Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 90

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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 concubine of the lowest rank
Episode 90
In truth, the most pressing issue at the moment was exactly that.
“That is something I must verify.”
“Yes, it is absolutely necessary to confirm, Your Highness.”
“Well, it’s possible someone might have impersonated him, after all.”
Beside Hwacheong-gun, who nodded with his fists clenched at the Crown Prince’s words, Yeongcheon-gun made a show of rationalizing while gauging the reactions of those around him.
Though some had managed to convince themselves otherwise, this matter could no longer be resolved within the confines of the inner quarters alone.
After my statement, everyone made an effort to steer the conversation toward lighter topics to ease the sudden tension, but it was painfully obvious what occupied their minds.
***
That day the royal relatives departed in visibly darkened spirits, and a few days later, news arrived that differed little from what I had anticipated.
Hwacheong-gun had dispatched servants to investigate the prospective son-in-law’s background, and—a leopard cannot change its spots—he was spotted entering a gisaeng house at precisely the wrong moment, witnessed with crystal clarity by members of Hwacheong-gun’s own household.
However indulgent the times might be toward men’s dalliances, what respectable family would accept as a son-in-law a thoughtless wretch who frequented gisaeng houses before even holding his wedding ceremony, shameless enough to openly flirt with gisaengs for all the world to see?
Even moderately reputable gentlemen knew better than to abandon propriety in public; yet here was a man who had harassed a gisaeng in full view of others, and precisely while marriage negotiations were underway.
And as if that weren’t enough, it emerged that his manner toward the young princess herself had been utterly devoid of courtesy—a fact neither the King nor the Crown Prince could possibly overlook.
It meant advancement was finished for anyone who tied themselves by marriage to a royal relative through such a connection.
Any reasonable parent would have grounds to refuse the match.
‘Good riddance……’
Even I hadn’t expected matters to escalate this far.
Who conducts himself so recklessly while marriage negotiations are actively ongoing?
Not long after, Hwacheong-gun and his wife visited the Crown Princess’s Palace once more.
And I was summoned to join them.
Hwacheong-gun explained that their son had happened upon the wretch entering a gisaeng house, chased after him, apprehended him at the scene, and in his fury had started a brawl—they had come to apologize for the disturbance.
‘Fortunately, it seems their son truly cares for his sister. Though honestly, there was reason enough to be angry regardless.’
In truth, once a matter reached the ears of the Crown Princess herself, the marriage arrangement was as good as dissolved.
In other words, it was a situation the family could scarcely fail to understand.
Yet conducting oneself with such flagrant disregard while negotiations were in progress could reasonably be interpreted as contempt for the woman’s family.
“I had believed him to be a respectable young man and agreed to discuss the arrangement, never imagining it would come to this.”
“The saying goes: one may fathom ten lengths beneath the water, but not the depths of another’s heart. We should be grateful the truth emerged before the match was sealed.”
“Your words are most just, Your Highness.”
Hwacheong-gun, whose relief was plainly evident, smiled faintly and offered me his gratitude as well.
“In this matter, we owe a considerable debt to you, Princess.”
“I merely relayed what I had witnessed. Rather, I fear my words may have troubled many without cause, and I apologize for that.”
“Not at all. Had it not been for you, we would have remained in complete ignorance.”
“I am relieved you see it that way. I too am grateful that my sister will not be bound in marriage to such a man.”
I wondered whether they held some connection to that family and had arranged the match out of strategic interest, and whether they resented me for severing it……
I couldn’t quite tell if they truly despised him or were merely performing the appropriate sentiment before the Crown Princess.
‘But whatever that man thinks, what fault does his daughter bear?’
Regardless of her father’s character, Song An herself was ordinarily kind and innocent—a gentle-hearted girl. Should she marry a man like that, she would have nowhere to turn for redress and would spend her life in silent suffering.
That would be a waste of her.
And her parents likely understood this better than anyone. At least, any proper parent would.
“Since matters have come to this pass, it would be wise to approach any future marriage discussions with greater caution.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“It is curious how such a grandson came to be born of a man in the Bureau of Military Appointments.”
“I understand he was a late-born youngest son. Word has it that once this scandal became known, he was sent out of shame to the family seat in Gyeongsang Province.”
So the grandson was frittering away the fortune his grandfather had built through passing the Civil Service Examination.
As Hwacheong-gun and his wife continued their polite exchanges with the Crown Princess, they repeatedly expressed their gratitude toward me.
“It is essential that word of the princess’s involvement in this matter not spread abroad.”
“We shall keep that in mind carefully, Your Highness.”
The Crown Princess reiterated this caution, as she had on the day the matter was first brought to her attention.
She wished to spare me from becoming the subject of court gossip.
Yet I suspected there were already those who bore me ill will.
‘Yes, I suspect Yi Su and the fallen Hong Sangjo’s family have already taken offense.’
Fortunately, this time there was scarcely leisure for such anxieties, as that family moved swiftly to contain the shame themselves.
The son was sent to the countryside posthaste, but the incident had occurred in a place too public to escape notice, and men of such character rarely commit a single transgression; moreover, it was child’s play to deduce that the reason the son could commit misdeeds so freely was because his father and grandfather had behind the scenes cleaned up after him and indulged his behavior.
Sensing opportunity, the Daegan officials submitted memorial after memorial denouncing both father and son, and in the end, the Ijojeonrang could not hold his ground; he submitted his resignation in shame and withdrew from office, judging that voluntary retirement was preferable to dismissal.
I had expected to bear some criticism for my role in this affair, but when I encountered both the King and the Crown Prince not long thereafter, their faces appeared quite at ease.
“Ever since Hong Sangjo stepped down, he was one of those quietly building influence, yet I never expected matters would unfold in such fashion.”
“I did not foresee him resigning from his post over it.”
“How could it not shame him so?”
So politicians’ sons aren’t much help after all—perhaps that wisdom held true even here in Joseon.
“To be precise, it’s less the man himself than his in-law, the judge, who’s been expanding his influence of late. And don’t marriage alliances cement themselves for exactly such reasons?”
“Hmm.”
“Hwacheong-gun wasn’t particularly eager from the start—it was his younger brother Yeongcheon-gun who pressed forward with the arrangement. I do hope this incident hasn’t damaged the brotherhood between them.”
Well, I’ve never gotten along well with that man anyway.
‘That man and I just don’t click, somehow.’
In my past life, after my parents passed, I hadn’t kept much contact with relatives, but here there were so many of them it was tiresome.
I wondered if there was something behind all this.
Once you were bound by marriage, you couldn’t escape whenever work needed doing—it was the perfect hook to drag you in.
Anyway, when that pivot point on their side crumbled and they hesitated, the Crown Prince had slipped in someone else to fill the vacancy.
And the newly appointed man was a rising talent who’d passed the civil service examination, so he seemed to be a sound choice for the Crown Prince to cultivate.
‘Well, whatever.’
A good outcome was a good outcome. This wasn’t something I needed to involve myself in deeply.
This time it had happened by chance, but if that man had conducted himself properly in the first place, it would never have occurred.
When you thought about it—a civil service candidate who’d squandered his parents’ money on wine and dancing and brought shame on his house—from the parents’ perspective, wouldn’t they want to strangle him?
Of course, they were the ones who’d raised him that way.
***
Before long, the Crown Prince came to visit and relayed various bits of news to me with a sigh.
“Every time you venture out, something like this happens. How could I possibly let you go anywhere, knowing that?”
“That’s hardly my fault.”
“Which is why from now on, you’ll ride in a palanquin. When a child goes about with nothing but a single horse, people see you as easy prey and treat you however they please.”
His suggestion to have a carriage with guards prepared for me was quite typical of a household accustomed to privilege.
“Palanquins are stifling though. And Jek-a hates being cooped up. I can’t have her gallop through the grasslands if I’m sealed up in a box, so I need to ride her whenever I go out.”
Besides, my beloved mare was waiting for me!
The Crown Prince, well aware of how much I cherished Jek-a, sighed and shook his head.
“So is that gift the Hwacheong-gun’s wife brought as a token of her gratitude?”
“Yes, yes. It’s lovely, isn’t it? She said it’s a relic from the Goryeo period.”
After that day, not long afterward, Hwacheong-gun’s wife came again with her daughter Song An, bearing gifts and wishing to express her thanks once more. The celadon and relics from the Goryeo period she brought that time were among them.
In particular, the ceramics with their beautiful jade-green hues and the incense burners appeared to be national treasures or antiquities of considerable worth.
“It’s certainly a rare piece. Since you prevented her from making a mistake with her prospective son-in-law, one can imagine her gratitude knows no bounds. She must have gone to considerable trouble to find something you’re known to favor.”
“Yes. I was quite surprised when she suddenly said she’d visit. She said she wanted to express her thanks properly.”
“Even for a royal relative, procuring such items on short notice wouldn’t have been simple. And she’s not someone with much interest in such things either.”
“So I baked some cakes and sent them back as a gift.”
“That’s sufficient.”
“But I’m sending the same pastries to other people too, so it feels a bit insincere.”
“If she expected something grand in return for a gift to a young girl, then her intentions would be all the more dubious.”
……That was true.
I quickly accepted this and carefully wiped the incense burner with cloth. No matter how I looked at it, it was the quality of something you’d only see in a museum.
“Can’t they make things like this anymore?”
“They could, certainly, but such ornate ceramics…….”
“I’m keeping this for my personal collection.”
“……Couldn’t you simply have the Saongwon attempt to create something like it?”
It was the sort of bold pronouncement one made when one thought anything could be accomplished with a mere command—but it wasn’t wrong.
“When I received other things, I felt a bit uneasy, but with this one, my conscience is at ease at least.”
“It’s surely a gift given with genuine gratitude, so why not simply accept it with a glad heart? Besides, you’ve been accepting other gifts without difficulty all this time, haven’t you?”
“True enough, but……honestly, making Egg Honey Cakes and Lotus Root Candies to send back is rather tedious.”
Among the royal relatives and ministers, there were actually quite a few who donated to the Sigyeongwon instead of giving ambiguous gifts or bribes.
It was good for gaining credit in various ways.
They could appeal to me while also appearing virtuous.
Because of it, I had to keep separate ledgers for donations, and truthfully, it sometimes felt like a bribe, which made me uncomfortable.
‘It’s awkward to tell them not to send anything.’
It did genuinely help with running the Sigyeongwon.
Lately, word had gotten out that gisaengs had performed at the Sigyeongwon recently, and people kept nosing around, so I was somewhat worried about having caused further trouble.
When I made sure to actively explain why the gisaengs had performed at the Sigyeongwon, rumors mixing in the fact that someone’s son had called off his engagement over it began to spread, and now every yangban household was busy disciplining their sons.
Parents raising sons really do have it rough.
They should have supervised their sons as strictly as they do their daughters—who raises children so loosely?
‘But the Sigyeongwon has quite a few boys too, which worries me.’
I know that under Min Sanggung’s efforts they’ve been raised quite well-behaved, of course. Even if they misbehave, as long as it’s within reason, the former Chae-tam-in can keep the children in line.
But making fully grown boys behave is truly difficult.
‘After all, there are plenty of discontented people in the world.’
It was unfortunate, but there were children who learned to read only to find their frustration growing deeper.
Even among the rare few who showed genuine promise, I would hear talk of arranging betrothal matches for them—but such children were uncommon. As for military examinations and the like, they were not open to just anyone either.
If any of them had possessed that caliber of talent, word would have reached me.
Sigyeongwon had as many problems as it had people, and what reached my ears was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Then, not long after, as if on cue, I heard that boys from Sigyeongwon had caused trouble.
How perfectly timed.

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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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