Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 92

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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 92
The advantage was that since the children all gathered there, those who used to lurk near Si Yeong Won to steal glimpses of their own offspring now congregated at the Open Ground instead, which meant the staff working at Si Yeong Won could finally relax their vigilance.
“If you’re so worried, I wish you’d raise them yourselves.”
“Ha ha.”
There were adults who would suddenly burst out and lose their temper if children fought and got hurt.
“We’re raising them without hearing a single word of thanks.”
“But those children know they have parents. So they even look down on children who truly have none, which causes fights.”
“Hmm.”
As I listened to the staff’s grievances, I found myself sinking into contemplation.
Because when so many people gathered at the Open Ground, there was also the disadvantage that more people were quietly abandoning children there.
‘Plus and minus cancel out to zero.’
But this couldn’t continue indefinitely.
In fact, children from Si Yeong Won did sometimes get adopted.
Naturally, couples of Commoner Status with comfortable means would come looking for children, but even after taking them, they’d send them back here during the day, saying the children could receive education here too.
Or they’d adopt and take them away, work them hard, and when the children found it exhausting, they’d come back.
“What if we created a Foster Family System?”
“What would that be, my lady?”
“Instead of adoption, we’d connect children with foster parents so they can learn what family life is like.”
“That’s a noble intention, but how many people would actually do such a thing…… Oh!”
Min, who had been listening to me, let out an exclamation as if she grasped my meaning.
“So parents who left their children at Si Yeong Won could take them back through foster family placement.”
That way, the child’s status would be maintained as a Commoner and they could live with their parents.
It was a loophole, certainly, but it was a way to satisfy parents who wanted to raise their children as Commoners while also wanting to raise them themselves, as much as possible.
If a child wanted to continue receiving education at Si Yeong Won, they could simply move to this area.
In any case, if they visited their child so frequently, it would be better to just move here.
Already, the area around Si Yeong Won was forming a small community as people connected to the institution gradually settled here.
I hadn’t done it intentionally, but since Si Yeong Won children did become independent sometimes, and there were so many of them that we often received complaints about the noise, I eventually just ended up buying houses with generous funds, and that’s how it happened.
This is how the wealthy solve complaints…….
It was my doing, but honestly it felt a bit absurd. Still, it was fortunate that everyone was happy with the outcome.
***
The staff of Si Yeong Won decided to implement my policy by approaching parents who watched the children and recommending the Foster Family System.
If someone was staring intently at just one child at the Open Ground—not even riding the play equipment—there was a high chance that person was the child’s biological parent, so staff would deliberately come out in small groups to observe the people and children, spot the parents with a hawk’s eye, and succeed in foster family placement.
And occasionally, for those unscrupulous people who instead demanded child support, they decided to extract payment.
“You’re actually the biological parent of that child, aren’t you?”
“Yes, yes? Me?”
“If it’s true, I can verify it by taking the child away and asking the neighbors. Can’t I?”
“I, I…….”
“I understand. You wanted to raise the child as a Commoner. Didn’t you?”
“Yes, yes yes.”
“But surely you wouldn’t think of asking for money after abandoning the child like this. Or did I perhaps mishear and you meant to say you’d provide support?”
“I, I will provide it!”
“If this matter comes to light, you know better than anyone what will happen to the child.”
“Of course, of course…….”
I hadn’t thought Mauri had this side to him…… he certainly had a way with words.
While I sat nearby pretending not to listen to Mauri’s pitch, a familiar face caught my eye.
“Oh my, young miss.”
“We keep running into each other.”
“I visit this place often, but surely you cannot visit as frequently. Can you?”
It was Mae Hyang, now a familiar presence.
‘I have a feeling it was Mae Hyang who spread word of this place.’
It’s good for business, so I’m not complaining.
“This place seems to have become entirely established as a playground.”
“It was literally a vacant lot, so what does it matter.”
Because of the play equipment, and also because so many people gathered, the place grew more crowded every day.
We had separate play equipment for children and adults and ran them separately, and they were well received.
For reference, the adult equipment was segregated by gender, so we had separate sections for men and women.
Recalling an amusement park from my past life, I had the Si Yeong Won staff make and sell candy and Sikhye, which also generated decent revenue.
“With so many people gathered like this, if a traveling theater troupe came, they could perform right here.”
“Hmm. We should level the ground a bit more.”
Children gather here naturally, and I’ve already built a small swing and seesaw, so the land’s beginning to feel cramped.
I was considering buying more, when Mae Hyang said something unexpected.
“I’ve heard you’re opening a school. May I ask what prompted such a thought? If a clinic specializing in treating women’s ailments were to open, might Gisaeng like myself be able to receive care?”
“Word’s gotten out already? Of course anyone—Gisaeng or not—can receive treatment. Why wouldn’t they?”
“I thought perhaps it would be a clinic exclusively for noble ladies.”
“How many noblewomen could there be? And a clinic doesn’t discriminate like that anyway.”
“Is that so?”
It was a topic I hadn’t expected, so I asked while the thought was fresh.
“When Gisaeng fall ill, they’d call for a physician, wouldn’t they? Would a male doctor come?”
“We don’t typically object to such things.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be more comfortable if a Medical Woman came instead?”
“Women certainly would prefer a skilled Medical Woman to treat them. With women’s ailments especially, even male physicians can hardly claim true expertise. But are Medical Women truly skilled?”
“What did you just say?”
The voice that cut through suddenly belonged to—of all people—Seong Ji.
“Young mistress, it’s been quite long.”
“Yes, it has been.”
Seong Ji greeted me first, then gave Mae Hyang a sharp look as she spoke.
“You appear to be a Gisaeng. On what grounds do you disparage the skill of Medical Women?”
“You appear to be a Medical Woman. Is it not natural, when one has never encountered a truly skilled Medical Woman?”
“Hmph. By that logic, shouldn’t I hear that Gisaeng singing lacks refinement?”
“What did you just say?”
Oh no… couldn’t they go argue elsewhere?
They’d managed to touch each other’s sorest spot, and if I intervened, it would be like a whale and a shrimp fighting with the shrimp’s back bearing the brunt of it.
True, by social standing I’d be the whale in this scenario, but I had no desire to be caught in the middle, so I withdrew with Ga-i.
“Young mistress, should we not intervene?”
“One of them comes here to teach the children Medical Arts, and Mae Hyang visits often to play with the children and teach them Singing. If they argue, they’ll work out different days on their own.”
Let’s slip away.
Yes, young mistress.
We were trying to tiptoe out, but the two of them, equally sharp-eyed, both grabbed me at once.
“Where are you going?”
“I still have something to tell you.”
……
Terrifying. When I made a reluctant face, both of them cleared their throats awkwardly before Seong Ji spoke first.
“Some time ago, your uncle caused considerable trouble.”
“If it’s resolved, that’s a relief.”
Identity confirmed well enough, but that uncle of mine remained a concern.
I’d already agreed to take on teaching duties—that should be fine.
“I will ensure it causes no disruption to the students’ education. Please do not worry.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
Once Seong Ji’s business was finished, Mae Hyang opened her mouth.
“Is there any way to obtain more of the Soap you gave us along with Jeon Du? For people like me, it is a most necessary item.”
“Ah, I actually wanted to ask you about Soap as well. Is there no way to procure it?”
“Well, since we’ve been supplying the Hyemin Office primarily, we’re running short on stock.”
I haven’t yet compiled precise statistics, but the physicians at the Inner Medical Office have already recognized Soap’s efficacy and are seeking mass production.
I want that too, but we’re still focused on increasing pig numbers, so oil isn’t as plentiful as I’d like.
“Making Soap requires oil, and oil isn’t exactly a common commodity, is it?”
“Then would Camellia Oil suffice?”
“Isn’t that far too expensive?”
“The expense is of no concern.”
Soap use, which had begun with me, was spreading naturally to officials, scholars, and palace staff who wished to follow the royal custom.
I’d been supplying it free to the royal court and the medical office, but now I was in a position to insist on payment.
Word came that they were secretly selling even the Soap sent for patients, along with that from the royal court itself.
So I designated the palace women and Medical Women who’d reported this to me as suppliers, gave them a cut of the profits, and told them to sell it dearly from now on.
Thanks to that I was making money, but demand was rising so sharply it had become rather troublesome.
‘The pig farm is still underdeveloped—supply can’t keep pace with demand.’
Right, we’re selling it dear anyway, so let’s just mix in expensive plant oils and sell it dear.
Plant oils, depending on the type, smell wonderful when made properly, but can produce a rather extreme odor if mishandled.
‘Sesame Oil Soap, for instance.’
But in this era of Joseon, there are almost no fried dishes, and even traditional honey cakes are fried in Sesame Oil.
So Sesame Oil is fairly abundant as something to make into Soap, which is why I’d have to mix it somehow with animal oil anyway.
In truth, if one was in no position to be picky, the smell of sesame oil wasn’t the real problem—even oil that had gone rancid and stunk, you’d use it anyway.
Since we’d been making soap in such volume, everyone had picked up the technique, and the quality had been improving steadily of late.
Of course, the material itself couldn’t be ignored—the better the ingredients, the better the soap that came out—but discovering which oils worked best for soap-making, and in what proportions to blend them, had all been learned through trial and error alone.
The reason we’d been distributing it freely in the beginning was partly that the early batches had poor quality and low yield, but truthfully it was also a matter of principle. Now, if anyone outside public medicine or my own enterprise wanted to buy it, we had no choice but to charge a premium.
And it wasn’t I who oversaw my enterprise, including soap production—it was Ga-i.
“Then let’s start by hearing what quantity you have in mind.”
“……Young Miss?”
“Ga-i is my representative in all but name, so speak with her. I’m going to take things easy once I’ve laid the foundation for the academy.”
“Then, Young Miss, I suppose we ought to have a word first.”
For some reason, Seong Ji looked at Mae Hyang with a triumphant smile and took my hand.
I didn’t necessarily want them to become close, but I did hope they wouldn’t fight.
Now that I thought about it, I’d been far too busy these past few years.
Always meaning to rest, never actually resting—once I’d built the academy and seen the first graduates through, I ought to spend my time collecting celadon and antiquities, savoring the life of a gilded idler.
‘Perhaps by then Yeojoo and Jihwa will make their entrances at last.’
But as always, people were not creatures who could rest simply because they wished to.
Especially not those carrying blood as peculiar as mine.

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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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