Eps 25 : I Know What You Do

"Is that the only information you have so far?"

"Yes, milady. So far, the information I got said that Her Majesty deliberately isolated Seonhwadang because she did not want anyone to know the condition of Concubine Kang Suk-Ui. " replied a young palace maid with slightly proud tone because she succeeded in completing important commands so well.

Feeling satisfied with the answer, Court Lady Nam, a private assistant who served Royal Queen Dowager Shin, reached into the arm of her clothes and handed over a bag of heavy payments she had prepared. A smile set on a young palace face see the payment.

"Welldone. Make sure you close your lips tightly. I will call you if you need me again," Court Lady Nam ordered firmly.

The palace maid nodded and bowed as deeply as possible until Court Lady Nam turned to leave their meeting place tonight. The palace maid began to search the bag that Court Lady Nam had given and start to counting her payment.

Because she was too happy to count the coin pieces that were obtained as payment into Royal Queen Dowager Shin's spy, she did not realize the figure of the man who was lurking.

The man walked very slowly, trying to ambush him from behind. Until the yield stuck to the coins that fell to the ground, the only sound that was heard in the silence of the pavilion, not far from the southern palace, was the yield.

...

"Please save me. Argh hmmbh!

The shriek of fear that was restrained was heard in the midst of silence before the turn of the day. The time that should have been used was stained with a palace harem punishmet in an empty pavilion yard.

Two senior Court Ladies were punishing a servant by covering her face with cloth and then watering it with the cold water.Water makes the cloth attach to the second skin on the face of the servant, making her unable to breathe properly. Meanwhile, several palace maid watched in horror and fear of the punishment. Occasionally, the palace maid glanced at the figure who delivered a sentence.

"... BBBHH H-help, please forgive me. I admit this mistake." She groaned shortly after the cloth attached to her face was released.

"You can't forgive him easily, your Majesty. However, make this event a lesson for the servants who serve you every day," explained the man who stands next to a wooden chair that is being occupied by a woman with a luxurious dress typical of a member of the kingdom.

"Please forgive me. I don't intend to do this to you, Your Majesty."

"It's clear you made a fatal mistake, but you are so brave to ask forgiveness!" The man snapped, his eyes filled with hatred. "This punishment is too light. You should kill her! I am confident that you will men—

"Brother, please calm yourself," The woman finally said after silently listening to the brother's rage.

The man turned his head. His eyes highlighted his surprise at the attitude of his younger brother, who was so calm. "How can I be calm if I find a traitor like this among your servants? I don't-"

"I can overcome this," she interrupted. "Before dawn, you should leave. Another commotion will happen if anyone sees you around me. Go away; I can take care of this."

The man looked back at his sister with a look of disbelief. Although reluctant, in fact, his sister had a point. The man left the yard and occasionally turned to pay attention to the back of his sister, who looked cold from behind.

After her brother left, the woman moved from the wooden chair she had been sitting on earlier. His face looked so calm that there was no expression at all, but his eyes seemed to show something scary. The woman stepped closer to the servant, who was now kneeling in the yard, asking for her forgiveness.

A slanted smile rose on the corner of the woman's lips when she heard the young girl's request for forgiveness. The woman then looked down and grabbed the young servant's chin to look up at her. Her thumb gently rubbed the young maid's chin, whose face was covered in tears. Really, it is a sickening sight for the woman.

"Do I look weak in your eyes? You should be careful in how you act or who you give your loyalty to," the woman murmured with a slanted smile.

"Please forgive me. I promise I will not betray you. This time, Your Majesty, please save this servant's life."

Her Smile slowly turned into a grin. The woman then looked down and brought her lips closer to the young servant's ears. Instead of saving, the woman did not want to take risks. If the servant could betray her today, she had no idea what would happen if she let the servant still around her.

"I have warned you, repeatedly. No one should know the condition of Seonhwadang.

But you dare to denied my orders,"she said, pressing each word, then straightening her body, turning, and issuing orders.

"Close her face again. Make sure he feels the difficulty of breathing and don't show any mercy. It is sufficient that I was generous to her."

"Your Majesty, please save my life! Bhh! Your Majesty!"

Queen Jung stepped quickly out of the courtyard where the torture took place. Behind him, Court Lady Jo quickly followed the queen's steps.

"You have to re-choose the servants at your residence. We can't let anything happen like this twice."

"It will waste time, Court Lady Jo. I just need to continue the other steps of the plan I have made. Have you gotten what I asked the Astronomy Department the other day?"

"Yes, your Majesty. I have got it for you."

Jung Yeon-hee nodded briefly at Court Lady Jo's response. Without turning back to the back, which she occasionally heard, the screams of the young palace maid were heard occasionally. Yeon-hee stared straight ahead, establishing her determination to take steps for her pawn in the game. The woman did not realize the figure that had just emerged from the bushes near the empty pavilion door where the young ladies' execution was carried out.

...

"I think your decision to open a regional office rice barn is the right step, Your Majesty."

Yi Baek chuckled to hear Park Kyung-soo's praise who was also his childhood friend. As long as he was a friend and now served as a royal secretary, Kyung-soo had more often criticized than praised Yi Baek. Therefore, Yi Baek was amused and did not expect his friend to offer praise.

"Are you certain you're not eating incorrectly?"Is it me who is insensitive to see you exhausted after discussing the drought problem at the Palace Hall all day, Secretary Park?"

Kyung-soo smiled at Yi Baek's satire toward him. Kyung-soo understood, and King Yeongan was clearly surprised to find himself giving praise after all this time, since he always made scathing criticisms of the king. Even so, Kyung-soo was not afraid because he always said something that came from the heart, including in terms of criticism as well as praise.

"I just say what my heart feels. I feel you are very wise to make decisions at today's meeting."

Both of them then laughed together while enjoying the small snacks and chrysanthemum tea provided by Eunuch Jang. They talked about several other things before stopping because Yi Baek heard the commotion in front of his personal room door. A little upset, Yi Baek turned his attention to the entrance of his room.

"Did something happen?" Yi Baek asked in an annoyed tone that could not be hidden.

The door to the room opened, which then showed Yeon-hee in the doorway. Yi Baek snorted at the figure who became the culprit in front of his room. Not wasting the opportunity, Yeon-hee stepped into the room.

"What's wrong with the queen coming to see me at this hour?" Yi Baek addressed the queen directly.

Yeon-hee straightened her back after giving a greeting. Her eyes stared right at Yi Baek's eyes. "There is something I want to talk about with you, your Majesty. Please forgive this disrespectful action."

Yeon-hee glanced at Kyung-soo, who stood not far from him with his head bowed. "Together, if you don't mind," she added.

Realizing that his presence was unwanted by the queen, Kyung-soo chose to leave before King Yeongan ordered him to do so.

"Because the day was getting later, I should have leave. Please rest well, your Majesty."

Before being prevented, Kyung-soo bowed and stepped back from Yi Baek. Yi Baek had caught a sharp glance from Kyung-soo's eyes toward his wife, Queen Jung. As he recalled, Kyung-soo never gave such a gaze to concubines or the late wife, The Crown Princess Souin. This clearly raises a big question for Yi Baek.

"My King," Yeon-hee said, placing a piece of paper on the throne table before returning to continue.

"You can no longer argue. The Astronomy Department has chosen a good day. You should prepare."

Yi Baek read the paper and then laughed. Yi Baek gave Yeon-hee a sour look. "You came all the way here and ruined my meeting with the royal secretary just for this? When did you become ambitious enough to have a sex with me? Do you intend to take revenge because I left you on the first night and insulted you indirectly at night with Kang Suk-Ui?"

"Please judge me as you wish. I brought this up because of the dangers you will face soon." Yeon-hee raised her face and looked back at Yi Baek.

"What danger do you mean? I was born and raised in the palace. In fact, I know what dangers are in this place."

"The Royal Queen Dowager already knows what happened to Kang Suk-Ui's concubine. Soon, she will accuse me of covering up the condition of Concubine Kang Suk-Ui and urge the minister to propose a petition."

"I don't care if they give me a petition. So, this is just an action for me to save your position in this country, right?"

Yeon-hee chuckled at Yi Baek, who had not yet understood the direction of their conversation. "No, Your Majesty. I'm not talking about myself but about you."

Yi Baek's hand movements that were about to sip tea stopped in the air. As Yeon-hee inquired, his dark iris remained alert.Yi Baek's lips thinned out, a sign that he was being serious.

"What do you mean in this conversation?" He hissed coldly.

"The Royal Queen Dowager can use this opportunity to ensure the palace is under her power. She will depose me out of jealousy and even falsify my health as a barren queen. She will choose the new queen and force you to bear his heir. If you don't make a decision, you will never be free from the woman's confinement."

Yi Baek gripped his tea cup strongly. His mind wandered. The woman claimed to have forced the ray of her life—her mother—on her that day. The dark aura quickly adorned Roman King Yeongan. A slanted smile or a fixed gaze are no longer offensive. The atmosphere of the room immediately turned colder.

Yeon-hee remained silent for a brief moment to observe a change in her husband's expression. Her eyes darker than usual. And Yeon-hee realized she shuddered because of something that came out of Yi Baek. It took a few minutes for Yeon-hee to solidify herheart enough to continue her words.

"Because of that, I came here to give a warning and intended to offer an agreement between us."

Yi Baek glared sharply at Yeon-hee's words. A few seconds seemed to be a matter of life and death. Despite the difficulty, Yeon-hee refrained from returning Yi Baek's sharp gaze.

"In the normal conditions, I could have said your intentions were sincere. But your eyes can't lie. Your offer is full of traps," Yi Baek hissed with a choice of words containing poison.

I know what you threw at me

All that sign sign sign

Eventually you will be trapped.