Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 125

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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 minor concubine.
Chapter 125
Smallpox.
Also called pox or the divine affliction.
In modern times it’s known as variola, a pandemic disease estimated to have existed since before recorded history.
It spreads not only through droplet transmission but also through airborne infection, making it highly contagious—once it takes hold, the risk of secondary infection becomes frighteningly high.
The mortality rate from fever, one of its symptoms, stands at thirty percent—quite literally, three out of every ten who contract it die, a truly terrifying disease.
Moreover, even those fortunate enough to survive often suffer aftereffects: brain damage from the prolonged high fever lasting days, loss of vision—an utterly miserable ailment.
Most of all, the severe pockmarks that scar the face and body make it nearly impossible to avoid becoming a social pariah, which made it truly one of the worst diseases imaginable.
‘At least for yangban men, the situation would be slightly better…….’
I’d done an internet search once out of curiosity, and honestly, merely being left with scars after recovering seemed almost merciful by comparison.
The appearance of pustules erupting all over the skin was…… undeniably grotesque.
If you didn’t know better, you might think someone had angered the gods and been cursed—such was the horrifying visual.
‘At least it’s fortunate the disease was completely eradicated in modern times.’
But before the Inoculation Method was discovered in modern times and vaccination became widely practiced, for thousands of years it had killed countless people.
In modern times it’s been so thoroughly eliminated that even vaccination has been discontinued, and the pathogen is preserved only for research purposes—unless it’s deployed as a biological weapon in war, everyone can live without worrying about it.
But here, it was still an active, life-threatening epidemic.
“Smallpox? What nonsense!”
“A-a rash has appeared on the courtesan!”
“What…!”
At the words of the person who’d rushed out, people gasped and scattered rapidly.
“We were told only of a patient with persistent high fever, but if a rash has begun, it very well might be smallpox.”
Se-hwa spoke thus, and though she hadn’t yet performed a Pulse Diagnosis, Seong-ji also turned to look at me and advised that I leave.
“Should it truly be smallpox, the danger is considerable—I would recommend the young lady depart at once.”
“Yes. I understand.”
Knowing the danger of variola, I withdrew without protest.
“What about the two of you?”
“We shall examine directly.”
“Are you…… certain?”
At my words, the two exchanged glances before nodding and speaking.
“Yes. We shall manage. Please, do not worry.”
“If we do not go, who will?”
Their overflowing confidence suggested they had something to rely upon.
The two covered their noses and mouths with cloth as if they’d rehearsed it, handed us cloth as well to be cautious, and then rushed toward the Kisaeng House.
On the way, they naturally picked up the person who’d just fled from the Kisaeng House and pushed him back inside.
“Those who’ve had contact with the patient must not leave the Kisaeng House!”
“Seal the entrance—no one is to enter!”
As these two, unmistakably medical professionals, barked out orders with commanding presence, the panicked servants who’d been flailing about began methodically following their instructions without thinking.
‘The two of them move in perfect sync.’
How on earth had they become so close?
Once the chaos had somewhat settled, Seong-ji remained at the entrance giving further instructions to the people, while Se-hwa went inside.
Since I’d apparently requested the Clinic through Hye Minser, it made sense that Se-hwa would examine the patient.
“Hmm. They’ll be all right?”
“Young lady, it would be best if you returned home and left matters to those two.”
“Should anything befall the young lady, we would be marked as negligent.”
“All right, all right.”
Unlike Cheon-ho, who seemed somewhat flustered by the current situation, the two who’d already experienced a kidnapping incident urged me on with resentful voices.
‘They were both quite frightened back then.’
Especially So-i, who’d been scolded severely by several people for letting me go alone.
In truth, she’d done nothing but obey my orders, so while I’d shielded her from punishment, she remained perpetually cautious knowing she was always blamed because of me.
‘Yet she insists on accompanying me still.’
She seems to find peace of mind in coming along.
In any case, pressed by So-i and Seong Gyeom-sabok, I had no choice but to change the subject.
‘I should send a letter to Maehyang later.’
And the moment I altered course, my eyes met those of Maehyang, who’d been leading the courtesans and servants.
Both of us happened to be mounted, so our gazes met at a natural level.
“My lady? What brings you to such a place?”
“Maehyang?”
Upon seeing me, Maehyang quickly dismounted and approached, bowing her head in greeting.
“Yes, it is I, Maehyang. I wonder what business brings you to such a location…… Young lady?”
As Maehyang spoke while pulling back the curtain, she caught sight of several people gathering around me and relaxed visibly.
“It’s been so long since we parted that way—I came to see Maehyang’s face.”
“My goodness. Had I returned from the boat outing even a moment later, I might have missed you entirely, miss.”
My words seemed to brighten her face.
From the fact that she’d been on a boat outing, it appeared she’d been summoned to one of the Yangban’s excursions.
“But that’s not the important thing right now.”
“……?”
“Did you know there’s a smallpox patient at the Kisaeng House?”
“What? Smallpox? I thought it was just a slightly high fever……”
Maehyang’s face clouded over. The same was true for the other Kisaeng House workers with her.
Maehyang pressed her lips together, her face gone pale. It was clear something had struck a nerve.
Seong-ji seemed to notice the tension and approached.
“Miss, from what we’ve heard, the patient appears to have developed a rash just today.”
“What about the others?”
“No one else seems to show symptoms yet, though some do have fevers. The risk of contagion remains low until pustules appear, so those who had contact with the patient should be isolated for now.”
Seong-ji’s gaze turned toward Maehyang.
“Did you have contact with the patient today?”
“Yes……I did.”
“Just to be safe, you should burn the clothes you were wearing when you had contact with the patient, and keep to your residence for a time.”
“…….”
Maehyang nodded quietly.
“You must follow what the physicians say closely. Understood? I’ll inform Heo and those at Hye Minser and Siyeongwon myself.”
“Thank you.”
The moment it was said that Maehyang had contact with the patient, Seong Gyeom-sabok, who had been blocking my path, urged us to depart.
“We should go at once. It would be wise to refrain from going out in this area for some time.”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t delay any longer and hurried away from the place.
It would be a problem if I contracted it, but it would be worse if others within the palace fell ill because of me.
‘Now that I think of it, historically there have been quite a few instances of princes and princesses catching variola.’
Hadn’t Heo Joon gained the king’s favor by treating Gwanghae-gun’s smallpox so cleanly?
No matter how high one’s station, illness comes equally to all.
Only the treatment one receives is unequal.
‘If my memory is right, smallpox had relatively low mortality but high transmissibility.’
Even if it didn’t kill, it wasn’t painless either, and with such serious aftereffects, avoidance was the wisest course.
Yet strangely, even though this was clearly a serious matter, I felt an odd premonition that I shouldn’t be too worried.
‘Variola was a subject that appeared frequently in medical dramas and novels.’
Perhaps because the Inoculation Method was easy enough to administer even by non-physicians once you understood the principle—an unexpectedly accessible form of prevention.
And though my memory was too hazy to be certain, it seemed as though variola had appeared in the female lead’s arc. Though it was used so widely in various works that I couldn’t say for sure.
‘Could I finally identify the female lead? Actually, I have five candidates for the female lead in my mind!’
That thought did cross my mind, but if a person was afflicted with a fatal disease with a 30% mortality rate and it was contagious on top of that, who knew how many more would suffer or die—thinking such things in this situation would be callous.
‘Now that I think of it, I haven’t heard much talk of smallpox since I’ve been here.’
It made sense that no one would speak of such ill omens within the palace, where my health was monitored so carefully, but I had made a habit of wandering the Market.
‘Of course, lately I mostly just visit the same places.’
Before I established Siyeongwon and for some time after, I used to wander about more freely, even visiting unfamiliar taverns, but now I mainly frequented the areas near Hye Minser and Siyeongwon.
When I did go out, I was usually busy working or meeting people, so I naturally stopped visiting taverns as often.
Still, rumors of all sorts reached me just from visiting Siyeongwon.
The children who worked at the franchise taverns seemed to have ways of passing messages to one another through the delivery children, so all manner of gossip circulated quickly through Siyeongwon.
‘Perhaps they deliberately kept it from reaching my ears.’
Everyone vaguely knew that I was a Princess, and some of the younger ones grew cautious around me.
In this era, people simply didn’t speak of things they feared without good reason.
When I reported to Hye Minser that smallpox might have broken out at a Kisaeng House in Dabang Valley, everyone’s expressions grew dark. Once it started to spread, there was no telling how large the situation could become.
The physicians of Hye Minser would be the ones suffering most acutely—right after patients and their families—should smallpox spread on a large scale.
Hye Minser decided to send another physician to the Kisaeng House in Dabang Valley to confirm whether it was truly smallpox.
After Hye Minser, I went next to Siyeongwon’s academy and clinic to deliver the news.
“Smallpox, you say.”
“Yes. I thought I was giving the child rest, but it seems I’ve burdened them with danger instead. I apologize.”
“……No. That child is a physician. I raised them to be one.”
I’d worried he might resent me, but Heo Yeon-tae’s expression was peculiarly complex and yet somehow proud.
“Seong-ji will be fine. Please don’t worry too much.”
“Yes. I understand.”
I’d expected Heo Yeon-tae to be anxious about any number of things, but he remained remarkably composed.
“Still, the fact that it spread from a kisaeng house does give me pause. Of course, since Hye Minser is aware of it, I’m confident they’ll handle the matter appropriately.”
“Hmm. Those who visited such establishments could become vectors themselves.”
“Even so, they wouldn’t readily admit to having gone there.”
That alone would make them targets for avoidance.
“Perhaps it would be best if you returned home promptly.”
“Right. If anything comes up and you need my help, send word.”
“Of course.”
Hye Minser had said much the same thing, but whether I’d actually hear from them was another matter.
‘Besides, there’s probably nothing they’d truly need from me.’
Not with Hye Minser in place.
It meant official authority carried real weight.
Yet my expectations proved premature—the very next day, word arrived that the Princess wished for my assistance in a certain matter.

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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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