Chapter 119: Gyeolgwa (Results)
"How can I do something that is forbidden like this? What motivation do I have in harming lowly servants when your have hundreds of them at your disposal?" "Your Majesty! Do not listen to her!
How can I dare to frame Seo Hwi's sister? They are using the maids to test their poison, but their target is clearly you, Your Highness!When they saw that I was unwilling, they threatened me with my life! I was coerced to do it!" "That is right, Your Highness! We often see her sneaking around the place, so she must be the one to do it! That is why so many people are sick now! She is trying to avid her crime and blame it on me instead! She dare to do it and not own up to it!" "Your Highness, there is no cause or reason for me to do it.
Because you were unable to bring her down in the first place after the demise of Nam-Jeon!" "Your Majesty! My colleagues here are illiterate orphan girls just like I am, and we work on the outskirts of the village. A lot of people use our water, and no just for consumption. And by the looks of the poison that is used, this should have done some particular damage to the clothes that we wash and the people who wear those clothes, and we haven't heard anything at all. So if the people in the palace are the ones who are getting hurt, then this has nothing to do with me at all."
Just who on earth was this woman standing in front of me? She had dismantled the Empresses plot in 5 minutes or less without being thrown into jail and tutored for it yet. Who was she and what was she capable of? And why was it arousing me even now? My goodness, she could take on the entire place single-handedly with just her words alone and I didn't really have to do a thing at all. I could put all of my scheming to rest for all of my life and just let her fight my battles for me. I know she was being off with me now and she may have her reasons for it, but I couldn't stop thinking about what life would be like if we were actually married and how much we would get done. She would do anything for me if I gave her, her dreams of marriage and children that she was fighting off. I only needed to treat her the right way and stay faithful to her...but that also meant that my plan against her would last for our entire marriage. And what can I do now? She won't let me near her in the presence of her brother, who also wanted to keep me away from her. And she started her schooling tomorrow...
"Rose?" "Excuse me?" "There is a sickly sweet rose scent attached to this poison bottle, it seems so familiar...Nam Seon-Ho?" "Yes?" "What do you think? I should think that you would know this scent better than anyone, isn't that right? Unless you are willing to sacrifice all of the hard work that you have put into...serving this kingdom to the best of your abilities. It isn't like your father is here to save you anymore." Fuck me, I couldn't even look her in the eyes when she said that. We both knew who she was talking about and I really couldn't believe that she was putting me in this position so publicly, especially in front of her brother, who I was trying to repair my friendship with. Fucking hell, how can she do this to me, after all of my efforts in trying to woo her? I was planning our wedding in my head just a few moments ago, one that I know she would like and now it looked like she was actually going to turn me in if I didn't confess...but how? How did she know? I had been so careful and...who was it? Who told her? Was it Dal? I was going to tear him apart after this...
"Nam Seon-Ho? Do not keep us all waiting, your very life depends on the answer that you will give to the Empress herself." "The rose scent...it does indeed smell very familiar. But who..." Your Highness, there is only one woman in our social circle who wears rose scents..." I couldn't believe that she was forcing me to give up my good pawn in this game I was playing to get in with the Royal family themselves, and to do it with such a straight face and cool composure...I felt chills go down my spine in that moment. I think I may have just met my match, and in more ways that one. She must know that I would do anything to save myself as my father did, even if it meant selling out everyone around me. Well, not everyone...
"...The scent belongs to Han Hui-Jee of the Ihwaru brothel." "A kisaeng from the brothel? What on earth does she have to do with this?" "As I understand it, she has become a new favoured guest of the Emperor himself as he has stared visiting her brothel and is supplying him with...gifts." I couldn't believe what she was saying, how she was saying it and I still couldn't fathom how she knew everything that I was doing behind her back. Just how much did she know exactly?
"So...you are insinuating that my husband has a new woman who is trying to frame you? And why is that? What is the reason?" "I believe that the man who accompanied myself and my brother has all of the answers that you need." "Yeon..." "Your Majesty! The Emperor himself has fallen ill and he needed the physicians that you have huddled in your quarters an hour ago! Didn't anyone inform you?" "Moon-Bok! Brother! Let us go and treat the Emperor, quickly!" She ran away before anyone had the chance to say anything to her, leaving me in the lurch with a very big problem on my hands. No-one, not even my father had managed to make me talk against my will in public. And I never showed my lucky cards to anyone, not a single soul. But Yeon, who I was already very confused about, managed to make me talk in just a few seconds without having to do much at all. But that wasn't the only problem on my hands now; I might have betrayed Yeon and she might ave caught on. But she couldn't have known that I already feel out with Hui-Jee for her sake, she probably still thought that we were collaborating together to get back for her for everything that she hid from me. But now it looks like I was doing the same thing as her, so who exactly was right in this situation? Here I was, trying to get revenge on her when she had jus exposed me for the same reason. So what do I do now? Did I just loose her? Forever?
I myself made my way to see the Emperor himself who was being treated by Moon-Bok with the Seo siblings in tow. "...He is the centre of the Kingdom, but he cannot even find a physician?" "Forgive me, they were all summoned by the Empress and were told to be left alone for the rest of the night?" "For what? Has she lost her earthly mind? Why would she do this to the Emperor himself?" "Your Royal concubine I...have it on good authority that she was interrogating Seo Yeon and her brother Seo Hwi in a poisons case..." "What are you talking about? Poison? Why hasn't anyone else heard about it? The Emperor was just severely dehydrated and not poisoned at all? If there were such a serious crime going on, why was it not reported to the palace? Why haven't we heard of anyone being ill? Yet she wants to horde all of the physicians for some bogus conspiracy theory? Was she fund guilty at all?" "Well, not really..." "So she put her own husband at risk for nothing! Very well, on account of them being the first to heal the Emperor, I announce that they are both acquitted from this case. And as for the physicians, they are all fired! We need to find more competent people who will solely serve the Emperor! No, wait! Since the Empress values them so much then she can keep them all to herself! Now go and let the Emperor rest!"
"You! You do not speak for me! How dare you try to takeover my role!" "Me? You were the one who harmed your own husband and sovereign whilst going on a nonsensical witch hunt against the Seo's for no reason at all! He can barely get our of bed right now and you are just concerned about yourself!" "Your Majesty! Please forgive me! I hastily sent for the physicians on duty to assess a serious crime and I could never have expected that you would also coincidentally fall ill and..." "coincidentally? What are you saying? That someone wanted to cause harm to the Emperor? For what? So it can suit your campaign against the Seo's? You have such a lack of consideration; do you really have no idea what you have just done will affect your own children? His Majesty was already thinking about taking them from your custody, and now I will ensure that he will as soon as he wakes up from this coma that you have put him in yourself! You...Your Majesty? What are you..."
"Although this was an emergency situation, you really better be careful in the future, wife. It could have been your children who were ill instead of your own husband. There should always be a physician in the palace for emergencies such as these and..." "Husband! I recognise my fault and I dare not act so recklessly in the future ever again! Please do not take my children away from me! Please!" "You failed in your duty to become a pillar of the state by not differentiating matters of state and family. You will be deposed for this and your children will suffer for this, wife."
I couldn't believe it; this was the result of going against Seo Yeon. She managed to directly sow discord between the Emperor and his most beloved wife that he refused to part from until now. And her children were now out of line to become the crown prince's, which meant that the throne was still open to the damned Third Prince of all people. I had to absolutely talk to hai about this, no matter how much he hated me right now. And Yeon...I needed to find a reason to keep her away from him. Surely, I couldn't be the only person to spot Yeon's abilities and I needed to keep her by my side and hopefully win her over in this marriage that she was avoiding. But I couldn't find them anywhere, no matter how hard I looked. I tried to stay with Moon-Bok so I could follow him to find Hwi. But instead, I was greeted with the sight of Hee-Jae being arrested and taken to the jail cell. And by the time that I looked over at my shoulder again, Moon-Bok was already leaving on horseback and I had to get Hui-Jee out of there, otherwise all of my money was going to go down the drain. I had already betrayed her once and I couldn't risk that again. And as for Yeon, I knew that she was still angry at me, but there was no way that she would just leave without seeing me or leaving something behind for me. She wouldn't do that, because she loved me.