A Letter Unsent
Yeongso picked up her brush after deep deliberation.
Mother, it is Yeongso, your youngest. I know this is hard to believe, but on the very day my mourning period ended, my husband returned alive. Does this make any sense? I am completely ruined.
No, this wouldn't do. It lacked both proper etiquette and dignity. Yeongso set the half-folded paper aside. She would start anew.
Mother, it is Yeongso, your youngest. I hope you have been well. Autumn has already arrived, and the maple leaves outside my window are exceedingly red and beautiful. Much like my own future. Sometime soon, I expect to vomit blood as red as those maple leaves and meet a gruesome death at the hands of my husband.
Yeongso shook her head and set the brush down. It seemed she wouldn't be able to write a proper letter today. If that was the case, she decided she should change her clothes first.
When Banya was alive, Yeongso had dozens of maids attending to her. Even back when she lived as the precious youngest lady of the Baekri Clan, she had never kept so many servants. There were maids for jewelry, maids for clothing, maids for meals, maids for massages, maids for baths, and even maids dedicated solely to her nails and hair. Truly, there was a specialist for every imaginable task.
As Banya's legal and only wife, Yeongso had enjoyed a life of luxury that rivaled that of the imperial concubines. However, all of that vanished with Banya's death. A Renju's wife who had lost her Renju was no different from a gourd with its string cut—completely helpless. One by one, starting with the maids she rarely called upon, the servants were reassigned elsewhere, until eventually, only a single maid named Chocho remained to serve her. Then, one day, even Chocho was nowhere to be seen.
The silk robes, coral hairpins, and jade and pearl earrings that once belonged to Yeongso all ended up in the hands of the next Renju's wife. The justification was that since Hwa Banya had purchased them with the funds of the Thousand Death Alliance, they naturally belonged to the Alliance's assets. The newly empowered did not stop there; they even plundered the dowry and wedding gifts Yeongso had brought with her when she married.
The man who succeeded Banya as Renju kept around twenty concubines, and the Renju after him kept twenty-one, as if in some absurd competition. The inner quarters, comprised of numerous pavilions, became as noisy as a bustling marketplace every single day due to the women fighting to possess more. While mourning her husband, all that remained for Yeongso were hemp mourning clothes, writing supplies, and a single small room where she could lay her lonely body at night.
“Still, I managed to hide away one set of ordinary clothes to change into once the mourning period ended...”
Yeongso muttered to herself as she stared into the empty wardrobe.
“Surely the Thousand Death Alliance wouldn't have taken even that?”
A plain, unpatterned mugwort-green dress would fetch only a few pennies if sold. It was something even the maids of the Thousand Death Alliance wouldn't covet, so confiscating even that felt excessively cruel. She couldn't help but think so.
“I can't keep wearing these hemp clothes forever. What should I do?”
“Madam, I am coming in.”
Someone with a bright, ringing voice opened the door and stepped inside. The maid, her hair braided into double loops, had a familiar face. The moment her eyes met Yeongso's, she immediately bent her knees in a deep bow.
“Madam, let us move you to your new quarters!”
“Chocho?”
“Madam, you remember me!”
The maid, Chocho, smiled with deep emotion. When Chocho asked if there were any belongings she needed to pack, Yeongso let her voice trail off.
“As you can see, there isn't much here to begin with...”
“That is true. Those wretched scoundrels, shoving such a precious person into a freezing room like this. But do not worry, Madam! Your hardships are over, and your happiness begins now!”
Chocho explained that when Banya asked where all of Baekri Yeongso's maids had gone, she had immediately reported the entire truth. Recognizing her quick wit, Banya had reassigned her to serve Yeongso once more. At Chocho's promise that her mistress would reclaim everything that had been stolen from her, Yeongso could not even bring herself to offer a bitter smile.
Gold trinkets were the least of her concerns right now. She carried a massive weight of karma. If she were to receive her due retribution, Baekri Yeongso would have no choice but to die. And her maiden family, the prestigious Baekri Clan, would never forgive Banya for driving their precious youngest daughter to her death.
In particular, her mother, Gang-ssi Buin, would mobilize every resource at her disposal to avenge Yeongso. After barely saving a child born with the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians and raising her with utmost care, the world's greatest bastard had snatched her away. In Gang-ssi Buin's eyes, Banya was exactly that. He was a sinner while alive, and by dying a mere four months into their marriage and leaving her precious youngest daughter a young widow, he remained a sinner even in death.
Even if Banya were to say, "Actually, your daughter was the culprit who killed her husband three years ago, so she is merely paying for her crime this time," her mother would never listen. She would simply dismiss it as a flimsy excuse made up by a wicked Unorthodox scoundrel.
If that happens, all that remains is war.
The Baekri Clan's connections extended not only throughout the Gangho but also into the Imperial Palace. Although there was a non-aggression pact between the government and the martial world, covert assistance behind the scenes was impossible to regulate completely. Just how many people would gather under the banner of "avenging the falsely accused and deceased" Baekri Yeongso? Her death would inevitably unleash a tempest of blood upon the world.
Yeongso was consumed by these thoughts the entire way to her new quarters. Naturally, her expression was grim. She could barely hear Chocho's cheerful chattering.
“Get the hell out of my way!”
However, she heard this ear-splitting roar with absolute clarity. It was a sound so sharp it felt as if her ears would literally bleed. Was that a shout infused with internal energy? Yeongso stopped in her tracks and rubbed her ears.
“Who do you think you are, daring to tell me to vacate this place?!”
Crash! The sound of heavy vases shattering echoed in succession.
“I am the Renju's wife! How dare you try to give my quarters to some starved-looking Orthodox wench?!”
Chocho glared at the maids who were hesitating to lay a hand on the thrashing woman.
“How utterly embarrassing... Madam, I swear, I had no idea these dimwitted fools hadn't resolved this yet.”
She then asked for Yeongso's understanding, promising that if she waited just a brief moment, she would escort her inside shortly.
“I don't necessarily have to stay here. I can just go to any other empty room in the inner quarters.”
“Absolutely not, Madam. The Renju himself gave the order. Your new quarters are to be Hwining-dang. He said this is the brightest, sunniest, and warmest place, making it perfect for you.”
Did Banya really give such a detailed reason? Yeongso doubted whether Chocho was simply saying what her mistress wanted to hear. Banya was a man accustomed to commanding. She couldn't quite picture him explaining his reasoning to a mere maid.
“In any case, please wait just a moment.”
A loud cracking sound echoed every time Chocho clenched and unclenched her fists. After slowly rolling her neck and massaging her shoulders, Chocho, seemingly fully warmed up, stepped inside Hwining-dang.
“My husband is the Renju of the Thousand Death Alliance! Just because some bastard pretending to be the dead Hwa Banya barged in, you think you can overnight—Aaargh! Let go of me! Who do you think you are? How dare a lowborn like you lay hands on—Aaaaaargh!”
Before long, Chocho emerged, carrying the woman wrapped like a cocoon in a thick quilt over her shoulder. The woman's mouth was stuffed with a crumpled handkerchief. No matter how much she thrashed in that state, she couldn't inflict even a speck of damage on Chocho. The ornaments in the woman's high-swept hair clashed against one another, clattering noisily.
After leaving the courtyard, Chocho returned with a refreshed expression.
“Phew, all taken care of. Please, go on in.”
“...Was she not heavy?”
“To think Madam would worry about me!”
Yeongso hesitantly stepped into Hwining-dang. Perhaps reflecting the taste of the previous occupant who had just been carried out in a quilt, the interior was filled with a heavy, seductive scent of incense. Led by Chocho, the maids quickly set about airing out the room. They also promised to swiftly take down the scandalous erotic paintings hanging on the walls.
“It will only take about half an hour to tidy up. Please sit here and wait for a moment. Quick, bring some tea for Madam!”
The maids moved in perfect, disciplined unison, their order absolute.