Chapter 21:
The Queen (2)
“Please, Lady Sukyong, retract your words!”
The head chef, trembling violently, hurriedly prostrated herself on the floor.
A poisoned hand.
That phrase implied an attempt to assassinate the queen through food. A single misstep could brand her a traitor, her entire clan facing annihilation in a dizzying moment of peril.
“We’ll find out the truth in due time, won’t we?”
Noksu’s voice sharpened, cutting through the air, and the faces of everyone in the royal kitchen paled to a ghostly white.
At that moment, a voice broke through.
“Isn’t there more to investigate?”
It was Jiyeong, the only one in the room daring to speak with such conviction.
“Yesterday, when the meal was presented to Chwihongwon, I heard it with my own ears. Wasn’t it you, Lady Sukyong, who said the dish reminded you of the Empress?”
Jiyeong’s words, deliberate and clear, caused Noksu’s crescent-shaped eyebrows to arch sharply.
“Oh? So you’re saying it’s my fault the dish was served to the Empress? Are you implying her sudden illness is my responsibility? Is that what you’re daring to suggest?”
“Aren’t you the one trying to pin blame on others, Lady Sukyong?”
“How audacious! Very well, let’s get to the bottom of this. If there was an issue with the food and someone fell ill, who bears the responsibility—the one who ordered the dish or the one who prepared it? Naturally, it’s the one who made it!”
Like a cat cornering a mouse, Noksu’s logic was meticulous and cold. But Jiyeong, undaunted, stood her ground and countered firmly.
“No, it depends on what dish was served to whom.”
“Still talking back, are you? If that’s the case, we must investigate even more thoroughly. What are you waiting for? Seize this girl and take her to the Uigeumbu at once! We’ll open an inquiry to determine her guilt!”
At Noksu’s commanding tone, as if it were a royal decree, the guards scrambled into action. Her authority was staggering, unimaginable for a concubine of the third rank in the inner court.
As the red ropes bound Jiyeong’s shoulders, Noksu glared at her, her voice icy as she declared, “I will report this to His Majesty and request a personal trial.”
…
At the same moment, Janggeum, an apprentice palace maid in the royal kitchen, hurried along with quick steps. Her eyes darted around, as if someone might be chasing her.
As she rounded a corner along the wall toward Gyotaejeon, a man’s arm suddenly reached out and pulled her aside.
“Ah!”
“Shh!”
The man pressed a finger to Janggeum’s lips as she nearly screamed.
“Has anyone seen you come this far?”
Janggeum shook her head, and the man pressed urgently, “What’s the situation?”
“It… it seems an inquiry into Head Chef Daeryeong is about to begin.”
“We must ensure nothing leaks out and keep a close watch on developments.”
Dressed in military attire, with piercing eyes and thick brows, Janggeum recognized him. She had seen him before in the market, following the maids, clad in a navy-blue robe.
“When the inquiry begins, signal me. Remember, not a single thing can go wrong.”
Janggeum nodded, her body tense with nerves. Before she could say more, the man vanished into the shadows beyond the wall.
…
Magpie Alley.
That’s what they called the attire of the Uigeumbu officers. Their pointed hats and checkered white-striped jackets vaguely resembled magpies, hence the name.
But one should not be fooled by the seemingly charming moniker. The sight of Magpie Alley alone was enough to make people faint in terror.
To prisoners facing trial, the officers in their magpie-like uniforms were no different from grim reapers risen from hell. This was especially true for trials conducted at the Uigeumbu.
The Uigeumbu dealt primarily with grave crimes like treason, and their inquiries almost invariably involved brutal torture. Methods like severing ankle tendons, crushing kneecaps, or searing flesh with red-hot irons were commonplace.
Once an inquiry began, it was common for prisoners to die from shock mid-torture, and even those released innocent often bore lifelong disabilities from the ordeal. The Uigeumbu’s terrifying array of torture devices and instruments had an uncanny power to elicit confessions, even for crimes that never occurred.
So, it was only natural that Jiyeong’s entire body trembled upon seeing the gruesome tools of torture.
“I need to stay sharp from now on…”
Especially since Noksu seemed determined to destroy her. No matter how upright and innocent Jiyeong was, fear was inevitable.
Whether they knew her thoughts or not, the impassive officers began binding Jiyeong’s limbs and shoulders tightly to the torture rack with ropes.
“Hey, you’re tying it too tight! It hurts!”
The Magpie Alley-clad officers didn’t so much as blink at her feeble protests.
As evening fell, torches blazed fiercely on either side, and the sinister torture devices were set up. The infamous Uigeumbu inquiry was about to begin.
Jiyeong took a deep breath, steeling herself.
“One wrong move, and this could end badly…”
Soon, the chief interrogator and scribes tasked with recording the trial entered, followed by Deputy Chief Im Sung-jae and Lady Sukyong Noksu.
When Noksu’s eyes met Jiyeong’s from afar, a peculiar smile flickered across her face. Pure, vivid malice.
Yet, that sight stirred a strange resolve deep within Jiyeong’s heart.
Then, a clear voice rang out.
“His Majesty the King arrives!”
All heads turned toward the sound. A figure in a crimson robe adorned with golden dragon embroidery strode in.
King Yeonsangun had come in person to conduct the trial at the Uigeumbu.
“He’s really here himself. With that madman involved, who knows where this will lead…”
As Jiyeong trembled with unease, Yeonsangun approached her with purposeful strides and thrust his face close to hers.
“Is it true that you attempted to poison the Empress through the food?”
His icy gaze was a complex mix of anger, disappointment, and myriad other emotions.
“That’s impossible, Your Majesty. I merely prepared the dish so the queen could enjoy what Your Majesty had tasted.”
“But didn’t the queen fall gravely ill because of that dish?”
“No, there’s no way the food I prepared caused her harm.”
Before Jiyeong could finish, Noksu’s shrill voice pierced like a needle.
“Silence! After eating the food you prepared, the queen suffered bleeding and violent illness last night, even losing the royal heir she carried. How dare you commit such a grave crime and still flap your wicked tongue!”
Jiyeong’s head spun at those words.
She knew it clearly—this was a meticulously crafted scheme, a masterpiece of Noksu’s devilish ingenuity.
The moment Noksu tasted the tiramisu, two critical pieces of information must have flashed through her mind.
First, the main ingredient in the cake was flour.
Second, the queen had a rare condition causing severe allergic reactions to flour.
For someone like Noksu, who held sway over the palace maids, gathering such information was child’s play.
By ensuring the flour-based tiramisu was served to the Empress, she could eliminate the royal heir—a thorn in her side—while also framing the dish’s creator for punishment.
It was a perfect plan to dispose of two enemies without dirtying her own hands—a classic case of killing with a borrowed knife. For Noksu, it was a double victory.
“To devise such a vicious plan in the fleeting moment of tasting tiramisu… what a terrifying woman.”
Jiyeong felt cold sweat trickle down her spine.
But she couldn’t just stand there and take it. Turning to Yeonsangun, she spoke clearly.
“As Your Majesty heard, it was Lady Sukyong who said last night that the dish reminded her of the queen.”
“That is true. But didn’t Lady Sukyong say that without knowing the queen’s condition? Even I was unaware of it—how could she have known?”
Jiyeong seized the opportunity to press her point.
“Your Majesty, if ignorance of the queen’s condition absolves one of guilt, then doesn’t that apply to me as well?”
A flicker of contemplation crossed Yeonsangun’s face.
She had a point.
This girl, recently appointed as Head Chef Daeryeong, could hardly have known about the queen’s condition.
Moreover, serving meals to Gyotaejeon wasn’t even Jiyeong’s usual duty.
In hindsight, this entire fiasco stemmed from the rushed order to prepare the tiramisu—an order that came from none other than Lady Sukyong Noksu.
At that moment, Noksu, sensing the King’s hesitation, cut in before he could dwell further.
“Your Majesty, the queen is in critical condition and has even lost the royal heir. This is no small matter. Regardless of whether her condition was known, it must be treated as a grave crime.”
“…”
“And surely, my own fault is not absent, as I wished to offer the queen a rare dish in my ignorance.”
Noksu’s voice trembled with a feigned sorrow.
But Jiyeong could sense it—the sharp, demonic intent lurking beneath that mournful tone, aimed at crushing her.
“My guilt is undeniable. However, the greater crime lies with the one who actually prepared and served that wicked dish. I beseech you, hold both me and this chef accountable and mete out severe punishment.”
A single tear, like a pearl, rolled down Noksu’s cheek.
This was her fatal blow—a cunning move to admit some fault while shifting the heavier blame onto Jiyeong. A strategy of sacrificing her own flesh to break her opponent’s bones.
Wiping her tear with her sleeve, Noksu subtly gauged Jiyeong’s expression, likely savoring the thought of seeing her rival’s face twisted in fear and despair.
But what met her gaze was Jiyeong staring back, her eyes gleaming with defiance, not the look of someone cornered.
Noksu, ever perceptive, caught the subtle discord.
“No… could it be?”
Her eyes wavered with sudden doubt. At that moment, a booming voice echoed through the Uigeumbu.
“Her Majesty the queen arrives!”
