Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 89

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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 89
The place where I heard the unexpected words was the Middle Palace.
“There’s been talk that you summoned Gisaeng to Si Yeong Won for entertainment. What is this about?”
“It wasn’t something I deliberately arranged, Your Highness. It happened by chance. If I must explain, it was a gathering for the comfort of those who work there. But how did such rumors spread so quickly?”
Suddenly summoned here and confronted with unexpected words from the Crown Prince, I furrowed my brow.
I’d heard that this gathering was originally meant for clan relatives to pay their respects to the Queen and discuss my cousin’s marriage negotiation, so I couldn’t understand why this topic had come up or why I’d been summoned. I certainly wasn’t pleased about it.
“People saw Gisaeng heading into Si Yeong Won when everyone thought they were going for an outing at the Han River. They followed and watched from beyond the fence. Is it true you ordered this?”
“Of course. I brought them myself.”
“You did?”
The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed as well.
No one had imagined I would personally bring the Gisaeng, and their expressions made it clear they disapproved.
But while the Crown Prince might face consequences, I was still young and a girl besides. It wouldn’t amount to scandal, so it was better to be forthright than to fumble through a clumsy denial.
The Crown Prince seemed to agree, composing his expression before continuing.
“I didn’t know you had interest in such things.”
“It’s hardly an interest, Your Highness. Truth be told, I understand so little about such matters that I don’t even know if I like them or dislike them.”
The Queen interjected at my words.
“The Princess has always been frail and has rarely witnessed court entertainments, so her curiosity is quite natural.”
Whatever mistake I’d made, her words carried the weight of a shield: ‘She’s young and her health is delicate, so that explains it.’ The Crown Prince, too, seemed to have no intention of pressing me further, offering only measured admonishment.
“That’s true—curiosity can arise. But given the mourning period for the Grandmother, it would be best to exercise restraint and avoid any unnecessary talk.”
“I’m deeply sorry to have caused concern. I had no intention of such a thing. That day I happened to encounter the Gisaeng by chance, and since they seemed to have suffered financial loss because of me, I brought them along to make amends. How would I even know where the Gisaeng were to summon them?”
Finding my explanation reasonable, both the Queen and Crown Prince nodded.
In any case, these were people whose allegiances naturally bent inward toward us, so I decided to add further justification.
“The people at Si Yeong Won—both the children and the workers—have all trusted me and worked hard there for years. All I can offer them is a roof to shelter them from rain and wind, a little grain and clothing, nothing more. Besides, all the children study and work under my direction, and their teachers must find it taxing. I thought it would be good for them to have occasional days to rest and relax.”
“Still, your tongue flows as smoothly as ever.”
“The young Princess has always been thoughtful—perhaps she deserves praise now and then, wouldn’t you say, Crown Prince?”
As the Queen smiled warmly and took my side, the Crown Prince gave a light, theatrical sigh.
“Mother, you are far too lenient with Si-a.”
“I’d hardly expect to hear such words from the Crown Prince himself.”
As mother and son bantered back and forth, an unfamiliar voice broke in.
“The Princess is so wise and brings such joy to the Queen and Crown Prince. We are all simply delighted.”
His words were honeyed.
It was Prince Yeongcheon, the clan relative who’d brought up my name in the first place.
His older brother, Prince Hwacheon, was giving him a pointed look, but the younger prince kept his shameless expression.
The reason the clan relatives had gathered in the Middle Palace was to discuss the marriage negotiation for Song-an, Prince Hwacheon’s daughter.
A suitable match had come forward, and negotiations were progressing, but given that it was the mourning period for the Queen Dowager, the Royal House seemed cautious. That’s why the Queen had arranged this gathering.
Prince Hwacheon and Prince Yeongcheon were among the closer clan relatives.
There were so many relatives that I couldn’t remember them all, but I’d managed to memorize the faces and titles of royalty within the eighth degree of kinship, at least those who came to pay courtesy visits.
When you counted their children too, it all became rather confusing.
As for the marriage negotiation itself, most of the details had already been settled with the other family, but this was the kind of gathering where they would come and subtly suggest: ‘The son of so-and-so from such-and-such house seems suitable, and our daughter has reached marriage age and the ages align, so what do you think? We simply wanted to see if this might work out,’ all while gauging reactions and seeking approval.
If anyone happened to know anything unfavorable about the family, they might mention it in passing. If no serious objections arose, the gathering would end amicably, with the higher powers blessing the union of the two houses.
Apparently, before the main discussion could truly begin, small talk had led to the matter of Si Yeong Won being raised, and I’d been summoned for this explanation in the meantime.
Now that I’d come, it would seem petulant to appeal that I wanted to return to my residence, and with elderly relatives present, I couldn’t simply stand and leave. So I was forced to remain seated here, trapped.
“You’ve said quite enough foolish things. I must apologize to the Princess on your behalf.”
“Ah, please don’t be so harsh, Brother. I am truly sorry, Princess.”
Seeing this, Prince Hwacheon rebuked his younger brother, who had brought up the rumors about Si Yeong Won. I simply laughed it off gracefully.
After all, Prince Yeongcheon was the same one who’d once caused a disturbance by mentioning the stacked food container to the Queen Dowager, so I suspected this might be deliberate on his part.
‘If word spreads that I summoned Gisaeng during Grandmother’s mourning, what would become of me?’
There had been disagreements between us during her lifetime, but I’d nearly become an unfilial granddaughter in truth.
Prince Hwacheon’s children, who’d come to the Royal House for the first time in ages following their father, seemed equally flustered, clearly aware of how serious the situation was.
In particular, Prince Hwacheon’s daughter Song-an—whom I didn’t see often enough to know well—had always struck me as gentle and quiet, and her face had flushed with embarrassment from the moment I entered.
Even the clan relatives’ children weren’t so different from others their age; they could be quite lively when they gathered together. But she was the most reserved and soft-spoken among them.
‘She’ll need to marry into a good family.’
When someone had too gentle a disposition, it became a source of worry for those around them.
After the casual conversation wound down, the discussion gradually turned to the main matter.
“You speak of the grandson of Kim Ju-bo, who served as Vice Minister of State Affairs?”
“He has not yet taken the civil service examination and does not hold office, but I’ve heard he is a talented man with considerable literary merit.”
As the adults began cheerfully exchanging information about the prospective groom, I sat quietly eating Yakgwa and sipping Sikhye that had been placed before me. Suddenly, a familiar name and title reached my ears, and I nearly sprayed out the Sikhye I’d been drinking.
Cough.
“My, what’s the matter?”
I caught the Crown Prince beside me shaking his head in quiet exasperation, as though he found me hopelessly naive.
That’s not it, you fool.
“Your Majesty.”
“What is it, Princess?”
“Might I ask—is it permitted to inquire about the family with whom Song-an’s marriage is being discussed?”
At my bold interruption of the adults’ conversation, the Crown Prince looked flustered.
“Why do you ask?”
“There is a possibility that I may have seen this person before, Your Majesty.”
“Where on earth did you…”
The Queen Dowager’s words trailed off as she seemed to recall the few rare occasions when I might have encountered an unrelated man, and her brow furrowed.
Then the clan relatives, who could have no real understanding of the situation, recited the young man’s particulars once more.
“He is the grandson of Kim Ju-bo, the former Vice Minister of State Affairs, and the second son of Yi Jo Jeong-rang.”
“Does the Princess perhaps know something of this matter?”
“I have…heard of him, though…”
I watched the Queen Dowager’s expression carefully.
She too seemed puzzled. “What is this about, Princess?”
“What on earth is the meaning of this, Princess?”
“Princess, please speak frankly if you know something.”
Since his daughter’s marriage prospects hung in the balance, Prince Hwacheon pressed the matter more insistently.
“The truth is…”
If I kept silent, it would surely torment her conscience after she married him.
‘And if word got out that I had spoken, I would only invite resentment.’
Either way, if resentment was to fall on someone, shouldn’t it fall on the guilty party rather than the innocent?
“You all know, Your Majesty, that I recently obtained Father’s permission to visit my maternal home and stepped out for a time.”
“I am aware, Princess.”
“While I was out, I wished to bring sweets to someone, so I secretly visited Si Yeong Won with some of the palace women.”
“I too have heard that your return to the palace was delayed that day, and that you stopped at Si Yeong Won beforehand, Mother.”
The Crown Prince spoke softly in my defense. He added quietly:
“But was that not the very day gisaeng were called to Si Yeong Won?”
Yes—the day I had gone outside the palace with the King’s own permission.
“On the way to Si Yeong Won that day, I witnessed a group of scholars heading out for a boat excursion with the gisaeng. It pains me to report it, but in broad daylight, in the middle of the road, they were harassing a gisaeng who wished to be left alone.”
“How could descendants of a great house conduct themselves in such a manner?”
The Crown Prince’s brow darkened.
And once the story had reached this point, there was no way they could fail to understand why I had brought it up.
Silence fell over the room, and I could hear the sound of people swallowing hard at different points.
But I could not stop the story here.
“The gisaeng, trembling with evident fear, begged them to stop. Yet the scholars found it amusing and laughed all the more. Moved by pity for the weeping woman, I approached and urged them to cease such behavior in the light of day. The youngest among them told me not to meddle in the affairs of grown men. But when I persisted because the gisaeng was still crying, he mentioned his grandfather’s and father’s titles, demanding to know how I dared to stand in his way.”
I let my voice tremble slightly, as though I too had been frightened.
“I could not reveal myself as the Princess, so I said nothing. He grew angry at my silence, though I did not understand all his words. Eventually, fortunately, Seong Gyemsabok was with me and told him to stop. The others nearby also admonished him not to treat a child in such a manner, and he withdrew.”
“He dared to threaten you?”
At the Crown Prince’s dangerous tone, I shook my head.
“Fortunately, Seong Gyemsabok was present and stopped him. Those nearby also urged him to leave the child alone, and he withdrew.”
“How dare anyone threaten the Princess in this land of Joseon.”
“But he did not know I was the Princess, so how could he have known?”
“Nevertheless, how can a man who would threaten a mere child be called a true scholar?”
That was certainly true.
After a moment of suppressing his anger, the Crown Prince spoke again.
“Is this incident connected to your calling gisaeng for an entertainment?”
“The scholars complained that their pleasure had been ruined because of me, so they left, abandoning their boat excursion entirely. Both the gisaeng and their servants were left in such confusion and disappointment, Your Majesty.”
“You went to such lengths?”
Even though he must have known that marriage discussions were underway, he had gone to play with gisaeng, harassed one in broad daylight no less, threatened a child who tried to stop him, and made a scene—and now the faces of those who had been praising the prospective son-in-law moments before grew dark.
“Because everyone seemed disappointed, I felt some responsibility for it, so I promised them jeonttu in compensation and took the gisaeng to Si Yeong Won.”
“So that was how it came to pass.”
“Fortunately, they were all delighted and enjoyed themselves greatly.”
I smiled with satisfaction, then quickly lowered my eyes and bowed my head as though frightened.
“But truthfully, whenever I recall that day, I am still afraid. How could a girl raised so carefully within the palace walls have imagined that such forceful people existed? Surely not all scholars are like that—cruel to children?”
“Ahem. Such an incident will not happen again.”
“And I have been anxious ever since—could it be that Song-an is to marry that same scholar from that day?”
At my question, feigned innocence and all, silence filled the room.

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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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