Chapter 28

Yunseo's Second Meeting with King Sejong at Cheonchujeon (1)

Everyone who knew that Yunseo would be granted a second audience with King Sejong at Cheonchujeon treated her throughout the day with their own intense emotions.

After all, during her first audience, the powerful inner court official Jeon Gyun had been beaten to death.

Dressed in his red dragon robe and before beginning his official schedule of receiving ministers after the morning greeting, Lee Hyang stopped by the west ondol room and pulled Yunseo tightly into his arms.

"His Majesty cannot tolerate contradictions in speech, so answer his questions truthfully and without embellishment. And Yunseo…"

Trailing off, Lee Hyang stepped back slightly, placed his hands on her shoulders, and gazed at her for a long moment.

His intense eyes seemed as if they wanted to imprint her image into them.

From that gaze, Yunseo sharply perceived the hidden anxiety of a man second only in power—sending before the supreme ruler a woman who was not yet fully his.

Just as Yunseo could never be equal to Lee Hyang in their tilted relationship, Lee Hyang himself could never be equal in his relationship with the King—he was still a subject, merely one of many sons.

Though she clearly understood the imbalance, seeing the unspoken anxiety of the man who shook both her body and heart stirred a sudden sense of pity.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held him tightly and whispered,

"I'll be extremely careful, Your Highness. His Majesty is a sage ruler for all ages—he won't treat me harshly or cruelly."

Only then did Lee Hyang let out a quiet laugh and whisper gently,

"No matter what happens, I will protect you. So don't be too afraid—go and return safely."

Later in the morning, Lady Yang came.

Hongwi had just gone to study with Seong Sammun.

Lady Yang looked around the west ondol room with interest, then clicked her tongue.

"If you've already taken over the west ondol like this, you should hurry and become an official consort or something. What's the point of still being a mere nanny? The Crown Prince's bedchamber is just across the daecheong hall—what do you even do during those long nights after the child falls asleep?"

She scolded lightly, then shook her head.

"No… men only value things more when made to yearn. Kwon girl, you're more of a sly fox than I thought."

Then, suddenly growing serious, she hesitated—rare for someone who usually spoke so bluntly and sharply.

At last, as if making up her mind, she gestured for Yunseo to come closer, leaned in, and whispered quickly into her ear,

"His Majesty is very fond of women. He relieves the strain of excessive work through them. Dress plainly, and never go near him. Do you understand what I mean?"

"!"

As Yunseo looked at her in shock, Lady Yang immediately returned to her usual languid, elegant smile, as if she had never said anything alarming.

"I look forward to the day you become the true mistress of this west ondol."

With that, she left.

Startled, Yunseo went to find Court Lady Park and asked for advice.

Court Lady Park shook her head.

"It's true His Majesty enjoys women. Why else would he have even taken a court lady who attended to his pulse? But you? That's just the filthy thinking of someone like her, always trying to push women into such situations. His Majesty is extremely principled and strict. Even if you stripped naked and danced wildly before him, he wouldn't bat an eye."

She said this firmly, then added with a laugh,

"Well… he might at least look at you like a finely crafted piece of porcelain. You are rather slender, after all."

The eunuchs and court ladies of the East Palace looked at Yunseo as though she were some mythical three-legged crow.

Those who had secretly watched Lee Hyang kiss her on the daecheong hall the previous night cast sideways glances filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Meanwhile, those who had quietly belonged to Jeon Gyun's faction openly displayed hostility and disgust, as if she were an enemy.

Only Choi and Yun—who had stood watch with her—approached her warmly, offering congratulations tinged with envy.

"To have a private audience with His Majesty—congratulations. You'll soon become His Highness's official consort too. Even if you become so noble, don't pretend you don't know us."

Perhaps sensing the subtle tension surrounding Yunseo that day, Hongwi clung to her more tightly than usual, refusing to let go even for a moment.

When she told him she had to go to Cheonchujeon to see His Majesty, he immediately said,

"Let's go together. Grandmother said I should come too."

He had somehow remembered being told to come along before, and tried to follow her.

When Yunseo explained that she would go alone today and that they would go together next time, Hongwi pouted, clutching the hem of her skirt.

"Come back quickly… quickly."

His voice trembled on the verge of tears, making Yunseo keenly understand the aching feeling mothers describe when they must leave their child behind each morning.

Senior Court Lady Eom personally escorted Yunseo to Cheonchujeon.

Beside her walked Maeggeum, dressed as a young apprentice eunuch.

"His Highness ordered that she accompany you," Senior Court Lady Eom explained when Yunseo looked surprised.

As they walked quietly toward Cheonchujeon, noticing Yunseo's tension, she shared what she had learned from serving the King in her younger days.

"His Majesty is always generous to those who are sincere. Just answer his questions truthfully, and don't be too nervous. If you try too hard out of anxiety, he may instead suspect that you have some hidden scheme."

Unlike last night, when they had treated her warmly and familiarly, now they addressed Yunseo with full formality again, as if she were the future Crown Princess.

"Your Majesty, Lady-in-waiting Kwon has arrived."

A somewhat young court attendant announced toward the inside of Cheonchujeon.

As soon as she stood before Cheonchujeon, the overwhelming terror of being dragged here like a dog just six days ago came flooding back. Yunseo closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

At that moment, Head Court Lady Eom stepped close and whispered softly,

"I and Sohwan will wait here, so go in without worry."

Mindful of the eyes of the other palace maids, she reassured her as if comforting a young novice attendant.

As Yunseo removed her shoes, her eyes caught sight of a pair of extremely elegant silk danghye placed on the stone step beside His Majesty's shoes.

It seemed a high-born lady was inside.

The moment she entered, bowed, and prostrated herself, His Majesty's questions came pouring down as if he had been waiting.

"For what reason did you hug yourself and pat yourself the other day? Why did you do such a thing? And afterward, why did you suddenly become so bold, as if you were a different person, and look straight into my eyes?"

Then, from beside him, a young woman's lively voice rang out.

"Oh my, Father. At least let her catch her breath before questioning her. And what do you mean, she looked straight at you? Kwon-gaya, didn't my elder brother, the Crown Prince, tell you that you must not look directly at His Majesty's face without special permission? Oh dear, I should have told you myself long ago."

Startled, Yunseo slowly raised her head, only to see a woman seated beside the King, gazing at her with eyes sparkling in curiosity.

Though she wore only a light green dangui with gold patterns and no particular ornaments in her hair, her entire presence radiated a noble brightness.

It was the confident, cheerful aura unique to a true royal woman—one born noble, raised with noble love, and destined to remain noble in the present, the future, and even after death.

There was none of the faint desperation often seen in women who had entered the royal family through selection or royal favor.

'Princess Jeongui.'

When the King would ask how she had come to know those characters, she had been told to answer that Princess Jeongui had taught her—and it seemed he had gone as far as bringing the princess into Cheonchujeon.

Feeling vividly how carefully Lee Hyang was looking out for her, Yunseo felt her nose sting.

"That day, I had not been informed in advance and was suddenly dragged here, so I was extremely frightened and my mind went blank. So, as one would soothe a terrified child, I held myself tightly and patted myself to regain my senses. Even so, because it was a matter concerning Your Majesty's august safety, a trace of fear still lingered, and without realizing it, I committed the discourtesy of looking directly at Your Majesty's face. Please forgive me."

As Yunseo explained while prostrating herself, King Sejong let out an "Oh?" and turned to Princess Jeongui.

"Doesn't her answer sound a bit too smooth, as if she wrote and memorized it beforehand?"

"That can't be. She's a very clever child. Otherwise, why would my elder brother—who used to say women were ignorant and not even worth speaking to—summon her every night and ask her things?"

Princess Jeongui replied casually, then laughed meaningfully.

It seemed she had already heard about what had happened on the wooden hall floor the previous night.

Her face flushed hot, and Yunseo made a firm vow never again to let Lee Hyang show affection toward her in front of others.

Perhaps because a ruler was unconsciously accustomed to shamelessness, Lee Hyang—who was otherwise extremely restrained—showed an unexpected lack of hesitation in expressing affection before palace attendants.

"Did you not say before that just as our bodies develop, our brains also develop step by step? Then what does that have to do with lying? It must be uncomfortable to remain prostrated like that—raise your body and sit as you answer."

Despite all the commotion, His Majesty remembered exactly what Yunseo had ramblingly explained last time.

Yunseo sat up and began calmly reciting modern theories about children's lying.

Since she had already explained the theory once before, there was no way King Sejong would fail to notice if she tried to fabricate something poorly now.

"Complex lies—such as telling the truth about time while lying about place—require advanced cognitive ability. One must be able to understand another person's intentions and, based on that, fabricate falsehoods to one's own advantage. This is only possible after at least the age of two, when a child can accurately recognize and express both their own desires and those of others…"

From time to time, King Sejong nodded, adding small interjections like "Hmm" and "I see."

Even though he himself was a genius and a near-perfect monarch, Yunseo couldn't help but admire how attentively he listened.

"Only after the age of six can a child distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, from that point onward, it becomes necessary to strictly discipline lying."

When Yunseo finished speaking, an impressed "Oh!" echoed, and silence briefly fell over Cheonchujeon.

It was the kind of silence that came from wondering how on earth she had come to know such things.

Yunseo's guess was correct.

"I thought you were no ordinary child when I saw how quickly you learned to read and write after being taught just a few new characters—but this is truly remarkable. How did you come to know all this?"

Princess Jeongui stepped forward first, asking in a tone that was half teasing and half genuinely curious.

"My father passed away early, and when I went to live in another household, I looked after not only the children of that family but also the children of the servants. Through that, I naturally came to know these things, though I am not certain of their accuracy, as my knowledge is humble."

"Ah! I see. No wonder. This is something you could never learn just by raising our young royal grandson—you must have gained experience raising many children before. That's why you take such good care of him."

Perhaps having received Lee Hyang's secret instruction to smoothly support any story whose source was unclear, Princess Jeongui eagerly played along.

"The other day, you said that in emotional development, if the primary caregiver—the mother—experiences severe mental distress, it can affect both the fetus in the womb and the child after birth, did you not?"

Fortunately, King Sejong asked about the topic of emotional development that Yunseo had briefly mentioned before.

"Yes, Your Majesty. That is why, when a royal heir is conceived, the royal household practices prenatal education—reading the words of sages and playing good music during pregnancy, do they not?"

"That has simply been our tradition… Is there any basis for it?"

There was plenty of basis.

Modern neuroscience has revealed that when a mother experiences stress, stress hormones such as cortisol are released, affecting the fetus connected through the umbilical cord. Not only does it cause hormonal changes, but it can also shrink the hippocampus, which forms short-term memory.

In other words, a mother's stress has a direct, physical impact on the fetus's brain.

But she could not explain such modern knowledge to King Sejong.

After thinking hard for a while, Yunseo suddenly exclaimed,

"Ah!"