CH 16.1

“Is that true?”

The empress put down the teacup on the table as she asked the eunuch of Empress Palace who came to deliver the news. The eunuch then bowed a bit deeper before answering.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I heard the emperor never told Yeonbin to rise up until he left Jeongan Palace.”

The empress, Jaran contemplated for a moment.

There was no one in this imperial palace who didn’t know that the emperor had no affection for Yeonbin, so it was not a surprise if that person spoke harshly to Yeonbin. However, what made the empress surprised was Yeonbin’s words and attitude in front of the emperor today.

The empress was the mother of this nation’s people, and as the master of the internal palace, she had a responsibility to take care of the concubines serving the emperor. For such an empress, Yeonbin had been a pain in the neck with no solution.

It was rather a personal concern that Yeonbin believed in his father’s position and even being irreverent to the empress. The bigger problem was that whenever Yeonbin caused a problem in the internal palace, it immediately became a problem directly related to the empress’ ability to properly lead the internal palace and control it. 

No matter how hard the empress tried to rule over Yeonbin with virtue and persuade him whenever she had time, it was useless. Wouldn’t the one who didn’t even listen to the emperor snort at the empress?

He always seemed to half-heartedly listen to the empress, and when she left, he repeated the same behavior again, and later, he even avoided the empress’ palace under the pretext of being sick whenever the empress called him. He was a concubine in name only and was actually a daredevil.

“He said, ‘I want to change,’ huh.”

The empress quietly recited the words that Yeonbin said in front of the emperor today. He said he wants to be a loyal person to His Majesty from now on, isn’t it? 

A loyal person, huh—A loyal person.

The empress thought those words said by Yeonbin to be very strange. It was because she never expected Yeonbin would say it.

It wasn’t even a word saying he would stay low. Likewise, it also wasn’t a word saying he would become a wise concubine that the emperor would like. While leaving many words that he could say as a concubine, Yeonbin said he would become a loyal person. 

“Isn’t it something like a general would say?”

The empress muttered while taking back the cup she put down earlier. She had the same opinion as the emperor. In a way, the empress was also someone who had looked more into Yeonbin’s inside. Even if he really came near the brink of death, the empress couldn’t believe that such a person would change overnight.

If so, then it means Yeonbin has made a great decision to act with all his might. She felt uneasy somewhere in her heart because she had no idea what kind of decision and plan he made in order to win the emperor’s heart.  

“After all, it wouldn’t last long, Your Majesty. Please don’t let it bother you.”

A court lady of the empress’s palace suddenly spoke out because the empress’s expression did not get relaxed. Then, the empress slowly took a sip and nodded.

“Yeah. It won’t last long, so there’s no need to think deeply about it, right?”

I know that well. It was a fact that the empress already knew as well. However, why did she feel like there was a stone stuck in her heart and made it difficult for her to just let it pass? 

Perhaps the empress’s position made her naturally put too much mind even on the smallest thing. The empress thought so and quickly erased things related to Jeongan Palace from her head.

***

Even after the emperor had left, no one in Jeongan Palace could move rashly. The cold wind left by the emperor still felt like it was sweeping Jeongan Palace.

Even until the emperor’s palanquin went out of Jeongan Palace, their master, Yeonbin, was still prostrate on the ground. In the eyes of the court ladies who were looking around without knowing what to do, they saw a small back of the one, who had been derided and insulted by the emperor in front of everyone.

The court ladies, who always felt their owner was like a yaksha, wondered if their owner had such a small and thin body—everything about him was unusual for them.

“Your Highness… Please get up now…”

The first one to break the heavy atmosphere and move their body was Ahjin, who was kneeling right next to Yeonbin. She supported Yeonbin while looking like she was on the verge of tears. In the other court ladies’ eyes, she looked like she was truly hurt by the insult her master got. Even this was unusual for them.