“Yo Lin Hwa. Have you gone mad?”

As soon as I asked in bewilderment, mother slapped my leg. Lin Hwa snorted and walked over to an empty chair, plopping down. She sat so grandly that she should have been called a general.

“So, what is this about?”

Father asked as well.

“What do you mean, what is this about?”

Lin Hwa retorted as if wondering how they couldn’t understand, and pouted her lips.

“I just said something obvious. I’m an unmarried adult with no fiancé, and both my father and elder brother, I mean elder sister, are in official positions. If His Majesty selects concubines, of course I’ll be a candidate. Being a candidate means it’s natural to participate in the concubine selection.”

Mother burst out while listening.

“You foolish child, do you know how much hardship concubines go through?”

Lin Hwa frowned and asked back.

“What hardship? What’s so difficult about living comfortably in the palace, being served by court ladies and eating delicious food?”

Mother pounded her chest repeatedly, then banged on the table as she cried out.

“Once you enter as a concubine, you can’t freely leave the palace!”

“It’s not like I go around freely now either, right? I only go to somewhat distant places during holidays or big events. Concubines also travel at those times. How far do you think I normally go? The distance between Daehwawon and the concubines’ quarters in the palace is farther than the restaurant I occasionally visit.”

“If you become a concubine, you’ll barely be able to see your mother’s face properly.”

“It’s the same if I get married. If I live in another household, I’ll only see you during holidays or events or occasionally, so it’s the same whether I become a concubine or get married.”

Mother gave me a signal with her eyes. It seems she was having trouble winning against Lin Hwa with words. I had been quietly listening to mother and Lin Hwa’s argument, but I slightly shook my head.

‘Mother. If I step in, Lin Hwa will try to go in the opposite direction no matter what reasons I give.’

Lin Hwa raised her chin. As mother seemed to be losing ground and I remained silent, father stepped in again, unable to just watch.

“Lin Hwa. It seems you greatly misunderstood something when you went to the palace for the Winter Solstice Festival. The life of concubines may seem glamorous, but it’s only a shell. You can live a glamorous life with our family’s wealth too. If someone from a powerless or poor family wanted to become a concubine, that would make sense. But aren’t you already living well enough? You’re already eating good food and wearing nice clothes, so what use is having slightly fancier things and slightly better food?”

“It would be a bit more useful, I suppose.”

“The life of a concubine is brutal. They aren’t innocent young ladies who have only been raised gently like you. The longer people stay in the palace, whether men or women, the more skilled they become at using schemes and tricks to protect themselves. Do you think you could endure among such people?”

“If I endure, I’ll become as clever as them too. They all survived after entering the palace knowing nothing, just like me.”

“…”

“What’s there to be afraid of when I have a powerful family and strong parents?”

Did she only hone her debating skills in the women’s quarters?

Father looked at me, seeming to think this wasn’t working. There was only one thing I could say.

“She’d probably do well even if she entered the palace, wouldn’t she?”

It was an honest observation, but father shouted angrily.

“Yo Yohwa!”

“I was joking.”

I quickly backed down. It was actually the truth, but there was no need to cause problems here. Besides, regardless of Lin Hwa’s eloquence, this filly’s entry into the palace had to be stopped at all costs.

Why? Because in the future, my disciple would depose the emperor and take the throne.

In that process, many people of the imperial family who had tormented my disciple were purged. Some died, some were imprisoned, some were exiled, and some were confined to their homes.

There were those who met relatively mild endings like Princess Taewol, but whether Lin Hwa would meet such a ‘mild ending’ was uncertain.

“I’m also against you entering the palace, Yo Lin Hwa. But my reasons are different from our parents’. I don’t think you’re too innocent or gentle-natured to endure there. You’re plenty sharp-tongued… Alright, I’ll say you’re kind if that’s what you want. Mother says you’re kind, Yo Lin Hwa. Anyway, I’m against it because of His Majesty.”

Lin Hwa, who hadn’t been listening at all when our parents talked about the dangers and restrictions of palace life, for some reason paid attention to my words.

What’s this? Is she interested in the emperor? She seemed to be looking at the emperor intently during the Winter Solstice Festival. Could she have been captivated by his face?

I hope that’s not the case. If she’s going to enter the palace, it would be better if she did so out of ambition. Entering out of love would truly be a thorny path for both body and soul.

“What? Why His Majesty? Why did you stop talking?”

“His Majesty… I’ll say this just between us family members, but he’s not a good person to have as a husband.”

Lin Hwa narrowed her eyes and argued back.

“Why do you think that? Elder brother, you’ve only seen His Majesty a few times too.”

“I’ve seen His Majesty four times, and in one of those, a paperweight flew at my head, and in another, an inkstone flew at me.”

“Elder brother must have angered His Majesty.”

“From what I’ve heard from others, it seems His Majesty tends to throw things when he’s angry. Yo Lin Hwa, what would you do if His Majesty got angry and threw a teacup right in your face?”

“He threw those at you because you’re a subject. I’d be entering as a concubine. I’d be becoming His Majesty’s wife. There’s no reason for him to throw such things at me.”

“Even setting aside the habit of throwing things, His Majesty is not good husband material. His Majesty… has too many women.”

“All emperors are like that.”

“Just because all emperors are like that doesn’t mean His Majesty is good husband material.”

“If he’s the emperor, has a decent personality, and that face, what more could you want?”

Since when did my sister become so good at compromising with reality? When did she become so positive?

But with her saying it’s fine even if the emperor throws inkstones and likes women, it was difficult to persuade her further.

Moreover, seeing Lin Hwa’s gaze sink deeper, it seemed the more I tried to persuade her, the more she wanted to enter the palace. Realizing this wouldn’t work, I decided to leave for now.

“I’ll go wash up for now.”

After returning to my quarters, washing up, and changing into comfortable clothes, I calmed myself down while drinking tea.

“Wol Gang. Go check if Lin Hwa has returned home.”

“Yes, young master.”

After sending Wol Gang to the main hall to confirm if Lin Hwa had left, and hearing that she had gone, I went back to the main hall to use my secret weapon with our parents.

“Actually, I heard a rumor that in the Kang Gwon Nan family, there’s a young man named Gyun who’s about Lin Hwa’s age, diligent, intelligent, has a good personality, is kind and gentle, and his family elders are also virtuous, so it seems like it would be very good for her to marry into that family.”

Father and mother looked bewildered. They had no idea who Nan Gyun was for me to praise him like this.

‘How unfair.’

Nan Gyun was Lin Hwa’s husband before the regression, and what I just said about Nan Gyun were the words father had showered on me when boasting about his future son-in-law before the regression. Yet the father who had boasted about Nan Gyun was making such an expression.

“Who is that?”

Mother asked outright. I wanted to say ‘Ask father’, but I held it in and made something up.

“I heard about him through the grapevine. But since I haven’t seen him myself, why don’t you go and see what kind of young man he is in person? Then you can decide whether to propose a marriage or not.”

My parents looked at each other. They seemed a bit swayed.

Of course they would be. Rather than Lin Hwa entering the palace and walking a glamorous path of thorns, my parents would prefer her to marry into a family where our family’s voice could be somewhat heard, and live comfortably for the rest of her life.

In the end, father nodded.

“Alright. You do have good ears for such rumors. Even though you fight with your sister every day, I don’t think you’d bring a bad marriage proposal. I’ll look into it.”

“Yes. And father, mother. Please don’t tell Lin Hwa that I brought up Nan Gyun.”

“We won’t.”

“Young lady. Young lady.”

When Lin Hwa returned to her chambers and sat on a long chair after bathing, her close maid Wol Mi approached and gently dried her hair with a towel while asking.

“Do you really want to become a concubine?”

“Why do you ask?”

“If you become a concubine, me and Wol Chae and Wol U, who have served you since childhood, will enter the palace with you. So I was curious.”

Lin Hwa thought for a moment, then nodded, finding the question reasonable.

“That’s right. I don’t want to avoid the concubine selection by hastily creating a fiancé. If there’s a connection between me and His Majesty, I’ll be chosen as a concubine. If I can be chosen, I want to become one.”

Wol Mi asked dejectedly.

“Is it because of young master Sun An…?”

She seemed worried that Lin Hwa was trying to become a concubine out of desperation after being unable to marry Sun An.

“About half of it is.”

Lin Hwa admitted honestly.

“Since I can’t marry elder brother Sun An, I have to think about my future. But I can’t enter as a concubine to elder brother Sun An, being the legitimate daughter of the Yo family.”

“Absolutely not!”

“That’s right.”

Lin Hwa looked down at her toes for a moment while letting Wol Mi tend to her hair, then whispered softly.

“When I went to the palace, I happened to see His Majesty. He looked only about ten years older than me on the outside. And he was very handsome. His voice was also deep and resonant.”

“They say His Majesty has been famous for his looks since he was the crown prince.”

“He deserved it. His face was like a moon flower blooming in the sky.”

“But even if he looks young, his actual age is…”

“Hmph. I’d rather marry an older man of exceptional beauty than an ordinary man my age. Besides, that exceptionally beautiful man is the highest authority and the master of this country.”

“Is that so?”

Lin Hwa crossed her arms and glared at her sister’s quarters through the window with displeasure.

“If I stay like this and quietly marry an ordinary man, how will my life go? I’ll just receive some property as a dowry, and take that to marry into a family less than ours, living an unremarkable life.”

“But madam said she would give half of the family fortune as your dowry.”

“Even if it’s half the fortune, do you think it’s really half? There’s property tied to the Yo family, do you think the family members would let that go?”

“Ah…”

“Besides, Wol Mi. Isn’t it strange? I’m a legitimate daughter of the Yo family, but I don’t hold any position in the family. While Yo Yohwa gets the chance to rise in official positions and make a name for himself and the family, I’m just supposed to live quietly. I don’t want to live like that. I want to exert my power in this family too. Half of this family is my share.”

“But everyone lives like that…”

“I don’t want to. I’ll enter as a concubine, gain His Majesty’s favor and power. I’ll make His Majesty discuss state affairs with me and make ministers bow before me. I’ll aim for a high position.”

“They say the power struggles among concubines are dangerous, young lady.”

“I’ll have to endure that much. Besides, the empress only has four daughters. She can’t have any more children. But the first prince and second prince aren’t suitable to be monarchs. The third prince, who is said to be learned and benevolent, has no ambition himself, and can’t even get engaged because no one knows when he might die, so he can absolutely never become emperor. But His Majesty is young and healthy, so he’ll easily remain on the throne for another thirty years barring sudden death. If I become a concubine and have a son within a year or two, my child could also aim for the throne.”

“Ah, young lady! Such words are dangerous!”

Wol Mi cried out, turning pale, but Lin Hwa smiled leisurely.

Wol Mi closed her mouth as she combed through the nearly dried hair. She seemed too scared to continue this conversation.

But Lin Hwa stared intently at the mirror on the opposite vanity, recalling what the emperor had said when he saw her.

‘He said he had thought about me. It means he was interested in me from the start. If I enter the concubine selection, His Majesty will surely choose me. And he’ll favor me.’

As Lin Hwa’s eyes flashed, Wol Mi, though frightened, felt compelled to speak again.

“You can’t control the child’s gender, young lady. Even if you have one, it could be a girl.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even so, I can build up power and authority while His Majesty is on the throne. I want to rise to a high position and wield my power.”

“The young master and the master and madam will all oppose it…”

“Don’t worry. If I become a concubine, the Yo family and I will be in the same boat. Even if they oppose it now, once I become a concubine, my parents absolutely can’t back out. Do you know what this means, Wol Mi?”

“No.”

Lin Hwa’s lips curled up in satisfaction.

“It means that if I become a concubine, I’ll become higher than Yo Yohwa and can control him with my fingertips. Isn’t that wonderful?”