Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 77

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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 77. The Bait
The royal procession departed from Changdeok Palace.
The Naegumwi and Urim Guard soldiers took their positions at the very front of the procession.
The Mounted Guards on horseback surrounded the royal palanquin with impeccable vigilance.
Behind them came the court officials, followed by the palace attendants.
My palanquin was positioned at the very end of the procession.
Despite being relatively small, it was spacious enough that I alone rattled about inside, requiring considerable effort to maintain my balance.
‘It’s sweltering.’
Just as Han Sang-gung had warned, the interior of the palanquin was stifling and humid.
The royal palanquin had open sides, but mine was completely enclosed on all four sides.
I carefully opened a small window in the palanquin.
A bamboo blind called a gyoreum was hung over the opening.
Thanks to it, I could get ventilation without exposing my face.
“Phew. That’s better.”
As a gentle breeze drifted in, the oppressive heat began to ease.
I lifted the bamboo blind slightly and gazed out at the passing scenery.
Enormous crowds lined the streets, gathered to witness the royal procession.
Those kneeling before the King’s passage stole glances upward to catch glimpses of the procession.
The people showed considerable interest in my palanquin at the end of the procession.
Assuming a member of the royal family was inside, some even bowed in my direction.
‘This is terribly uncomfortable.’
Inside this palanquin sat nothing more than a mere junior court lady—neither a concubine nor a prince.
With that thought, I swallowed hard.
I had barely drunk any water since last night.
My throat was understandably parched, but…
‘Water is absolutely forbidden.’
My dignity was far too precious.
Between the thirst and the swaying of the palanquin, I felt a touch of nausea creeping in.
I pressed my face as close as possible to the bamboo blind to settle my churning stomach.
I needed even the slightest breath of fresh air.
That was when it happened.
“Huh…?”
A familiar face emerged from the crowd.
‘The hot-tempered one?’
Park Moon-soo, the Hot-tempered Young Master, was sitting among the spectators.
Without thinking, I lifted the bamboo blind higher.
The crowd murmured with curiosity upon spotting a young child sitting idly inside the palanquin.
Park Moon-soo’s eyes, which had been watching the procession with fascination, suddenly fixed on me.
“Huh? You…!”
Park Moon-soo’s mouth fell open in astonishment.
There was good reason to be taken aback.
On the day I’d encountered Park Moon-soo on Unjong Street, Seol-hyang had called me “young lady”—a playful jest on her part.
Though it was done without my intention, Park Moon-soo had naturally assumed I was the daughter of a rather distinguished household.
So of course he’d be shocked to see me now, riding in a palanquin as part of the royal procession.
Bleh!
I stuck my tongue out at Park Moon-soo.
It was a meaningless gesture, nothing more.
In that instant.
“Hwang Bong-bong! Wait! I have something to say…!”
His voice, spreading through the hushed crowd, was swallowed by muffled protests and murmurs.
The people around him were restraining him.
They seemed to be telling Park Moon-soo that raising his voice with the King present was madness—did he want to be seized by the royal guards?
‘Something to say? What could it be?’
Unable to resist my curiosity, I leaned my face out the window.
I could see Park Moon-soo, held back by the crowd.
He was gesturing frantically, straining with all his might to convey something to me.
“Hwang Bong…! Mmph!”
But that was all.
A court lady approached and shut the window of my palanquin with a decisive snap.
‘What on earth is all this fuss about?’
Surely that hot-tempered young master wasn’t so foolish as to not know that causing a disturbance during a royal procession was forbidden—he was quite intelligent, after all.
‘Still the same as ever, Hot-tempered Young Master.’
A soft laugh escaped me.
Though it was quickly stifled by the oppressive, suffocating heat.
‘I’m dying in this heat. I shouldn’t have leaned out….’
The palanquin moved forward without hesitation.
I heard Park Moon-soo’s voice calling after me no longer.
***
It didn’t take long to reach Dongguan Wang Temple.
In less than an hour, I managed to descend from the palanquin with my human dignity intact.
‘I’ve only heard about it, never seen it before.’
The fact that Joseon had a shrine dedicated to Guan Yu was quite remarkable.
Even more remarkable was that the King of Joseon would perform rituals for Guan Yu.
For this very reason, the ministers had desperately tried to dissuade King Sukjong from bowing at the Guan Yu shrine, but….
‘Our King doesn’t listen to what others say anyway.’
In any case.
Dongguan Wang Temple was built after the Imjin War, at the request of the Ming Emperor.
I was gazing at the shrine, which had been constructed in a form quite different from the pavilions within Changdeok Palace.
“His Majesty the King arrives!”
An Eunuch announced the King’s arrival in a loud voice.
Following the palace attendants who rushed to gather, I respectfully escorted the King as he entered the shrine.
Only the King and a select few ritual officials could enter the inner sanctum where the ritual was performed.
In other words, I had been granted some free time until the King finished his worship.
But still….
‘Why did Park Moon-soo keep calling my name like that earlier?’
Because he recognized my face…?
His attitude had been far too proactive for that explanation, which bothered me somewhat.
‘How would I know the true thoughts of a madman preserved in the historical records?’
I soon set aside my thoughts about Park Moon-soo and focused on finding ‘someone’.
‘Oh, found them.’
I found my target.
That person was….
“Royal Physician! Do you remember me?”
Upon spotting the Royal Physician, I cautiously approached and spoke to him.
“Ah. Aren’t you the young maid from Chwisuondang? Your name was Hwang Bong-bong, wasn’t it?”
The Royal Physician and I were acquainted.
When I had thrown myself into the pond in Changdeok Palace Gardens, he was the one who treated me for the fever I had contracted.
“Yes, sir. Thank you for remembering my name.”
“It’s been a while. Ah, you were there on the day His Majesty lost consciousness, weren’t you?”
“Yes, sir. I was there too.”
“Right. Since you gave the medicinal candy to His Majesty, it would only be natural. I was in such chaos that day that I momentarily forgot. But….”
The Royal Physician seemed to have many questions for me.
“I was quite astonished at how a young girl like you possessed such knowledge.”
“I heard about it from a village physician when I lived outside the palace. Most people outside the palace would know about such things.”
While my shoulders lifted at the sincere compliment, I hadn’t come here to chat with the Royal Physician.
After giving a vague answer, I quickly changed the subject.
“But Royal Physician, I have a question.”
“What is it? Speak freely.”
“Is it possible for someone suffering from an illness to suddenly recover completely and become healthy?”
“It is possible. If a skilled physician prescribes the right treatment and uses appropriate medicinal ingredients, recovery is certainly achievable.”
“But what if someone takes the same medicine constantly, yet suffers for several months, then recovers completely for several months? Can such a thing happen?”
“Hmm?”
The Royal Physician furrowed his brow as if hearing something utterly absurd.
“You’re saying the same medicine is taken consistently, yet symptoms appear and disappear over the course of months rather than days? That’s quite… peculiar. Rather unsettling, even.”
The Royal Physician asked with a suspicious expression.
“But why do you ask such a thing?”
“I know someone who has the symptoms you described.”
“Is that so? A strange condition indeed. If you know this person, are they a palace attendant?”
It was at that moment.
King Sukjong emerged from the shrine, having completed his prayers.
The palace attendants who had been gathered in small groups quickly withdrew and formed a line.
I took my place as well. Right beside the Royal Physician.
As if it were my natural position, I bowed respectfully toward King Sukjong.
“So Hwang Bong-bong was here. Was your journey pleasant?”
I boldly chose to answer his question with a question of my own.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I had some questions, so I was asking the Royal Physician about them.”
Thus I cast my bait.
“You had questions for the Royal Physician? What were they?”
King Sukjong took the bait without hesitation.

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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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