Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 35

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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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I was born the daughter of a concubine of the lowest rank.
Chapter 35
Even though the reports had become more concise than before, looking at all the densely packed statistical data that came up from every region made me feel both frustrated and dizzy.
The fact that a king had to view and interpret all this to do his work confirmed that it was truly an extreme profession.
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, I asked for paper and a ruler.
‘Paper, I understand, but what do you need a ruler for?’
The king must have thought I intended to practice writing, for he had an attendant promptly bring me what I requested, and I answered him tersely.
‘Your Majesty, I shall create a table for you.’
‘A table?’
‘It would be faster to show you than to explain, Your Majesty.’
‘Then do so.’
Once the king gave permission—whatever it was he didn’t understand—to do as I wished, I summoned a court maid and had her draw a table using the ruler.
If someone were to ask me why I didn’t do it myself, I would have no choice but to point out that my fingers, hands, and arms were still small and short.
As I applied the statistical data the king had just set down to the table the maid had drawn—though I wished we had at least a word processor, if not Excel—wonder bloomed across both the king’s and the Crown Prince’s faces.
Of course, I didn’t write the text either; I had the maid do that.
‘How can this be? The late Crown Prince was truly a genius, just as everyone says…!’
No, that’s not it.
For reference, “the late Crown Prince” was a title given to my elder brother Ihye, who had passed away.
Now that Yeongwon had become Crown Prince, the deceased needed a different title.
It was the sort of designation people commonly knew—like Crown Prince Sado or Crown Prince Hyomyeong.
‘Wouldn’t this make things far more concise, Your Majesty?’
‘All that information organized onto a single sheet of paper.’
‘Just as you mentioned before, organizing the numbers in columns makes them easy to read at a glance, Your Majesty.’
This kind of table-work was something Jeong Yak-yong supposedly came up with during Jeongjo’s time, so someone would have thought of it eventually if I’d simply left it alone, but I couldn’t help my present frustration.
‘It’s really just a matter of perspective.’
The initial conception was difficult, but once the concept was understood, anyone could do it; naturally, from that point forward, it became the responsibility of the practical staff.
I was content enough to have lightened the load for the king and Crown Prince, whose work-life balance didn’t exist, but perhaps those tasked with making the tables felt differently.
However, because I couldn’t resist and had shown such talent at an age far too young, those around me began to find me troublesome.
Especially the Crown Prince.
“Is there perhaps something else you’ve thought of?”
“These yakgwa are too sweet; I’d like some sujeonggwa instead.”
Pretending not to notice the Crown Prince’s glittering eyes, I busied myself with a book instead.
‘It’s all my fault, isn’t it……’
Now everyone preferred the Arabic Numerals I’d introduced simply because they found them convenient, and to be honest, my feelings about it were complicated.
Although the term didn’t yet exist, if things continued this way, Arabic Numerals might end up being recorded in history under the name of Yeongwon Numerals, and the thought pricked my conscience.
But after all, Arabic Numerals weren’t actually Arabic anyway—they were invented in India—and yet they became known as Arabic Numerals, so what’s the difference? I rationalized it away.
Of course, I had been exercising some restraint since then.
In truth, most of the mathematical principles I might know existed in this era too if one looked for them, so I wondered what else there was to deliberately teach.
‘Sometimes in historical dramas, they act as though the nine-times table, pi, or the Pythagorean theorem didn’t exist in Joseon times, which is absurd.’
Do you know when Pythagoras lived? The sixth century before Christ!
Can it possibly make sense that a formula from the sixth century before Christ would be unknown some two thousand years later in Joseon times?
A civilization that studied astronomy to create calendars, calculated when solar eclipses would occur, and could build multi-story buildings—claiming such a civilization lacked that basic mathematical ability is simply nonsensical!
And the nine-times table—Japan even claimed they spread it to the Korean peninsula, then got caught red-handed when a nine-times table was discovered among Baekje relics. In dramas! Making such distortions! And exporting them overseas, no less!
“Why the sudden anger?”
“Oh, I just remembered something.”
I had been lying flat on the floor, but thinking about it, I got so fired up that I suddenly sat up, and now the Crown Prince was looking at me with concern.
Given that he’d fed me well and I’d suddenly gone red-faced with anger for no reason, it was understandable.
The Crown Prince, speaking with an unusually serious expression, said to me:
“If anyone ever mistreats you, tell your brother first.”
“At this point, there’s no one in this palace foolish enough to do so.”
Until the Crown Princess arrives, I rank fifth in the palace hierarchy.
“That said, given your personality, I doubt they’d let you be…….”
Such is the way of siblings—knowing far too much about each other.
I laughed and rose to my feet.
“I’m going now.”
“You’re leaving early today.”
“Yes. Study hard.”
“All right, if you think of anything else, just tell me anytime.”
“Next time, get me something other than yakgwa.”
With those words, I left the East Palace.
If something comes to mind, they said I should tell them anytime. But did I really need to offer anything up later?
‘Since things have come to this, why not propagate the Arithmetic Operators as well?’
Symbols like +, -, and = seemed simple enough to bluff through.
I’d once seen a mathematics text that the Crown Prince studied. I’d read it, but the explanations were so lengthy and complicated that I thought I didn’t understand and had to reread it several times. But then, watching from the side, when the Crown Prince explained it to me, I realized I’d known it all along.
The importance of notation……!
‘Still, it’s better to wait until I’m a bit older and make it seem like a new idea that occurred to me.’
I’m only eight years old, after all…….
No matter how much royal blood I have, I could live without doing anything and still want for nothing. Born as an Ongjoo, I wouldn’t draw anyone’s envy for being clever—or so they said. But I wanted to decline the title of a prodigy that didn’t belong to my fate.
Getting boring lessons from the Crown Prince from time to time was already more than enough.
I led the retinue of court ladies trailing behind me and slipped out of the East Palace, my thoughts turning to what lay ahead.
‘Maybe tomorrow I’ll escape to the Queen Dowager instead.’
The King, the Queen, and even the Queen Dowager—ever since that dried persimmon poisoning incident, they’d all become yes-bots to anything I said.
Not that it was bad, exactly.
‘But I couldn’t say it was good either.’
The fallout from what I’d caused was worse than I’d anticipated.
Of course it wasn’t my fault—it was the one who put in the poison who was wrong.
Besides, that place wasn’t all that comfortable either.
No matter what, the palace had many watching eyes and many rules to follow, especially in front of the King and Queen.
So the most comfortable person to be around was still the Crown Prince.
He was annoying with all his nagging, but the worry-prone Crown Prince would often summon me to teach me this and that, or launch into sermons, or else sprawl out beside the cat looking exhausted.
Well, that sort of thing wasn’t so bad either, I supposed.
***
But not long after thinking that way, I found myself dragged back to the East Palace. The Crown Prince sat me down and seemed to be reading a book, but then for some reason he taught me something strange.
It seemed likely that one of the people from the Office of the Royal Lecture had put some odd notion into the boy’s head.
And I was the sort of person who wouldn’t do something if I didn’t feel like it.
“You’re actually talking about the Three Obediences now?”
“When I’ve received the Crown Princess, it won’t be long before you too have a wedding ceremony and depart to your husband’s house. Shouldn’t a woman understand her proper duties?”
“If being dutiful is so wonderful, why don’t you just live that way yourself? Follow what the Queen Mother says from now on, marry the one woman that the higher ladies pick for you, obey your wife and in-laws, and when your wife dies, listen to your daughter while never even looking at another woman and practice chastity your whole life!”
As I refuted one principle after another that I’d always taken for granted in life, the Crown Prince cried out as if taken aback.
“Then, would you prefer to live like me? Waking before dawn every single day for morning courtesy visits, suffering through studies all day long, feeling the burden of state affairs, and living under constant threat to your life?”
“Of course that’s better. Do you think there aren’t countless people willing to stake their lives for that? Why would I feel threatened? Because so many people covet that position, that’s why they face threats. And why wouldn’t I be able to do what you do? If I lived like that, later I could support multiple men as I pleased and live freely, right?”
I wasn’t even a real eight-year-old, and I’d been through the rigors of a South Korean test-taker—surely I could manage that much.
My answer seemed unexpected, and the Crown Prince’s words caught in his throat, his mouth falling shut.
“…….”
“I’m going. Listen well to Mother and study hard for your future wife.”
I left out the part about his daughter too, since that would sound like wishing for his wife to die early.
Either way, I’d said something far too radical to a child, so I let out a sigh and slipped out of the room.
Which is to say, I escaped.
The court ladies outside hadn’t heard exactly what the Crown Prince and I had discussed, but loud voices had carried, so they’d noticed we’d quarreled and seemed flustered.
“Ah, Miss, how could you raise your voice so to His Highness the Crown Prince?”
And from their perspective it was naturally my fault, so they tried to persuade me.
Sigh, stress…….
I’d known the day would come when this wretched era would irritate me.
Back in my Quarters, I locked myself in my room and pulled out a sheet of paper.
[I’m going to play and come back on my own. Just leave me alone. I’m bringing snacks too, so don’t worry.]
I left a note roughly to that effect, packed together some snacks and disappeared—something that was hardly rare by now.
And so began another round of hide-and-seek with the court ladies who supposedly wouldn’t look for me…….
I’m sorry……!!
But I couldn’t help it either!!
So it was another escape day, not much different from the others.
What made that day different from usual was because of some strange child I’d happened to run into.
“Who are you?”
“That’s what I should be asking.”

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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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