Chapter 37 …
The funeral procedures for the Crown Princess began. The royal family, who had suddenly lost the Crown Princess, were in a state of complete disarray, unable to even gather their wits.
They had known childbirth was dangerous, of course. But she had never been particularly frail, so no one had expected this outcome.
The Crown Prince, in particular, was so shocked by the news that he collapsed on the floor. There wasn’t a single person in the palace who was in their right mind.
“The little lady cried so much she ended up vomiting.”
“I’ll go see her.”
Everyone was too shaken to pay attention to the children.
The Crown Princess’s final command had been to entrust Hongyeon to Consort Yang’s quarters. No further orders had been given after that. As a result, Hongyeon was left waiting in Consort Yang’s residence, caught in a kind of passive neglect.
Though she didn’t fully grasp the concept of her mother’s death, six-year-old Hongyeon could tell that something was terribly wrong. Wailing echoed all around, and the atmosphere had become solemn and heavy. She began refusing food and cried nonstop.
The Queen collapsed in shock, and the King was preoccupied taking care of her. The Crown Prince was busy preparing the funeral while looking after the heir, so there was no one she could rely on immediately.
Hongah wanted to bring Hongyeon to Yeonggyeong Hall. But there were protocols in the palace. She couldn’t simply drag the child back while everyone else objected.
All she could do was comfort and soothe her young sister.
“I’ll come see you every two hours. Soon, when I meet Father or Grandfather, I’ll ask them to let us be together. So don’t cry. I don’t know what to do when you cry.”
She wanted to cry too. She couldn’t believe she had lost her mother, nor could she accept this chaotic reality where she had been tossed aside in the midst of her mother’s death.
It felt as if she and Hongyeon had been stranded on a remote island together. She constantly had to steel her expression to keep tears from spilling, determined to protect her little sister.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Palace grew noisy. It was inevitable—after all, the Crown Princess, who had reigned as the steadfast mistress of the Eastern Palace for years, had suddenly died.
Even without a mistress, the palace had always run smoothly. But cracks were beginning to show.
“From this moment on, I will oversee the court ladies of the Eastern Palace. You will obey my commands.”
Jung Seunghwi, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward to assert control over the palace attendants. Since the late Crown Princess had delegated part of her duties to Jung, she had the justification to do so.
However, contrary to her intentions, some refused to follow Jung Seunghwi’s temporary leadership.
“Once Lady Hong gives birth to a son, the Jung family’s reign will be over anyway!”
Lady Hong hadn’t given birth yet. If she bore a son, everyone knew exactly where the Crown Princess’s seat would go.
If Jung Seunghwi had at least looked after the Crown Prince’s heir to strengthen her position, she might have held some advantage, but her thoughts hadn’t reached that far. She was too busy trying to control the panicked court ladies and keep her own place.
Hongah silently watched the clash between the concubines.
Jung Seunghwi, who fiercely coveted the position of Crown Princess but neglected the Crown Prince’s children, and Hong Seunghwi, who stayed quiet but arrogantly relied on the Crown Prince’s favor because she believed the child in her womb was a boy.
Neither was the kind of Crown Princess Hongah wished for.
Their power struggle didn’t even stop at the Eastern Palace courtyard. Watching was not the same as condoning—and Hongah especially didn’t want to see this in front of her.
“Will you all shut your mouths!”
Her nanny’s furious outburst reflected Hongah’s own feelings and gave her a brief sense of relief. The court ladies only retreated after receiving Hongah’s contemptuous glare.
“Young Lady, please don’t worry too much.”
The nanny watched her carefully. As the chief attendant, she knew better than anyone how heated the struggle was becoming.
“I’m fine.”
It wasn’t a lie. But the situation was truly dire.
Hongyeon still couldn’t return to the Eastern Palace. And even if she did, she might be immediately expelled from the palace.
If the sisters left the palace now, in the midst of the concubines’ fight for the Crown Princess’s seat, and the Crown Prince happened to give some hint to anyone, things would become irreversible.
None of the current women were fit to become the next Crown Princess.
Hongah didn’t know how much longer she’d remain in the palace, but she tried to stabilize things as much as possible. Stability in the Eastern Palace was what her mother would have wanted.
She summoned the court ladies of each residence for admonishment, and every day she toured the palace to monitor internal affairs.
Some whispered that she was acting like an adult despite being a child, but she held the title of a royal princess and, by royal standards, was already of marriageable age. No one could dismiss her.
“Lady Hong has requested permission to leave the palace.”
The nanny and the attendants of Yeonggyeong Hall supported Hongah’s efforts to bring order. Gaea, while lingering near the Queen’s Hall, brought news that was indeed useful.
“Leave the palace?”
“Yes. She says she wants to give birth at her family’s residence.”
It wasn’t uncommon for concubines to give birth outside the palace. But for her to suddenly make this request despite the birthing chamber already being prepared in the Eastern Palace was unusual.
“Apparently, her words were rather harsh.”
“How so?”
“Well…”
Gaea hesitated, worried Hongah might be angered.
“She said she feared misfortune would befall the child. That there are too many vengeful spirits in the palace for her to give birth in peace.”
“How could she say something so disgraceful!”
Once again, it was the nanny who expressed outrage on Hongah’s behalf. Hongah’s gaze turned icy, her chest frozen over.
“That’s not something the Young Lady should have to hear. Watch your words,”
the nanny scolded Gaea, noticing Hongah’s chilling expression. But Hongah slowly shook her head. She was angry and wanted to cry, but she needed to know.
“Did Her Majesty grant her request?”
“Yes. But the Queen sternly warned her not to speak lightly of the Crown Princess’s misfortune. His Majesty was also angered by the incident.”
It had only been a day since the Queen had risen from her sickbed. For Lady Hong to visit her and utter such harsh words—it was no wonder the King was displeased.
“What if Lady Hong gives birth to a prince?”
“Then he’ll simply be Father’s second son.”
Her reply was cold, but she understood why the attendants were anxious. If Lady Hong bore a son and became Crown Princess, Hongah and her brother’s position would be in danger. It worried and angered her as well.
But she wasn’t concerned about the baby in Lady Hong’s womb. That child would be a girl—and would die young. She wasn’t even a real threat.
“Once Lady Hong leaves, the Eastern Palace will finally quiet down.”
Her mother had entrusted duties to Jung Seunghwi for a reason: to keep Lady Hong, who still enjoyed the Crown Prince’s favor, in check. Even if Jung’s voice grew louder temporarily, it was necessary to support her.
Jung Seunghwi was simple. She was greedy and loud, but easy to maneuver.
At the same time, Hongah sensed that her departure from the palace was approaching.
It had been seven days since her mother’s death. The Queen had risen, and the King had returned to his duties. Once everyone regained their composure, they would remember the children who remained in the Eastern Palace.
Before leaving the palace, she needed to focus on stabilizing the inner quarters.
“Her Majesty trusted Jung Seunghwi to take care of the palace. I’m sure she passed away peacefully because of that.”
To do so, Hongah had to make the first move. While she searched for a suitable new Crown Princess, she lent her support to Jung Seunghwi, hoping she would maintain the inner palace peacefully.
She deliberately visited Jung Seunghwi. Jung, unaware of Hongah’s motives, acted as if she had already become Crown Princess, preening with pride.
“This is the palace my lady mother guarded. Please take care of it with all your heart, Lady Jung.”
“How could I not? To have Your Highness, the princess, come to me like this… I’m moved to tears.”
Hongah didn’t care about Jung’s insincere display. A woman who had never conceived couldn’t become Crown Princess anyway. She was just a temporary pawn, and she was free to bask in her brief moment.
Still, Hongah continued to meet with Jung Seunghwi.
Rumors quickly spread that Hongah favored Jung Seunghwi as the next Crown Princess. It was intentional, but the fact that such talk spread so soon after her mother’s death was almost laughable.
Hongah headed toward Yeonggyeong Hall, unable to hide her weary expression.
She spent mealtimes at Consort Yang’s residence to look after Hongyeon, searched for books that might help with selecting a Crown Princess, and spent her spare time meeting Jung Seunghwi or monitoring the court ladies. She had no time to rest.
As her complexion worsened, the court ladies’ worries grew.
“Isn’t that the Princess of Danyang?”
A voice called from behind—familiar, but not quite.
Hongah sighed and turned around.
Judging from the disrespectful tone, it was probably one of her lesser uncles. Since her mother’s death, various uncles had entered the palace under the pretext of consoling the Crown Prince. She met his gaze slowly.
And in that moment, her fatigue vanished. A surge of alertness rose from her toes, engulfing her.
Hongah straightened her back, clasped her hands, and greeted him properly. Her weary expression disappeared, replaced by a composed, calm demeanor.
