Chapter 12
Episode 12. Park Sanggung's Restless Anxiety
Yunseo, who had maintained her composure throughout, became disoriented by Lee Hyang's handsome body at the last moment, and frantically headed towards Park Sanggung's quarters, following the lantern light of the eunuch assigned by Eom Naegwan.
As she neared Park Sanggung's quarters.
"Gwaya!"
A dark figure suddenly sprang out from the darkness and grabbed Yunseo's arm.
"...Mama-nim!"
"What in the world is going on? Oh dear, really! Really!"
Did she receive Royal Favor? She tried to look, but it was too dark to see clearly.
Park Sanggung first pressed a small piece of silver into the hand of the eunuch who had brought the lantern, hissing like a snake.
"Tell Eom Sangjeon to see me as soon as day breaks. How could this important matter happen without my knowledge? Tell him I will not stand for this!"
"Yes, yes. Mama-nim."
Park Sanggung, who supervised all the Palace Ladies of the East Palace, was a formidable figure in the Palace due to her fiery temper and exceptional talent for accumulating wealth.
When such a person, enraged, pressed a lump of silver into his hand, the eunuch, both frightened and pleased, bowed so low his nose nearly touched his knees and rushed back the way he came.
"Let's go inside. Let's talk once we're inside."
Park Sanggung had only just learned that Kwon Ga, the maid, had entered the East Palace to attend the Crown Prince's wedding night. For Park Sanggung, who had always seemed foolish but had recently become a bit sharper, and who had meticulously dreamed of accumulating wealth and power together with her, this news was like a bolt from the blue.
"Even cunning individuals fall victim to their own schemes and die without a trace in the Palace. And that naive one..."
Enraged, Park Sanggung, who hadn't even eaten dinner properly, paced outside her quarters past midnight, contemplating which Royal Lady and Palace Ladies she should assign if the real Kwon Ga were to become a Royal Concubine.
Upon entering the room, Park Sanggung's face turned ashen at the sight of Yunseo's high-quality Palace Lady attire and the pleasant scent emanating from her body.
"Did, did you really receive Royal Favor?"
"You said if I received Royal Favor, I'd wear my skirt inside out. I'm wearing it properly."
Seeing that her skirt was indeed properly worn and her hair neat, suggesting she hadn't tumbled around, Park Sanggung felt relieved, but then became angry again.
"No, you! Even dressed like this, you were rejected? Haa, honestly."
Such a dullard.
Thinking of the girl who had dressed up with such high hopes, entered the Crown Prince's quarters, only to be coldly refused, Park Sanggung felt her heart ache in a different way, and her anger flared.
"Even with your Scent Pouch on, you were rejected, and the whole Palace will hear about it. What makes you so smiley? Don't you have any feelings?"
Yunseo couldn't help but chuckle, seeing through Park Sanggung's genuine concern, which mirrored her own disappointment at being rejected.
Her chest felt softly warm, and the tension in her stiff body gradually eased. For a modern person with vast knowledge, even by 15th-century standards, living in the 21st century in the Middle Ages, especially in the Palace at the apex of a strict social hierarchy with its class system and servitude, as a mere insignificant Palace Lady was by no means easy.
Though she acted boldly on the outside, she had been on edge, constantly mindful of the potential for disaster. To find an elder in the Palace who genuinely cared for her was a great comfort.
"Mama-nim, I didn't go to receive Royal Favor in the first place. The other day, I told you I would diligently assist our young lady to realize 'Happiness is Money and Power,' didn't I?"
"Hmph, you're good at sugarcoating being turned away."
Despite her words, Park Sanggung seemed somewhat relieved that Yunseo was still spirited.
Still, she had been rejected, so wanting to offer comfort, she said,
"Would you like a bowl of Gukju? Although brewing alcohol is forbidden due to the severe drought, Eunuch Seol-ri secretly saved a few cups from the ancestral rites at the Jongmyo the other day."
"Sh, shall we?"
Hearing the word 'Gukju,' her hunger surged.
Though she tried to act bold, this body of 'Kwon Ga' was tall, slender, voluptuous, and pretty. She had inwardly worried that Lee Hyang might suddenly turn and pounce on her, given her polished appearance.
However, Lee Hyang seemed too overwhelmed by the endless stream of memorials, court affairs, and the compulsive obligation to be as perfect a monarch as King Sejong, leaving him no room to feel sexual desire. Yunseo surmised that the rumors of the Crown Prince's lack of interest in women might stem from psychogenic erectile dysfunction caused by the immense pressure.
To think she had almost assaulted such a person.
She could have easily faced charges of insulting the monarch (though she didn't know if such a thing existed) and additional charges of being an annoyance, leading to a brutal death in the notorious Royal Household Department prison.
As she thought this, her body shivered. Then, the servant boy Junggeum brought a feast that made her mouth water. On the lacquered ash wood small table sat a celadon wine bottle, two celadon cups, three potato-like lumps, and skewers of grilled beef.
Park Sanggung poured wine into a cup.
"Have a drink."
Turning, she took a sip. The high alcohol content sent a sharp, hot sensation down her esophagus and into her stomach. It was a remarkably fragrant wine, clean and elegant, its aroma filling her mouth.
"Wow, this is good."
As Yunseo exclaimed with wide eyes, Park Sanggung proudly explained its origin.
"It's Hyangonju. A precious wine only available in the Palace. Made with whole wheat from Liaodong, mixed with mung bean powder, fermented with yeast, and then layered twelve times..."
Her hunger and the potent alcohol made Yunseo's head spin. She vaguely listened to Park Sanggung's lengthy explanation, quietly putting the grilled beef into her mouth.
Junggeum is a really good cook. Should I open a restaurant later?
"What did His Highness say?"
Once Yunseo seemed to have eaten her fill, Park Sanggung asked about the night's events.
"He said the young lady will now reside in the Seoondol of Jaseon Hall."
"The young lady is coming to the East Palace? That's good..."
Park Sanggung, who had been beaming, suddenly stopped and took a gulp of wine.
She winced as she swallowed.
"Why?"
"Aren't there other Royal Concubines, including Hong Seung-hwi?"
"Ah!"
Right, there were other Royal Concubines. The quarters of Lee Hyang's Royal Concubines were clustered together, each in an independent pavilion, separated by a single wall behind Jaseon Hall.
"Hong Seung-hwi has a terrible temper. If she finds out you were in the East Palace today, she'll try to pull out all your hair."
"Nothing special happened."
"The fact that nothing special happened makes it even more special."
"...Huh?"
Why couldn't she explain it more clearly?
Ah, the alcohol is kicking in.
As Yunseo's speech became increasingly slurred, as if she didn't know that, Park Sanggung poured her more wine, saying, "Have another drink," and then explained calmly.
"You were there for well over an hour today. You know how His Highness usually is, right? He thinks women are ignorant and there's no need for long conversations, so he only goes to the Royal Concubines' quarters to take care of business and leaves."
Just take care of business and leave? Not psychogenic erectile dysfunction, but premature ejaculation?
"...Does he... take care of business often?"
Why was she curious about this?
Despite her confusion, Yunseo's mind flashed to the neat nose bridge she had seen earlier and the broad shoulders that made her want to rip his Dragon Robe apart.
Lee Hyang, if he shaved his beard, he'd have a kissable face.
As Yunseo giggled with a flushed face, Park Sanggung looked at her with surprised eyes.
"You! There's nothing you won't say!"
Park Sanggung hit her on the crown of the head with her chopsticks again.
"Ow! Hey! My hair was styled with precious fragrant oil for a long time by five Palace Ladies!"
"R, really? You do look very beautiful today. Instead of giving that silk you received from Queen Mama to those leech-like siblings of yours, let's make clothes for yourself. I've already asked Royal Lady Gu from the Royal Wardrobe."
"What? From the Royal Wardrobe for a mere Palace Lady?"
"Hmph, a mere Palace Lady? Gwaya, Gwaya. Don't you know that from today, your name is on the list of influential figures in the Palace world? You are a Palace Lady whom Queen Mama has rewarded and whom His Majesty has favored. And even His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"!"
Yunseo's drunkenness vanished instantly at the mention of her name being added to the list of influential figures in the Palace.
'This is not good.'
She had already prepared herself to be targeted by Grand Prince Suyang and Lady Yun's faction when she stepped forward for Hongwi from the Queen's Palace. However, if she stood out so quickly, she would become an object of caution and envy among the Palace Servants, and thus a target for everyone who wished to eliminate Hongwi. They wouldn't let the intelligent Kwon Ga, who had gained greater power and connections, go unchecked, especially when they had tried to kill her when she was foolish.
"Mama-nim, if the young lady is moved to the Seoondol, please let me stay in the East Palace as well. In the corridor near Jaseon Hall."
"...Why? Are you trying to linger around His Highness the Crown Prince to force the Royal Favor you didn't receive today?"
Though she spoke half-jokingly, a slight furrow in her brow betrayed a hint of suspicion.
"Mama-nim, after living in the Palace for so long, can't you see my situation? The foolish Kwon Ga is suddenly gaining attention!"
"...Ah!"
Only then did Park Sanggung's playful expression vanish as she understood Yunseo's concern.
"There are three or four empty rooms in the corridor where Eom Sangjeon resides. If you stay in one of them, no one will dare to lay a hand on you. And..."
Tapping the small table with her fingernail, Park Sanggung pondered something. Having made up her mind, she firmly closed her lips and nodded.
"I'll assign you a servant boy. The guards in the East Palace are strict, but in case of emergency, that child will protect you. It will also be convenient for sending errands."
That servant boy's name was Maegeumi. Park Sanggung's property manager, Nosandae, had picked up the girl in Pyongyang while returning from a business trip in winter. She spoke little about her past, but her movements were said to be as stealthy as a cat's, and her courage as fearless as a tiger's.
Since Park Sanggung was taking such great care, Yunseo felt she could openly share her plans.
"Mama-nim, there is a way to earn great wealth while simultaneously checking Grand Prince Suyang and his wife, Lady Yun of Papyeong. However, it requires initial capital and cooperation from the East Palace."
"......?"
"I heard that salt is not yet monopolized by the government and is still produced and distributed individually. I intend to venture into salt production and silver mine development."
"What?"
Park Sanggung glared at Yunseo as if she had gone mad after meeting the Crown Prince once in private.
However, Yunseo continued without hesitation.
"Of course, the above matters will be meticulously prepared and executed. For now, there are a few items to make and sell at Mama-nim's Bansongbang residence. Please assign Nosandae and five or six laborers. And I wish to meet Maehyang, the Head Courtesan of Daewongak, who is Nosandae's adopted daughter, as soon as possible."
"Make and sell what?"
"It's an item that will earn Mama-nim a lot of money. It will take about fifteen days to create a prototype, so you can decide whether to lend me the Bansongbang residence after seeing it."
Park Sanggung scrutinized Yunseo's face and then sighed, saying,
"Maehyang was the one who sang welcoming songs at the forefront when His Majesty and Queen Mama returned. Although she is a courtesan, she is not officially registered, so she is not inferior to noble lords. If you ask her to meet you, she will demand something substantial in return."
"No, Mama-nim. How can you keep such a distinguished person as a servant?"
Park Sanggung clicked her tongue and picked up her chopsticks, then put them down again, speaking sternly to Yunseo.
"Palace Servants may outwardly dismiss others as Palace Servants or slaves, but they strive to maintain close relationships with everyone from court ministers to royal relatives, forming sworn brotherhoods and sisterhoods. Aren't you a close attendant to the highest authority?"
Oh.
They say the magnitude of power is inversely proportional to the distance from the highest authority. The power of a Palace Servant holding the 'door handle' power of proximity was immense.
"Fine. Since I have no children, why hoard my wealth? Go to Bansongbang when you have time and proceed with the work."
Park Sanggung readily agreed. What great courage our Park Sanggung possessed.
And after the first watch bell chimed, Lee Hyang headed to Cheonsu Hall with a bowl of ripe cherries.
