The Hated Male Concubine

“Have you completed my order?”

As soon as he returned to the Great Hall, Yihan asked Eunuch Oh, who was following behind him. The things ordered by the emperor would surely be not only one or two, but the eunuch, who had been serving Yihan the closest since he became the emperor, immediately realized what answer the emperor wanted. He bent his waist before answering.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I consoled the dead guard’s friend who came to collect his body by giving him the funeral expenses. Even the one who died would surely be touched by your unlimited grace, Your Majesty.”

“Unlimited grace? You’re exaggerating….”

Ignoring the words said by Eunuch Oh, Yihan smacked his lips at the bitter taste. This incident somewhat didn’t get erased easily from his heart— stayed like sands inside his mouth and bothered his heart.

Actually, it was not strange for the guard guarding the palace to die from saving the palace’s master. On top of that, the one who died from saving Yeon-bin was a lowly person—orphan and commoner who wouldn’t dare to dream of guard position. If such a person died from saving a more precious higher-person, there was no doubt that everyone would think his death was right. Because that was how the world worked.

However, Yihan kept being reminded of that incident. He was the one who gave special treatment to the one who couldn’t enter the palace and made him enter it. 

If he just left him be, perhaps that man could live longer, although he would live harder. Then he would meet a good person from the same status as him, and despite couldn’t having a grand ceremony, they would be together, living happily. They would have children who looked just like the couple, and although they were living in poverty, they would live happily for a long time. 

However, such a person entered the palace and died an untimely death. 

“Seriously, nothing worked well….”

As he thought that far, his face distorted when he suddenly got reminded of Yeon-bin greeting him with a despicable yet pale face. Although he didn’t hear the reason he fell into the pond, it was obvious. He must be trying to lure the emperor, using falling to the pond as an excuse, since the emperor hadn’t visited his residence recently. Because Yeon-bin’s intentions were always like that.

But since someone who shouldn’t have died, had died from such a mere reason and from saving such a person, Yihan couldn’t accept this incident for granted. 

“Let the Gyeongsa-bang* know. They don’t need to put up Yeon-bin’s name plate until I mention it.”

“… Yes, Your Majesty.”

The predicted order had been given. Taking the nameplate out meant that he wouldn’t visit Yeon-bin’s bedroom, and that might be a punishment which Yeon-bin found to be most dreadful. Eunuch Oh only bowed and answered short—didn’t say anything else.

It seemed like a big uproar would happen once again in the Jeongan Palace.

***

“Haah.…”

Ahjin felt like disappearing to the ground right away if she could. As the sun went down and the candle lightened up, her master’s bedroom, which was glimmering under the candlelight, looked scary as if it were hell.

She was so scared of the things that would happen that she even had a grudge against her mother whose face she couldn’t remember since she died a long time ago—‘Mother, why did you give birth to me as a slave of the Yeon family out of all family?’ 

Around this time, it was always Ahjin’s duty to find out which palace the emperor was going to. Ahjin found this task to be more horrible than the other tasks. It was because Ahjin had to accept all of Yeonbin’s wrath on the day when the emperor overturned the other concubine’s nameplate. 

Since the days the emperor visiting the other residences other than Jeongan Palace were more frequent, the hardships that Ahjin had experienced all this time were a record that couldn’t be written down without tears. 

Moreover, the situation was even worse today. Not only the emperor overturned another concubine’s nameplate, he also ordered to take out Yeon-bin’s nameplate. 

Ahjin’s shoulders shuddered as she stood before Jeongan Palace’s bedroom. She could not dare to go inside and announce the news.

Of course, there had been many changes in her master in these last few days. Whether it was because he lost his memory or because he had a near-death experience that changed his mind, he acted as if he had become a different person—right, he really acted as if he had become a completely different person. He didn’t swear or lash at the court ladies for nothing, and he even took the kids that he had been harassing to get treatment and care for them.

“Didn’t I come back from death? It won’t be easy for you to adapt right away, but I hope you know that my heart is not the same as before.”

Ajin carefully thought over what her master had said. Surely, so far, he had been acting in accordance with what he said.

But still, Ahjin couldn’t believe Yeon-bin. Was it only once or twice that she had a hard time while serving him? Her suffering time was so arduous that it was hard for her to quickly think that he had changed with only those few words and actions.  So far, it had been going well, but when he heard that his nameplate had been taken out for an unknown period, there would be no doubt that something would fly before her eyes.

“Your Highness, this is Ahjin.”

*Gyeongsa-bang: An office in charge of managing the emperor’s women affairs.