Chapter 10
After Elder Hwang left, Geum Danyo rested her head on her arm on the table, struck by sudden dizziness. A throbbing headache tormented her.
The answer was already there. It was just that she didn’t like that answer. But no matter how unsatisfactory it was, the arrow had already been shot, and it couldn’t be taken back.
She had never felt her own powerlessness as keenly as she did now. Various thoughts filled her mind. Geum Danyo just sat there blankly, not even trying to organize her tangled thoughts.
After resting like that for a while, she seemed to feel better. As Geum Danyo shook her head lightly from side to side and lifted her head to call Housekeeper Wang for some tea to refresh herself, she discovered Dongbaek standing quietly in the room.
“How long have you been there, without making a sound?”
“I just arrived. Isn’t it time for tea?”
Dongbaek said this while setting down the tea set and saucers she was carrying in front of Geum Danyo.
While Dongbaek methodically prepared the tea, Geum Danyo struggled to collect her scattered thoughts.
“Elder Hwang came by earlier, didn’t he? Did he say something rude again?”
“It’s nothing. I was just dizzy for a moment.”
At Geum Danyo’s excuse, Dongbaek gave a faint, troubled smile. She didn’t seem to believe Geum Danyo’s words. Whenever Dongbaek, who hadn’t lived even a quarter of a quarter of Geum Danyo’s age, read her mind like an open book, Geum Danyo felt like she was dealing with a peer.
“Is it because of Zhang Rang?”
Geum Danyo flinched. Dongbaek’s words were direct and struck at the core, leaving no room to hide.
Dongbaek found it bitter to see Geum Danyo’s clearly fearful attitude toward Zhang Rang. She addressed her using the now-familiar title of “Mother.”
“Mother, you don’t want to return to Zhang Rang, do you?”
“…Dongbaek.”
“….You’ve only made this decision because of me. But no matter that he was once your husband, you loathe him, don’t you? Perhaps even more so because he was your husband. You know better than anyone what kind of man he truly is.”
Geum Danyo was startled by Dongbaek’s continued words. She looked around, worried that even a passing bird might hear.
Why would this child speak so carelessly about such things… If one of Zhang Rang’s confidants heard and reported it to him, the adoption plan would be ruined.
Oblivious to—or perhaps ignoring—Geum Danyo’s anxiety, Dongbaek spoke with a confident air, almost as though making a declaration.
“Of course, I know well what kind of man Zhang Rang is. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Zhang Rang can’t lay a finger on you, Mother.”
Dongbaek smiled—a bright, childlike grin that seemed out of place compared to his earlier mature demeanor. The contrast moved Geum Danyo to tears.
Geum Danyo dismissed Dongbaek’s words as mere comfort. But Dongbaek wasn’t just making empty promises. She had resolved to confront Zhang Rang directly, and this became reality the next day.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
On his way back to the palace, Zhang Rang directed his carriage not to his magnificent mansion as usual, but to Geum Danyo’s house, slightly removed from the center of Luoyang.
The passing scenery outside gave Zhang Rang no impression. His mind was busy calculating how beneficial the choice of bringing in an heir would be to him.
“So the boy’s name is So Dongbaek…”
The name was so unusual that he easily remembered it. Both the fact that it was two characters and that it was a flower name for a boy were unusual. Especially the latter was truly absurd, whoever the parents might be.
And they even wrote it as the “camellia” character. Elder Hwang had said the boy’s appearance matched his name, and if that was true, Zhang Rang found himself intrigued.
A beautiful subordinate could be useful in many ways. If Dongbaek proved unworthy of becoming his successor, Zhang Rang could always use him as another card in his hand. A sly smile crept onto his lips.
Before long, the carriage stopped in front of a modest gate. Though small and humble, it was cleanly oiled, revealing the owner’s character. Zhang Rang descended from the carriage with the help of a servant. The servant who helped Zhang Rang down knocked on the gate of Geum Danyo’s residence.
“Come here!”
The gate opened as soon as it was knocked.
“Such strength you have. There’s no need to knock so loudly; this house is small enough that I can hear everything clearly… Oh my, is it truly you, Lord Zhang?”
Housekeeper Wang bowed deeply upon seeing Zhang Rang behind the servant. Then she hastily welcomed Zhang Rang while opening the barely-cracked door wide.
“It’s been a while.”
“I-I am honored!”
Though Zhang Rang was merely making small talk, Housekeeper Wang, unaccustomed to being addressed by someone of such high status, inadvertently blurted out an awkward reply.
Zhang Rang’s thoughts were entirely preoccupied with the successor he was about to meet. He had no energy to spare for the trivial mistakes of a mere servant. Glancing around the residence, he asked casually,
“Where is Geum Danyo?”
“She’s in her room. I’ll guide you there.”
Housekeeper Wang moved forward while breaking into a cold sweat. Whenever she met Zhang Rang, she felt like a mouse before a snake. His gaze was that unpleasant and sinister.
‘Ah, our lady. To reunite with such a man…!’
Although Zhang Rang had been supporting Geum Danyo’s lifestyle until now, to Housekeeper Wang, he was nothing more than a creepy, perverted noble, like a snake.
Just as Housekeeper Wang was dragging her feet felt as heavy as thousand weights, someone called out to stop her.
“Housekeeper Wang. Is that Lord Zhang Rang? Perfect timing then. I’ll guide him.”
The speaker was a striking young boy. His soft ash-gray hair cascaded loosely over his shoulders, swaying gently with his movements. His snow-white skin looked as if it had never been exposed to sunlight.
There couldn’t be a ten-year-old beautiful attendant in Madam Geum’s residence. If so, then this boy must be… Zhang Rang’s lips curved slightly upward.
He had suspected from the boy’s name that he might not be of Han descent. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to have mixed blood from the Western Regions. The sharp, high nose and clear eyes reinforced Zhang Rang’s assumptions.
‘Is he from the Jie? Or perhaps the Qiang tribes?’
Both the Jie and Qiang were minority tribes with many people of mixed Western Region descent. Until now, he had been concerned about Dongbaek not being Han, but with looks like these, it was a different story. With such appearance, wouldn’t his non-Han heritage actually make him more valuable?
“I trust it won’t be an inconvenience if I guide you myself, Zhong Changshi Zhang Rang?”
The boy smiled warmly in an engaging manner, even in the presence of a man feared by all.
Zhang Rang took an immediate liking to the boy. Unusually for someone who always maintained a cynical attitude, he smiled, raising both corners of his mouth. He felt like testing the boy a bit.
“No, that’s fine. But you know me, while I don’t know you. What’s your name?”
Though he already knew the boy’s name, Zhang Rang deliberately asked, a faintly teasing edge to his tone. Even under Zhang Rang’s deliberate pressure meant to intimidate him, Dongbaek remained composed.
“It’s natural for common people to know the names of noble persons, while noble persons don’t know the names of individual commoners. This humble one is called Dongbaek.”
His greeting manners were elegant. There was a grace that couldn’t be imitated by those of low birth.
Whether it was genuine confidence or an act meant to deceive him would need further observation… But even if it was an act, being able to perform it this convincingly was itself a qualification. Zhang Rang busily calculated Dongbaek’s potential uses in his mind.
Meanwhile, Dongbaek turned to Housekeeper Wang and said,
“Housekeeper Wang, please prepare some refreshments.”
Housekeeper Wang, finally relieved, hurriedly left the scene. Having Dongbaek guide Zhang Rang would be less likely to cause trouble than if she, without any education, did it herself.
Only after Housekeeper Wang disappeared in a hurry did Dongbaek turn to Zhang Rang.
“Allow me to guide you, then.”
He turned around and walked forward without hesitation. He neither looked back at Zhang Rang nor wavered.
From behind Dongbaek, Zhang Rang took the opportunity to thoroughly observe Geum Danyo’s residence. Though it was a house he himself had provided, it felt strangely unfamiliar. As he had noticed at the gate, it was a clean and proper house befitting Geum Danyo—except for the unusually elaborate garden.
Dongbaek’s steps were bold and confident but not particularly fast. Rather, they were somewhat slow. He matched Zhang Rang’s elderly pace so naturally that it was hardly noticeable.
Even at Dongbaek’s slow pace, they quickly reached Geum Danyo’s room. After all, Geum Danyo’s residence was modest, neat, and compact.
Before entering the room, Dongbaek announced,
“Mother, Zhong Changshi Zhang Rang has arrived.”
“Very well. Let him in.”
Geum Danyo’s voice, though calm as ever, had grown richer with age. Even in her youth, her voice had carried a serene elegance, and now it had deepened, gaining an air of gravitas.
Zhang Rang stepped inside, pushing aside the bamboo curtain hanging in the doorway. Geum Danyo rose to greet him. The traces of her youthful beauty were still evident, though time had left its marks on her features.
-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-
Thank you for reading! ♡
