpose.

Anyway, it was a good thing that Se-hwa had made up her mind to become the Crown Princess.

“I apologize for causing you concern.”

“It’s okay as long as you’ve made up your mind.”

I desperately wanted to quickly convey this happy news to Her Majesty the Queen in the palace, but there were things that had to be decided first, so people who knew the situation gathered together.

“So, what are we going to do about the wedding?”

“Ah, that’s……”

Since she still hasn’t told me about Se-hwa’s identity, the story became a bit troublesome.

Actually, I heard it from Crown Prince Seong-won, but these people probably don’t know.

Concubines are one thing, but the Crown Princess is chosen from the daughters of proper noble families.

“Well, there are other ways.”

“What ways?”

“Originally, my brother was going to form a marriage alliance with Lord Kim Seon-ik, right?”

“Yes.”

“He also feels sorry for Lord Kim Seon-ik, who passed away unfairly…… How about making her the Crown Princess as an adopted daughter of that family?”

Those who had been quietly listening to the conversation and drinking tea showed a violent reaction to my words.

“Ptooey.”

“Cough.”

In contrast to the Crown Prince and Cheon-ho, who were making strange noises next to me, Se-hwa’s face brightened.

However, she soon frowned as if she had thought of a problem.

“But what if someone falsely claims to be Lord Kim Seon-ik’s child?”

We have to find her younger brother, but it would be troublesome if someone impersonated Ji-hwa or Su-cheon.

There might be people who think that there will be some benefits if their stepsister is the Crown Princess.

Of course, there was no need to worry about that.

“It’s okay. Because Lord Kim Seon-ik’s son is here.”

“Yes?”

“What?”

Unlike the two people who were puzzled, Cheon-ho was at a loss and remained silent.

“……”

“Is…… is it true?”

Next to the trembling Se-hwa, the Crown Prince questioned me with an absurd look on his face.

“Wait, you, when, since when…….”

“I knew from the beginning.”

I decided to say that I knew from the beginning with Cheon-ho’s agreement. That way, there wouldn’t be any talk about me being deceived.

Also, Cheon-ho has been insisting on staying by my side instead of going to the Crown Prince, so I can avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

“And yesterday, I heard from my eldest brother that Se-hwa is Ji-hwa.”

“What?”

Whether the Crown Prince was flustered or not, Se-hwa’s gaze, which had been frozen for a moment, did not leave Cheon-ho.

“Cheon-ho is…… Su-cheon? Really? My, my brother Su-cheon? It’s, it’s me. I’m your sister Ji-hwa, Su-cheon!”

“Yes. Yes, Sister.”

As the tearful family reunion began, the Crown Prince and I carefully left the room, leaving the two of them alone.

We thought we would leave them alone for a while since they had a lot to talk about, so we moved to a place a little away from the room.

We couldn’t go far because it would be a problem if someone else came and heard the two people’s conversation, so the sound of their crying and voices could be heard faintly.

“I was worried, but I’m glad they met.”

“How did you…… recognize Su-cheon?”

“Uh. He recognized me. Besides, if he knew that I was a Princess Consort, well…….”

“Cheon-ho revealed it himself?”

“Yeah. I helped Cheon-ho escape back then…….”

“Well, I thought so.”

The Crown Prince seemed satisfied that Cheon-ho had not deceived him.

The sound of crying continued for a long time in the room, and after a while, the sound of slapping on the back could be heard.

“You’re not even preparing for the civil service exam!”

“Ugh! I’m sorry, Sister!”

“……”

“……”

Unlike before, the Crown Prince had a slightly serious look on his face when Cheon-ho’s scream mixed with exaggeration flowed out.

“I’m a little worried about when the child is born later.”

“I know you’re impatient, but you’re being too hasty, Brother.”

“……”

With Cheon-ho’s screams as background music, we continued our sibling conversation.

“And if he looks like my brother, you won’t have to worry about that.”

“I also grew up being hit by Mother?”

“My brother probably got hit because he didn’t listen when they told him not to study.”

“……”

Now that he knows why Her Majesty the Queen did that, the Crown Prince said nothing.

Looking silently at the sky, pink petals were flying in the wind in the blue sky.

“It’s a good day.”

“It is.”

The fastest wedding in history is about to take place, so rest as much as you can now.