Chapter 9

Tan Shin-je (2)

When the Crown Princess wants to go outside the palace, she must bring at least twenty maids with her.

Since she must always appear dignified, a great deal of effort goes into her attire, and the maids must also dress up to the nines. Considering this hardship, the Crown Princesses of the Four Palaces tend to minimize their outings.

Therefore, the news that Lady Jin suddenly crossed the gate of Baekseon Palace was enough to surprise everyone.

"Baekseon Elder, she must have come to seek your guidance."

Sitting side by side in front of the hearth, Yanli and I exchanged serious glances.

"Why Baekseon Elder all of a sudden?"

"Well... the Crown Prince Hyunwon’s birthday is coming up. They set up a platform on the slopes of Baegcheonsan for the Crown Princesses to showcase their talents, so she must be preparing for that..."

Upon reflection, rumors had also spread among the guards of the Red Palace.

It was said that Lady Jin of the Red Palace had visited the head guard to seek guidance.

Additionally, it was heard that Lady Ha, who had recently taken her position, had visited the chief of the main palace to learn the Heavenly Dragon Dance, the most exquisite palace dance.

"From what I hear, Lady Jin is skilled in Daoist techniques. And in this Blue Dragon Palace, when it comes to Daoist techniques, no one is more skilled than Baekseon Elder."

"So she came to learn Daoist techniques for the birthday platform performance..."

Indeed, that made sense. Lady Jin Qinglang, despite her young age, had already achieved a high level of Daoist and alchemical techniques.

It was natural for her to seek out the best in the field. However...

"...Taiping. When Baekseon Elder and Lady Jin’s conversation is almost over, he will call you."

When a guest leaves Baekseon Palace, it is the duty of the palace guards to escort them to the palace gates.

"Absolutely, no matter what happens! Don’t act like you know her...! You must put up a solid front...! This is a matter of life and death, you understand...?"

I swallowed hard and nodded at Yanli’s words.

"Crises are opportunities. If anything, it might be good to leave an impression of being a clumsy and indifferent person this time."

"But if I speak rudely to a noble lady like Lady Jin, I might be punished... I still don’t have a good sense of the line to draw..."

"Don’t worry, Taiping. They say women know women best. The key is... to remain as silent and aloof as possible, acting as if Lady Jin doesn’t matter to you."

Yanli, with a serious face, scanned my body and then went into the room to pull out a dagger from a drawer. She then started tearing the bottom of my pants.

"What, what are you doing, Yanli?"

"Creating a clumsy impression. If your attire is sloppy and your behavior is crude, a noble lady like Lady Jin will lose interest."

"Indeed..."

As she tore the bottom of my clothes, Yanli recited each point to me.

"Got it, Taiping. Absolutely do not act like you know Lady Jin. Do not give the impression that you recognize her as a special person or that you remember her. Don’t give her even a hint of an opening. Got it?"

"...But does that make sense? I was in the Blue Dragon Palace and even entered Lady Jin’s bedroom. Wouldn’t it seem more unnatural to pretend I don’t know her?"

"Don’t worry. I just glanced at her expression while serving tea, and it’s completely different from before. Back then, she looked so terrible that it was hard to even call her human. Now, she looks so beautiful that it’s hard to believe it’s the same person. In a way, it’s only natural that she doesn’t recognize you."

Indeed, the Lady Jin I saw in the Blue Dragon Palace looked more like a corpse than a human.

After receiving assistance from the maids and working hard to recover her health, and receiving various treatments, her appearance must have changed completely.

"You need to hypnotize yourself, Taiping. From now on, you are a block of wood."

"Right... I am a block of wood..."

"A thing that feels no emotion... a thing without feelings..."

I tried to hypnotize myself, clearing my mind.

Before starting the plan to use Lady Jin to push away the Crown Princess, I won’t give her even a hint of an opening!

Knock, knock

"Ah... This is bad, I’ve torn too much!"

"What, what? If you tear the pants to the calves, how will I look? This isn’t just a clumsy appearance; it’s like a beggar’s clothes!"

"Wait... Wait... Something to quickly tie the end..."

*

‘For a young person who hasn’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, to have this much qi... She truly is someone who has overcome the divine fever.’

‘Even a Daoist who has trained for decades in the mountains would find it difficult to possess this much qi.’

Baekseon I Cheolwoon, sitting in the inner chamber of Baekseon Palace, thought to himself.

Lady Jin Qinglang, carrying a few gifts, sat modestly with a few maids behind her.

As always, she covered her mouth with her long sleeves, looking very refined.

‘To cover the spots caused by the divine fever, perhaps.’

After overcoming the divine fever, Lady Jin developed a habit of covering her mouth with the long sleeves of her palace attire. It seemed more like she was trying to hide something rather than to act ladylike.

The small spots between her collarbone and shoulder, caused by the divine fever, were not particularly noticeable or ugly. However, she seemed to find them embarrassing.

Even in the thick palace attire of the White Dragon Palace, they wouldn’t be visible, but this habit made her always appear demure, adding a mysterious aura.

Even at a young age, she exuded a divine aura, as if she were a fairy or a Daoist.

Despite his long life, Baekseon I Cheolwoon had not seen many people who had overcome the divine fever.

Indeed, the saying that ‘those who overcome the divine fever are chosen by the Heavenly Emperor’ seems to be true. They usually possess extraordinary qualities and are destined to achieve great things.

"To summarize, this humble one wishes to receive Baekseon’s guidance to perform Daoist techniques that will please the Emperor."

"Since you are a treasure of the Blue Dragon Palace, I cannot refuse your request."

Baekseon, a sage of the palace, is not someone who can be treated lightly, even by high officials of the Blue Dragon Palace.

Even if it’s a request from the Crown Princess, if he doesn’t want to, he can simply shake his head.

However, Baekseon did not refuse Lady Jin’s request. He was curious to see what kind of Daoist techniques she would master in the future, given her current level of qi.

"From the qi I sense from you, I believe you will be able to perform Daoist techniques that will make even the high officials at the platform clap in surprise. However, the time I can dedicate to teaching you is limited."

"Is that so?"

"I cannot neglect your important request, but unfortunately, the qi of Baegcheonsan has recently become murky and unstable. As the palace sage, I must prioritize this issue. Therefore, I will teach you after addressing this matter."

Even the Crown Princess cannot demand a lot of time. Baekseon has more important matters to attend to.

He expressed this tactfully.

In fact, Baekseon I Cheolwoon strongly advocated for canceling the birthday celebration due to the continuous murkiness of Baegcheonsan’s qi.

However, the high officials of the main palace, especially the strategist Hwan, shook their heads at Baekseon’s suggestion.

He is the guardian of Crown Prince Hyunwon. Canceling the birthday celebration, which is meant to enhance the Prince’s authority, would be detrimental to his political standing. Baekseon was frustrated but had to accept it.

Given the current situation, the only thing Baekseon could do was to closely monitor the state of Baegcheonsan. In the midst of this, he had little time to teach Lady Jin Daoist techniques.

"It’s fine. I cannot take too much of Baekseon Elder’s precious time, given the many important matters you have."

"I appreciate your understanding. It’s getting late, so please return to the palace. Our guards will escort you to the gate of Baekseon Palace."

Saying this, Baekseon raised his voice to call the guards outside.

"Taiping!"

At this, the ears of Lady Jin, hidden behind the sleeves, perked up.

Her eyes lit up as if she had heard an invitation to go for a walk, making Baekseon wonder if his words were that boring. How could the news that it was time to leave be so welcome?

Creak

"Yes, Elder."

Seo Taeping opened the sliding door, bowed deeply, and knelt beside it.

Even though they usually eat together, when there are external guests, it’s important to maintain proper etiquette. After all, Baekseon’s authority is the authority of Baekseon Palace.

"Did you call me?"

"The guest is leaving."

"Understood. I will prepare immediately."

Saying this, Seo Taeping signaled to the eunuch in the corridor.

The eunuch crossed the corridor and prepared to open the main gate of Baekseon Palace. He would soon return with the news.

For a moment, silence filled the inner chamber of Baekseon Palace.

Baekseon was a man of few words, and Lady Jin, as a mature Crown Princess, could not speak freely.

Moreover, having a mere apprentice guard converse personally with the palace’s master would be a grave breach of etiquette. Therefore, Lady Jin could not speak rashly.

However, she could feel the gaze.

Anyone could tell that Lady Jin recognized Seo Taeping. Even if she had seen him in a blurry state during her illness, seeing him in person brought back the memory.

However, Seo Taeping showed no sign of recognizing her. This was indeed strange.

He had even come to the Blue Dragon Palace to attend to her illness. A simple word of well-wishing would have been appropriate.

Or perhaps, she had changed so much that he didn’t recognize her. Lady Jin, hiding behind her sleeves, had to hide her anxious expression.

However, she couldn’t hide her gaze.

Seo Taeping thought to himself. Indeed, gaze can have a physical force.

He felt a silent pressure from her bright, piercing eyes. It felt as if a punch had landed on the side of his face. If her palace attire had a tail, it would be wagging wildly.

Recognize me, recognize me, recognize me, recognize me, recognize me, recognize me.

Under the intense pressure, like a shower of stars, Seo Taeping broke out in a cold sweat.

To some, it might appear as a warm, affectionate gaze filled with a young girl’s love.

To others, it was like a sharp, polished blade flying towards him, ready to pierce his throat if not deflected properly.

‘Please, stop... I really can’t take it...!’

Hiding the sweat trickling down his fingertips, Seo Taeping took a deep breath.

He composed himself and, until Lady Jin left Baekseon Palace, did not even glance at her.

Throughout the escort, he felt her gaze piercing his back, but he managed to keep his expression unchanged.

*

The moon hung on the branch of a plum tree.

Lady Jin, leading her maids, stopped suddenly, feeling a nostalgic mood.

The maids, walking in step with their sleeves touching, were startled and stopped, then knelt and asked,

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No. I just..."

Lifting her gaze while covering her mouth with her sleeve, the hem of her long palace attire swept the ground.

"The moon is beautiful, so I stopped to admire it."

The crescent moon, which seemed to mock her from her bed, appeared so clear and bright from outside.

How long has it been since she felt no fear of the darkness? Just the act of walking through the quiet night of the palace made her chest feel lighter.

The winter night air was cold. A breath of air formed and then vanished.

It was like her love, which she thought had been well-contained but still escaped with a sigh.

Seo Taeping did not acknowledge Lady Jin at all.

Until the moment she left Baekseon Palace, he maintained a distance of three steps ahead and never looked back. When they reached the main gate, he simply bowed and bid her farewell.

The contrast with his spirited and caring demeanor when he attended to her illness in the Blue Dragon Palace was so stark that she wondered if that day had been nothing but a dream.

Perhaps he didn’t recognize her. As she was about to leave Baekseon Palace, feeling disheartened, she noticed the torn hem of Seo Taeping’s guard uniform.

The torn hem, tied with red silk thread, seemed to reflect his character. It confirmed that the straightforward and unassuming demeanor she had seen in the Blue Dragon Palace was not an illusion.

He appeared tough and aloof, but inside, he had a human side. Confirming this, Lady Jin had to control her blushing face.

Moreover, the jade pendant in the shape of a butterfly, hanging from the red silk thread.

It was far too feminine to be his. Upon closer inspection, it was one of the trinkets she had sent him.

‘He has been using it.’

Lady Jin lifted her sleeve higher to avoid being noticed by the maids.

‘He didn’t fail to recognize me; he just didn’t act like he knew me.’

After all, the difference in authority between an apprentice guard of Baekseon Palace and the lady of the Blue Dragon Palace is like the difference between heaven and earth. With Baekseon Elder beside him, he couldn’t speak to her casually.

Thinking about this, Seo Taeping’s back, which couldn’t even utter a word of recognition, seemed even more lonely. The distance between them, close yet unreachable, felt subtly dividing.

Lady Jin felt a gnawing pain in her heart.

‘...It’s painful. I don’t know why.’

Compared to the pain of the divine fever, this was a mere scratch.

But like a thorn in her throat, this aching emotion tormented her.

“...”

The head maid, Huiin, who had been kneeling and watching the scene, was...

drenched in cold sweat.

If this continued, it would look like she was repaying kindness with enmity.

*

“I did it perfectly, creating a solid wall. I might have even suffered a heartache and deeply regretted it. Damn... I did a terrible thing, but... there was no choice. That’s how the palace works.”

I reported back to Yanli with a confident expression.

Yanli, mending a quilt with a needle, looked at me with a suspicious gaze