Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 51

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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 concubine of the lowest rank.
Chapter 51
In any case, accepting what adults offered was the wisdom of navigating this world.
There was no refusing it, even if one wanted to.
The King’s brief respite ended after just a cup of tea while gazing at his daughter’s face, and I had to return to my residence. On the way back, it happened that Seong Yoon accompanied me, and I couldn’t help but say something about having troubled the King with unnecessary talk.
When I beckoned, Seong Yoon approached my side with a smile so pleased that he seemed to have found something delightful about the whole affair.
“What is your summons, Princess?”
“Why did you tell Father about that?”
“About what, if I may ask?”
“The matter of professional soldiers. There’s no need to tell him it came from me.”
“It seemed to me that His Majesty might do well to consider it, so I merely presented the idea.”
“Just say it was your own idea, then.”
“I lack the talent for coveting others’ achievements. Besides, I’m reluctant to be seized and put to work.”
Ah, so that was it. Fear of being captured?
“How have you survived such a harsh world that way?”
“Because I have survived well, am I not here before you now? It seems I’ve been fortunate.”
“Where were you, then?”
I hesitated—was it proper to ask such a thing?
But Seong Yoon answered unexpectedly without reservation.
He spoke in a low voice, and I wondered whether Ga-i, who was following behind me, could hear.
“I was dispatched to the north.”
“The north? Then you’ve seen the Tuman River? And Baekdu Mountain?”
“I have not seen Baekdu Mountain, but I have seen the Tuman River.”
“How wonderful. I wish I could see it too.”
In my past life, there would have been many obstacles to such a journey, even had I desired it.
And it was much the same in this era.
“It is far too dangerous a place for a princess to venture to.”
“I imagine so.”
I don’t particularly wish to risk such danger to go there. It’s not as though the scenery is exceptionally beautiful that I pine to see it.
“Then what of Baekdu Mountain?”
Still, shouldn’t I see the Heaven Lake of Baekdu Mountain with my own eyes before I die?
“…How would you climb Baekdu Mountain…”
“On foot?”
Ah, perhaps in this era, without proper hiking trails, it would be even more difficult? True, there aren’t even climbing shoes.
Still, mountaineering is better done in youth. Once you’re older, your body grows heavy.
It’s sad that I learned this truth already in my twenties, but it is what it is.
But because my present circumstances make it impossible to travel to Baekdu Mountain for leisure, I quickly changed my mind.
“Well. Perhaps I should be content with visiting Geumgang Mountain later instead.”
“Princess, do you wish to leave the palace?”
“I’ll be leaving eventually, won’t I? Unlike the Crown Prince, I’m not destined to spend my entire life within palace walls, so shouldn’t I see other places while I’m going out anyway?”
When it comes to sightseeing, Jeju Island is the obvious choice, but the disease in this era makes it dangerous to avoid.
And without an airplane, one would have to go south and board a ship, which, if unlucky, could take many days of sailing—hardly a pleasant journey.
Seong Yoon chuckled lightly, as if amused by my notion of sightseeing once I left the palace.
“Princess, you are truly abundant in curiosity.”
“It’s less curiosity than seeking joy. I have a duty to live happily and contentedly, don’t I?”
“A duty?”
“Yes. That is my duty as a princess.”
My birth mother, who departed early; the sibling I never saw; my elder brother who died violently in his youth.
My father, who sent away his first wife and her firstborn son, a concubine taken in his later years, and the youngest son who was never born—all gone before him.
My younger uncle, who lost a beloved brother and witnessed his sole sister collapse before his eyes, coughing blood, and to whom a girl he had given his heart became the daughter of a traitor and fled.
With misfortune surrounding us all, shouldn’t I at least live happily and without worry to restore some balance?
“Still, distant places would be difficult at first. Is there somewhere closer you would like to visit?”
“Ah, then I’d like to visit Yangju Jinjeop first.”
“Yangju Jinjeop, you say?”
“Yes. Because my mother’s tomb is there.”
My birth mother’s.
Concubines cannot leave the Capital City while alive, so their tombs are usually erected in their hometowns.
Had it been a distant province, it would be difficult, but fortunately it’s in Gyeonggi, not so far away, so I thought I would be able to visit as often as I wished after my bride price ceremony.
‘I collapsed from fever, from poison, and couldn’t even attend her funeral properly. When I go there later, I should at least perform the rites for her as they should be done.’
Thinking of my sister, my nose stung again with the urge to cry.
It was simply that not much time had passed yet.
‘A few years from now, it’ll be fine.’
Experience had taught me this much. Given enough time, everything would grow numb.
But it was still because insufficient time had elapsed since then.
Besides, the life of a princess confined to the palace was unbearably quiet and tedious.
‘A little busy would suit me perfectly.’
There was so little to do that I found myself wondering if this was what studying out of boredom felt like.
Ordinarily, I should have been playing tag with the other palace maidens my age, but that wasn’t quite feasible.
Time here crawled by at an agonizing pace. I couldn’t help but deeply appreciate how it was only thanks to my smartphone that I hadn’t gone mad rolling around on the floor endlessly.
As I sat in silence, lost in thought, the room around me grew quiet as well. Honestly, this kind of life where one couldn’t be alone had its drawbacks.
Everyone knew what I meant by that tomb, so it only made things worse.
After a long silence, Seong Yoon was the first to speak.
“I, um…”
“Mm?”
“I know that area quite well, if it please Your Highness. Should you wish to visit Yangju Jinjeop later, might I be permitted to escort you?”
“You’re really quitting your post as Gyeom-sa-bok?”
“If you would be pleased to employ me at your residence, would that not suffice?”
“What would you even do, cooped up in the princess’s chambers?”
Was this former scout and current Gyeom-sa-bok—a skilled operative no less—actually volunteering as a private escort?
“Ordinarily I could serve as a guest, and when you venture out, you might make use of me then. Would that not be agreeable?”
“I’ll have Gusa attendants later, so there’s no need to hire extra help.”
Gusa were servants allotted to high-ranking figures—meritorious ministers, royal relatives, and the like. You know those scenes in historical dramas where crowds of attendants come rushing ahead, crying out, “Make way! The honored minister approaches!”?
Ah, I wonder—do princesses not get them? Even if they don’t, I should ask for them.
“But surely there is need. What if I prove useful later? What if your son-in-law should treat you poorly?”
“Hmm.”
The way he clenched his fist made it sound as though he meant to beat anyone who dared mistreat me—though surely that wasn’t quite what he intended.
Still, even for a royal princess, this was an era where a son-in-law’s cruelty could end badly for her.
There had been that case of a daughter of King Jung-jong—Princess Hyo-jeong, if memory served—whose son-in-law deliberately concealed news of her critical illness from the court, and when she was already believed dead, he turned away the royal physicians and ladies the palace sent to help. Suspicions of foul play had been raised.
Honestly, wasn’t it suspicious by any measure? It’s not like modern times with vital signs being monitored. Even if someone has already stopped breathing, people grasp at straws, desperate to save them. Yet he wouldn’t let the physicians in?
What’s more, the law forbade a son-in-law from taking a concubine while his wife lived. Yet he made one of the princess’s attendants his concubine and treated her like his principal wife. When questioned, he used the ridiculous excuse that the princess herself had approved it, and the ministers actually backed him up. These are the same men who teach women that jealousy is a sin. How contemptible.
King Jung-jong was furious and exiled the son-in-law. But even in exile—even after being sent to his hometown out of consideration for his wife—he carried on with his concubine.
Some historians argue that the attendant had been like a sister to the princess and was deeply loyal. But if that were true, no woman in her right mind would follow her cheating husband into exile. That’s nonsense.
‘If the king had actually permitted his own wife to take a lover and she’d gone through with it, he would have executed her without hesitation.’
Besides, Joseon sons-in-law, while forbidden by law to take concubines, often frequented gisaeng houses and squandered their wealth anyway.
Of course, no matter how dissolute a son-in-law became, he wouldn’t resort to beating his wife—and having skilled help already willing to serve seemed like a decent arrangement.
“I’ll think about it when we do the Bride Price Ceremony.”
“Ha. I shall await your pleasure.”
Though I had no idea how many years that would be.
‘Still, I’ve been summoning him often enough lately that we’ve grown a bit closer.’
The palace was such a confined place where fresh faces were rare, and no one knew the world beyond the Capital City like Seong Yoon did. I found myself calling for him more and more to hear his stories.
Besides, since he commuted in and out as Gyeom-sa-bok, I could occasionally ask him to visit that tavern and check on how the children were faring.
‘He seems to be searching rather earnestly. Maybe I should tell him to give up soon.’
Even if he didn’t find them, I’d planned to help him for a while under the guise of a reward. Though I couldn’t very well keep feeding them forever.
***
Some time later, Seong Yoon brought word that the children had found the Jade Bracelet.
“Those obstinate little wretches insisted that the young lady herself must come to show it to them.”
“Ha. Street children—did you expect them to be anything but stubborn?”
“How shall we proceed?”
“I came asking them to show me, so I’ll go see them myself.”
That’s what I said, but my true reason was rather different.
‘The palace is seriously boring. I need to get out.’
Things had loosened a bit, but the palace atmosphere remained stiff because of the treason incident, making everything feel even more desolate than usual.
Since I collapsed that day, I’d been hesitant to swagger about as freely as before, so lately I’d been confined to my residence, growing even more idle and restless.
“Must you truly go out in person, Your Highness?”
“I shall have the children hand the Jade Bracelet to me directly. If you would simply wait—”
“I said I would go myself. Are you trying to make me a liar?”
What’s a little dishonesty? Ignoring Song Bi’s grumbling, I set about preparing for another outing.
By the third time, everyone had grown accustomed to it; the preparations and slipping out of the palace happened in an instant.
But when I arrived, instead of quickly confirming the ring and leaving, I found myself in the middle of unnecessary commotion.
“Give it here!”
“Hey, wait—isn’t this from our territory? Hey, did that little kid of yours sneak in and take it? Hey, I saw the whole thing!”
A handful of unfamiliar children were harassing my contact. From the sound of their bickering, I could guess what had happened, but I found the whole business tiresome.
I’d only meant to find the Jade Bracelet, play around a bit, and head back. Why this commotion?
I looked at Seong Yoon without a word.
Reading my thoughts, Seong Yoon approached the children, grabbed one by the scruff of the neck and sent him sprawling, then gestured toward the familiar-looking boy holding the Jade Bracelet.
The child, catching sight of me as Seong Yoon’s gaze found me, lit up with excitement and rushed over to press the Jade Bracelet into my hands.
“You came! Look! I found it!!”
“Thank you. I’m grateful, but… are you all right?”
“I’m fine. That was nothing. I would’ve won anyway even without that man’s help!”
That rather missed the point, didn’t it. Listening to the child’s oddly inconsistent speech, I let out a small sigh.
Once Seong Yoon confirmed I had the Jade Bracelet, he released the loud-mouthed boy, who came scurrying back over to us.
“Win? What do you mean win! How did you win! Listen, I only—I heard you got hurt, so I helped you out, and you should be grateful for that, got it?”
As this oddly mannered child approached, the two naturally fell back into bickering with each other.
“All right, enough. So what do you want from me?”
“Half of the reward we promised the others. That’s all.”
“You little bandit, where did you even—”
“The thief is you! We found it in our territory!”
“You didn’t even know it was there!”
“How was I supposed to know it was buried in the mud!”
I raised my voice again to quiet the children’s escalating quarrel. We were in a tavern, and the proprietress was watching us with a dangerous eye.
“All right. What did we agree to give as a reward again?”
“…Food, ma’am. We agreed on food.”
I’d changed the reward to food after seeing the money get stolen, and that arrangement still held. I explained this to the unexpected visitor.
“You’re welcome to join us and eat together. As long as the proprietress doesn’t mind.”
Of course, the proprietress said she didn’t care as long as I paid extra.
I was only giving them what I’d promised anyway.
“…Really? That’s really all? Not… money?”
“I tried giving them money, but it kept getting stolen, so I switched to food.”
“That doesn’t make sense!”
“What doesn’t make sense about it? You know I got hurt, but then you ask how I got hurt?”
“I thought you got mugged like usual when you go around causing trouble!”
If I kept talking to this one, I’d lose my mind.
I went to the proprietress, got a pot of rich broth, set it in front of the noisy children, and began feeding each of them a spoonful at a time.
“There now, be quiet… well, you’re probably hungry anyway. Eat up.”
“Ow?! Oooow!!”
“Ow? Oooow!!”
Ah, it’s hot.

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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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