Rumour Has It

" How is it possible ?" Court lady Kim was hissing at the five younger court ladies. Three of them had their chins stuck to their chest, but two, Court Ladies Yoo Eun Ji and Eam Ji Man, looked at Jay Yi, stricken. 

Court Lady Kim was still rifling through Jay Yi's desk.

"Are you looking for something, Court Lady Kim?" Jay Yi stifled an annoyed exclamation, knowing exactly what she sought.

Court lady Kim had not expected Jay Yi to be back already, whose language lesson had concluded earlier than scheduled.

Turning purple with mortification, the senior maid stuttered, "I - I was organising your desk, Bin-ssi."

With an expression of serenity Jay Yi was not feeling, she approached the disconcerted woman. 

" I do not remember asking you to, nor do not I recall you taking my permission for it."

"Forgive me, Bin-ssi, I must have misunderstood," the court lady recovered much of her calm demeanour; however, compared to her usual frosty countenance, it could safely be deduced that she was still mightily agitated. Jay Yi's schedule lay unrolled, face up on the floor where the older woman dropped it in her nervousness of being caught. 

Though Jay Yi had grown up surrounded by housemaids in one of Joseon's most prestigious and powerful families, blessed with access to the best help in the country, she had never met anyone quite like Court Lady Kim. She refused to engage in gossip and reprimanded the young women around her harshly should they slip in their duties to care for Jay Yi. Her attention to detail was unparalleled, bordering on obsession, and she took great pride in executing every task flawlessly. Perhaps it was because it could reflect poorly on her competency if she failed to keep Jay Yi's care flawless and her character spotless until the marriage was solemnised, but Jay Yi doubted it was the only reason. She was a hard, cold and unsmiling woman. Yet, she had an underlying kindness that had surprised Jay Yi. She had astutely sensed Jay Yi's nerves despite Jay Yi's best efforts to appear composed. She had concocted something that could help Jay Yi relax and sleep. 

"His Majesty's mother used to have this whenever she had difficulty resting. It should help you, too."

The fact that she slipped up in her duty spoke volumes about her worry for Jay Yi's reputation and perception in the eyes of others and her dutybound compulsion to protect her. She was taking Hwan's unexpected appearances every day as a personal affront and a failure to uphold propriety fitting for a future Queen under her care. Hwan was messing up with her Confucian principles, and the woman felt burdened by it. 

Jay Yi wondered what would happen to the piously virtuous woman if she learned Hwan and Jay Yi met privately, unchaperoned, hidden from everyone's eyes daily. She would probably meet her demise in shock. Jay Yi's heart went out to the woman.

Feigning ignorance, Jay Yi picked the schedule up. "Is there a problem with this?"

"N-No, Bin-ssi." 

 "Please do not touch my desk or papers again."

"I apologise, Bin-ssi. It will not happen again."

"I will let it slide this time. Do we not have to prepare for the ceremony this afternoon?"

"Yes, Bin-ssi. I will see to your dress. The Ministry of Rites has already arranged the rest. We begin when the clock strikes three."

Jay Yi nodded. "You can leave now. Court ladies Yoo and Eam, please stay back."

Court Lady Kim left with remarkable composure to her credit, departing with the utmost humility suitable for a senior Palace servant, showing no sign of her inner turmoil. The other three women high-tailed out of there, as did the two who had accompanied Jay Yi to the session with her language tutor.

Hiding an exasperated smile, Jay Yi looked at the two remaining terrified court ladies standing before her. 

"Bin-ssi, we did not do anything. Court lady Kim thinks one of us has passed your schedule information to His Majesty's people." Both of them were trying their best not to wring their hands.

Placing the schedule back in her drawer, Jay Yi gently shut it. Sitting down, she gracefully folded her hands in her lap and studied the nervous women for a few minutes. Silence could be more intimidating than the loudest uproar in the world. The women went still, bowing their heads more and more as minutes ticked by.

"Have you?"

"How can we dare to do that, Bin-assi!" Came back the petrified reply as they dropped to their knees.

"Why does she think so then?"

They squirmed a little, trying to decide whether to reply. A blush spread over their faces. Their youthful exuberance won. 

"Your Majesty seems quite taken with you, Bin-ssi," Court lady Yoo said shyly.

Nodding vigorously in agreement, Court lady Eam said, "He seems to know where you are in the Palace and finds his way there. Is that not amazing?"

Amazing indeed! The entire charade was getting out of hand. Hwan, though, seemed to be loving every moment of it. Jay Yi was beginning to suspect Hwan was enjoying embarrassing Jay Yi. 

All her requests to stop these 'accidental' meetings were being routinely disregarded. If anything, the length of Hwan's interactions increased in the past week.

"My lady, new books on Confucian discourses have arrived. Please feel free to borrow them," in his most polite tone, or "Have you visited the Chery blossom trees by the Geumcheongyo Bridge?" - looking to lengthen their meeting time. 

Her reproachful answering glares were wasted. It was going to happen sooner or later. Jay Yi would burst out laughing one day or say something inappropriate out of aggravation and give away the game, she thought direly. 

Her neck creaked from keeping it bowed. She had studiously avoided looking at any of her former co-workers. Once, Jay Yi's eyes met with Eunuch Cha, who looked like he was totally enjoying himself. The man promptly erupted into a coughing fit while Jay Yi's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It was unbearably awkward.

"It is indeed mysterious how he finds you every day, no matter when and where you choose to go. It's the talk of the Palace! That is why she thinks one of us has given her the information or that the schedule was stolen."

Jay Yi looked at the women sitting with their bodies shrinking and heads all but tunnelled on the floor. "It is nothing like that. Our meetings have been co-incidental."

"That is what we told Court lady Kim too." It was pretty apparent their tone belied their belief.

"Also, His Majesty has been most respectful and cordial. He is just being polite," Jay Yi asserted emphatically.

Court Lady Eam was braver of the two. "But we have seen it with our own eyes, Bin-ssi! His Majesty cannot take his eyes off you!"

Despite herself, Jay Yi felt puddles of blood rush to her face, her heart skipping a treacherous beat, while the women tried to suppress knowing smiles.

"Have you been looking at His Majesty's face?" Jay Yi asked sternly, hiding a smile. 

Their faces fell. 

Your Majesty, why must you be so handsome and create so much distraction? 

"I am not surprised Court Lady Kim thinks someone stole the schedule or passed information. Because," Jay Yi paused for a long moment and summoned her most commanding voice, "someone passes information to Great Aunt Dowager. If you tell me who that is, I will shield you in future from Court Lady Kim's wrath. I value loyalty."

A look of uncertainty crossed over their faces. The power shift was happening, and the court ladies had started to weigh which side lay the larger honey jar. 

Jay Yi had them by the scruff of their neck.

Subsequently, her conversation for the next fifteen minutes was the most enlightening of all since she moved back to the Palace.

Then, she gave the women some critical tasks to complete.

"Do not worry, Bin-ssi, we will get onto it immediately."

Jay Yi would ensure the dowager only received the updates Jay Yi wanted her to have, she thought resolutely. 

None of the Court ladies bothered her when Princess Hayeon appeared for one of her weekly sessions with Jay Yi a little later, much to Hayeon's delight and Jay Yi's relief. The women laughed, drank tea, and gossiped about the dowager.

"She spreads the most disgusting rumours in the Palace."

"What rumours? Tell me more. Is it about me being the eunuch? It's true, though," Jay Yi whispered, laughing. 

Hayeon bit her lip, appeared to consider something and then changed her mind, "Too many to count. How did you convince the court ladies to leave us alone?"

Jay Yi simply smiled at Hayeon.

"The dowager is a horrid woman; please be careful of her, Bin-ssi. She has eyes and ears everywhere." Hayeon said unhappily.

Filling another cup with the aromatic tea, she carried it to the young woman."Do not worry, Your Highness. I will try to ensure the network is broken soon."

Hayeon seemed to brighten up that. The topic of Sargent, now Governor Sung On, brought a fresh blush to Hayeon's cheeks.

"I am so happy I did not marry Sargent Han. It would have been such a great loss for me."

"Why?" Hayeon was instantly on the defensive, ready to battle for the virtues of the man who had stolen her heart.

"If I had, I would have lost out on having the most wonderful sister-in-law in the world!"

Jay Yi reached out and squeezed Hayeon's hands. The two women shared a rare, quiet moment, their shared love for Hwan, grief at losing people precious to them and a kinship born from the innate gentleness of their souls connecting them at a deeper level.

"Governor Han does not want me to visit him," Hayeon complained, pouting. 

"Ah! We shall have to do something about that, do we not?" Jay Yi teased.

"But are you sure the bigger loss would not be of losing out on Oraboni?" Hayeon teased in return.

Jay Yi, in turn, complained about Hwan's attempts to embarrass her.

"It's not true, Bin-ssi. Oraboni meets you because he truly misses you. Did you know that he was sick all through the year?" Jay Yi heard the tale of his 'lovesickness' in disbelief, her heart going out to the man who had all but given her his soul and taken hers in return. 

Jay Yi promised herself she would make it up to him.

Jay Yi had found herself before the Great Aunt Dowager later that day. 

The dowager peered at her again like she was the specimen needing more scrutiny. 

"I gather His Majesty has been chasing you around the Palace?"

Jay Yi's mouth tightened at the tasteless comment. The dowager was of the opinion that one should retch whatever garbage appeared in their mind once they were over a certain age, the rules of etiquette for them diverging from those of younger age. 

"I have been fortunate to meet His Majesty a few times in the last few days."

The woman gave her a calculated look and sighed. "At least now those awful rumours can rest. At least, I hope they are rumours." 

Jay Yi kept her composure. She was aware the speculation of her being Go Sun Dol was still prevalent in a few quarters, though she was also starting to realise most people cared less and less. To some, it was rather becoming a romantic, amusing notion to entertain and nothing more. Irrespective, it was prudent to keep her equanimity before someone as viperish as the dowager. She might be politically unambitious, but someone like her could cause terrible harm to Hwan.

The dowager's next words confirmed Jay Yi's worst fears, but not in the way she expected. 

The woman reclined. "I was beginning to worry he liked men."

Jay Yi almost upended some of the scalding liquid in her cup on her turquoise skirt, managing to tame the shock just in time. From the corner of her eye, she caught a slight, almost imperceptible, movement from court lady Kim, a sign that the blatantly dishonourable remark had equally shocked the upright court lady. 

Carefully placing the cup in the saucer, Jay Yi looked up, meeting the older woman's eyes once before choosing a spot at her desk to address. 

"I could never dare to think His Majesty would be anything but a perfect upholder of morality who sets the standards for all his subjects, Aunt Dowager."

"You speak well. For your sake, I hope it's true." 

Jay Yi knew the woman had said this to unsettle her. 

 So this is what Princess Hayeon had meant when she had hinted at how the dowager fanned some of the most terrible rumours around the Palace earlier. 

Joseon was cruel to people who dared to love anyone, let alone people of their sex. In the wrong ears, that kind of rumour could mean an end for someone like Hwan.

Even for Jay Yi, who had flouted every Confucian rule she could think of, this was too much, and she wondered how this horrid woman had been allowed to get away with it. Anyone else pushing such a baseless, harmful rumour could be deposed at best and executed at worst.

To keep herself from hurling herself at the old woman in rage, Jay Yi focused on the celedon green of the teapot, the morning light giving its glaze a crisp sheen. 

The dowager dared to speak of the Joseon's ruler with impunity. And if Jay Yi had any say in it, she would ensure the horrid woman ceased her shenanigans as soon as possible.

So far, Jay Yi had deduced three things: First, despite her dislike for the royal children, the woman truly wanted Hwan to produce heirs so her father's legacy carried on; Second, she had an inflamed ego that was all air that could be easily be deflated by fear. Third, even though she did her best to needle them all the time, she was quite terrified of Hwan and his father.

Jay Yi let her eyes widen a bit, bringing her hands together in her lap and adding a slouch to her shoulders for a better effect. "Now that you say it, His Majesty seeks me out quite frequently. Is that not improper? I am now wondering if there is a reason behind it." 

The dowager reclined back, fanning herself with a self-satisfied smirk. 

"I am so fortunate to have a well-wisher in you, Great Aunt Dowager. I do not know what I would have done without you in this lonely Palace. Seeing how you have worried about this, I pray I can dispel your worries soon." Jay Yi piled on. "However, considering it is -" Jay Yi threw a look from the corner of her eye to the drab, old court lady standing next to the dowager and lowered her voice, " you who is saying this, I would be foolish to ignore it. Do you think it might be worth considering bringing this to the attention of His Royal Highness, the king emeritus, His Majesty's father?"

The woman did not miss Jay Yi's emphasis on You. Like a lone twig swinging back up from its bent position, the old dowager snapped her spine straight. "His Royal Highness? Why?"

Jay Yi demurely looked up, her face scrunched up in distress. "If you suspect it and it is well known in the Palace, it must be true." She let her voice break a little. "It means - it means my family has been deceived. My brothers will be so heartbroken."

The dowager paled. 

Jay turned to court lady Kim. "Can you please move this table?"

Court lady Kim had a shocked expression frozen on her normally unflappable face. The morning so far had been a nightmare for the stoic woman. She quickly hastened to comply, moving the table aside, careful not to upset the fine china on top of it. 

Jay Yi moved closer to the dowager. "Please help me get thrown out, Your Highness."

A wave of gasps echoed around the large room.

"Th-thrown out?" the dowager sounded like a cat scratching the wall. If Jay Yi were to bite the dowager right at this moment, she was quite certain no blood would come out. The dowager withered, a flash of undiluted fear forming a visible film over the whites of her short-sighted eyes.

"Thrown out? Of course not! What preposterous thoughts invade your mind, Lady Min! It is a malicious rumour with no truth behind it. Am I right, Court Lady Sung?"

"Your Highness is right, Bin-ssi," the pudgy court lady hastened to agree with her not-so-well-meaning mistress.

"But-but I feel so stressed with these rumours, Your Highness. What if they are true? There must be a way for me to leave the Palace!"

"No! No, of course not, child! You are what my great-nephew needs. I hear he is very taken by you!" The dowager was now falling over herself to assure Jay Yi. 

"Yes, Bin-ssi, Your Highness is correct," the dowager's court lady croaked, latching on to the dowager's fearful plea, sounding like a discordant note from a malfunctioning instrument leaving a grating buzz behind. 

Court lady Kim's clear, icy voice rang out. "Our revered King Yi Hwan is the epitome of a Confucian scholar, his character unblemished! This is the standard all men should uphold prior to marriage. Anyone alluding otherwise should be dealt with severe punishment, Bin-ssi."

The faces of both the dowager and her pudgy-faced court lady bleached. Any part of this conversation reaching the King emiritus's ears would mean immediate deposal, ruin for the dowager's entire family and death for the court lady. The fact that Jay Yi did not fear her own ouster made it worse, effectively disarming the dowager and rendering her bony hands powerless.

Jay Yi went for the kill. "Then, who do you think is spreading such despicable rumours in the Palace? Your Highness must find out and punish them. Perhaps take it to His Majesty himself. If this continues, what if there is a blemish on your father's legacy? His heritage?"

Jay Yi could almost read the thoughts of alarm in the old woman's eyes and the list of people she would speak to as soon as Jay Yi left. Not only did the dowager now fear a fate worse than death, but she had not considered her father's legacy at all. 

The dowager harangued, "All palaces have terrible rumours with no truth to them, Lady Min. My great-nephew would have made my father proud. I assure you that people spread such rumours because he has no flaws. "

Jay Yi squinted at the woman, a new wave of distaste filling her at the dowager's duplicity.

"I am relieved to hear you say this, Your Highness. I believe you and place my earnest trust in your wisdom."

The bones on the dowager's rickety chest ratttled with the sigh of relief she expelled. 

Jay Yi let the woman chew on it for some time before moving on to the more pressing thing. Something did not sit right with Jay Yi about the young, imprisoned girl, Yang Seo Bin. Even though Jay Yi was already at the final leg of the investigation, she still needed official permission from the dowager to interrogate the prisoner and the witnesses.

"I also had one more request to make, Your Highness," Jay Yi said.

Anything you ask, said the dowager's expression as she sucked on her lower teeth in worry.

"If Your Highness permits, I would like to look into the case of the Court lady Yang Seo Bin and oversee it. It will provide a valuable opportunity for training."

The dowager blinked. She was not expecting a change of topic. "Ah! You should ask for something more valuable. That is a minor case. What is there to oversee. She stole from the royal kitchen, and that is a crime. I have decided to punish her with thirty lashes to teach everyone a lesson."

Thirty lashes? Ten could kill the child. The woman was foolish and vindictive.

"Your sense of justice is unparalleled, Your Highness," Jay Yi stroked her ego shamelessly. "I wish to learn from it. As you know, my time for training is getting shorter by the day."

Which was not untrue. The date for Jay Yi's marriage to Hwan was going to be decided by the Office of Astronomy in an elaborate ceremony soon. 

The old woman seemed to give it a thought. 

"Very well, you may handle the case. It's a minor matter, perfect for your initial learning of the investigative nature of such cases," the Great Aunt Dowager said patronisingly.

Jay Yi could have died laughing at the irony of it. As she left, she noticed something remarkable - a slight, almost imperceptible trace of a smile on court lady Kim's face.

 It had taken Jay Yi less than an hour to reach the bottom of the issue. On her arrest, Yang Seo Bin had confessed to her three-week-long theft, but she had grown silent afterwards. Tai Ri and Dai Ri had ferreted out her best friend's name, a timid young girl named Lim Ha Bi, who appeared to be around fourteen and was clearly hiding something.

An inventory of the pilfered items yielded a surprising result. Yang Seo Bin's theft consisted of roughly a cup of milk, a portion of butter, a small bowl of fish scraps, and some remnants of raw vegetables every day of the three weeks of the stealing spree. 

The girl had to be feeding an animal.

By the time her evening ceremony started, Jay Yi had already ordered the girl free, crossed Hwan as usual over the Eastern Palace bridge, and to his question - "Do you find the food in the Palace adequate, my lady?" - had answered succinctly, "Yes, Your Majesty. I especially love the small soy sauce plates, just the right amount of condiment to accompany the food. Oh, and also the yat. They are delicious."

They were standing at the exact spot from that day almost two years ago. The amused expression at her underhand insult on Hwan's face was priceless. She missed a chair she could kick. 

That evening, when she met Hwan in the library, Jay Yi could not control her outburst.

"The dowager is a bloodthirsty harridan!" Jay Yi exclaimed darkly. "She wanted to punish the girl with thirty lashes."

"Thirty?" Hwan burst out in horror, the tip of his quill suspended mid-way to the paper. "That would kill the child!"

"I know. Oh, and did you know of the horrid rumours she has been pushing about - about you -"Jay Yi bit her lip in anger and consternation.

"Liking men?" Hwan completed her faltering thoughts.

"Why would you not refute such horrible rumours and let her continue?" She asked him hotly.

Instead of getting offended, Hwan started laughing. Candles flickered cheerfully inside the patterned lanterns, illuminating his patrician profile.

Jay Yi compressed her lips in irritation, not finding anything funny about the entire sordid situation.

Hwan took his time and placed the quill in its holder. "It does not matter what she says. Those who matter know the truth."

"If you claim false things enough times, people believe it."

Hwan contemplated her thoughtfully. No one believed in him like this woman did, infallible in her trust. She had come to him during his darkest hours when he had been twisted with rage, hatred, loneliness, and fear. Despite losing everything herself, on the run for her life, fighting prejudices and slanders, including his own, she had opened a world for him that was alive, fresh, and unspoiled, reinvigorating his jest for living and loving. He had learned to let go, to forgive, to prioritise. 

Yet he understood that even a shadow of harm on him turned her world upside down, bringing out the indefatigable warrior in her. 

Hwan wanted nothing more than to sweep her in his arms and permanently stamp his claim on her. He had carefully kept his desires under check, doing everything in his power to maintain a manageable distance between them so that the fire burning passionately in him did not burn her down. He did not always succeed, but with eveything that was precious to him, he tried.

Gently placing his hands on her tiny waist, he drew her closer to the chair he was sitting on, "I guess that is what you get for falling in love with your eunuch," he chuckled. "I should consider myself lucky he turned out to be a woman," he teased a whisp of hair around her ear, "because I might have fallen in love with him no matter what his gender was...."

He pulled her down and gave a soft peck on her lips. "Do not worry. Everyone will know how far they were from the false rumours in another few weeks."

Jay Yi blushed prettily, her pulse quickening. 

"Do you have a lot of work to complete?" She asked shyly.

Hwan nodded apologetically as he released her and picked up his quill. "Tell me about the girl, Yang Seo Bin."