Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 112

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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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Born as the daughter of a lowly concubine.
Episode 112
“Come to think of it, I wonder why none of the people at Siyeongwon marry?”
The Crown Prince asked, following the thread of conversation.
“It seems quite a number of them don’t wish to marry first, since their mistress remains unmarried.”
“Their loyalty is certainly admirable. The direction of it is a bit odd, though.”
“And according to what the lady who accompanied them said, most of the girls are too busy studying or working, so they prefer to postpone marriage for later.”
“Postpone?”
“Yes. Moreover, since the living spaces of men and women are kept rather strictly separated, they have few opportunities to meet. And even if a young man takes a fancy to a woman, it’s difficult to approach her recklessly. They’re all watching each other’s reactions, you see. It also appears many fear the Head Attendant Min.”
In other words, since the young ladies remain unmarried, everyone is being cautious.
“And according to what the mistress said, one should marry only after learning to fend for oneself——”
“Si-a…… the mistress said that?”
“Perhaps the mistress spoke in passing and may not remember it herself…… but she said one ought to have at least a house in which to bear and raise children. So those who wish to marry are too busy saving money, and not many are thinking of marriage yet.”
It sounded like something the mistress would say, so all who heard it nodded in agreement.
“Moreover, it’s said that the women among the mistress’s servants carry themselves with such dignity that men dare not approach them.”
“Ah.”
The Crown Prince recalled that His Majesty had given to Princess Su-yeong the servants acquired during the Banjeong.
“Even in yangban houses, it’s common not to marry off female servants who attend their mistresses.”
“They wish to follow the customs of the royal household, I imagine.”
“Moreover, normally one wishes to increase the number of servants, but it seems the mistress does not favor her servants marrying.”
Various explanations circled the room, but the Crown Prince had only one thought.
“……Truly. She is my sister, yet I still cannot fathom what goes on in her mind.”
“The important matter is that quite a number of people are under Siyeongwon’s influence.”
“That is so. They follow the mistress’s words and live under her protection, so who would dare harm them? It’s said that yangban children who once bullied a Yeokdang child who had become a servant were chased away by Siyeongwon children.”
Their numbers were considerable and their influence substantial, so they even set trends.
It was said that when Si-a grew tired of the traditional daenggi hairstyle and began braiding her side hair and tying it at the back with ornaments, the Siyeongwon children copied her, and the style soon became fashionable throughout the Capital City.
“Moreover, thanks to Siyeongwon, the mistress’s reputation has improved, and so has that of the Crown Prince.”
“The mistress is the Crown Prince’s only sister, and they are known to be quite close, are they not?”
“It is also well known that the Crown Prince has contributed funds to Siyeongwon.”
“Hmm. Is that so.”
The Crown Prince nodded, not seeming displeased by such talk.
“Thus we can only hope that the affection between these two siblings remains as deep as it has been.”
“They are each other’s only sibling. Their hearts naturally turn toward one another.”
The Crown Prince spoke with a touch of melancholy, yet truly, the closeness between the two was nothing but good.
Especially for those who had observed the Siyeongwon children up close.
The mistress’s influence over those from Siyeongwon was absolute. The loyalty training conducted over an extended period was no light matter.
It was the will of the Head Attendants managing Siyeongwon’s education, not the young mistress herself, but should someone rise against the Crown Prince in the future, Siyeongwon could become the most effective means of preventing it.
‘Yet no matter how I look at it, the movements of those at Siyeongwon are far from ordinary.’
He had emphasized both caution and admiration regarding Siyeongwon, but that one thing weighed on his mind.
Of course, the Crown Prince knew this already, but he said nothing.
In any case, there was no way for them to know what the former Chae-tam-in now belonging to Siyeongwon were doing.
***
After spending a brief time of reconciliation with the Crown Prince, I slipped out of the palace as planned and headed toward Dabang Valley.
So-i seemed displeased that I was going to the Gibang again, but she did not object to my meeting Maehyang.
At first she’d said I should receive letters instead of going myself, but now that ominous words like “human trafficking” had surfaced, I couldn’t afford to be careless about security.
Besides, letters took time to exchange. If she was asking me to come today specifically, there was likely a reason.
‘If this were unrelated to that matter, I could breathe easier. But it looks highly likely to be connected.’
Perhaps it was because one drinks in the Gibang—quite a few people do become loose-tongued in front of courtesans.
This time I couldn’t count on being as fortunate as before and happening to meet someone useful by chance, so from the start I dressed as an unremarkable commoner girl and entered through the back entrance.
No one paid me any mind, apparently taking me for just another girl working there. Was the security here really this lax?
When I appeared in this unfamiliar attire, Maehyang, spotting me, froze for a moment before breaking into laughter.
“My, mistress, you’ve come.”
“Yes.”
There was no need to laugh quite so hard. I felt a bit embarrassed, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on such things, so Maehyang led me inside.
“About those men you pointed out that day. They’ve come back several times since, and there’s something suspicious about them. I took the liberty of asking you to come in haste. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“Never mind such formalities. But what kind of suspicious activity?”
“Strange plotting happens often enough in the Gibang…… but these men were having a good time when suddenly they drove the courtesans away, saying they had important matters to discuss.”
“How did you find out?”
At my question, Maehyang smiled slyly.
“Someone listened in on them.”
“No, it’s too dangerous.”
I sighed, but Maehyang just laughed, unbothered by my concern.
“Come to think of it, aren’t courtesans supposed to keep quiet about what they hear at drinking gatherings?”
“Hehe. But you’re a lady, miss. Not just any guest.”
She meant she’d give me special treatment—I supposed I could accept the favor without guilt.
“Since the girl noticed something off about the conversation, surely she didn’t eavesdrop in secret?”
“That’s true enough. So what exactly did they say?”
“I couldn’t quite catch what they were planning to do. Eavesdropping has its limits when it comes to clarity. But there was definitely something illicit about it. And they kept repeating the same unsettling phrase over and over.”
“What phrase?”
“‘As long as he’s there, there’s no way we can fail,’ they said.”
“He? Who is ‘he’?”
“They only referred to him that way, so how would I know?”
“Hmm.”
By itself, this wasn’t earth-shattering information. But Maehyang was a clever woman—there had to be a reason she’d summoned me like this.
“And they said they’d need plenty of people and money, that they’d be doing a major transaction that would bring in a large sum.”
“A major transaction?”
“Yes.”
Maehyang’s brow furrowed with distaste as she continued.
“They were boasting to the courtesans, saying, ‘If I succeed this time, I’ll bring younger girls to replace you and have you struck from the register.'”
“That’s…”
It could be interpreted different ways, but my mind had grown sharp from all the recent talk of human trafficking—the thought jumped immediately to that conclusion.
And it seemed Maehyang had arrived at the same place.
“Without clear evidence, I’m loath to speak such words. But I couldn’t bear the thought that they might be engaged in human trafficking.”
“I see.”
Many of the courtesans had been sold into their trade by their own parents, after all. It was a reasonable fear.
“And yesterday, they said they’d be conducting this major transaction tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes—tonight. That’s why I begged you to come today without fail.”
Ah, so that was why.
“But why come directly to me about this?”
“Who else could I trust with such dangerous information but you, miss?”
“I appreciate your faith, but don’t take such risks again. If you’d been caught, I can’t imagine what would have happened.”
“Yes, miss. I’ll be more careful.”
And with that, Maehyang also told me the location of tonight’s transaction, inferred from their conversation.
‘I’ll have to report this to the palace.’
The Constabulary couldn’t be trusted; it would be better to move the Crown Prince directly.
‘But what if this is a false lead? No—the Crown Prince has already heard rumors of human trafficking, so if this isn’t a distraction, it could be the only solid clue we have.’
With my resolve firm, I didn’t waste a moment.
“Thank you, Maehyang. Because of you, we might be able to save people.”
“If only that comes to pass, what more could I ask?”
I hurried out of the Gibang and relayed everything to So-i, who was waiting outside.
“Is that… truly the case?”
“It’s very likely.”
So-i, who had already witnessed illegal human trafficking at my side, turned several shades of concern.
“What should we do then?”
“So-i, go to the palace first and tell my brother this news. You’ll be there in no time on horseback.”
“What? First? Then what about you, miss?”
“I’ll just have you drop me at Hye Minser and that’ll be fine.”
Hye Minser lay on the main road between Dabang Valley and the palace, not far from where we were.
If I rode to the palace with her now, the entry procedures would become tedious. I was dressed as a commoner, and I didn’t have spare clothes with me.
So-i set out on horseback and dropped me off at the main road toward Hye Minser.
“Miss, you must stay at Hye Minser until I return.”
“Don’t worry. This is a main road—what could happen? Go quickly.”
It wasn’t a distance that would take long even at a child’s pace, so I had no particular concerns.
***
“You’ve come again?”
“Ha, well…”
“You don’t come every day, miss, so do come again next time.”
“Is there nothing I can help you with? Even if it’s just chores…….”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Cheon Ho turned away with a hollow feeling, catching the cold gaze of Hye Minser, the court physician whose face was lovely but whose manner was resolute as iron.
His uncle, convinced that those men were suspicious, kept meeting with them to gather more information.
Since his uncle had brushed him off, saying those dubious sorts weren’t worth following, Cheon Ho found himself with more time alone.
With the hours to spare, he sought out Hye Minser to catch sight of Si-a, but the girl proved surprisingly difficult to find.
He’d encountered her twice by chance and thought he’d come across her easily again soon enough.
As Cheon Ho lingered in front of Hye Minser, he caught sight of a small child approaching and tilted his head in confusion.
‘Wait—did I misread that……?’
The child approaching seemed to have the face he was looking for, yet her clothes today were unusually shabby.
Changed clothes couldn’t diminish that sweet face, of course—but worse still, she was alone again, and vulnerable.
He was about to move toward her to offer some stern advice when a large hand suddenly appeared from nowhere and seized the child.
“Shriek—”
“Goodness, how much trouble does this little brat give her father!”
The passersby, who had briefly turned their attention to the girl’s scream, indifferently turned their eyes away at the man’s words.
The man clamped a hand over the child’s mouth, hoisted her onto his hip, and bolted down the street in a heartbeat.
“……?”
What on earth had just happened

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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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