Widow Kang carried a bowl of food and a bowl of medicine from the kitchen to a small chamber.
"Older cousin, eat your meal," Widow Kang said.
"Why are you feeding rubbish to someone ill?" old Kang asked and knocked over the bowl of food.
Widow Kang cried while she was kneeling and picking up the fallen food and broken bowl.
"The cost of your medicine rose," Widow said. "There are only a few silver coins left."
"Don't you know how to demand more silver coins?" old Kang asked.
"Princess Ji Hoon said she's not going to give me any more silver coins," Widow Kang said.
Old Kang threw a cup at Widow Kang's head. "You have a hold of Princess Ji Hoon's tail but you're scared of her. If you're this dumb then go die."
Widow Kang's head hurt and more tears flowed down her face.
"You only know how to cry!" old Kang said. "You won't be satisfied until I die. In the past, it was a waste to take care of you."
"It's not like that," Widow Kang said.
"If it's not like that then hurry and go to the Park Manor and demand more silver coins!" old Kang said. "You can threaten Princess Ji Hoon that you'll tell Prime Minister and fifth prince's wife if Princess Ji Hoon doesn't give you the silver coins. If I wasn't bedridden I'll go there myself. Go! Buy proper food on the way back... useless woman!"
Widow Kang tidied the small chamber, changed into dry clothes, and walked toward the Park Manor.
Choi Wung whom Taehyung asked to follow Widow Kang was hiding on the roof. Taehyung instructed if he didn't find out about Widow Kang's situation then he wasn't allowed to return to the manor. But he didn't expect to find out Princess Ji Hoon has had a secret she didn't want Park Seorin to know. He was anticipating Taehyung's praises and finally, the other guards couldn't mock him anymore for his poor fighting skills.
Wung cursed at old Kang through a small roof hole. "Coward old man!" after cursing in a low voice Wung rushed back to the manor.
On the way to the Park Manor, Widow Kang was burdened with guilt and anxiety. She didn't like going to the Park Manor to ask Princess Ji Hoon for silver coins. She wished she never betrayed her conscience and never confided her secret to her older cousin.
Widow Kang remembered her life with her older cousin far south from the imperial city. Although they worked hard to survive, he didn't verbally or physically abuse her. She thought perhaps it was her retribution. Every year on the anniversary of her Shin Hye unnie's death, she would have nightmares and mumble in her sleep. Her cousin asked her why she had nightmares, she confessed what she did and everything changed for the worse.
Widow Kang's older cousin dragged her to the imperial city, called her a dumb woman for being easily chased away by one thousand coins, and intimidated her to go to the Park Manor. She listened and asked for money for the first time in her life. Princess Ji Hoon gave her another two thousand silver coins. Her older cousin spent all the two thousand silver coins on gambling and women at brothels.
The second time Widow Kang's older cousin told her to go ask for silver coins, Princess Ji Hoon gave her another one thousand silver coins. But her older cousin also received retribution, he fell off a horse and his legs were crippled. She spent the one thousand silver coins to buy his medicine.
So that day it was the third time Widow Kang was forced to ask for money, she was truly scared of what Princess Ji Hoon would do to her. She vowed it was going to be the last time she asked for money and her older cousin's health would be left up to his fate.
Half an hour later Widow Kang left the Park Manor with a paper note worth one thousand silver coins.
Inside the Park Manor, Princess Ji Hoon sat on a chair in her chamber and thought of a deadly plan to kill Widow Kang.
"Widow Kang is becoming more daring by the day," the old nursemaid said. "She dared to threaten princess. The last time princess warned her it was the last time. Princess, you need to get rid of her."
Princess Ji Hoon hated throwing paper notes out the window, especially paper notes she saved for her elderly years.
"I know," Princess Ji Hoon. "Go and send someone to eliminate her."
Princess Ji Hoon smiled coldly, soon there would be no one left to threaten her.
At Taehyung's Manor, Wung reported Widow Kang's situation to Taehyung.
"Are you certain you heard properly?" Taehyung asked.
"Fifth prince, you know I'm not a good fighter but everything else about me is good," Wung said. "If I don't have good ears then you wouldn't have asked me to eavesdrop."
Taehyung laughed. "Then why didn't you follow her to the Park Manor to eavesdrop?"
Wung looked pitifully at Taehyung. "Fifth prince, I did want to follow her to the Park Manor but the wall there is too high for me to climb. In the future, I'll learn how to climb high walls."
"Nonsense, hurry and go follow her," Taehyung said. "But this time be careful."
Wung left Yoongi's chamber and Taehyung's complexion darkened.
"What secret do you think Princess Ji Hoon is hiding from your wife?" Yoongi asked.
Taehyung took a deep breath. "I fear the death of my wife's mother wasn't natural."
Yoongi was shocked speechless.
"Princess Ji Hoon isn't someone who can easily be threatened," Taehyung said. "To be safe I want you to send Lee Dami to accompany Wung. Instruct Dami to protect Widow Kang and don't let Widow Kang be assassinated. Also, you can't tell Rinnie about this."
Seorin loved her mother, Taehyung feared she would do something reckless if she found out.
That evening in the west of the imperial city, Widow Kang got out of bed and walked to the toilet outside.
"Why is there only one person home?" Dami asked. "Where's Widow Kang?"
Wung rolled old Kang's body over. "Ah! Did I kill someone?"
"Nonsense," Dami said.
Dami suspected Princess Ji Hoon sent an assassin to kill Widow Kang.
At that moment Widow Kang walked back toward her chamber but she saw two dark figures who were standing in front of her older cousin's bed. She didn't see her older cousin move and was about to scream but one of the dark figures covered her mouth.
Dami and Wung carried Widow Kang to an abandoned shelter nearby.
"We're not bad people," Wung said. "Right now our master and mistress are sleeping. It's safe for you to sleep here tonight, tomorrow you can see our master."
"Who is your master?" Widow Kang asked.
"You don't need to worry," Dami said. "What you need to know you'll know. What you don't need to know even if you ask no one will tell you."
Dami and Wung walked outside the shelter. Dami locked the door while Wung cried and held Dami's arm.
"Someone died... scary..." Wung muttered.
Dami pulled her arm free. " If you want, You can die too, I'll help you."
At Taehyung's Manor, Seorin was dreaming. She dreamt her mother was hugging her and singing her a song. Suddenly her mother started to cough and blood flow out from her mouth and her mother held her hand, "Seorin, you need to live a good life. I only want you to be safe. Don't become like me..."
"Mother... don't go!" Seorin mumbled in her sleep. "Don't leave me by myself..."
"Seorin, Seorin!" Taehyung called.
Seorin was startled awake, she opened her eyes and cried loudly. "Taehyung, my mother..."
"Don't cry," Taehyung said and hugged her like a precious thing. "You have me."
Seorin hugged Taehyung tightly. "Why did you go to Southern Busan and didn't come back to visit me... I was by myself..."
In Daegu, Seorin didn't have any friends because of hers and her mother's status. Although Taehyung bullied her, she knew that he cared about her and was someone who would protect her. But when she needed him the most he disappeared to Southern Busan.
"In the future, I won't leave you by yourself again," Taehyung promised.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following morning Dami and Wung returned to the manor.
Taehyung was awoken by Dami and Wung's whistles outside the chamber.
Taehyung got out of bed and reassured Seorin. "Rinnie, I'm going out for an inspection. After I come back we'll go to the Park Manor to visit your father."
Inside the horse carriage, Wung was eating a bowl of noodles while Dami glared at Wung.
"Fifth prince, have you eaten a morning meal?" Wung asked. "Do you want to taste the noodles Dami cooked? It's delicious."
"Do you think I'll let you eat my bowl of noodles if you didn't spit in it?" Dami asked while glaring at him.
Taehyung patted Dami's shoulder. "Dami, next time Wung spits, you can vomit and see if he'll dare to eat it."
Wung smiled sweetly and cheekily at Dami. "Dami, I like it even you spit."
If Taehyung wasn't a witness, Dami would have pushed Wung outside the horse carriage.
The horse carriage stopped in front of a locked shelter.
Widow Kang heard the door open and turned her head to the door. Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight that shone into the darkroom and she was shocked to see Taehyung.
"Fifth prince," Widow Kang said.
Taehyung sat on the chair opposite Widow Kang and looked coldly at her. "Widow Kang, how did my wife's mother die?"
"Fifth prince, it was Princess Ji Hoon's plan," Widow Kang said in a shaky voice.
"Widow Kang, you don't need to be anxious," Taehyung said. "Slowly explain everything."
"I was widowed before I was thirty years old," Widow Kang said. "Old nursemaid caught me on adultery and wanted to report me to the magistrate. I begged the old nursemaid not to report about me and promised her I would willingly be a workhorse if she forgives my offense. Old nursemaid agreed on the condition I go to Daegu and spy on Shin Hye unnie... old nursemaid setup coincidental meetings between me and unnie and that's how I became Shin Hye unnie and your wife's maid."
Widow Kang cried tears of guilt while she confessed. "If Park Jin Young sent letters to Shin Hye unnie, old nursemaid ordered me to intercept the letters and send them back to Park Jin Young. For two years I listened to old nurse maid's orders because aside from sending back letters, I didn't have to do anything that would hurt Shin Hye unnie or your wife... Shin Hye unnie was good to me and treated me like a blood sister. Your wife was a mischievous little girl, but she was filial and treated me like her aunt."
Widow Kang clasped her hands tightly. "But one day after I sent back one of Park Jin Young's many letters... Princess Ji Hoon delivered me a bottle of herbs and a letter. She ordered me to put some herbs into Shin Hye unnie's bowl of soup each day... I didn't know what the herbs were but I suspected it was poison. I followed Princess Ji Hoon's order and Shin Hye unnie was slowly poisoned... after a year the bottle of herbs was empty and unnie returned to the heavens."
Taehyung fisted his hands while he listened to Widow Kang's confession. "Widow Kang, what was in the letter that Park Jin Young sent to my wife's mother?"
Widow Kang pulled out an old letter she carried around in her pouch and passed it to Taehyung.
Taehyung read the old letter, "Hye~ah, looking at the past I can only see my heavy conscience. Today I feel like I have received my retribution for abandoning you to take responsibility for a child I thought was mine. I don't dare to hope you'll forgive me. I only want you to return to me so I can compensate you for the rest of my life."
Taehyung was shocked, Park Jin Young doubted Sang-Hee was his blood daughter.
Taehyung regained his composure and spoke coldly. "Widow Kang, if you're holding onto this old letter then perhaps you're holding onto another old letter."
Widow Kang's shaky hands pulled Princess Ji Hoon's letter about the bottle of herbs out of her pouch and passed it to Taehyung.
Taehyung laughed coldly. "Widow Kang, you thought of a way to protect yourself long ago. Did you keep these old letters to prove your innocence or to exhort money from Princess Ji Hoon?"
Widow Kang nodded her head. At first, she kept the letters because she was scared old nursemaid and Princess Ji Hoon would report her to the magistrate for adultery and murder. She didn't expect Princess Ji Hoon would send someone to kill her.
"Did Princess Ji Hoon send someone to kill me and my older cousin?" Widow Kang asked.
Taehyung put the letters in his inner robes. "Widow Kang, if it wasn't Princess Ji Hoon then who else would waste their energy to send someone to kill you?"
"Your wife... does she know..." Widow Kang asked.
"Do you want my wife to know?" Taehyung asked.
Widow Kang shook her head.
Taehyung left the shelter and returned to the manor.
Seorin was waiting anxiously in the chamber for a long time and she was relieved Taehyung finally returned.
"Where did you go?" Seorin asked. "It's the middle of noon!"
Taehyung smiled and passed Seorin a stick of dried dates. "I went to buy dried dates for you."
Seorin scoffed and accepted the dried dates.
Later that afternoon Taehyung and Seorin visit the Park manor to ate an afternoon meal with prime minister Park and Sang-Hee, but Princess Ji Hoon was absent. After the afternoon meal, Park Jin Young pulled Taehyung to the calligraphy room and Sang-Hee pulled Seorin to a chamber because Sang-Hee wanted to boast about the wedding dress.
Sang-Hee came out from behind a screen, raised her chin, and showed her wedding dress to Seorin.
"Is my wedding dress beautiful?" Sang-Hee asked.
"Beautiful, little sister will be a beautiful bride," Seorin praised.
"Do you want to see me wear it?" Sang-Hee asked.
Seorin nodded her head.
Sang-Hee walked behind the screen. Seorin signaled the maid to leave and Seorin followed Sang-Hee.
Seorin was curious what a pregnant Sang-Hee would look like because Sang-Hee didn't behave like an expectant mother. Behind the screen, Sang-Hee's back faced her and Sang-Hee was wearing her undergarments. In a fraction of a second, Seorin understood there was nothing unusual about the undergarments except they are specially made for use during the monthly cycle of women !!.
Sang-Hee turned her head around after dressing quickly. "Unnie, why are you here?"
Seorin hid her suspicions and smiled at Sang-Hee when she understood that the naïve girl didn't know what she saw. "Little sister is about to be married off. Of course, your unnie wants to help you put on your wedding dress."
Seorin glanced at Sang-Hee and immediately she wanted to go and find Taehyung. When she and Taehyung received the crown prince and Sang-Hee's wedding invitation they thought that Sang-Hee was pregnant so Taehyung sent a guard to investigate. The guard reported that the empress and the crown prince told the emperor about Sang-Hee's pregnancy.
Seorin helped Sang-Hee maintain the wedding dress perfectly. Then she ran to Taehyung and dragged him to her old chamber.
"Rinnie, why are you amused?" Taehyung asked.
"I discovered a secret," Seorin said.
Taehyung listened to Seorin's discovery. Afterward, he glanced in every direction and whispered in her ear. "Rinnie, should we tell imperial father?"
"Taehyung, I can't do something despicable like that," Seorin said.
"Did you forget she did something despicable toward you on the night of the harvest festival?" Taehyung said.
Seorin remembered how she nearly died that day and her back turned cold.
Taehyung hugged Seorin and he looked out the window. His eyes turned cold the moment he saw Princess Ji Hoon in the gardens.
In the gardens, Princess Ji Hoon was panicking. She received news that an old man and an assassin's dead bodies were found west of the imperial city. But no one heard the news about Widow Kang. She knew that Widow Kang couldn't have killed the assassin she sent and suspected that someone was protecting Widow Kang. Before she could find out where Widow Kang was, a young beggar came to the Park Manor. The young beggar showed her two letters and demanded one thousand silver coins... the calligraphy of the two letters was identical to hers and Park Jin Young's calligraphy. It meant the person who was protecting Widow Kang knew her biggest secrets about Shin Hye and Sang-Hee.
Princess Ji Hoon was too anxious to notice Taehyung was smiling coldly above the gardens.
"Widow Kang sent me to receive one thousand silver coins," the young beggar said.
Princess Ji Hoon's eyes were on the verge of falling out. For the last few days, a different young beggar delivered copies of the same two letters and demanded one thousand silver coins each morning. Each morning she was furious, anxious, and helpless. She sent a servant to follow the young beggars but the servant would always report the same bad news, the young beggars would disappear amongst the crowded imperial city.
Princess Ji Hoon's fears ate her silver coins and her health, she fell ill.
Sang-Hee didn't understand why her mother who was always healthy was suddenly ill.
That day the owner of Lady Han's dressmaker's shop, Gentleman Han visited Park Manor and showed Sang-Hee new fabrics and dress samples.
"Lady Park, I personally came here to show you the new fabrics for hanboks that the Fifth prince's wife doesn't own," Gentleman Han said.
Sang-Hee knew Gentleman Han wanted to gain her favor. She was frustrated to death that Gentleman Han used to show the worthless new fabrics that Seorin already had and dresses before her. She was going to be the crown prince's wife, how could she lose to Seorin who was married to an unfavored prince?
"I'll buy all the new fabrics you brought here this morning," Sang-Hee said. "Wait here, I'll go get a paper note to pay you."
Sang-Hee walked to her mother's room and asked her mother for one thousand silver coins.
"Sang-Hee, you have enough hanboks for you to wear after your wedding," Princess Ji Hoon said. "Why do you need to buy more new fabrics?"
"Mother, I love the new fabrics," Sang-Hee sulked.
Princess Ji Hoon lost most of her silver coins but she couldn't tell her daughter the truth. "Sang-Hee, be reasonable!"
Sang-Hee was used to getting everything she wanted so her mother's refusal hurt her ears. "Mother, it's only fabrics. Why did you say I'm being unreasonable? These past few days you have been acting strange. The last time the owner of the jade shop visited, you said I could buy as many jade bracelets as I wanted. Mother, if you're not going to let me spend the silver coins then who are you saving the silver coins for?"
Princess Ji Hoon slapped her daughter's cheek. "Sang-Hee, close your mouth!"
Sang-Hee touched her sore cheek and cried, no one had ever hit her before.
"Mother, you hit me!" Sang-Hee shrieked and ran out of her mother's chamber.
"Princess, what happened?" the old nursemaid asked. "Why did you hit second miss?"
"What do I do now?" Princess Ji Hoon asked.
"Princess, wake up," the old nursemaid said. "You can't fall like this."
"That's right," Princess Ji Hoon muttered. "I can't fall like this... I didn't do anything wrong! It's all their fault! Why should I be scared of them?"
"Princess, that's right," the old nursemaid said. "You shouldn't be scared of them."
Princess Ji Hoon felt her usual cold arrogance return.
Gentleman Han acted disappointed Sang-Hee changed her mind and didn't want to buy the new fabrics. But on the way to Taehyung's manor, his grin was wider than the new fabrics next to him.
At Taehyung's manor, Gentleman Han discussed Princess Ji Hoon's situation with Taehyung and Yoongi.
"It appears Princess Ji Hoon is a pauper," Gentleman Han said. "She's paranoid and in a depressed state. Earlier I saw Lady Park run out of Princess Ji Hoon's chamber crying. Taehyung, indeed you know how to use another person's dagger to slowly cut the flesh off."
"I didn't do anything," Taehyung said innocently.
Gentleman Han laughed. "You're right. You didn't do anything. You only found some young beggars to do it for you. Today one of the young beggars asked me why I didn't ask them to do it three times a day. Morning, afternoon, and evening instead of once a day."
"Once a day is enough," Taehyung said. "Anymore I fear Princess Ji Hoon can't cope. I need her alive for my hyung and Sang-Hee's wedding day. It's more amusing to see her slowly rot."
"Luckily I haven't done anything to offend you," Gentleman Han said. "Otherwise I wouldn't know I was dying slowly."
"Of course, you have offended me," Taehyung said. "Each time you send a new dress here, you raise the price."
"What offense?" Gentleman Han asked. "My money is your money. Think of it as me helping invest your money. Look at the profits I've given you all these years. But you haven't even thanked me once. Of course, after you succeed, remember to let me become the treasurer. At that time it doesn't matter how much money is in the palace, I'm certain I'll help you double it."
Taehyung laughed. "Do you think it's easy to be a treasurer?"
"How hard can it be?" Gentleman Han asked. "I think you're father-in-law does have a brain. What do you want me to do next? Do you want me to send gifts to the Park Manor?"
"For now let my father-in-law find out on his own," Taehyung said.
"I understand," Gentleman Su said. "I'll choose a good day to show the accounting books of dresses, shoes, and jewelry Lady Park bought. It's a large sum, Park Jin Young wouldn't have that many silver coins. He'll ask me to look for Princess Ji Hoon... she'll ask me to look for Park Jin Young and he'll wonder why she's a pauper. What about Lady Park's fake pregnancy?"
"I want Sang-Hee's pregnancy to be exposed in front of the imperial father," Taehyung said. "So I need to wait until the crown prince and Sang-Hee's wedding day. But I haven't thought of a way to expose her without leaving a trace."
"You can borrow someone else's dagger," Yoongi suddenly interfered.
"Whose dagger?" Taehyung asked.
"Yoongi is right," Gentleman Han said. "How can this news spread to the third prince?"
One of Taehyung's guards entered Yoongi's chamber.
"Fifth prince, I found out who owns Aroma of Riches," The guard said.
"Who?" Yoongi asked.
"It was managed by Consort Jung and the necessary maintenance was named under Third Prince," The guard said.
Taehyung smiled and looked at Yoongi. "Hyung, it appears tonight again you'll need to climb walls."
Yoongi's goosebumps warned him that he would also be taking three warm baths like that night...
After Taehyung returned to his bed-chamber he found Seorin asleep. He smiled and laid beside her and pulled the blanket over his and Seorin's body. He watched her soundly asleep. He knew she wanted a carefree life so he wanted to give her a carefree life. He was willing to silently help her chase away her shadows of fear.