Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 326

I’ve been in a good mood lately.

“This is also something the Crown Princess Consort must handle.”

“Ongju [Princess], must you really do this?”

Because all the troublesome tasks have been cleared away, and finally! The Crown Prince! Held his Royal Wedding!

‘The Queen even cried when the Crown Prince said he would hold the Royal Wedding.’

Her heart must have been through so much.

Now that the Crown Prince’s impotence rumor has finally disappeared, achieving the next goal was urgent.

It was said that she even strictly forbade the Crown Princess from coming to morning greetings.

I even heard that His Majesty the King asked not to call the Crown Prince in the mornings and evenings.

‘That must mean they want the Crown Prince and Crown Princess to spend even a little more time together.’

It was a request from the Queen, who never asks anything of His Majesty, so perhaps His Majesty couldn’t refuse, or perhaps he was also desperate for a Royal Grandson, but thanks to that, the relationship between the newlywed couple who had a love marriage was… well, I’ll skip the detailed explanation.

I smiled brightly and continued to take out the materials I had brought to explain.

“I already have so much to do that I can’t handle the matters of the Royal Infirmary anymore. I’m so glad that the Crown Princess Consort has come, and I can finally reduce my workload.”

“I now understand why Ongju has been pushing me to hold the Royal Wedding as soon as possible.”

“Hehe. Do you understand now?”

Sehwa grumbled, but she quickly familiarized herself with the things I handed over. Well, she knows more about the Royal Infirmary’s work since she has experience in the field, so there was nothing to worry about.

There were rumors that those who had mistreated Sehwa in the Royal Infirmary had submitted their resignations after Sehwa became the Crown Princess, but well… the Royal Infirmary’s physicians aren’t all fools, and everyone knew that the Crown Prince’s favor was absolute, so those who were going to quit had already quit a long time ago.

I heard that the remaining people were already trying to please Sehwa, so they were just surprised that she was the Crown Princess instead of a concubine, but nothing much had changed.

“Well, that’s the end of it.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

“From now on, it’s all the Crown Princess Consort’s work.”

I finally handed over all the related tasks I had been doing to Sehwa—no, to the Crown Princess—and smiled brightly.

“Now I can leave with peace of mind.”

“You speak as if you’re leaving the palace forever.”

“I want to leave for a bit, but I don’t know why everyone is holding onto me.”

I have my own house, but I can’t live in it, and I don’t know why.

And the person who built the house won’t let me leave, geez.

“Everyone says that the palace feels empty and lonely when Ongju isn’t here.”

“Anyone would think I’m running around the palace every day.”

I’ve been busy going out to play.

We had a friendly conversation and finished our chat appropriately.

I lightly bowed to Sehwa.

“This might be unnecessary worry, but please take good care of His Highness the Crown Prince while I’m gone.”

“Ongju’s smile is truly dazzling……”

“I don’t know. I’m going to Geumgangsan [Diamond Mountain] now.”

“Puhuhut.”

It was a strict palace, but the atmosphere was still permissive enough for me to act like a child. Sehwa seemed to feel a little more comfortable when she was with me.

“Please have a safe and healthy trip. I would like to tell you to take a good rest, but if Ongju isn’t here… I have too much to do.”

“Oh, come on, why are you like this when you’re so capable?”

Sehwa had a lot to learn as she became the Crown Princess, and now that she had taken over the Royal Infirmary’s work, she was truly blessed with work.

Besides, Sehwa was now in charge of compiling the medical books, both in terms of status and ability.

As I left the Crown Princess’s residence, I made eye contact with Court Lady Jo, who had a disappointed expression, and let out a sigh mixed with laughter.

As Sehwa became the Crown Princess, Soyi was promoted to the Crown Princess’s head lady-in-waiting at lightning speed, as they wanted to assign someone who could treat her comfortably and be trusted.

“Court Lady Jo. You’ve been promoted, but why does your face look so sullen?”

“This humble servant has suffered all sorts of hardships by Ongju’s side, but I don’t know why I can’t go to Geumgangsan.”

“You’ve suffered so much following me around, so rest comfortably in the palace.”

“This humble servant doesn’t know anything about that.”

I couldn’t bear to see her grumbling quietly, worried that the lower servants would hear, so I whispered softly.

“If you want to see the new book, be patient……”

“……”

One of the reasons why I had to assign Soyi to Sehwa was that Soyi was the only one among the palace maids who knew about Sehwa’s writing activities.

No one would say anything about the Crown Princess reading novels, but when she wanted to write novels to change her mood, she had to hide it, so she needed an accomplice, right?

‘I’ve been too busy to even think about a new book for a while.’

Perhaps Soyi had similar thoughts, as she also sighed softly and bowed to me.

I’m a little worried that she’s become too relaxed while living in our residence, but she’ll be fine in front of other people, right……?

‘If she can’t adapt, it’s possible to change her position after the Crown Princess raises a more trustworthy head lady-in-waiting.’

Whatever happens, it was a matter for the future.

I left the Crown Princess’s residence with light steps and headed to my next destination.

‘I hope to hear news of a nephew or niece when I return.’

Everyone must be putting pressure on them, so I’m keeping my mouth shut, but that’s still the best way to completely dispel the impotence rumor.

“Ongju.”

“Ah, Seongji.”

Seongji, who had initially intended to leave the Royal Infirmary after my treatment was over but was held back by me, naturally took over from Sehwa as Sehwa became the Crown Princess, and was in charge of the royal family, including Sehwa.

“Are you coming from the Queen’s residence?”

“Yes.”

“You must be very busy these days.”

“Yes. I never imagined it would turn out like this, though I had a hunch.”

Seongji was close friends with Sehwa, so she roughly knew what kind of relationship the Crown Prince and Sehwa had, but Seongji was worried that she would become a concubine as she was, so she shed tears of relief when she heard that Sehwa was actually from a noble family and would become the Crown Princess instead of a concubine.

‘I don’t have to worry because there’s a friend like this in the palace.’

She was someone I could trust in terms of both skill and character. I heard that everyone in the Royal Infirmary was relieved to have Seongji even after Sehwa left.

“The Queen is waiting for Ongju. Please go in quickly.”

“Okay. Thank you for your hard work.”

Her Majesty the Queen was weak, but her condition had been quite good lately. Her complexion had brightened as if the burden on her heart had disappeared just from marrying off her troublesome son, so the Crown Prince was indeed an unfilial son.

“I called you because I wanted to see your face before you leave soon.”

“I’ll be back soon. But if you want to see my face, isn’t it my duty to show it to you as much as you want?”

I said that and cheerfully wiggled my way to the Queen.

“Hehe. I don’t know how I’ll get by without Ongju.”

“You’ll completely forget about my face when the Royal Grandson or Princess is born.”

“Oh my, are you teasing this old woman? Well, I don’t know how happy I’ll be to see a newborn baby after a long time.”

After having a moderately pleasant conversation, I waited for the right timing and asked what I was curious about.

“Did the Queen… perhaps know about the things that the former Queen Seonghyeon’s palace maids or Royal Concubine Yeongbin were doing?”

“……The concubines probably all knew.”

Saying that, the Queen sighed heavily as if recalling old memories.

“Why didn’t anyone…….”

“Queen Seonghyeon was very benevolent and virtuous.”

“Yes?”

“Since such a person had His Majesty’s absolute favor, how could the concubines dare to go against her will? There was no evidence, and it was just passed off as an accident where the concubine lost her child because she couldn’t take care of her own body……”

Saying that, the Queen slowly stroked her stomach.

“I also lost my first child after a few months of pregnancy. At first, I thought it was a coincidence, but after seeing other concubines experiencing similar things, I thought it might not be a coincidence. And after seeing that only the Queen, Seonghyeon, safely produced the Royal Heir and Princess, everyone must have thought it was strange.”

“……”

“When I was pregnant with the Crown Prince, I was worried that someone might be targeting me, so I hid it for several months, anxiously. It would be a terrible thing to say if I said I was lucky, but at the time, the Princess passed away from smallpox, so no one paid attention to a concubine who didn’t receive much favor, and I was able to safely give birth to the Crown Prince.”

A faint smile appeared on the Queen’s face as she recalled the events of that time.

“Of course, I couldn’t let my guard down even after giving birth. He grew up strong now, but he was weak when he was young, so I was always anxious and worried. But how could I have known that he would grow up so strong and become the Crown Prince?”

“Your Majesty.”

Even though she had been rewarded for her hardships at the time, the hardships she had endured for so long had not disappeared and still seemed to torment the Queen.

“Even though I became the Queen, I was a mother with many shortcomings. I don’t know how fortunate it is that Ongju has been with us since the Crown Prince was just a prince.”

“He’s my brother.”

When I replied with a smile, regret mixed in the Queen’s face.

“If I had taken better care of Court Lady Yoon at the time, Ongju wouldn’t have suffered so much in her childhood…… I’m sorry. At that time, my vision was narrow, and I didn’t have the capacity to take care of others.”

“Your Majesty must have had no choice. It was beyond your ability.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

When I think about what those bastards did, I know that she had no choice but to protect herself like that.

I just feel sorry for the other concubines.

I decided to treat the concubines a little better. No, I haven’t really treated them badly so far, though.

“Have a safe trip.”

“It would have been nice if Your Majesty could have come with me, but it’s a shame.”

I threw out a half-hearted compliment.

It was unthinkable for the Queen to leave the palace when the King was away.

Even though he was acting as regent, if something happened to the King, the Queen had to be in place so that the Crown Prince could safely ascend the throne.

“It’s not easy for a woman of the royal family to leave the palace…… Even if that weren’t the case, my body isn’t very healthy, so traveling a long distance would be too much for my body.”

“Make sure to get your pulse checked.”

“The Crown Princess takes care of me every day now, so I can’t even escape.”

The Queen’s face was full of smiles as she spoke of the Crown Princess.

It was truly a face that had put down a great burden.

“Hehe. Before the Royal Wedding, I thought it would be nice to have even one woman by the Crown Prince’s side, but after the Royal Wedding, I became eager to have a grandchild.”

“You didn’t say that to him, did you?”

“I was afraid I would blurt it out, so I told him not to even come for morning greetings. He should spend even one more *gak* [unit of time, approximately 15 minutes] with the Crown Prince during that time.”

Perhaps it was because I said that children are less likely to be born if you’re mentally exhausted, but she was serious now.

“That’s right. It’s an important matter.”

“I’m so glad that Ongju understands my heart so well.”

“But please accept her if she says she’ll come for morning greetings during the day.”

“She’s so bright that she quickly learned everything she needed to know, so I don’t have anything more to teach her. Besides…… isn’t she originally from a noble family? I don’t remember it well now, but I liked her very much at the time because she was so bright. Seeing that we’ve come to have this relationship, I think it must be a relationship given by heaven.”

Whether it should be called heaven or the original author.

Before restoring Sehwa’s identity, the Crown Prince and Sehwa told the Queen the truth in advance.

They hoped that she would feel a little more at ease since she must have been very worried.

Besides, she also knew that Cheonho was her younger brother, and she liked that fact quite a bit.

Since the Crown Prince’s Royal Wedding was late, whether or not there was a maternal uncle who could be mentally relied upon by the Royal Grandson was an important issue.

It was worrying if the maternal relatives seized power, but it was also worrying if they had no power.

‘My aunt is so strong, so there’s no need to worry about that…… Well, you never know what might happen in life.’

You could be bitten by a tiger on the way out tomorrow, that’s life.

The Crown Prince sometimes says nonsense like, ‘If something happens to me now, there’s no one but you for the next Crown Prince,’ when we’re alone, and he enjoys seeing me cringe, but these days, he’s been making a fuss because he knows that I’m going out with His Majesty.

The morning of the departure. The Crown Prince, who came out to see me off, grumbled in a small voice as expected.

“You must be happy to leave me behind, very.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about when you’re soaking in the sweet dreams of newlyweds. Why don’t you make a nephew or niece while I’m gone?”

“!”

I poured out harsh words to the Crown Prince that I couldn’t say to Sehwa.

“You really can’t find any delicacy even if you wash your eyes and look for it.”

“If I were that delicate, I would have died 10 years ago.”

“Don’t talk nonsense?”

The Crown Prince, who had quietly exchanged harsh words with me, approached His Majesty with a serious face.

His Majesty had already been doing almost all the work as regent, so His Majesty told the Crown Prince that he would just abdicate and leave, but the officials made a fuss, so he couldn’t achieve his goal.

Thanks to that, the Crown Prince, who was about to suddenly receive the abdication, stroked his chest.

And for some reason, I also stroked my chest because I thought he would come to our house if he abdicated.

Right now, I was in a semi-independent state, so to speak.

I lived in my own private residence and in the palace, and thanks to that, I reduced the number of palace maids.

“Hmph. Have fun.”

“I’ve already hired a guide, so don’t worry.”

I gave my last greeting to the Crown Prince and got into the palanquin.

I don’t like flashy things, but since I’m going with His Majesty, it’s a royal procession, so I can’t go secretly.

At first, I thought a procession that was too flashy wasn’t a good idea, but in fact, royal processions are a good spectacle for the people…….

It seemed not bad to go slowly since it was half a feeling of His Majesty’s recuperation.

As I rode in the palanquin and looked at the streets, I occasionally saw familiar faces lowering their heads while looking around.

Jia and Ayoung are preparing to take the civil service exam, so why are they here to see me when they should be busy?

‘Ah, Maehyang.’

Maehyang must be busy too.

Well, she was the one who was surprised and came to my private residence to find me even immediately after the treason incident was known, so she could come to see the procession.

‘What did she say, ‘If you hadn’t abolished the *gibang* [house of courtesans] and left them as they were, you might have been able to know in advance that they were plotting treason’…….’

Maehyang said that at the time and was scolded by me.

I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I clearly remember that Maehyang cried after listening to me.

‘But if I continue to let the *gisaengs* [female entertainers] do such things and profit from it for whatever reason, that’s no different from being a pimp.’

I actually thought that a rebellion might happen someday if I thought about the contents of the original work, but I couldn’t bring myself to do such a thing.

Isn’t it wrong to push others into unhappiness just for my own convenience?

Pushing away the gloomy thoughts, I turned my gaze and saw many familiar faces among those who were lowering their heads.

Why are there so many Siyoungwon kids?

How many people gathered at my private residence, worried about me during the treason incident…….

‘I didn’t live my life in vain…….’

Cheonho, who was riding a horse next to my palanquin, checked the familiar faces around where my gaze was reaching and turned his gaze towards me.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just that everyone seems to be doing well.”

“Siyoungwon will be fine even while Ongju is away, so don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

I’ve divided the work so that the remaining people can take care of it on their own unless it’s an important matter, so it’ll be fine. The system has been established to some extent now.

‘Ah.’

I suddenly looked at the scenery that came into view and recalled old memories.

‘A long time ago, Jihwa, Suchan, and my brother came out to play at the Lantern Festival over there.’

I’m glad we met again safely like this.

‘That’s the road I used to take Jia and Ayoung to meet Seongji.’

I didn’t know that Seongji would enter the Royal Infirmary back then.

‘Was this the road when I brought Court Lady Min?’

She must be busy at Siyoungwon now.

‘This side is the road I used to take Soyi and Seong Gyeomsabok, and later Cheonho, often.’

I really did go around so often that the scenery that came into view was all familiar, and I laughed.

Is Soyi pouring out words of resentment towards me next to Sehwa right now?

‘Seong Gyeomsabok is still in the front because he hasn’t retired yet, but Cheonho is next to me.’

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Cheonho turned his head this way again.

Cheonho, who had made eye contact with me, was also smiling, perhaps thinking similar thoughts.

There were many familiar faces in Hanyang, but as I left the familiar area, there weren’t many people I could recognize.

Still, the Siyoungwon teachers seemed to have come to find me on purpose, and I occasionally saw them along the way, but it became difficult to find familiar faces as I got farther away from Hanyang.

‘It’s a little boring.’

Thinking that, one day, as I was about to reach Geumgangsan, a familiar person came into view during the procession.

Thanks to that, I was able to tell His Majesty in advance with a smile.

“Your Majesty, there will be a guide I know in advance in this place.”

“Did you hire a guide separately?”

“Yes. I’m quite capable, even though I look like this, right?”

“Haha. Yes.”

I grabbed His Majesty at the post station and started talking appropriately, and just in time, the person I was waiting for arrived.

“Ongju, a guide from Siyoungwon has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

“Yes.”

And after a while, a tall, handsome young man with his face covered came in, took off his *gat* [traditional Korean hat], and bowed his head.