That Early Bloom

Changdeokgung Palace (Eastern Palace)

The wild beauty of the woody backdrop of Eastern Palace, at the foothills of Ungbong Peak of Mount Baegaksan, with its lush slopes undulating the periphery of the Palace walls, was a glorious sight to behold. Towering pines and dense oaks formed a natural fortress where the sparkling golden rays created a mystery of light and shadow, making Min Jay Yi want to uncover its secrets and lock them away like a treasure.

She stood on the bridge on the north side of the small pond she had frequented as a eunuch. The wild colours of the young spring day were painted perfectly in the water, the artist in her following the contours with a keen eye. Jay Yi's starved gaze drank in the beauty, her hands clasping each other under her long pale pink jacket over a coral green skirt. 

Jay Yi made most of her one-hour break daily by combing the Palace grounds, and today was no exception. There was no restriction on where she could go as long as she did not go outside the Eastern Palace gates or near the Seonjeongjeon Hall, where the Court sat for sessions. Hwan had moved his chambers near the main hall of the Eastern Palace, and from what she heard, the Queen's chambers were located within that premises. 

She closed her eyes, inhaling the joy of being alive in the Palace. The air was crispier than paper, filling her lungs with the sweet freshness of dew-kissed flowers and young spring leaves. It seemed surreal that she was seeing the same sights again and breathing the same air as Hwan, who was only a few buildings away. The thought curled her toes.

He wanted the entire world to know he was bringing his Queen home.

The thought should have made her as happy as a lark. She was not unhappy, quite the contrary; she was deliriously delighted to return to the Palace, but thoughts of inadequacy plagued her. What if she couldn't live up to the high standards expected of her? Would Hwan come to resent her for the very qualities he loved her now? What if - she lost herself?

While her insecurities tormented her, others went out of their way to meet her with kindness and open arms. 

Hwan was leaving no stone unturned for this marriage, ensuring every ritual was meticulously followed. 

Jay Yi had been overwhelmed by the welcome from her Uncle, Aunt, and cousins, who had genuinely been overjoyed to see her. A tearful reunion had led to many recriminations, scoldings and grateful, warm embraces. They had always loved her, and she believed them when they said they would have helped her had she come to them. 

The Napchae ceremony had been beautiful. The Ministry of Rites presented the formal proposal letter and Hwan's four pillars to the Min family. She had broken down as she had offered her respects to her father and ancestors. With the official acceptance letter, Jay Yi's palanquin had followed her older cousin on horseback, who acted as her juin or her representative, escorting her to the Palace gate. 

Hwan had departed right after she had sat in the palanquin at her villa so he would be ready on time to receive the official reply and complete the ritual of Sunapchaeui.

Like he had for his previous crown princess, Hwan had designated her detached Palace within the Eastern Palace gates. Previously unoccupied, Hwan had spent the last year preparing the stately building with several apricot trees swaying gently in neat lines around it. It was further down from the now-empty Crown Prince building but closer to Hwan's library. 

Princess Hayeon was the first royal to greet her upon her arrival. Both acted as if it were their first meeting, with Jay Yi performing a curtsy and Hayeon responding with an enthusiastic nod. An unintentional remark had slipped from Hayeon's lips, "I always knew you were pretty -" and she had managed to catch herself just in the nick of time, "I mean, heard you were pretty, but you are truly beautiful," she concluded somewhat awkwardly, much to her own chagrin and Jay Yi's amusement.

They had pretended to sit formally until the court ladies had left them alone at Hayeon's instructions.

The young woman had immediately risen and thrown her hands around Jay Yi. "Thank you, Bin-assi," leaving Jay Yi stunned at her formal address as a would-be Queen, "You have no idea how happy you have made all of us by agreeing to marry Oraboni. You saved him and saved us from a terrible fate." 

Jay Yi had looked down, humbled. "I did not do it alone; it was mostly His Majesty's bravery and smart thinking; otherwise, I would have been dead already," Jay Yi laughed sheepishly. 

"Psst. He would never have let you come to any harm. It must have been so hard for you to hear those nasty rumours. We said so many cruel things to you..."

"You did not know, Your Highness.'

"But Oraboni should have stopped us when he knew you were listening and hurting. I am so sorry. I have felt so awful about that!"

"Your Highness, His Majesty believed in me, and that was enough for me. I can never forget that as long as I live."

"You taught him how to trust again and be happy. You had to come to him, Bin-ssi! I believe in fate." Princess smiled. "Though I hear he has been not all that gallant lately..?" 

Jay Yi's eyes widened as she turned pink. How much had Hwan been sharing with Princess? 

"Do you remember, Your Highness, you were the one who welcomed me to the Eastern Palace the first time around, too?" Jay Yi quickly changed the subject, and Princess Hayeon launched into fun old memories.

"How did you get hold of that name?"

"His Majesty thougt of it right then and there."

They giggled, remembering the first Polo match. 

"Now I know why Oraboni suddenly decided to play," Hayeon's laughter tinkled. "He found out you bet on the army, and Oraboni had to show off to you! I felt so bad when he won, but now I do not feel bad at all! He had to win his lady love," Hayeon teased.

"Ah! So why did you feel bad at his win?" It was Jay Yi's turn to tease, and Hayeon's face flamed up prettily. Hayeon's love for Sung On was so transparent. She vowed to do something about it soon.

Her retinue of seven Court maids were faces all unknown to her. As an Eunuch of the lowest rank, she had not been allowed to mingle with women or visit the ladies' quarters. Only the inner circle of Crown Prince and Princess Hayeon's Court ladies knew her true history, and they had been sworn to silence. These seven Court ladies hastened to help her whenever she faltered, quietly guiding her around as she took baby steps in her daunting journey.

Not everyone was falling over their feet to welcome her, though. 

"What is so special about you?" When Jay Yi had visited Hwan's Great Aunt Dowager as her first duty call, the woman had scrutinised her. 

Closely.

"Good skin. Good hair. All your teeth are in place." She peered some more. Jay Yi felt like one of those specimens Master Myung Jin often dragged into his lab at Manyeodang to take apart.

"Bin-ssi is, err, really beautiful, Your Highness." The older Court lady with grey skin and pudgy marks all over her face had remarked from beside the dowager, but oddly, it sounded less like a compliment and more like a slight.

"Is she? Hmnn. I can see why he is so fixated on her, enough to disregard rules." Both the women looked at each other and gave a conspiratorial smile. "It makes it more believable, right?" The court lady gave a small giggle behind her hand at the dowager's smirk.

It was an insult. Jay Yi was not yet sure what they meant.

Court Lady Kim, the woman in charge of training Jay Yi, was another matter altogether. Cold as an ice block, the woman was a terrifying taskmaster. She was one of the top-ranked Court ladies, in charge of the highest number of junior court ladies. She was also someone Jay Yi had the misfortune to meet once and go into a full-blown altercation that had needed Hwan's intervention and a swift dressing down. Jay Yi was half afraid the woman would recognise her. However, Court Lady Kim had shown no sign of remembering her or connecting her to Go Sun Dol.

From what she had come to understand from Hwan, Late Princess Han's demise had left an indelible impression on her as she had been charged with her welfare. As a result, she hovered over Jay Yi like a hawk and never left her alone, which was becoming a problem on its own.

From the moment Jay Yi had stepped into the Palace, her work had been cut out. Her itinerary for the day was worse than what it was as a Crown Prince's eunuch. Then, she at least had the joy of seeing Hwan every day, and sometimes for long hours.

In the ten days she had been here, there was no sign of Hwan. Court Lady Kim had made it clear that before the Chaekbin, or the coronation ceremony of the Queen, she would not be allowed to meet any men, including Hwan and the Court Eunuchs. Jay Yi's insides had rebelled like an inferno waiting to burst out of a volcano. 

However, she had little time to dwell on the absence of the man her soul craved for. Her morning started with washing, rituals, and prayers, then hours of reading Elementary Learning or Sohak by Zhu Xi, followed by training in royal etiquette. The timetable of her upcoming days was filled with discourses on the intricacies of royal ceremonies, rituals, and the proper decorum expected within the Palace. She had to master the traditions associated with state affairs, ancestral worship, and other important occasions. In between, there were several small and large marriage ceremony rituals that were equally gruelling. Two days ago, the bridal gift ceremony had been so exhausting that she had literally sunk into oblivion at night.

Her language tutor was impressed by her in-depth knowledge of Classical Chinese, literature and politics, governance and diplomacy. "You are exceptionally well-read" or "You have a keen mind" were compliments she had grown accustomed to hearing from her tutors since childhood; this instance was no exception. Her artistic accomplishments were equally well-lauded. 

However, it was an entirely different affair when it came to her mannerisms.

"How do you not know how to walk?" Jay Yi's first fear had come true. Her neck creaked from the books she had to balance on her head to learn how to 'float'. A silent litany of curses had escaped her mouth as she slogged through the task she had hated since childhood.

"Softer, softer! You need to stop putting force on your vocal cords!" By the time they were finished with her, Jay Yi would probably sound like a hollow wheezing flute. 

Then, all of a sudden, her thoughts scurried back to the infamous Lady Kang at the Inn, and Jay Yi threw herself into the training with vigour.

In a way, she was thankful to have court lady Kim as her mentor. Jay Yi knew her only hope of success lay with someone who was almost pernickety about protocols, and knowing herself, Jay Yi appreciated the approach. 

 She had never shied away from hard labour, but this was different. It squeezed every ounce of patience and left her bone-weary by the end of the day. By the time evening came, she was ready to crash.

While she had not seen Hwan or heard from him, Princess Hayeon had visited her for the first couple of days until the dowager apparently had put a halt on it. 

"You are not allowed to meet other royals until your etiquette training is complete, Bin-ssi," Court lady Kim had informed her of the arbitrary order matter of fact. 

However, Jay Yi was allowed to visit the dowager. So, she did.

The dowager fanned herself. Jay Yi heaped a spoonful of tea leaves into the pot and added hot water. She poured the liquid into a cup, and the court lady passed it to Great Aunt Dowager Princess Lady Hyegyeong. 

The woman took an appreciative sip of the tea. Jay Yi sent a silent thanks to her Aunt Min, who had packed the exotic Japanese tea leaves known for relieving joint aches in the marriage chest that she and her husband, her Uncle Min, had sent with her to the Palace. Her beloved Uncle had left no corners unturned in giving her a fitting farewell as a daughter of the Min House. 

The dowager and the court lady carried themselves with a certain amount of disdain towards the royals, and Jay Yi's sensitive nostrils were already sniffing the air for intrigue. Jay Yi restrained herself from wiping her restless hands on the silk of her skirt, praying that the primitive life form who passed for Great Aunty Dowager Princess Lady Hanyeong would not see past her serene, almost expressionless face, barring a slightly curved line masquerading as a smile. 

"I've heard you've been experiencing some difficulty controlling your walking pace, Bin-ssi," remarked the dowager.

Startled, Jay Yi realised the woman had a network of informants reporting to her.

"I must admit, Your Highness, I have many imperfections. I seek your wise guidance to help me improve in all aspects. After all, you are a true princess, Your Highness," Jay Yi fawned.

The dowager sat up, visibly pleased. "You express yourself quite eloquently".

"I've also come to realise that my knowledge about His Majesty's history is quite lacking. I thought perhaps Princess Hayeon could offer me some lessons to help me better understand your family," Jay Yi suggested.

The dowager's expression darkened. "That Princess is nothing but trouble. She's a bad influence."

"Perhaps, as I continue my training and education, I could, in turn, help guide her towards improvement to better meet your high standards, Your Highness," Jay Yi pandered some more.

That was all it took. Now, Princess Hayeon was permitted to visit Jay Yi two times a week for 'lessons'.

Five days later, first hour after the rituals this morning to be exact, Princess Hayeon had turned up at her chambers and earnestly took her through the chronological map of the family, telling Jay Yi about Hwan and her mother, her uncles and her aunts, who did not have much to do with the royal life once Hwan's mother had passed away. While Jay Yi loved the details, she did not have the heart to tell the Princess that she knew everything she 'taught' Jay Yi and then some, as Hwan had always loved speaking about his family. She just wanted to spend time with Hayeon. However, eagle eyes were keeping a close watch on what the women did, and no doubt, things would get reported back to the dowager's quarters.

Apparently, the permission had come with an order to not leave the women alone. Jay Yi was unsure if the dowager wanted to make her life difficult or, simply for some unfathomable reason, disliked Hayeon, or both. 

Life was getting a little more suffocating than Jay Yi had imagined. She felt sorry for Princess Hayeon. 

Patiently, Jay Yi went through all the notes Hayeon had painstakingly prepared for her.

A small, neatly folded one caught her eyes.

"Meet me at the library when the clock strikes seven."

Jay Yi's heart lurched; she could feel it beating in her throat. This was the very first communication she had from Hwan in ten days. 

Library - her little place, Jay Yi thought to herself. A place she had yet to visit. 

Court lady Kim had made it clear no one but people closest to His Majesty were allowed to go to his library. It was off-limits for everyone else. There was no way for Jay Yi to tell Court Lady Kim she was not everyone else.

She had hoped she would at least see Hwan or, better still, meet him accidentally, but soon realised that aside from the morning hours being busy with rituals, prayers and court duties, he might not know her itinerary as it changed daily. 

Jay Yi had always marvelled at the harmony of nature with the seemingly chaotic lay of the Eastern Palace buildings. Within the palace walls, clusters of greens with their newly sprouted leaves recreated the broad strokes of the wild. But today, everything seemed a little more greener, a little more colourful. The water was more reflective, the breeze gentler, and the air was little sweeter.

She waited.

Would he get her message? She looked up at the sun that was rapidly ascending the sky. Would you still keep being elusive, Your Majesty?

Her skin prickled with a familiar sensation. 

She turned and saw him, magnificent in his Chosang Cheonha red robes threaded proudly with the blazing dragons, blocking her exit with his entire entourage of thirty-odd people.

"How can she when you do not allow anyone to go to the library without your permission, Oraboni?" Princess Hayeon munched on a piece of hangwa, exasperation swamped over her face at his oversight. 

Hwan had not seen Jay Yi for ten days. There were detailed updates on her whereabouts, especially from Eunuch Kim and Eunuch Cha, reporting what they learned from the Court ladies or her frequent though very brief sightings around the Palace. Hwan had desperately circled her building in the Eastern Palace numerous times, but there was no sign of her. He had chosen a residence for her that faced the east, surrounded by rows of apricot trees and furnished it with things she loved without raising too much suspicion. He had hoped it would be easy enough to visit her too when he wanted, within reason of course. Yet, as things stood now, unless he dropped everything until late afternoon and chased the entire Palace, there was no chance of his sighting her.

His cursed great aunt dowager had set extreme limitations on Jay Yi's movements around the Palace, with the most infuriating being their inability to have a private meeting before the Coronation. He couldn't fathom how he had failed to anticipate this. The cantankerous woman was clearly enjoying every minute of his dissatisfaction. 

The dowager did not like the feeling of being left out. In honesty, she should have been included in the process, but Hwan had not been able to risk it. The 'recommendation' for Min Jay Yi as a candidate had come from his father, the old King emeritus himself, so she could not do much about it. Since everyone was ecstatic at lifting the marriage ban and did not care who was selected as long as the Royal Marriage Directory was satisfied, the old woman did not have any place to vent. 

Jay Yi's presence at the Palace, so tantalisingly near yet unattainable, left him utterly powerless. She intruded on his thoughts in the middle of work. Hwan would wonder what she was doing, whether she noticed any changes in Palace life from before. The longing for her was intense. He missed her so. He would stop amid discussions, often forget his line of thought, leave sentences incomplete, and his mind would take flight while his Ministers spoke of urgent matters. 

Even though he had pulled all strings he could to divert some of the most trustworthy court ladies to Jay Yi, his great aunt had managed to cleanly circumvent his wishes and line up an army of informants led by the formidable, rigidly upright Court lady Kim, known for her no-nonsense, prudish attitude whose joy in life stemmed from ensuring strict adherence to Confucian codes within the Palace and punishing any and all who dared to flout them. He was also concerned she would recognise Jay Yi as she had once gone into a serious disagreement when she found Cout lady Kim unfairly harsh on a younger court lady. He had extracted Jay Yi with great effort and had ordered her to stay away from all such future skirmishes. 

Fortunately, no one outside of his most trusted entourage had made the connection between Min Jay Yi and Eunuch Go, including the formidable Court lady Kim. Despite the rumours, the idea had been so outlandish that it was easy for people to disbelieve it, especially when people saw Jay Yi as she appeared when entering the Palace.

One look at her back at the villa that morning made him realise with a start why Ga-ram had objected to Jay Yi coming with him dressed as she was. It had taken a good part of an hour for Ga-ram to be satisfied with her handiwork. Jay Yi had been an exquisite vision in pale mint and orange hanbok with butter-yellow borders, exquisitely embroidered on shoulders, sleeves, and back by painstaking, loving hands. A blue sapphire flower as big as his palm was secured at the top of her head, with a cluster of pearl and blue sapphires adorning the side of her hair. Freshly scrubbed, her face gleamed, her lips full and inviting, her doe-like eyes delineated like a work of art, her lashes creating alluring shadows on her butter-smooth cheeks. He had felt the air leave his lungs. 

Even Tae Kang had gaped and looked at Hwan with a mischievous smirk before lowering his eyes. The insolent brat! 

Hwan opened the two-line note Jay Yi had managed to smuggle to Hayeon. 

"I am not allowed to visit the library. The morning sun is beautiful by the bridge on the north side of the small pond."

He scanned the two sheets of paper Hayeon had handed him along with the note. 

"Please take a quick look, Oraboni. I must return the schedule to Bin-ssi before anyone starts looking for them."

The sheets contained detailed information on Jay Yi's schedule for the upcoming days.

Handing back the sheets to Hayeon, Hwan called Eunuch So, "Please cancel everything until the afternoon." 

He had precisely fifteen minutes to get to where she was. 

Hwan was sure the frantic drumming of his heart echoed audibly as he stared at Jay Yi standing still in the middle of the bridge. The pale pink of her long jeogori reflected on her face, giving her a glow of health and radiance of vitality. 

Jay Yi met his eyes briefly, a momentary sparkle flashing in her expressive eyes before she arranged her face into a pleasant, almost placid, expression of supplication.

"Your Majesty!" Feigning a surprise that could rival even the most accomplished actors, she swept her head down in a graceful curtsy. 

Hwan walked up to her. "You must be Lady Min from the illustrious Min family, my revered Master's daughter." He could pull off some acting of his own. 

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jay Yi was a vision of a demure Queen-to-be. 

"Your Majesty, we humbly beg your forgiveness. We had no knowledge of your intended visit to the pavilion this morning," Court Lady Kim intervened. Hwan would have wagered his life that she was anxious, but one could not tell by the frozen demeanour of the woman. Hwan ignored her.

"My Lady, do you find everything in the Palace to your taste and comfort?" 

Jay Yi nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty, you have been most kind and gracious. I could not have asked for more." 

"Your Majesty, if you allow, we will take your leave so your walk is not interrupted." Court Lady Kim tried again.

Hwan didn't hear her. His gaze drank in Jay Yi's ethereal-looking form, draped in the opulent, voluminous coral green and pink silk. She took his breath away. 

There was a very long silence. It was a little while before Hwan realised he had been staring at Jay Yi without blinking. 

Embarrassed, he looked away, but not before he spied faint smiles on the faces of three court ladies standing behind Jay Yi and rank displeasure on court lady Kim's face. He probably had his heart dancing in his eyes for all to see, he thought to himself with disgust. He cleared his throat. "Er, no need. You may enjoy the pavilion. How do you like the Palace so far, Lady Min?" 

"Since I came, I have only been in the Eastern Palace, which has the most beautiful gardens I have seen, Your Majesty," Jay Yi said truthfully.

"Perhaps you could accompany me to the Gyeongbokgung Palace someday. It's bigger and has even more beautiful gardens. However, I like Eastern Palace better. Someone once told me it's unique that I live in a Palace where the sun rises," Hwan said softly. 

To his satisfaction, Jay Yi looked up at him involuntarily, her eyes shining. 

"Your Majesty, I have heard your library is the most impressive in all of Joseon. Would it be all right if I visited it sometime?"

Hwan paused. He could not be seen too eager to grant her a favour he withheld from almost everyone. 

"It holds some of the rarest books in the world, so I do not allow people there."

"I understand," Jay Yi said in a small voice.

Hwan thought he heard one of his eunuchs stifle a sniffle behind his back.

"However," Hwan hastened, "you may visit the library on the condition that only you will go inside. There is a lock on the door that you can use for safety, so one else goes in while you are there."

He turned to her head maid. "Court Lady Kim, please see to it that My Lady gets to visit the library whenever she needs and that no one else is allowed inside."

"Yes, Your Majesty and we will ensure Bin-assi leaves immediately if you need to use the library while she is there. However, Your Majesty, may we be allowed to scan the interiors of the library to ensure no one is inside when she enters?" An apprehensive Court lady Kim asked.

"Yes, you may."

With that, he did his royal about-turn and left, attempting to feign indifference to his encounter with the woman he was set to marry and fooling none of the thirty-odd members of his entourage who had tagged along with him, refusing to miss out on the first official meeeting between their lovesick monarch and the cure in the form of his beautiful lady love they had once known as his eunuch.