Chapter 80

“Thank you for visiting me today, Consort Gwi-bi Gyo.”

“It is I who am indebted to Her Majesty the Empress for her consideration.”

Yeon-oh tried his best to maintain a courteous expression. He did not want to betray his complicated state of mind. He also currently did not want to concern himself with the situation, which looked extremely complex.

“Please visit again. Though I am regretful that our first greeting was under unfavorable circumstances, I hope we can form a good relationship… Cough, cough.”

“You must leave now.”

Dam So-ui freely stroked the Empress’s back, taking care of her. When the Empress nodded at his words, Dam So-ui briefly bowed his head to Yeon-oh and turned away.

“I am relieved that the Empress came. The situation was awkward, and this younger sister could not do anything from there. It helped no small amount that Consort Gwi-bi sent Court Lady Dong.”

Consort Hyeok approached Yeon-oh and briefly described the atmosphere inside Handan Palace.

“Is that so?”

Consort Hyeok noticed Yeon-oh watching the receding figures of the Empress and Dam So-ui and offered a comment.

“Ah, those two get along well. They are not close relatives, she said. She frequently visited when she was young, and Dam So-ui looked after Her Majesty the Empress, who has a weak constitution, very well. Since Dam So-ui came to the Imperial Palace, she has taken charge of delivering the medicinal herbs sent by the Dam clan to the Empress. She said it is also easier to request what is needed since Dam So-ui is a member of the Dam clan.”

“Is Her Majesty the Empress’s health seriously poor? Poor enough to need a person to continuously bring medicine?”

“The Empress is said to have been weak since she was young.”

Consort Hyeok’s face darkened with worry at Yeon-oh’s question.

“Since Consort Hyeok worries so, Her Majesty the Empress’s health will surely improve.”

“This younger sister must go to the Empress’s Palace. I have things to ask about the ledger, and I think I should help her with the adjudication.”

“Please go.”

After bidding farewell to Consort Hyeok, he unconsciously let out a long sigh.

“That is regrettable, Consort Gwi-bi Gyo.”

A cold voice echoed beside his sigh. It was an elegant voice, but a sharpness was contained within it.

“..?”

Consort Bi stood at the end of his gaze when he turned.

“I do not believe I have ever given Consort Gwi-bi cause for resentment. I thought we were not close, but neither were we on bad terms. It seems that was my misunderstanding.”

“Consort Bi.”

“Since we do not know each other well, mistakes can happen. You wouldn’t still be ignorant about Yun So-hwa, would you? Does acting like a good person satisfy you? Even if Consort Gwi-bi makes an effort, the world will not believe you. They will call it hypocrisy. Are you not the legitimate son of the powerful Gyo Household? I say this because you seem unaware. Do not trust Her Majesty the Empress too much. You will lose all your hard work in an instant, just like before. This younger sister will now withdraw.”

Consort Bi poured out her unpleasant words with a face full of arrogance and turned away.

“…”

He had been chewing over a strange sense of emptiness and bitterness upon seeing the Empress and Dam So-ui going off together so amicably. Perhaps because of that, the spiteful words Consort Bi had deliberately uttered to cause offense stung his heart.

“Was I foolish…”

The bitter voice drifted away forlornly.

******

The spring dawn was refreshing. Unlike the crisp air, Yeon-oh felt listless.

Going to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager felt as if he were moving his body against his will. It felt more like washing his face upon waking up than containing a sincere heart devoted to filial piety. Going every day without fail felt like falling into a rut.

“Consort Gwi-bi, the wall of Giryung Palace has collapsed.”

His spiritless steps paused briefly at Court Lady Dong’s voice.

“What?”

Since Yeon-oh had woken up this morning, Court Lady Dong had conspicuously failed to hide her awkward expression. Was the problem that he had dismissed it, thinking that he might just be oversensitive, despite Court Lady Dong’s face looking uncomfortable while attending to him?

“It happened after dawn broke this morning. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] It is not the outermost wall that collapsed. So, you need not worry greatly. It is an inner wall, but it is still some distance from Your Majesty’s residence.”

Court Lady Dong conveyed the news in a polite voice. Her composure was surprising.

Yeon-oh, resuming his momentarily paused steps, said,

“The wall collapsed?”

“That is… It is the wall around the area where the eunuchs warm food or heat water. It is near the outer perimeter, but not the outermost wall.”

Court Lady Dong’s calm expression and voice began to waver slightly upon seeing the surprised Yeon-oh.

“Originally, lighting a fire should be done in the kitchen of the servants’ quarters. However, since everyone is busy, they often light fires in makeshift places instead of going all the way to the kitchen quarters. The place where the accident occurred is one such spot, and… for some reason, the coal caught a large fire and exploded, causing part of the wall to collapse. It is an occurrence that often happens when faulty coal explodes.”

Listening to her words, Yeon-oh understood why Court Lady Dong’s explanation was long-winded. Although it was a common part of the palace servants’ daily lives, it was strictly a violation of the rules, making it difficult for her to readily speak of an accident that resulted from it.

“No one was hurt?”

“The junior eunuch who put in the coal was hurt, but not severely. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] It seems the coal exploded just as the eunuch finished lighting the fire and was called away by another servant. I have ordered treatment. It shouldn’t be a problem if he rests for a few days and applies medicine. Would you like to see the accident site in person?”

Court Lady Dong may be prickly and sometimes grumble unkindly, but she was a kind superior to the eunuchs and palace servants.

Yeon-oh was not thrilled that Court Lady Dong had only informed him after they had left Giryung Palace. However, it was not a serious enough mistake to warrant immediate reprimand.

“No.”

He shook his head, thinking that if the superior managed even trivial matters like looking after the accident scene, the working servants would feel uncomfortable.

“The wall repairs will begin soon.”

“I will leave the wall repairs to So-ha. Let’s visit the injured eunuch after his wound has completely healed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As the conversation concluded, the Empress Dowager’s palace came into view. Although he was worried about the collapsed wall and the injured eunuch, the greeting to the Empress Dowager came first.

Yeon-oh composed his scattered expression and moved his steps.

******

The palace hall where the Empress Dowager received the Empress and consorts who came to pay their respects was so quiet that even the sound of a falling needle would be clearly heard. The intense silence did not last long.

The Empress Dowager’s angry voice echoed from the high main seat.

“Consort Hyeok! You disappoint me.”

Consort Hyeok, who had stepped into the center, knelt and pleaded for forgiveness. Her huddled shoulders were trembling with fear.

“I apologize, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager.”

Yeon-oh’s seat was placed facing the main seat, so the face of Consort Hyeok, pleading for forgiveness, was visible directly in front of him.

“…”

The expression of the Empress, seated on the elevated platform, was similarly overcast with worry.

“Cough, cough….”

A careful coughing sound uncomfortably drifted through the air.

“Is the Eun-guk Duke’s Household managing the household extravagantly?”

“I apologize…”

“You’ve left the discrepancies in the income and expenditure unattended until now!”

The Empress Dowager had already taken issue with Consort Hyeok, who managed the consorts’ ledger, several times. As the highest elder of the Imperial Family who looked after the consorts’ affairs, it was a matter the Empress Dowager could fully interfere with. However, there was no need to call her to account in front of the Empress and all the consorts who had come to pay their morning respects.

“I apologize. I, I am investigating the discrepancies, but the scale is so large…”

At Consort Hyeok’s words, the Empress Dowager threw the ledger she was examining onto the palace floor. The ledger flew so fast that the sound of rushing air was heard.

Thud!

Sounds of startled gasps erupted in various places. Consort Hyeok’s shoulder, which narrowly missed being hit by the ledger, twitched.

“How dare you make excuses!”

“Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please calm your anger. I worry that your health will suffer. Is it not because I was foolish that Consort Hyeok was put in charge of the consorts’ household management? I, who entrusted her with a difficult task, cannot face Consort Hyeok. Please, look upon her with leniency.”

The Empress rose from her seat and paid her respects to the Empress Dowager. The struggle to suppress the small cough that kept trying to burst out was palpable in her panting breath.

The consorts stood up upon seeing the Empress rise. Seeing that, Yeon-oh also rose and paid his respects. However, he did not step forward separately.

The Empress had already spoken to defend Consort Hyeok. While he could have repeated the same stance to lend weight to the Empress’s words, it might have looked like he was trying to take away the work the Empress had entrusted to Consort Hyeok.

Nor was he shameless enough to pretend to be close to the Empress Dowager and bring up another topic to defend Consort Hyeok. If it had been another person, he would have shamelessly pretended to be close, even if he earned criticism, but doing so with the Empress Dowager was not easy.

In particular, the Empress Dowager’s temperament was capricious, making her difficult to deal with as no one knew what her reaction would be.

“Empress, since you act so leniently, how can I help but manage things strictly?”

The Empress Dowager did not get angry at the Empress as she did with Consort Hyeok. However, her tone was cold, and contained no respect for the Empress. The attitude of looking down on the Empress, whose family background was not exceptional, was clearly revealed.

Instead, even when she harshly chastised Consort Hyeok, there was an element of familiarity. It was the appearance of scolding her because she had hoped for great things from Consort Hyeok’s good family background, but she had failed to meet those expectations.