Chapter 78
Onae readily agreed to Hong-a’s request.
As the Queen’s illness worsened, the responsibilities of the head of the Inner Court grew heavier. At times like these, it was especially important to keep the princes in check. If the royal women failed to control things properly, the princes would run wild as they pleased.
This was a matter that could damage not only the Crown Princess’s standing but also the dignity of the royal family itself, so Onae took it very seriously.
“Lately, there are rumors that every palace residence is overflowing with luxury goods. Since I haven’t gone out to see them myself, it’s hard to say for certain, but they say there are items even a prince’s personal wealth couldn’t possibly buy. Isn’t that rather strange?”
Onae summoned Lady Yang and Lady Kim, the two consorts with the greatest influence, and casually broached the subject.
The consorts, who knew little of life outside the palace, hurriedly summoned their children after hearing Onae’s words. When they realized that the private assets of the consorts were indeed being used to purchase the princes’ luxuries, all hell broke loose.
Fearing that the king might discover it, they quickly reclaimed the keys to their storehouses. They even sent court maids and stewards to their lands to manage the ledgers directly.
The princes, whose assets had suddenly shrunk, began to harbor resentment. But with their birth mothers opposing them fiercely, there was nothing they could do.
“Thanks to that, the collateral relatives can finally breathe a little easier.”
Suchun-gun said this when he came by after things had somewhat settled. His way of speaking always required one to ask him to repeat himself once or twice to fully grasp what he meant.
“What did you say?”
“The princes were squeezing everyone dry, laundering money by dragging even distant relatives into it. Now they won’t be able to do that for a while.”
“Ah, I see.”
Hong-a shrugged.
“It was you who stepped in, wasn’t it?”
A voice full of dissatisfaction came from behind. It was Ikhyeon-gun, still angry and unaware of his own fault.
“What are you talking about?”
Hong-a shot back curtly. Moments like this always made her wonder whether treating Ikhyeon-gun as someone on her side was really the right choice.
“I was planning to stop hunting anyway once winter came.”
“It’s surprising you were still hunting even up to harvest season. They say you even mobilized farmers to drive the game?”
That was something Isan had dug up. Fortunately, it hadn’t become public knowledge, but in Joseon, an agrarian state, it was a serious crime deserving severe punishment.
“They were tenant farmers from land borrowed from Brother Gyeyang. I heard they offered to help first!”
“Whether you’re naive or just stupid.”
The fact that such harsh words finally slipped out of Hong-a’s mouth was entirely Ikhyeon-gun’s fault. She tried to cover for him, but he had no sense of limits.
“Does it make any sense in this country to mobilize farmers during the busy farming season? They wanted to? If you threatened not to lease them land next time, anyone would volunteer just to survive!”
“T-that’s not it. I heard Brother Gyeyang asked them for help, and they followed him.”
“Oh, sure. I bet that’s exactly how it went.”
As Hong-a sneered, Ikhyeon-gun’s face crumpled. It was the expression of someone whose pride was wounded, yet who sensed that her words weren’t entirely wrong. Do you think I don’t know you? Hong-a snorted.
This was always the problem with Ikhyeon-gun: they knew each other too well. He, too, realized that her words had merit and were grounded in reality.
“You should be grateful it ended at this. Grandmother’s condition is serious. On top of that, even the Crown Prince’s child has come down with a fever—it’s a mess.”
Hong Seung-hwi’s daughter, Hong Jin, had started suffering from a high fever not long ago. Hong Yeon, whose immunity was weak, was moved to Lady Yang’s quarters, and Hong Wi was relocated outside the Eastern Palace.
Hong-a had an instinctive sense that this was around the time a child would die. Some things didn’t need to be remembered in detail to be known. The shadow of death hung heavily over the palace, with no intention of leaving.
“If you’d been caught hunting at a time like this, it would’ve been straight to exile. Prince or not, you’d be demoted to a commoner and sent away.”
Royalty had to be exemplary. The king always thought this way and raised his children strictly.
As a father, he could be overly indulgent toward the children he cherished, but overall he was severe. So princes who failed to set an example and instead caused harm were punished harshly.
Sometimes that meant exile, sometimes confiscation of official credentials—but hunting could lead to both.
“It would’ve been fun if the three of you had gone into exile together.”
Three? He really had a talent for picking words that scraped Hong-a raw. How did Isan put up with a husband like this? She even regretted, all the way back to the distant past, having kept Ikhyeon-gun close as a foster brother and letting him grow familiar with Isan.
“You’re really something.”
“Yeah. That was going too far.”
Suchun-gun chimed in at Hong-a’s sigh.
“Lady Cheongwon-gun looks like she’s lost a lot of weight. She must’ve been very worried.”
“She has been worrying.”
A fleeting look of pity crossed Ikhyeon-gun’s face, then vanished in an instant.
“Still, a man’s work can be a bit rough. I was in trouble too, with her interfering so much.”
Ha, has he hit puberty or something?
A cold chuckle escaped Hong-a’s lips.
Fourteen. The perfect age for puberty. When Isan became king, she would be sure to ask him to make it state law that marriages be allowed only after puberty, for the sake of domestic peace if nothing else.
Watching Isan’s fraudulent marriage with her own eyes left a very bad taste in her mouth.
“If life is so light to you, and someone else’s heart-wrenching worry is just as light, then live however you please.”
Hong-a threw out the words in resignation.
“No matter how hard I try, or how much Isan worries, what use is it if you yourself don’t care? Do whatever you want. Live to your heart’s content.”
Even if he was going astray due to puberty, she had known him for thirteen years already. And disciplining Ikhyeon-gun was one of Hong-a’s specialties.
“I spoke up out of pity for an uncle destined to end his life as a petty man who achieved neither self-cultivation nor family order—but honestly, it’s none of my business.”
“W-why wouldn’t I have achieved self-cultivation or family order? I may not manage the state and bring peace to the world, but I’m doing fine with self-cultivation and family order.”
“Is it self-cultivation to leisurely enjoy killing while the Queen Mother’s body is failing and she wanders outside for treatment? Is it family order to cling to greed and ignore the worries of your wife at home, your niece in the palace, and your brothers nearby?”
Hong-a shot back with icy eyes. Ikhyeon-gun’s mouth snapped shut.
“And what if you’d been caught just as Grandmother’s condition worsened? You think it would’ve ended with the three of you going into exile together? Be glad if it had! Only Lady Kim’s two sons were involved. Do you think Lady Kim would’ve escaped punishment?”
“M-my birth mother is favored by His Majesty, so—”
“You never even considered that this could’ve led to charges of slandering the Queen, did you? If things had escalated that far, you didn’t think at all about how even your birth mother’s life wouldn’t have been safe.”
Ikhyeon-gun nodded with a frightened expression. He might have been a teenage boy, but shaking someone she had long kept under control wasn’t difficult.
“You’re no longer a brat causing trouble inside the palace. If you live within the palace, things can be settled internally—but outside, the entire populace is watching. This isn’t something I can cover up for you.”
Whenever she softened her tone at the end like this, Ikhyeon-gun fell for it without fail.
“…All right. I didn’t realize it was that serious. Hunting was just fun and exciting, so I didn’t think about anything else.”
Ikhyeon-gun sniffled, lips pouting. At fourteen, he looked ready to go running to Lady Kim, searching for his mother at any moment.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Hong-a made a decision. She couldn’t explain the reason, but it was something she needed to say at least once.
“Don’t get too close to Grand Prince Suyang.”
“Why?”
The question came immediately from Ikhyeon-gun. Suchun-gun looked curious as well.
“Don’t ask why. Just take it as a warning.”
“Did Brother Suyang do something to you?”
“Something? You know he’s done plenty. Didn’t I ever tell you how Uncle Suyang tried to hit me back then?”
Hong-a deliberately exaggerated. Both uncles’ eyes widened.
“He couldn’t actually hit me because the Eastern Palace was crawling with my people, but he did raise his hand. It was not long after Lady Hyundeok passed away.”
“R-really? It wasn’t a misunderstanding?”
“Go ask the palace maids yourselves. What would I gain from lying?”
She didn’t know who Ikhyeon-gun would consider more valuable, Suyang or herself. All Hong-a could do was what she thought best.
“Brother Suyang does have a rather rough side. He’s quick to anger.”
Suchun-gun nodded in agreement, finding it plausible. But Ikhyeon-gun pressed his lips together and said nothing. Yes—ultimately, it was his choice. It wasn’t something Hong-a could decide for him.
“Anyway, I’m just warning you. That hand he raised at me—who knows when it might be turned toward you.”
Hong-a fixed Ikhyeon-gun with a calm gaze. He avoided her eyes, looking unsure where to place them, and gave no answer at all.
