“……I know many characters.”
At the answer that dared to assert pride without fear despite being in what situation, the Emperor briefly laughed in disbelief. The ignorant attitude was both foolish and pathetic, but on the other hand, he thought it was cute.
Cute. It was quite an unfamiliar emotion for the Emperor. He wasn’t at all accustomed to such ticklish sentiments.
“You know many characters—quite impressive.”
“I am, I am deeply honored.”
Not knowing it was sarcasm and answering properly according to etiquette for the first time, the Emperor finally burst out laughing with a snicker. Finding it amusing and wanting to say more, one of the head eunuchs standing to the side slightly bent his knee and touched the ground with his fisted hand.
“Though it is presumptuous to report, Concubine Yoon continues to kneel, Your Majesty. I fear the precious imperial grandson might be harmed, so please look down with mercy.”
Only then seeming to notice the kneeling Sanwol and her parents, the Emperor let out a short “Ah” in exclamation.
“Everyone rise.”
“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”
“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”
“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”
Sanwol stood first, followed by Yoon Yun-gyeom and Lee Ja-yoon rising and bowing at the waist.
“Your, your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”
Last, Sansan rose to his feet and spoke, following his younger sister’s words. The Emperor’s gaze was directed only at Sansan the entire time.
“So you are of the Yoon family, Jusa of the Ministry of Works.”
“This subject, Yoon Yun-gyeom, pays respects to His Imperial Majesty the Emp—”
“That’s enough greeting.”
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively to stop Yoon Yun-gyeom, who was about to kneel again to offer formal greetings, and briefly shifted his gaze to Sanwol.
“I heard your family members entered, so I stopped by to offer congratulations. Let us go inside.”
Having spoken thus curtly, the Emperor gave Sansan one more glance before walking with large strides toward the rear hall of Yeongnyeong Palace. He forcibly suppressed the inexplicable emotion that strangely made him want to keep turning back.
He’s probably following well. Whatever. Where would the likes of him try to go in this imperial palace?
***
“You seem to like gwapyeon.”
It was a situation where they suddenly ended up having refreshments with the Emperor out of the blue.
Sanwol was anxious about this gathering due to the conversation she’d just had with her parents, so she only pretended to drink tea, and Yoon Yun-gyeom and his wife were also only pretending to drink, their minds elsewhere wondering how to steer the conversation.
In contrast, as for Sansan, he had even brought in with his own hands the gwapyeon he’d been eating at the inner courtyard of the front hall. A court lady who discovered this belatedly tried to appease him in embarrassment, saying she’d bring new ones, but Sansan insisted stubbornly, asking how he could throw away what his sister had prepared for him.
“Just let him eat.”
Only after the Emperor’s command fell did the anxious court ladies feel relieved and place a small offering table beside Sansan, putting the gwapyeon dish on it. From then on, Sansan had been eating gwapyeon alone, nibbling away.
“……I, I like it, so I forgot my dignity and ate.”
“Shall I have it wrapped for you when you leave the palace?”
“……That is, n-no. It’s alright.”
Though it was partly because he liked gwapyeon, more than that it was because it was a thoughtful gesture his younger sister had prepared, so Sansan didn’t want to leave any behind and firmly declined the Emperor’s kindness.
“Tsk.”
At that, the Emperor clicked his tongue. In an instant the tea room froze, but only Sansan didn’t know it.
Could someone be this oblivious? Having never seen someone so oblivious until now, the Emperor was indescribably frustrated.
Ever since entering Yeongnyeong Palace, he’d been speaking only to him, yet there was no reaction like this. Astounded, the Emperor swept over Concubine Yoon and her parents once with a cold gaze.
How could offering a blood sibling from a pregnant concubine’s family be something new? As usual, if they recommended it first from their side, he had no intention of refusing, but he didn’t hide at all his displeasure with this situation.
At that, Lee Ja-yoon, who had been waiting for the right moment, thinking this was it, quickly opened her mouth.
“Though it is presumptuous to report, Your Majesty. Sansan has especially loved gwapyeon since childhood, and since the siblings’ affection was truly extraordinary, Concubine Yoon Mama often made gwapyeon for him when she was at the family home. Because it’s gwapyeon prepared by Mama, it seems Sansan is particularly greedy for it, Your Majesty.”
“If your affection was so good, you must have been greatly distressed when Concubine Yoon entered the palace.”
“How could words fully describe that distress, Your Majesty? Though it’s embarrassing to mention since he’s an inadequate son, he threw a tantrum saying he’d enter the palace too, so he was severely scolded.”
At Lee Ja-yoon’s words, Sanwol secretly bit her lips. Even if twisting the truth, how could she twist it like that?
It was about how her brother, unable to bear watching her cry so much saying she didn’t want to enter the palace, pleaded asking if he could go in her place and ended up getting beaten. She felt fury rising from within. Mother was making a fool of her brother.
“Oh my.”
The Emperor gave a strange smile. Sansan sat across from the Emperor not knowing what was what, just glancing at Lee Ja-yoon. Sanwol, who had slightly observed that sight, clenched her fist inside her sleeve.
Already within the palace, there were quite a few cases of sisters entering together to serve the Emperor. She knew this was a way to build power. But it wasn’t an older or younger sister—one couldn’t force such a thing on an older brother.
“Though it is presumptuous to report, Your Majesty, my brother said that only because he didn’t want to part from this lowly concubine. How could a man enter the palace as a concubine?”
When Sanwol, who wasn’t usually oblivious, intervened to speak, the Emperor’s eyes immediately narrowed. He could see her making it rather obvious she disliked it.
“Of course a man cannot become a concubine. However, since your brother was so distressed, as something of a brother-in-law, I’m bothered about sending him away from the palace right away.”
Of course, such feelings of Sanwol’s weren’t the Emperor’s concern.
Having thus expressed his true intentions indirectly, the Emperor turned his gaze back to Sansan.
“Are you married?”
“……Not yet.”
“How have you not married even past the age of twenty? Your sister has already conceived my child.”
“That is, I……”
Sansan fell into anguish. If the Son of Heaven asked, must he report everything including secret parts related to his body? That would be too shameful. However,
“If you happen to meet His Majesty, what did I tell you to do?”
“Be gentle, be respectful, if he asks questions, answer properly……”
The words Mother had earnestly entreated held Sansan’s feet. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.
“The thing is, I’m actually,”
“Orabeoni!”
Then, Sanwol urgently called Sansan while putting down her teacup.
“Ha.”
The Emperor immediately let out an empty laugh.
“I didn’t think so, but are you being jealous right now?”
His tone was quite sharp. Sanwol stood without delay and thud—knelt on both knees, bowing her head until her forehead touched the ground. Yoon Yun-gyeom and Lee Ja-yoon also knelt down in turn.
“This lowly concubine has committed a mortal sin. But it is decidedly not jealousy. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Jealousy was the foremost of the seven grounds for divorce—a grave sin where one couldn’t say anything even if immediately expelled. Though it truly wasn’t out of jealousy toward her brother, if the Emperor saw it that way, then it was so, therefore Sanwol waited only for the Emperor’s forgiveness while bowing her head repeatedly.
“How, how is that so, Your Majesty? It’s not like that. Wol—no, Concubine Yoon Mama—how could she be jealous? It’s just that I, I have a problem with my body, so.”
Sansan, who had been reading the situation, said this while kneeling following his family members.
“Is that so? What kind of problem that you couldn’t even marry?”
“……Actually, I am a man, but I’m n-not a complete man, so I couldn’t find a woman who would marry me.”
“What, are you saying you’re a eunuch or something?”
An imperial voice mixed with disbelief came back.
“That is, the thing is……”
Sansan couldn’t bear to say more and struggled. Lee Ja-yoon, who had been making a triumphant smile with her head bowed, seemed to briefly exchange glances with Yoon Yun-gyeom, then slightly raised her head.
“Though it is presumptuous to report, this humble woman’s son has inadequate parts, so if you permit it, may this humble woman report in his stead?”
“Speak.”
“Though it may not be worthy for Your Majesty to know, this humble woman’s inadequate son is a eunuch. Born that way, we have been unable to arrange his marriage until now.”
“……A born eunuch? Not hidden inside?”
It was a question asked because there were occasionally those whose testicles were buried behind the penis and hard to see.
“Yes, Your Majesty. This humble woman’s son has no testicles at all.”
Footnote:
Imperial Voice (옥음/玉音) – The Emperor’s voice
Seven Grounds for Divorce (칠거지악/七去之惡) – Seven reasons a wife can be divorced in traditional law, with jealousy being the foremost
