“How truly commendable. Since you are in a man’s body, conception will not be easy.”
This isn’t how it was supposed to go.
An ominous feeling struck the back of his head like a hammer.
Even so, he couldn’t throw a scene here, so Song Wongyeong forced a smile. Of course, internally, tears were streaming down his face.
“Is it not merely a duty I ought to fulfill as a concubine?”
The problem was that this act was far too transparent to Seomun Cheon’s eyes.
Seomun Cheon gazed at Song Wongyeong intently. Beneath his powder-smeared white face, the distinct facial features seen yesterday flickered faintly into view. Underneath the fluttering yellow silk, muscles on his arms showed through.
Quite a good body.
Standing among the delicate concubines made that body stand out all the more. As one who appreciated beauty, Seomun Cheon did not dislike that firm body devoid of flab.
Seomun Cheon stared intently at Song Wongyeong, who appeared about two chi (approx. 6 cm) shorter than him.
“Your Majesty? Is there perhaps something stuck to this humble servant’s face?”
Song Wongyeong asked, fluttering his eyelashes excessively. Though it was a sight he would normally have detested, today it strangely weighed on his mind.
He knew Song Wongyeong was acting that way to push him away. Yet he couldn’t find it in himself to hate him.
The white-painted face, the ill-suited pink rouge, and even the semi-transparent outfit that anyone could tell was meant to draw a man’s eye.
Just what secret does that man harbor to go to such lengths?
He was curious about the story behind it. Before entering the garden, he hadn’t been this curious, but watching Song Wongyeong feign ignorance and act coy made him wildly curious.
Though he won’t spill it now.
It was Song Wongyeong, who went so far as slathering powder on his face and acting just to deceive Seomun Cheon.
Holding a confrontation right here and now wouldn’t change anything. Realizing that, the curiosity that had been boiling until a moment ago cooled down icy cold.
“It is nothing. Chief Eunuch, let us go.”
Only then did Seomun Cheon leave the spot. As the golden hem slowly faded from view, Song Wongyeong finally caught his breath.
I thought something major was about to happen.
It seemed he had drawn attention simply because he was the sole male concubine. Stroking his thickly powder-smeared face, Song Wongyeong felt relieved.
Saved thanks to this.
Watching Seomun Cheon recede back as he looked around at other concubines in the distance, Song Wongyeong calculated. If he just kept doing things this way, he would be able to survive in the inner palace without issue in the future as well.
A short while later, after taking a loop around the garden, the Emperor slipped right out. Just as the bewildered concubines were whispering among themselves, one of the Emperor’s eunuchs scurried over and announced:
“H-His Majesty says there will be no selection today, so the esteemed Mamas may return!”
“What?!”
The one who raised her voice the loudest was Mi-in Sa. Stroking the pretty hairpin tucked into her hair as if upset, she grumbled to Song Wongyeong:
“I thought His Majesty would choose me today!”
“Haha. Indeed.”
Song Wongyeong gave a half-hearted reply while stealing glances at the Emperor disappearing beyond the garden.
As expected, he was just acting on a whim.
Was the Emperor twenty-five this year? Since he had no heir at that age, the ministers must have put pressure on him.
At any rate, I didn’t catch the Emperor’s eye today either!
Song Wongyeong clenched his fist tightly inside his fluttering sleeve. He felt proud and commendable of himself for safely enduring another day. With this, things would be quiet again for a while.
However, contrary to his wish, the Emperor was keeping Song Wongyeong in mind.
After taking a loop around the west garden, Seomun Cheon came out with a snort. Behind him, the Chief Eunuch scurried along nervously.
“Will you not make a selection?”
“What use is there in making a selection when the person concerned hasn’t even realized a thing?!”
Confirming they were far from the garden, Seomun Cheon vented his anger in a low voice.
In the first place, calling the concubines out under the guise of ‘selection’ was entirely aimed at Song Wongyeong.
And yet the person concerned was grinning like a country pup that knew nothing. That fact enraged Seomun Cheon to no end.
Daring not to recognize me.
An emperor so beautiful that even from afar, one could never forget him for a lifetime.
That was the most frequently mentioned description alongside Seomun Cheon’s reign. And yet he failed to recognize him?
Besides, isn’t that man my concubine?!
If a commoner failed to recognize the Emperor, he could at least understand.
However, Seomun Cheon was Song Wongyeong’s husband. Though he hadn’t seen him properly since he entered the palace, he was his husband regardless!
As the Emperor paced back and forth briskly on the spot, the Chief Eunuch grumbled quietly:
“That is why if only you had gone to greet him on the day he entered the palace…”
“Enough!”
Seomun Cheon gave a quiet bark and huffed. It was because the Chief Eunuch’s words stung a certain part of his conscience.
“When have I ever attended the entry ceremony for concubines? The ones who should feel regret are the concubines and the clans that sent them, not Jim!”
If he knew it would come to this, he should have just dragged Noble Person Song over yesterday and given him hell.
Hands clasped behind his back, Seomun Cheon huffed as he headed toward Jeongyang Hall. Behind him, the Chief Eunuch followed with quick, short steps and offered advice:
“Instead of that, why not go right now and reveal…”
“When he failed to know Jim right in front of his nose, even if I tell him, would someone of his foolish nature even realize what he did wrong?!”
Seomun Cheon answered with an angry face and strode forward. Wrath settled on his smooth face, cold as if carved from jade.
The more he thought about it, the more insolent and curious it became.
Song Wongyeong, seen yesterday, definitely did not look like a man who intended to take a man’s seed and become pregnant. Rather, he seemed like a person who enjoyed elegance and held loyalty toward his family. By anyone’s standards, he looked like a responsible, dashing man!
Hmph, responsible, my foot. The moment he conceives an imperial heir, he’ll be the very first one terrified out of his wits.
Seomun Cheon snorted. What Song Wongyeong babbled earlier about conceiving an imperial heir or not must all be lies. What on earth was he thinking talking like that, when he’d be in real trouble if he actually conceived a child?
I wonder if he’ll cry and throw a grand scene if he actually conceives with that flat stomach of his.
Of course, the child in Song Wongyeong’s belly would be Seomun Cheon’s child. Because it was impossible for a concubine to bear the child of a man other than the Emperor.
Just thinking about it was quite satisfying. Before he knew it, the anger vanished, and a satisfied smile hovered on Seomun Cheon’s face. Faced with the Emperor’s shift, more fickle than midsummer mountain weather, the Chief Eunuch rolled his eyes and read the room cautiously.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Mm.”
Entering Jeongyang Hall, Seomun Cheon nodded languidly. Parting his robe, he sat on a chair and gestured. Soon, young eunuchs brought out tea.
“You said the next night market is in 5 days?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In 5 days, was it? Seomun Cheon counted the remaining days and curled up the corners of his mouth.
“Let us see if Noble Person Song goes out then.”
Just what would Song Wongyeong say to Seomun Cheon when he saw him then?
Will he beg for his life, asking for forgiveness just once? Or will he feign ignorance again?
Just imagining it brought a smile to his face. Seomun Cheon toyed with his teacup with satisfaction. From the porcelain teacup, a warmth was rising, just as warm as the tips of Song Wongyeong’s fingers that had brushed past him last night.
The next day, the strolls in the garden continued, but the Emperor did not appear.
Song Wongyeong had to wander around and return today as well, reduced to a laughingstock among the concubines. Since Song Wongyeong was the only one the Emperor had spoken to yesterday, today’s ridicule was doubled.
–Ho-ho. It seems His Majesty was blinded by admiration for Noble Person Song’s beauty.
–It certainly is a beauty that would be hard to take anywhere.
The concubines sneered like venomous snakes, but it had no impact on Song Wongyeong. He was merely grateful that the Emperor hadn’t come.
“As expected, it was just the Emperor’s whim.”
Returning to his palace, Song Wongyeong shed his clothes carelessly and sneered, causing the maidservants picking up the clothes beside him to gasp in horror.
“Mama! If someone hears, it will be a disaster!”
“This is the most remote spot in the inner palace, who would hear? Besides, there’s no one trying to get friendly with a male concubine anyway.”
Song Wongyeong lay crookedly on the bench cushioned with a padded mat and chided the maidservants.
“You girls keep this well in mind too. As you can tell from seeing His Majesty, men are fickle creatures by nature. Especially when it comes to producing offspring, they often tell lies…”
“Please, Mama! If someone hears, we’ll all die!”
The maidservants checked outside the window and shouted. If he said just a bit more, they looked ready to dunk Song Wongyeong’s head into a washbasin to shut his mouth. To be so weak-hearted, honestly.
“A-Alright, alright. That’s enough, isn’t it? I’m hungry, so bring out the food.”
A short while later, the maidservants tidied up the clothing and brought out the meal.
Seeing the stir-fried vegetables, a bit of braised meat, and clear soup, Song Wongyeong lifted his chopsticks with a fed-up expression. Sure enough, the taste was just so-so.
Next time I go out, I’m definitely going to eat something delicious.
Song Wongyeong made a firm resolve as he chewed on the stir-fried vegetables. Before he knew it, the whim the Emperor had thrown was thoroughly erased from his mind.
5 days later. Night.
The moment the bell for the hour of the Pig (9 PM – 11 PM) rang in the distance, Song Wongyeong snapped his eyes open. Swiftly looking around the dark palace interior to gauge if there was any sign of presence, he got down from his bed quickly.
Let’s see, the maidservants are…
They all seemed to be asleep. As old as the pavilion Song Wongyeong stayed in was, it wasn’t soundproofed, so with just a bit of listening, one could tell what the person beyond the wall was doing.
Hehe, today is finally the day!
The time had come to fully enjoy the pleasures and foods he hadn’t been able to enjoy all this time.
Let’s see, what shall I eat and play with when I go out? Meat buns? Mutton soup? Pitch-pot? Dice?
To Song Wongyeong, whose desires had vanished completely upon entering the inner palace, primitive excitement was the ultimate joy.
Therefore, without delay, Song Wongyeong finished changing his clothes and scaled the palace wall. Completely unable to imagine that the Emperor’s subordinates would be lying in ambush.
Watching that sight, the Emperor’s secret guards hurriedly reported the news to Jeongyang Hall.
“Your Majesty. Noble Person Song has just scaled the palace wall.”
“Is that so?”
