Blooming even in the mud - Chapter 12

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Blooming Even in Mud: Chapter 12

“You must not!”
The cry of shock burst from her reflexively.
Seeing Court Lady Lee flinch, Yoo Seo-hwa realized she had overreacted and tried to regain her composure.
“His Majesty is already in poor health, and I do not wish to cause him any unnecessary worry.”
Yoo Seo-hwa knew Emperor Xuanwen’s temperament all too well. She also knew that it was the deep-seated suspicion rooted in her imperial father’s heart that had delayed their wedding until now.
Even if Emperor Xuanwen felt something was amiss and ordered a search of Gyeong Won-ui’s room, nothing would be found. The inscription on the hanging scroll was merely a common phrase pledging loyalty.
‘But my imperial father is a man who would extend a blade of suspicion based solely on the fact that we shared a secret conversation. It must never be discovered.’
Since there was no immediate evidence, the marriage would proceed. However, the blade of doubt, once re-awakened, would point even more sharply at Gyeong Won-ui and the Gyeong Clan.
‘I cannot allow Young Master Gyeong to walk that path of thorns again, where he cannot even breathe freely.’
It was a source of great pain for her that her beloved father doubted and mistrusted her beloved lover.
Yoo Seo-hwa earnestly pleaded with Court Lady Lee.
“If you must report this to my imperial father, simply tell him that I lost myself to youthful passion.”
“Your Highness…”
The worry clouding Court Lady Lee’s face deepened. What could have possibly transpired that she would go so far as to use the stain of her own chastity as a pretext to hide it?
Having raised Yoo Seo-hwa like her own daughter after the princess lost her maternal mother at an early age, Court Lady Lee bowed her head after long deliberation.
“I shall not report this to His Majesty.”
Yoo Seo-hwa’s expression brightened.
“Thank you. I will ensure you never have to worry about such a thing again.”
“The wedding is only two months away, so it would indeed be disastrous if another incident like this were to occur, would it not?”
Court Lady Lee spoke playfully to lighten the heavy atmosphere, bringing a smile to Yoo Seo-hwa’s face as well.
‘It is only natural for a young woman of any ordinary household to want to hide the time spent with her lover from her father… Her Highness must feel the exact same way.’
Court Lady Lee buried the day’s event deep within her heart for now.
Maid-in-waiting Kim, who had been secretly crawling under the wooden veranda to eavesdrop on the conversation, shared a similar thought.

* * *

What Court Lady Lee and Maid-in-waiting Kim focused on was the implication that it could not be revealed to her “father.” On the other hand, Chu Se-gu focused on the implication that it could not be revealed to the “Emperor.”
‘What could an imperial princess possibly have to hide from the Emperor?’
Chu Se-gu tapped the table anxiously. The answer felt just within his grasp, yet his thoughts refused to coalesce.
While it could easily be a trivial matter, his veteran instincts, honed by a lifetime in the political arena, sensed something deeper.
“Groan.”
As his thoughts tangled, a low groan escaped his lips. Two distinct paths opened before him.
The first was to endure while hiding the Crown Prince’s misconduct until Emperor Xuanwen passed away.
The second was to expose that Gyeong Won-ui was plotting something, even without physical evidence.
‘Both methods carry significant risks.’
The first option held the danger that Emperor Xuanwen might discover the Crown Prince’s involvement with the Evil Cult as early as tomorrow. The second carried the risk that he himself might face the backlash for making an unverified accusation.
He pondered for a long while, but a third alternative simply would not come to mind.
‘Should I just take a gamble and expose it? No. If I misstep, the outcome could be worse than having done nothing at all.’
With his own life and the survival of his clan on the line, the decision did not come easily. He had spent more than half the day confined to his room, trapped in a loop of unanswerable anxieties, when a voice interrupted him.
“Father, it is Na-yeon. May I come in?”
Chu Se-gu smoothed his rigid expression and told her to enter.
The young girl who slid the door open beamed at him. It was Chu Na-yeon, Chu Sim-yang’s sister and Chu Se-gu’s daughter. Seeing the smile of his youngest daughter, born after three consecutive sons, eased some of the complicated knots in his mind.
“It is late. Why are you not in bed?”
“Knowing that you have been worrying all day, Father, I could not bring myself to sleep either.”
Chu Na-yeon had already passed the age for wearing a hairpin, yet she was not even betrothed. She was a naive girl who made a habit of childishly declaring she would never marry unless she found a truly great man to her liking.
It was not that Chu Se-gu simply indulged his daughter’s whims.
He had judged that even if she grew older, it would be far more advantageous to arrange her marriage after observing the shifting political landscape once the Crown Prince ascended the throne.
‘Depending on how circumstances unfold, I could even push to place her as a concubine to the new Emperor.’
Whether she knew her father’s hidden calculations or not, Chu Na-yeon giggled.
“My short-sighted knowledge cannot compare to yours, Father, but is there any way I might offer a small amount of help?”
Chu Se-gu was about to send Chu Na-yeon away, telling her it was none of her concern, but he changed his mind.
Despite her young age, she was a remarkably sharp girl who was keenly aware of her own interests. While she might not offer a grand solution, she was bound to be better than Chu Sim-yang, who could not even read Emperor Xuanwen’s mood.
“Your father must choose between two paths. One is to maintain the current status quo by relying on an uncertain future, and the other is a gamble with no guaranteed success. What would you choose?”
Chu Na-yeon tilted her head.
“Can you not attach a condition?”
“A condition?”
“If it is a gamble, I feel as though one could use a clever trick or a piece of deception to raise the odds of winning.”
“…!”
Chu Se-gu slapped his knee without realizing it. Yes, that was an option. A hearty chuckle burst from his throat.
“I am glad I spoke to you. You are far better than your elder brother.”
“Oh, Father, really… If I was of help, then please grant me just one request.”
“Name anything you wish!”
Having brightened Chu Se-gu’s mood, Chu Na-yeon coaxed him into allowing her to order a Samjak Norigae far more expensive than the one the daughter of Jiwonsa had bought, before happily skipping out of the room.
While Chu Se-gu urgently summoned a subordinate to set the plan in motion, he whispered a thought to Gyeong Baek-jong.
‘Forgive me. But I must survive first, must I not? Surely you, of all people, will understand my position.’
As a refreshing smile lingered on his face, there was not a single shred of guilt for pushing his friend into an abyss.

* * *

It brought back a memory of a day when she had been strolling through the gardens of the Princess’s Palace with Gyeong Won-ui. Although the Xichang Gyeong Clan was a wealthy family, they maintained a modest household tradition that shunned luxury.
Yoo Seo-hwa was well aware of this, but there was one thing that had consistently caught her attention since the past.
It was Gyeong Won-ui’s worn embroidered belt pouch.
‘He always seems to wear that same belt pouch.’
Since it had become so familiar to her eyes, he must have carried that single pouch for much longer than she could remember. So much so that the fabric was frayed and worn.
‘No matter how frugal he is, he continues to carry only that tattered belt pouch, so I am curious as to the reason.’
Coincidentally, on that day as well, Gyeong Won-ui’s frayed pouch remained unchanged, so she had asked him about it.
“Why do you continue to use such a worn belt pouch? I worry that your pocket money might slip out through a hole.”
At Yoo Seo-hwa’s curious question, Gyeong Won-ui replied with a gentle smile.
“It is a belt pouch my mother made for me.”
With those words, he carefully caressed the old, frayed pouch.
“My mother is advanced in years now, so she finds needlework far more difficult than before. She told me to request a new pouch from the seamstress, but I wish to cherish and use this one at least until it completely falls apart.”
Seeing him treasure the pouch filled with Lady Zhang’s devotion and heart inspired a sudden idea. She wanted to make a new belt pouch for him herself.
However, Yoo Seo-hwa lacked confidence in her own needlework.
While she was highly skilled in horseback riding, which she thoroughly enjoyed, she possessed neither talent nor knack for sewing and embroidery. Therefore, she could not give him a definitive promise to make one at that moment.
Yoo Seo-hwa looked down with satisfaction at the nearly finished belt pouch.
‘I thought about discarding it if it turned out strange while making it… but this looks decent enough, doesn’t it?’
She had even embroidered a tiger with fierce, shining eyes amidst a shroud of mist. Though her skill was unrefined, it was sufficient to save face.
‘Since Young Master Gyeong is scheduled to enter the palace tomorrow, I will be able to present it to him.’
Coincidentally, tomorrow was Sunhyuil.
With the wedding fast approaching, both the Princess’s Palace and Gyeong Won-ui’s household were bustling. Although Gyeong Won-ui had taken up an official post and it had become difficult to see his face every single day like before, her loneliness would not last long.
“Ouch.”
While tying the final knot as she imagined how delighted Gyeong Won-ui would be upon receiving the pouch, Yoo Seo-hwa flinched. The needle had pricked her skin.
“Oh dear, what should I do?”
A sigh escaped her lips involuntarily. The prick from the needle was trivial, but a drop of blood had stained the snout of the embroidered tiger.
The fact that it was stained with blood before he could even wear it with his sword felt strangely ominous.
‘It is a shame I cannot present it before the wedding, but would it not be better to burn this one and start a new pouch?’
She was caught in her dilemma when a voice interrupted.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
From outside, Court Lady Lee called out urgently. Before she could even be told to enter, the door burst open and Court Lady Lee stumbled into the room as if tumbling inside.
It was an incredibly rude action, but before Yoo Seo-hwa could reprimand her, worry took precedence. Judging by Court Lady Lee’s uncharacteristic behavior, it seemed a grave matter had occurred.
“What is the matter?”
“I-It is a disaster!”
Kneeling before Yoo Seo-hwa, Court Lady Lee prostrated herself. Her very voice was trembling so violently that an extra line of anxiety etched itself onto Yoo Seo-hwa’s brow.
“T-Today, General Gyeong Baek-jong…”
“What?”
This time, it was Yoo Seo-hwa’s turn to be startled. Pushing the belt pouch aside, she urgently grabbed Court Lady Lee by the shoulders.
“Did something happen to General Gyeong?!”
“He… He has been arrested on charges of colluding with the enemy state!”
Her consciousness drifted into a distant blank.
‘Colluding with the enemy state? General Gyeong…?!’
Overwhelmed by confusion and shock, Court Lady Lee’s trembling voice continued.
“It is said that Young Master Gyeong was also imprisoned in Jinwu alongside the general. The lady and the daughter have been confined to their residence—”
Before the woman could even finish her sentence, Yoo Seo-hwa gathered her skirts and bolted outside.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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