Chapter 22

Cheonchujeon, A Private Audience with King Sejong (1) / +3 lines added at the end

Unaware of any "Joseon-version Bogum," Yoon Seo brushed off Head Court Lady Eom's words and returned to her quarters.

After tightly binding her chest with soft cotton cloth, she put on a light sky-blue jeogori and trousers. Over that, she wore a dark blue daechangui with open sides and back for easier riding, and placed a gat on her head.

"Handsome!"

Usually quiet, Maegeum gave a thumbs-up at Yoon Seo's outfit and commented in a single word.

Maegeum wore a kwaeja like young boys and a bokgeon on her head. Being so thin, there was nothing about her appearance that revealed she was actually a girl.

Eunuchs who had been castrated before puberty produced almost no male hormones, so they had no facial hair and their voices were soft.

Thus, when the tall Yoon Seo led a horse from the Eastern Palace stables and exited through Geonchun Gate, showing her eunuch pass, no one suspected a thing.

Now skilled, Yoon Seo placed her foot in the stirrup and swung herself onto the horse in one smooth motion.

On her first day, she had struggled—hooking her left foot into the stirrup while Maegeum pushed her from behind just to get her onto the horse.

Even after mounting, the height had felt intimidating, and she could barely straighten her back, awkwardly trotting through Yukjo Street.

But gradually, as the body memory of Kwon Ga returned, by the time she entered the east–west road leading to Donuimun, she could ride quickly with proper posture.

From Geonchun Gate toward Gwanghwamun, across the wide Yukjo Street, then westward along the east–west road and out through Donuimun—there lay Bansongbang, where Court Lady Park's residence was located.

Here, one could truly appreciate Court Lady Park's exceptional sense for real estate investment.

Nearby stood Mohwagwan, where Ming envoys were received; a little south lay Mapo Port; and to the northeast stretched the envoy road leading all the way to Uiju.

As Yoon Seo approached the large forty-kan tiled house at this strategic crossroads, hearing the sound of hooves, Nosan-dae came out to greet her.

Though in his fifties and appearing like a kind, weathered man, his rolled-up sleeves revealed arms marked with numerous knife scars—evidence of a rough past.

"I've gathered all the herbs and oils you asked for. But pig fat spoils quickly, so it's best prepared right before use."

His dialect was thickly northern. However, according to Court Lady Park, he could imitate dialects from all eight provinces at will.

For example, when Yoon Seo mentioned she was used to Chungcheong dialect, he immediately switched:

"If them Mapo folks cause trouble, I'll have my boys deal with 'em proper-like. Don't you worry 'bout a thing, miss."

His speech became slow, rustic, and subtly sly in tone.

Efficient as ever, Nosan-dae had procured everything Yoon Seo requested within days of her first visit.

Opening a room in the servants' quarters, he revealed the floor filled entirely with glasswort gathered from the tidal flats of Ganghwa.

"Getting a distillation apparatus isn't hard, but one with a long spout like you described is rare, so I've commissioned one from a metalworker."

After eating a meal prepared by the servants—servants of Court Lady Park's servants—Yoon Seo began her work.

She poured oils of shinamu, camellia, and sesame into round ceramic jars meant for use as chamber pots, then started warming medicinal herbs in the oil to make ointment—one for Hongwi's mosquito bites, and another for early boils on their cold, handsome Crown Prince.

It was around noon (the Hour of the Horse) when she had infused most of the herbs—lithospermum root, angelica, sophora, honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, dahurian angelica, forsythia, elm bark, peony, scutellaria—used to reduce inflammation and itching.

Suddenly, noise erupted outside, and a young eunuch serving as Head Court Lady Eom's aide rushed in.

"Lady Kwon, you must return to the palace immediately."

"W-why? Did something happen to our young lady?"

"No, not her. Royal eunuch Jeon Gyun from the main hall came—His Majesty summoned you, and he's furious that you haven't appeared at once."

Jeon Gyun!

At the name of the man who had sided with King Sejo and led the killing of Hongwi, her teeth clenched instinctively.

"Let's go. Maegeum, come."

Yoon Seo quickly mounted her horse and galloped at full speed.

She rode so fast that not even the time of a single gak had passed before she reached Geonchun Gate.

But unlike when she left, returning safely to the Eastern Palace was not easy.

As she went to return the horse to the stables, two eunuchs suddenly appeared and seized her arms from both sides.

Maegeum leapt instantly, trying to draw the whip from her arm.

"Maegeum!"

If weapons came out here, it would truly become a disaster.

"Go back to the Eastern Palace and inform Head Court Lady Eom about me."

Sending Maegeum away, Yoon Seo was dragged to Cheonchujeon.

She asked at least to fix her hair—her hastily tied topknot had come undone into a mess—but Jeon Gyun's eunuchs ignored her and hauled her into the courtyard, forcing her to kneel.

"Well now, your audacity knows no bounds—dressing like a man and wearing a gat despite being a mere court lady. Let's see what His Majesty has to say."

Jeon Gyun hissed like a snake, glaring at her, then cleared his throat and spoke toward the hall.

"Your Majesty, Lady Kwon has arrived."

"Let her enter."

Yoon Seo roughly tucked her disheveled hair under her gat and entered through the open doors, prostrating herself.

"Your Majesty, this insolent woman wore men's clothing and freely left the palace grounds. How could order in the Eastern Palace fall into such disgrace? Even its head court lady, Eom Jachi, should be severely punished—"

"Who gave you permission to dare speak of matters concerning the Eastern Palace? The very place where the foundation of this nation resides!"

At King Sejong's thunderous rebuke, Jeon Gyun immediately collapsed flat.

"I deserve death, Your Majesty! I deserve death!" he trembled, hastily retreating from the hall.

Yoon Seo lay prostrate near the entrance, not daring to lift her head, trembling uncontrollably.

Only now did it truly sink in—this was 15th-century Joseon.

That merely being under the King's gaze could overwhelm her with such terror of death that she might lose consciousness.

Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat, and even breathing felt difficult. She desperately forced herself to inhale and exhale deeply.

"Explain what business you had outside the palace in that appearance."

King Sejong's command fell.

(Added lines)

Yoon Seo pressed her forehead harder against the floor, steadying her breath with difficulty.

"Your Majesty… this servant went to procure medicinal ingredients."

Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to continue.

Yoon Seo thought that if a person could be killed by nothing but a voice, it would sound exactly like this.

The late King Taejong had been a harsh ruler who frequently had eunuchs and court ladies flogged, yet he was unexpectedly lenient when it came to major offenses. But the current king, she recalled from Court Lady Park's words, did not resort to beatings—instead, he valued principles, and anything that violated them could be punished severely, even unto death.

The ring… I should have been wearing that ring. If I had it, there might at least be a chance of returning to the modern world, even if I died.

If I die here… what will happen to our Hongwi, who has only just begun to grow bright and lively again?

Lee Hyang must bathe well, wear light clothes, and avoid overworking so he can live long.

Only then will our Hongwi grow up safely and live a long life.

But… is going outside the palace in men's clothing really a crime worthy of death?

Too many thoughts stormed through her mind at once, overwhelming her with fear until her head felt completely blank.

Yoon Seo bit hard into the soft flesh inside her mouth.

Only by using the salty taste of blood spreading through her mouth and the sharp pain piercing her body as leverage was she able to force herself to speak.

"Th-this servant… stands night duty, so I only have time during the day… I went outside to prepare medicinal ingredients. I wore men's clothing… because I needed to ride quickly there and back… for convenience."

"To prepare what medicine?"

"An ointment… for the Crown Grand Prince… to apply to mosquito bites."

"..."

King Sejong said nothing.

The silence of a ruler was more terrifying than his thunder.

Damn it, Crown Princess Kwon! Just wait until I die and see you later—I'll stomp you to bits!

Grinding her teeth and cursing Kwon inwardly eased her fear slightly. Humans, after all, could also draw strength from hatred and resentment.

"You there—drink some of that omija cold tea."

At last, Sejong spoke.

…What did I just hear?

The words were so unexpected that even after hearing them, she couldn't process them, and only lowered her head further.

"Kwon Ga, there is omija tea there. Drink some and regain your senses."

Only then did she raise her head slightly and see a court lady—well past thirty—standing quietly in a corner, holding a tray with a teapot and porcelain cups.

She seemed to be the famous Cheonchujeon resident court lady who could neither hear nor speak.

I won't be killed.

Feeding someone before killing them was something only psychopaths did. Humans had evolved to hesitate to kill those they had nourished.

Of course, those driven by power might still nurture and then kill—but she was just a mere court lady who could be executed with a single word. She wasn't even worth feeding before being killed.

Relief drained all strength from her body, leaving her unable to stand.

So Yoon Seo crawled on all fours like an animal toward the court lady.

The mute court lady poured a full cup of beautifully red tea.

As the cool liquid passed down her throat and settled into her stomach, she finally felt like she could live again.

She held out the empty cup for another serving, drank again, then managed to stand, retreat backward to the doorway, and prostrated herself once more.

"Explain what relationship there is between age and lying, in detail."

"!"

So THAT'S why he gave me the tea—to ask this!

Then… once I answer, will I be killed?

Ahh… King Sejong is someone to admire from books, not someone to face like this in person!

As Yoon Seo screamed inwardly—

"Did you not once say, in the Queen's palace, 'To fabricate a lie requires sophisticated cognitive ability. The fact that the location was stated accurately for an event two days ago, yet something that did not happen was fabricated, means that our young lady has not yet reached such an age'?"

What…

What—?!

They said he was a genius, but… he remembers even my words—word for word—that I don't even remember myself!

Witnessing firsthand King Sejong's astonishing memory and insatiable thirst for knowledge paradoxically lessened her fear of death.

Tell him everything—everything I know and don't know. Then he'll be too curious about other things to kill me.

"The human brain develops sequentially. Just as our bodies are born with basic abilities—breathing, crying, sleeping, eating—and gradually develop into crawling, walking, and running, our minds also develop step by step.

At first, in infancy, there is only a simple sense of liking or disliking, without the ability to distinguish between desire and reality. Then gradually comes the stage where one can distinguish between one's own wishes and others' desires—and even use that understanding.

And eventually, it develops into higher-level thinking, such as the ability to seek abstract knowledge that cannot be seen, like we do now."

Clearing her throat, Yoon Seo began to explain the stages of brain development and cognition.

The fear of being questioned about where she had learned such things was far smaller than the fear of being executed for leaving the palace dressed as a man.

But as she began to lay out her knowledge, the flood of stress hormones—cortisol, adrenaline—released during the initial shock of fear began to subside, and her previously paralyzed reasoning slowly started to function again.