After being scolded by Sejong, Hyang let out a small sigh.
"Hoo~. With this, the matter has slipped from my hands... It’s a bit challenging, so my father and the ministers will have a tough time, but what can I do? I can’t step in myself... No, even if I did, it would be difficult, almost impossible. I lack the talent for this..."
"Your Highness, what did you say?"
Hyang briefly replied to the words of the attendant following him.
He sighed again.
"Hoo~. The position of the Crown Prince has its perks, but there’s no private life, no private life at all..."
As he grumbled, Hyang suddenly turned to the attendant as if he had just remembered something.
"By the way, how many days are left until the full moon this month?"
"Five days."
"Five days? I’m looking forward to it."
Muttering to himself again, Hyang turned his gaze beyond the palace walls.
Hyang's appearance was an unexpected event for the gisaeng house.
"No one who has not undergone the grand ceremony is allowed to enter here."
Upon hearing that a child dressed in the finest silk had come to the gisaeng house, the leading gisaeng came out to block Hyang's way.
At the gisaeng's words, Hyang tapped his hat with his finger and replied, "Do you see this hat as mere decoration?"
"Excuse me? Still..."
As the leading gisaeng hesitated, the commander of the escorting guards stepped forward.
"He is more than qualified."
"If that is the case..."
Under the pressure of the guards, the leading gisaeng stepped back, allowing Hyang and his party to enter the gisaeng house.
"Take them to the largest room."
"Yes."
After ushering Hyang's party inside, the leading gisaeng gave orders to another servant.
"Tell the men to prepare, just in case."
"Yes."
"Who on earth is that young master?"
After ushering the gisaengs into the room where Hyang's party had entered, the leading gisaeng sat by the door, observing the situation inside.
Her eyes were solely focused on Hyang.
'He is definitely not an ordinary young master filled with the frivolities of a common family!'
The leading gisaeng, watching Hyang's behavior, was coming to a firm conclusion.
There was a basis for her conclusion.
Hyang commanded those beneath him with such ease.
It was not merely the result of being accustomed to ordering servants around, but rather, he was used to commanding those who appeared to be of high status, just like the people present.
"I wonder if today will be a day of trouble..."
With a tense expression, the leading gisaeng nervously chewed on her nails.
Meanwhile, inside, a pleasant time was unfolding.
"The scent of alcohol is delightful!"
At Hyang's admiration, having only caught a whiff before setting it down, the gisaeng sitting next to him smiled slightly and replied, "It’s not alcohol, but tea."
"Tea?"
"How could we brew alcohol when the king has issued a prohibition? We are merely steeping grain tea."
"Ah? Hahaha!"
At the gisaeng's answer, Hyang laughed heartily.
Since Sejong's ascension, there had not been a year without famine.
Thus, Sejong had to issue a prohibition on alcohol every year.
Although the situation began to improve with the ongoing irrigation projects nationwide, the prohibition was still in effect.
Thanks to this, the gisaeng houses resorted to tricks.
"We sell grain tea, not alcohol!"
It was a case of 'closing one eye,' but due to the nature of gisaeng houses, it was easily overlooked.
As Hyang observed the appearance of the gisaengs in the gisaeng house, he felt the atmosphere becoming more relaxed and decided to change the subject.
"This is my first time in a gisaeng house, so I heard there are people who handle disturbances if they occur?"
At Hyang's question, the gisaeng sitting next to him flirtatiously replied, "Yes, there are very strong men here."
"Can I see them?"
"Excuse me?"
"I heard rumors recently that even the officials of the Saheonbu, known for their strength, were subdued by someone’s gaze. I wanted to see who they are."
"Oh my~. That’s not from our gisaeng house."
"Still, I want to see what kind of men they are. Please call them."
"Yes."
At Hyang's words, the gisaeng went outside to convey his request.
After a moment, the gisaeng returned with a somewhat awkward expression and said to Hyang, "The men said to tell you, 'We are not the reapers of the Sa-dang faction.'"
"What rudeness!"
At the gisaeng's response, the escorting guards present erupted in anger and stood up.
"Sit down."
"My lord!"
"Quickly!"
"Yes."
At Hyang's restraint, the guards sat back down.
"Finish your grain tea. But do not get drunk on the scent."
"Yes, my lord."
As the guards emptied their cups at Hyang's command, he turned to the gisaeng sitting next to him.
"Grain tea and reapers... How interesting."
"Yes, yes..."
At Hyang's words, the gisaeng replied with a pale face.
She realized she was in a very dangerous situation with these people.
'Who on earth is this child!'
The gisaeng was curious about the identity of the young lord sitting next to her.
A moment later, Hyang's words made the gisaeng's face turn pale.
"Go tell those men, 'You, who guard the front gate while eating the scraps that fall from the banquet table, have a lot to say.'"
"My lord!"
The gisaeng hurriedly tried to stop him, but Hyang's expression remained unchanged.
"Convey my words as I said."
A moment later, a man guarding the gisaeng house appeared.
"Who the hell..."
The man, who seemed ready to unleash a torrent of curses, suddenly stopped and tensed up.
It was due to the appearance of those in the room.
Except for Hyang, who sat in the most honored position, the other men exuded an unusual aura and glared at him.
'If I mess this up, next year today will be my, Kang Sam-tae's, death anniversary!'
Sam-tae tightly gripped the hilt of the Changpo sword he had tucked under his arm and opened his mouth.
"Who is looking for me?"
"Are you the leader of the guards here?"
At Hyang's question, Sam-tae replied.
"Are you looking for Daehyeong?"
"Bring him here."
At Hyang's words, which were filled with disdain, Sam-tae felt a surge of anger but bit his lip and replied.
"I will bring him."
A moment later, a man who looked far from ordinary followed Sam-tae into the room.
"I heard someone was looking for me."
"Come inside."
At Hyang's command, Daehyeong stepped boldly into the room.
"I have something to discuss with you. You all may leave."
"Yes."
At Hyang's words, the gisaengs hurriedly exited.
Once the gisaengs left, Hyang gave the same command to the escorting guards and attendants.
"You all step outside for a moment."
"My lord! Absolutely not!"
"It's fine, just go outside."
"I will leave two behind."
As the commander of the escorting guards firmly resisted, Hyang nodded.
"Very well."
Thus, in the room remained Hyang, the commander of the escorting guards and one subordinate, along with Sam-tae and Daehyeong.
"Why did you seek me?"
At Daehyeong's question, Hyang smiled and posed a question.
"From your appearance, you seem to be a child of a noble family, but are you a concubine's child?"
"Yes."
"Are you satisfied with your current life?"
"What can I expect as a mere dog guarding the gate, eating scraps that fall from the banquet table? I suppose I am satisfied as long as I am not hungry."
"Hmm..."
Hyang let out a slight snort while looking at Daehyeong, who sat defiantly before him.
'It’s cliché, but it seems useful, doesn’t it?'
"Your face will get holes. Why do you stare so intently? Do you perhaps like men?"
"Unfortunately, I am normal. Do men like you have contracts?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"If you have a contract, tell your master. Even dogs can have different circumstances, so come find me at midnight on the full moon this month."
At Hyang's words, Daehyeong wore a look of disbelief.
"Hah! Do you know who you are speaking to?"
"If you can’t even figure that out, you should spend your life guarding the gate of a gisaeng house."
After finishing his words, Hyang emptied the cup in front of him.
"Hoo! That’s a bit strong!"
Setting down the cup, Hyang stood up and walked outside.
"Make the calculations."
"Yes, my lord."
While the attendant was calculating, Hyang glanced back at the leading gisaeng and Daehyeong.
"Enjoy the show. And do not take my words lightly."
After finishing his words, Hyang walked away with the escorting guards and attendants.
As he watched Hyang's back disappear into the distance, Daehyeong commanded Sam-tae.
"Follow him."
"Yes, Daehyeong."
However, after a while, Sam-tae returned with his head bowed.
"We lost him."
"How?"
"He vanished from the Yunjongga."
"Yunjongga?"
At Sam-tae's words, Daehyeong briefly recalled the geography of Hanyang.
'He disappeared from Yunjongga? Where to? That area is only for government offices...
Wait, government offices? If it’s the government offices, it’s connected to the palace, and if it’s the palace...'
Daehyeong suddenly recalled one fact.
'If he is the rumored Crown Prince, he is of a similar age to the boy I just saw!'
"During the last fire in Hanyang, the Crown Prince was in charge, right? Did anyone see the Crown Prince's face back then?"
"Oh dear, Daehyeong! Our boys are all owls who sleep during the day and roam around at night!"
"Damn it!"
Cursing, Daehyeong scratched his head and came to a conclusion.
"I need to inform the master."
Hyang's identity was revealed three days after he started visiting the gisaeng house.
On the fourth day, as he walked, Hyang asked the escorting guard beside him.
"Deputy Kwon, you said we are going to Hwaryeollu? Is it famous here?"
"Yes, it’s the best in Dadong."
"You know it well?"
"I used to... when I was younger."
"Then your family must have fallen apart."
"Haha!"
As they continued their conversation, mixing jokes with seriousness, they arrived in front of the gisaeng house in question, and Hyang let out a small laugh.
"I’ve been caught. Well, my tail was long..."
In front of the wide-open door of Hwaryeollu stood the leading gisaeng and a man who appeared to be Daehyeong, standing side by side.
"It is an honor to serve you, my lord."
Upon seeing Hyang, the leading gisaeng moved as if to fly and performed a deep bow, while the man next to her also offered a proper greeting.
"Oh?"
Receiving the greeting from the Daehyeong of Hwaryeollu, Hyang showed a look of surprise.
The bow just performed was precisely according to etiquette.
This meant that the Daehyeong of Hwaryeollu was likely a member of an extraordinary family.
In any case, Hyang moved forward to see what he had intended to see.
"Thank you for the warm welcome. I look forward to it."
On the promised full moon, as midnight approached, Hyang gave orders to the attendants guarding the East Palace.
"Leave the door open and wait outside. A guest will come."
"However..."
"It’s an order. Do not question it, just follow."
Under Hyang's strong command, the attendants had no choice but to step back.
"Deputy Kwon, you should also step back."
"I will not."
"Deputy Kwon!"
Hyang's voice grew louder, but the Deputy Kwon did not budge.
"When my subordinates reported, they did not inform the king of the Crown Prince's request. This alone is a grave sin, and I cannot leave the Crown Prince alone!"
"If the Deputy Kwon stands firm, will things go well with them?"
"My lord! Still, it cannot be!"
"Deputy Kwon! This is for my father and for Joseon! For this, my life is worth little! It’s an order!"
Even after that, a heated argument continued between Hyang and Deputy Kwon, but Hyang's stubbornness could not be broken.
In the end, Deputy Kwon proposed a compromise.
"Then I will leave only two behind. I cannot concede more than that! If you refuse this as well, I will report it to the king immediately!"
With Deputy Kwon's firm stance, Hyang sighed.
"Fine. Let’s do that."
"I am grateful!"
After bowing to Hyang, Deputy Kwon left the room, leaving behind one attendant and the commander of the guards.
"That stubborn man..."
As Hyang grumbled, Deputy Kwon and the other attendant inwardly muttered.
"Is it just the lord?"