Episode 2
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The endings of sannyas are stanzas.
And I am now a sannyasin.
I reflected on that fact again.
‘What the fuck……’
I actually swore. Yesterday was the wedding banquet, so I am now staying at the palace from today.
And today is the second day of my possession, which means I was possessed yesterday.
When I opened my eyes, I was stunned by the splendor all around me, and I was threatened with death by my father, Qi Yun, for speaking out.
I didn’t recognize the cold stare at the time, but in hindsight, it must have been a threat. Something to the effect that if she was found to be incapable, she would be thrown out of the palace.
I didn’t have time to feel my post-possession embarrassment, as I was dragged into the ballroom next.
As soon as I was seated in the center of the ballroom and saw the empress and her retinue, memories of my sannyas flashed through my mind, and like a thunderbolt, I remembered the book I had read.
I don’t know who put me in this place, but it was certainly a quick turnaround.
Regardless, I had one goal now.
To stay as unnoticed as possible by the Emperor and his concubines.
“……ha.”
Is it possible? I immediately denied my goal. Actually, I’m not sure.
Yesterday’s events have made the Emperor sympathetic to me, and the concubines have begun to keep an eye on me. The Emperor would be distracted by the need to care for a young child, and the lords would be jealous.
After a moment’s thought, I came to a conclusion.
“Let’s have a perfect child.
Eat well, sleep well. Achievements, no slander, no trouble.
It’s a common trait among children who are affection deficient. They want to be praised, so they do whatever it takes to be good.
But what they didn’t realize was that the less they were touched, the less they were noticed. The emperor might be a bit cautious at first, but when he sees me as a child himself, he’ll soon relax. After that, he won’t care if I’m locked in my room for three days.
If I hadn’t caught the Emperor’s eye yesterday, I would have been free to slack off and live a life of idleness, but now that I have, I can’t help it. If I did, the emperor would immediately send a tutor to check my progress once a day.
The imperial moral education was so thorough that it was more brainwashing than education, and the Empress, to her great pity, was an honor student. She had learned and practiced that the young and weak should be well cared for.
She was called a tyrant by her subjects, but only because of her relentless punishment.
She had many concubines, as did every emperor before her, but still, the placenta was for political purposes.
And one of them was me.
Haha. Past tense. Damn compassion.
“……Assistant. Are you listening to me? Miss!”
A crisp voice rang in my ear. I glanced to the side, frowning.
Catching my gaze, Sibi scowled and put her hands on her hips.
“Are you deaf? I’m talking to you!”
For now, I plan to stay in the honor roll. but I wanted to live quietly. I didn’t want to make a fuss and attract anyone’s attention. Like a neighbor in Korea who lives as if he exists or not.
Quietly and peacefully. That was my goal.
So I’m going to have to deal with her quietly and calmly too…….
As I stood still trying to figure out what to do, Sibi waved his hand in front of my eyes again.
“Miss? What is it, are you crazy?”
“It’s you.”
I blurted out harshly. Sibi being so disrespectful to the young lady he worships, I’d be speechless even if I had to cut off a limb.
It was Sanya’s default setting. Poor child, loved by no one. He was spoiled from an early age, raised to be clever, and never taught what he should have been taught.
She was a child of the saga, of the Yoran family, so of course she was not going to be kind to me.
Sanya’s treatment by the Yoran family was abysmal, and not just because she was a bastard. A child born out of wedlock is supposed to have a sense of entitlement. Sanya didn’t have that.
As a result, she was neglected, and the children under her care would not be able to take care of her. He would be young and unprotected. Seeing an easy target for their harassment, the users harassed Sanya day in and day out.
The woman in front of me is one of them, and she is beaten and driven away as soon as she becomes Sanya’s concubine in the plot.
The male lords, sensing this like a ghost, sneakily accuse Sanya of doing this to the emperor, and it is Sanya’s loud revelation of the truth that earns her the emperor’s favor.
So you’re the bellwether of my tranquil life, which is a shame, because there are so many bellwethers in life.
I stared at Shibi, who clucked like a noisy chicken. Ignoring my words, she flinched at my glare.
It was an expected reaction. Up until now, Sanya had been quiet and reserved.
It was a good thing she was possessed on her wedding day. I don’t think I could have been as quiet as Sanya in the middle of the night.
“What is your name?”
“Oh, mind your own business?”
Shibi pouted, annoyed that she’d been frozen in my gaze for even a moment. I scratched my head a couple times at her defiant words.
“Fine. You don’t need to know. Then just get out.”
“Miss!”
“Ah, not from this room, but from this palace.”
My added comment made her face widen in anger. I flicked my ears anyway. My ears were ringing loudly from the shouting earlier.
“I can’t leave! What right do you have to kick me out!”
I made an intrigued face at that.
What was in this girl’s head? Or does she have a backbone?
“In case you didn’t know, I’m a member of the Emperor’s court.”
Still, I was a kind host. I explained, and then gave her a look that said, “That’s enough.
She was silent for a moment, but then she spoke up again.
“I’m Sibi, sent by the previous owner!”
“Yes. Does that mean I can report you as a spy?”
“Yes, yes?”
Shibi’s face turned white. I sighed as I leisurely swept the table.
A month was all it took for a concubine to enter the palace and fall in love with the emperor. There was no need to keep an eye on them to see if they had any connections to the Hok family, but it was different for those who had just joined.
The number of people allowed to accompany a concubine’s saga was limited to the youngest concubine, and even then, the concubine’s quarters would be filled with courtesans from the emperor’s palace.
Outwardly, it is said that the best courtesans were assigned to take care of the newcomer to the imperial court, but there is no noble in the Western Xia who does not know that they are there for surveillance purposes.
And that was probably true of my quarters as well.
Ball is ball and life is death.
The emperor was both kind and ruthless. As such, what the counselor had just said could easily be taken as treason. It’s a stretch, of course, but what doesn’t get a stretch in the imperial court?
If it weren’t for Qi Yun’s glaring eyes, I’d have framed her for treason,” I thought, and continued nonchalantly.
“You’re supposed to be loyal to the Yellow House, but you’re openly saying that you’re going to side with the Ye family over me, a member of the Yellow House.”
“Well, that means-“
“Does it?”
At my interruption, Shibi’s mouth twitched in a deep red. There would be nothing to say. I stare at her for a moment, then turn my attention to the door, wanting to get her out of here as soon as possible, because someone is coming. If this nameless squabbler was going to light a candle, he was going to light a candle, and it wasn’t going to help.
“It’s almost time.
As I stared at the door, I heard the voice of the court lady standing outside.
“Mama. The Equipment Mistress has arrived.”
Without waiting for me to answer, the door swung open. A man in reddish silk robes with his head held high strode through the open door.
“I’ve never met you before. Chobi Mama. I’m Zhao Yun.”
Chobi.
It was a title bestowed upon me by the Emperor.
There is no official title for concubines in the Western Kingdom. The only titles given to concubines were titles that were more like business partners than royal concubines.
Among them, I was given the name Chu. It meant to live quietly, like grass, and was highly desirable.
I don’t need flowers, stars, or anything else. Grass is the best.
The more I rolled the name around in my mouth, the more I liked it, but it was a shame that none of the people in the room were my favorites.
I let out a small breath at the sight of Shibi still in my room. I wanted to kick him out before he came, but now that he’s here, I can’t help it.
I stood up from my seat, my brow furrowing as if I’d just eaten something sour, but I still had to look up at him because he was so tall.
He had a very stern look about him. His stern face seemed to have a lot to say to me.
This was already in the original movie. Except there was no such bullying scene, and Sanya ran to the emperor crying from the first day because of the concubines’ behavior.
The only problem is, he wasn’t the one who followed her crying and running to the emperor.
The concubine who accused Sanya of making her cry was nothing like the man standing in front of me. For one thing, her name was Garam, not Zoyun.
Zoyun was, um. Someone.
I furrowed my brow at the name I didn’t recognize, and his eyes narrowed. His face sobered me, and I slid down from my chair and bowed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Sanya. Forgive me for not introducing myself properly since I don’t have a last name.”
She didn’t blush at my greeting. I didn’t frown at it because I knew that whatever I did would be a struggle.
Even if he was an extra who didn’t even appear in the original movie, he was still stronger than me, so I couldn’t beat him.
But I really don’t know who it is.
As I was racking my brains once again, Zhao Yun spoke up.
“His Majesty, you’ve been on my radar since day one. Do you like it?”
Oh. That comment took me by surprise. I was expecting a moderate turn of phrase, like a noble concubine, but a blunt statement like this…….
