Chapter 59
59th Episode: The Gibang
"Your Majesty~ I'm so scared..."
Seeing the large man whine like a child with a tearful face sent shivers down Ji-young's spine once again.
But Yeonsangun seemed unfazed, as if the sight was familiar.
"As you may know, Queen Insoo is also deeply concerned about this incident."
"Queen Insoo? No! I'm, I'm scared!"
Grand Prince Je-an's face turned ashen as if he had imagined Queen Insoo's stern face.
It was the reaction of an elementary school kid afraid of being scolded by a strict grandmother.
"So, we need to resolve this before it gets any bigger."
"Ugh, of course, but..."
"Then tell me, where did you get that herbal medicine?"
"Th, that... I can't tell you..."
"Ha... Uncle!"
Yeonsangun, unable to contain his frustration, burst out, causing Grand Prince Je-an to shrink back.
His face was filled with fear.
Seeing that, Yeonsangun suppressed his anger and tried to coax him again in the softest voice possible.
"You have to help me. Only then can I help you."
"You... help me?"
"Of course, it goes without saying."
"Re, really, Your Majesty?"
"So, tell me quickly. Where did you get that herbal medicine?"
Grand Prince Je-an blinked like a frightened bull, hesitated for a long time, and finally answered in a barely audible voice.
"It's called 'Invigorating Decoction'... I heard it's good for boosting energy and strengthening the body, so I, I got it from the Emerald Cloud Garden..."
As soon as he heard that, a faint sigh escaped Yeonsangun's lips.
Grand Prince Je-an hurriedly stammered, adding,
"Yo, Your Majesty! This must be kept a secret. Queen Insoo will be furious if she finds out..."
Ji-young found Grand Prince Je-an, sweating profusely with a pale face, pathetic, but at the same time, she was curious.
What kind of place was it that made him so afraid?
"...Emerald Cloud Garden?"
"It's a gibang. The most popular one in Hanyang these days."
Hearing Im Soong-jae's whisper from the side, she seemed to understand what was going on.
Even if he was a fool, a Grand Prince, a member of the royal family, couldn't be seen visiting a gibang.
But soon, another question arose in Ji-young's mind.
Did 'gibang' exist in this era?
Wasn't this the era when Yeonsangun was gathering all the beautiful women in the country, calling them 'Flourishing Clear' and 'Cloud Peace'?
Moreover, it was known that the gisaeng of the early Joseon period were mainly government-run, and the privately operated gibang that people commonly think of only appeared in records after the 1600s...
As if sensing Ji-young's question, Sungjae quietly added.
"These days, the ginyo know what makes money."
Come to think of it, it wasn't impossible.
Yeonsangun's reign was an era of extravagance and pleasure.
There must have been spaces where corrupt officials, steeped in corruption, secretly enjoyed themselves.
Therefore, government-run ginyo alone would not have been enough.
What existed in the gap between illegal and legal, even if not officially recognized, was the 'gibang'.
There was nothing new about it.
In fact, this was the same for many entertainment establishments in modern times.
Moreover, the gibang of the Joseon Dynasty was more than just an entertainment establishment.
This could be seen from the 'gisaeng', the core of the gibang.
'Gisaeng are talking flowers, also known as Hae-eo-hwa (flowers that can understand language).'
Among them, the highest-class gisaeng were said to be proficient in dance and song, as well as knowledgeable and skilled in writing to the point of slapping the cheeks of most officials and scholars.
And that's not all.
"...You got this 'Invigorating Decoction' from the gibang?"
Now that she thought about it, the gibang even seemed to be playing a role similar to that of a traditional medicine clinic.
Jang-geum added in a small voice from the side.
"These days, gibang not only make the finest banquet cuisine, but also all sorts of mysterious elixirs."
"Elixirs...?"
"It seems to be a medicine that makes you feel excited."
Come to think of it, that didn't sound impossible either.
Even in modern times, news articles about drug parties at clubs and room salons where VIPs secretly gather are not uncommon.
'Well, it wouldn't be strange if something similar happened in this era.'
Only then did she begin to understand why nutmeg was included in the herbal medicine made in the gibang.
Because of the mild hallucinogenic effects of nutmeg, a musician in the past was even said to have mixed a large amount of nutmeg in cola and drank it.
"B, but I go there to eat the food... The food there is amazing."
Grand Prince Je-an, as if his feet were burning, blurted out words that no one had asked him, with an expression as if he was the most wronged person in the world.
Yeonsangun, who had been listening quietly, turned his head and looked at Im Soong-jae next to him with a deep gaze.
"From an expert's point of view, what do you think?"
"Huh? Me, me?"
Sungjae pointed at himself in surprise, and Yeonsangun nodded.
"Is there any other expert here besides you?"
"I, I'm not an expert. I, I've only heard a little bit."
Sungjae blushed and waved his hands.
But he was the Red Envoy who found beautiful women from all over the country. Moreover, he was also the head of the Jang-ak-won, the government office that trained the Cloud Peace.
There was no way he wouldn't have information about the gibang that were popular among the common people.
"Then, do you have any idea about this 'Invigorating Decoction' made by the Emerald Cloud Garden?"
"That is..."
Sungjae hesitated for a moment, but since this was the situation, he had no choice but to tell what he knew.
"...I've heard that elixirs made in gibang are popular these days. Most of them are aphrodisiacs... but they also make medicines for fatigue recovery and strengthening the body."
"Hmm."
"Moreover, there is a saying that a significant portion of the 'vegetable shops' run by women are actually owned by gibang."
Vegetable shops.
It was a word she had heard before. Ji-young recalled the knowledge she had learned while studying the food culture of the Joseon Dynasty.
We often think that commoners in the Joseon Dynasty could easily eat vegetables.
But the reality was not like that at all.
Even if all the farmland was used to grow grains, there was always a shortage of food, so the people would not have planted vegetables on valuable land.
Therefore, there was a market called 'vegetable shop' that specialized in growing and selling vegetables, and the unique thing about the vegetable shop was that it was a store run by women.
Stores that were only allowed to female merchants in certain industries, such as 'Naebunjeon' selling cosmetics and 'Jokdurijeon' selling accessories.
The so-called 'Women's Market'.
One of the representative industries of the Women's Market was the 'vegetable shop'.
But, the gibang were running vegetable shops?
If what Sungjae said was true, they must be making herbal medicine while handling special medicinal ingredients along with vegetables.
That seemed to be a new business model that was popular in gibang.
'So, the nutmeg in the herbal medicine made in the gibang and the ginseng in the chicken dish. The two mixed together caused side effects and Grand Prince Jinseong collapsed...'
She could understand that far.
But the question about the really important part was still unresolved.
Was this really an 'accidental accident'?
Everyone in the room seemed to be thinking the same thing.
Because they all had serious, hardened expressions.
Except for one person, Grand Prince Je-an.
"What are you all doing? I'm getting hungry now."
"Haa..."
Yeonsangun sighed and shook his head.
Perhaps if someone else had done that, they would not have been able to avoid being torn apart, but even the great Yeonsangun could not treat the royal family members carelessly.
"Let's return to the palace for now. We will meet again in Gangnyeongjeon."
It seemed that Yeonsangun was determined to come up with some kind of plan.
But.
Ji-young had enough information to point out something.
One person came to her mind who could make good use of Grand Prince Je-an's foolish nature.
Sungjae, who was pale, must know it better.
The low-born prostitute from the marketplace whom Sungjae had brought as a Red Envoy in the past.
She could not be brought directly into the palace because of her lowly status, so she was brought in as a servant of Grand Prince Je-an, and only after her status was laundered could she enter the palace.
'...That woman, Royal Concubine Jang Nok-su.'
At the same time, Emerald Cloud Garden.
"Your Ladyship, His Majesty is said to be at Grand Prince Je-an's private residence."
Kneeling under the dim lamplight was Court Lady Chu-wol.
Jang Nok-su's expression sitting in front of her was eerily bright.
"Tsk, tsk, I wonder what useless things that idiot will say... Is that cook girl with him too?"
"It seems so."
At those words, Nok-su frowned with her jade-like forehead as if she was displeased.
"She's such a troublesome girl. I think we need to take action before it's too late."
"Your Ladyship, I will solve this matter myself. Please leave it to me."
At Chu-wol's words, Nok-su's eyes flashed viciously.
"This is an extremely important matter, so there must be no mistakes."
"...Is there any doubt?"
Chu-wol bowed her head deeply as she answered.
Her eyes were filled with the murderous intent of a beast preparing to hunt.
Back at Yeonsangun's residence, Gangnyeongjeon.
Yeonsangun, Im Soong-jae, Ji-young, and Jang-geum, who had returned from Grand Prince Je-an's private residence, gathered there again and were in the midst of a discussion.
"What did you just say? You said there's a way to wake up Grand Prince Jinseong?"
"That's right."
As expected of an expert on gibang, Im Soong-jae began to explain in detail.
"The elixirs made in gibang make you feel relaxed or see hallucinations. But if the dosage is too high, it's a dangerous medicine that can paralyze the whole body and cause death."
"Hoo-ooh."
"So, in case of emergency, they prepare an antidote that can alleviate the side effects."
"As expected, Royal Secretary Do knows the gibang situation well."
"...I heard it from a friend."
Ignoring Sungjae's excuse with a serious face, Yeonsangun asked again.
"So, you're saying that if we go to the Emerald Cloud Garden, there will be a medicine to wake up Grand Prince Jinseong."
"That's right. However..."
Im Soong-jae hesitated and trailed off.
He couldn't easily say the words that would follow.
What if all of this was intentional?
So, if someone at the Emerald Cloud Garden deliberately caused the side effects of the medicine, things would not be so easily resolved.
Yeonsangun seemed to realize that fact as well, and slowly nodded his head.
"...You're saying that they may not hand over the antidote willingly."
This was not something that could be solved by rushing in with the Royal Guard.
If they hid the antidote and denied it, even Yeonsangun would have no way to find it.
"Could the royal physician not make the antidote?"
"It's not easy because we don't know the exact ingredients in the herbal medicine. Moreover, we can't just waste time."
The time that Grand Prince Jinseong, who was in a coma, could endure was only a few days at most.
They had to find the antidote within that time, no matter what.
"Hmm. Then there's only one way."
"If there's only one way..."
"...We have to infiltrate it."
Infiltrate? Infiltrate, you say?
Ji-young wondered if she had misheard, but Yeonsangun's face was serious.
"We have to infiltrate the Emerald Cloud Garden and secretly bring out the antidote."
It was an absurd statement.
The inside of the gibang was a space forbidden to men, where only the ginyo lived.
Who on earth could infiltrate it?
Moreover, to find the antidote, one would need knowledge of medicinal ingredients.
"However, Your Majesty, who can do that..."
At that moment.
A faint madness seemed to pass through Yeonsangun's eyes as he met Ji-young's eyes.
Oh, come on...
No, right? ...Please say no.
The moment Ji-young felt goosebumps crawling all over her body.
A dizzying yet merciless voice flowed from Yeonsangun's mouth.
"You go, Emerald Cloud Garden."
