The Love They Never Had

"Your Highness? It has been brought to my notice that The Third Princess Consort's father's yangban is carrel undergoing some reconstruction as soon as the news of her promotion spread word…" "What promotion? What on earth are you talking about? Neither myself not my father has said anything about it at all?" "It has been recorded that she has asked to see the robes of The Imperial Noble Consort more than once, and it was even brought to her in front of all of your concubines during the morning meetings." "What on earth is going on? How could she have access to it when her duties and authority are limited to solving the plague crises? And I only reinstated her for that job temporarily since her family clan has survived this crises already in the past, I had no choice but to keep her to help our nation out with such a severe problem." Your father-in-law is already demolishing hundreds of neighbouring citizens home just to replicate the Imperial Gardens alone. It looks like he wants to renovate his residence to match his daughters to embellish his status…" "His status? What status? What status does he hold? I only temporarily brought back his daughter's authority and status, that wasn't meant to be extended to her family or her clan at all! Just what on earth am I supposed to say to my father when he asks me about this? Especially when he holds her family in such high regard when he married us against my wishes! Why is everyone around me suddenly overstepping their bounds of propriety?" "His extravagance is to exhibit his non-extant honour, and he actually had the nerve to makes hundreds homeless during a plague and that is not all." "Now what has that bastard done!" "Just like your step-mother before you, he called in all of the remaining palace physicians to treat his clan all night long and threatened them with their lives if they even thought abut returning to the palace before curfew…" "Before curfew? The very same curfew that his own daughter implemented during this plane? Is he really so eager to slap my face like this? Everything that I have planned this year has always become undone by the seams! By my own family! What should I do now? What should I…wait, what is that book on my desk? Who put it there and left it open like that?" "Your Highness, The ex-Mistress Han begged me to show you this book from your shelf, although I have no idea why…" "What is it? The Commentary of Zou? The Earl of Zhuang overcoming Duan in Yuan City? As I recall from this story, the mother wished to replace her eldest son with her youngest, Zhuang indulged Duan's wrongdoings for such a long time, provoking public anger over and over again…and it was Zhuang who created a smart enough reason to remove this obstacle once and for all. And here I am, receiving one memorandums after the other complaining about my father-in-law's obtrusively insolence manner time and time again…'the injustice that one does unto others will destroy oneself."

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"What are you saying? May father kept the physicians with him all night long? Pass curfew? And during the plague of all times! He has gone too far this time, how can he not know what a precious line I am treading on at the moment, especially after the miscarriage of The Mistress Seo? And what if something happened to my husband and he needed them? If my family clan's lives more precious than his! Send him a message to treat them all well before he personally escorts them back to the palace and ask my husband for forgiveness, before he vents his anger upon me once again!" "Your Highness, an Imperial Decree has just come forth from The Third Prince himself"! "Very well, let them all into my quarters! No, wait! Gather his concubines first so that they can all witness his glory before me!"

"At His Majesty's, The Third Prince's benevolent request; I hereby grant The Third Princess Consort the title of Noble Consort!" "Noble…Noble Consort? That is it? Not Imperial Noble Consort? Sir, is it posable that you have wrongly read this decree? Does my husband really just promote me to Noble Consort? After all of my efforts to combat the plague in the palace alone?" "I am afraid that there is nothing wrong with this decree at all, Your Highness, I have read it word to word as per my official duties." "But I was presented with the robes for the Imperial Noble Consort only this morning!" "Your Highness, you were only supposed t preview the details of the robe, since it is similar to that of your new title's robes that have just been presented to you at this very moment. It was only supposed to be used for reference purposes and it must have been sent to you by accident, so I shall need to retrieve it from your care." "Very well…return the robes…" "Your Highness, with such prestigious honour, do you really need to worry about being promoted to Imperial Noble Concubine? Yourself and your family has already accomplished many feats in service to The Royal Family, and you have your husband's favour when you were entrusted with the authority to handle this plague crises. Your Highness may have a justifiable promotion as soon as you bear your husband with a Royal Heir…" "You are right! There will be enough time to congratulate me after my nest promotion, now away with you! The concubines are dismissed! And bring me the servant who gave me those robes without a formal explanation! Right now!"

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"Noble Consort! She is now a Noble Consort! Your Highness, why on earth are you bestowing her even more power?" "It was you who gave me the idea to do this, wasn't it? And despite our sad past, no-one is more willing to speak to me about pros and cons so openly." "I showed you that book to reconsider and postpone the resumption of your wife's power…" 'the injustice that one does unto others will destroy oneself', I did this for a reason, including quieting down any gossip from eternal forces that can mess up my plans and maintain my own authority as well. It is more justifiable to confer her new title during a major festival anyways. The New Year will approach us soon, and everything shall work out with the right assistance, which I was only get if you prove yourself innocent from your crime, Han Hui-Jae." "I only need a single day to prove my innocence with that set-up, but I do know how to help you deal with your troublesome father-in-law." "Oh do you now?" "Just let me serve you until he arrives and let him stay with his daughter overnight, that is all that I need. But what can I expect in return?" "During the plague, I can only pull you up in rank and make you a lady-in-waiting, that is all for now." "Very well, it will have to do for now."

"Your Highness, please accept my apologies for what as transpired with the Imperial Physicians, I was ply worried about my wife and…and I wonder what new servant this is that dares to eavesdrop on her master's conversation? And a very pretty one at that, that his unknown to me?" "I certainly hope that you are not implying that you hold more personal information about me that you should, father-in-law? Especially when your daughter is so highly favoured at the moment?" "Forgive me, Your Highness, although my daughter is favoured, I hear that this is The Mistress Han who forget her place when serving her and used her own fairies to displease my daughter. I hope that there are no further conflicts to tear apart such a loving couple, because I cannot let that go even if my son-in-law does. And I hope that I have made myself clear on that, isn't that right, servant?"

"So? What grand plans do you have now?" "You do not need to worry about that, but I need something from you to make this plan work." "What do you need from me?" "Your Highness, do you assess 'The Yi lan flower plant?"

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Later that day, I sought to collect some fresh flowers for these satchels that The Noble Princess Consort so desperately wanted me to make for her when I noticed her father following behind me rather late at night in a eunuch uniform of all things. But I didn't even give him the chance to approach me as I instantly ran towards The Third Prince's courtyard where he was having a chess game with his younger brothers. "Help me! Please, someone help me! Someome wants to kill me! Quickly! He has gone crazy! He is dressed up in a eunuch's robe to kill me! He disguised himself and sneaked into the inner palace well after curfew! He stalked me with evil intentions! He got discovered by me and he wants to silence me now!"

"Your Highness! Please do not listen to her! It was she who lured me away with her under false pretences! It is her who wants to kill me instead! She drugged me with that flower…." "Just what on earth is going on here? Hui-Jae?" "Your Highness, please forgive me! I was only picking out fresh flowers for satchels when this man pounced on me out of nowhere!" "Father-in-law? The palace gates are locked now, so how did you even get in here? And what on earth are you dressed as? A eunuch?" "Your Highness! I passed out after I called for her to serve me tea and when I woke up, I was already dressed like this! I promise you that I am telling the truth!" "Lair! You harboured evil intentions from the moment that you threatened me in my Master's office in front of him only this afternoon! And how did you even find me in the palace! How can a weak women like me that doesn't even possess the strength to strangle a chicken scheme cause this much trouble that is only directed at myself! Why would I destroy myself like that? And in front of a Royal audience? This is all too absurd!" "Enough of this! Men! Lock him up in our dungeons, and I will decide on his fate tomorrow, and that of his entire clan..and her daughter herself!"