There were a few remarkably famous inns in Gyeong’an, and the Sanggwan Inn was one of them.
This inn was renowned for its enormous scale. The first floor sold alcohol and food, each floor from the second to the fifth boasted well over ten rooms, and it even possessed detached private quarters.
As its name blatantly gave away, this was an inn newly established by the Sanggwan Song clan. And it was also the base for Song Wongyeong’s rebellious escapades.
“Old Man Ha. How’s business these days?”
As Song Wongyeong stepped into the tavern on the first floor, Ha, the manager standing by the entrance, was startled out of his wits.
“Eldest Young Master! Have you come out again?!”
“It’s been a whole month since we last saw each other. Try to look a little happier.”
Song Wongyeong leaned casually against the counter and greeted him shamelessly. After checking that no one was around, Ha scolded him in a low voice.
“To leave the inner palace again! If the Master finds out, there will be hell to pay!”
“That won’t happen. The emperor doesn’t even know if I’m alive in the inner palace. Got any vacant rooms? Bring me something to eat and a change of clothes.”
“Young Master! Young Master!”
Whether Ha shouted or not, Song Wongyeong strolled right into any random room. After all, even if it reached his parents’ ears, what could they possibly do? He was a concubine.
At most, they’ll send a few letters.
Officially, Song Wongyeong belonged to the Son of Heaven—the Emperor. His status was not one that ordinary nobles could dictate or criticize.
Though, if you peel back the layers of being a concubine, I’m worse off than a passing maidservant.
Song Wongyeong snickered to himself as he looked around the neatly cleaned room. Then, his steps came to a sudden halt in front of a dressing table.
Reflected in the small mirror provided for guests was a dashing, handsome man.
Even to himself, his unadorned face felt unfamiliar. He stroked his chin and turned his face this way and that, but it felt deeply awkward.
“Did I get a bit paler than before? Well, slathering on white powder every single day will do that.”
A man’s face ought to be nicely bronzed by the sun; was there any sense in it being this pale and fair? Remembering his former face, Song Wongyeong let out a deep sigh.
It was just as he was lamenting his lost complexion.
“Hyung!”
The door burst open, and a man scurried inside. Recognizing the familiar face, Song Wongyeong beamed with delight and welcomed him.
“Oh, Wontae!”
The man, whose only resemblance to Song Wongyeong was his eyebrows, was his younger brother, Song Wontae. Song Wontae rushed over, the hem of his long robe fluttering, stamping his feet in anxiety.
“Hyung. Did you leave the palace recklessly again?!”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Hyung! What if Father and Mother find out?!”
“Nobody knows I’m gone anyway. Who on earth goes looking for a male concubine?”
Saying so, Song Wongyeong snatched the clothes from Song Wontae’s hands.
“You know this is my only pleasure in life.”
“But if you get caught, Hyung, you…”
It was all out of concern for Song Wongyeong rather than the family. Song Wongyeong ruffed up his younger brother’s hair.
“If you’re worried about me, take good care of the household. You’re the heir now.”
“Ugh, Hyung! I’m already past twenty, and you still treat me like a child?!”
“No matter how much you’ve grown, you’re a kid in my eyes. A kid.”
Song Wongyeong gave his brother a sharp scolding and changed his clothes. After finishing changing, he slumped down onto a chair as if all energy had left him.
“Give me some food. I’m starving to death.”
“Do they not even feed you properly in the inner palace?”
Song Wontae looked at Song Wongyeong’s thin cheeks with pity. Indeed, his hyung was much thinner than before he entered the palace.
“I will have them bring in a meal. Right away…”
“No, let’s not do that. Let’s go out and eat. I came out after a long time, so how could I just settle for inn food?”
“Our inn’s chef used to work in the imperial court as well… Fine, I understand.”
Song Wontae reluctantly agreed. Song Wongyeong, three years his senior, was a towering figure like the sky to Song Wontae. Not only did he feel pity for his hyung living trapped in the inner palace, but also…
If it weren’t for Hyung, I would have been the one who had to enter the inner palace.
Out of guilt and a slight sense of indebtedness, Song Wontae decided to turn a blind eye to his hyung’s rebellion.
He figured nothing bad would happen from wandering around for just a day–no, half a day. Thinking that way, Song Wontae made a suggestion to Song Wongyeong.
“It just so happens to be time for me to go inspect the goods of a brewery we trade with. Let us go together.”
“My timing was impeccable!”
Song Wongyeong sprang up instantly and pushed Song Wontae ahead.
“Come on, hurry, let’s go! Quickly!”
“Hyung, I’m going to fall!”
“Oops, can’t have that. Hahaha.”
The two left the inn in high spirits. Completely unaware that the women passing by behind them asked Ha, the manager:
“Who was that handsome gentleman that just passed by? Is he a guest staying here?”
“Haha… Ha.”
Having nothing to say, Ha, the manager, could only reply with a helpless chuckle.
“This way, Hyung.”
Song Wontae led Song Wongyeong into a back alley. Following his brother, Song Wongyeong looked around the somewhat quiet alley.
“The path is different from before. Is it a newly contracted place?”
“Yes. The taste of the liquor is exquisite, so I couldn’t miss out on it. You will be satisfied as well, Hyung.”
Song Wongyeong unconsciously smacked his lips.
“That’s wonderful. The thing I missed most in the inner palace was alcohol.”
“Does that damned imperial court not feed you properly nor give you alcohol?”
“You know how it is. Concubines aren’t allowed to indulge in greed. They say appetite is one of those greeds.”
Hearing Song Wongyeong’s words, Song Wontae’s anger flared up.
“Jealousy or envy is one thing, but I really can’t understand that. How can a person live without eating?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Living in the inner palace is fine and all, but stuff like this… Urk!”
It was the very moment they turned a corner.
A refreshing fragrance brushed past the tip of his nose. It was an elegant, noble scent, yet somehow one that made a person’s skin crawl with a chill.
Where have I smelled this before?
Where was it… Before he could even recall, Song Wongyeong bumped into someone.
“Ouch!”
The other person’s body was so firm that the moment they collided, Song Wongyeong’s body bounced back. Song Wongyeong stumbled while supported by his brother.
“Ugh…! Hey, you should watch where you’re going…!”
Rubbing his nose, he raised his head and saw someone wearing a veiled hat (myeongni).
Comically enough, his very first thought was that this person was quite pretty. Even without seeing their face, a neat and graceful aura naturally radiated from them.
Moreover, the facial line veiled beneath the hat was so pure and clear that the body didn’t even catch his eye. It was as if a person sculpted from jade was moving.
Presumably, this isn’t a man, Song Wongyeong assumed off the top of his head, bowing his head.
“I apologize. I wasn’t looking ahead.”
“How dare you…!”
The other person’s elderly servant tried to step forward, but the person wearing the veiled hat blocked him.
However, as if quite angry, the hand reaching out from beneath the light-green silk sleeve was trembling faintly.
Did I do something wrong?
Song Wongyeong was quick on the uptake with things like this. As expected of a popular man, he had a knack for reading a beauty’s mood.
“I acted rudely by running out without looking ahead. Please forgive me.”
Even though Song Wongyeong apologized once more, the person in the veiled hat remained silent. They just watched what Song Wongyeong was doing. Very quietly, as if curious about what he was thinking.
Before long, a voice leaked from between the veil.
“…is.”
It was a voice as quiet as the sound of the wind, and just as Song Wongyeong asked, “Pardon?”, thugs holding blades burst out from all directions into the deserted back alley.
They surrounded Song Wongyeong and his group in an instant and threatened them.
“Hehe. Give us everything you have and we’ll let you go quietly.”
“Or play with us for a bit.”
At that moment, the passerby in the veiled hat was seen clenching their fist tightly. Song Wongyeong narrowed his eyes.
Unfortunately for those thugs, Song Wongyeong was someone who could not tolerate such injustice. Old habits die hard, so naturally he couldn’t just let this pass by either.
Just when I was feeling stiff, this worked out nicely.
Song Wongyeong clenched his fists while looking around like a watchful beast. Good, there’s no one around.
“Wontae. Step back. I’ll handle this.”
“Hyung!”
Song Wontae tried to stop him, but Song Wongyeong had already bolted out like lightning.
Thwack! Bam! Crack!
Every time a loud noise echoed, Song Wontae pressed a hand to his forehead. Song Wongyeong was gleefully beating up the thugs as if pounding laundry. Moving so nimbly he was practically flying, the thugs dropped their knives and clubs, reduced to rolling around on the ground.
“D-Do you know who we are?!”
“Would anything change if I knew?”
Song Wongyeong picked up a knife rolling on the ground and tossed it into the air. Then, spinning around, he caught the falling blade and hurled it toward the thugs. The knife landed precisely right between a thug’s legs. If it hadn’t been a hair’s breadth away, it would have caused a disaster.
“Eek!”
“You know what happens if you flap your mouths, right? Get lost before I report you to the magistrate.”
“S-Sorry!”
“Sir! Thank you!”
The thugs begged for forgiveness frantically before fleeing as if their tails were on fire. Snorting at them, Song Wongyeong approached the people who had been threatened.
“Are you unhurt?”
Song Wongyeong offered a handkerchief to the person wearing the veiled hat. The person hesitated silently before snatching the handkerchief.
Quite a coy one. Song Wongyeong clicked his tongue inwardly and advised:
“It is dangerous for a precious young lady like you to be in a back alley like this.”
The moment he said those words, for some reason, the person in the veiled hat froze stiff as a board.
Am I imagining things?
Naturally, he had no way of imagining that this ‘young lady’ was none other than the Emperor and his own husband.
