Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 85

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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 85
‘What’s her game?’
Ha-bin’s decision to block the road remained a mystery. The sequence of events—the blind arrow, the sudden inspection—seemed too calculated to be mere coincidence.
If there was information worth this much trouble to extract from me, it had to be about—
‘The prince.’
Rumors that the prince had been stripped of his title hadn’t spread yet, so Ha-bin would be anxious not knowing how matters stood. If the succession of the Baek Clan were to change hands, she’d need to recalculate her position accordingly.
There was no pleasant reunion in this meeting, but there was no reason to avoid it either.
The carriage slowed to a halt, and the soldier blocking their path approached.
“We must conduct an inspection. Your cooperation would be appreciated.”
“…I hope we’re not being tangled up in something unnecessary.”
While San-cho muttered under her breath, Ju-hong urged the horses forward and took the lead.
“I am Ju-hong, a lady-in-waiting of Dong-baek Palace. The carriage carries gifts from the Joong-bu-in for Her Highness Princess Gye-san.”
“Even so, we must conduct the inspection.”
The soldier’s bravado deflated at the mention of the Baek Clan’s carriage, and he answered in a voice that hardly carried conviction. Ju-hong, sweeping the soldiers with a commanding gaze, pressed further.
“You seem to be regular soldiers. Where do you hail from?”
“The Celestial Maiden had a dream last night. She saw an abducted child being dragged away in luggage, so we’re inspecting all passing carriages.”
They were tense yet resolute, genuinely believing in the existence of this kidnapped child and convinced they alone could save her.
Sam-cheon descended from the carriage slowly.
Since they had already announced it carried gifts from the Joong-bu-in, refusing the inspection would not stop them from moving on, but refusing was impossible anyway—the Ye Clan couldn’t allow the Baek Clan’s goods to be searched without incident.
Yet proceeding without cooperation had its own problem.
Ha-bin had no ability to glimpse the future. This inspection was something she had orchestrated, a fabrication aimed at accomplishing some hidden purpose.
If Ha-bin’s target was Sam-cheon herself or the Baek Clan, the child would never be found. Afterward, rumors would circulate that only the carriage sent by the Joong-bu-in had refused inspection—a rumor that could complicate matters considerably.
Sam-cheon met Ha-bin’s eyes across the soldiers’ shoulders. Ha-bin, making no effort to look away, smiled with obvious pleasure.
‘Still a masterful liar.’
Baek Kingdom’s queens came traditionally from the Satae Family. Yet Ha-bin, daughter of the Ye Clan—a household not even ranked among the eight great families—sought the seat beside the Great King himself.
She did not merely wish for it; she grasped her ambition in both hands and thrashed against fate. Her life, built on deception, seemed precarious.
“You may inspect it, but take care the gifts for Her Highness Princess Gye-san do not spoil.”
At Sam-cheon’s cooperative tone, the soldiers visibly relaxed.
“Thank you. We’ll be quick about it.”
“San-cho.”
San-cho stepped forward at Sam-cheon’s call.
“I’ll inspect it thoroughly.”
“Items can be planted as easily as removed. Of course, the Ye Clan would never slander the Baek Clan—but one must be thorough.”
The soldiers tensed at Sam-cheon’s subtle warning.
Passing them by, Sam-cheon stood before Ha-bin.
“We meet again.”
“It’s been a while. Our last meeting comes to mind quite vividly.”
Ha-bin spoke softly. To any listener, they might have seemed old friends.
But the two of them had spoken only once before—the day Ha-bin pushed Sam-cheon into the pond.
“You must regret the lack of a pond this time.”
“Your flailing was quite the spectacle.”
Sam-cheon’s lips curved upward in a smile edged with determination—to extract Ha-bin’s true purpose from this forced encounter.
Ha-bin matched her smile and cut to the matter at hand.
“You did admirable work at Ung-jin Fortress.”
Admirable work? Saving Nuri? Keeping Hui alive? Or perhaps the relief grain?
“I merely did what was necessary.”
“Is that so? It seems the inspection is finished now. Thank you for your cooperation. I won’t detain you long on your journey.”
That’s it?
It seemed strange to block the road so dramatically only to let them pass without further delay. Or perhaps this meeting truly was coincidence, and Ha-bin’s target had been someone else entirely.
“I suspected you might be curious.”
Sam-cheon posed the question gently, and Ha-bin laughed.
“I merely confirmed one thing. You do not revere me.”
“…I appreciate the prophecy regarding the Undefeated General.”
Sam-cheon phrased her rebuttal carefully—how could she revere someone she knew to be a fraud?—and Ha-bin broke into a luminous smile.
Their encounter was brief, but Sam-cheon remained wary of Ha-bin without fear or revulsion. She had braced for trouble, given Ha-bin’s assault on Gyeol’s manor, yet the woman seemed less informed than expected.
“I honor my bargains.”
“I’ll grant you that.”
Ha-bin’s prophecies had proven invaluable to Gye-san. Now that Gye-san had taken up the sword, her march to war was inevitable, and thanks to that prophecy, she had been able to command her army soundly from the start.
Thus Sam-cheon’s feelings toward Ha-bin were not simple.
As Ha-bin stepped back, as if her business were finished, a sharp scream cut through the cold wind.
Every head turned in the same direction.
“Did you hear that?”
Arang’s eyes widened as she asked, and San-cho’s expression hardened.
“Something feels wrong. I’ll scout ahead.”
The moment San-cho dashed off, another piercing scream tore through the air, long and agonized.
Mixed with it came unintelligible shouts. Whatever was happening seemed grave indeed.
Sam-cheon reflexively turned to Ha-bin. She too appeared startled, frozen in place. Her alarm seemed too genuine to be feigned, though it might have been an act nonetheless.
San-cho returned moments later with her report.
“Bandits are attacking a carriage a hundred paces ahead. Four confirmed enemies.”
Sam-cheon closed her eyes slowly, then opened them. Glancing sideways at Ha-bin, she saw anxiety still etched across the woman’s face.
If Ha-bin had not orchestrated this, they were simply people in need of aid.
“We can handle four.”
“Easily.”
Sam-cheon met the eyes of her waiting escort in turn.
“Go.”
All four moved as one, the carriage receding behind them as they raced ahead.
“Isn’t this dangerous? Wait, please!”
Ha-bin’s voice called from behind, but Sam-cheon paid it no mind. San-cho, who always prioritized safety, had deemed it manageable—even if it were a trap, they could break through.
As Arang and San-cho sprinted ahead, Ju-hong pressed close to Sam-cheon’s side.
They arrived to find a carriage draped in silver-gray silk tipped on its side. Behind it, a guard knelt, trapped and defenseless.
Two bandits held swords at him, while a third loomed over a woman sitting in the dust, menacing her into silence.
“Be quiet.”
“You ruffians! Release her this instant!”
An elderly woman shrieked without ceasing, her hoarse voice driven by the presence of a hostage.
A rough-featured man held a beautiful woman at sword-point. Wrapped in shimmering silk, the woman bore herself with grace even in peril.
And her face.
Sam-cheon recognized her at once.
‘Princess Hwa-ran.’
The problem was the sharp blade aimed directly at Hwa-ran’s face. Not her throat—her face.
San-cho, arriving first, cried out.
“Stop!”
Sparks kindled in Arang’s eyes.
“Come closer and I’ll carve you.”
The bandit’s teeth bared, but Arang rushed forward and seized the blade-edge with one bare hand, cutting off his threat. With her other hand, she wrenched his wrist; bone cracked and a strangled cry escaped his throat. Arang tore the sword from his grip, threw it to the ground, and drove her boot into his chest, hurling him backward.
“Don’t kill them.”
At Sam-cheon’s command, San-cho halted mid-charge, a flash of disappointment crossing her features. Subduing without lethal force was not her strength.
Ju-hong tapped San-cho’s shoulder and rushed forward, disarming the remaining bandits with economical efficiency. Each fell with a single gesture.
Swift and clean work.
But Arang was the concern.
Blood dripped steadily from her hand as she stood between the woman and danger. Though she wore leather-reinforced gloves, having gripped a blade with bare hands left no room for her to be unscathed.
Sam-cheon sighed at the wound and stepped before the unsteady Hwa-ran.
“I am Sam-cheon, lady-in-waiting of Mokseo-gung. I serve Her Highness Princess Gye-san.”

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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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