Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 16

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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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Chapter 16. Aeryeonji Pond
The morning after a tumultuous Lunar New Year celebration.
I, who had been indulging in a rare late sleep, was summoned by Jang Hee-bin.
“You called for me, Jang Hee-bin?”
“Bong-bong, what do you think of my face?”
“I… beg your pardon?”
“My makeup. I’m asking if you think it’s too heavy.”
“Ah…”
I found myself momentarily at a loss for words.
‘Please don’t make me into someone who just critiques appearances.’
That was my honest sentiment, yet I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Jang Hee-bin, seeking to bolster her self-esteem through the eyes of a four-year-old child.
“When I lightened my makeup as you suggested, every palace maid who saw me lavished praise, saying I looked far more lovely. They say children cannot tell lies…”
Ah, so that was what had happened.
It seemed Jang Hee-bin had come to place great trust in “Hwang Bong-bong’s aesthetic judgment.”
In the end, I crossed my arms and pretended to scrutinize her face from every angle.
‘I was taught that staring directly at a concubine’s face is a grave offense deserving of a beating.’
But I was on an important mission, so there was no helping it.
“Well, child? What do you think?”
When my answer did not come readily, Jang Hee-bin urged me anxiously for a response.
I nodded vigorously and cried out loudly.
“You’re so pretty!”
Jang Hee-bin, you survive.
“I was genuinely anxious until I heard your answer. I cannot fathom what sorcery this is.”
Jang Hee-bin, now smiling, spoke.
“And you’re even prettier when you smile!”
That was a bonus.
You are a woman whose beauty will be renowned for centuries to come. So have confidence in yourself.
“Ha. I wish His Majesty would regard me as fondly as our dear Bong-bong does.”
Pleased, Jang Hee-bin popped a sweet into my mouth.
These days, I was simply busy eating.
Deer antler, sweets, and even on the day I brought the King, she prepared the precious tarakjuk.
Because of all this…
‘It seems none of my clothes are hanging loose anymore.’
But what could I do? I’m a growing child, so I must eat well whatever is given to me!
“Jang Hee-bin.”
“Yes?”
“Where are you going today?”
It was truly a question a mere maid like me had no right to ask, but I ventured it anyway, using a child’s innocent curiosity as my shield.
“I intend to visit the Changdeok Palace Gardens with the Crown Prince. It’s early in the season, but I hear the red plum blossoms have already begun to bloom.”
Oh… Changdeok Palace Gardens?
I had been rushing about the vicinity of Chwisuondang all this while, yet I still hadn’t ventured beyond Changgyeong Palace.
‘When one thinks of the Royal Palace, it’s naturally Changdeok Palace….’
I nibbled on the confection while surreptitiously gauging Jang Hee-bin’s mood.
‘If I learn the way to Changdeok Palace, I’ll be able to come and go freely whenever needed later, won’t I?’
Moreover, regarding the Changdeok Palace Gardens—in modern times, one could only visit after enduring a process nearly as grueling as waiting in line for an idol’s appearance.
This was undoubtedly a heaven-sent opportunity.
“Hwang Bong-bong wants to see the gardens too!”
Once again, I blurted it out with the innocent candor of a child.
And Jang Hee-bin’s reaction to that was….
‘She’s pleased.’
Rather than showing displeasure, Jang Hee-bin responded as though she had been waiting for me to say precisely that.
For just a fleeting moment, I thought I saw her eyes shift slightly—which suggested she harbored some ulterior motive…?
“Is that so? Then how fortunate. Let the three of us—the Crown Prince, Hwang Bong-bong, and I—stroll affectionately through the gardens together. Though the lotus flowers have yet to bloom, the Aeryeonjung Pavilion possesses a most refined charm.”
Ah…. The Aeryeonjung Pavilion.
“Yes! Hwang Bong-bong is so excited!”
I bounced about with a joyful expression, feigning delight.
Of course, I had already seen through Jang Hee-bin’s true intentions.
The Aeryeonji Pond, where the Aeryeonjung Pavilion stood, was King Sukjong’s favorite spot—a place where he frequently appeared.
***
“Wow!”
Wow, wow…!
An almost childlike gasp of wonder burst forth unbidden.
“It’s magnificent….”
From the very entrance of the gardens, a breathtaking vista unfolded before me.
Two towering red plum blossom trees were the stars of this scene.
Beneath the crystalline blue sky, thousands of deep pink blossoms just beginning to unfurl created a spectacle so enchanting it stole one’s breath away.
“These red plum blossoms are called the Seongjeong Plum. They were planted during the reign of King Seonjo.”
And to think the Crown Prince himself was serving as my guide through the gardens!
A wave of overwhelming emotion swept over me, mingled with the sweet fragrance of plum blossoms.
“This is Buyong Pond. On fine days, Father enjoys boating here.”
Beyond the red plum blossoms, past the slope, appeared a large rectangular pond.
From my days as a history student, I was familiar with the pond’s appearance, yet something felt amiss—as though something were missing.
‘Ah. The Gyujanggak was built during King Jeongjo’s reign.’
An era when neither the Gyujanggak nor the Buyong Pavilion yet existed.
The realization that I stood within the flow of history itself made my heart swell with emotion.
Then I happened to glance at Jang Hee-bin….
‘Her mouth smiles, but her eyes are fixed elsewhere.’
It was abundantly clear that Jang Hee-bin’s purpose in visiting the gardens was not the red plum blossoms.
Her gaze remained fixed on the distant direction of Aeryeonji Pond.
In those eyes, I sensed an ardent longing to encounter King Sukjong.
“Well then, shall we make our way to Aeryeonji Pond?”
Despite the leisurely tone of her words, Jang Hee-bin’s pace quickened considerably.
I hurried along behind her, my feet pattering urgently against the ground.
‘King Sukjong frightens me.’
And yet, I too hoped he would be here in this place.
The reconciliation between Jang Hee-bin and King Sukjong was far too important to my own circumstances.
Besides, I was curious about the origin of that word King Sukjong had let slip—that I “resembled” someone.
But setting that aside for now….
‘Goodness, I’m exhausted. Save this poor child.’
We passed Younghwadang, where the civil service examination had been held, and then Chundangdae….
By the time we arrived, my legs felt as heavy as lead.
A sharp, briny scent mingled with the smell of wet earth washed over me, and my vision suddenly opened wide.
At the same moment, a beautiful landscape unfurled before my eyes.
The pond that King Sukjong loved—Aeryeonji Pond.
Though I could not see the verdant lotus leaves, the scenery of Aeryeonji was breathtakingly beautiful.
The water’s surface shimmered with golden sunlight in the mild late-winter air, and beside it stood the serene Aeryeonjung Pavilion.
It was a place where one could instantly understand why King Sukjong cherished it so.
There was indeed someone standing by that beautiful pond.
The problem was that it was not King Sukjong.
“…Ha.”
That sound that escaped from Jang Hee-bin—was that a scoff?
After rising onto my tiptoes and craning my neck, at last the figure of ‘someone’ came into view.
A woman.
A woman dressed in the robes of a royal concubine.
‘I’ve already met Suk-bin, and she’s too old to be Park, the birth mother of the Prince of Yeon….’
So if my suspicion was correct….
‘The final boss has arrived.’
I froze in place.
Above all, what made me tense was the woman’s expression.
In the gaze the woman fixed upon Jang Hee-bin, there was not a trace of what one might call a “social mask.”
Even if one despised someone to death, it was human nature to manage one’s expression before them.
Especially considering this was the Royal Palace….
‘She’s glaring with such murderous intensity. And the Crown Prince is standing right beside her too….’
The identity of this woman, who possessed such a distinctive presence.
‘Gwi-in Kim.’
A royal concubine selected by King Sukjong, recorded in history as Yeongbin Kim.
‘She came from such an illustrious family that she received treatment equal to that of a queen upon entering the palace.’
Daughter of Joseon’s most prestigious noble house. The pride of a lineage that surpassed even that of the queen.
And yet King Sukjong’s response to her was….
‘Complete and utter indifference.’
In those days, King Sukjong was utterly infatuated with Jang Hee-bin.
Perhaps it was the humiliation that stemmed from this.
Gwi-in Kim became a woman whose footsteps left no restraint in their wake.
‘The charges recorded against Gwi-in in the official histories were truly staggering.’
She spied on the King’s movements, insulted and slandered him, and did not hesitate to fabricate malicious lies about Jang Hee-bin.
Just from what I could recall, it was already this extensive—there was no need to elaborate further.
Ultimately, Gwi-in Kim was expelled from the Royal Palace when Queen Inhyeon was deposed. Later, when Queen Inhyeon was reinstated, she returned along with her.
Though she became a concubine once more, King Sukjong never opened his heart to Gwi-in.
Could not the life of Gwi-in Kim as a concubine be expressed thus?
‘A forsaken concubine, never once loved.’
That very Gwi-in was now glaring at Jang Hee-bin with eyes ablaze with malice.
Meanwhile, Jang Hee-bin’s expression remained quite serene.
‘Is this what they call the composure of a victor?’
Without realizing it, I clenched my fists and watched the silent confrontation between the two women unfold.
‘I’m tense, I’m nervous. It’s frightening yet fascinating…’
It was Gwi-in who spoke first.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince. It has been quite some time since we have met like this in the Back Garden.”
“…Yes, Gwi-in. I trust you have been in good health.”
Wow. She offered courtesy only to the Crown Prince, completely omitting any greeting toward Jang Hee-bin.
Yet Jang Hee-bin merely gazed at Gwi-in with unwavering composure.
‘Surely, even in the Royal Palace, they wouldn’t resort to pulling each other’s hair?’
There was no way that could happen… or so I thought in that moment.
Gwi-in Kim’s expression twisted subtly.
The instant I saw that face, I understood.
‘Palace intrigue about to erupt in one second.’
Someone save me.

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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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