A monster lives near the White Immortal Palace.
Such rumors circulated among the court ladies in the harem.
“White Immortal Palace…?”
Seol Ran who was wringing out a cloth in the laundry area overheard the conversation among the court ladies gathered on the other side.
There had been various eyewitness accounts among the maids who had gone to the outer palace on errands for the princess consorts.
Recently, there was a rumor that he was walking around the palace covered in wild boar’s blood.
Even before that, there had been numerous unsettling sightings.
– Heheh… Kukukuk…. I could make a lot of soy sauce and soybean paste…
One time, he was seen near the kitchen where the eunuchs’ meals were being prepared, and it is said that he was walking down the street with an unpleasant smile on his face while carrying a dozen foul-smelling soybean bricks.
– Kukkuk… With deer antler and red sage, and from the chameleon plant to Kudzu… This is how much a precious medicine is worth… It’s in a different league from those cheap herbal goods…
Another time, he was seen sitting near the pharmacy of the outer palace, brewing various herbs into a herbal medicine.
The sight of him making a fire alone in the corner of the wall looked like he was making poison to kill people.
– Kuhayaaa… Refreshing!!!!
– Love!!!! Is!!! A capricious!!! Butterfly!!!!!!
There were even sightings of him by the Jung-hyeon stream in front of the palace at dawn, scrubbing his body with dry cloth after stripping off his upper clothes.
He was even singing what sounded like an unintelligible chant with great mirth.
“Tae Pyeong, please…”
Seol Ran who was washing cotton cloths for bandages clasped her face in her hands.
Her long-cherished wish to find a suitable partner for her only precious younger brother within the inner palace seemed all too distant a dream.
***
“I need to inspect the protective charms in the inner palace. Tae Pyeong, you go and check.”
“You mean me?”
“Yes. If you don’t want to go alone, take Yeon Ri along. Ahh… this is too salty for an old man to eat. Make it less salty next time.”
“But last time you said this was the perfect amount of seasoning…”
“You sure talk a lot. Can’t you accommodate an old man’s whims? You’re young and energetic…”
Sitting across the worn dining table, White Immortal Elder was chewing on rice and picking at some stir-fried pork.
Deep wrinkles and a small body. And his hunched back made him appear even smaller.
White Immortal Lee Cheol-woon of Cheongdo Palace.
Not that it’s my place to say, but among all the people I’ve seen here in Cheongdo Palace, he was one of the most eccentric people.
I’ve heard he was a close friend of the late Emperor. Did he say they met on the battlefield?
Back in the day, he was said to be a Taoist priest who soared high and wide but now he was introducing himself as just an old man in the back room.
The White Immortal Elder was a position held by an elder who advised on all matters related to Taoist magic in Cheongdo Palace.
Such was the importance of his role that he was granted an entire building, known as the White Immortal Palace, as a residence.
He was accompanied by at least six bodyguards and five maids at all times. The number could increase to 15 people each if necessary. His treatment was almost equivalent to that of a high official of the third rank or higher.
However, the White Immortal Elder declined all such lavish attention and chose instead to keep the modest company of a maid, an apprentice warrior, an eunuch, and a scribe, each handpicked by himself.
“The rice does make it tasty. Indeed, when it comes to cooking, you’re better than Yeon Ri, Tae Pyeong.”
“Oh my, you flatter me Elder. Though any more and it becomes nagging.”
Even though he was given the dignified Taoist robes woven by the court ladies every month, he would always wander around in a disheveled state, claiming he found them too bothersome.
While the meals prepared for him were not quite as elaborate as those served to the Emperor, they were still lavish enough to make the table groan under their weight. However, he would refuse such feasts and prefer instead to dig for herbs and tree bark from within and around the palace.
Yet, there were times when he seemed to miss the taste of prepared food… He would come into the kitchen and snatch away my meal. Today was one such day.
If you look at him like this, one could hardly grasp the workings of his mind.
Nonetheless, his skills as a Taoist priest were genuine at least.
“The protective charms set up around the palace seem to be disturbed lately. Wild animals like boars roam around…not to mention the illness of the Azure Princess …”
“I’ve indeed felt a bit of unrest within and around the palace. But if there’s an issue with the protective charms, doesn’t the responsibility fall to you, Elder? It’s quite worrying…”
I finished off my bowl of soup.
At first, I felt quite uncomfortable eating with such a high-ranking official as the White Immortal Elder, but I had grown somewhat accustomed to his casual demeanor.
“Wouldn’t it be better for you as the White Immortal Elder to personally attend to it rather than me? I hardly possess any talent in Taoist magic or Zen arts.”
“Even so, I’ve taught you the basic principles of Taoist magic, haven’t I? That should be enough. You just need to take a quick look around and assess the state of the protective charms.”
“……”
Asking me to act as a substitute for a White Immortal Elder seems a bit far-fetched, no matter how you look at it.
Moreover, the location in question is the inner palace. If there were any issues with the protective charms in the Princess Consort’s abode, it could lead to serious problems.
“I need to deal with that demon fox in the main palace.”
“…I see.”
It was only then that I began to understand why he was sending me. It was to visit Hwaan, a civil servant in the main palace.
Hwaan was known for his cunning and sly nature which earned him the nickname “the demon fox of the main palace”.
He was the polar opposite of the White Immortal Elder, who tended to handle things in a carefree manner and whose actions were utterly unpredictable.
There must be some issue in the main palace for someone like Hwaan to seek out the White Immortal Elder personally.
“Considering the condition of the Azure Princess who has fallen ill… Perhaps you might be more helpful than I could be.”
“…Huh?”
“Well, it’s just a guess, but you’ll find out once you get there.”
After he said this, the White Immortal Elder casually popped a few pieces of meat into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
Rustle—
“Oh my, White Immortal Elder, you’re here in the palace! I wish you had told me in advance!”
After she finished the laundry, Yeon Ri entered the kitchen while carrying a small basket filled with various household utensils.
“Should I clean up the room now that I’m done with laundry?”
“No need; I’ll take a walk to White Immortal Mountain after finishing my meal.”
The White Immortal Mountain loomed large behind the Cheongdo Palace.
It was a sizable mountain that even a robust man would take half a day to climb.
Yet, this Taoist master wandered around it as if it were a mere walking path.
As a result, with his unpredictable comings and goings, Yeon Ri who was in charge of cleaning often had a hard time keeping up.
“Yeon Ri, have your meal now too. You’ll need to visit the inner palace with Tae Pyeong before the sun sets.”
“The inner palace? Is it related to those protective charms?”
“Right, isn’t it too harsh to send a young boy to the harem alone?”
Yeon Ri nodded her head in agreement and placed the basket beside the hearth.
Then she grimaced at the sight of the food on the wooden table.
“…I’d rather starve.”
“Is this another one of your meal tantrums? Oh dear, this child.”
“Do you even remember how many months it’s been since we’ve had nothing but sliced meat, rice soup, or occasionally fried pork?”
The men of White Immortal Palace simply know nothing about excellent food.
This was a constant lament of Yeon Ri.
Evidently, for Yeon Ri who was the sole female in White Immortal Palace the food system here seemed quite oppressive.
Following the White Immortal Elder’s wishes, I often find myself preparing meals that typically consisted of sliced meat, rice soup, or fried pork as a special treat.
How strange…
White Immortal Elder and old Eunuch always seemed to eat without complaint…
“Complaining about the hardship of cooking and just eating whatever is given might work for a day or two, but we’ve been repeating the same menu for almost four months now! I even offered to cook for myself if you’d just leave the ingredients!”
“Oh, here we go again. You know how luxurious it is to eat meat so often; why complain? You’re well fed, aren’t you?”
I retorted as I filled the dishes with rice and pork soup.
“And what do you mean the menu is always the same? We’ve had bean sprout rice soup, radish rice soup, potato rice soup, spinach rice soup, water dropwort rice soup, angelica tree shoot rice soup, chive rice soup, zucchini rice soup, shepherd’s purse rice soup, bamboo shoot rice soup, and here, pork rice soup… Even high-ranking officials in the main palace don’t get to eat such a variety, so please stop being picky.”
“It’s your way of thinking Tae Pyeong, to think that all of this counts as a different menu that’s really scary.”
***
There were only three situations in which a man could enter the inner palace which was a strictly female area.
First, if the man is a member of the imperial family.
Second, if the man is tasked with specialized work within the inner palace. In this case, the men are usually eunuchs who have been castrated.
And third, when an officer has no choice but to visit for security purposes within the palace.
Castration led to a reduction in yang energy and made a person’s temperament more docile. It also increased their appetite which led to an easy gain in weight.
Officers who were required to engage in matters of war and security could not be subjected to such a procedure, and yet, the safety of the inner palace could not be neglected… It was an unavoidable situation.
As a result, whenever there was a romantic incident involving the court ladies of the inner palace, the men involved were often these officers.
Even if it was strictly for work purposes, it was a reason for officers to feel somewhat tense when entering the inner palace.
A careless misunderstanding could disastrously derail one’s rising career path in the Cheongdo Palace.
Therefore, it was customary for officers to be accompanied by one or two women from the outer palace when entering, to avoid standing out too much on their own.
This was the reason the White Immortal Elder had assigned Yeon Ri to accompany me.
“Court Lady Seol in the inner palace would be happy to see you.”
“I doubt it. I don’t think we’ll cross paths.”
The inner palace was where my sister Seol Ran resided.
Initially, the early part of the romance fantasy novel “Heavenly Dragon Love Story” focused on the conflicts among the concubines of the inner palace and the love stories that blossomed amidst them.
From my position as a warrior of the White Immortal Palace, it was difficult for me to closely observe the situation. After all, I lived too far from the harem.
However, I believed that the resolute Seol Ran would manage to handle things on her end somehow.
Yeon Ri took the lead and tilted her head in curiosity as we moved forward.
“By the way, I heard that the Princess Consort of the Azure Dragon Palace is suffering due to an illness… Could it be related to a problem with the protective charms?”
“……”
I was at a loss.
If the Princess Consort’s illness was indeed caused by an issue with the energy of the protective charms surrounding the inner palace, it would have been appropriate for the White Immortal Elder to come in person.
So why did he send me off who was a mere apprentice warrior?
I couldn’t help but worry more and more. The Elder might seem frivolous at times, but he was always sharp when it mattered most.
When I looked up, I saw the entrance to the inner palace.
The soldier standing guard must have been informed by the Elder in advance, so he greeted us as soon as he saw us.
“Have you come to check on the Princess Consort’s condition?”
“Huh? I am a warrior from the White Immortal Palace, here to inspect the protective charms.”
“Oh, yes… I heard… but I was also informed that you would be checking on the Azure Princess’s condition as well.”
Who was this Azure Princess? Certainly, she was not someone a mere apprentice warrior from the White Immortal Palace should be “checking” on.
In the kingdom of Cheongdo Palace, the crown prince typically had four official wives aside from the concubines.
The selection process for these wives usually started from their childhood and was incredibly lengthy and complex. It often took more than half a year to choose just one wife.
Thus the four wives each presided over one of the grand inner houses within the vast inner palace wall and started their education as consorts to the crown prince.
The consort of the northern Black Tortoise Palace within the inner palace. The Black Princess.
The consort of the southern Vermilion Bird Palace within the inner palace. The Vermilion Princess.
The consort of the eastern Azure Dragon Palace within the inner palace. The Azure Princess.
The consort of the western White Tiger Palace within the inner palace. The White Princess.
And the Heavenly Maiden…. Who ruled over the Heavenly Dragon Hall in the middle of the inner palace.
Right, if one were to single out the most revered and exalted among the women of the palace, it would undoubtedly be the Heavenly Maiden, who held sway over the inner palace.
Even the Emperor himself would purify his body before entering the Heavenly Dragon Hall for it was the dwelling of the maiden who served the will of the heavenly dragon.
Though her authority might seem less strong than that of the Emperor, it was a known fact that even the Emperor must show courtesy to the mistress of the inner palace in her presence.
It was somewhat akin to the relationship between a regimental commander and a chief warrant officer, albeit in a more simplistic and rustic comparison.
The position revered and esteemed by all within the palace, save the Emperor himself, was that of the Heavenly Maiden.
Yes.
It was a position that Seol Ran would, in the future, come to occupy.
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