Chapter 29

“On me?”

Yeon-oh brought his arm to his nose and sniffed.

“Please recuperate for one more day today, and we shall go to the Empress Dowager’s hall for morning greetings starting tomorrow. First, have a bowl of warm broth. I will bring red congee shortly.”

“Flower tea scent? Did I spill tea somewhere? Or did a perfume pouch tear and spill its contents?”

Yeon-oh also faintly sensed the fragrance. However, it seemed it was not as intense as what Dong Yeong was smelling.

“It is nothing of the sort.”

Dong Yeong instructed the palace servants outside the door to prepare the bathing arrangements and to bring the broth and congee in order. She then had Yeon-oh put on an outer layer of clothing in preparation for moving.

“I greet Consort Gwi-bi.”

The young palace servant, who brought in the clear broth that could be drunk from the bowl, bowed to Yeon-oh. Was her name Cheong-ryu? As Yeon-oh was trying to recall the servant’s name, the wooden tray holding the bowl of broth was offered.

“Thank you.”

Yeon-oh immediately drank the broth Cheong-ryu gave him. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] He had worried it might be difficult on his empty stomach, but it went down surprisingly well. At Dong Yeong’s nod, Cheong-ryu quickly took the empty bowl away.

A busy movement was felt beyond the hall door.

“I have found Geumgye and Jeokju.”

“Where are they?”

“Geumgye is in the Imperial Carriage Office’s stable, and Jeokju is in the Donghwawon (Eastern Flower Garden). During the day, they work in their respective assigned places, and in the evening, they are summoned by the senior Court Lady of Etiquette to receive instruction.”

Knowing where the two were immediately put Yeon-oh’s mind at ease. However, he was worried that they were in different places when he had expected them to be together.

Their assigned places were also disappointing. Wouldn’t it have been better if Geumgye, who was used to gathering herbs and helping with the Gyo General’s Household garden work, had gone to the Flower Garden, and Jeokju, who was accustomed to serving nobles, had gone to the Carriage Office, which deals with tea?

More than anything, he worried about how the two were doing.

“Is the work difficult there?”

“You do not need to worry. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Both seemed to be adapting well, as they came from a large place like the Gyo General’s Household. Since I did not know when the Master would wake, I delivered the belongings that would be immediately useful to them. I also gave them a little silver in case they needed it, and Cheong-ryu delivers a lunch box with snacks to them once every few days.”

Dong Yeong had done a lot of work while Yeon-oh was suffering from the fever.

“Thank you truly, Court Lady Dong Yeong.”

“You give me too much credit.”

While Yeon-oh was offering thanks, Cheong-ryu entered the room again. A bowl of red congee was offered to Yeon-oh. Dong Yeong allowed him to leave the room only after Yeon-oh had finished the bowl of congee.

Yeon-oh, rising from the bed after a long time, went to the hall where the bath was prepared.

The daily life of the Imperial Palace he had imagined before entering was completely different from the present. The fact that he had been tricked, and the things he had dreamed of, still caused him pain. However, compared to the situation immediately after his entry, things were going very smoothly now.

He felt that life would be tolerable if every day was as peaceful as this one.

Yeon-oh decided to forget the time he had lost and the things that had never been true. He had cried enough, and lamented enough. He only wished for the peace of today to lengthen by one day, and one more day.

******

Dong Yeong had Yeon-oh eat his first meal after coming out of the bath. The clean-flavored soup containing seafood and the nutritious congee, which was full of healthy ingredients, gave off a slightly bitter herbal smell, but it was not inedible.

While Yeon-oh ate, a palace servant patted his wet hair dry. Even though he had dried it sufficiently in the bathing hall, Dong Yeong was fussy, nagging that it was not enough.

A slightly older palace woman named So-ha agreed with Dong Yeong. So-ha stood by Yeon-oh’s head, placing the now dry hair between pieces of cotton cloth and patting it ceaselessly. Her movements were so skillful that they did not interfere with his meal at all.

“Dam So-ui is of illegitimate birth?”

Dong Yeong had truly done a lot while Yeon-oh was sick with fever. The Court Lady briefly summarized what she had learned about the Harem, then provided detailed information, one concubine at a time.

“Consort Gwi-bi, there are not many legitimate daughters among the concubines. Currently, only Consort Hyang-bin, Neung So-yong, and Jin Mi-in are from legitimate births. Although the Empress is known to be a legitimate daughter, I hear there are those who keep quiet about it.”

So-ha, who was drying his hair, cautiously interjected.

“I see.”

Yeon-oh did not dwell deeply on lineage. At his indifferent response, Dong Yeong and So-ha exchanged glances, then focused their attention on the top of his head, which seemed worry-free.

“I am told that Dam So-ui only formally received a name from the Dam family right before her entry into the Harem. She is currently known as Dam Seo-jun. There are rumors that the Dam family brothers use ‘Seo’ as a generational name, so they hastily appended only the generational name to her original name. They say the family tried to give her a new formal name, but her entry was sudden, and the Dam family descendants were displeased with giving the generational name to an illegitimate child, so they only attached the generational name to her original name.”

Yeon-oh considered it childish to divide legitimate and illegitimate sons by the use of a generational name. In the Gyo General’s Household, even an illegitimate son would be given the generational name if the father wished it.

Yeon-oh’s sister, a rare legitimate daughter of the Gyo General’s Household, was the only daughter in the family and, conversely, was the only one who did not have the generational name, making her special.

“Hmm.”

Yeon-oh’s reaction was rather lukewarm.

“Do you understand that Dam So-ui was someone who did not even receive a proper name in the Dam family?”

Dong Yeong confirmed, almost grilling him.

“Yes.”

“Since she was not even properly named, her treatment within the family is understandable. She seems to have grown up quite harshly when she was young.”

“That must have been difficult.”

At Yeon-oh’s docile reaction, Dong Yeong and So-ha simultaneously directed their gaze to the worry-free head.

“Consort Gwi-bi, have you heard anything about the birth mother of His Majesty?”

Dong Yeong lowered her voice as if afraid someone might overhear.

“Not much is known about His Majesty’s birth mother.”

“There is talk that she may be of ‘low birth’.”

Dong Yeong lowered her voice even further so that only Yeon-oh could hear. Yeon-oh already knew that the Emperor’s birth mother was not from a prominent family and that he had no powerful maternal relatives.

However, the fact that she was of low birth was not widely known.

Though such talk might have been common in the past, after the Emperor ascended the throne, people would have been strictly cautioned against speaking of it, so there would be fewer people who knew of it recently.

“I hear that His Majesty stopped by the Dam family and met Dam So-ui, and that they quickly became affectionate because they understood each other’s difficulties.”

So-ha quietly chatted while combing Yeon-oh’s dried hair to one side.

“…”

Yeon-oh was silent for a moment.

“Master.”

“Shall I dress your hair, even if you are just staying in your room?”

At Dong Yeong’s call, Yeon-oh quickly turned his head. He waved his hands, refusing So-ha’s subtle question.

“So, I’m the villain?”

His lips curved into a smile, but Yeon-oh was not laughing at all.

“The villain, Master?”

“Please retract those terrible words.”

Dong Yeong and So-ha bowed demurely.

“No, isn’t it true? I was born the legitimate son of the powerful Gyo General’s Household, grew up loved by my parents when I was young, and after losing my parents, I was spoiled and doted on by my older brothers.”

“You were raised honorably.”

“Since you are the legitimate son of the Gyo General’s Household, that is natural.”

As Yeon-oh analyzed the situation, the two palace servants, like people without tact, offered flattering words.

“Even my relatives only showed me affection as the youngest who upholds the main house of the Gyo General’s Household. Even when my uncles, who are like my parents, came all the way to the distant Goksan, I was the ill-mannered fellow who would talk what I wanted and then leave abruptly. Not only that, but my older brother didn’t want me to suffer by taking an official post, so I was a house bum who idled away at home without even entering the civil service.”

At Yeon-oh’s self-criticism, the Court Lady and the palace woman, who had entered the palace when they were young and worked until their hands were chapped, looked on with envy.

“It is good to grow up honorably.”

“The youngest in my family also idles away.”

Dong Yeong and So-ha’s words did not quite resonate with Yeon-oh.

“The legitimate son of the Gyo General’s Household cut in between two lovers who share a great affection because they understand each other’s hardships. Moreover, I am the Gwi-bi who seized power in the Harem using my family’s influence, am I not?”

At his words, the two palace servants, who had grown up with ordinary hardships, remained silent. Yeon-oh let out a slight laugh and drank the soup by the bowlful.

It was then that Cheong-ryu hurriedly entered the room.

“Master.”

“Yes, speak.”

Yeon-oh quickly put down the bowl. Cheong-ryu bowed with a gesture and reported.

“Sister Geumgye and Jeokju have been chosen as waiting maids for the Empress Dowager’s hall.”

Yeon-oh sprang up from his seat. His head reeled from the sudden movement. Dong Yeong and So-ha held Yeon-oh, who was clutching his head, from both sides.

“I will go to the Empress Dowager’s hall for evening greetings.”

The Imperial Palace and the Harem never had a quiet day.