Chapter 11
Episode 11. Lee Hyang at Bihyeon Pavilion (3)
When Lee Hyang was born, King Sejong had not yet been appointed Crown Prince and had no other concubines.
Therefore, as the eldest son, Lee Hyang received abundantly the stable love of King Sejong and Queen Soheon.
Until the age of two, when the direction of his brain's neural and emotional development was nearly complete, Lee Hyang very fortunately grew up in a rare environment devoid of the brutal power struggles, conspiracies, and schemes within the royal family, and from the age of eight, he had lived with firm support as the noble Crown Prince.
Therefore, Yunseo surmised that Lee Hyang's psychological state was such that he did not understand emotions like 'resentment,' 'hatred,' or 'envy' that ordinary people possess, and consequently, he could not check Grand Prince Suyang.
"Your Highness has grown up too nobly, so you do not know how wicked and cruel a person can become when they yearn for something. However, even the children of ordinary noble families cannot protect their lineage if they remain complacent with only such noble hearts."
While conducting psychological counseling, Yunseo had seen and heard too much of how base humans could be.
Because humans are capable of anything, laws, systems, and discipline were necessary to control their cruel and selfish nature.
Lee Hyang, deeming himself too noble, had not paid attention to the desires of his younger brothers who coveted the throne,
"If a monarch is excessively noble and excessively idealistic, the good and capable officials and common people beneath him are easily sacrificed to those who harbor schemes and ambition."
As a result, it led not only to the tragic death of his son but also to the deaths of countless talented individuals whom his father, King Sejong, and he himself had painstakingly nurtured.
At Yunseo's unreserved words, Lee Hyang fell into deep silence.
After reflecting on the world of scholarship he had diligently built alongside his father, he shook his head.
"Your words are heresy. It is heresy to reduce human character to that of petty men. According to the words of the sages, a gentleman..."
"If we had only followed the Way of the sages, could Joseon have been founded? If we had only followed the Way of the sages, would the Crown Prince have been changed by the previous generation?"
"You! You!"
Yunseo prostrated herself.
However, her words were unreserved.
"The path of a king must be different from the path of ordinary men. You must mediate, coordinate, and rule over people who desperately strive for their own interests and desires. If you do not acknowledge this and only superficially follow the idealistic words of the sages, Your Highness will not be able to protect yourself, nor our poor young prince."
Yunseo let out a deep sigh and declared forcefully.
"You will lead the talented individuals whom Your Majesty and Your Highness painstakingly nurtured through the Hall of Worthies to their deaths, becoming a great sinner before the state. This is the future of Your Highness and Joseon that the Crown Princess showed me!"
"......"
"......"
A very deep silence descended upon the room.
Lee Hyang gazed at Kwon Ga, the maid, who, adorned like a flower, was fiercely reciting the theories of the Legalists who advocated for 'rule by law.'
'A sinner before the state.'
If he were to lose everyone as that child had said, he would undoubtedly become a great sinner before the state.
Treason is not the only sin. For a monarch to plunge the court and the people into misery by failing to protect those he must protect is also treason against the state.
Since I have always received firm support, I have never even considered such complex aspects, as that child said.
Lee Hyang let out a sigh of lament.
However, Lee Hyang was not a simpleton to be swayed by three inches of tongue.
"I will bring Hongwi here to Jaseon Hall tomorrow. But I am curious about something."
"What is it that you are curious about, Your Highness?"
Despite the tone of authority befitting the Crown Prince, Kwon Ga, the maid, asked with wide eyes, not intimidated in the least.
Lee Hyang, for the first time in a long while, thought a woman was cute.
Then, the physical desires he had momentarily forgotten began to stir again.
The Crown Prince, who had lived so cautiously, never even loosening his collar while serving as Crown Prince among his outstanding father and officials, suddenly became curious about the maid's age.
'When the Consort entered, this child was ten years old, so she must be eighteen this year.'
Before, she was clumsy like an unripe green chestnut, but now, like a ripe roasted chestnut...
Lee Hyang cleared his throat, catching the dangerously extending thread of thought and bringing it back to the present issue.
"You are always by our Hongyi's side, aren't you? I am asking if the envy and jealousy that Noble Lady Yang received will now be directed at you, and what you wish to gain from that position."
"Oh, no, that's not it."
Yunseo chuckled and shook her head.
"I am merely a wet nurse, not a concubine. Moreover, I come from a humble family, so I would be fortunate if I am not looked down upon."
"...Kwon Ga, you are truly..."
Different.
That child is different.
Even a lowly servant doing menial tasks would try to fabricate facts and package them well to appear good if asked such a question, but she unconcernedly reveals her humble origins.
'She is so different from other Palace Ladies.'
If asked the same question, ordinary Palace Ladies would plead their ambiguous situation with a pitiful expression, begging to be saved.
Furthermore, they would bow their heads and twist their bodies to better reveal their cleavage, stimulating one's desires with tear-filled eyes and slightly parted lips full of coquetry and seduction.
But that child simply bows her head deeply, showing only her fair nape,
And with her whole body, like a lone beast, she declares, 'I have no interest in Your Highness!'
That was why.
Lee Hyang, who was always planned, cautious, and ascetic, gave an impulsive command.
"I understand. Since you know your place so well and only care for Hongwi, your heart is quite lovely. I will make arrangements for Hongwi to be moved here to Jaseon Hall tomorrow. And."
"Yes, Your Highness."
As Yunseo, eager to return to Park Sanggung's quarters to rest after obtaining all she needed from the meeting with the Crown Prince, shifted her weight, Lee Hyang spoke.
"You said your skin couldn't breathe? I must take off my Dragon Robe. Attend to me."
"...Yes, yes?"
What is this? Taken aback by the unexpected words, Yunseo forgot her etiquette and stared directly at the Crown Prince.
"But I..."
Yunseo was about to say she had never heard of attending to someone's clothing, but she closed her mouth tightly.
She had dressed Hongwi in a danryeong and tied his jade belt, so she could do it.
She could do it, but.
"Please call my eunuch..."
Hearing the command to undress, her mind's eye reflexively pictured the body beneath the magnificent red Dragon Robe.
The shoulders beneath the loose robe were robustly broad,
And since he rides horses well and shoots arrows well, he must have a decent amount of muscle.
Suddenly, Lee Hyang appeared different.
The image of the cool-headed Crown Prince, who allowed no flaw, faded,
And in its place appeared the image of a man sculpted to perfection.
A man exuding an unapproachable dignity, born of nobility,
With one eyebrow slightly raised, as if a little mischievous,
And gazing at her with an inscrutable look.
"Come."
Lee Hyang stood up and spread his arms.
At the repeated urging, Yunseo reflexively stood up and approached Lee Hyang.
Her head was spinning.
"...Since I brought the young prince, I may not be skilled."
When Yunseo suddenly spoke hesitantly, Lee Hyang merely smiled without replying.
Her heart pounded as she only had to remove the outermost layer of clothes, which were layered several deep.
She had to untie the jade belt at his waist first, but she didn't know where to place her hands, her fingers trembling, when the Crown Prince took Yunseo's hand.
His fingers were so hot.
"Press here, and it will release from the inside."
"Yes, yes."
Lee Hyang's finger pressed the front where the jade was attached, and a click was heard as it released from the inside.
Yunseo felt as if her mind was also releasing, and she bit the inside of her lip hard.
Snap out of it, snap out of it.
The royal family's affairs always move unexpectedly like this.
After untying the jade belt and placing it on the chest, she had to undo the buttons at the side of the neck.
Since he was tall, that was nothing, but after undoing the buttons, she would have to untie the garment ties.
And after untying the garment ties.
In the 21st century, Kwon Yunseo knew men, desire, and the pleasures of the flesh.
Her long-held asceticism, maintained to forget her grief after her parents' death by immersing herself solely in work, would be broken here!
"Your, Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"If I don't do it, can't it be avoided?"
Yunseo asked urgently.
Just untying the jade belt ignited her desire, but if she were to remove the Dragon Robe adorned with the brilliant golden Dragon Emblem.
She might not be able to restrain herself.
'Snap out of it. Snap out of it. I spouted blasphemous words, but if I lose my reason here and even pounce, I truly will not leave here alive tonight!'
Yunseo desperately hid her rapidly pounding heart and increasingly rough breathing by lowering her head and politely replied.
"I am not accustomed to it, so I fear I might tear some part of Your precious Dragon Robe."
She meant she was afraid she might rip his clothes.
Lee Hyang looked at the maid, her face flushed, rubbing her hands together.
She had been unreserved when speaking earlier, but found attending to his clothes so difficult.
"You are truly an amusing woman."
Any other Palace Lady would have subtly brushed her chest against his arm while untying the jade belt, or pressed herself against his back when undoing the buttons of the Dragon Robe.
As such thoughts arose, Lee Hyang himself became embarrassed.
A monarch is shameless, and taking a single maid would not be something to shy away from as a fleeting amusement, but taking Kwon Ga, the maid, in such a manner was awkward in many ways.
"You may go now."
Lee Hyang commanded in a low voice.
"Yes, Your Highness. I take my leave!"
As soon as the command was given, Yunseo dashed towards the door.
"I will be very busy for the time being as I will be undertaking the Acting Regency. Once things settle down, I will summon you, so come over here when Hongwi is asleep."
The Crown Prince's command fell upon Yunseo, who was fleeing through the door.
The voice, which had settled deeply, sounded quite dangerous.
After Kwon Ga, the maid, withdrew.
Lee Hyang could not easily fall asleep even after returning to Jaseon Hall's Heated Room.
It was not solely because his physical desires, which had slumbered after the Crown Princess's death, were slowly awakening.
"If Your Highness dies early and the young prince ascends the throne, the Grand Princes will covet the throne and commit treason..."
"If a monarch is excessively noble and excessively idealistic, the good and capable officials and common people beneath him are easily sacrificed to those who harbor schemes and ambition. To protect the good, the monarch must become ruthless."
The words of Kwon Ga, the maid, echoed vividly in his ears.
Therefore, he could not concentrate on how to respond to the repeated petitions from officials requesting that the Royal Order for Crown Prince Lee Hyang's southern audience be revoked, nor on the memorial submitted by Hwangbo In, who was serving as the Inspector of Hamgil Province, regarding the construction of castles in the Tumen River basin.
Lee Hyang stayed awake all night.
