It was truly fortunate that Song Geun-ryang’s house was in the middle of the city. While buying meat, dumplings, and sweets, Court Lady Yoon pondered what to buy to arouse the appetite of the new master, who lost her will to live.
“The little girls get their eyes wide open when you give them one of these candies. There is nothing like it to stop crying!”
The place is always overflowing with people, but today it was exceptionally crowded. For Court Lady Yoon, who has always lived in a quiet imperial palace, the place was a different world. While she was buying things while being hit here and there, she was interested by a merchant’s solicitation and stepped forward. At that time, two women passing by passed by her and whispered.
“The country is terrible when it is said that the Empress is possessed by a demon. Isn’t it?”
Court Lady Yoon’s steps stopped and hardened.
“Ah, that’s right. What does it mean to have the most beautiful hair colour? The limbs were bizarrely twisted.”
“I hear bad news too. Even the emperor couldn’t get up from his sick bed, and now even the Empress…….”
“Nevertheless, the Crown Prince…….”
The women went away.
Court Lady Yoon turned her head away, unable to believe what she had heard. What happened to the Empress’ body?
“Oh dear, be careful!”
Someone shouted
Court Lady Yoon didn’t care. Throwing everything she had in her hands on the ground, she ran straight to the palace. Who and what happened?
***
“Court Lady, come here now!”
As soon as the court lady, who acted like her limbs, saw her Court Lady Yoon, she burst into tears. Her face was very emaciated as she struggled to endure it. Court Lady Yoon sighed and closed the court lady’s mouth.
Shrine of the court ladies. It’s a place that people don’t usually come to, but she pulls the court lady into a corner where only Court Lady Yoon knows. It was difficult for her to stand out.
When Queen Mun was tortured and taken to the concubinage’s prison, Court Lady Yoon was the one who looked for a chance to sneak. And taking advantage of the Empress’s sleep, she hurried to the prison. Queen Mun did not look healthy at first glance. If she is not rescued quickly, she will be die.
As she went down to the prison, she heard the sound of two guards.
‘Uh, uh…… ? Hey, no. She’s alive. She’s not dead yet.’
‘Oh dear, when she didn’t even eat the porridge, she was tough, huh?’
She screamed at that moment.
‘Why is that bitch still over there?!’
Court Lady Yoon yelled at them and became angry. Don’t you know the wrath of the Empress? It’s a girl that has already been deposed. How dare you put its existence in the palace, what do you think this place is? Why don’t you just let it go! At Court Lady Yoon’s anger, the guards hurriedly rolled Queen Mun into a straw mat and sent her out of the palace.
On a secluded mountain road leading to the Valley of Sinners, the men, who were ordered by Court Lady Yoon, bought Queen Mun from guards.
‘The son of a noble family is about to die as a bachelor, and they are going to hold a posthumous wedding*. It’s a precious person, so they wanted to meet someone who is precious.’
Saying so, the men gave the guards a decent amount of money and bought Queen Mun. And they left her in the Song family mansion. Court Lady Yoon the next morning, lied to the empress and told the empress that she was ill and that she wanted to be seen by a physician of the southern province, and she left the palace.
Maybe she thought Queen Mun was already dead. Then she thought of burying her in the mountain behind the Song family mansion. This poor and brave woman could not be left in a filthy place with sinners. Court Lady Yoon remembered King Mun. How much did he loved the woman? How much she loved him. It wouldn’t be an atonement for her betraying him, but she wanted to do anything.
But, surprisingly, Queen Mun has a tough line. She was critical, but she was alive. After desperate nursing, Court Lady Yoon saved Queen Mun’s life. Meanwhile, the world has changed.
Court Lady Yoon returned to the Imperial Palace. The surprising thing happened next. The Empress was so closely monitored that not a single ant cub could enter or leave. Moreover, all the courtiers in the palace of the Empress were changed at once, so no one knew of Court Lady Yoon.
As if treason had happened.
“What happened? Empress is sick, so why are the security so strict, and why are you outside instead of inside?”
Treason, it can’t be?
Who did the treason? The Crown Prince is no different from sitting on the dragon throne, and the Empress’s authority has reached high in the sky, so no one…….
No one…….
Court Lady Yoon suddenly remembered Queen Mun, who was lying gloomy. The queen who does not eat and just wants to sleep. When she was deposed, she asks if the Empress will recognize King Mun as a person. Her voice is thin, but she does not back down, and now Queen Mun does not want anything. She just waits for her death, passing meaningless dates day by day.
The court lady responded, stomping her feet.
“This subject don’t know. No one knows! Suddenly, the Crown Prince came to greet her in the morning and the Empress was very pleased, and then she collapsed, and then all of a sudden everyone was kicked out saying there was an assassination attempt……, under strict investigation by the Inspectorate, …… What kind of goblin is this … !”
And King Mun, who loved and cherished such Queen Mun. What is he doing now?
“What is King Mun doing now?”
“Yes?”
The court lady frowned with a face that did not understand why King Mun appeared in this situation. But after Court Lady Yoon looked at her seriously, she sighed.
“He seemed to be very heartbroken right after he lost the queen, but…… , now he had come to the office and there is no problem.”
No problem?
Court Lady Yoon’s eyes twitched and moved. No problem? It was the wife that he loved so much. There was only one. Since the queen is gone, King Mun has had no one to stand by his side. She was the first woman he had. Is he okay with that woman dead?
In an instant, a thought popped into her mind. No, it was enlightenment. Court Lady Yoon jumped up at the realization as if she had been struck by lightning.
“Court Lady Yoon?”
“I have to go.”
“Where?”
Court Lady Yoon! Court Lady Yoon!
The court lady shouted, but Court Lady Yoon didn’t listen and ran away. Oh my God, my God, my God. She was the person who raised Sa Heon-yeong. She knew what he was thinking, and, very occasionally, she could get her hands on it. Oh my God. If she’s right…….
Her eyes were dark.
***
“Crown Prince, the Empress’s Court Lady Yoon is asking for an attendant.”
Pft, Sa Heon-young laughed.
When he hit the empress, Court Lady Yoon was gone. He wondered if she had noticed and ran away, but soon came to the conclusion that it was impossible.
He thought he was lucky that she would crawl on her own.
“Your Highness, what are you going to do?”
Asked the Crown Princess who was beside him. As an accomplice, she was more active than expected. She took control of the concubinage and helped Sa Heon-yeong to fulfill his role as the Crown Prince by telling him what he didn’t know.
Sa Heon-yeong had no friends and neither did the Crown Princess. On their designated mating day, they sat and talked from a distance. About each other’s life stories. Sa Heon-yeong, who was forced to be a goblin, and the Crown Princess, who was forced to become the prince’s wife, a pervert and murderer, had a point of contact.
‘What kind of person was Queen Mun?’
One day, the Crown Princess asked, and Sa Heon-young quietly closed his eyes. He felt like crying just trying to say a word about Young-Young.
‘She was a beautiful woman.’
‘Like the Empress?’
‘Like a bird that does not exist in the world.’
‘I’ve never had any love and affection. What kind of emotion is it?’
At those words, Sa Heon-young thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.
‘…… I think of her every day when I open my eyes. If I die today, I wonder if I can catch her on her way to Mang Mountain.’
‘Your Highness… … !’
‘If I climb on the throne, I will search the valley of sinners and find her. After finding her……, then I’m afraid it might be too late. She must have gone too far.’
After saying that, Sa Heon-yeong finally couldn’t overcome his emotions and raised his hands to cover his face. He murmured in a subdued voice.
‘I don’t even know about love and affection either. How could this pain be such a pretty thing…….’
It was only once that Sa Heon-young showed his emotions. She later found out that he had been drinking at the banquet. It seems that he drank alcohol to look like the prince, but Sa Heon-yeong, unlike the prince, was weak in drinking. Since then, the Crown Princess has only poured water or tea into Sa Heon-yeong’s wine bottle at the banquet.
“Let her in.”
In response to Sa Heon-yeong’s answer, the Crown Princess hurriedly escaped from her thoughts. Do you want her to come?
“Your Highness.”
The Crown Princess looked at Sa Heon-yeong anxiously.
Court Lady Yoon was Sa Heon-yeong’s nanny. She is one of the few who can accurately tell the difference between the Prince and Sa Heon-yeong.
“Greetings Crown Prince.”
Court Lady Yoon came in and knelt down on her knees.
“I will be alone.”
At Sa Heon-yeong’s words, the Crown Princess looked at him with worried eyes.
She has to hold it in.
—-
*Posthumous Marriage / Ghost Wedding
Usually done for many reasons but in this case, I think it was to continue the family line since they said the male was going to die as a bachelor. Well, a lot of female corpse did end up stolen because of the practice ._.
Read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_ghost_marriage