The Emperor
It happened by chance.
The Emperor always lived according to a routine. Every day he rose at mishi and took breakfast before shishi, and at noon he had a simple lunch and took dinner before sinshi. He was a gourmet but never indulged in greed. However, he emphasized the act of eating properly in proper places.
It was when the Emperor, who had lunch at the inner courtyard of Yangsimdian as usual, was returning to Geoncheonggung Palace to attend to his duties. A small carriage that could barely fit about four adults entered his field of vision, heading toward the Six Eastern Palaces.
“Concubine Yoon’s family members entered the palace today. Shall I call them to receive your greetings?”
A head eunuch who had been following a bit behind the Emperor quickly approached and asked. When concubines became pregnant and entered a certain stable period, the Emperor would permit them once to summon their family members to the palace as part of a reward, regardless of their rank.
He briefly recalled Concubine Yoon’s face, which he thought he’d seen about half a month ago, then immediately scattered the thought. He didn’t feel like calling them to see those family members. So he lightly shook his chin in refusal.
Concubine Yoon had caught the Emperor’s eye faster than others with her rarely outstanding beauty even in the imperial palace full of beautiful people. But that was all. The Emperor finished his assessment of Concubine Yoon matter-of-factly.
He enjoyed being with beautiful people on the same principle as enjoying fine food. In pursuing beauty, he didn’t even discriminate between men and women. Whatever it was, beautiful things were recognized as having value in themselves.
However, here too he absolutely did not indulge in greed. He always knew how to exercise restraint and never fell deeply for anyone.
“Have several bolts of silk that came from Zaha bestowed upon that family. Have your subordinate send them to Yeongnyeong Palace.”
“I receive Your Majesty’s command and will engrave it in my heart and carry it out.”
It was the moment when the Emperor, thinking this much reward was sufficient, was about to turn his gaze from the carriage. The silk curtain that had been stuffily closed lifted slightly, and some beautiful young thing revealed half their face.
Eyes that were clearly very tense at a glance were nevertheless busy looking around here and there in the imperial palace. Just like a rolling glass marble.
Those eyes, reminiscent of clear and transparent amber, repeatedly disappeared and revealed themselves, hidden by long, dense eyelashes that swayed gently. For some reason, the Emperor felt a frustrated feeling at the eyes that kept hiding.
They seemed like light brown, but from another angle, also like light reddish-yellow. Depending on the light, the color of those eyes looked this way and that way. It seemed he’d need to look more closely to be certain of that color.
He swallowed once without realizing it. He didn’t even notice that his fist was clenching for no reason. Just as he was thinking he should call them and keep them close to look at, the silk curtain that had been lifted lowered back down and that clear face disappeared.
The carriage was gradually moving further away. When the Emperor, who found the impulsively risen emotion unfamiliar, didn’t step away at all, a head eunuch sensibly asked if he should call them back.
Hmm, the Emperor, who hummed lowly, finally opened his mouth after a long while.
“Never mind.”
As if nothing had happened, he moved his steps back toward Geoncheonggung Palace.
However, less than half a shichen had passed before the Emperor had no choice but to throw down the memorial he was reading and rise from the throne. It was because he was curious about that hidden half of the face and couldn’t focus on work at all.
This was truly the first time in his life, but unfortunately, the Emperor didn’t think about it meaningfully. Only the desire to see it again quickly came first.
***
Though he hadn’t expected it, as soon as Yeongnyeong Gate opened, the thing he wanted to see entered the Emperor’s eyes right away.
Standing under the profusely blooming pear tree and looking around left and right quite frantically with unstable eyes, that thing flopped down flat before the Emperor could examine that face more closely.
“We, we pay our respects to His great Imperial Majesty the Emperor. Long live His Imperial M-Majesty, long live, l-long, long long live.”
Following the court lady performing a kowtow beside him, he prostrated himself and cried out long live clumsily, having learned it from somewhere.
The Emperor’s gaze swept past the fine hair spilled onto the ground, then in order over the slender waist tightly cinched with a jade-green belt and the small buttocks revealing subtle curves, and finally stopped at the graceful fingers touching the dirt ground. White and slender, just like those eyes.
Seeing there was no breast, it was clearly a man, but somehow it seemed one would need to spread open the space between his legs to be certain of his gender. The Emperor, who had enjoyed bedding male concubines famous enough for their beauty, had never seen something as confusing as the one before his eyes.
Anyway, for now he was more curious about the color of the eyes than what was between the legs. The Emperor finished his brief observation and opened his mouth.
“Lift your head and show me your face.”
Sansan hesitated then carefully lifted his head. Though displeased with the sluggish behavior, the Emperor waited silently, but when Sansan only lifted his face enough to show his small, round forehead and fine eyebrows, his brief patience snapped.
“When the Emperor commands, do you dare ignore it?”
Hearing the sharp voice, Sansan flinched in surprise, his shoulders jumping, and only then tremblingly lifted his face completely. At the small, delicate face finally revealed before his eyes, the Emperor felt an aching pain in his chest for no reason.
“……A face that can’t live normally anywhere.”
As he muttered this, Sanwol and her party approached from the direction of the rear hall with urgent steps at just the right time. Sanwol, who stood as if shielding Sansan, knelt down directly. Yoon Yun-gyeom and Lee Ja-yoon also knelt side by side and bowed their heads to the ground.
“We pay our respects to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor. Long live, long live, long long live. That you would make the difficult journey to visit this lowly concubine fills me with such gratitude I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Seeing Sanwol, even with her pregnant body, kneel on the bare ground on one knee and offer greetings with propriety, Sansan was briefly stunned. She didn’t look at all like a wife greeting her husband.
“What is your name?”
The Emperor asked Sansan without even giving Sanwol a glance. When Sansan, who had been lost in thought while looking at Sanwol, didn’t respond right away, Sanwol bowed her head once more and opened her mouth.
“Though it is presumptuous to report, he is this lowly concubine’s older brother, called Yoon Sansan of the Yoon family, Your Majesty.”
“I asked your older brother.”
Only a cold reply came back. Sanwol bit her lips tightly and extended her index finger toward her older brother sitting behind, tapping the ground.
“……Sa-Sansan.”
An answer lacking any etiquette burst out. Not only Yoon Yun-gyeom and Lee Ja-yoon but even Sanwol felt dizzy. It was the moment Sanwol was about to beg forgiveness in his stead.
“What is your age? Being Concubine Yoon’s older brother, you must be older than her, but by appearances you look like a child who hasn’t even passed the age of twenty, so I can’t tell how old you are at all.”
Having no intention whatsoever of reprimanding Sansan’s lack of formality, the Emperor continued his questioning as if nothing was wrong. Sansan also answered haltingly.
“A little while ago, after the twelfth day of the fourth month passed, I turned twen-twenty-five.”
Sansan, who always included his birthday when answering if someone asked his age, revealed that habit as it was without knowing the situation.
When the Emperor asked questions, one must only answer what was asked and not add anything else carelessly. It was clearly an answer against propriety, but the Emperor didn’t make an issue of this either.
Instead, the Emperor, whose perceptiveness was a hundred dan, realized through the briefly exchanged conversation that this older brother of Concubine Yoon was a bit inadequate. He also seemed unable to concentrate well when someone spoke. He wouldn’t be problematic enough to call an idiot, but there was clearly a difference compared to ordinary men of twenty.
He continued questioning while pretending not to notice.
“Why haven’t you entered official service?”
“……That is,”
“Can you read?”
Sansan, who had never imagined receiving such questions from the Emperor, couldn’t answer right away as his head turned white with shame. He fidgeted with his lips before barely spitting out an answer.
Footnote:
Mishi (미시) – Time period: 5:00 AM – 7:00 AM
Shishi (식시) – Time period: 7:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Sinshi (신시) – Time period: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Dan (단) – Unit of measurement for perception/wit (백 단 = hundred dan = extremely perceptive)
Yangsimdian (양심전) – Palace hall where the Emperor takes lunch
