Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 96

“Sister, we don’t have enough bread.”

“…Eat sparingly.”

“You said you’d give us something delicious!!”

Did I give too much to the children earlier? It seems a little short.

But, Ah-young… isn’t it time you stopped acting like such a child?

A Na-in, seeing the children clinging to me and boldly demanding bread, scolded them and chased them away.

“Hey, you brats! If you’ve eaten, go study and work!”

“Heeing!”

“What’s with the whining?”

“But Sister said she’d give us bread!”

“You already ate!”

“Not enough!”

The two, already as close as real sisters, looked like they were about to have a real sisterly fight, so I stepped in to mediate.

“…I’ll make more later.”

“Really?? You promise?!”

Ah-young shouted that and ran away, dodging Na-in’s touch.

What is this… why do I feel like I’ve become the bread shuttle?

I, born as a Princess, am actually a bread shuttle? For a moment, a strange novel title flashed through my mind, but that was a title I couldn’t use.

‘It’s not the style of this era.’

In this era, if you used such a descriptive title, you’d likely be met with reactions like, ‘What? That’s childish,’ and be ignored.

Right now, there’s a strong perception that novel titles should be in Chinese characters to be cool.

Perhaps that’s why some famous writers always write their novels in Chinese characters.

The most talked-about novel recently, ‘Flower Shadow (花影),’ was the same.

‘It’s good that the children are trying to study Chinese characters to read that book, though.’

As befits a bestseller, a copy was lying around in Si-yeongwon’s main room.

The story is about a young lady from a noble family who loses her parents in a sudden bandit attack and barely escapes with her nanny. She learns martial arts and returns, only to discover that her father’s trusted friend was the bandit. To top it off, she learns that the boy who helped her escape is actually the enemy’s son, and she agonizes over it. It was a tumultuous romance.

‘The story is a bit… it feels like I’ve heard it somewhere before, which bothers me, but similar stories do come out somewhat often in historical romances.’

Jang said that because it was selling so well, they were considering suggesting to the author that they release a new Korean translation.

The rental store business is good, but it would be even better if we could sell books.

‘The Joseon Dynasty has printing technology, but they don’t use it much because it’s a hassle… should I start a printing house at this opportunity?’

Since I already have a bookstore, it was a business worth trying.

As I was thinking that and turning the pages, there was something between the pages.

‘But why… is there a picture here?’

To be precise, there was a picture inserted like an illustration in each important scene. I knew who the artist of this style was.

“Oh ho…”

“Ah, Young Miss, what are you looking at?”

It was Jae-yeong’s art style, who was in charge of drawing at Si-yeongwon.

“Oh, did Jae-yeong draw these illustrations?”

“Ah, that, that, that is. Young Miss…”

Jae-yeong, her face flushed with embarrassment, confessed that she had drawn them as a hobby.

“I’m sorry for wasting paper and paint…”

“No, no. What’s wrong with this level of hobby?”

Paints are quite expensive in this era, so she must have been a little scared.

“So, how was it?”

“It was good.”

Jae-yeong was a talented illustrator with a lively art style, specializing in portraits and genre paintings because she drew non-stop at Si-yeongwon.

As expected, these things should be drawn by someone who likes them.

‘Hmm.’

A Korean translation is good, but wouldn’t a limited edition with illustrations be nice?

That’s how I decided to start a new business.

***

And So-i, who heard that story after returning to the palace, made a bitter face.

“Seriously, Princess. You said you’d live comfortably, but what is this?”

“Be quiet. I don’t know myself. It just came to mind, what can I do?”

Looking at me embarking on the publishing business, Ga-i smiled faintly.

“Ga-i told me to live comfortably, but I’m sorry for constantly starting things.”

“Not at all. It is enough for this humble one if the Princess does what she wants to do. But where do you plan to get the movable type [printing blocks]?”

“I’m going to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first.”

I heard that there are many cases in this era where they make movable type and don’t use it, so I thought maybe if I asked, it would come from somewhere.

And getting the movable type itself was surprisingly not difficult.

“Movable type? What are you going to use it for?”

“I’m the owner of a rental bookstore, so if you ask me what I’m going to use movable type for…”

At my words, the Crown Prince coughed awkwardly, as if he was a little embarrassed. This guy had completely forgotten.

“So, what book are you going to print?”

“Of course, a book that sells well.”

“Hmm. What is the best-selling book right now?”

“There is a constant demand for scriptures, books that children study are continuously consumed no matter how much they are passed down, and these days, there are many people looking for novels too.”

“That’s true. But I don’t think mere fiction will sell well enough to be printed with movable type.”

That’s because you don’t know the ecosystem of that world well.

There are even cases where people go into debt because they are addicted to novels, but the Crown Prince probably wouldn’t understand.

I don’t feel the need to make him understand.

Of course, I don’t mean to sell books to the point of bankrupting people, I’m just saying.

I thought I would have to get permission for publishing, but surprisingly, it was just passed over.

“It’s about distributing books. Of course, if it’s a subversive book, it would be a problem.”

“I’m not bold enough to print something like that.”

“But wouldn’t it be a waste if the book you printed is later designated as a banned book and burned?”

“Well, it would be a waste if it was burned, but wouldn’t a handwritten book be more of a waste? It’s a book that they painstakingly copied.”

“!”

The Crown Prince, who always listens to requests one way or another, really brought movable type after a while.

But I definitely felt like, ‘Is it okay to print a novel with this?’

“I heard it was originally used in a local government office, but they found it in a warehouse somewhere along with the reorganization of the administrative district.”

“Is it okay to use something like that personally?”

“It’s old, so it’s hard to say that all the conditions are perfect, and it seems ambiguous to melt it down and reuse it, so use it if you can, and make additional ones if necessary. I also told Father that you were interested in printing, but he didn’t say anything special.”

“Thank you, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince!”

The reason why things used by the government came in so easily was because they didn’t use them much.

In fact, even the central government offices didn’t use it well, so there was no need to mention other places.

Even if they had movable type, they were too lazy to even combine it, so even the *jobo* (朝報: a pre-modern form of newspaper that announced news from the Joseon Dynasty court) was just written by hand and sent in a scrawled manner, as long as it could be recognized, so there was no way for movable type to develop.

Wouldn’t it be better if I used it like this?

Besides, to be honest, movable type printing was much easier in Korean than in Chinese characters. The assembly is also easy.

As the Crown Prince said, I also found a technician to check the condition of the movable type, and if there were any missing letters, I decided to add them by making woodblocks.

Matching the movable type is also labor, so it was like giving new jobs to children with bright eyes.

‘Hmm. Unexpected job creation.’

Of course, at the same time, the jobs of the kids who were copying were threatened. Unless it was mass publishing, copying might have been easier.

“Then what about the pictures?”

“It would be nice if we could print woodblock prints, but it might be a little difficult right now…”

“Yes?”

In this era, mass production of paintings is not woodblock printing, but… drawing the outlines and continuing to draw.

But since the original author is writing the Korean version of the original novel anyway, it will take time, so in the meantime, I should find a technician who can make woodblock prints of Jae-yeong’s paintings.

The person herself had a bewildered look on her face.

“I can’t believe my paintings are going into a novel as illustrations.”

“Uncle Jang showed it to the original author and got their consent, right? The author liked it too, don’t worry.”

“Really?”

Oh my, I wonder if the patterns of otaku [enthusiasts] are the same even if the era changes.

“But what if people don’t buy it because they don’t like my paintings?”

“The illustrated version will only be available to those who pre-order it, so people who don’t want to buy it won’t buy it.”

As Jae-yeong said, art is a matter of taste, and I honestly can’t guarantee how well the woodblock prints will come out.

“But a lot of books written in Chinese characters have already been sold, so won’t the Korean version not sell well even if it comes out?”

“People are more touched by what they see in familiar writing, so that’s not the case. Besides, the setting of the novel is Joseon, right?”

“That’s true too. Then will the Chinese version not be sold anymore?”

“Again, there will be people who look for the original text because the original text has its own flavor. I don’t know how many there will be, though.”

People who watch foreign dramas or movies dubbed and get hooked on them always try to watch the subtitled version again.

“I see! But how does Young Miss know so well?”

“I know…”

That’s because I’m someone who has the Chinese version and pre-ordered the illustrated Korean translation.

“By the way, for promotional purposes, we’ve decided to include the author’s *sujyeol* (手決: sign) [signature] for those who pre-order the illustrated version, which is twice as expensive.”

“Wow, really?! I want to pre-order it too!”

It seems like she’s the type to lose her mind in front of her passion.

“It’s expensive…”

“You gave me the illustration fee!”

“No, what are you going to do if you pour the money you received back into this?”

“But I want to have it. I want to see my paintings printed as woodblock prints, and I want to have the signed version too.”

“Oh my. What’s the use of me stopping you?”

“Ehehe.”

I wonder if I should give the kids some economic education separately.

‘But Jae-yeong is a slave, even if the other commoner children aren’t, so she should have this kind of joy.’

There is no one in Si-yeongwon who oppresses her because she is a slave, but it is not the same when she goes outside.

Besides, strangely, there are many young and pretty unmarried women who are sent to me as slaves, so I was very anxious to send them out.

‘Could that be why they sent them to me on purpose?’

Maybe if they had gone somewhere else, they wouldn’t have lived as comfortably as they do here.

Maybe it’s because I saw the guys harassing the courtesans in the past, but I felt more uneasy.

‘Oh, but when I think about it, aren’t they all past the marriageable age?’

I’m sixteen now.

It’s an age when pressure to get married comes in this era.

Of course, slaves and commoners are not so bound by it, but when I received them as slaves, they were already in their late teens, so now they are all in their early to mid-20s.

It’s not like there are no men in Si-yeongwon, but why doesn’t it seem like anyone has gotten married?

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone get married in Si-yeongwon, why is that?”

“Yes? Ah, come to think of it, that’s right. In the case of us humble ones, everyone doesn’t really want to get married, so if our master, the Princess, doesn’t say anything, most of us probably won’t…”

Perhaps because they were originally daughters of noble families who received strict chastity education, they didn’t really want to marry men of low status, and they didn’t want to go as concubines, so they chose to stay as they were.

Well, except for the former secret agents, almost all the men in Si-yeongwon are much younger children.

“I don’t intend to force you, but if you’re hesitating because the Princess is still unmarried, you don’t have to. But if you’re definitely going to get married, I hope it’s a man who can give you manumission [freedom from slavery] and has the ability to take you as his legal wife.”

“Oh my, Young Miss, you say such things.”

Jae-yeong giggled, as if she didn’t dislike it.

“Ah, but for some reason, the other children also seemed to hesitate to marry. Could it be because Court Lady Min strictly taught about chastity (貞操) [jeongjo: fidelity]?”

“Ah…”

Surely that’s not really the case…?