Chapter 90: Teulig (Tricks)
"Yeon, my daughter, you must always observe those around you closely. Their background, their mannerisms, their money, their interests, what they lack, all of these things can tell you what a person wants and how far they will go to achieve their dreams. You must not show your abilities to anyone; keep quiet and keep your head down. Only expose those who mean to do you harm and refuse to repent for their sins, only harm those who wish you harm. Do not go after temporary riches that will tempt evil, do not use your beauty that will eventually fade for gains, and do not show off, or you will accumulate enemies your entire life. If you chase anything or anyone, you will never attain it; live modestly, and everything you wish for will come to you at full force. And remember, no matter if I am in your life or not, I love you so much my daughter, and I will always be with you."
I had my father's words ringing in my ears as I made my way to the third prince's residence. It looked like half of the palace had come to witness this trial and even my brother had made an appearance. My poor brother had the same expression on his face as Seon-Ho did, but we had been apart for so long that he didn't know that I had remembered a lot more than I was supposed to. I still kept my eyes on him the entire time to keep both of calm as the charges of murder and witchcraft were put against me.
"Witchcraft? I have been staying in the temple for 3 days under the monk's supervision, how can I possibly commit a crime I have no knowledge about?" "We have received a complaint from a maid who saw you using witchcraft. How else do you explain your close relations to the Nam family, the office of General Inspectors and now the Imperial Family, despite your inferior nature?" Is that why I am being charged? It is true that we have laws in the country that divide and label the people into what they have so they cannot forget for their entire lives instead of their talents and what they can achieve for the country, but people are not the same. Every one of you here, somewhere in your family has come from nothing and has created your own fortunes by making connections outside of your own class. So why is it a problem if I do the same?" My brother could boss me around all he wanted to, but he was useless against my wit, which was something that even Seon-Ho himself had become impressed with. And now here I was in the palace for the first time in my life and I already had enemies that were trying to frame me.
"We had to conduct a thorough investigation due to the seriousness of this matter; and we had to search her quarters in the Nam Mansion. That is where we found evidence of witchcraft; a wooden doll with a ribbon tied around her neck in exactly the same manner in which a concubine's body was recently found outside the third prince's residence. This doll also contains the date and time of the finding of the corpse...." "Are you saying that the concubine was strangled to death? And that I did it, even though I am half her height and weight?" "This doll was found in your own quarters! Or do you mean to insinuate the Nam family by framing this on them? After everything they have done for you?"
"What have they done for me? Since you have mentioned my low status, then answer me this. Since Nam-Jeon is known for his dislike for the lower class, why had he kept me in his home and dressed me up as if I belong to his class?" This case was going in a totally different direction than anyone had planned and I had the satisfaction of watching Nam-Jeon's face turn purple with rage, but I had to do something before he did something to my brother.
"My Lord, this woman..." "....has been held hostage by Nam-Jeon after setting my brother, Seo Hwi onto a ship for the Liadong war without preparation or skill beforehand. My brother has been a long standing friend of Nam-Jeon's son, Nam Seon-Ho. He is even unaware that his own father bribed the militant judge for the test that occurred to hire soldiers for the war. My poor brother was dragged into jail and then onto a ship which made me suffer an epileptic fit! I then woke up in the Nam's residence with no memories for 2 years until recently, although Nam-Jeon wasn't a perfect host! He beat me, starved me and kept me in captivity so that he could control my brother when he survived the war!"
Everyone in that room erupted into chaos but to my surprise, the third prince didn't even bat an eyelid at all. My gaze was focused on my brother who looked as white as a ghost, and I almost ran through the crowd to stop him from almost fainting on the spot. But Nam-Jeon silenced everyone in a cool manner and called for the King to arrive so he could judge this case.
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Her memories weren't the only thing my sister regained. My sister, my poor sweet baby sister; who knew what torments she has been through as a hostage! And I couldn't believe she was being bold enough to do this with no evidence at all! What on earth was she playing at? She had been recklessly impulsive as Seon-Ho was for our entire lives but this was going too far. I had to step in to stop this madness, even if it cost me my life. So I went over to her as soon as I could and I kneeled down besides her to support her. We didn't care about the chaos around us, we didn't care that everyone was staring at us and we didn't even care that we were back in the palace. I could finally get close enough to my sister, who now looked like my mother and wore the same scent as her. It was enough for me to almost break down in tears if she didn't hold onto me even harder and leaned into me as she always used to do when I came home. Despite her silly crush on Seon-Ho, she would always throw herself at me just like she used to do to our father when he come home from his travels and she refused to let him out of her sight. She would deliberately press her cheek on top his my father's lips constantly so he had no choice but to shower her with affection. Father, what on earth do I do with this brat of a girl you left me with? They say that daughters take after their mothers and sons take after their fathers, but your daughter has inherited evert singe stubborn trait that you possess, along with your wit, work ethic and determination...
When the Emperor finally arrived, my sister barely let me introduce myself before she went on to once again expose Nam Jeon's plot and the mission that he had for me in order to keep her safe. The entire room erupted again and the third prince took the first opportunity to bring over Nam-Jeon and his supporters.
"What on earth makes me a suspect in the concubine's death?" I was still being interrogated by the lady-in-waiting, who was a lowborn at birth and very devoted to the princess's family. But there was something off about this woman, who kept looking over the third prince, as if she was desperate for his approval. "Everyone in this village knows of your love for the Young Master Nam. Too many people have witnessed you chasing him around..." "along with my brother. Prior to my being taken hostage, I did chase him around, but I was never left alone with him. And I lost my memories when I was taken as a hostage under his roof, which he could do little about. He fed me, clothed me and he kept me entertained. But Nam-Jeon never left us alone with each other, the maids in his home can all attest to that, and they should have if you really searched my quarters in his home. Because Nam-Jeon looks surprised by the news at all. And as for the Young Master Nam, I have had over a decade to seduce him and I haven't been left alone with him. I am well aware of our class differences, so why would I bother exerting any effort to eliminate his suitors when I haven't even so much as confused myself to him, especially in these situations. I cannot marry him unless he makes me his concubine, and my brother will never allow that to happen. So what other reason can you come up with for this murder?"
"Well well, you most certainly have a glib tongue, just like your father. You are both the children of Seo Geom, are you not?" "Yes, Your Highness." "Well, you have already helped to uncover Nam-Jeon's intentions, which is a merit I shall give you. And despite your father's unfortunate passing, he did contribute a lot to this nation. It id of course, very unusual for a woman to speak as much as you have and know so much...but very well, I shall give you a single chance to defend yourself. But if you cannot, I cannot ignore the death of my concubine and you will be punished for her death."
"Your Highness, the method of tying the ribbon around this doll is known as a square not. But I have been embroidering for years and I have never used this tying method before. I have even created the clothes that I am wearing myself; if you were to take it apart, you can see that I have used the same tying method to every single piece of thread that I used to make this outfit." "Is this the only defence that you have?" "Many court officials have been visiting the Nam resident for quite a while, which would explain the doll that was apparently found in my quarters with the marks on it. All four seasons have already passed since then, and yet this little doll looks as good as new to me. There isn't a single sign of humidity, rain, or even heat from the summer that we are in now. Even if it did survive the weather change, there is no way that this piece of wood can maintain its original shape, and yet it looks and smells brand new, as if it was recently purchased from the wood maker himself."