Episode 753: The Emperor of the Second Lieutenant (6)
Quickly preparing, Geumsun’s parents greeted the man sent by the Duke of Anpyeong.
The man who took his seat in the main hall went straight to the main topic as soon as the meeting ceremony was over.
“His Excellency the Duke of Anpyeong wants to see you two.”
“Why is His Excellency the Duke of us?”
In response to Geum-soon’s parents’ reaction of not knowing what they were saying, the man added another word.
“I understand it is an issue with your wife’s marriage.”
“By our girl, do you mean Geumsuni?”
“That’s right.”
The man’s explanation was truly unkind. Geum-sun’s mother, who had a sweet body, sat close to her.
“Please explain in more detail.”
“This is not something to make a big fuss about, so I hope you will hear it directly from the Duke. However, I can guarantee that it will not be a bad thing for you and your wife.”
With those words, the man closed his mouth.
“Keuung...”
Geum-soon’s father, who was making a sound of pain at the sight, made a decision.
“Then can I come visit you tomorrow?”
“When will you come tomorrow?”
“I’ll be there at noon.”
“Your Excellency is a man with a lot of work to do, and this is also an important matter, so you will have to be strict on time.”
“I will definitely arrive by noon.”
“Then I will report that to Your Excellency.”
After finishing his business, the man bowed lightly and left Geumsun’s house.
Geum-sun’s parents, who came out to the front door and saw the man off, looked at each other with faces still filled with confusion.
“What kind of daytime goblin is this?...”
“Still, it’s not a bad thing for Geumsoon, so let’s believe him.”
* * *
The next day, the couple, who stayed up all night worrying about all sorts of things, immediately got dressed up and went to Duke Anpyeong’s house.
The couple, who were very intimidated as they looked at the walls of the magnificently built house on the most expensive land in the Bukchon area, looked back at their clothes several times.
In the Seochon area, they lived in a house where they could move around with their necks strained, but as soon as they entered Bukchon, they became very intimidated.
“greatness! “Keuhum!”
Anyway, since he had to meet Duke Anpyeong, Geumsun’s father cleared his throat and grabbed the doorknob on the front door.
Bang bang bang!
“Stay!”
When I knocked on the doorknob and called for someone, the door opened and a servant came out.
“How did you get here?”
“They call it the Yang family of Seochon. “I came today to see His Excellency the Duke.”
Geum-sun’s father, who revealed his business, never treated her poorly.
This was not simply due to the pressure of the Duke of Yangpyeong’s power. This was because the person who opened the gate and came out was also a Yangin.
* * *
After Sanobi almost disappeared, it became a new trend for wealthy families and wealthy people to hire servants and maids. Since these people were not slaves but outright adoptees, their employers could not do this carelessly.
The government also secretly recommended hiring such employees. New jobs were created for those who were having trouble making a living because they did not have any special skills or possessions, and a decent tax source was created. This was because those who made money as servants and maids became a new factor that energized the market.
The wealthy employees, too, were not the only ones suffering losses. This was because they received various tax benefits in proportion to the wages paid to their employees.
* * *
In words, it was a request for permission from the two people, but in reality, it was an order and an imperial decree.
But the two could not easily answer.
Of course, rationally, I knew this was the best way. But emotionally, it was something I couldn’t easily accept.
Anpyeong added words to the couple’s conflicted expressions.
“Of course, separating blood relatives is not easy. But considering the two of you, this is the best.”
In the end, Geumsoon’s parents had no choice but to accept the royal decree.
Geumsun’s parents stood up and bowed deeply to the Duke and Duchess of Anpyeong.
“I am truly grateful that you care so much about my daughter, who is in need. Please take good care of my daughter.”
“Good idea. And His Majesty said he would pay special attention, so don’t worry too much.”
Two days later, the palanquin sent from Duke Anpyeong’s house arrived at Geumsun’s house.
Geumsun, whose eyes were swollen from crying so much, said goodbye to her parents one last time and climbed into the palanquin.
* * *
Geumsun, who was adopted as the foster daughter of the Duke of Anpyeong, had to get busy as soon as she unpacked and calmed down.
It was the beginning of paying homage to the Duke and Duchess of Anpyeong, who became adoptive parents.
From the day after paying homage to the Duke and Duchess of Anpyeong, Geumsun visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and Sugang Palace to pay homage to the Wans and King Sejong.
Geumsun, who was able to see in person people of such high rank that she would normally not even be able to see, forced her shaking legs to bow.
And seeing Geum-soon like that, the Wan couple and the Sejong couple looked sad and gave good wishes.
“It will be difficult, but try to endure it well.”
“Even if you go to Nanjing, don’t forget that our empire is behind you.”
As a member of the imperial family, visiting the eldest member of the imperial family was over, the process of learning imperial etiquette and the basic virtues that an imperial woman should have began.
In order to learn imperial etiquette and other necessary things, Geumsun had to go to Gyeongbokgung Palace every day.
The first person to greet Geumsun was a very stern-looking court lady.
“The person in charge is Lady Park Hyang-geum, who will oversee the discipline of Hyang-ju.”
* * *
As the empire changed, changes occurred in the system of court ladies and eunuchs.
First, ‘Yeongwolcheong (營闕廳)’ was created as a ministry in charge of court ladies and eunuchs. This royal palace was to manage all the court ladies and eunuchs.
And there were changes in the status and behavior of court ladies.
Until just before it was transformed into an empire, court ladies had to keep a ‘prohibitive marriage’.
This was because of the concept that ‘all court ladies are the king’s women.’ Of course, there were exceptional cases where people got married after an accident. In this case, the other man was punished with 100 lashes.
However, according to the story being told, it was mostly a formal and symbolic performance of a few slaps and being kicked out.
However, with the change to belonging to the Yeonggwolcheong, court ladies became able to marry like eunuchs. In addition, instead of staying at the palace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it has changed to commuting to work. And the salary was also set more realistically.
This change had its pros and cons. The positive side was that I was freed from the bondage of being single for life. Of course, there were some who somehow managed to catch the emperor’s attention and take a chance on his life. But unfortunately, the emperors of the empire were too busy to pay attention to anyone other than the already appointed empress and concubines.
And on the negative side, it became easy for things inside the imperial family to spread out, and there were people who approached for negativity. Thanks to this, the inspection department became busy to prevent this.
In addition, court ladies who commuted to work also needed a place to live, so the price of rented rooms in Seoul soared.
Hyang, who received the report at the time, could only shake his head.
“This damn real estate... I thought it would solve the problems of officials and give them a breath of fresh air...”
Officials who had lived in the provinces but came out to work and stayed in Seoul had no choice but to live in rented houses. Thanks to this, even in history before the intervention of Hyang, there were many records of officials expressing the sadness of living in rented rooms.
* * *
Park Hyang-geum introduced herself and explained her future schedule to Geum-sun.
“Do you have any questions?”
“Why do I need to learn gunplay and archery?”
“It is a tradition that women of the imperial family must learn archery and gunmanship.”
“yes?”