Chapter 8
- Royal Kitchen (1)
"Just what is Nok-su up to now!"
Im Sa-hong trembled with rage upon hearing the eunuch's report, who had hurriedly come after spying on the situation unfolding in the Royal Kitchen.
"I went to all the trouble of finding women for him, and now she's trying to do as she pleases?"
"Calm yourself, Father. Once the women set foot in the palace, whether we like it or not, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Inner Court."
Im Soong-jae soothed his father's anger in a low voice, but he himself was not entirely at ease.
The Inner Court. The domain of women living in the palace.
It was like an extraterritorial zone within the palace, where even the highest officials of the court could not, in principle, interfere with the affairs of the Inner Court, according to the strict laws of the palace.
"But isn't the head of the Inner Court the Queen? How dare that Jang Suk-yong act like this when the Queen is still here…"
"What can we do when Jang Nok-su is the sole object of His Majesty's favor? The Queen can only watch with silent frustration."
Im Sa-hong clicked his tongue in displeasure.
"We should never have brought that lowly prostitute, who used to sell her body in the streets, into the palace in the first place."
"But Father, it was because His Majesty showed interest in that lowly woman that I was able to gain His Majesty's trust so firmly."
Im Sa-hong wore a displeased expression but could not deny the truth in those words.
His Majesty's complete trust in Im Soong-jae's recruitment of women began after Sungjae had Jang Nok-su, who was nothing more than a courtesan in the streets, launder her identity and enter the palace.
"But Jang Suk-yong, that vixen, doesn't even appreciate the favor of being brought into the palace and dares to try and use us? How dare she…"
"Then, Father, what if I find something new that interests His Majesty even more than Nok-su?"
At those words, Im Sa-hong looked at Sungjae's face as if suddenly realizing something.
"Could it be… that bringing in that strange woman who was cooking in the kitchen instead of Grandee Hong's granddaughter…?"
Sungjae slowly nodded.
"Trying to bring in Grandee Hong's granddaughter was ultimately just Jang Suk-yong's scheme. Why should we play along? Instead, I discovered something far more important there."
Im Soong-jae's eyes would be accurate.
His Majesty and Sungjae had been close friends since childhood.
In this country, no one knew His Majesty's tastes and habits as well as Im Soong-jae.
"Hmm. If what you say is true…"
"If there is a real treasure that His Majesty desires in that place, it is that woman who was cooking that day."
"Then that strange woman is undoubtedly the perfect way to divert His Majesty's attention from Jang Suk-yong's clutches."
Im Sa-hong began to laugh heartily, looking at his son's extraordinary mind with renewed satisfaction.
However, something still bothered Sungjae.
"But we must not forget that the fox-like Jang Suk-yong is much quicker-witted than we anticipate. It probably won't be easy."
"Then…"
"…I can't just sit idly by either."
As soon as Sungjae finished speaking, he suddenly stood up as if he had thought of something and hurried off somewhere.
* * *
"You must complete the side dishes to be served on the Royal Cuisine Table before this gak (approximately 30 minutes) passes. The striking of the Heumgyeonggak Tower will sound soon, and you may take that as a signal to begin."
Nok-su, standing before the assembled women, was explaining the rules of this bizarre and cruel selection.
For a Suk-yong, whose rank was only Senior 3, to execute someone within the palace was unimaginable under normal circumstances.
But if Nok-su was the one saying it, the story was different.
The woman who was as cruel as a demon, who had beheaded the famous courtesan 'Ok-ji-hwa' for stepping on her skirt and sent her head back to the palace maids.
If such a Nok-su mentioned execution, it would certainly not be an empty threat.
The women gathered in a corner of the Royal Kitchen were already terrified and trembling.
"The ingredients are laid out in front of you, so whoever reaches first can take as much as they want. Though I doubt there will be enough."
As soon as Nok-su finished speaking, the sound of the Heumgyeonggak Tower striking could be heard from afar.
- Dong
The women hesitated and looked at each other, as if they still couldn't believe it even after hearing the bell.
Nok-su, watching this, raised the corners of her mouth in a grotesque smile and muttered softly.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you running?"
As if those words were the trigger, the women began to rush towards the ingredients in front of them, fighting like animals.
And the only person watching this scene of chaos as if it were amusing,
Nok-su simply smiled, sitting with one knee raised.
* * *
Ji-young suddenly felt dizzy.
To come all this way and face another cooking competition.
It didn't seem long ago that she had barely escaped death, and now she was pushed to the edge of a cliff again.
She hadn't had a moment's peace since losing consciousness on the outskirts of Paris.
Why?
Why was this happening?
Was all of this really real?
Questions chased each other endlessly, but the sound of the Heumgyeonggak Tower bell ringing brought her back to her senses.
Time was flowing even at this moment.
With each passing second, she was at a disadvantage.
The dizziness in Ji-young's head gradually cleared, and she began to sort things out.
'If what I've heard so far is true, that woman called Suk-yong is Jang Nok-su. Then this is Joseon, and it's the era of Yeonsangun.'
She had come to the worst possible era. Especially from the perspective of a palace maid.
The only way to survive here was to make food with all her might.
For now, she had to accept that fact and do her best.
Ji-young belatedly ran towards the ingredients and examined them one by one.
Even though the Royal Kitchen was said to have all the delicacies of the eight provinces, this was still the Joseon era.
The number of ingredients she could use was ridiculously small compared to modern times.
Moreover, the precious and expensive ingredients among those laid out in front of her had already been taken by the quick-handed women.
Only ordinary ingredients that no one coveted remained.
Ji-young opened the lids of several gourds placed in the corner and smelled the contents of each one.
At that moment, a recipe flashed through her mind.
'Human tastes are fundamentally the same. What worked where I lived can't possibly not work here.'
The first ingredient Ji-young chose was a dressed chicken.
As the saying 'chicken instead of pheasant' suggests, pheasant meat was considered a much more precious ingredient than chicken in the Joseon era.
It was literally 'chicken to eat instead of pheasant,' so securing chicken was not difficult.
In addition, Ji-young brought a few eggs, vinegar, a handful of salt, and some glutinous rice flour and a little wheat flour.
Then she brought the gourd she had been eyeing whole.
'I'm sure I'm right. This is rapeseed oil.'
Ji-young chose the smallest cast iron pot and poured rapeseed oil into it.
The Royal Kitchen cooks, who had never seen so much oil being used, stared with wide eyes, but Ji-young paid no attention.
'The key is speed. Can I really make it in time?'
While the oil in the pot was heating up on the fire,
Ji-young cracked the eggs, separated only the yolks, and put them in a small bowl.
Then she added salt and vinegar to it, gradually pouring in oil and stirring with a spoon.
* * *
Nok-su was watching this bizarre cooking competition unfolding in a corner of the Royal Kitchen with sharp eyes.
Nok-su's gaze was fixed on one place.
The manufacturing court lady quietly approached her.
"…How shall we select the Royal Cuisine to be served?"
"We must choose something that His Majesty will enjoy. Who knows that better than the person who serves His Majesty in his bedchamber every day?"
"In other words…"
"I will decide what Royal Cuisine will be served."
"…Do you have someone in mind…?"
A strange smile flitted across Nok-su's face as she stared intently at something.
"How can I know who to save without even tasting the food yet…"
Nok-su's gaze was fixed on Ji-young, who was diligently stirring a bowl with a wooden spoon.
"I think I know roughly who to kill."
* * *
Ji-young stopped the arm she had been stirring with and looked into the bowl.
A viscous, milky-white substance.
When lifted with a spoon, the thick mixture rose like a horn.
'This texture is good enough.'
Ji-young dipped her finger into the mixture on the spoon and tasted it.
A savory and oily taste spread in her mouth.
A unique textured sauce made by mixing eggs with oil and vinegar to create air pockets.
'Mayonnaise' was complete.
It was a very familiar sauce to modern people, but it was sure to be a texture and taste never before experienced in this era.
But this was not the end. The real cooking would begin now.
With quick movements, Ji-young mixed the prepared glutinous rice flour and wheat flour and dissolved them in water.
She lifted it with a spoon and confirmed that a moderately thick, thin batter had been made.
'This consistency is good enough.'
At that moment, the sound of the Heumgyeonggak Tower bell rang. One gak had already passed.
Ji-young shook her dizzy head and regained her composure.
'If I hesitate even a little, I'll fail.'
She lightly dipped the freshly made thin batter with chopsticks and dropped a drop into the hot oil pot.
The thin batter soon turned into a round lump, sank to about the middle of the oil pot, and then floated back to the surface.
'You can tell the temperature of the oil by the speed at which the batter floats. This is a temperature worth trying.'
Ji-young took out the chicken, which had been cut into several pieces and seasoned with salt, poured it into the bowl containing the thin batter.
Then, stirring well with chopsticks, she evenly coated it with batter and put it into the hot oil one piece at a time.
- Sizzle
Soon, a loud sizzling sound, along with smoke and splattering oil, began to spread throughout the Royal Kitchen.
* * *
The sound of the Heumgyeonggak Tower bell rang again.
"Everyone, stop!"
Before the echo of the bell had faded, Nok-su's sharp voice flew in.
The Royal Kitchen, with ingredients scattered all around due to the hasty cooking, looked like ruins after a war.
The only person with a relaxed expression in this place was Nok-su, who was walking leisurely through this battlefield.
"Now then, shall we taste the completed Royal Cuisine? Since it will be served on His Majesty's Royal Cuisine Table, I will taste it myself."
As soon as she finished speaking, Court Lady Chu-wol presented silver chopsticks wrapped in silk cloth.
Nok-su took out the chopsticks and slowly headed towards the prepared food.
Ji-young watched with a nervous heart.
Was it just her imagination?
The moment Nok-su's gaze briefly met Ji-young's, she felt like she had seen a subtle smile.
'Could it be…'
A chilling sensation, as if her heart was freezing, began to rush in.
Had she been the target from the beginning?
No matter how well-made the food was, Nok-su could simply say she didn't like it.
If she thought about it that way, this was just a trap disguised as a cooking competition.
'T, that can't be…'
Just as Nok-su's silver chopsticks were about to touch the first dish,
A loud and resounding voice echoed through the Royal Kitchen.
"His Majesty arrives!"
"!"
It wasn't Eunuch Jang's voice, who always escorted His Majesty.
But it wasn't an unfamiliar voice to Ji-young.
The person who was more flustered than anyone else by that voice was Nok-su.
As she turned around nervously with a pale face, what appeared there was Royal Secretary Im Soong-jae.
"How could His Majesty miss such an interesting occasion?"
As if to echo Sungjae's playful words, the one who nodded and slowly appeared was,
The red Dragon Robe.
"Indeed! Who knew there would be such interesting sights in a place like this."
As soon as she saw that figure that had suddenly appeared with her own eyes, Nok-su's red lips twisted slightly.
His Majesty, Yeonsangun, had come to the Royal Kitchen.
※Author's Note
Jang Nok-su (1472?~1506) is famous as a femme fatale of the Yeonsangun era.
It is said that she had an incredible baby face, looking about sixteen years old even when she was over thirty.
There is no actual record that she was a courtesan, and I am informing you that I have added fictional settings.
