Capítulo 225: Chapter 222: The Set-Up 1 (Seoljeong)
"Grace and peace to The Third Princess Consort!" "Well, I haven't been greeted like that in years, I wonder if something has happened for this good mood? Why is everyone so courteous today? Only The Empress was ever greeted like this…" "We have heard that The Third Prince will promote you as soon as this plague is over, and as your family, we simply wish to congratulate you, although it was good of you to put yourself in the Empress's shoes…" "Thank you concubines, is that wha these flowers are for? Pink for concubines, red for the main wives…." "How dare she invert the superior and inferior flowers, as if she is The Empress herself?" "I have long heard that she really is loosing her mind these days since she go herself into trouble…" "..and yet our husband still lists her immediately after finishing state affairs and looking into the plague…" "Do you suppose that she uses witchcraft to retain her husband's heart?" "His Majesty should spend more time with her before he deposes of her, I guess? Maybe I should select a good pair of Hetain jade ruyi from the storehouse and place it on her pillow so that she can catch up on her sleep finally…" "Your Majesty always shows such understanding towards His Highness, The Third Prince, especially when you have taken on the majority of the anti-plague tasks in the palace as of late." "Really? Well, I wonder what rank he shall grant me with? There is Noble Consort above Consort, and Imperial Noble Consort above that, which is equal to 'Step-Empress…' "I suppose our husband will promote you in this order, and no matter how distinguished the title of Imperial Noble Consort is, it is still only second to 'The Empress'. The Emperor may have his Imperial Noble Consort, but The Empress is the only 'mother of the nation'. One cannot be addressed with a name that does not belong to them."
"Words well spoke, Concubine Park; one should wisely understand the bounds of duty and appropriateness." "That is true, it is The Empress's duty to educate the concubines and uphold discipline. I do hope that my words will assist you in managing the palace with virtue and reason after your promotion…" "…and if I indeed have the fortune to become blessed, I shall fulfil my role and help execute His Highness's duties of palace management more than I am doing now, and you concubines can have more time to yourselves." "The Princess Consort possesses a sharp tongue indeed, and knows how to wage war with words alone." "You know that I like to banter with my husbands official concubines for your sharpness of wit. But we have serious business to discuss, as our husband has asked us to prepare paper offerings for the victims of his plague and let the priests guide their souls through to 'the pure land'. Anyway, that is all and everyone is dismissed for this morning meetings. I must check on our husbands breakfast menu in my quarters…." "Your Highness, the Household Department requests a private audience with you…" "What can possibly bring them in here so early? Let them in, for I have nothing to hide from my sister wives. And servant, don't forget that my husband also likes pickled cucumbers, so put them out in the front. And as for the baozi, he has had far too much of it lately, so just put it away for now."
"Peace be to Your Highness, here is a preview of your promotional robes…" "Isn't this for the Imperial Noble Consort position? Who on earth ordered you to send this to me?" "The Third Prince, who else could do this, Your Highness? Our superior asked us to deliver it to you personally." "Is this really by my husband's decree? I was just talking about this, and it has already been delivered to me? Is this a dream or reality right now? Look at how exquisite them embroidery is, it is the most fanciest robe I have ever laid eyes upon before…"
"Your Majesty! There is bad news, Your Highness!" "What! What is it! Why are you ruining such a good moment for me? What could have possibly happened now?" "Your Highness; there seems to be trouble with the shu brocade that you sent over to The Seo's yourself…" "What trouble?" "There was a rather poisonous pin that was attached to the shoes, and it has caused considerable harm to…" "No! That isn't possible! I didn't tamper with anything at all this time! It wasn't me! It really wasn't me now, not this time!" "Your Highness, The Third Prince is so furious, that he is having your quarters searched violently!" "No…what about the breakfast that I cooked for him myself? I spent all morning on it…" what sort of ominous omen was this? As soon as my husband made to depose me, a plague broke out? Surely that would work in my flavour since The Royal Family heavily believed in superstitions? But now I was to be caught out once again in a mistake that I had seemingly made as soon as there were talks about promotions for me? What was going on? Who did this? Wh was working so effortlessly to frame me in front of my husband's concubines in sheer humiliation? Frame me…
"Servant! Did the Imperial Guards find anything?" "Your Highness! They found a satchel of poison tucked under the Glinting Satin that was meant for you…" "quickly! Go and tuck it into my sister's robes! I shall not go down for a crime that I did not commit!" "Your Highness….The Lady Min has escaped!" "What! What on earth are you talking about? When? How? Why? And why are you only telling me now!" "Forgive me Mistress, it was only reported to me now!" "Very well, but I need to send people to find her….no, we re currently experiencing the outbreak of the plague which will end her life before she can reach whatever destination she finds herself at. But do this, go and tuck it into the robes of The Mistress Han, she is the one who will have t take the fall for this one. Because I will become the Imperial Noble Consort by the end of this plague, whether the public likes it or not.
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"Everyone gather in the laundry area and line up! And tell me whose robe is this that has been strewn haphazardly on the floor like this!" "It looks like it belongs to the ex-Mistress Han, and it looks like she hasn't gotten round to cleaning it yet…wait! What on earth is that sticking out of the pocket? Mistress Han? Would you care to explain this?" "Are you being serious? If my supervisor hadn't tossed me these new robes on a whim after loosing mine, then I wouldn't potentially be facing trouble, would I? I expect a proper investigation to go down or…." "So from what I am hearing, we haven't even examined what you are hiding in your pocket robes, and you are already acting guilty? No wonder my husband dumped you when he could, you really are not one of the brighter ones are you?" "Your Highness! I mean…peace be to Your Highness." "…still, we must get to the bottom of he culprit who severely harmed the pregnant wife of The Master Seo, for my husband intends to ipse strip punishment on whoever is found guilty of such a crime!" "What are you talking about? Kim Hyeon…did she miscarry her baby? Did she really? Tell me!" "You are in n position to order me around, slave! Especially when you were just found hiding the poison in your work robes! What do you say, husband?" "Your Highness! I really have no idea what is going on here! I know nothing abut any poison or miscarriage at all! Someone is obviously framing me for my…past connections to Seo Hwi!"
"How dare you make excuses? Did you really think that you could get away with hiding the poison in plain sight" "I bear no grudges against the girl, so why would I harm her!" "Because you were the one who trafficked her into the brothel after you set her home on fire, killing her entire family! Is that not so, Han Hui-Jae?" "No! That isn't…that wasn't me! It was Kim Aerum who did that! She was her cousin, not mine!" "And yet everyone apart from you who was involved in the brothel traffickings, including Seo Yeon is dead! So you will have to carry out the burden of their crimes if you are indeed found guilty of this as well!" "I am not the only one who was a part of that…ouch!" "Do not talk back to your superiors again girl, before I slap you again!" "I have been under the strictest supervision since. my…demotion, so where could I get any poison from at all? I have only been exposed to these quarters since my arrival here to serve The Third Prince and I don't go anywhere else! I do not know the palace at all and you know this, don't you Third Prince!" "Who knows if you are in contact with any other Royal Family member, since the male ones used to attend your brothel for years now? Including my husband? You could be doing favours for others to establish your own business again to facilitate an escape for yourself? Who knows, you are certainly capable of it, using brother's grudges against each other just like you have with a pair of close friends in the past?" "Well, i obviously didn't manage to get away with it then, so how could I have perfected that craft under lockdown in the palace, Your Highness!" "The Third Prince clearly favours me once again and you are nursing that ld grudge to justify your anger towards me, even now? How many times has it been reported to us that you stay close to the vast pond here where the official residence of the 5th Prince lies? How you are always watching it instead of paying attention to your work? You continually violated palace regulations to try and visit those quarters? What else can that possibly mean? We might still spare your life if you confess right here and now!"
"Third Prince! After everything that we have shared together and everything that I have helped you with, please allow me just one chance to prove my innocence! I had even lost my child and I was tricked to being infertile and I haven't received a single apology yet! As a woman, I have lost my lifeline in this world, so please allow me a single chance to defend myself! It won't be too late to find me guilty if you do not believe me!" "Why should I? All of these allegations that have been placed on you are all backed up with facts." "Because since I chose to become your woman, I entrusted my fate into your hands, so why would I align myself with anyone else when I have lived for you alone for years now?" "maybe you needed backers when mu wife became suspicious of us?" "If I were to use such despicable methods, then I could have used this method for more impending matters, like ridding us both of your wife so that I could have her position and you know it. It is also because I bear a clear conscious that I can say this without harbouring any fear at all. You are also a man of great talent and insight, and you know how ambitious I am. And now after suffering from one mishap after the other, I know how to smell out a clear trap like this one." "You dare to swear that you have no connections with nay of my brothers after the fall of your brothel?" "I swear, Your Highness, I no longer hold any power to sway your brothers to meet my needs, do I? Apart from yourself, all of your brothers share equal status and should you be brought down by your wife, no-one will think of me, right? A barren and unmarried woman? Riots will incur with or without my assistance, so who will want me as an ally? Isn't that true, Your Highness?"
Capítulo 226: Chapter 223: The Set-Up 2 (Seoljeong)
"Your Highness? It has been brought to my notice that The Third Princess Consort's father's yangban is carrel undergoing some reconstruction as soon as the news of her promotion spread word…" "What promotion? What on earth are you talking about? Neither myself not my father has said anything about it at all?" "It has been recorded that she has asked to see the robes of The Imperial Noble Consort more than once, and it was even brought to her in front of all of your concubines during the morning meetings." "What on earth is going on? How could she have access to it when her duties and authority are limited to solving the plague crises? And I only reinstated her for that job temporarily since her family clan has survived this crises already in the past, I had no choice but to keep her to help our nation out with such a severe problem." Your father-in-law is already demolishing hundreds of neighbouring citizens home just to replicate the Imperial Gardens alone. It looks like he wants to renovate his residence to match his daughters to embellish his status…" "His status? What status? What status does he hold? I only temporarily brought back his daughter's authority and status, that wasn't meant to be extended to her family or her clan at all! Just what on earth am I supposed to say to my father when he asks me about this? Especially when he holds her family in such high regard when he married us against my wishes! Why is everyone around me suddenly overstepping their bounds of propriety?" "His extravagance is to exhibit his non-extant honour, and he actually had the nerve to makes hundreds homeless during a plague and that is not all." "Now what has that bastard done!" "Just like your step-mother before you, he called in all of the remaining palace physicians to treat his clan all night long and threatened them with their lives if they even thought abut returning to the palace before curfew…" "Before curfew? The very same curfew that his own daughter implemented during this plane? Is he really so eager to slap my face like this? Everything that I have planned this year has always become undone by the seams! By my own family! What should I do now? What should I…wait, what is that book on my desk? Who put it there and left it open like that?" "Your Highness, The ex-Mistress Han begged me to show you this book from your shelf, although I have no idea why…" "What is it? The Commentary of Zou? The Earl of Zhuang overcoming Duan in Yuan City? As I recall from this story, the mother wished to replace her eldest son with her youngest, Zhuang indulged Duan's wrongdoings for such a long time, provoking public anger over and over again…and it was Zhuang who created a smart enough reason to remove this obstacle once and for all. And here I am, receiving one memorandums after the other complaining about my father-in-law's obtrusively insolence manner time and time again…'the injustice that one does unto others will destroy oneself."
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"What are you saying? May father kept the physicians with him all night long? Pass curfew? And during the plague of all times! He has gone too far this time, how can he not know what a precious line I am treading on at the moment, especially after the miscarriage of The Mistress Seo? And what if something happened to my husband and he needed them? If my family clan's lives more precious than his! Send him a message to treat them all well before he personally escorts them back to the palace and ask my husband for forgiveness, before he vents his anger upon me once again!" "Your Highness, an Imperial Decree has just come forth from The Third Prince himself"! "Very well, let them all into my quarters! No, wait! Gather his concubines first so that they can all witness his glory before me!"
"At His Majesty's, The Third Prince's benevolent request; I hereby grant The Third Princess Consort the title of Noble Consort!" "Noble…Noble Consort? That is it? Not Imperial Noble Consort? Sir, is it posable that you have wrongly read this decree? Does my husband really just promote me to Noble Consort? After all of my efforts to combat the plague in the palace alone?" "I am afraid that there is nothing wrong with this decree at all, Your Highness, I have read it word to word as per my official duties." "But I was presented with the robes for the Imperial Noble Consort only this morning!" "Your Highness, you were only supposed t preview the details of the robe, since it is similar to that of your new title's robes that have just been presented to you at this very moment. It was only supposed to be used for reference purposes and it must have been sent to you by accident, so I shall need to retrieve it from your care." "Very well…return the robes…" "Your Highness, with such prestigious honour, do you really need to worry about being promoted to Imperial Noble Concubine? Yourself and your family has already accomplished many feats in service to The Royal Family, and you have your husband's favour when you were entrusted with the authority to handle this plague crises. Your Highness may have a justifiable promotion as soon as you bear your husband with a Royal Heir…" "You are right! There will be enough time to congratulate me after my nest promotion, now away with you! The concubines are dismissed! And bring me the servant who gave me those robes without a formal explanation! Right now!"
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"Noble Consort! She is now a Noble Consort! Your Highness, why on earth are you bestowing her even more power?" "It was you who gave me the idea to do this, wasn't it? And despite our sad past, no-one is more willing to speak to me about pros and cons so openly." "I showed you that book to reconsider and postpone the resumption of your wife's power…" 'the injustice that one does unto others will destroy oneself', I did this for a reason, including quieting down any gossip from eternal forces that can mess up my plans and maintain my own authority as well. It is more justifiable to confer her new title during a major festival anyways. The New Year will approach us soon, and everything shall work out with the right assistance, which I was only get if you prove yourself innocent from your crime, Han Hui-Jae." "I only need a single day to prove my innocence with that set-up, but I do know how to help you deal with your troublesome father-in-law." "Oh do you now?" "Just let me serve you until he arrives and let him stay with his daughter overnight, that is all that I need. But what can I expect in return?" "During the plague, I can only pull you up in rank and make you a lady-in-waiting, that is all for now." "Very well, it will have to do for now."
"Your Highness, please accept my apologies for what as transpired with the Imperial Physicians, I was ply worried about my wife and…and I wonder what new servant this is that dares to eavesdrop on her master's conversation? And a very pretty one at that, that his unknown to me?" "I certainly hope that you are not implying that you hold more personal information about me that you should, father-in-law? Especially when your daughter is so highly favoured at the moment?" "Forgive me, Your Highness, although my daughter is favoured, I hear that this is The Mistress Han who forget her place when serving her and used her own fairies to displease my daughter. I hope that there are no further conflicts to tear apart such a loving couple, because I cannot let that go even if my son-in-law does. And I hope that I have made myself clear on that, isn't that right, servant?"
"So? What grand plans do you have now?" "You do not need to worry about that, but I need something from you to make this plan work." "What do you need from me?" "Your Highness, do you assess 'The Yi lan flower plant?"
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Later that day, I sought to collect some fresh flowers for these satchels that The Noble Princess Consort so desperately wanted me to make for her when I noticed her father following behind me rather late at night in a eunuch uniform of all things. But I didn't even give him the chance to approach me as I instantly ran towards The Third Prince's courtyard where he was having a chess game with his younger brothers. "Help me! Please, someone help me! Someome wants to kill me! Quickly! He has gone crazy! He is dressed up in a eunuch's robe to kill me! He disguised himself and sneaked into the inner palace well after curfew! He stalked me with evil intentions! He got discovered by me and he wants to silence me now!"
"Your Highness! Please do not listen to her! It was she who lured me away with her under false pretences! It is her who wants to kill me instead! She drugged me with that flower…." "Just what on earth is going on here? Hui-Jae?" "Your Highness, please forgive me! I was only picking out fresh flowers for satchels when this man pounced on me out of nowhere!" "Father-in-law? The palace gates are locked now, so how did you even get in here? And what on earth are you dressed as? A eunuch?" "Your Highness! I passed out after I called for her to serve me tea and when I woke up, I was already dressed like this! I promise you that I am telling the truth!" "Lair! You harboured evil intentions from the moment that you threatened me in my Master's office in front of him only this afternoon! And how did you even find me in the palace! How can a weak women like me that doesn't even possess the strength to strangle a chicken scheme cause this much trouble that is only directed at myself! Why would I destroy myself like that? And in front of a Royal audience? This is all too absurd!" "Enough of this! Men! Lock him up in our dungeons, and I will decide on his fate tomorrow, and that of his entire clan..and her daughter herself!"
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