Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 121

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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 the daughter of a lowborn concubine.
121
Of course, it wasn’t strange that people wanted to attach themselves to Si-a’s side—even a fool could see the advantages that came with it—but from Seong Yoon’s perspective, there was something unsettling about this stranger of unknown origins who’d appeared from nowhere, hovering close to her.
He wasn’t someone from Siyeongwon whom he’d known for years, and his identity remained a mystery, which made Seong Yoon decidedly uncomfortable with having him so near to Si-a.
Of course, he acknowledged that the boy had rescued Si-a more than once, but if there was something twisted about him, that could spell real trouble.
Besides, there was something about it all—the way a rolling stone dislodged one already embedded—that left him unsettled.
The same went for the boy’s uncle.
‘It’s not as though he found the location of the illegal slave market before I did.’
He hadn’t yet met the man, but what exactly was he that he possessed such extraordinary ability?
To be sure, if he’d been part of the Tiger Hunting Squad—those who hunted tigers—his skill at stalking and tracking would be beyond question.
Had he received proper training from his uncle, the boy likely would prove far from ordinary for his age. The one time Seong Yoon had crossed swords with him, he’d confirmed the boy was certainly no common youth.
‘The Crown Prince seems to have taken a liking to both of them.’
Since the background investigation hadn’t been completed, they wouldn’t be brought close yet, but once his identity was verified, he might well be summoned to the palace.
‘Not that I’m fretting about losing my position now.’
If anything, he’d be grateful if this man’s presence allowed the Crown Prince to release him from service.
He’d never been driven by ambition in the first place. Now he simply hoped that Si-a would live a long, peaceful, and happy life.
Eight years had passed since they first met, and yet Si-a remained just as small as she’d been that first day, barely reaching his waist—now she came bounding toward them with her arms full of something, hopping excitedly.
“Uncle Seong! Cheon Ho! Let’s go now.”
“……Yes, Young Miss.”
Though the way she addressed him had shifted slightly, Seong Gyeom-sabok didn’t see fit to comment on it.
Now that he thought about it, once he left his position as Gyeom-sa-bok, wouldn’t that become his new title?
It was familiar enough, yet somehow it didn’t feel quite right?
“So-i, could you load this onto Ji-a’s horse?”
“Are these the gifts the children gave you earlier?”
“Yes. I want to read them once we’re back at the palace.”
The children had presented her with something, and there was quite a lot of it—too much to carry all at once, so she was taking only a few volumes for now.
“Shall I have the rest moved to your residence?”
At Ji-a’s suggestion, Si-a paused to consider, then shook her head.
“Some haven’t arrived yet, and there’s still a lot that needs sorting, yes? Once everything’s organized, we’ll make a catalogue and have extra copies transcribed to bring over. Of course, I’ll pay for the transcription work.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“If you keep trying to volunteer without pay, I won’t let you help. It becomes a habit.”
“Very well.”
Ji-a, who’d been giggling, grew contemplative for a moment, then caught Si-a’s arm as she prepared to mount and whispered something quietly.
“……?”
Those about to depart looked puzzled, but everyone except Cheon Ho knew how close Ji-a and Si-a truly were, so no one thought much of it.
Upon hearing what Ji-a said, Si-a’s brow furrowed slightly, but then she smiled as if nothing had happened.
“……Hmm. It’s fine. It’s probably just a baseless rumor anyway.”
“I hope so, at any rate.”
“Still, it’s better that I’m forewarned. Thank you for telling me.”
With those words, Si-a patted Ji-a’s shoulder and mounted her horse.
“What happened?”
So-i, holding the reins, asked carefully, and Si-a shook her head.
“Oh, it’s nothing serious.”
Yet even as she said this, it was undeniable that Si-a’s expression had grown dimmer as she left Siyeongwon.
***
‘Gyeongeon-gun is alive.’
That was the rumor Ji-a had heard last before leaving Jeolla Province.
A prince who had supposedly died by poison was in fact alive, cursing the father and younger brother who’d killed him—or so the whisper went.
‘As if.’
Honestly, now that the Crown Prince’s position was secure, one pathetic royal bastard born of a concubine posed no threat whatsoever.
But a prince condemned for treason, supposedly dead by poison, was actually alive?
That would be grounds for dispatching soldiers to suppress a rebel.
Of course, if he were truly plotting open rebellion, someone might be tempted to capture and use him for his royal blood—though Si-a doubted the merit in it.
Anyone who’d actually dealt with Gyeongeon-gun would never entertain such a notion.
She’d smiled carelessly in front of Ji-a, but hearing that he might yet be alive made her recall that conversation between the kidnappers with fresh suspicion.
‘The odds are slim, I think…… but it does trouble me. The Crown Prince is busy enough as it is; it’s probably best he doesn’t hear about this.’
Much had happened since the kidnapping incident.
Of course, there was nothing she could do about most of it, so the poor wretch who’d been abducted spent her time rolling about on her bedroom floor, gathering only what news the palace staff deigned to share.
She wanted to venture out, but everyone was so overprotective that she found herself completely trapped in her quarters, doing nothing but eating the bread Song Bi baked and lazing about.
Being idle isn’t so bad, but I really do want to go out and have some fun…….
Cooped up in my room all day, I’d actually gained a bit of weight, yet everyone who saw me insisted my face had grown gaunt, sending me tonics and nourishing broths…….
‘I was so bored and couldn’t go anywhere, so I’d summon the palace attendants and ply them with cakes while asking all sorts of questions.’
From what I heard, they’d interrogated the men caught at the scene that day, but they couldn’t uncover whether anyone connected to the masterminds was involved.
There was clearly something more to it, but whether it was their exceptional loyalty, or they feared their superiors more, or perhaps they were simply skilled at cutting loose ends—I couldn’t say. Either way, despite catching them, we’d failed to reel in the full network.
Of course, a few suspects were arrested for attempting to illegally purchase Nobi, and evidence even emerged of them having done so before, but no proof was found that they were engaged in anything more sinister than that.
Yet because of this incident, the King ordered a full survey of all Nobi owned by the nobility.
Since it meant their wealth would be laid bare, opposition arose naturally—but after being questioned several times about whether they harbored any involvement, given that the Princess had nearly been kidnapped and sold, they had no choice but to hold their tongues.
As a result, it came to light that no small number of officials had defied the royal decree, turning people into Nobi in place of debt repayment and trafficking in them, and people began disappearing from their posts left and right.
Some protested it was excessive punishment, but the fact remained that they’d violated the royal edict, and given the circumstances that sparked it, no one had grounds to stop the King.
The King pressed his advantage and took this occasion to restore the status of even those Nobi who’d been purchased before.
Predictably, influential factions who’d held many Nobi, and those they’d backed, objected…….
‘The Crown Prince engaged them in a scholarly debate, arguing that even Nobi deserved to be treated as human beings.’
After a prolonged battle that left the ministers bent nearly double, the Crown Prince emerged—as was said—completely victorious.
They’d tried every angle to shield the Nobi system, speaking of tradition and custom, but the Crown Prince dismantled each argument with logic.
One minister, exasperated, asked, ‘Then why not liberate the state Nobi as well, Your Highness?’—only for the Crown Prince to counter, ‘If you gentlemen do not object, it would be possible. Are you in favor of it?’ And all the ministers could do was grit their teeth.
They should have let him study less…….
The ministers kept insisting they must respect the nobility and that this was excessive, stirring up such a fuss that they began organizing a strike—but the King preempted them with one of his own.
Or should I say it was less a strike than a declaration of abdication?
The King had declared his Abdication.
Saying that because of his own failings this kingdom had fallen into such a state, how could he face the former sovereigns with his head held high and claim the title of King, you understand what I’m saying—it’s all because of you lot, understood, you wretches?—he cited countless historical precedents at length before issuing an edict: thus, I shall cede the throne to the grown Crown Prince and retreat as the Retired King to find peace.
A nuclear bomb, truly.
As a result, the Crown Prince and all the civil and military officials had to perform the ritual of atonement before the great hall and stage protests begging him to retract the decree.
Even the ministers who’d been posturing for a strike had to step back on this matter.
They were aware, partly, that the Crown Prince was actually more hardline than the King on this issue, but there was another, far more urgent reason.
The King declares he will cede the throne, and a minister doesn’t object? He’s pleased?
That could be interpreted as meaning: you harbor traitorous intent to replace the King, don’t you? You’re confessing to Treason?
In a situation where no one could tell if the King was serious about Abdication or simply sounding them out, one misstep could earn you infamy and lose you your head.
Of course, this depended on the King’s temperament, but anyone with sense knew that the current King was hardly a docile man.
Moreover, though it hadn’t yet reached full Regency, the King had already entrusted much to the Crown Prince, so transferring the throne immediately wouldn’t create significant difficulties.
And there was no guarantee that a Retired King would immediately relinquish all his power, so whether the Abdication would actually take place was uncertain.
They’d anticipated he’d eventually assign a Regency, but this sudden declaration of Abdication left the ministers utterly bewildered.
On top of everything else, rumors had spread that the young Princess had been kidnapped and rescued, unsettling the common people considerably.
A few had tried to spread word that the Princess was merely caught while foolishly wandering about, but the reputation she’d built over time as Si-a the Princess was quite good.
Already burdened with having lost her mother young and possessing a frail constitution, she was pitied as an unfortunate soul—and the fact that she’d established Siyeongwon to feed orphans with nowhere else to go had earned her favor. Now, having suffered the shock of kidnapping, sympathy for her ran deep.
With no shortage of those defending the Princess, the opposing side lost the battle of public opinion.
‘The Siyeongwon people seem rather skilled at swaying public opinion…… Is it alright to let this continue?’
Perhaps it was the work of the Chae-tam-in.
In any case, losing ground on all fronts, even the opposition eventually backed off, and those who’d been illegally sold because of debt would retain Nobi status only for the original debtor themselves. Unlike before, their children would be treated unconditionally as Common Citizens and could not be enslaved—a compromise on the King’s part, and the matter was resolved.
Of course, not all who became Nobi automatically belonged to their creditors; following the Crown Prince’s earlier measures, the state would compel them to perform labor to repay their debt.
And investigations were conducted into whether any illegal acts had occurred in the process of incurring the debt.
Gambling debts, for instance, were not recognized as valid debt, so debtors need not repay them—but those who engaged in illegal gambling and the unethical act of selling their wives faced punishment.
It took quite some time to settle everything this way, but the situation is now more or less under control.
Of course, the Full Survey still hasn’t concluded, and there’s much to worry about regarding whether those orders will be properly implemented.
‘So I’ve been cooped up in the palace for a while.’
With all the fuss over Abdication and such, I couldn’t go anywhere.
When the King announced his Abdication, people came seeking me out to persuade the former King, so I had to hide in my room, feigning illness from shock.
Of course, since I knew to some extent how things would unfold, I could conduct myself at ease.
The Crown Prince visited me under the pretense of inquiring after my health and gave me all sorts of information.
Still, once matters had settled somewhat, when I expressed my wish to reassure the Siyeongwon people, the Crown Prince reluctantly permitted me to go out.
In exchange, my guard detail had been increased, which is rather tiresome.
Among those tiresome guards was Cheon Ho.

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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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