Chapter 7
- Entering the Palace
A path overgrown with trees.
A deer with a beautiful figure runs through it.
However, red blood was dripping from the deer's body.
Several arrows were deeply embedded in various places.
Perhaps because it had lost too much blood.
Soon, the deer's feet noticeably slowed down.
The moment the deer, panting and exhaling hot air, stopped in its place.
- Thwack
An arrow that flew from somewhere accurately pierced the deer's neck.
The deer collapsed on the spot and trembled.
"A direct hit."
A glossy white horse slowly approached the fallen deer.
The person riding the white horse was not dressed as a hunter or a military officer.
A red Dragon Robe peeking out between the leather arm guards and the quiver.
A tall height, a slender figure, and a morbidly pale complexion on top of that.
Thanks to his sharp nose and long eyelashes, he was so handsome that it would be more appropriate to call him pretty, even though he was a man.
But the most impressive thing about his face was his eyes.
Light brown eyes that simultaneously possessed extreme innocence and cruelty, like a young boy smiling innocently while tearing insects apart alive.
This man would be recorded as the worst tyrant in Korean history, no, in the history of Korea.
The 10th King of Joseon, Yeonsangun Yi Yung.
"...It is deceased."
A man in a black Military Uniform got off his horse and checked the deer's pulse.
"From the time I was in the Prince's Residence, Father cherished these guys like gold and jade. How ridiculous that looked to me..."
The King, who followed and got off his horse, pulled out the arrow deeply embedded in the deer's neck.
The deer's blood, still pulsating, splattered and made red stains on the white horse and the Dragon Robe.
"Do Chong-gwan, this deer..."
Red deer blood was already on the King's face, which wore a strange smile.
"...is an animal that tastes best when shot and killed, not raised."
At this time, one of the Royal Guard, who had been following at a distance of about fifty paces behind, rode his horse closer to the King.
The King's face suddenly brightened as he listened to his whisper.
"Listen up, the hunt ends here today. I shall return to the palace immediately!"
The King shouted loudly and jumped onto the back of the white horse.
"Are you already returning?"
"I heard that Sungjae has returned after finishing the Red Envoy mission. He says there are plenty of new women. I can't stand not being curious."
"If you do that, today's schedule..."
"Do Chong-gwan, please finish the rest of the hunt. Let's hear the rest of the story next time."
As soon as he finished speaking, the King turned the white horse's head towards the capital with a shout.
"..."
The man in the black Military Uniform, called Do Chong-gwan, silently watched his back.
* * *
The court ladies were busily scurrying about.
That day was the day when the entire Inner Court would be turned upside down if the temperature of the bathwater was even slightly off.
The bathwater, warmed to a moderately warm temperature, had to have a little camellia oil, clear rice wine, and all sorts of precious medicinal herbs and flower petals dropped into it.
"Royal Concubine Suk-yong, enter."
Before the head court lady's clear voice could finish, a woman strode onto the pavilion.
Her gait was completely different from that of other court ladies.
Neither as prim as a lady from a noble family, nor as cautious as a woman from a commoner's home.
Her features revealed above that gait were also unusual.
An egg-like, white and slender face, thin and long eyes, a sharp nose and bright red lips visible beneath them.
If you looked at each one slowly, there was nothing particularly beautiful about it.
But this woman was born with fatal charm.
A strange sensuality that was difficult to describe in words overflowed from her entire body.
Could this be what it means to embody the word "beauty that could ruin a nation"?
The only person who could control King Yeonsangun, whom everyone feared,
Royal Concubine (Junior 3rd Rank Concubine) Jang Nok-su.
She reached the washroom where the bathwater had been prepared and threw off her clothes without any embarrassment.
As the court ladies approached and pulled out the ornamental hairpin, her silky hair poured like a waterfall over her snow-white naked body.
Nok-su slowly pushed her body into the warm bathwater with flower petals floating in it and closed her eyes as if savoring the warmth of the water.
"I heard that Soong-jae brought back new Cloud Peace?"
At the words she uttered quietly with her eyes closed, the court lady attending to her bath hesitated and answered.
"I heard that there are about a hundred Cloud Peace brought from the eight provinces this time as well."
Before those words could finish, Nok-su snorted.
"What's the point of catching so many that eight or nine out of ten will be thrown away without even being shown to His Majesty...? Is Chu-wol here?"
"Yes, Royal Concubine Suk-yong."
One of the court ladies, called Chu-wol, appeared before the woman and quietly bowed her head.
She had a colder and sharper impression than other court ladies.
Her original position was a supervising court lady who corrected the discipline of the court ladies in the Inner Court, but in reality, she was no different from Nok-su's right-hand woman.
"I heard that Soong-jae and his father visited Grandee Hong, the Gyeonggi Governor, this time..."
"That is correct."
"Then, he must have done the Red Envoy mission properly, right?"
"That is correct. However..."
"Is there a problem?"
"...What he brought as a Red Envoy was not the daughter of that house... but a woman who made food in the kitchen."
"What?"
Nok-su opened her eyes wide and glared at Chu-wol.
At that force, all the court ladies attending nearby were terrified and cowered.
"I told him to bring the daughter of that old man, Grandee Hong, who was always an eyesore, to tame him, but he brought a kitchen maid?"
"I have not yet heard the details, but I heard that the Red Envoy himself chose her."
"Where are they now?"
"I heard that they will be taken to the Royal Kitchen as soon as they finish dressing."
At Chu-wol's answer, wrinkles formed on Nok-su's white and beautiful forehead.
'What is Im Soong-jae, that sly old fox, up to this time?'
Suddenly, Nok-su stood up from the bathwater, and the fragrant bathwater flowed down Nok-su's body.
The court ladies hurriedly rushed over and began to fuss over wrapping her body in silk cloth.
"Let's go to the Royal Kitchen right now."
Nok-su's jade-like face twitched strangely.
* * *
"Wait, just a moment."
Before Ji-young could say anything, the court ladies' hands rushed at her and undressed her.
Ji-young's naked body seemed to plunge into the camellia oil-scented bathwater, and as soon as the bath was over, a silk dress as thin as a dragonfly's wing was draped over her body.
Then, two or three court ladies rushed in at the same time, combing Ji-young's hair and began to talk among themselves.
"Suddenly bringing a bunch of women from commoner's homes and telling us to wash and dress them up, this is also work, really."
"Tell me about it. Ugh..."
"By the way, this child's clothes were strange from the start, and her hairstyle is also strange."
"I know. The length only comes down to her shoulders, and it's even wavy. Besides, the color is brown from the middle. How amazing."
'Th, that's because I haven't been able to dye my roots for a long time...'
While she couldn't bring herself to say those words, the court ladies were in the middle of their conversation.
"I heard that this child came from the land of the barbarians."
"I guess they have this kind of hair there...?"
"Now that I think about it, she looks a little strange..."
"I guess they can't eat properly there. She's so skinny."
'Hey... I can understand everything...'
'I guess the standards of beauty are a little different in this era?'
Just as she was trying to think that way, the voice of an elderly supervising court lady was heard.
"If you have finished the basic grooming, bring the children who have been selected as Cloud Peace here, and send the children who will go to the Royal Kitchen over there."
'R... Royal Kitchen?'
Without even having time to think about the meaning of those words, Ji-young was mixed in with a group of women and began to be led somewhere like sheep.
The place they arrived at was a space called the Royal Cuisine Chamber.
Belonging to the Court Provision Department, which oversees all the food ingredients used in the palace, the Royal Cuisine Chamber is largely composed of the Inner Royal Cuisine Chamber, the Outer Royal Cuisine Chamber, and the Royal Dessert Chamber.
Among these, what is commonly called the Royal Kitchen is the Inner Royal Cuisine Chamber, where food is prepared for the King every day.
The place where dozens of people are constantly cutting food ingredients with knives, lighting fires, boiling soup, and making food as if in a war.
In other words, this is the space where the best food ingredients and cooking environment of this era are all gathered.
'...To think I would actually see this place with my own eyes.'
When she came to the space that she had always imagined, Ji-young forgot about her own situation for a moment and stared blankly at the spectacle unfolding before her eyes.
"What are you looking at blankly? Move quickly."
Only after hearing the supervising court lady's shout did Ji-young come to her senses and take a step.
More than a dozen women had already gathered on one side of the Royal Kitchen.
Were they the court lady candidates who would cook in the Royal Kitchen?
'But... court ladies in the Royal Kitchen... cook...?'
Ji-young tilted her head, feeling a little strange.
The people who work in the Royal Kitchen in this era are made up of only men, so unlike the general perception, it is not a space centered around court ladies.
In addition, the Royal Cuisine Masters who work here are a kind of professional who have been passed down through generations, so it is a place where outsiders cannot easily set foot.
"I heard that His Majesty is picking court ladies to serve him meals when he eats. They have to manage the brazier by his side and serve side dishes, so they must also know how to cook..."
Perhaps having read the signs of doubt on Ji-young's face, one of the clever-looking women next to her whispered.
"I heard a little while ago that His Majesty severely punished a court lady who was serving him a meal because he didn't like the food."
"O, a severe punishment?"
The uneasy murmuring among the women began to grow louder and louder.
At that time,
"Royal Concubine Suk-yong is here."
As the supervising court lady Chu-wol's clear voice echoed, the surroundings suddenly became quiet as if cold water had been poured on them, and everyone gathered there bowed their heads.
Soon, the sound of her unique, uninhibited footsteps was heard.
Royal Concubine Jang Nok-su had appeared in the Royal Kitchen without any prior notice.
"Are these the children? The ones you brought in this time?"
Nok-su, who had rushed into the Royal Kitchen, headed towards the group of women without any hesitation.
The elderly supervising court lady bowed her head and politely greeted Nok-su, who was much younger than her.
"Your Ladyship, why have you come to such a place in person?"
"These are the children who will touch the food to be served to His Majesty, so I must see them with my own eyes."
Nok-su scanned the gathered women with a contemptuous look.
Every time her ice-cold gaze swept past, the women lowered their eyes, fearing that they might catch her eye.
The supervising court lady added a word to ease the atmosphere.
"I have only selected women from noble families who know how to entertain guests."
"It seems so. Only ugly women are gathered here."
"..."
"But there seem to be unnecessarily many. I know that only one court lady is needed..."
"We are trying to select only one from among them."
The corners of Nok-su's mouth rose strangely at those words.
"Selection, then how about we do this."
"Yes...?"
"Royal Cuisine Master, are you there?"
Nok-su suddenly raised her voice and called out to someone.
Royal Cuisine Master, also called Jae-bu, is the head chef of the Royal Kitchen.
In today's terms, it would be something like a head chef.
A middle-aged man wearing a white headscarf rushed over and bowed his head in front of Nok-su.
"Yes, Royal Concubine Suk-yong. Royal Cuisine Master Jeon Se-ho is here."
"How much Presenting Meals to be served to His Majesty today has been prepared?"
"Well... we just finished preparing the ingredients a little while ago..."
"That's perfect."
Nok-su turned her head and looked at the women and the supervising court lady.
"If she is a woman who will serve His Majesty's meals, she must be able to explain the Royal Cuisine, heat the brazier so that the soup does not get cold, and provide various meal services. To do that, she must also know how to cook."
"That is correct."
"Did you say that these women are all daughters of noble families who know how to cook? Then it is right to distinguish the good from the bad with their cooking skills. I will select a Royal Kitchen court lady after seeing the food they make today."
"Y, your words are wise."
As the supervising court lady bowed her head, unable to refuse those words, Nok-su's eyes began to shine more and more strangely.
"However, it is also not appropriate for the women who are not selected to return to the common world. Isn't there a saying that a court lady can only leave the palace when she dies?"
"Yes? What does that..."
The supervising court lady looked up at Nok-su's face with trembling pupils.
"From now on, the women here will make and serve Royal Cuisine in their own way. And..."
Nok-su's red lips formed a gruesome smile.
"...except for the one who makes the Royal Cuisine that suits His Majesty's Royal Cuisine Table, the rest will all be executed."
※Author's Note
During the reign of Yeonsangun, those who found beautiful women were called 'Red Envoys'.
It is said that the Red Envoys selected and brought up maids, government slaves, and even women from noble families as female entertainers. The title of the female entertainers selected in this way was called 'Cloud Peace', and among them, the special female entertainers who served the King closely were called 'Flourishing Clear'.
