Eps 14 : The Queen Dowager’s Trap

Yi Baek's face looks so serious as he reads the scrolls of reports that were handed over to the officials at the Palace Council meeting yesterday. The man in the red robe is making sure all the new policies that were set last month are going well. It's been all day. Yi Baek immersed himself in his work. In fact, the tamra—the old name for Jeju Island— orange tea that Eunuch Jang served to accompany Yi Baek at work was no longer steaming hot. The tea was really cold.

For a second, Yi Baek's brow furrowed at something odd in the report he was reading. Yi Baek separates out the reports that he finds odd and makes notes to discuss them again at the upcoming Palace Council meeting. Meanwhile, the report said that the results were so satisfying that he immediately put the royal seal, a sign that he gave his approval.

As Yi Baek's hand grabbed his royal seal in the shape of a golden dragon from its place, he heard Eunuch Jang's voice asking for permission to enter the room. Without stopping his activities, Yi Baek answered him and went back to work.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Jang walked into the room, slightly bent over. The Eunuch saluted, before finally stating his purpose, which would interfere with King Yeongan's time.

"Your Majesty...."

"Did something happen, Eunuch Jang?" Yi Baek asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the expanse of parchment on his desk. His handsome face looks calm and serious at work. It was such a beautiful sight for anyone who had the chance to see King Yi Baek at work.

"Your Majesty, The Queen Dowager invites you for tea at the Hwol-gak pavilion this afternoon. Would you be pleased to attend?"

"Doesn't that woman know that I have much more important things to do than drink tea in the afternoon?" Yi Baek replied in a half-mocking tone. Everyone in the palace knew that Yi Baek was not a king who liked to spend time just relaxing.

"But Your Majesty, I believe the Queen Dowager is trying to be nice to you. You've been working all day. In fact, you missed the time to eat lunch. This clearly worries the Queen Dowager. "

Yi Baek raised his head and looked at Eunuch Jang straight. A cynical smile appeared on the corner of his lips, while one hand pointed at the scroll of parchment he had separated according to the criteria he had previously set.

"I certainly have to work hard, because this pile of parchments won't move by itself, Eunuch Jang. "This country will not improve on its own if I just sit quietly and rely on those corrupt officials," Yi Baek snarled, insisting that he didn't want to leave his studies.

Eunuch Jang couldn't help but smile weakly at how stubborn King Yeongan was. After all, Eunuch Jang gets Queen Mother Park's orders, so King Yeongan must attend the invitation for tea this afternoon. This clearly made Eunuch Jang feel awry.

Having no choice and not wanting to make Queen Dowager Park lash out at him, Eunuch Jang tries his best to persuade King Yeongan. even if he had to kneel. Immediately, Eunuch, who had served King Yeongan from a young age, knelt down, hoping that King Yeongan would melt with his actions.

Seeing Eunuch Jang suddenly kneeling down, of course, made Yi Baek surprised. The man in the red robe put down the parchment he was reading and focused his attention on Eunuch Jang. Yi Baek's eyebrows even knit together, a sign that he was both surprised and surprised by the attitude of his loyal servant.

"Eunuch Jang, what are you doing?"

Eunuch Jang sticks with his stance. The maid in the jade-colored robes bent even lower, making her nose touch the wooden floor in front of her.

"Your Majesty, I beg you. You are the strongest pillar of this country. But, you shouldn't keep forcing your body to keep working. You need to rest for a while. I'm sure that's what Queen Dowager wanted by inviting you to afternoon tea."

Eunuch Jang begged him to take a break from work. Seeing Eunuch Jang's actions, Yi Baek only replied with a long sigh.

"I beg you, Your Majesty. There's nothing wrong with attending a banquet for the Queen Dowager," added Eunuch Shin, still on his knees.

Yi Baek took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. All this time, Yi Baek had considered Eunuch Jang as one of his loyal friends. Seeing Eunuch Jang fall to his knees because he was so late to work makes Yi Baek feel uncomfortable. He wasn't used to getting that kind of attention, especially since his mother left the palace.

"Huh, okay. I will attend. But, let me finish these two or four scrolls. After that, you may annoy me again by reminding me of the banquet. How? " Yi Baek offers the best solution.

Eunuch Jang smiled as a form of pleasure. Without saying much, Eunuch Shin nodded happily and immediately left Yi Baek. After being left by Eunuch Jang, Yi Baek could only shake his head, unable to think about Eunuch Jang's behavior while finishing his work before attending Queen Dowager Park's afternoon tea.

...

Yi Baek directs his cold, sharp gaze at Eunuch Jang as soon as he arrives at the Hwol-gak pavilion, the pavilion where the afternoon tea is served. With his jaw clenched, Yi Baek tries his best not to explode in anger at Eunuch Jang. One of the things that Yi Baek hates is wasting time on obscure activities.

And that was the source of all the emotions that slowly filled his chest. He had already given up several hours of his time to attend his stepmother's afternoon tea. In fact, Yi Baek had arrived early so he could finish the tea party faster.

However, what the red-robed man got was a pavilion with no one or any tea preparations in sight. Only the empty pavilion was bathed in a tinge of orange light. This clearly made Yi Baek furious.

"Do you intend to make my emotions explode, Eunuch Jang?" Yi Baek asked in a tone that could make anyone shiver with fear.

Eunuch Jang, who was also surprised by the state of the Hwol-gak pavilion, said it was clearly a shocking situation. Immediately, Eunuch Jang's body trembled as he didn't know that Hwol-gak's pavilion would be empty like this.

"Y-Your Majesty, I didn't know Hwol-gak would be empty like this."

"You better prepare yourself for punishment from me, Eunuch Jang," Yi Baek cut in, complete with a cold tone.

Eunuch Jang's body fell to the ground upon hearing King Yeongan's threats of anger at him. Really, Eunuch Jang didn't know if things would turn around like this. Until the sound of soft laughter sounded around them. Immediately, Yi Baek turned his head and found something unexpected.

A few meters from where he was standing, at the main entrance of the Hwol-gak pavilion, he saw a woman, followed by a few ladies-in-waiting, gazing cheerfully at the flowers.

Yi Baek was stunned for a moment when he saw the radiance that radiated from the figure. The hanbok she was wearing even seemed to match the flower clump that became the focus of the feminine figure's attention.

Yi Baek realizes that the feminine figure looking at the plum trees is his future wife, Jung Yeon-Hee. Instantly, the hypnotist that had blinded his heart in an instant disappeared when he realized the figure was Jung Yeon-Hee. That dark grin returned to Yi Baek's handsome face, realizing that this might be a dirty trick Yeon-Hee used to meet him. A trick that his concubines used to use.

"Why didn't you tell me that this pavilion is so pretty? At least that way, I will definitely not be upset about visiting this beautiful pavilion."

After signaling to the ladies in waiting who following Jung Yeon-Hee to be quiet, Yi Baek approached Yeon-Hee, who was still engrossed in watching the plum tree. With his low voice, Yi Baek surprised Yeon-Hee with his simple question.