CH 111

After passing through a few days, it was only a matter of time before the heat of summer arrived. Cooling ice was already entering the place where the emperor, empress, and concubines stayed. The Imperial Palace was preparing for its annual summer vacation to Myeonghawon, the second palace. 

“There must be a lot of things for you to prepare, Empress.” 

Emperor Yihan, who was having a luncheon at the Empress Palace, spoke to the empress, Jaran, in a soft voice. Jaran also answered the emperor with a smile on her face. 

“It is something for me to do. It’s not difficult by any means, so you don’t need to worry.”

“I heard that… these days you often visit the Empress Dowager Palace…” 

“Isn’t that also my responsibility as the empress?” 

Yihan’s expression turned somewhat dark in the ensuing conversation. In front of Jaran, whom he had spent a lot of time with, Yihan recalled the countless days they had passed. Soon, Yihan said in a heavy voice as if he were recalling old memories. 

“My mother was really indifferent to you, too.” 

To the Empress Dowager, the Empress was a woman she projected her past into, and at the same time, an existence that could take away her son whom she had to protect in her arms. The Empress Dowager was wary of Yihan taking in concubines in case he would be deceived by a woman and neglect the empress, but on the other hand, she was worried that Yihan might be too soft on the empress. The Empress Dowager, who had never held what she wanted in her hand, was a woman who was anxious about everything around her. Yihan continued. 

“When I was young, I also made a resolution that I would never make you become like my mother.” 

Jaran smiled lightly when she heard that. The emperor also smiled as if he found himself to be funny. 

“It was a ridiculous idea. How could I do that to you?” 

It was an idea he could have because he was young and didn’t know each other well. Yihan grew up seeing his mother, who was always weak in front of his father, and he hid himself because Jaran did not know about his father at all. He would never have done it if he had even the slightest idea what kind of person Jaran was. The empress, who was looking at the emperor scorning himself, soon opened her mouth. 

“But you soon found out. That I’m a different person from the Empress Dowager.” 

“…”

“Likewise.” 

Listening to Jaran’s voice that had become a little sharper, Yihan raised the gaze that briefly stayed on the teacup and looked straight at the empress. Jaran was still smiling, but the smile was clearly different from the light one he saw a moment ago. Yihan’s lips were trembling. He felt like he knew what the Empress would say.

“Likewise, aren’t you different from the predecessor emperor?” 

Jaran’s eyes, smiling yet also sharp, were facing the emperor’s eyes straight. She was right. She wasn’t wrong even for a word. Yihan immediately recognized the meaning behind Jaran’s words. 

Jaran differed from Yihan’s mother. She was not the kind of woman who lived a miserable life day by day, longing for the emperor’s affection. In the first place, Jaran did not try to monopolize the emperor’s love, nor would she let a concubine threaten the position of the empress, even if the concubine got the love. 

Then, how about Yihan, the emperor? He wasn’t anything like his father. Even if he treated a concubine specially, Yihan would not be such an emperor who ignored the empress being persecuted and didn’t take proper care of the national affairs. Yihan read such conviction in Jaran’s eyes. Yihan, who let out a breathless laughter, said. 

“That’s right. I’m different from my father.” 

Yihan’s hand reached for the teacup. Then, was the empress trying to say that she would be okay even if the emperor took someone deeply in his heart? Yihan took the cup to his mouth, avoiding Jaran’s eyes, which he sometimes found to be difficult to gauge. The taste of the strong tea was bitter like alcohol. 

***

“Do you have any questions?”

Seoseo couldn’t hold any longer as Sojeong kept looking at her, coming to the kitchen with an excuse to check if the medicine for Yeonbin was being brewed well. Sojeong, who had been glancing at Seoseo, who was fanning the fire, finally opened his hesitating mouth. 

“There’s one thing I’m curious about…” 

“Why don’t you ask such a thing to Ahjin Unnie?” 

“It’s a little difficult to ask this to Lady Ahjin…” 

Seoseo almost burst into laughter as she saw Sojeong standing very timidly. Ahjin was quite strict to Sojeong, so she could understand why he was being like this.

“What are you curious about?” 

Seoseo asked, turning her focus back to the pot because there should be no negligence in the precious medicine that her master would take. Sojeong answered. 

“Well… Is His Highness Yeonbin really nice to everyone now?” 

“… What?”

Seoseo asked back with her eyes wide open because of the unexpected question, and Sojeong said again. 

“I mean, is he really not hurting the courtiers anymore?” 

“What are you asking? You don’t know even after watching His Highness? Have you ever heard His Highness raise his voice to us?!”

“No, no, it’s not like that…!” 

Flustered because Seoseo’s voice rose, Sojeong hurriedly looked around and shook his hands wildly. The other court ladies in the kitchen glanced at them at the sudden disturbance. Turning pale, Sojeong hurriedly added.

“As you know, didn’t I just come to Jeongan Palace? Of course, His Highness welcomed me so warmly, but… But I asked just in case I made a mistake.” 

“Don’t even think about asking this to Ahjin Unnie! How kind is His Highness to us. That kind of thing hasn’t happened since that big incident, not even once.” 

“Hmm…” 

She raised her voice without realizing it because she was angry at the moment, but after thinking about it, she could understand why Sojeong was so careful. Seoseo now firmly believed in her master, but didn’t she stay low for a long time because she couldn’t immediately believe her master? In Jeongan Palace, there were not a few courtiers who took a longer time than Seoseo to open their hearts to Yeonbin. Seoseo, with a somewhat softened face, asked Sojeong, who now seemed almost to cry. 

“Why are you so scared when you say you’ve never met His Highness before?”

Sojeong hesitated with his mouth closed for a while. While Seoseo was waiting for his answer and turned to look at the medicine again, Sojeong quietly opened his mouth. 

“No, it’s not a big deal… A court lady I knew was at Jeongan Palace for a while.” 

“Aha…”

“I heard a lot of goose-bumping stories at that time. And I suddenly came to Jeongan Palace, so how could I not be scared?” 

“Well, that’s…”

Seoseo closed her mouth and looked into the medicine that was almost done. She had nothing to say. While she felt complicated because there were still many people who misunderstood her master outside Jeongan Palace as the Imperial Palace was extremely wide, she understood Sojeong’s feelings. Seoseo, who was pouting her lips for no reason, soon opened her mouth. 

“Well, that’s all in the past. You will see it, His Highness is a really good person now. You’ll feel it soon.”

While saying that, she suddenly remembered the day when she held a vase and knelt in front of her master, shaking. Seoseo of that time was so afraid of Yeonbin more than the current Sojeong. However, she immediately remembered her master smiling at her like a flower that day. The images of taking care of the courtiers thoroughly and calling her, a humble servant, “my person” without hesitation. Seoseo, who suddenly couldn’t wait to see their kind master, said, holding the handle of the hot pot that just happened to be ready. 

“It’s done. Go ahead. I’ll hurry up and put this in a bowl and bring it over.” 

“Okay. But… About the fact that I asked you this…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret from Ahjin Unnie.” 

Sojeong, who quickly brightened up at Seoseo’s answer, left the kitchen with light steps. Seoseo briefly thought about how such a timid person came to Jeongan Palace, but she didn’t think about it further because the most important thing now was the medicine to give to her master. A humming flowed through Seoseo’s lips as she carefully poured the medicine into the bowl. Now, for Seoseo and all the courtiers of Jeongan Palace, meeting Yeonbin was a happy thing.