The Five-Year-Old Baby Princess Rules the Palace - Chapter 8

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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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#8. Who Told You Such Things

The octagonal roof of Jagyeong Palace, resembling a phoenix guarding the palace with its wings spread wide.

The roof ends raised at the four corners stood straight toward the ridge, and each blue tile covering them cast sharp authority like frost.

The red and blue dancheong, carefully painted to ward off evil spirits and pray for the royal family’s peace and prosperity, seemed to emit sacred energy and protect the palace with even the slightest breeze.

The owner of this place, Queen Dowager Jeong.

She entered the palace as Crown Princess at fifteen and became Queen Dowager past sixty, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the Royal Palace of Taeshin Kingdom.

Queen Dowager Jeong, who had been feeling the transience of time as the countless footsteps that once wore down the threshold when she was in the Queen Mother’s Palace gradually became sparse, had her nephew and his wife visit her today for the first time in a while.

“So, our Yujin is getting married?”

Queen Dowager, who had finished an early lunch feast full of delicacies instead of her usual simple midday meal, asked with a pleased smile.

“Yes, Aunt. The child who used to throw tantrums about living with you in the palace has now found her match and will be leaving home.”

At her nephew Hyo-eun’s proud expression, who held the second-rank Judge (Pannyun) position in the capital of Taeshin Kingdom, Queen Dowager nodded with a delighted face.

“Oh yes, she did. And that wasn’t all, was it? She also said she would definitely marry our Crown Prince when she grew up, which made us laugh so much.”

Lady Lee, Judge Jeong’s wife who was sitting demurely, also covered her mouth with one hand and laughed softly.

“When did that little tomboy grow up so much? It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen my Yujin. She didn’t come with you today…”

To Queen Dowager, who frowned slightly with regret, Judge Jeong’s wife bowed her head slightly and answered.

“She still lacks in many areas and is busy with marriage preparations. She’s not good at anything – neither scholarship, cooking, nor needlework – so I worry she might bring shame to the Grand Preceptor’s household after marriage.”

Queen Dowager smiled kindly at her nephew’s wife’s modesty and recalled her grand-niece, who was three years older than Crown Prince Lee-hwan.

“Yujin not only has exceptional beauty like you, but also excels in martial arts like her father, doesn’t she? Before smallpox spread through the country, didn’t she train with wooden swords alongside our Crown Prince? I heard she still handles sword and bow quite well…”

Then Judge Jeong nodded with an ambiguous smile that seemed both troubled and proud, while his wife Lady Lee’s fair brow wrinkled slightly with worried lines.

Observing this, Queen Dowager looked at her nephew’s wife and spoke gently.

“Don’t worry too much. Though I used to lament that if she had been born a son, she would have become a great general of this country, isn’t she a wise and intelligent child who takes after you and Judge Jeong? She will live well.”

At Queen Dowager’s kind words, her nephew’s wife finally smiled faintly.

“And this is grandmother’s gift for our Yujin.”

Queen Dowager opened a document chest beside her desk with her wrinkled hands and took out a long, small mother-of-pearl box. At Queen Dowager’s unexpected gift, Judge Jeong and his wife looked at the mother-of-pearl box with surprised faces.

“We are already overflowing with gratitude for what you sent to our home, what more are you giving us?”

“This is different. This is something grandmother is giving directly, you see? The Grand Preceptor’s family probably gave precious things as wedding gifts too, but they wouldn’t know our Yujin as well as grandmother does.”

Judge Jeong carefully opened the mother-of-pearl box that had been pushed toward the couple.

Inside the box divided into two long sections were a dagger in a beautifully crafted leather sheath for easy carrying, and a peacock hairpin decorated with cloisonné.

“Ah…!”

At the exclamation that burst out in surprise, Judge Jeong’s wife quickly covered her mouth and looked up at Queen Dowager.

There must be deep meaning in giving a hairpin and dagger to a marrying grand-niece, mustn’t there?

At her nephew’s wife’s gaze, who couldn’t dare ask aloud, Queen Dowager smiled kindly and spoke.

“Don’t worry, nephew’s wife. You know that our Taeshin Kingdom doesn’t discriminate between men and women when it comes to those who revere martial arts. A woman’s skill in martial arts is not a flaw. Not only can she protect herself completely, but she becomes a great strength in protecting family and country. Therefore.”

Queen Dowager, who paused briefly, picked up the dagger from the box. On the well-tanned dark brown leather sheath lived delicate crane patterns imbued with the craftsman’s breath.

The thin silver thread inlaid along the wing feathers spread wide like a divine bird soaring through the sky gleamed nobly against the dark brown leather.

Moreover, the stitching along the sheath’s edges was dense and solid, making it look like a sacred object symbolizing the owner’s spirit and resolve.

Queen Dowager gently drew the dagger sleeping in the beautiful sheath and showed it to her nephew and his wife, saying:

“Didn’t Yujin refuse to settle down as an ordinary woman of a noble family, despite the stubborn opposition of adults who opposed her walking the path of martial arts? So this is a gift from grandmother who understands that regret. The Grand Preceptor’s son is also, unlike his father, a real power in this country’s Naegum Guard, so he won’t be troubled by his wife’s martial arts skills.”

Judge Jeong’s eyes deepened as he listened to Queen Dowager’s words.

Didn’t the current Queen Mother also directly learn martial arts from General Park Nam-il, who is now the Queen’s father and Minister of the Board of War?

I heard that when His Majesty the King was Prince Gyeongbok staying at his residence, he practiced swordsmanship together with Queen Mother, who was then the General’s daughter.

With this thought, Judge Jeong bowed his head deeply toward Queen Dowager.

“This nephew has well understood Aunt’s intention. The Captain of the Naegum Guard who will become Yujin’s husband has an upright and honest character, so he will be able to become great strength beside Crown Prince in the future.”

Only then did Queen Dowager smile with satisfaction and sheathed the sword she was holding.

Then she picked up the elegant peacock hairpin from the adjacent section.

“And this is a hairpin I made myself with stones from the Western Regions that His Majesty gave me on my sixtieth birthday. That child Yujin was strong-willed and noble enough to cross swords and train with our Crown Prince, so this peacock hairpin will suit her very well.”

It was truly a beautiful hairpin.

Colorful jade and lapis lazuli spread out like a fan over the peacock’s golden feathers. Moreover, at the end of the splendid tail were jade beads crafted with gold, adding noble elegance – it was a precious hairpin that immediately captivated the viewer’s gaze.

Judge Jeong’s wife, who couldn’t take her eyes off the gorgeous and elegant peacock hairpin she had never seen in her life, suddenly raised her head as if coming to her senses, then hastily bowed upon seeing Queen Dowager’s smiling face.

“I am deeply honored, Queen Dowager. To bestow such precious things upon our inadequate daughter is truly overwhelming.”

“Isn’t it only natural to give precious things to precious people? You must not forget that our Yujin and the Captain of the Naegum Guard who will become my nephew-in-law are very precious people to this country and the Crown Prince.”

“I will keep this in mind, again and again.”

Queen Dowager, who had been watching her nephew and his wife’s pledge of loyalty with a pleased heart, suddenly asked a different question.

“By the way, is it certain that the hunting ground His Majesty ordered to be built ten li outside the capital has been canceled?”

At the Queen Dowager’s question, Judge Jeong nodded repeatedly and answered.

“Yes, Queen Dowager. His Majesty said that forcibly taking away and evicting people’s homes to build a hunting ground does not befit a monarch’s duty, and commanded all ministers to forbid building the hunting ground.”

Queen Dowager nodded with satisfaction and thought of her granddaughter Eunhye.

If only she hadn’t suffered from smallpox, no, if only she had safely overcome the fever without suffering so much, how good would that have been.

She was a lovely granddaughter who would come into her arms chattering cutely like a small, adorable bird. The Crown Prince, more mature than his age, was increasingly pleasing to watch, and the Princess, much more clever and cute than her age, always made her smile, didn’t she?

But after suffering from smallpox, the Princess rarely came to Jagyeong Palace. Upon hearing that the lovely and clever Princess now frequently fainted, constantly hid somewhere, and couldn’t even make eye contact with strangers, Queen Dowager clutched her broken heart and wept sadly. After that, Queen Dowager could no longer summon her beloved granddaughter at will, no matter how much she missed her.

At least the three times a week she came to Queen Dowager’s Palace to pay her respects was one of the few opportunities to see her granddaughter.

Today, Queen Dowager particularly missed her granddaughter Eunhye, who was like a yellow chick. Wasn’t the story about the hunting ground currently being discussed actually an idea that came from that little child’s head?

“Great-grandmother, if Father builds a hunting ground, where will the people living there go?”

“I learned from my teacher that Father is like a parent to the people, but wouldn’t a parent’s heart ache if they drove out their children?”

“If you’re building a hunting ground to celebrate Great-grandmother’s birthday, I truly don’t know whether the evicted people will resent Father or Great-grandmother.”

It was well over a month ago, one morning when her granddaughter, who came for morning greetings with the Crown Prince, looked much better than usual. So Queen Dowager asked the two children to have breakfast with grandmother, and her granddaughter only rolled her eyes to briefly survey the room before nodding.

Being able to have breakfast with her grandson and granddaughter for the first time in nearly half a year made her so happy that Queen Dowager personally deboned fish and meat from the breakfast table to feed the Crown Prince and Princess, watching their small mouths chew contentedly.

But the Princess, who was deliciously eating meat skewers, brought up the hunting ground story from somewhere.

It was a problem Queen Dowager herself had never considered, so she was quite flustered, but what surprised her more was that these thoughts and words came from the head of the young Princess, who was only five years old, not even the Crown Prince.

“In my opinion, rather than building a hunting ground for Great-grandmother’s birthday and making the people sad, it would be better to hunt the wild boars that frighten the people and the magpies that ruin the year’s crops to make them happy.”

So Queen Dowager spoke about the hunting competition to His Majesty and Queen Mother who came for morning greetings the next day.

She wanted to reveal that this story came from the young Princess’s head, but worried that His Majesty might feel he had been criticized by his young child, she requested it as her own opinion.

His Majesty, who nodded greatly at Queen Dowager’s words, said he would discuss it with various ministers, and eventually the hunting competition was decided to be held in mountains close to civilian homes in the capital, just as that little child’s head had conceived.

Queen Dowager, who unconsciously smiled remembering the young Princess’s admirable thoughts, heard her nephew Judge Jeong’s voice.

“Queen Dowager, does Princess Eunhye still frequently faint these days?”

Queen Dowager, who had been casually resting her hand on the mother-of-pearl box containing the peacock hairpin and dagger, slowly raised her head.

“What?”

It was a terrifyingly stern old voice, completely different from the kind voice of moments before.

“Our Princess frequently does what? Who dared to tell you outside the Palace such things?”

At Queen Dowager’s expression full of anger that seemed ready to raise a cold wind, Judge Jeong Hyo-eun and his wife gasped and prostrated themselves flat.

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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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