Chapter 36
After His Majesty ascended to the throne, the first thing he reformed was the system of Yeong Chunhwa entering the palace. Originally, Yeong Chunhwa had to enter the palace immediately upon manifestation, forcing them to separate from their families while still alive. He overturned this, changing the system so that unbloomed Yeong Chunhwa would enter the palace when they came of age.
Of course, those who wished could enter the palace immediately after manifestation, and since benefits were given to both Yeong Chunhwa and their families upon entry, the more impoverished one was, the earlier they wanted to enter.
Hwasicheong was originally an institution that only searched for manifested Yeong Chunhwa. However, when His Majesty revised the system, manifested Yeong Chunhwa could stay and receive education at the nearest Hwasicheong to their hometown. As a result, the number of Hwasicheong increased, requiring more personnel, which faced significant opposition from the court.
Furthermore, it was His Majesty who expanded the authority of Yeong Chunhwa.
Breaking the implicit precedent that Yeong Chunhwa could not intervene in court affairs, he appointed one of the three ministers as a Yeong Chunhwa, which was truly a radical appointment. In addition, he separated the Yeongwiwon, which originally belonged to the Ministry of Rites, making it directly under the Empress’s control so that Yeong Chunhwa would be managed by the Empress.
So of course his father, eyes blazing, had practically chanted that he must become Empress and use that authority.
And the changed system also became the reason Yun-seo was isolated in his family residence. Under the system, since there was no separate Hwasicheong and the proximity to the imperial palace made escort and education convenient, he was given the privilege of staying at the family residence.
If he had gone directly to the palace after manifestation as before, would his life have been somewhat different? If his protective energy was deemed unsuitable for the Emperor, he might have been dispatched to the border or a Hwasicheong, giving him some limited opportunity to see the world.
Of course, this was just Yun-seo’s optimism. The reason he was evaluated as material for Empress was because of Yun-seo’s inherent greatness. Therefore, even if his protective energy was unsuitable for the Emperor, the possibility of being appointed as a concubine was high, so the result of being confined to the imperial palace would have been the same.
…What difference would it make to debate what has already happened? Anyway, Yun-seo speculated that the Emperor had reformed the law to bestow grace upon Yeong Chunhwa because he himself had suffered hardships after ascending the throne at a young age.
How benevolent, when there are nasty people who think others should suffer what they suffered. So those who had seen and experienced such an Emperor would not ignore this matter.
After silently watching Yun-seo for a while, Hwi slowly opened his mouth.
“So, will you go there yourself?”
“…I’m not directly involved, so it would be better for them to go.”
A runaway Yeong Chunhwa going to Hwasicheong would be like saying, ‘Try to catch me.’ Yun-seo confided about the woman he had met in Suhyang.
“It would be best to send a letter through someone. While they seek help from Hwasicheong and come here, we can watch whether the shrine is doing anything suspicious. Ah, that means we’ll have to stay here longer. Is that alright with you?”
“Why go to such lengths?”
Feeling the coldness in Hwi’s lowered voice, Yun-seo opened his eyes wide. He carefully observed Hwi’s reaction, thinking perhaps he was displeased with the delay in their schedule, but the words that followed had a different meaning.
“You seem to have forgotten that you are a fugitive. Despite buying time, you want to help complete strangers when pursuers could catch up at any moment? Exposing yourself to more people? You seem to be under some misconception—you’re not doing something kind here, but something foolish.”
Somewhat perplexed, Yun-seo blinked and absently scratched the corner of his mouth. What Hwi said wasn’t wrong, but it was sharper than necessary. Thinking it over, he wasn’t upset as it seemed Hwi was concerned for him.
“Still, now that I know, how could I simply close my mouth and ignore it? If I don’t see that child safely return to the family’s embrace, I don’t think my mind would be at ease even after leaving. Your words are right. Even to me, it seems foolish. But… didn’t you agree to protect me?”
As Yun-seo silently smiled, as if a foxtail grass had brushed his cheek—believing that with Hwi present, he would never be caught by pursuers, yet feeling awkward for relying too much on Hwi—Hwi’s eyes wavered, scanning Yun-seo’s face.
“That disposition of yours… will ultimately hold you back.”
This time, laughter flowed from Yun-seo’s lips. With a face momentarily innocent yet resolute, he replied:
“Again you say I’ll be held back. That might be true, but even so, how would that be my fault? It’s the world that holds people back for such things that’s the problem.”
Even if he suffered consequences from this incident, he wouldn’t regret his choice to help them. It was something to ease his own mind, so who could he blame? He was only sorry for making Hwi wait here too. Yet on the other hand… he was senselessly happy to be able to spend that much more time together.
With an inscrutable expression, Hwi stared at Yun-seo before suddenly reaching out his hand. As the hand approached his face, Yun-seo tensed, straightening his neck stiffly. Soon, Hwi’s fingertips gently brushed away the hair that had fallen onto his forehead, tucking it behind his ear before withdrawing.
As his lips began to tremble, Yun-seo bit the inside of his mouth firmly.
Hwi curled his fingers into a fist and rose from his seat, moving to the window. His back as he gazed outside was so solid that nothing within him could be discerned, and for a while, Yun-seo had to embrace the desperate feeling that he would do anything if only he could understand what was in Hwi’s heart.
* * *
“You’ve come.”
The women arrived at the inn earlier than expected. The woman Yun-seo had met in Suhyang immediately approached him and grabbed his hands.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“I was just lucky to have seen the child by chance. I’m glad I could help, so please don’t worry about it.”
“Still, without you…”
Yun-seo’s shoulders were pulled back, naturally breaking their handhold. Confirming that Hwi stood behind him, Yun-seo smiled and presented him to the women.
“This is our lord.”
He thought Hwi might at least introduce himself after such an introduction, but Hwi merely maintained a disinterested expression and silence. Since Yun-seo couldn’t take the initiative to speak Hwi’s name, he offered an awkward smile as the women bowed deeply to Hwi.
“Come, you must be tired from traveling all the way here. Please, sit down.”
Yun-seo seated the women and poured each a cup of tea, then waited until they had caught their breath before asking what he wanted to know.
“How did things go?”
“We rushed straight to Hwasicheong and explained everything. They readily agreed to help. One Yongrim has come ahead to secretly locate that money lender, and they said they’ll mobilize forces at noon to raid the shrine. If all goes well, we should be able to see Hyeongseo.”
“That’s fortunate. I knew Hwasicheong would readily help.”
“Even they should know to extend a hand when it concerns people.”
Yun-seo’s hand paused as he raised his teacup. The woman’s words about Hwasicheong were quite cold and rigid. He noticed another woman giving her a subtle look of warning, but Yun-seo smiled without showing his reaction.
“By the way, what are all your names? When I met Hyeongseo, I didn’t know your name, so I mentioned the red concentric knot at the teahouse.”
They each revealed their names in turn: the woman he met in Suhyang was Gyeong-ae, Hyeongseo’s older sister was Eun-gang, and the woman who appeared older than them was Hyeon-song. Yun-seo introduced himself as Deok-yun, and although it was an alias, going through formal introductions made him feel closer to them.
“Sitting here doing nothing makes me so anxious.”
As noon approached, Gyeong-ae bit her lips nervously. Hyeongseo’s sibling Eun-gang calmly tried to soothe her, saying they should wait. Listening to their conversation, it seemed all three weren’t blood relatives, and Yun-seo was curious about how their relationships were intertwined.
As he quietly listened to their conversation, Hwi, who had been standing by the window, tapped the wall.
“It’s begun.”
At Hwi’s words, everyone hurriedly rose and moved to the window.
Since the room was situated at a height, they could clearly see the arriving soldiers controlling the roads. Yongrims wearing belts embroidered with dragons were also visible, making Yun-seo’s stomach churn.
When the soldiers burst in, the shrine officials would be thrown into panic. Thinking about how disappointed and heartbroken those who had prayed and offered their money in trust would be, he felt troubled. He didn’t know exactly why the shrine was involved in buying and selling children, but it was something that should never be done while serving the Dragon God.
“I think I should go and see.”
As the commotion outside grew, Gyeong-ae left the room, wanting to watch from a closer vantage point. The remaining women followed her, quickly leaving the room quiet.
* Oshi (午時): 11 AM to 1 PM
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
