Chapter 16
Shinpung County was said to be not very populous, but for some reason it was bustling. Puzzled, Yun-seo soon spotted a procession ahead and let out a gasp of admiration.
A man wearing blue ceremonial clothes was leading a group of people carrying gift boxes, heading somewhere. Seeing attire similar to what Wongyeong had worn at his wedding, it seemed a ceremony was being held nearby.
The crowd made things complicated, and not wanting to draw attention, Yun-seo was about to dismount and walk when Hwi followed suit.
“Please ride. I’ll clear the people away.”
“It’s fine. This way will be faster.”
It was indeed quicker than trying to part the crowd on horseback, but before long, the road became blocked in front of the house where the wedding was taking place. It was chaotic with people wanting to watch the wedding, those hoping to get some food, and others connected to the ceremony all mixed together.
Amid this, the sound of musical instruments being played caught Yun-seo’s attention. Through the wide-open doors, he could see the bride and groom standing face to face. The ceremony seemed about to begin. Though the groom was trying hard to contain himself, he couldn’t erase the smile on his lips. Seeing them, the corners of Yun-seo’s mouth turned up involuntarily.
In truth, this was his first time watching a wedding. Yun-seo hadn’t been able to attend his brother Wongyeong’s wedding. His father had ordered him not to leave the inner quarters even on the wedding day for safety reasons, as many guests would be coming and going from their residence.
Though deeply disappointed, he had wanted to convey his congratulations, so he asked Yeondeok to call Wongyeong. Yun-seo stood facing Wongyeong at the doorway and shyly held out a gift box.
‘Brother, congratulations. May you and your wife live together for a hundred years.’
Inside the box was a jade ornament that Yeondeok had bought outside with dragon coins—which Yun-seo had obtained by pleading with his mother to give Wongyeong a wedding gift—and a poem-painting that he had written and drawn himself. Though disappointed that he couldn’t choose and buy a gift directly, he wanted to convey his feelings this way.
Wongyeong received the box from Yun-seo, glanced at it once, and said indifferently:
‘Don’t even show your nose tomorrow and stay quietly inside. You can manage that much, can’t you?’
As Wongyeong turned away, his face clearly showed contempt, and Yun-seo witnessed it all, absently following his brother’s retreating figure—even the scene of Wongyeong thrusting the box at an approaching servant.
The box, which Yun-seo had polished until not a speck of dust remained, was handed over to someone else without ever being opened. How pitiful that box had looked.
Not wanting to disappoint his brother, he had resolved to stay quietly in the inner quarters. All he had done was peek through the narrow gap of the closed door to glimpse Wongyeong in his ceremonial clothes as he passed by. Despite being the protagonist of the wedding, Wongyeong hadn’t shown any emotion, perhaps due to his reserved personality.
Then again, who knows? Maybe he smiled brightly before his bride during the ceremony.
The corners of Yun-seo’s mouth slowly drooped as he recalled that day. Emerging from his reminiscence, he glanced sideways at Hwi standing beside him.
Had he also married? He seemed well past twenty but not yet thirty. Considering his age, he probably had. Moreover, with significant responsibilities in the merchant group, those around him likely wouldn’t have left him alone.
If so, he must have had a wedding too. When he got married, did he appear impassive like his brother Wongyeong or did he smile like that man? Suddenly feeling queasy, Yun-seo furrowed his brow before casually speaking up.
“They look happy. Being able to freely share affection with someone you love and marry them is a great blessing.”
“Do they look like they’re freely sharing affection to you?”
“Aren’t they?”
Hwi looked at Yun-seo with a disinterested expression and pointed to the gift boxes piled on one side.
“The boxes are large and engraved with elegant bamboo patterns that scholars use, but the porters carried them lightly. Valuable items like silk and wheat are deliberately left out of the boxes for display, but what’s not in the boxes amounts to just a few rolls of silk.”
“Ah… It seems the groom’s family isn’t well-off.”
“On the other hand, the ceremony is excessively lavish with doors wide open for anyone passing by to see and show off, but they haven’t prepared food to serve. The parents’ attire is extravagant but lacks dignity—a typical nouveau riche family.”
So he’s saying the groom’s family lacks noble lineage and wealth, while the bride’s family has wealth but no honor.
“Even if that’s the case, we don’t know if their hearts matched and they’ve reaped the fruits of that.”
“Even if their hearts matched, all relationships are inevitably entangled with interests.”
Yun-seo blankly mulled over Hwi’s words before deeply furrowing his brow. Hwi didn’t seem like the type to take much interest in others’ affairs or make such comments, so Yun-seo wondered why he was acting this way.
“Why are you saying such things?”
“Because you seemed to envy them. What, did I break your innocent heart?”
Yun-seo couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he scrutinized Hwi’s face. For some unknown reason, his tone was spiteful. Had he somehow offended Hwi? Retracing the topic he had first brought up, Yun-seo concluded that Hwi might have had an arranged marriage.
“My lord… did you marry someone your parents arranged for you?”
“No. But eventually, I’ll end up marrying someone predetermined.”
Hwi’s answer was ordinary and characteristically indifferent. It probably meant he wasn’t married yet but would someday have an arranged marriage. Yun-seo slowly nodded.
Among the noble families, some looked down on commerce and merchants, but someone like Hwi could certainly match with a high-status woman. Suddenly, a bitterness filled Yun-seo’s mouth, and he ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek.
As the wedding ceremony showed signs of concluding, the crowd gradually thinned. The two men made their way through and headed to an inn.
Perhaps because it was past lunchtime, the inn was relatively quiet. As Yun-seo waited for the tea to cool slightly, he reflected on the conversation he had just had with Hwi.
Most people got engaged before coming of age and, barring special circumstances, married within a year or two after their coming-of-age ceremony. Hwi could be considered somewhat late. Could there be a particular reason for delaying his marriage? And if someone was “predetermined,” did it mean he already had a fiancée?
“Hey, want to hear some interesting news?”
“Oh, I don’t believe you anymore. Not once has anything been interesting when you’ve said that.”
“This time it’s really true. Just keep it between us.”
Since Hwi was naturally a man of few words and Yun-seo also remained silent, the voices of the men sitting behind them were clearly audible. Though they seemed to be trying to lower their voices, their conversation easily carried over.
“Have you heard? Recently, a Yeong Chunhwa has escaped.”
Yun-seo’s hand nearly lost its strength as he was about to pick up his teacup. He barely managed to grip the bottom of the cup firmly as he strained to hear the conversation from behind.
“A Yeong Chunhwa? How?”
“Well, I don’t know about that. I heard he’s the son of a noble family. It seems they’ve sent people to search everywhere. One of them is my friend, so I heard it directly from him—it’s certain.”
His lower lip trembled slightly. Yun-seo covered his mouth with the teacup. The rising steam warmed his lips, but inside he felt as cold as ice.
“What? No, why would someone born and raised in a good family, who gets to go to the imperial palace where others can’t even visit once in their lifetime, run away? What was lacking?”
Yun-seo took a sip of tea and calmly set down the cup. This was expected, so there was nothing to be surprised about. If anything, he was fortunate to encounter the news later than anticipated. As he tried to comfort himself, the man sitting behind snorted.
“Must have been well-fed enough to be picky. Coming from a noble house, maybe the young master couldn’t bear the indignity of having to spread his legs for Yongrim.”
“Hmph, not only men are at Yongrim. If women came after him, he’d probably welcome it with open arms.”
“That’s right. Still, I’m curious. How good must it be for Yongrim to be so crazy about it?”
The men snickered secretively. Then they went on about how a Yeong Chunhwa who forgot his duty and abandoned his task deserved to die, gossiping for a while before getting up. Just then, a server brought their ordered food, arranged it on the round table, and left.
Though Yun-seo picked up his chopsticks, he had no appetite at all. He glanced at Hwi, who was only sipping tea despite the food being served.
Amid his pounding heart, Yun-seo was curious and fearful about what Hwi might be thinking. Also, in such a situation, he couldn’t figure out what reaction would be appropriate. Wouldn’t it be strange to pretend not to know after hearing something that would shock anyone?
As anxiety spread like wildfire, he reached a point where he couldn’t bear it without saying something. Forcing a smile, Yun-seo spoke up.
“A Yeong Chunhwa running away… that’s truly disrespectful. How could such a thing happen…”
“He probably wanted to escape.”
“…Pardon?”
Hwi set down his teacup and turned to look out the window. Wondering if there was something there, Yun-seo shifted his gaze, but there was nothing.
“Being drafted into the palace at a young age against your will—wouldn’t you want to run away too if you were in his place?”
