"So, The Concubine Cho has finally been punished for her blatant disrespect towards The Concubine Choi and is now forced to live in exile, which also sends a warning for her backers who was personally forced to drop her off only god knows where. Even if the price of it all is seeing another woman rise up the ranks before my very eyes…where is she, by the way?" "My Lady, she is curly accompanying His Highness for breakfast and is unable to join you right now." "I guess that she is revelling in the absence of her rival in the harem, which will also do good for me since I am currently unable to solidify my status until by baby is born and The Second Prince achieves his goals to he can get me the hell out of this hole that Seo Yeon has dug for me in the distance…" "My Lady, there is bad news! One of the State Princes was extending his congratulations for the auspicious signs in heaven when he miswrote something that angered everyone in court!" "It was probably just careless writing! What is all of the fuss about? Just send him a message via The Second Prince to demonstrate his loyalty and plead for forgiveness." "But it is being said all thought the kingdom that the absence of The Concubine Cho has lowered their guards to make this mistake…" "Nonsense! There is nobody as powerful as myself in my husband's harem! What can a lowly concubine do compared to myself! If people are unhappy about the memorandum, they can just return it with correcting the mistake that he made, that is all!" "The State Princes seems to be asking for a promotion after their children have just been given there merits…" "so this kingdom lacks authority since my own husband has been confined to his chambers? There isn't anyone else who can control the noblemen's greed and so soon after we conquered the plague?"
"The State Princes also wish for their mothers to become promoted and have them bestowed honorary names and entombed near their father." "Just grant all of previous concubines honorary titles to appease everyone, that is the more simply solution. This way; the civil officers won't be critical and the lords will also appreciate this grace from us. Give this idea to The Second Prince so that he can regain some stable footing in the palace and gain more followers, the ones that we lack at the moment…." "My Lady! There is some more bad news that has just been reported to the court!" "Now what is it?" "The youngest State Prince just entered the court in his military uniform and he beat up the Senior Censor! The brother of the head scholar!" "What! The Imperial Court is not a battlefield! The State Princes have not achieved any victories at all! Wearing his military uniform, isn't that showing off false power! But before anyone could say anything at all, the Senior Censor rebuked him for his dis-respect and he was beaten on the spot!" "How reckless is the State Prince! He has always despised cilvil officers and scholars! And the censors role are to give advice only to The Emperor and point out the wrong-doings of the officials. Only they would so bluntly reprimand the State Princes in the court…" "…to which he gave no response, he only beat him up as soon as the court was over with in the morning. He beat him straight in the face with his helmet! Ancient law says that censors are untouchable and anyone who assaults them will be met with the death penalty!" "He has made everyone angry and want to punish him, that is one wing of The Second Prince that is clipped already! In less than a month of…" My Lady, the State Prince refuses to admit to any wrongdoing and is threatening not to appear in court anymore…" "Which will jus gran him further punishment! What exactly is the thinking! How could he have lost his composure so soon after making his demands! How!"
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"So you must the be infamous Seo Yeon that we have all heard about from the brothel stories? That you walked out of a brothel without being touched? Simply in exchange for giving advice to nobles?" "Peace be to Your Ladyship, and yes, that is me. But I am wondering how did my brother…" "If you will allow me, I shall inform you of everything. I am Concubine Park, who is the daughter of one of your father's closest men. Concubine Kim and Cho here are actually my biological cousins who were equally as affected by your father's brutal passing. We lived in poverty like you also so that the rest of your father's following wouldn't suffer the consequences. I myself had already prepared myself to enter the palace like you by running away to a brothel, but I too was never a ksianeg just like you. I was a servant who simply observed the women and I learnt from them how to seduce my target, which was always The Third Prince since we had always suspected that he was the one who killed your father…" "but why? Why did he kill my father, his tutor?" "For the same reason that he killed his other enemies, the ones that were growing independent followers quickly, before he even had the chance to rise to power. And when he falls to power along with his brother, the very last straw of hope that he can fall back onto is your father's reputation." "What do you mean?" "I strongly predict that he will cling onto our father's merits as his own, which will be strange due to the fact that it was him who declared your father as a thief for stealing military provisions, which we all know to be false." "But my brother…" "I already reached out to him as soon as I entered the palace and he was close to The Third Prince when he was doing his mission for Seo Geom. we never forgot each other and I kept reaching out to him as soon as I became his favourite. My cousins here joined me as son as I had made it into the palace and I myself taught them how to win The Prince's favour." "But your miscarriage…" "this journey for revenge hasn't been easy on anyone of us, Seo Yeon. Just as you suddenly contracted epilepsy out of nowhere, I had to seduce and bear a child for my enemy. I myself aborted the baby that I never planned on keeping. And now the plan is to bring down The Third Prince when he goes after his Second Brother after betraying him and The Princess Consort who will surely bring him down with her. And then hopefully myself and my cousins can reunite with our families and settle in Seo Geom's village. The Emperor will recover one way or another but this plague will weaken him and by the end of the year, his Crown Prince should rule, but our plans end with the downfall of The Third Family." "And did you advise him on how to deal with The State Princes?"
"We all did in fact and he praised us greatly for your ideas that your brother passed down to us. He got me to come here and stay out of the way whilst he tackles his brother since one of my brothers work for him just as the other one works for The Young Master Nam, as a double spy of course, but I don't really expect to be here for more than 2 days at most." "Vewell, I shall make your stay here as comfortable as possible." "Thank you, Young Master Nam, and right now as we speak, my husband is doing everything that he can to provoke the State Princes against each other and against his brother to take him down, now knowing that his brother is being supported by his father, The Emperor to take down both of his sons and clear the path for his Crown Prince. But we have one more obstacle facing us right now; Attendant Choi who is pregnant had her family is working for The Second Prince and The Princess Consort…." "What about her?" "It is being said that she seduced her husband when she was drunk, and that is how she came to be pregnant herself…" "No, that isn't possible, not for her age." "That is what we all think but we have no ways of proving it. This baby is the only reprieve that she has to get her out of the cold palace and she is currently relying on The Second Prince's plan to regain her status…" "But why?" "Everyone knows that The Third Prince has his fearsome reputation due to his wife and The Second Prince has always envied that the most about him, all of The Princes do. But The Second Prince fails to understand that that very reputation is what separates the son from his father." "So they will both fall down together, and this will be the end of it all." "Exactly, our revenge will be victorious and Seo Geom's death shall not be in vain at all, and this will all happen before The Second Prince sends his dowry to be brought for you, Seo Yeon." "That shall never happen as I have already agreed to give my sister away to Seon-Ho, where she will become the main wife with no concubines to share her husband." "Then that is all set now, but myself and Concubine Kim should really be on our way back to the palace now and I I will have to entrust my youngest cousin here…"
"Young Master Nam!" "Brother?" "Forgive me, but I have urgent news to report to you all! The Second Prince has been taken down already! Right now by The Third Prince just as The Emperor broke his fever! The Third Prince is calling all 3 of his concubines back into The Palace as soon as possible!" "Right now? But The Third Princess Consort…." "If her pregnancy is fake, then I will tell you how to expose it at the right time. But if it is real…I will have to leave that decision up to you…" "I think it is best that I escort you ladies back, as I have my own work to conclude in the palace…" "Seon-Ho? You never said that…" "Master Seo! Your wife is currently going into active labour as we speak! She is giving birth in your sister's chambers, where she was resting!" "Goodness gracious, maybe it is better that we delay our return until The Mistress Seo has birthed her baby, The Third Prince shall understand."