Episode 9. At Bihyeongak — Lee Hyang (1)
Lady Yang poked Yoonseo lightly in the cheek once, then sat down and muttered as if speaking to herself.
"Could it be those beautiful eyes of yours that caught the attention of our Crown Prince—who practices abstinence like a monk, though he isn't one?"
"Oh! So you're sending me to the Crown Prince."
If it was Lee Hyang, there wouldn't be much room to resist anyway. Wasn't he known for his austere, abstinent nature?
Only then did Yoonseo finally feel relieved.
Lady Yang gestured for the attendants who had finished dressing Yoonseo to withdraw.
"Stand while you listen. Your skirt will wrinkle if you sit."
Lady Yang's gaze slowly swept over Yoonseo's slim figure—now revealed elegantly in a navy skirt and a jade-colored jeogori with red cuffs.
Then she spoke coldly.
"Since the Crown Princess passed away, His Highness the Crown Prince has kept himself far from women. Last winter he even took in two new seunghwi concubines, but he barely spent even one night with them."
"One of them is Lady Kwon Seunghwi—the youngest sister of my son Hannam-gun's wife. I spent a long time carefully arranging things so that Lady Kwon might conceive and become the future Crown Princess."
"But what was the use? His Highness never even glanced her way."
Still seated elegantly and looking up at Yoonseo without straining her neck in the slightest, Lady Yang continued,
"So you should fulfill your wish, and I should fulfill mine. Recently, there has been only one woman to whom the Crown Prince has spoken kindly—and that is you."
It was a tremendous misunderstanding.
"…That's not the case, my lady."
It's because of the golden ring the Crown Princess once wore.
That cursed ring she had put on hundreds of times—yet it never once returned her to the modern world.
"Not the case? Then why did you dare speak to the Crown Prince while standing before him with the Crown Grandson? I've already discussed everything with Court Official Eom. Tonight he will make it possible for you to attend the Crown Prince in his chambers."
Court Official Eom meant Eom Jachi, the eunuch of the Seungeonsaek.
Along with Kim Cheoseon of King Yeonsan's reign, he would later be remembered as one of the most loyal eunuchs in Joseon history—eventually dying while trying to protect the future King Danjong.
And yet that very man was now helping push someone like her into the Crown Prince's bedchamber.
A honey trap should be used with someone like Yang Guifei, Xi Shi, or Sinbin—women with absolute beauty.
Yoonseo, who possessed a brutally honest self-awareness, scoffed inwardly.
"Why would Lord Eom involve himself in something like this?"
"Why else? To raise someone who can protect the Crown Grandson. No one in this palace acts without reason. Everyone pursues their own desires—sometimes forming alliances, sometimes betraying others."
"But I—"
"Today, even before His Majesty and the Queen, you stood up for the young prince. And you did it cleverly enough to earn His Majesty's favor. That's why Court Official Eom has decided to make use of you."
"Even if it will never happen—but suppose I did become Crown Princess someday. What good would that do for you?"
"If you become Crown Princess, you will later become queen, and then queen dowager—holding the royal seal that appoints the next king. For the sake of my sons, I need someone like that."
Oh, that was remarkably far-sighted.
Indeed, some historians would later say that if a Queen Dowager had existed when King Munjong died, Grand Prince Suyang might not have seized the throne so easily.
Still—
"My family background is insignificant. My mother remarried. There are countless great noble families—how could someone like me, a mere maid…"
"People should dream big. Look at Sinbin. Her mother was a slave, and she herself was once a maid in the royal kitchen—yet she became a royal concubine. You may be poor, but you are not lowborn."
Lady Yang clicked her tongue.
But dreaming of impossible things had a professional term in psychology.
Delusional disorder.
Yoonseo had been about to simply go along with it for now, but if this continued, it would become troublesome. So she bluntly spoke her true intention.
"I will go to the Eastern Palace and meet His Highness the Crown Prince. But I will not share his bed. I intend to become someone like Court Lady Park."
Court Lady Park had recently taken leave and planned to travel to Mount Geumgang with her financial manager Nosandae, two or three skilled gisaeng who sang beautifully and danced with swords, and several musicians.
If one wanted to become someone within the palace, one should become that kind of court lady.
Why become a concubine—burdened with endless duties and responsibilities, only to risk being discarded into the Cold Palace the moment a king's favor changed?
When Yoonseo firmly refused, Lady Yang laughed as if amused.
"Oh my. Whether you share his bed or not isn't something you decide—it's something His Highness decides. Just because you suddenly blossomed like a flower today doesn't guarantee he will pluck you."
Such cold words delivered in such a sweet voice.
Did everyone who lived in the palace eventually become elegant vipers like Lady Yang?
Wondering about that, Yoonseo asked that a message be sent to Court Lady Park saying she would come after about an hour.
Then she filled her stomach quickly with a light bowl of soup and rice.
When night fell, she quietly walked through the palace and headed toward the Eastern Palace.
"Court Official Eom, Court Lady Kwon has arrived."
Court Lady Heo, who had escorted Yoonseo there, announced this before a small building beside Jaseondang.
A shadow moved behind the paper window, and the same eunuch she had seen earlier—Eom Jachi—came out.
"Court Lady Heo may return now. Kwon, come inside."
Before leaving, Court Lady Heo whispered into Yoonseo's ear.
"Do not forget—tonight may be the greatest opportunity of your life."
Then she lifted her lantern and disappeared into the darkness.
"Where is the young prince?"
As soon as she entered the room, Yoonseo asked about Hongwi first.
"He is sleeping in the warm ondol chamber of Jaseondang. His Highness carried him himself and put him to sleep earlier, so do not worry."
"I see."
Lee Hyang really does care deeply for his son. That means this conversation should go well.
Yoonseo was mentally reviewing everything she intended to say to the Crown Prince when—
"His Highness will surely like this."
After carefully inspecting Yoonseo from head to toe, Court Official Eom made a satisfied sound through his nose.
"That ring—Lady Haeryeong, the wife of Prince Buin, gave it to you, did she not? She set up a memorial shrine for the late Crown Princess in her home and mourns day and night, grieving so deeply that her health suffers. His Highness sent her a mother-of-pearl box containing funeral poems as consolation. Naturally, that must be the case."
Hidden within that long explanation was a very large clue.
"…Are you advising me to explain it to His Highness that way?"
"Ahahaha!"
Court Official Eom burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking.
He laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes.
Only after a long moment did he finally compose himself and become serious again.
"…Lady Yang praised you greatly, saying you are a maid with bold courage. Sit and have some tea while we talk slowly. His Highness is currently immersed in reading memorials and reports, so he has no time to see you immediately."
Court Official Eom poured the boiling water from the bronze kettle sitting on the brazier into a bowl to cool it. Then he poured the cooled water into a small teapot filled with tea leaves, brewing the tea with graceful precision.
I always assumed eunuchs would be thin and feminine, both in body and voice.
But after actually arriving in Joseon, Yoonseo realized that Eom and the other eunuchs were hardly different from ordinary men.
They simply had no beards. In fact, many were tall with long limbs—by modern standards they almost looked like androgynous beauties.
"Drink."
The tea Eom handed her in a pale sky-blue porcelain cup carried a fresh grassy aroma and left a sweet aftertaste.
"It's a good tea."
"It's sparrow-tongue tea picked from Ssanggyesa Temple on Mount Jiri. It was offered to the royal family, and His Highness shared some with me."
When he said His Highness, a deep pride and loyalty was unmistakable in his voice.
"Do you know that on the day the Crown Grandson was born, a candle placed beside the throne in the great hall broke?"
That story again. Lady Yang had mentioned it earlier as well, unable to hide her fear.
But Yoonseo had a different view of that omen.
Kings' palanquins sometimes broke while carrying them—what was so significant about a single candle holder breaking?
"Do you know the term self-fulfilling prophecy, my lord?"
"…?"
"It means that when people see an omen and fear that something might happen, they unconsciously begin acting with that possibility in mind. Eventually, their actions bring about exactly what they feared. If you and Lady Yang fear that candle incident, others will notice your anxiety and begin treating the Crown Grandson cautiously—or even avoiding him."
Eom Jachi slapped his knee.
"That's exactly why it must be you."
"…?"
"You are someone who becomes angry for the young prince's sake, someone who dares speak before those above for his sake. And someone who boldly investigates what lies beneath appearances. Listen carefully, Court Lady Kwon."
Eom's gaze deepened, like that of a serpent that had lived a thousand years.
"If the rope I've chosen is not to turn out rotten, I need someone like you. Therefore—"
He was essentially saying that since Yoonseo sincerely wished to protect Hongwi, he would also support her—for his own future survival and glory—by pushing her toward becoming a concubine, even the future Crown Princess.
But Yoonseo scoffed inwardly.
There were many ways to protect Hongwi. Why did everyone think the only path was becoming a royal concubine?
"Very well. I understand that you and I share the same goal—to protect the young prince. I will work with you. But I have one condition."
"Speak."
He had even switched to a more respectful tone now. It seemed Eom Jachi had firmly decided to treat Yoonseo as someone special.
"When I occasionally need to leave the palace, do not question it. Just give me a pass."
"…Hmm?"
"I will not become a concubine, Lord Eom."
"No, Court Lady Kwon—"
"Feelings are fickle. And this palace is a place where a man can easily obtain countless women as beautiful as flowers. So instead of chasing such an empty position, I will secure something more substantial."
Like knowledge of the future and mountains of wealth.
Yoonseo declared confidently.
"Oh!"
But strangely, instead of disappointment, Eom's face filled with even greater trust.
"You once told Court Lady Park that until someone stands on a testing ground, you cannot know what kind of person they truly are."
"…She told you that as well?"
"The same applies to you. The palace turns people greedy, like moths rushing toward a flame, driving them to pursue power alone. I will watch you. I want to see which path you take—and what kind of self you discover along that path."
Eom Jachi's eyes glimmered with amusement as he chuckled quietly.
Later — Bihyeongak
"So the Lady of Haeryeong gave you that ring?"
When Yoonseo entered the eastern chamber of Bihyeongak, the Crown Prince's office, Lee Hyang asked the question without even lifting his head.
The wide desk before him was piled high—one stack of memorials already processed, another stack yet untouched.
It was already nearing the third watch of the night (around 11 p.m.).
Palace life began before dawn, around four in the morning.
When does this man even sleep?
And though only a young eunuch attended him, Lee Hyang was still dressed impeccably in his red dragon robe and winged crown.
Knowing he would eventually die from a severe abscess on his back, Yoonseo found the sight infuriating.
The dead wife and the living husband are both tormenting me!
"If you stay wrapped up like that day and night, you'll develop boils easily. Even when you're alone, you should wear lighter clothing. Your skin needs time to breathe."
"…?"
Startled by the sudden stream of nagging, Lee Hyang finally lifted his head.