Blooming even in the mud - Chapter 90

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Chapter 90: Blooming Even in the Mud
 
 
 
“Did I miss something?”
“You promised to tell me the story of the Saenggaksi when you returned.”
Sensing that the conversation might stretch on, Gyeong Won-ui guided Yoo Seo-hwa to sit beside him on the chairs.
“It has been a long-standing question of mine. The situation made no sense at all, yet it felt far too trivial a matter to ask you about directly.”
Furthermore, though he did not know the reason, Yoo Seo-hwa had grown dispirited upon bringing up the Saenggaksi, causing the question to hitch in his throat.
A shy blush rose to the cheeks of Yoo Seo-hwa, who had initiated the topic. In front of the quizzically staring Gyeong Won-ui, her scarlet lips parted slightly.
It was the unchanging, lovely proof of affection that had captivated the boy from the very first moment he laid eyes on the girl more than a decade ago.
“The truth is…”
 
 
Epilogue.
 
 
 
The aftermath of the White Head Sect rebellion swept through the Imperial Court. To be precise, it was the aftermath caused by Chu Se-gu.
“This is all a preposterous frame-up! Your humble subject was Gyeong Baek-jong’s one and only true friend!”
He vehemently denied the fact that he had slandered Gyeong Baek-jong, but there was no way out in the face of undeniable evidence and a meticulous interrogation. After a truly long time, Gyeong Baek-jong’s innocence was proven to the whole world.
The sinner who had deceived the Emperor and manipulated state affairs had even committed treason.
“What did I do wrong! If only it hadn’t been for that wretch Gyeong Baek-jong!”
Showing no remorse until the very end, Chu Se-gu screamed in resistance before his limbs were torn apart, dying a gruesome death.
“Verify the Imperial Trials from the reign of Emperor Xuanwen.”
Beginning with the cases Chu Se-gu was involved in, a thorough verification process was carried out.
The honors of the officials who had been purged due to Emperor Xuanwen’s paranoid suspicions were restored one after another. Those who had profited from these actions paid the rightful price.
This was also the Emperor’s revenge against Emperor Xuanwen. The Emperor established the absolute Imperial Power that Emperor Xuanwen had desperately wished to pass down to his child.
Capital Punishment was also pronounced for Chu Se-gu’s successor, Chu Sim-yang.
However, since he had been cooperative during the interrogation following his arrest and was found to have no connection to the White Head Sect, he was handed down the punishment of exile. It went without saying that the plea of Gyeong Won-ui, who wished to at least spare his life, was reflected in this decision.
‘Gyeong Won-ui must have asked His Majesty.’
Chu Sim-yang guessed as much. Once again, Chu Sim-yang stared blankly at the letters and supplies Gyeong Won-ui had sent.
He had not been able to send a single reply to Gyeong Won-ui’s letters until now. It was not that he hated the man who had brought down his clan. It was because he could not bring himself to face him.
‘Father committed far too great a sin.’
The fully revealed crimes of Chu Se-gu were immensely heavy. It was at a level where he could not even live with his head held high.
‘If only I had known sooner, would I have been able to stop Father… No, I wouldn’t have.’
Chu Sim-yang chewed on his bitterness. He had never been able to defy his father in his entire life. Even if he had known, he would have merely become a cowardly bystander.
‘It is a great relief that I divorced my wife before things erupted, so the disaster did not reach her.’
The sole consolation was the fact that Hong Ok-geum and Dong-i were safe. Reflecting the images of his missed loved ones in the moonlight, Chu Sim-yang lonely brought his day to a close.
At the same time, Chu Na-yeon kicked open her door with a shriek.
“W-Who is it! Who did this!”
The culprit was the wind. The wicker gate, unable to withstand the blowing wind, creaked open, its silhouette cast under the moonlight.
Chu Na-yeon slumped down in the middle of the narrow yard.
“Right. There is no way the Geumbudosa would come in the middle of the night. He isn’t here, he isn’t…”
Her eyes, constantly muttering as they scanned the surroundings, twitched anxiously with tremors.
Chu Na-yeon’s crime was heavier than Chu Sim-yang’s. With Yoo Seo-hwa being restored to her status, the crime of attempting to murder the Imperial Princess had been added to her charges. It was a capital offense so severe that it would not be strange if the Geumbudosa arrived at the Exile Location with a Poisoned Drink this very day.
Chu Na-yeon trembled with anxiety day by day.
She had no acquaintances to help her like Chu Sim-yang did. Chu Na-yeon had to work by herself to earn her food for the day. To have to subsist by doing all kinds of menial labor like the slaves she used to despise made Chu Na-yeon feel utterly miserable.
On top of that, the anxiety of not knowing when she might die weighed heavily upon her. Every time the wicker gate rattled, she shrieked, feeling as if the Geumbudosa had arrived.
“This kind of living isn’t living at all!”
She was sick of the filthy Chomak where lice crawled, the humiliation of having to work until her hands blistered, and the wretchedness of greedily swallowing spoiled rice just to survive.
Chu Na-yeon’s sobbing shook the night air. There was no one around to hear it.
 
Dal-rae’s father, Kim Ho-rip, was also cleared of his false charges. Now having reclaimed her real name, Kim Eun-ji, she bowed deeply with a face swollen from crying all night.
“Your Highness, I do not know how to repay this grace. My father and elder sister can finally close their eyes in peace now.”
“Is there not a saying that justice prevails? Do not weigh your heart down with it. What do you intend to do from now on?”
“Though we could not find my sister’s body, I am told my father is buried at his exile location. I plan to take my time thinking about it after moving my father back to our hometown.”
“If you need any help, tell me anything.”
Kim Eun-ji departed for Kim Ho-rip’s exile location, accompanied by the servants Gyeong Won-ui had assigned to her. After seeing off Kim Eun-ji on her long journey and returning, Yoo Seo-hwa handed a document to Kkot-bun.
“What is this?”
Even after reclaiming her status, the relationship between Kkot-bun and Yoo Seo-hwa remained unchanged. It was at the request of Yoo Seo-hwa, who did not wish to lose the friend who had stuck by her during her hardships.
“I should have given it to you sooner, I am sorry for being late.”
Tilting her head, Kkot-bun took the document and read through it haltingly. Her eyes widened into saucers. It was none other than Kkot-bun’s slave ledger.
“T-This is…?”
“I intend to emancipate you, Kkot-bun.”
She did not think this alone could repay all the gratitude she owed to Kkot-bun.
Clutching the slave ledger, a flurry of emotions crossed Kkot-bun’s face as she stood at a complete loss. Astonishment, gratitude, confusion… Then, she collapsed onto the floor with a plop.
“Kkot-bun, I’m not just burning the slave ledger, I want to make sure you can support yourself going forward—”
“Can’t I just stay here?”
Before Yoo Seo-hwa could finish her offer to provide whatever support was needed, Kkot-bun grabbed her hand.
“I don’t want to part ways with you. Can’t I just work by your side and live together? I realized while playing with Dong-i that I seem to have a knack for looking after children. I could even become a nanny when you give birth to a child later… Ah, are you trying to kick me out because I’m bad at working?”
“How could that ever be the case?”
Listening to the rambling explanation, Yoo Seo-hwa could not help but break into a smile.
“If you remain by my side, I would be grateful as well.”
“Really? For real?”
Since Kkot-bun was now a commoner rather than a slave, she would be able to receive a separate monthly wage, and if she met a good man, she could formally marry.
Yet, as if none of that mattered in the slightest, Kkot-bun smiled brightly.
 
* * *
 
The summer sunlight was scorching. Gyeong Won-ui, filled with restless anxiety, urged his horse alongside Yoo Seo-hwa.
“Wouldn’t it be less hot inside the carriage?”
“The Mongsu blocks the sunlight, so it isn’t as hot as you think.”
“Horseback Riding must be draining your physical strength severely.”
“I have recovered enough health to ride a horse.”
Kkot-bun, who was trotting along beside the empty carriage with the other servants, almost burst into laughter at the conversation drifting down from ahead.
‘Would it be disrespectful to the master to think he looks like a mother leaving her child by the water?’
As the Gyeong Clan was cleared of its false charges, the crime of Gyeong Won-yeong being a runaway slave was also pardoned. The two were currently on their way to fetch Gyeong Won-yeong.
Since it was a distance that would take more than just a day or two, Gyeong Won-ui had intended to go alone, but Yoo Seo-hwa had dug her heels in.

Yoo Seo-hwa was someone who had been bedridden for a long period. Gyeong Won-ui, worried about her health, had opposed it, but he could not even hold his ground for more than a few words.
Thanks to that, a scene was being created where he hovered around her in constant anxiety whenever even a gust of wind brushed past Yoo Seo-hwa.
‘The master looks like someone who wouldn’t feel anxious even on a battlefield.’
He was a man who seemed completely composed in every matter, yet the fact that he grew so tense and worried that she might be uncomfortable whenever Yoo Seo-hwa merely took a deep breath actually made it look quite fascinating.
“Ah.”
Yoo Seo-hwa suddenly pointed ahead.
“How about we gallop to that hill over there, and whoever arrives first grants the other’s wish?”
“Pardon?”
“My wish is for you to stop pestering me to get into the carriage. Yah!”
The moment she spat out the last word, Yoo Seo-hwa spurred her horse forward.
“Your Highness!”
Gyeong Won-ui, whose grasp of the situation was a little slow, belatedly and hurriedly urged his horse forward, but Yoo Seo-hwa was already racing far ahead. A crisp, refreshing laughter drifted back.
It was only recently that he had learned Yoo Seo-hwa originally possessed a playful streak and a bright smile. Finding the situation thoroughly amusing, Kkot-bun just let out a laugh.
 
They met Gyeong Won-yeong in Yanghang. After sharing a joyful reunion with a torrent of tears, Gyeong Won-yeong introduced Dong-i to Yoo Seo-hwa.
“So you are Dong-i.”
“Hello.”
“I really wanted to meet you.”
Dong-i, who had grown quite a bit in the meantime, gave a polite greeting with his hands resting on his belly. A broad smile bloomed across Yoo Seo-hwa’s face. The child, who did not seem very shy around strangers, quickly snuggled right into Yoo Seo-hwa’s embrace.
“Why did your husband not come along?”
“A problem has arisen.”
A shadow of gloom mixed into Gyeong Won-yeong’s face, which had been filled only with welcome and joy.
“A short while after you left the island, elder brother, he talked to me. He said he had realized a long time ago that the person suspected to be my brother was the close confidant of the new governor.”
“Are you saying he knew but did not speak of it?”
“He said he couldn’t tell me because he was afraid I would abandon him and leave. Because I am a noble and he is a commoner…”
“Mom.”
As if sensing Gyeong Won-yeong’s melancholy, Dong-i squirmed and crept closer. Gyeong Won-yeong let out a sigh as she stroked her young son.