Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 53

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

Chapter Fifty-Three
‘Have I stopped fearing death?’
Sam-cheon slumped to the floor with a thud, her rumpled skirts crinkling and rustling beneath her. Once she understood the situation, anger flared hot in her chest.
The common people praised Gye-san as the Undefeated General, yet she still had to walk toward death at a single word from the King.
What could a court maid like Sam-cheon say to that?
The helplessness choked her throat.
“Could I have some water? My throat is parched.”
“Water? Don’t move—!”
The Jailer, about to bark another command, stopped mid-sentence. Sam-cheon had turned her clear eyes toward the poison cup and reached for it.
“You’re right, though. It’s just water, isn’t it? I might as well drink it. What’s the difference between dying of thirst and dying from poison? Nothing.”
“No—why must you be so extreme? Wait. I’ll fetch you water. Set it down. Come now.”
When Sam-cheon pretended to yield and lowered the cup, the relieved Jailer hurried down the corridor in the opposite direction.
Left alone, Sam-cheon glanced toward the Great Hall where the King waited.
Once word reached Gye-san that Sam-cheon had received the poison, she would bring the Amnesty Order. The King, knowing Gye-san’s nature, must have engineered this petty scheme for precisely that reason.
Among the people, praise for “Undefeated General Gye-san” rang ever louder. For now, with the borders in chaos, the King tolerated it—but once her usefulness ended, he would move to crush her.
That was why Sam-cheon had recommended the Amnesty Order as a reward for this war.
Yet the King had granted the Amnesty Order and brought Sam-cheon here the very next day. It was as good as announcing his intent to eliminate Gye-san someday.
“How did it come to this?”
Indignation rose in her throat, and her nape burned hot.
The recent battle had been especially grueling. They had fought at a geographical disadvantage, and there had been a spy in their ranks. Sam-cheon had had to dream, again and again, to turn the tide of war.
Though she had dreamed seven times on the battlefield, not everyone had returned alive.
As bitterness gnawed at her, footsteps sounded—crisp and measured, far more refined and purposeful than the Jailer’s gait.
More than one person. Two? No. Three.
Sam-cheon pressed herself against the wooden bars to see. The man walking at the front, methodically checking each cell in the Prison, was Geum. The one shuffling along behind was Buyeo Hui. And lurking in shadow was surely Ju-hong.
Sam-cheon thrust her hand through the bars and waved.
“I’m here.”
The moment Geum spotted her hand, he bolted over. He dropped to a crouch before the Prison cell.
“A-are you all right?”
It was rare to see Geum stammer. It meant he had worried deeply. His eyes, soft as a deer’s, glistened with unshed tears, and her heart ached at the sight.
“I’m still in one piece.”
“You’ve endured so much. I’ll have you out in no time.”
Buyeo Hui, arriving a beat late, broke the mood.
“Still has all her limbs intact.”
A way of saying he’d worried her fingers and toes might have been severed.
“Thank goodness, isn’t it?”
“Came running for nothing, then.”
Seeing how quickly they’d arrived, it was clear that Gye-san hadn’t hesitated for even a moment. She’d expected as much, yet her eyes still stung with tears.
Buyeo Hui, verifying that all ten of Sam-cheon’s fingers were indeed present, added:
“We could have come sooner, but we wasted time hunting for the Amnesty Order. We didn’t know where Gye-san had hidden it. She’s gone into the Great Hall.”
“We turned over His Highness’s entire Command Tent looking for it.”
Geum added to the explanation.
“I was the one who’d hidden it away.”
She had judged it unnecessary for immediate use and tucked it somewhere deep. The realization that it had been a pointless precaution kindled her anger afresh.
Sam-cheon overturned the refreshment table bearing the poison cup, then shook out her skirts with sharp pats as she stood. Geum glanced around and asked,
“Why were you alone? I thought the Jailer would be guarding you.”
“He went to fetch water. He should be back soon.”
Right on cue, the Jailer returned with a water jug and caught sight of the group assembled before the Prison cell. He cried out,
“Who goes there? Identify yourselves!”
Ju-hong, standing at the rear, suddenly stepped forward and blocked the Jailer’s path.
“How dare you raise your voice thus?”
“W-who are you, sir?”
“Prince Buyeo Hui.”
“Oh mercy, I beg your forgiveness! These dull eyes failed to recognize you!”
At the word “prince,” the Jailer immediately prostrated himself, water jug still in hand. Buyeo Hui regarded him with displeasure, then lifted his chin imperiously.
“Open it.”
“Please, spare my life!”
The Jailer pressed his forehead so hard to the ground that it touched the earth.
He lacked the power to disobey a prince’s command. Yet if he released Sam-cheon as ordered, his head would certainly roll.
Damned if he did, damned if he didn’t.
Seeing the Jailer sweat profusely, Geum spoke to Buyeo Hui.
“You ought to explain. He’s frightened half to death.”
Geum approached the prostrate Jailer and explained methodically.
“I am Geum, adjutant to the Gyeotheon Force. An Amnesty Order has been presented. I am taking the court maid Sam-cheon into my custody.”
“What—did you say?”
Geum offered the Bamboo Tablet for inspection.
The tablet, carved from bamboo, bore the order to release the court maid Sam-cheon. At the bottom, an official seal was stamped clearly.
“……An Amnesty Order has been invoked?”
The Jailer murmured, struggling to accept the situation.
Whenever Gye-san returned with a great victory, she received rewards. Three of them had become famous even among the common folk.
The first: the right to choose her own marriage partner.
The second: support for the families of fallen soldiers.
The third: an Amnesty Order that could pardon any crime.
The first reward had sent shockwaves through noble society.
A royal, and a princess no less, would decide her own marriage. After Gye-san’s reputation rose, many families aspired to the position of royal consort, yet all failed because of this.
The second reward earned strong support within the military. Morale soared across the entire force, and it became the catalyst for the common people to raise their voices in praise of Gye-san.
And the third reward was the Amnesty Order used today—to pardon one person’s crime.
Since the founding of Baekje, only eight Amnesty Orders had been issued. Two had been used, but over time, the whereabouts of the rest had grown uncertain.
The families holding them kept silent, so only the location of Gye-san’s Amnesty Order was certain.
And that order had returned to the King’s possession in a single day.
Now the Jailer could make sense of the strange command that had come down from above.
Bring the poison to court maid Sam-cheon, and ensure she does not drink it.
He had heard rumors that Gye-san kept this court maid so close she would take her to the battlefield—so favored that the maid’s bearing rivaled that of royalty.
Yet even so, the notion of Gye-san using an Amnesty Order for a mere servant lay beyond his comprehension.
“Open it.”
Buyeo Hui gave the order again.
Only then did the Jailer’s wits return. With trembling hands, he drew out the key and unlocked the Prison door. As it swung open, Sam-cheon emerged, smoothing down her skirts with sharp pats.
Geum spoke with relief.
“You’ve borne so much.”
“Borne? I’ll have a bellyache from that Amnesty Order for days. I don’t think food will go down my throat.”
Buyeo Hui gave Sam-cheon’s shoulders a light pat.
“You’re safe now. That’s what matters. Next reward, she’ll get another Amnesty Order, won’t she?”
Sam-cheon wrinkled her nose.
“By then, won’t Geum be thrown in prison? Or I might be again.”
“Then you’ll just get another one.”
It would be foolish to trade quips with the King. There was no guarantee she’d earn a reward every time, and there was nothing to gain from such a battle.
“That’s a luxury only someone like you could afford, Your Highness. I need to think of something.”
The Jailer watched the scene in a daze.
Despite the use of an Amnesty Order, the maid showed no gratitude. If anything, she seemed dissatisfied.
What’s more, she was answering back pointedly to Buyeo Hui, a prince.
‘The rumors were right.’
The Jailer swallowed hard, reflecting on whether he had spoken too harshly.

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