Biyeong realized he had never seen Eun Chae wear any ornaments. Even though she was disguised as a man now, she was at an age where girls typically enjoyed such things.
He knew her family had fallen on hard times after her father’s death. He had helped with essentials but had never considered her interest in such feminine items.
Eun Chae, too, would surely look lovely with such ornaments. As he pondered this, a vendor spotted him.
“Handsome sir, come take a look!”
Seeing it as a good opportunity to pick a gift for Eun Chae, Biyeong approached the accessory seller’s stall. The stall was filled with a variety of colorful ornaments in the shapes of flowers, birds, and butterflies.
Among the many ornaments, one caught Biyeong’s eye. It was a hairpin made of colorful fabric shaped like a flower, distinctively different from the other items. The combination of light and dark red hues gave it vibrancy, and the flower’s stamen and pistil were adorned with pearls, big and small, giving it a luxurious and elegant feel. It seemed out of place in a street market.
Feeling it would perfectly suit Eun Chae, Biyeong pointed to the hairpin and spoke to the seller, “I’ll take this one.”
“You have quite an eye! This hairpin came from a distant land in the East. It’s so rare that I could only get one. Shall I wrap it for you?”
“Yes, please. How much?”
“It’s quite expensive… But for you, just 4 nyang!”
Four nyang was quite a sum, twice the monthly salary of a Kwangho Army trainee. Despite the price, Biyeong readily opened his purse.
Suddenly, a man joined Biyeong at the stall.
“How much for this ornament?”
The man’s pale face, fine facial lines, and long, slanted eyes, along with his outfit of expensive silk and the presence of a bodyguard, clearly indicated he was a noble.
He seemed interested in the hairpin Biyeong had chosen.
“Unfortunately, you’re a bit late,” Biyeong said, placing 4 nyang on the stall.
The nobleman, looking at Biyeong, said arrogantly, “That ornament isn’t suitable for a simple girl. I want to give it to a woman who can appreciate its value.”
Biyeong’s forehead creased slightly at the man’s presumptuous words, showing his displeasure.
“A gift is about the giver’s heart. What use is an expensive gift without a heart that values others?”
“Sorry, sir, but it’s already been claimed,” the vendor chimed in, packing the hairpin into a jewel box for Biyeong.
Undeterred, the nobleman placed 8 nyang on the stall, doubling the price.
Biyeong countered without hesitation, “12 nyang.”
The vendor’s eyes lit up with excitement.
The nobleman glanced at Biyeong and named a staggering sum, “30 nyang.”
The vendor was astounded. That amount could buy a small house.
He eagerly awaited Biyeong’s response, but Biyeong, unprepared for such a bidding war, couldn’t go higher.
Seeing Biyeong’s silence, the vendor’s face fell with disappointment, “Aren’t you going to bid higher?”
The nobleman, impatient, bluntly asked, “Are you selling it or not?”
Upon seeing the disappointment on the vendor’s face due to his silence, Biyeong was asked, “Aren’t you going to bid higher, sir?”
Then, the nobleman impatiently spoke up, “Are you selling it or not?”
“Yes, yes! I’m selling it! The person who pays gets it, right?” The vendor quickly changed his stance. Just moments ago, he had declared the firstcomer to be the rightful owner, but now he swiftly shifted his words.
The nobleman, upon receiving the hairpin, promptly left the scene with his escort.
Biyeong watched the nobleman’s retreating figure with disbelief. Not only was the man’s attitude appalling, but the sheer amount he was willing to pay was astonishing. What could be the identity of a man who so easily parts with an amount that could purchase a small house?
The nobleman, successful in purchasing the hairpin, arrived at the Eastern Palace. After changing out of his disguise into a blue dragon robe, his noble appearance became even more dignified.
He was Prince Hwan, a revered figure in Joseon and the Crown Prince of the country.
From a young age, Hwan had undergone strict training as the heir apparent. With the declining health of King Yirul, Hwan took on the responsibilities of regency, increasing his burdens and duties.
Though the legitimate son of the King, Hwan always lived in the shadow of Gun, his half-brother from a favored concubine, who was cherished by King Yirul for his outstanding martial and literary talents.
Always compared to Gun, Hwan felt inferior in both martial and literary skills. To Hwan, Gun was a rival to be wary of and a person he couldn’t help but resent.
Despite Hwan’s efforts to gain his father’s recognition, King Yirul only ever treated him with strictness. The courtiers showed favor towards Hwan, but it was merely to gain favor, not genuine affection.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
