Chapter 54

Ruhae’s answer got longer and longer. He often added conditional phrases to his reply, along with his own prediction and the logic of his emotions. While he answered easily, Ruhae was shrouded in strange uneasiness.

He felt as if all the questions and answers were played out as Bipaan expected. Interposing for a moment, Bipaan continued to ask questions.

“Do you correspond with Prince Binsung often?”

“Yes, I think I see him most often of the princes in the four palaces.”

“If that’s the case…”

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Bipaan’s eyes sparkled sharply. Though it was a pretty subtle change, Ruhae noticed it. And he realized at the same time that something bad was going on.

“It looks like you already anticipated Prince Binsung would ask you to be the teacher of her wife’s prenatal education, right?”

That was the key question.

Having heard this question, Ruhae was now convinced that something happened in the North Palace and that something wrong happened to Heyjin, more accurately Heyjin’s baby. It was clear that her baby’s life was at stake.

So, is this the reason for you charging me with treason?

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“Not at all!”

“Why? You’re excellent in learning and very close to Prine Binsung, so he could ask you a favor comfortably. Didn’t you confirm all this to me just a moment ago?”

“Customarily, the job of a princess’s prenatal education is taken by a civilian official with great knowledge. There has never been any precedent in which a prince in line to succeed the throne has taken on that job. Though I’m very close to Prince Binsung, I also expected that one of the top civilian officials with great knowledge would be the teacher of her prenatal education. So, Prince Binsung’s request was unexpected.”

“Despite that, you gladly decided to take that job when you were busy with managing education and justice affairs, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I couldn’t refuse his request as he cared about his baby on the way so much.”

“Enough.”

Bipaan cut off his words suddenly. Then, he gestured to someone behind him. Ruhae heard the soldiers moving around.

“How long have you been visiting the North Palace?”

“I think over a month up to now.”

“If you visited that long, I think you must have met some of the court ladies there, right?”

That was a strange question by any standard. Narrowing his brows, he answered, “Nope.”

“Are you saying you haven’t met with any of the court ladies?”

“Well, I have exchanged some routine dialogue with them while staying there, but I have never made any friends with them.”

Bipaan stroked his jaw with his fingers. After answering his answer, Bipaan ordered the imperial army soldiers in the back, “Bring in the court ladies of the North Palace.”

There was heard some sort of very eerie sound from behind the interrogation palace. Ruhae got the goosebumps, but he tried not to turn his eyes to hide his feelings.

Soon a woman stood beside him, and it was quiet again in the interrogation place.

Bipaan gave an order in a casual voice, “Turn your head and confirm the court lady’s face!”

Ruhae turned his face. Right next to him was a big wooden chair with a skinny court lady tied to it with straw rope.

Her white clothes were torn apart here and there, stained with blood. The tough straw rope was tied around her thin flesh ruthlessly. Her face was roughed up so much that Ruhae couldn’t figure out who she was.

“That court lady is….”

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After examining her scratched and swollen face carefully, he could recognize who she was and said something carelessly. She was the very woman that Ruhae bumped into at the narrow gate of the North Palace.

“You said you didn’t know any court lady in the North Palace, but you quickly recognize that woman,” said Bipaan, sensing his restlessness immediately. But Bipaan’s push up to now was only his wild guess.

Ruhae replied without any hesitation, “As I told you, I visited the North Palace for one month, so I could recognize some court ladies’ faces. What you have interrogated me about so far was based on your own suspicion and circumstantial evidence. Don’t you think you’re fabricating the facts if you keep interrogating me like this, with ready-made answers in your mind already?”

His reaction was violent, given his status as a treason suspect and his quiet character.

The high-ranking officials sitting on both sides of Bipaan were surprised. Bipaan clenched his hand on the armrest then looked down at him blankly in no time.

Bipaan didn’t hurry. By throwing small and common questions, he was trying to tighten the noose around Ruhae.

It was Ruhae who felt more and more on the defensive.

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“It is nonsense and ridiculous that I tried to harm Prince Heyjin’s baby. Why would I commit such an immoral act?”

“I’ve never mentioned to you that the prince’s baby on the way was harmed. Why are so convinced?”

Each of Bippan’s questions was silly like that. Everybody in the interrogation place knew it, but they didn’t mention it. His interrogation up to now clearly showed that Ruhae didn’t commit any treason. Nonetheless, Bipaan pretended to be innocent. As he played the innocent guy, he looked wicked.

“Based on your questioning up to now, I think my guess was right. If anybody who doesn’t know the whole situation accurately hears what you’re questioning me about, they can easily conclude you’re wrong,” Ruhae said.

Ruhae was disillusioned with each of Bipaan’s questions that were intended to trap him in the so-called treason charges he fabricated. He couldn’t stand his anger. When he got excited, Bipaan was easily persuaded instead of biting the end of his talk.

“As you are smart enough for Prince Binsung even to ask you to be his wife’s prenatal education coach, it’s only natural that I can make such assumptions.”

He lightly nodded and continued with the interrogation.

“If your testimony is true, you have never talked face to face with court lady Hosanyo, right?”

“I’ve just come to know her name here when you mentioned her name.”

“Good.”

Bipaan nodded his head again.

Only now could Ruhae breathe comfortably. It seemed that his stretched interrogation was at an end, but it was Ruhae’s hasty judgment.

“Bring in court lady Yangyang!” Bipaan ordered.

Ruhae didn’t know her either, but he got nervous as she was new to him.

Let me see how he is going to entrap me this time.

Bipaan’s way of interrogation was pushy and nagging at his nerves but very logical. Though Ruhae felt upset about it, he had no other choice but to recognize Bipaan’s loaded questions.

In no time, another court lady brought into the interrogation place. Unlike the woman ahead of her, who was tied up tightly, this woman walked into the place on her own, dressed in neat clothes.

I think I saw her in the North Palace.

Ruhae examined her face. Holding her hands tightly, Yangyang was trembling with fear. There were some tangible marks of tears around her eyes.

“Can you recognize her face?” asked Bipaan in a sneering tone.

Ruhae mentioned the fact only, nothing more or less.

“Yes, I know she is a court lady assigned to the North Palace. That’s all.”

“I knew you were going to answer like that,” Bipaan replied flatly and ordered Yangyang to tell the whole truth.

“Repeat in detail what you told us yesterday.”

She lowered her head before Bipaan and opened her mouth, with her shoulders trembling a lot.

“I think I saw him about 15 days ago. When I was on my way to the laundry house, carrying a laundry bag, I didn’t want to be caught by others, so I was walking on the path in the back of the North Palace. Then I heard some human voice at the narrow gate at a distance. As my supervisors usually came in and out of the middle gate, I was embarrassed because I couldn’t judge whether to say hello to the person there.”

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“Are you sure that the voice of that person you heard at that time was that of Prince Ruhae?”

Bipaan cut in to verify the details of her testimony.

Yangyang nodded without any hesitation then looked down.

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty. Though he was at a distance from me, he was clearly Prince Ruhae.”

“How come you were convinced that he was Prince Ruhae when you were some distance from him?”

“Well, I’m one of the most trusted court ladies who are reliable enough to take care of Princess Heyjin’s laundry. When Prince Ruhae visited her in the room, I sometimes ran on errands for him. I’ve been listening to his voice for a month, so how can’t I recognize his voice?”

There was no lie in her testimony.

Whenever Ruhae had a solo meeting with Prince Heyjin, several court ladies were on standby in the corner of her room. Even though he was her prenatal education teacher, it was the palace code that entailed them to be on standby when Ruhae and Heyjin were together.

‘Oh, I think I saw her sometimes at that time.’

Her face was familiar to him.