"…doing this will remind His majesty of your husband and brother's great loyalty to this Goreyo Dynasty and even create new guidance for his military merits." "But the Second Prince perished alone when mentioning his uncles, how on earth can I get my family to do such a thing? Is this really the only idea that you can come up with? It is no wonder that my husband refuses to see me when I have such little help like this! He has turned his anger towards me and will only converse with my older sister and nobody else! Everyone wants rot destabilise The Chung authority in this kingdom and I have to become weary of what ideas I can suggest to my husband to end this pursuit of General Choi once and for all!" "The Emperor isn't a ruthless tyrant! Emperor Yi- Song-Gyi can be tender-hearted and affectionate when it comes to the past. At least mention it so that your family can be painted in a good light and make the people remember their merits before this chaos took place." "So I shall just write it up as a memorandum with my family's seal? Both family's?" "Yes, Concubine Chung…" "Very well servant, I knew I saw something in you when I saw you serving The Mistress Nam, and if this works, I shall not treat you unfavourably. I shall even get your whole family to serve mine on a high pay rise with their own rooms in the servants quarters so you can have some shelter in the winder times." "Thank you, My Lady. But whilst we are on the topic of my former Mistress, there is something that I should inform you of." "Go on?" "It seems as though The Young Mistress Yeon has been airing her discontent towards her recently in public, leading the other concubines in The Third Prince's harem to gossip about her insistently." "Is that so? Very well then, I aways knew that she wasn't truly as sophisticated as she comes across. But with this being the case, then I shall turn her sour feelings to match her favour within the palace. Servant, I want you to relay theses exact words to The Young Mistress Seo…"
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"Imperial Concubine Park, I have carefully chosen these grapes out for you, please have some…" "These grapes are not highly praised by her during her pregnancy, Mistress Nam. So be careful to observe her preferences so that you can gain more favour than you already have…" "Thank you for the advice Seo Yeon, but bitter words are not necessary during a festive banquet such as this one." "Forgive me sister-in-law, I haven't been serving in the palace long and I still have much to learn, so your advice is alway appreciated…" "Sister-in-law? Have I missed out on the official engagement of The Lord Nam and his father's killer, The Young Mistress Seo? We always see them in each other's arm and company for years now, but there still hasn't been an official announcement…" "That is there business Concubine Chung. And frankly, if The Master Seo hasn't said anything about it, then who are we? I remember that there was a time that the world had turned their backs on The Seo's and Nam not even a decade ago, and now we are all observant of them, are we not?"
"But even though I am not as observant as she is, I am still very attentive and I can learn! Day and night, all I think about is improving myself in the palace to earn the favour that I have and I hope that you all understand this…" "Rest easy Mistress Nam, for I will not have anyone defame each other on an occasion like this." "My lady has always spoken fondly of my little sister, Seo Yeon, so she must have developed a soft spot for The Mistress Nam after all, and for good reason I suppose." "We all have to learn about The Royal Family's preferences bit by bit, and nobody has taken more care than The Mistress Nam here, minus the direct passion…" "Although she might have more t worry about when it comes to the new concubine selection in a few months time…" "Enough, Concubine Chung and let this be my last warning to you." Being older and more in high favour compared to these concubines, The Imperial Concubine Park will be more capable of disciplining the newcomers…" "Yu certainly have developed a sweet tongue tonight, Mistress Nam and I appreciate it greatly, for we both know how it feels to nearing the third trimester of one's pregnancy."
"I have often heard that an industrious maid does not age, especially when they are gold enough to speculate on their superior's duties like yourself, Mistress Nam." "You yourself are acting rather impertinent Seo Yeon, and I will not just stand and watch by." "But My Lady, a war of words between women is bound to be inevitable, and everyone else is in a good mood today due to the intake of wine for this banquet. Nobody has evil intentions tonight…." "Thank you for your output Hwa-Wol, but this simply isn't any excuse to start insulting each other in the absence of our husband, unlike yourself who is always blessed to have your family by your side. My husband shall be critical of the way that I manage his harem otherwise and I shall be blamed for the constant turmoil that takes place here without him to manage us all. If I cannot even quell a quarrel in the harem, then I shall live through my Imperial title in vain. So, I have taken the decision to temporarily banish Seo Yeon from the palace until my husband returns to settle the score with this drama between all 3 parties of this banquet. She has spoken so arrogantly tonight that I have no idea what to make of this situation at all. And if she can express jealously to my face, I wonder what she is capable of behind all of our backs with that sharp-witted mind and mouth of hers." "Your Highness! Please forgive me as I did not mean it…" "Like I just said, if you can act this disdainfully to your own future relative, why should we hall have to bear these insults that you keep throwing at a widow like a jealous child? How can you expect us all to tolerate such wilful behaviour?" "Your Highness, everyone knows that I have been rather outspoken since birth…." "That is no excuse as you are a child no longer!" "Your Highness! Please give my little sister here a lighter punishment as this is her first offence, I beg of you!" "I have already announced my decree Hwa-Wol, how can I possibly refute such a thing? Unless your family would like to accompany her?"
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"…She has only been temporarily banished, which also sends a message to her older brother, The Master Seo who is still the closest man of The Third Prince, just as you had planned, My Lady." "Exactly, Mistress Nam, driving this wedge between them was all that I needed to easy my doubts about my family's position alongside The Third Prince in his battle against The General Choi. And as you have little family to rely on yourself, it was imperative for you to make this move so that The ambitious Lord Nam focus on his priorities in the palace instead of his private affairs with the epileptic girl that would have surely brought you to ruin." "Seo Yeon can interfere in politics to an empty crowd now and sing about it util she looses her voice for all I care. She has destroyed what little reputation that she had in the place left and will be seen as nothing more than an entrainer of the brothels were she belongs, even her own brother should be ashamed of her now. Everyone scolded him for the ungodly amount of freedom that he gave her, and now look at how terribly it has backfired onto her. Did she really think that she will be fortunate for the rest of her life? She had lost her good graces forever it seems."
"She must have arrived at her brother's place right at this moment, without anyone seeing her off as sisters as they welcomed her here in the palace in the first place. She cannot harm what she cannot see, and it will be us on the palace who will continue to suffer in The Third Prince's absence, even more so with a pregnant concubine's every changing moods and attitudes. Everything here relies on her authority more so that any other Princess Consort, and she already walks all over me as she pleases." "Even though The Imperial Concubine Park is spoiled by her husband, she is still unequivocal to her actual husband, is she not?" "But she is still head of The Imperial Harem and we all obey her orders here." "But she cannot be the only actor in an opera play, can she? If we do not unite, she will be quick to sell out my own family for her husband in front of The Emperor, or I shall be the one who looses my family's place here in the palace and we both lose out on the benefits that my husband brings us, even in his absence, such as the gifts that I am able to gift you, Mistress Nam." "Well, I suppose…so what is next on the agenda after kicking out Seo Yeon?" "For my family' honour, I must be the one to sell of the palace's piling resources into the market place with your help. That will certainly keep my family's honour fresh in the mind of The Emperor…" "My Ladies! There is bad news in the palace! Seo Yeon…she has been found poisoned in her bed this morning in the harem before she even had the chance to pack any of her things at all!"
"What! What did you just say? Who was poisoned?" "My Lady, Seo Yeon was found to be poisoned with white arsenic this morning by the guards of The Imperial Concubine Park! She has been sent off to The Royal Infirmary for recovery!" "Very well, you are dismissed servant." My Lady, I…" "Mistress Nam, was this your doing?" "Me? What do I know of such poisons? I am still illiterate in most things, so how can you blame this on me?" "And if I was me, Seo Yeon would have been dead by now with no chance of revival at all! I do no understand, she was kicked out of the palace so flawlessly, so what is this now? A dangerous move that will doubt her expulsion from the palace entirely? Who would do such a thing like this?" "My Lady, after the fight last night, shall we not be the first suspects in this case?" "Mistress Nam, are you sure that you were not the one who did this? You can tell me the truth, you know." Concubine Chung, I swear on my son's life that I did not do this! I promise you! I did not do this, but whoever did apparently hasn't done a good job at all!" I also have no idea who did this, but as long as we have some people in our sight who are loyal to her, we can always find scapegoats for us in case people start gossiping about us, which is the very last thing that I need in my family's current situation!" "Maybe that is the answer My Lady; maybe whoever did this to her wanted to harm us inserted? Or you, since your family is in the public eye as of late…" "Whoever harms my family must die by my hands, mark my words, Mistress Nam, even if it is you yourself…" "My Lady, pardon the intrusion, but we have just received word that your older sister and her children have all taken unwell, just like The Young Mistress Seo…" "Very well, ready the carriage to take me home, and be sure to inform The Imperial Concubine Park about this just as I leave…" "My Lady? Forgive me, but why do you seem to calm about this?" "Fret not Mistress Nam, for I have my own plan in mind."