Whether it was the Empress who silenced everyone or the Emperor, it seems the rumors did not spread beyond the palace walls.
For the next two days, I stayed at home focusing on treating my hair, as Lin Hwa still seemed to think her marriage talks with the 13th Prince would continue, and my parents felt the same.
Two days later, when I entered the palace, I noticed the palace staff barely looked at me.
Some tried to glance, but when they did, the person next to them would elbow them hard, indicating they had been strongly instructed to keep quiet.
Feeling relieved, I walked for about an hour. This time too, I was caught by the Emperor’s close eunuch at the entrance of Wolmugung and taken to meet the Emperor privately.
‘Damn. Every time His Majesty calls, something always happens.’
And sure enough. The Emperor, looking slightly displeased, called me and once again put me in a difficult position.
“It’s a pity, Yo Yohwa. If the marriage talks between your sister and the 13th Prince had proceeded, it would have been good for everyone.”
It only took one sentence from the Emperor to perplex me.
If I were to say ‘Yes, it’s a shame’ here, and the Emperor truly thinks it’s a shame and tries to call me to be his close aide again?
I had strongly objected to the marriage talks between Lin Hwa and the 13th Prince because I didn’t want to be the Emperor’s close aide. If the Emperor tries to call me as his close aide even after the marriage talks with Lin Hwa and the 13th Prince have fallen through, it would all be for nothing.
But if I say ‘I’m glad, thank you’ when the Emperor is displeased? I would incur the Emperor’s wrath.
Although the Emperor is destined to be deposed by the 13th Prince, it will still be a few years until that happens. Until then, I must not earn the Emperor’s hatred while lying low.
In other words, I found it difficult to either deny or affirm the Emperor’s words. But I couldn’t not answer either. That would be seen as ignoring the Emperor’s words.
‘Ah. Why are all these royal people so self-centered?’
Just then. As I was quickly racking my brain for an answer, I noticed a large scroll on the Emperor’s desk.
It was a scroll I hadn’t seen before, and unlike other scroll paintings, its shape was quite uniquely bulky.
As soon as I saw it, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
‘I should talk about that!’
If my memory serves me right, the Emperor should be very troubled about that scroll right now. If I bring it up, the topic will shift in that direction.
Our Hwaeom is a country that occupies an entire large island. And near Hwaeom, there are two other islands as large as ours, and eight medium to small-sized islands.
However, while one large island and eight medium to small islands are single countries like Hwaeom, one large island is ruled by two countries divided east and west.
These countries are Taewol and Unwol, and as they developed while competing, both countries became powerful. Naturally, Hwaeom had been trying to maintain reasonably good relations with both countries.
But at some point before my regression, when Taewol and Unwol had a big fight, the Emperor took Taewol’s side. That scroll was sent from Unwol right after that, and of course, it couldn’t have been sent with good intentions.
But because it’s a very ambiguous picture with no clear meaning, the Emperor instructed his ministers to find out what the hidden meaning of the picture was.
When no one could easily answer, the father of the Empress, who is the Gyeokilsa (highest official) of the Haengbu, gave a plausible answer to this, and the Emperor was greatly pleased.
The Emperor even wrote that interpretation in a letter he sent to Unwol.
However, it turned out that wasn’t the intention at all, and Hwaeom was once disgraced because of it. Of course, at that time, I was just a teacher of a back-palace prince, so I only heard about it and never saw the scroll.
But the shape of the scroll I heard about then was exactly the same as the one on the Emperor’s desk now.
Since the Emperor hasn’t yet told his ministers to interpret the scroll, this must be right after the scroll arrived and the Emperor is having a headache over it.
Then it must be before the Gyeokilsa gives his nonsense interpretation. So, would it be okay if I tell the real meaning of this scroll?
Then Hwaeom won’t be ridiculed, I won’t stand out too much compared to the Gyeokilsa, and the Emperor will be so preoccupied with the scroll that he won’t bother to ask about my thoughts on this matter.
“It’s a map of Hwaeom.”
“What?”
“That scroll. It’s a map of Hwaeom drawn in a strange shape, Your Majesty. How interesting.”
“The Gyeokilsa said it was a woodpecker.”
“!”
But the Emperor had already heard the nonsense interpretation from the Gyeokilsa.
“He said it’s a picture sent by Unwol to mock our act of siding with Taewol, using the characteristics of a woodpecker.”
Oh dear… It seems His Majesty will be disgraced by Unwol once again in this life.
In my previous life, I heard rumors that ‘the Emperor entrusted the interpretation of the scroll to his ministers’. I guess this instruction itself wasn’t public. The Gyeokilsa has already given his interpretation without any related stories coming in.
But what can I do? As a low-ranking Iguksa, I can’t object to the interpretation of the highest official of the Haengbu now.
“Oh, is that so? Then the Gyeokilsa must be right. Looking again, it does look like a woodpecker.”
I immediately agreed. Fortunately, as the conversation about the troublesome scroll went on, the Emperor seemed to no longer want to bother with trivial matters like my marriage talks with the 13th Prince, and waved his hand to dismiss me.
Alright. This is good enough. Feeling relieved, I quickly paid my respects and hastily left the Emperor’s study.
[This is the timeline separator]Fortunately, the marriage talks between me and my disciple began to continue.
The next day. Song Taegam visited our family to receive the saju danja (four pillars of destiny).
While other noble families exchange saju danja loudly and boisterously, Song Taegam came quietly with only a few eunuchs.
Probably all procedures until the marriage will proceed in this hush-hush manner. That is, until I conceive and remove my male disguise. Of course, I’ll probably escape before I conceive.
However, because the bride kept changing, my parents didn’t even have time to worry about the procession being modest to the point of being sparse.
“Is this really Yo Hwa’s saju danja? Not Lin Hwa’s?”
“Yes, yes. It’s Young Master Yo’s saju danja.”
“Are you sure it’s really Yo Hwa?”
“Of course. It’s Young Master Yo, Iguksa Yo, Young Master Yo.”
Only after Song Taegam repeatedly assured them did my mother bring out a small jewel box containing the paper with my saju and hand it to Song Taegam.
“The interpretation date is five days from now. We will send a palanquin to escort you.”
After Song Taegam left, my mother looked at me with complicated eyes and asked.
“Did you do this?”
I shrugged and gave a half-honest answer.
“How could I have done that? Mother, Father, even though I begged Lin Hwa to refuse everything, she kept getting rejected. His Highness the 13th Prince stepped in for me.”
Actually, the 13th Prince didn’t want to get involved at first. He did step in when the rumors spread though.
Come to think of it, it is strange. Even with such rumors, the 13th Prince could have just been a bit upset and let it go. Why did he take the risk of mentioning the Emperor and Empress to step in for me?
‘…Is he the type to eat the most delicious thing last? Like, he’ll keep me alive until then because he wants to take revenge on me last?’
I suddenly got goosebumps. Moreover, I don’t know when she came, but Lin Hwa was staring at me with completely sunken eyes.
When our eyes met, Lin Hwa came closer and whispered in my ear.
“You never let me win even once. I really hate you. Really.”
As soon as she finished speaking, I felt a stinging pain in my ear.
“Ugh.”
Surprised, I pushed Lin Hwa hard. Lin Hwa fell backwards with a thud.
When I put my hand to my ear, wet blood came off. That crazy filly had dug her fingernails hard into my ear.
“Are you crazy?”
I yelled at Lin Hwa in anger, but Lin Hwa got up silently, dusted off her skirt, turned around and left.
My mother didn’t know whether to be angry at Lin Hwa for tearing my ear or at me for throwing Lin Hwa, so she couldn’t respond immediately.
Belatedly, as my mother clutched her forehead, Maid Sugil hurriedly cried out “My Lady!” and supported her.
I sigh. Even though I’ve regressed, my relationship with my family was growing more distant than before the regression.
[This is the timeline separator]In Hwaeom, after exchanging saju danja, the parents of both families and the prospective bride and groom gather to hear the interpretation of a saju expert.
Where they meet depends on the circumstances of each marrying family. But when dealing with the royal family, they must always gather at the palace, so five days later, my parents and I entered the palace together.
My mother, after paying respects to the Emperor and Empress, was so stunned when she first saw the 13th Prince’s face that she couldn’t speak properly.
My father was fine, probably because he had seen the 13th Prince a few times before, but my mother’s eyes kept rolling as if she found the 13th Prince’s face fascinating no matter how many times she looked at him.
Later, she even looked at me with a strange gaze, which seemed to say, ‘So this is why you keep saying you admire His Highness!’ I just kept my head down, pretending not to notice.
After that, a scholar appeared to analyze the saju and unfolded the papers with my and the 13th Prince’s saju written on them.
The scholar raised his eyebrows for a moment, surprised that I was dressed as a man but the saju indicated a woman, but when the Emperor cleared his throat briefly, he quickly managed his expression.
Then, after looking intently at my face, the 13th Prince’s face, and the saju papers while sighing “Hmm… Hmm…”, he finally put the papers back in the jewel box and opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty. The 13th Prince and Iguksa Yo are a match made in heaven.”
Ugh.
“Both of you have outstanding abilities but each lacks one vital energy that prevents you from achieving greatness alone. However, you can fill each other’s deficiencies, so if the 13th Prince and Iguksa Yo get married, your path ahead will be solid and smooth. Although there may be various rumors in the process, if you two are together, you will be able to overcome such temporary difficulties well.”
Honestly, I’m curious. Are there any experts who say ‘These two are destined to eat each other alive if they marry, so they shouldn’t get married!’ when saju danja are exchanged?
I’ve never heard of a marriage being called off because the saju didn’t match. Of course, most people only announce their engagement after safely exchanging saju danja, so there might be such cases that just weren’t made public…
The Emperor replied with a slightly blank face.
“That’s fortunate.”
On the other hand, the Empress burst into laughter with a very satisfied expression.
“This has turned out very well indeed.”
My father and mother still had complicated looks on their faces, but they nodded, probably thinking it would be fine if we lived well together.
That’s when it happened.
“However, it would be better if the two of you do not marry.”
As if to personally fill my doubts, the saju expert suddenly changed his words with a grave expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
The Empress asked immediately, looking aghast. The saju expert bowed his head and opened his mouth.
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.