The thought that came to Hong Seon-il’s mind was that the guest that palace maid served might be a spy.
He really couldn’t help thinking that way.
Unless someone had been watching and investigating him, how would they know that paper was his?
If so, then as a loyal subject of the empire, it was only right that he be the one to uncover that crime.
“When would it be alright for me to call on your master? I’d like to thank them in person.”
“I’ll ask once and find out.”
That afternoon, the palace maid came back with her master’s permission.
Hong Seon-il found that strange.
‘I thought they’d either put it off for a while or just refuse… they’re surprisingly confident.’
Thinking that, he immediately followed the palace maid toward Hwanhwa Pavilion, where the foreign envoys were staying.
And then he was stunned.
Because the person the palace maid served wasn’t some ordinary envoy, but the princess of the Maraeseo Kingdom.
“…”
An awkward silence passed for a moment, but he calmed himself and greeted her.
“First of all, thank you so much for returning that paper to me.”
“It really wasn’t anything difficult.”
The Imperial tongue that flowed from her lips was remarkably fluent.
“But… how did you know I was the one who dropped it?”
“First, anything to do with publication is the Hanlin Academy’s job. And someone who copies the Emperor’s sacred decree by hand and carries it around, agonizing over it, has to be the one in charge of that work.”
“But I’m not the only Editorial Assistant in the Hanlin Academy.”
There were several people besides Hong Seon-il holding the post of Editorial Assistant in the Hanlin Academy.
“That paper was worn soft from being handled. It meant you’d turned it over and over in your mind. But the part with the writing itself wasn’t worn at all. I’m sure that’s because you treasure the Emperor’s sacred decree too much to touch the characters carelessly.”
“…!”
Hong Seon-il was shocked.
Because everything she said was true. Even though he had copied the Emperor’s sacred decree by hand, in his mind it was still the Emperor’s decree.
So he hadn’t dared lay a finger on the written characters.
“It also means your loyal heart toward His Majesty the Emperor hasn’t cooled yet.”
She continued.
“No matter how sincerely someone starts out, in the end, time wears that devotion down. After all, His Majesty is the one who gives the orders, and there’s no one in this world who actually likes working.”
“Still, since it’s a task His Majesty ordered, it’s only natural to serve it with all your heart.”
“Think about it. Do your seniors really pour their whole hearts into their work?”
“…”
At those words, Hong Seon-il was left speechless.
‘Now that she says it…’
He thought of his seniors.
“No need to work that hard. It won’t even catch His Majesty’s eye, and they’ll just make us redo it anyway.”
“Sigh, more work again. So much for getting off early today.”
“Why are there still five whole days left until the next day off?”
As she watched Hong Seon-il’s expression grow gloomier, she spoke.
“If someone still has that kind of burning devotion, then I figured he must have passed the recent imperial exam, and if he’s a Editorial Assistant in the Hanlin Academy, then he likely took first place.”
Those who took first place on the palace exam were usually assigned to the Hanlin Academy and given the post of Editorial Assistant.
“Then that can only be me.”
“Yes.”
“Of course, I’m not saying they don’t have loyalty. It’s just that their loyalty is warm rather than burning.”
“…”
He lifted his head and looked at her. For some reason, his chest trembled.
He suddenly felt that a woman this wise might be able to give him the answer he needed about his work.
“Um, could I ask for your advice about this matter?”
He explained everything from beginning to end.
“…so I don’t know what I should do.”
“As I see it, if His Majesty wanted you to record the imperial family’s merits, he would’ve clearly ordered you to write down how the imperial family coped with the famine, not just to leave a record of the famine itself.”
“Then… what about this?”
“Didn’t His Majesty assign you a lot of people for this task?”
“Yes, that’s right. He allowed me to use twice the usual number of people.”
“In my opinion, that just means he wants you to record everything.”
“Huh?”
“Everything, whether it’s the imperial family’s affairs or the commoners’ lives. And since the famine isn’t over yet, you even have plenty of time.”
“…”
Even to him, her words felt right.
The only problem was that the amount of work would be absolutely enormous.
“Doesn’t that just mean His Majesty has that much faith in your abilities?”
He scratched the back of his neck.
“I– if that’s the case, then I’m grateful. In any event, thank you for making time for me today. I’m sorry for taking so much of your time when we’ve only just met.”
“This isn’t our first meeting, though.”
“What?”
“We met yesterday in the rear garden of the palace. As soon as I walked over, you hurried right out.”
“Ah!”
He gave a strained, awkward smile.
“So that was you yesterday. I thought you were a palace maid. I rushed out because if someone saw me alone with a palace maid in the rear garden, gossip would spread. As you know, when palace maids get caught up in that kind of rumor, they say they can disappear without a trace…”
“So you were being considerate of me.”
After that, Hong Seon-il met her often, and he learned her name as well.
“My name is Shina. In my homeland’s language, it means Light.”
When had it started?
Probably from the very first time he met her.
Just like her name, which meant light, she had become the light of his life.
When he tried to imagine his life without her, all he could see was pitch-black darkness.
‘And now she’s leaving?’
Come to think of it, there was nothing more for her to gain by staying here.
So once the winds shifted, she would naturally sail back to her homeland.
In truth, he already knew that in his head.
That one way or another, he would have to part ways with her.
He had just never really felt it.
A few days passed after that.
I received a message saying Cousin Seon-il was calling for me, and I headed straight for the nearby local office.
But the moment I saw Cousin Seon-il’s face, I couldn’t help being shocked.
“Whoa! Cousin Seon-il! What happened to you?”
It was only natural. In just those few days, my cousin’s face had deteriorated badly.
He was completely gaunt, his complexion pale, with dark shadows under his eyes…
Which meant Cousin Seon-il had made up his mind.
“I’m fine, so don’t make a fuss.”
“Aunt and Uncle are going to be worried sick about you.”
“I tried to eat something too, but it just won’t go down.”
“Cousin…”
Cousin Seon-il looked at me with eyes full of stubborn resolve.
“Help me. I don’t think I can live without her anymore.”
“Alright.”
.
.
.
To bring the Maraeseo Kingdom’s princess together with Cousin Seon-il, the most important thing was the Emperor’s approval.
After all, she had originally come to the empire to marry into the imperial family.
If she instead married Cousin Seon-il, there was a high chance she’d be punished for deceiving the imperial family.
At the very least, the princess would be expelled, and Cousin Seon-il would be stripped of his post.
To keep that from happening…
I had to meet the Emperor.
“Ugh…”
Just thinking about meeting the Emperor suddenly made a chill run through my body.
He really was an incredible person.
I’m someone who doesn’t feel cold, yet he’s the one who can make me shiver.
Still, if you want even a single tiger’s whisker, you have to go meet the tiger.
And as it happened, I already had another reason to meet the Emperor.
I had to take care of that guy named Son Se–gil who had wrung silver out of me.
By this timing, the selection of merchant groups for foreign trade had already finished, so there was no risk of getting caught up in rumors.
Once I returned to the Beijing branch, I immediately sent a letter to Warrior Jin Yeong.
That evening.
Warrior Jin Yeong visited the Beijing branch.
“Warrior Jin Yeong, did your trip go well?”
“It went fine. But I’m sorry I still haven’t passed on the Imperial Palace Martial Art to you on time. It’s something His Majesty personally ordered me to do…”
“Isn’t it because of your official duties, not anything else? It’s alright. Besides, it’s not enough for me to just be taught, is it? I have to digest your instruction and make it mine before I can absorb the next lesson.”
I clasped my fists and said,
“So please, don’t worry too much.”
“Thanks for saying that. Let’s go then. His Majesty is summoning us.”
I headed to the imperial palace with Warrior Jin Yeong, and soon I was standing before the Emperor in his office.
“Your humble subject Eun Seo-ho pays his respects to His Majesty the Emperor, master of the empire.”
“Good, I’d been thinking it was about time you showed up. You need to report on the duties I entrusted to you as well.”
“…”
Cold sweat trickled down my back at those words.
If I had gone straight to Hubei without coming to see His Majesty this time, I might have ended up a permanent fixture in the imperial palace as punishment for neglecting my duties.
I secretly patted my chest in relief and continued speaking.
“How could I ever neglect a duty personally bestowed on me by His Majesty? If I ever did such a thing, I’d rather jump into the water with a boulder on my back.”
Of course, even if I jumped into the water carrying a boulder, I wouldn’t die.
“This brat sure knows how to talk.”
His tone suddenly sounded like something you’d only hear in an ordinary private house.
At that, the eunuch hurriedly offered a remonstrance.
“Your Majesty, you must refrain from such casual words and behavior.”
“What does it matter? There’s no one else watching.”
“Even so…”
“Besides, both you and that brat are my people, aren’t you?”
“Your Majesty…”
The eunuch bowed, his voice thick with emotion.
From the Emperor’s words, I could feel how much he trusted that eunuch and me. I wasn’t sure I deserved that kind of trust, even if the eunuch did.
“I don’t know how I can possibly repay Your Majesty’s grace.”
“See that? I told you he talks well.”
The Emperor let out a small chuckle, then his voice turned serious.
“Raise your head.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is boundless.”
At last, the Emperor gave the order to raise my head. Whew, it was exhausting staying bowed that low.
“Alright, I’ve heard the rough outline from Jin Yeong. You said you have something to report?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I wish to report someone who took bribes during the selection process for the merchant groups that will handle foreign trade this time.”
At my words, the Emperor tilted his head slightly.
“As you know, there weren’t that many merchant groups applying, so as long as there were no issues on paper, they were to be selected as they were, weren’t they?”
“Of course. But there was someone who tried to demand a bribe from me in exchange for information.”
“Now that’s an amusing fellow.”
That “amusing” definitely didn’t mean His Majesty actually found it funny.
“Explain in detail.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I gave a detailed report of everything that had happened with Son Se–gil.
“Of course, I did give him fourteen silver taels in the process, but that was purely for the sake of the investigation.”
I said it proudly.
“I wanted to use him to find out whether there was anyone behind him and where the information was leaking from.”
According to the sacred decree His Majesty had given me, I had been granted investigative authority as well.
In other words, the money I gave that man had been part of a legitimate investigation.
I wouldn’t be punished for it, which was why I had handed over the silver.
“Still, only fourteen taels? If you were going to give him money, you could’ve given more. How stingy.”
“I was only trying to get the greatest effect for the smallest cost.”
“Very well. I’ll have the Censorate handle that man.”
Well, that really was the cleanest way.
Since the Emperor was giving the order personally, the investigation process was not going to be easy on Son Se–gil.
With that guy taken care of, the only thing left was Cousin Seon-il’s marriage problem.
I took a deep breath, calmed my nerves, and spoke.
“Your Majesty, this humble subject has something he’s bold enough to ask.”
“Go on, what is it?”
“The other day, while I was walking in the palace, I caught sight of the Maraeseo Kingdom’s princess. And from what I can tell, she’ll be returning to her homeland soon.”
“You’re right.”
The Emperor nodded.
“To be honest, I did speak with the king of the Maraeseo Kingdom about a marriage alliance with the imperial family. But I thought he’d send a prince. I never imagined he’d send a princess.”
So I was right.
The Maraeseo Kingdom hadn’t just sent a princess on a whim.
There had to be some reason they sent their princess.
Which only made things more troublesome from the Emperor’s point of view.
“My cousin Seon-il happened to meet Her Highness by chance.”
“Yes, I’m aware. The princess found what Editorial Assistant Hong had lost, didn’t she?”
“…”
I was at a loss for words without even realizing it.
Wh– what a terrifying man. Is there anything he doesn’t know?
“And thanks to her advice, Editorial Assistant Hong has corrected the direction of the task I assigned and is carrying it out properly.”
“That’s right. Back then, my cousin said he’d never met anyone so wise.”
I went on.
“And I don’t believe there’s any way Your Majesty wouldn’t recognize the value of someone like her.”
“Mm, that’s true.”
“But there’s still no news of the princess’s marriage. I think Your Majesty has given the princes the right to choose.”
At my words, the Emperor furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue.
“Your guess is correct. Fools, the lot of them! They only look at her appearance and can’t even see the true worth of that princess. Tsk tsk.”
“Once the winds shift, Her Highness will soon be sailing home. Yet if you want to keep her in the empire, Your Majesty has no proper way to do it.”
“Get to the point already. Are you saying there’s a way to keep her here?”
“Yes. There is.”
With a face full of confidence, I continued.
“Your Majesty just has to play the role of the Old Man Under the Moon.”
–TL Notes–
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