Born As The Daughter of a Lowly Concubine - Chapter 98

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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 as the daughter of a Concubine of Low Rank.
Chapter 98
Song Bi said she wanted to check a few more things at my Private Residence, so I had her take it easy and rest.
Since household matters would likely fall to Song Bi eventually, I also ordered the servants to follow her lead.
“I had assumed that the Elder Sister who visited occasionally before would be managing the household.”
“Ah. Ga-i tends to handle outside affairs more, so I’m not sure when it will be, but once I move to the Private Residence, Song Bi will largely take over the household duties.”
“I see.”
“Yeong-seon’s work won’t change, so you needn’t worry too much.”
Those who had been frightened by Ga-i’s stern nature seemed to relax a little upon meeting Song Bi, who appeared kind and gentle.
Ga-i wasn’t such a bad person. But we didn’t see her that often, so how would they know that?
‘The two of them seem accustomed to playing the roles of whip and carrot.’
I left the household matters to Song Bi and set out with Yeong-seon, So-i, and Seong Gyeom-sabok.
“I do hope we find something worthwhile.”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
It was just as Yeong-seon, who had grown accustomed to calling me Princess indoors and Young Miss outdoors, was adjusting my appearance in the slightly simpler clothes I’d changed into just now before mounting the horse.
“…!”
Seong Gyeom-sabok suddenly turned his head and stepped in front of me.
“What…is it?”
“It felt as though someone was watching…I apologize. It seems I was overly cautious.”
“Hmm, if there’s real danger, should we turn back?”
To my eyes, there were only ordinary passersby.
But the people at Si-young Won and the former Chae-tam-in seemed to have a keen instinct for detecting threats that we ordinary people knew nothing of.
“No, it’s not as though I sense Killing Intent…Perhaps it was merely servants waiting nearby, hoping to offer me a bribe regarding the Princess’s household.”
“True enough…”
There was hardly much merit in targeting me anyway.
“Still, it would be best if you did not mount before we reach somewhere crowded, just to be safe.”
Even a small child on horseback tends to draw eyes.
In the end, Seong Gyeom-sabok decided he would carry me, saying my legs would ache if we walked far.
I held Jeok-a’s reins while So-i and Yeong-seon followed close behind, which made for quite a peculiar sight.
“Jeok-a won’t run away from Seong Gyeom-sabok now, will he?”
“Without Young Miss present, he still keeps his distance.”
“Then why did you approach?”
“I thought since he’d grown accustomed to me by now, he might not flee, so I tried approaching him once at the Safok-si.”
“Hmm. My brother didn’t avoid it either.”
Perhaps someone he’s known since childhood doesn’t flee even if they’re a man.
I still couldn’t understand Jeok-a’s standards.
“Jeok-a is truly a fine horse, whenever I see him.”
“Isn’t he?”
Yeong-seon, who walked behind me and was someone who had ridden horses before, never failed to admire Jeok-a.
For some reason, though, conversations with her always seemed to drift in unexpected directions.
“Don’t they make celadon in animal shapes?”
“Yes, like fish-shaped water droppers, flower shapes, and so on.”
“I wonder how they create such beautiful things.”
“Once I formally leave the palace, I plan to display the celadon I’m keeping at my Residence alongside it. There’s an especially beautiful Incense Burner…”
“I would very much like to see it.”
Meanwhile, So-i and Seong Gyeom-sabok simply walked with expressions of incomprehension.
“No matter how much I look, I don’t quite understand what’s so appealing about it.”
“It’s a matter of taste, isn’t it?”
Since there were more than one or two places we needed to visit today, the two of them already seemed as weary as a elementary school son dragged along to his mother’s clothes shopping.
‘I’m sorry, but there’s no help for it.’
While there were professional dealers in antiques, there were also cases where the possessor had died and the family needed to settle their affairs due to financial hardship.
In such cases, the sellers hope that the price will be fair, yet also wish that someone trustworthy will take good care of the deceased’s treasured belongings, and so they seek out buyers—sometimes even offering the goods to someone of my standing.
But compared to collectors who exhaust their fortunes on antiques and ceramics, I was rather modest in my tastes, so I rarely made large purchases as they hoped.
‘I simply buy what I like.’
Or things of historical significance. The reason I hadn’t hired a professional authenticator until now was precisely for this reason.
Recently, since I’ve been busy, I’ve begun having Yeong-seon, who has a discerning eye, handle matters as my proxy, with other attendants like Ga-i and So-i present during transactions.
‘Soon I’ll likely be entrusting most of it to proxy handlers.’
Since antiques could sometimes be counterfeits, it seemed wise to hire a professional authenticator soon. Even today, I’d arranged for one to come to my Residence before we left.
The first shop we arrived at was one that dealt mainly in Goryeo antiques.
“This is a Bronze Mirror used in the Goryeo period. It’s famous for its intricate patterning.”
“Hmm.”
“And this is a celadon teapot shaped like a peony…….”
“Oh.”
For several pieces that caught my eye, I had the owner draw up a contract, take a deposit, and send them to the residence later. Since the sums were generally substantial, I couldn’t settle everything on the spot.
‘I miss card payments and bank transfers.’
Among the things I’d selected, celadon pieces dominated, as expected.
Beyond that, there were silver craftwares and incense burners once used in temples during the Goryeo period—quite a varied collection.
‘It feels like walking through a museum.’
The beginning had been relatively modest.
Still, up to that point, So-i and Seong Gyeom-sabok’s expressions remained fairly animated.
The two of them, whose faces had grown weary from being dragged through a genre that held no interest for them, wore increasingly exhausted expressions as we made our rounds.
‘Since all the antique dealers are clustered together, it seems less taxing physically than walking the entire circuit of the National Central Museum.’
Once you’d covered the permanent exhibitions and all the special and themed displays, the energy was drained from you—it wasn’t a place to visit unless you were with friends whose tastes aligned.
So-i and Seong Gyeom-sabok probably suffered more from boredom than any genuine fatigue, but then again, neither of them worked in a profession where one could afford to show such things, and I’d become rather spoiled by their forbearance.
Besides, since we were moving through neighborhoods with considerable foot traffic, Seong Gyeom-sabok was no longer carrying me.
“Are you…… truly going elsewhere?”
“There’s still one more place.”
“Do you truly intend to visit even there?”
“Yes.”
I’d already visited all the dealers who’d come to my residence, and during our rounds I’d confirmed that the VIP boutique I’d heard mentioned by a certain relative’s wife wasn’t far away, so I decided to stop by while we were out.
“It is an unverified establishment, and I confess myself anxious about it.”
“Let’s just take a look and see what sort of goods they have.”
“The young miss possesses remarkable vigor.”
So-i, who’d already been forced through multiple shops, wore a rather exhausted expression. Though I myself wasn’t the sort to buy only the same things.
“So-i looks so drained—shouldn’t we get her some restorative medicine?”
“Goodness, young miss.”
“I was right to have Song Bi rest at home.”
“I confess I share that sentiment, young miss.”
When I was young, Song Bi had been in her early twenties; now that I was sixteen, she was no longer in her prime either.
‘Come to think of it, I should prepare a restorative for Song Bi and Ga-i rather than So-i.’
Thirty or forty might still be considered working age, but both their bodies were surely not what they’d once been.
Life expectancy in this era wasn’t particularly long, though even so, forty wasn’t truly considered elderly.
In modern times, people live so much longer that the extended average lifespan confuses many—they often mistake the average life expectancy of, say, forty years to mean that forty-year-olds are classified as elderly.
But in this era, infant and child mortality rates are extraordinarily high, and death from countless accidents and illnesses strikes people in their youth as well; for women, the mortality rate in childbirth is also substantial, which inevitably depresses the average.
Moreover, excessive labor accelerates physical deterioration, so naturally those classes subjected to grueling toil have shorter lifespans.
Therefore, the wealthy ruling classes, with their superior hygiene and nutrition and access to medical care, tend to live comparatively long lives.
Of course, they too suffer from overeating, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, and so forth, falling prey to the same ailments as modern people.
Had the Joseon kings not been burdened by severe lack of exercise, psychological stress, and overwork relative to their excessive nutrition, they likely would have all lived quite long lives.
‘It is indeed a stressful profession.’
Come to think of it, while I’m in the palace, I should be kinder to the King and the Crown Prince…….
In any case, court attendants at least bore no children, received relatively good provisions, and had access to medical care—unlike the women of common households, they didn’t wear the hardship so visibly on their faces. Though court attendants suffered their own sorrows and emotional tribulations.
The truth is, I felt rather guilty, as though I myself were partly responsible for shortening the lifespans of the women in my residence.
They themselves laughed it off, saying that since I hadn’t aged, they didn’t seem to either, but seeing that laughter weighed heavily on my heart.
‘Come quickly, successor.’
Honestly, I felt guilty that those around me worried more than I did myself. But if I were to say something like, “Don’t worry, a healer will soon appear as though blessed by the divine to cure my body,” they’d all think I’d finally lost my mind.
Well, I might as well enjoy my hobbies.
The less I seem to think about, the less everyone worries.
Before I knew it, we’d arrived at our final destination.
The place received enough visitors that a man stood outside the entrance, ushering people in.
Once inside, I found they had quite ancient artifacts on display—unusually so. Most shops carried only artifacts from the Goryeo period, but this one had a fair number from the Three Kingdoms era.
‘If these are genuine, the quality is quite impressive.’
I exchanged a glance with Yeong-seon. The quality was better than I’d expected.
“Ha ha ha. Welcome, welcome.”
The proprietor greeted us warmly. Though it was somewhat amusing, since So-i was the one among us who most resembled a young lady of quality in appearance, everyone treated her with particular deference.
It couldn’t be helped. Yeong-seon was a slave, and I appeared as a child; even given the rumors that I don’t age, few would believe a princess would walk about personally.
Seong Gyeom-sabok? This man…… hardly projected the bearing of someone acting as an agent in such affairs.
There were several other customers besides us, apparently drawn by word of mouth.
“Please, if there is anything particular you seek, feel free to tell me at any time.”
“Where do these items come from?”
“They are from the household of a gentleman in Gyeongsang Province. That family requires funds due to a marriage, so they are disposing of their treasures. I made haste to go there myself and acquired them on the spot.”
“Hmm.”
The objects on display were far too fine.
“Oh!”
“Oh!”
Yeong-seon and I turned at the same moment, both of us drawing in a sharp breath. There, preserved with utmost care, sat a single celadon jar with perfect curves and exquisite patterns.
I had to have this!

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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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