Chapter 10
Prince JiangSu soon grew tired of waiting for Eun Jung’s attention to return to him and abruptly snatched away her bamboo vial before chiding, “This is not the time for you to be playing with things like this.” Taken aback by his unreasonable behavior, Eun Jung reached out for the vial and asked, “Why are acting like this? Prince Dae Hyun is the first person in this horrible place to treat me nicely and now you’re trying to take away his gift?” With an apparent look of dissatisfaction on his face, Prince JiangSu countered, “He’s the first person to be nice to you? Then what about me?” Taking into account Prince JiangSu’s currently disagreeable attitude, Eun Jung replied indifferently, “You? I’m just thankful when you aren’t being mean to me.” Upon hearing Eun Jung’s response, Prince JiangSu narrowed his eyes to examine her face and put down the bamboo vial before turning to leave the room.
Realizing that she had unintentionally upset him; Eun Jung reached out for Prince JiangSu’s sleeve to stop him from leaving and apologized by saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that. Please don’t be mad at me.” Slowly turning around to face her, Prince JiangSu took note of Eun Jung’s remorseful expression and asked, “Why do you care so much about whether I’m mad at you or not?” Letting go of Prince JiangSu’s sleeve, Eun Jung contemplated his question before replying succinctly, “Because you’re my husband.” Surprised by the slight sense of elation he felt from hearing Eun Jung’s response; Prince JiangSu quickly found that he was unable to suppress a smile from appearing on his face. Delighted to see Prince JiangSu's smile, Eun Jung asked herself silently, “Why does his mood seem to have such a profound effect on me?”
Unable to come up with an answer her own question; Eun Jung decided that it would be best for her to focus her attention on more relevant matters. Recalling that she had never made it to her previously intended destination, Eun Jung asked, “Will I get in trouble for missing my meeting with the Grand Palace Attendant?” Prince JiangSu thought that the Grand Palace Attendant was probably still waiting at the Jibokjae and summoned for one of his attendants to pass along the message that the Grand Princess Consort would not be able to make it due to a sudden bout of fatigue. Since there was a lot of ground to cover before Eun Jung would be ready to attend the royal banquet, Prince JiangSu quickly set out to impart to her all of the necessary information. Even though she felt overwhelmed by the plethora of rules and regulations; Eun Jung endeavored to absorb as much information as was humanly possible.
When the time drew near for the commencement of the royal banquet, Eun Jung’s maids led her out to her private dressing room to get ready. A short while later, Eun Jung returned to their room fully dressed in a beautifully vibrant red and blue hanbok (Korean female formal attire). Before Prince JiangSu could comment on her appearance, Eun Jung asked happily, “Don’t I look pretty in this hanbok?” Unwilling to unnecessarily inflate her confidence, Prince JiangSu replied, “You look decent, but I’ve seen other women wear it better.” Agitated by his insensitive remark, Eun Jung took a seat on their bed and asked pointedly, “If that’s what you really think; then why are you taking me to the royal banquet instead of one of those prettier women?” Slightly amused by Eun Jung’s displeasure, Prince JiangSu took her by the hand pulling her up from her seat before replying, “Because you’re my wife.”
Not waiting for her to respond, Prince JiangSu continued to say, “Let’s go before we’re late.” By the time they reached the royal banquet hall; Prince JiangSu found that nearly all of the members of royal family were already in attendance with the exception of his royal mother and father. Eun Jung looked around the hall with a heightened sense of interest and was amazed to see the multitude of small tables, which had been set up all across the room. Noticing that each small table was only suitable for seating two people; Eun Jung wondered why the royal family couldn’t just use one big table instead of making more work for the maids and attendants by insisting on having separate tables. Before she could dwell on the observation any longer, Eun Jung felt Prince JiangSu tug at her hand to usher her forward.
Seeing that Eun Jung had picked up on his cue for her to advance into the hall; Prince JiangSu proceeded to guide her to their table in the front of the aisle directly beneath the steps leading to his royal parents' place setting. As they passed by Prince Dae Hyun's table, Prince JiangSu observed Eun Jung and Prince Dae Hyun smiling at one another and quickened his pace in an attempt to interrupt the friendly exchange. Eun Jung did not notice the change in Prince JiangSu’s pace because her attention was now squarely focused on Concubine Su’s detestable glare. Eun Jung felt that she was becoming more agitated by merely being in the same room as Concubine Su and began to think of ways she could pay the woman back for the slap she had received earlier that day.
Leaning in close to Prince JiangSu, Eun Jung asked, “Will you be mad at me if do something bad to Concubine Su?” Thinking that she was kidding, Prince JiangSu replied, “If you can find a way to do it without anyone knowing that you did it intentionally, then I won’t be mad.” Observing the impish expression on Eun Jung’s face as he finished his statement, Prince JiangSu wondered if he had set off a ticking time bomb. Prince JiangSu quickly expelled the disturbing thought by reassuring himself that, “She would never attempt to do something like that here.” When they finally reached their table, Prince JiangSu stepped aside for Eun Jung to take her seat before proceeding to sit down beside her. After a short while, the King and Queen’s royal attendant announced their arrival, which caused everyone in attendance to bow deeply onto the ground to greet the ruler and his highest ranking wife.
After acknowledging the royal court's genuine show of respect, the King promptly granted permission for everyone to return to their seated positions. With everyone now present in the royal banquet hall; the maids and attendants began to quickly bring out the lavish meals, which had been prepared for the special occasion. Once the royal family had been served their meals in the order of their respective ranks, the King addressed the hall by announcing the pleasure, which he had received from gaining such an esteemed Princess as his new daughter-in-law. The Queen echoed her royal husband’s sentiments and only added that she hoped that her new daughter-in-law would soon experience the joys of motherhood. Eun Jung blushed upon hearing the Queen’s words and wished that she had a mirror to see how red her face had become. Taking note of her diffidence, Prince JiangSu smiled and wondered why she would be so embarrassed given that they had not even consummated their relationship.
After the Queen had completed her statement, the King motioned for his son to present his wife to the royal court. Following his royal father’s unspoken decree, Prince JiangSu got out of his seat and helped Eun Jung up before turning their bodies to face his family members to say, “On behalf of the Grand Princess Consort Yok Soo Jin, I would like to express our gratitude for your acceptance of her as a new addition to our esteemed royal family.” Prince JiangSu’s statement had worked to initiate the ceremony, which called for each royal family member to take their turn to greet the new couple by introducing their rank and title. After the formal introductions were completed, Eun Jung quickly sat back down in her seat and turned to Prince JiangSu to say, “My feet hurt.” Staring at her blankly, Prince JiangSu asked, “Do you think mine feel good?”
Realizing that she would not be receiving any sympathy from Prince JiangSu; Eun Jung turned away and pretended not to hear his question. Upon seeing her unfocused attention; Prince JiangSu picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of beef from a dish in front of them and placed it into her bowl. Taking note of his uncharacteristically kind gesture, Eun Jung smiled but still leaned in to say, “Thank you, but I don’t really like beef.” Recalling the events of their wedding, Prince JiangSu asked, “Then why did you eat all of those beef dishes in the Shinbang on our wedding night?” Eun Jung paused slightly before replying, “Because I disliked the thought of going to bed with you more than I dislike eating beef.” Seeing that Prince JiangSu was prepared to remove the food from her bowl, Eun Jung moved it from his reach and said, “Don’t be like that. I’ll eat it because you were nice enough to get it for me.”
Observing what she considered to be a disgusting public display of affection between the Crowned Prince and his new wife; Concubine Su stood up from her seat and addressed the King by saying, “I’ve heard that the Grand Princess Consort has an amazing talent for artistic endeavors such as mural paintings. May I be so bold as to request that she show us this talent during today’s royal banquet?” More than willing to consent to his Concubine’s wishes, the King turned to Eun Jung and asked, “Princess Soo Jin, would you do us the honor?” With her jaw slightly open, Eun Jung hesitantly nodded her head to indicate that she would be happy to comply. Recognizing the apprehensive expression on Eun Jung’s face, Prince JiangSu leaned in close to ask, “What’s wrong?” Glancing over at him, Eun Jung admitted, “I think my artistic talents may have been overly embellished.”
Upon hearing her admission, Prince JiangSu looked on nervously as she walked to the middle of the hall to start work on her “masterpiece.” Seeing that everyone was waiting for her to proceed, Eun Jung took a deep breath before picking up the paintbrush to dip it into the big container of black ink. After a short period of hesitation, Eun Jung proceeded to make several exaggerated non-linear strokes across the white canvas. Observing the mess that she had drawn, Eun Jung stepped away, placed down the paintbrush and watched fearfully as a royal attendant took the canvas away to show the King and Queen. Seeing the perplexed expressions on her in-laws’ faces, Eun Jung quickly explained, “In my kingdom this is a type of abstract art. The mural is not supposed to be easily recognizable by normal artistic standards.”
Quickly coming to Eun Jung’s aide, Prince JiangSu added, “I’ve heard of this type of art. The artist wants the people viewing the mural to decide for themselves what the picture represents.” The King nodded his head to indicate that he understood the artistic concept and declared that it would be fun exercise to have everyone in the hall guess what they thought the Princess was trying to portray. After everyone had been given a chance to observe the mural, each member of the royal family took a turn at guessing what the mural represented. Eun Jung was forced to disagree with everyone’s guesses since she herself did not know what she was trying to portray. Staring down at her artwork, Eun Jung became frustrated and asked herself, “What am I supposed to say this is?”
Concubine Su felt that she had endured enough of Eun Jung’s nonsense and pointedly declared, “If everyone is wrong, please tell us what it is you’re trying to portray.” Seeing that Eun Jung was struggling to come up with an answer to Concubine Su’s inquiry, Prince JiangSu made his way to her side and said, “My dear wife, there’s no need for you to be so shy. I myself know exactly what it is that you’ve drawn.” The King was intrigued by his son’s statement and ordered, “Enlighten us as to the meaning of your wife’s mural.” Turning to his royal father, Prince JiangSu bowed and replied, “She has drawn me.” Re-examining her mural, Eun Jung wondered if Prince JiangSu had lost his mind. Seeing the confused expression on the faces of everyone in the hall; Prince JiangSu picked up the mural and turned to Eun Jung to ask, “Am I correct when I say that these lines represent the ever flowing currents of the Yangtze river (also known as the Yellow river, which runs though the southern part of the Jiangsu province in China).”
Although she did not comprehend Prince JiangSu’s meaning, Eun Jung nodded her head tentatively and replied, “Ah, yes that’s exactly what those lines are.” Much to her astonishment, the King stood up from his seat and exclaimed loudly, “Wonderful! I see it now.” Still at a loss for words, Eun Jung could only listen intently as the King turned to praise her by saying, “My dear daughter-in-law, you surely are a learned woman. I would have never guessed that you knew that my son’s name represents the prosperous province in China, which has the great Yangtze river flowing through it. Your work of art is not only beautiful but it is also very endearing since it represents your deep love for your husband.” Just as the King had completed his observation; everyone in the royal banquet hall stood up and clapped their hands together in recognition of the Grand Princess Consort’s amazing artistic talent.
Angered by the unexpected turn of events, Concubine Su made her way over to the middle of the hall and took the mural from Prince JiangSu’s hand before asking, “How can you say that these lines are the Yangtze river?” Seeing that Concubine Su’s back was within close proximity to her, Eun Jung discreetly took out her bamboo vial and released her cricket onto the unsuspecting woman. Having witnessed what Eun Jung had just done, Prince JiangSu stared at her and wondered what she planning on doing next. Before he could caution her against doing anything drastic, Eun Jung cried out loudly, “Concubine Su, there’s a huge cricket on your back!” Spinning around in fear, Concubine Su ordered, “Get it off! Get it off of me right now!” Putting on a worried expression, Eun Jung replied, “I think crickets are scared of water. Don’t move and let me help you!”
Without another word, Eun Jung picked up the container full of black ink and proceeded to splash its contents all over Concubine Su’s body. Seeing that the cricket had hopped onto the ground, Eun Jung announced happily, “I got it off!” Turning to the King and Queen, Eun Jung declared, “The ink worked, the cricket just ran away.” Smiling at her resourcefulness, the King observed, “Concubine Su, it’s a good thing that Princess Soo Jin was around to help you.” Mortified by her current embarrassing state, Concubine Su could do nothing but turn around to leave the room. Focusing her attention onto Prince JiangSu, Eun Jung observed, “My dear husband, some of the ink has gotten on you. Let me help you wipe it off.” Covering their faces with her long sleeve, Eun Jung smiled and said, “I’m shielding you; so you can laugh if you want.” Staring at her in disbelief, Prince JiangSu did not know whether he should laugh or cry.
