The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#18. The Annihilation of the Greedy Spirits

“My, Queen Consort, how did you know to come?”

After Lady Gyeongbin, covered in lotus root soup, had left and the court ladies and nains had entered to clean up the disheveled room, Queen Dowager Jeong grasped Queen Consort Park Ji-hee’s hand warmly and spoke with apparent delight.

“Mother, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Of course not. Though I may be an old woman relegated to the back rooms, I still have enough skill to handle one fox.”

The fierce expression she had worn when facing Lady Gyeongbin melted away like snow on a spring day, and Queen Dowager Jeong looked at the Queen Consort with the loving face of a parent.

“Queen Consort, you must have been greatly upset. This old woman was furious just hearing about it, so how must you have felt as a mother? My heart still aches.”

At the Queen Dowager’s warm words, Queen Consort Park Ji-hee smiled sadly.

“With Your Majesty the Queen Dowager’s boundless love, our Princess will surely recover.”

“Of course, naturally. This old woman prays for it every day.”

Queen Dowager Jeong patted the Queen Consort’s hand that she held tightly.

“But Queen Consort, how did you know that this old woman had summoned Lady Gyeongbin?”

At the Queen Dowager’s curious question, Queen Consort Park Ji-hee smiled prettily.

“I too have eyes and ears within the palace that are no less capable than Lady Gyeongbin’s.”

“Ha ha ha! Is that so? Did you hurry here worried that this old woman might come to harm?”

At Queen Dowager Jeong’s pleased laughter, the Queen Consort shook her head as if to say no.

“How could Your Majesty the Queen Dowager ever be harmed by such a person? In truth, I believe I wanted to see Lady Gyeongbin getting her comeuppance from Your Majesty.”

“Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! You came at just the right time. You entered at the perfect moment and helped me finish what I had started beautifully, Queen Consort. Ha ha ha ha.”

Queen Consort Park Ji-hee couldn’t help but smile as she recalled Lady Gyeongbin’s disheveled state from earlier.

How furious that haughty woman must have been, covered head to toe in food.

The vegetable bits stuck here and there in her elaborate hairstyle and hairpins, and that large octopus on her skirt…

Thinking of Lady Gyeongbin who must be causing a great commotion back at her quarters by now, Queen Consort Park Ji-hee’s smile faded as she thought of her young daughter.

How frightened and scared that little one must have been, meeting Lady Gyeongbin alone.

To force that young child to see writhing live octopus and even make her touch it by force – what a truly wicked woman.

Noticing that the Queen Consort was thinking of the Princess who had been harmed by Lady Gyeongbin, Queen Dowager Jeong’s smile faded and she spoke with a worried expression.

“Has our Princess been found?”

Shaking off her thoughts, the Queen Consort smiled sadly.

“Yes, Your Majesty the Queen Dowager. A trusted nain from her quarters found her in the Library of the Crown Prince’s Palace and is carrying her back to the Princess’s Quarters.”

“Oh my, how pitiful. Truly pitiful… I am so sorry to you, Queen Consort.”

At Queen Dowager Jeong’s sudden apology, Queen Consort Park Ji-hee’s expression became puzzled.

What could Mother possibly have to apologize to me for? Since His Majesty the King was still a prince, hasn’t the Queen Dowager always been on my side?

“That is quite unnecessary. Mother has always been kind to me. Please do not speak so.”

At Queen Consort Park Ji-hee’s sincere words, Queen Dowager Jeong continued with an even more apologetic heart.

“If only His Majesty’s elder brother, the Late King, had not passed away so suddenly, such troubles would not have arisen.”

A long sigh escaped from the Queen Dowager’s lips as she gazed into the distance, as if recalling the distant past.

“Sigh… I should not have joined hands with the Prime Minister back then.”

One day, after Prince Gyeongbok, who is now His Majesty the King, had married Park Ji-hee, daughter of a great general and now the Queen Consort, forming a family alliance, his father the King, who had been suffering from a chronic illness, suddenly passed away.

At that time, the Crown Prince was nineteen years old, and Prince Gyeongbok was seventeen.

As soon as the King’s funeral ended, the Crown Prince immediately ascended to the throne and became the ruler of this nation, while Prince Gyeongbok had to observe the three-year mourning period for the deceased King in place of his brother who had become king, without even time to enjoy his honeymoon dreams.

However, before the three-year mourning period for the King was even over, his eldest son who had just become king also collapsed without an heir.

Queen Dowager Jeong, who was then the Queen Mother, hastily elevated the Queen Consort, who was also her daughter-in-law and the daughter of the Minister of the Board of Revenue, to Queen Dowager and seized the royal seal.

Then, together with Park Nam-il, Prince Gyeongbok’s father-in-law who was then a great general, she began eliminating political enemies who coveted the throne. However, since Park Nam-il had spent his life on battlefields and was not skilled in political strife, Prince Gyeongbok’s safety became increasingly precarious as time passed.

And it was precisely then that Left State Councilor Choi Nak-hyeon extended his hand.

With the condition that he would help with the great undertaking if his daughter could be selected as a royal concubine and made a first-rank consort after entering the palace…

Prince Gyeongbok finally became the 16th king of Taeshin Kingdom. And as promised, Left State Councilor’s daughter Choi Hye-ryeong became a selected royal concubine, entered the palace, and became Lady Gyeongbin, a first-rank consort with the highest status among all concubines, second only to the Queen Consort.

And she bore a son before the Queen Consort.

But fortunately, Prince Chung-in, the first prince born to Lady Gyeongbin, was not born with the qualities of a king.

That is why Lady Gyeongbin is so much more tyrannical.

Having finished her long thoughts, Queen Dowager Jeong nodded warmly while looking at Queen Consort Park Ji-hee, who was gazing at her with gentle eyes.

“Do not worry, Queen Consort. As long as I draw breath, someone like Lady Gyeongbin will never covet the Queen Consort’s position. And our clever Princess will soon be well, so do not be concerned.”

“Yes, Mother. I believe without doubt that things will be as you say.”

The two formidable women quietly smiled at each other while clasping hands.

* * *

“Princess!”

Lady Park, who had stopped precariously in front of Eunhye as if about to collapse, sank down with a thud.

Then she urgently grasped the small, chubby hands and examined them this way and that before looking at Eunhye with a face ready to cry.

“Oh my, Princess! What are all these wounds? What am I to do… If you wish to go somewhere, please tell me. How can you wander about alone like this? My heart has burned black and turned to charcoal.”

Having run around the palace so much, the fine strands of hair that had escaped from under her court lady’s headdress were soaked with sweat and stuck to various parts of her face.

Feeling sorry at this sight, Eunhye pulled her hands free and smoothed the disheveled hair on Lady Park’s forehead.

“I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble because of me, nanny.”

“Because of you, Princess? That is quite improper to say. It is we who have failed to serve you properly.”

Lady Park, whose throat tightened with emotion at the gentle touch on her forehead, shook her head with moistened eyes.

“Come, let us go to your quarters quickly. I have prepared meat noodles so you can eat as soon as you arrive.”

“Yes! I’m even hungrier than before.”

Eunhye’s eyes curved like crescents as she nodded vigorously.

“Shh! She has just fallen asleep.”

At Lady Han’s whispered words, Lady Park also nodded.

After changing out of her thoroughly soiled skirt and jacket and deliciously eating the meat noodles that came with her late lunch, Eunhye fell asleep before she could even finish her after-meal refreshments.

How exhausted must she have been to doze off while sitting with her beloved candied apple in one hand?

At that adorable sight, Lady Park and Lady Han exchanged wordless smiles and quietly prepared Eunhye’s bed.

And when they carefully lifted Eunhye, who was still dozing while sitting, and laid her on the soft bedding, she made sounds like a puppy and turned to lie on her side…

At that cute yet pitiful sight, both Lady Park and Lady Han’s eyes welled up simultaneously.

From the dawn greeting until now, how exhausted must our young Princess have been?

Thinking that she had wandered alone through the palace, fleeing from something only visible to the Princess’s eyes, Lady Park and Lady Han felt more heartbroken than anyone.

After pulling the blanket up to Eunhye’s chest as she slept deeply and gently patting her, Lady Park rose with quiet movements.

Several scratches on the chubby white cheeks and round chin of the Princess, who slept with her strawberry-like lips half-parted.

These must be wounds from falling into the flower garden after climbing over the window frame of the room.

How much that tender skin must have stung.

Lady Park, who quickly wiped away the tears that had emerged from her upset heart, quietly left Eunhye’s bedchamber together with Lady Han, who was likewise wiping her eyes.

Please do not see evil things even in your dreams. Please have only sweet dreams.

As if hearing Lady Park and Lady Han’s whispered prayers, deeply sleeping Eunhye’s lips were smiling faintly.

As Lady Park and Lady Han left the room, the door closed silently, and peaceful quiet settled over the room where only the young Princess’s steady breathing could be heard.

And how much time had passed?

In every corner of the room where light did not reach, something began to squirm and move.

Black shadows invisible to ordinary people’s eyes – those forms that had been hiding in the darkness began to wriggle out one by one!

Truly wicked and hideous shadows that were neither human nor monster in form.

They each made eerie sounds as they competed to gather around Eunhye.

The desire of the greedy spirits to perhaps possess this young and precious body! The forms surrounding Eunhye each extended thin, long shadows like tentacles.

Then Eunhye’s small body twitched as if having a seizure, and soon her plump cheeks and lips began to twitch.

Moaning sounds escaped through her adorably small red lips, but the greedy spirits drew even closer.

If only they could touch her, if only they could possess this body!

The greedy spirits’ desire for young Eunhye, who lay sleeping defensively, grew layer by layer into writhing darkness.

The room filled with wicked sounds inaudible to ordinary people, and even in broad daylight, thick and sticky darkness squirmed and surged toward the center of the room.

It was then that a clear and noble wind suddenly blew from somewhere!

A fierce wind that seemed to sweep away all the evil and malevolent energies that had filled the room in one stroke!

The black shadows surrounding the five-year-old princess each let out their own screams.

Keuaaaaaaak! Kyaeaeaeaeaek!

The demons that had been coveting the young princess’s body were unable to even flee from that powerfully blowing divine wind, dissolving and scattering on the spot!

Then, Eunhye’s breathing, which had been making groaning sounds as if in pain, gradually subsided and her furrowed brow slowly smoothed out as well.

Finally, in the center where the sinister energy that had filled the room transformed into a refreshing energy like pine fragrance, the spirit of King Gwangjo Lee-hyeol, the 6th king of Taeshin Kingdom, stood tall like Mount Tai.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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