The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 42
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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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#42. Queen Dowager Gwangjo’s Secret
[Heh heh heh, anyone watching would think we hadn’t met for ten years, heh heh heh heh.]
Gwangjo, who had come down to the ground and stood behind Lady Park and Lady Han, laughed heartily with a pleased expression.
“Everyone was worried, right? See, what did I tell you? I said I’d be back soon. Hehe.”
As soon as she crossed the threshold of Seongsucheong, Eunhye ran straight into Lady Park’s arms, looking like any young child.
The Princess, who was much smaller than her peers due to illness and then being haunted by spirits, looked so endearing yet pitiful that Gwangjo’s lips curved with both fondness and sympathy.
[Child, now you have two, no, three guardian talismans. So from now on, don’t worry about anything and eat well and sleep well. That’s how you’ll grow big and strong.]
Eunhye, who had been hugging Lady Park and Lady Han alternately, looked up at Gwangjo and smiled brightly. Then she proudly placed her hand on her waist.
“Queen Dowager! This girl has received the goddess’s blessing as you said! And also.”
Eunhye, who was about to say more, saw Gwangjo shaking his head with a smile and closed her mouth tightly while grinning sheepishly.
[Heh heh heh, did you forget it’s a secret?]
Ah, that’s right, isn’t it?
Eunhye, who had been smiling cutely at Gwangjo, suddenly widened her eyes as she watched Lady Park and Lady Han let go of her hands and prostrate themselves on the ground.
What’s happening?
Lady Park and Lady Han, who had been holding each of her hands and rejoicing, suddenly prostrated themselves toward Queen Dowager Gwangjo as if bowing to him?
“Your Former Majesty!”
Eunhye’s mouth opened as wide as a plate as she watched Lady Park and Lady Han cry out “Your Former Majesty” toward Gwangjo.
“Wow! Now nanny and Lady Han can see Queen Dowager too?!!”
* * *
Kim Gyo-hyeon had sent word in advance that he would come to Hyesin Palace by half past the hour of the Snake (around 10 AM). However, when he arrived at Eunhye’s quarters with books for the lecture, seeing the court ladies standing before the door looking flustered, Kim Gyo-hyeon let out a long, quiet sigh.
She’s not here again…
Missing the scheduled lecture time was not an uncommon occurrence.
Where could she have gone this time?
As Kim Gyo-hyeon looked at the closed door for a moment and then turned around with a small sigh, Lady Cheon bowed her head apologetically and spoke.
“Please… why don’t you go inside and wait? Princess Eunhye said she would definitely return without delay.”
Kim Gyo-hyeon’s black eyebrows twitched as he frowned slightly.
“That won’t do. How can I sit alone in Princess Eunhye’s quarters? By the way, where has Princess gone since morning?”
“That is… we don’t know well either. However, after having breakfast, she hurriedly left taking only Lady Park and Lady Han with her.”
“Hmm…”
Kim Gyo-hyeon needed to see Princess Eunhye, if only because of the rude incident his son Jihoo had caused yesterday.
“Oh? Princess Eunhye is coming.”
Lady Cheon spoke happily as she saw Eunhye hopping over the gate of Hyesin Palace and entering the courtyard, followed by Lady Park and Lady Han.
When Kim Gyo-hyeon turned his head in the direction Lady Cheon was looking, there was Eunhye smiling brightly and waving at him.
“Teacher! Is your student a little late?”
She looked like a single forsythia flower rolling along in the spring breeze.
Oh my, what if she falls running like that?
Lady Cheon’s lips curved into an arc as she watched Kim Gyo-hyeon unconsciously taking quick steps toward Eunhye.
Who could resist our Princess’s adorable appearance?
Starting from yesterday, Princess Eunhye had completely changed. She seemed to have completely escaped from the fearful eyes and gestures of the past, becoming confident and lively.
Lady Cheon bowed toward her young mistress who was approaching Lord Jipyeong as if running, and smiled happily.
From now on, Hyesin Palace would be different.
Lady Cheon and the palace servants had no doubt that it would become the warmest and brightest quarters in the palace, not the gloomy and somehow unsettled Princess’s quarters it had been.
“Where have you been?”
Kim Gyo-hyeon quickly stood in front of Eunhye, who had come running with pattering steps, and asked with a slight frown.
“Hehe, it’s a secret.”
“What do you…”
Kim Gyo-hyeon frowned with an incredulous expression at Eunhye, who had such a bright face despite being late for class and was talking about secrets.
“But! I went to a very, very good place. So um… no. It’s a secret, so I can’t tell you.”
She is a five-year-old young Princess.
How could her heart not flutter in the spring breeze carrying the scent of flowers?
Kim Gyo-hyeon seemed to give up and chuckled at Eunhye’s cute appearance as she looked at his face and smiled brightly.
“Please go inside quickly. Already half an hour has been delayed.”
“Yes, Teacher. I’m sorry for being late to class.”
As Eunhye walked energetically toward her quarters, passing by Kim Gyo-hyeon who was bowing beside her, silk pouches of pink, green, and yellow colors dangled beneath her bright yellow jacket.
Are silk palace pouches accessories for young ladies?
As Kim Gyo-hyeon tilted his head, an indescribably fragrant flower scent flowed into his nostrils from somewhere.
Kim Gyo-hyeon unconsciously sniffed and raised his head, tilting it as he looked at the cluster of winter jasmine blooming modestly under the wall of Hyesin Palace.
Was the scent of winter jasmine this fragrant?
Eunhye, who had stepped onto the threshold with the support of Lady Park and Lady Han, smiled brightly at Kim Gyo-hyeon who had stopped walking behind her.
“Teacher, aren’t you hungry? Can we eat cherry rice cakes and cherry ice treats before studying?”
Coming half an hour late and now asking for snack time again!
Kim Gyo-hyeon unconsciously opened his mouth halfway and saw Lady Park winking at him as if asking for permission.
Sigh… the young Princess’s morning walk must have been tiring.
Kim Gyo-hyeon nodded with a resigned expression.
“Yes, I will follow Princess Eunhye’s wishes.”
As soon as Kim Gyo-hyeon’s answer fell, Lady Han ran toward the Royal Kitchen as if flying.
“Hehe, please come up quickly, Teacher.”
The smile of the young Princess looking at him was so cute and pretty that Kim Gyo-hyeon almost made a foolish smile.
“Ahem, yes, Princess.”
Kim Gyo-hyeon, who had deliberately composed his expression and lowered his head, let out a long sigh as he took off his shoes behind Eunhye, who was entering her quarters with bouncing steps.
He had the gloomy thought that today’s lecture would probably end with refreshments and conversation.
Kim Gyo-hyeon, who had entered the room, smiled slightly as he saw Eunhye already sitting in front of the desk with books spread out.
It seemed she had done some studying before going on her walk.
“How far have you read in the history of Taeshin Kingdom?”
His voice carried subtle expectation.
“Teacher, what kind of king was King Gwangjo, the 6th divine king of Taeshin Kingdom?”
“Pardon?”
Kim Gyo-hyeon was flustered by the unexpected question. Was there a story about King Gwangjo, called the Blood King or tyrant, in the Taeshin Kingdom history book he had transcribed for her?
Behind Kim Gyo-hyeon, who was tilting his head, a loud roar suddenly rang out.
[You fool! Why do you keep tilting your head like that! How dare you just tilt your head at the Princess’s question about this old man! I’ll have your head right now!]
Queen Dowager!
Eunhye called out loudly in her heart to Gwangjo, who was furious at Kim Gyo-hyeon, her teacher. Then Gwangjo withdrew his angry eyes and looked at Eunhye with affectionate eyes.
“Our King Gwangjo was a very strong and brave king, wasn’t he?”
When Eunhye quickly asked Kim Gyo-hyeon, who was tilting his head, Gwangjo sat down heavily beside them and opened angry eyes while keeping his mouth tightly shut beneath his thick beard.
“King Gwangjo, who was called the Blood King, was the king who expanded the territory of our Taeshin Kingdom the most.”
[That’s right! My sword never dried of enemy soldiers’ blood.]
Watching Gwangjo nod, Eunhye smiled brightly and clapped her small palms together.
“Wow! He was truly a wonderful Queen Dowager!”
While Gwangjo nodded with a satisfied expression, Kim Gyo-hyeon shook his head with a deliberately serious expression!
“During King Gwangjo’s reign, Taeshin Kingdom occupied much territory and was even called the Great Divine Kingdom, but the people’s poverty was indescribable.”
“What?”
Eunhye, flustered, opened her mouth and only looked sideways with her eyes. Gwangjo was looking at Kim Gyo-hyeon with his mouth tightly shut and a furious expression.
“During his reign of over 40 years, the territorial conquest wars that continued for almost 25 years killed countless young men of the country, and the cries of women who lost their fathers and sons shook heaven and earth.”
“Ah…!”
Eunhye lowered her eyes and rolled them around at this newly learned sad history.
“Still… didn’t the Queen Dowager do everything for the country?”
At Eunhye’s murmuring voice, Kim Gyo-hyeon slowly nodded his head.
“That’s right. As a result, he made Taeshin Kingdom stronger and greater than any other country. However.”
However?
Eunhye felt fearful about her teacher’s next words and swallowed hard while looking at Gwangjo.
Gwangjo had his eyes tightly shut as if in great anguish, even clenching his molars.
“At that time, all three legitimate princes who joined King Gwangjo’s conquest wars died in battle.”
“Gasp, all the princes, you say?”
Eunhye’s eyes widened in shock.
Kim Gyo-hyeon looked at Eunhye and pondered whether he should continue. But wasn’t Princess Eunhye royalty? This was history she would learn someday.
Having made his decision, Kim Gyo-hyeon moistened his dry lips and continued.
“Yes, that is so. Following the King’s words that he would pass the throne to the prince who achieved the most military accomplishments, the Crown Prince along with the grand princes and other princes all went to war.”
“Oh my…”
Just imagining it was tremendous.
A conquest war where a country’s king and all his princes went to battle!
But sadly, three legitimate princes died. How anguished the Queen Dowager must have been.
Eunhye clenched her small fists on the desk and trembled her lips as if about to cry, then looked up at Gwangjo with tear-filled eyes.
Then Kim Gyo-hyeon briefly observed Eunhye, who seemed to avoid his gaze by looking to the side, before calmly continuing.
“When the three princes died in the conquest war, the princes born to Noble Consort Suk, who was the Queen Dowager’s niece at the time, Noble Consort Hui, who was the Chief State Councilor’s daughter, and Lady Jeong, who was the Inspector General’s daughter, began a war over the crown prince position.”
“Ah…!”
Along with a sad sigh, Eunhye blinked her shocked eyes as Gwangjo’s long sigh reached her ears.
“Then… who became the next king?”
At Eunhye’s cautious question, Kim Gyo-hyeon smiled bitterly while gazing into empty air.
“The greed for royal power ultimately created the tragedy of fratricide, and all the princes born to the three consorts passed away.”
“What? Then you’re saying all the princes died?”
Looking at Eunhye, who had unconsciously raised her voice in shock, Kim Gyo-hyeon nodded with a sad expression.
“Why is that? Did they go to war again?”
At Eunhye’s question, Jipyeong shook his head and spoke with a bitter smile.
“It is said that the King killed the two surviving princes after they had killed each other.”
“Oh my goodness!”
Eunhye covered her mouth with her small hands and stared at Gwangjo with eyes as wide as saucers.
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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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