Chapter 16: The Emperor’s Kin
Eunuchs were those who severed the most precious part of their body.
In return, they earned the privilege of serving the Son of Heaven up close and wielding power by overseeing the affairs of the Imperial Household.
There were 24 bureaus under the imperial eunuchs.
Among them, Wang Jinggong of the Sanguigam, in charge of the Emperor’s garments and the silk industry, had just arrived at the Eunseong Trading Company under someone's orders.
And the order he received was quite simple.
Her rank was the Third Princess, her title was Princess Peach Blossom. The command was to crush one of the trading companies aligned with her faction.
How dare they step into the imperial struggle with nothing to back them?
Especially in these chaotic times, when the Crown Prince had collapsed from poisoning.
“Oh-hohong, did you say they were from the Eun Clan?”
A soft, effeminate voice, characteristic of someone who had something cut off.
So what if they were among the Ten Great Trading Companies, with warehouses overflowing with gold and silver?
They were still a clan that had failed to produce even one high-ranking official.
Merchants scrambling to grasp a strand of the imperial connection, only to incur the wrath of someone mighty.
“Of all people, they chose to cling to Princess Peach Blossom. How utterly foolish.”
She had made many enemies with her series of bold moves.
There’s no way the other princes and princesses would sit idly by.
And to make matters worse, she even tried to take over the sericulture industry, which was like raking in money with a shovel.
Absurd. Such a thing should never happen.
“But, Wang Jinggong, what if those merchants actually succeeded in sericulture?”
“I’ve heard that the Eunseong Trading Company has been desperately trying all sorts of things…”
Like clutching at straws on the edge of a cliff.
Rumor had it they’d sought help from various trading companies, even tried to sell their silkworm breeding knowledge—the foundation of their business—and had been running around quite frantically.
Worried faces formed among the eunuchs following Wang Jinggong as they posed the question.
But Wang Jinggong scoffed and opened his mouth as if it were utterly ridiculous.
“That’s why we disposed of the Sericulture Officer, didn’t we? Oh-hong-hong.”
Moreover, to those who had set up sericulture chambers, he issued stern warnings not to leak any of that knowledge.
He warned them that handling imperial knowledge recklessly would bring capital punishment—and the traders whimpered at the threat.
Remembering that moment, Wang Jinggong covered his mouth and chuckled.
Thanks to that, the Eunseong Trading Company had to fumble around in the dark without any information, like the blind.
Each step they took must have been met with waves of complications and failures. There was no way they could meet the deadline.
“Oh, then the sericulture chamber must be in utter chaos!”
“Succeeding in sericulture under these conditions would be more bizarre, Wang Jinggong!”
“Exactly! Oh-ho-hong!”
Indeed. Silkworms bred for cultivation were extremely delicate creatures.
Crops rooted in soil could at least withstand wind and rain.
But these tiny insects were prone to mass death just from a cold draft.
“Truly, the Second Prince had everything planned.”
“Those Eunseong scum, clinging to the princess without even showing us a shred of courtesy!”
“A rabble like them must never be allowed to monopolize sericulture. Absolutely not!”
Though their words veered slightly off-track, it seemed there would be no problem executing the Prince’s command.
Sure, the Eunseong might complain about not sending the Sericulture Officer or missing the agreed inspection deadline, but what could they do?
Those mere merchants had no power to influence officials of the Imperial Household, who served the Son of Heaven.
Besides, they had the Second Prince backing them—nothing to fear.
If they could thoroughly crush the Eunseong Trading Company, which was tied to the Third Princess, in this evaluation, the Prince would surely be pleased.
He might even grant Wang Jinggong a more significant position. Perhaps even elevate him to the coveted rank of Grand Eunuch!
“Oh-hohong!”
Wang Jinggong let out a shrill laugh.
As the saying goes, "The Step of Handan.” Those who act beyond their station inevitably bring misfortune upon themselves.
They said the new Trading Lord of the Eunseong Trading Company possessed exceptional beauty. But such things were meaningless to a eunuch like himself.
He was going to wring tears out of that lovely face.
“Come here, now!”
Full of anticipation, Wang Jinggong flung open the doors of the sericulture chamber with a twisted grin.
Bang!
“Wang Jinggong of the Sanguigam! I’ve come to inspect the Eunseong Trading Company’s qualifications for engaging in sericulture—!”
He shouted triumphantly, utterly convinced the place would be in shambles.
With nearly a week left until the deadline, the workers of Eunseong were clearly flustered by the surprise inspection.
The eunuchs stormed into the chamber like occupying soldiers.
“Hmph, the entrance alone is a mess! I, Wang Jinggong, shall now point out every single flaw… Hm?”
As he reached out to tear the place apart with glee—what was this?
“No, this is… rather impressive…”
“It’s too well put together, actually.”
Each silkworm rack was teeming with healthy silkworms, the spinning wheels were tirelessly pulling out raw silk, and even a glossy silk robe had been completed and put on display.
There was nothing to criticize. Unbelievably, it was operating as smoothly as any fully matured sericulture facility. They were in such good shape, they could practically be approved on the spot with a gold assessment.
The eunuchs under the Sanguigam looked at Wang Jinggong with expressions that screamed, “What do we do now?”
“……”
A brief silence.
Sweat rolled down Wang Jinggong’s temple in the face of this unexpected development.
“Tch, if there’s nothing to criticize, then I’ll just make something up!”
After all, there’s no one without flaws once you start digging.
That was his crude and simplistic answer.
“Oh, indeed!”
“Such a wily trick, like a clever rabbit with three burrows!”
An utterly absurd excuse. Brazen beyond belief.
“You wench! This sericulture chamber is rife with problems from top to bottom!”
It was the sound of Eun Hwaran’s heart shattering.
***
The man's effeminate voice alone was enough to make one’s brow furrow.
Add to that the pungent scent of powder and the sinister expression smeared across his painted face.
As I stood dumbfounded at the entrance, wondering who the hell these people were, one of the workers explained that they were eunuchs sent from the court.
“Ah, those eunuch bastards?”
They seemed pitiable in history books, but seeing them acting like tyrants in person wiped away any such sentiment.
“Ahem!”
At my use of “eunuch bastard,” the man in the blue official robe visibly flinched.
When I turned to look, he was glaring at the back of my head as if he meant to drill a hole into it.
What the hell.
“Hmph, this is far from adequate!”
“And you dare hold your head high with such pitiful yield!”
“At the Biyeong Chamber nearby, the silkworms were teeming, overflowing their racks!”
Taking turns like a choreographed routine, the eunuchs took shots at Eun Hwaran with their mouths.
This must have been exactly what the Ten Attendants that brought down the Later Han Dynasty looked like.
“Well, that’s because we’ve only just started sericulture…!”
“Silence! And what is this filthy, foul-smelling sericulture chamber?! Do you not even bother cleaning?”
Despite the chamber being spotless by modern standards, Wang Jinggong shouted that it was filthy.
He barked complaints, saying it was unfit for a sericulture license.
“That’s nonsense! As the Trading Lord, I can vouch for the cleanliness of this chamber!”
They swept, scrubbed, and disinfected the place every day. It was as immaculate as a shop that sold crispy chicken.
“Then what is this dust on my finger!”
Wang Jinggong swiped the windowsill and triumphantly held up his dust-stained finger.
Straight out of a morning soap opera.
“That’s not the inner window! You wiped the outer one! Of course, there’s dirt outside—it’s exposed to the elements!”
“Tsk, all talk. Other sericulture chambers managed even that level of detail.”
He nitpicked over nothing, insulting the chamber and its workers nonstop.
Everyone had worked tirelessly day and night to prepare, yet those in charge of the inspection came only to cause trouble.
“Wang Jinggong, we made it this far even without a Sericulture Officer. Can’t you at least take that into account…?”
“Hmph, and that’s the problem! If no one was sent to raise the silkworms, how did you manage this much? Highly suspicious! Explain yourselves!”
They tried to appeal that they’d achieved this independently of imperial help—but instead of encouragement, they were bombarded with suspicion.
It was so absurd I felt my blood boiling. Eun Hwaran must’ve been seething.
“You goddamn eunuch bastard.”
Flinch.
The man in the blue official robe twitched again at my muttered curse.
Seriously, what was his deal?
“How did we manage? Through sheer will, trial and error, and relentless determination—because we were ready to chew with our gums when our teeth were gone!”
She answered through clenched teeth, voice laced with fury at the injustice.
She was making a case for Chiwangsunyeokji—that the loss of teeth threatens the lips too. But Wang Jinggong, who oversaw the entire silk industry, only sneered.
“Hmph. If you had actually raised silkworms before, you’d know this isn’t something that can be done with gum alone. Especially these rotating racks and oiled paper…”
He jabbed at the cocoon-covered spinning rack.
Then he poked at the oiled paper laid on the racks and even questioned the bi-jo (wash basin), claiming it looked suspicious.
“Confess. Which trading company lent you these silkworms and cocoons?”
“…Excuse me?”
He was now outright denying the legitimacy of their results.
He accused them of staging a successful operation with hired materials just to pass the gold assessment.
Eun Hwaran jumped up in protest.
“That’s outrageous! What lunatic trading company would leak imperial secrets and techniques?!”
“Exactly! So tell me who that lunatic is! Because your company will suffer for it too!”
“This is…!”
They’d already judged them guilty from the start.
It reminded her of Moksuyu—being accused of a crime that might not exist.
She trembled in rage and continued to argue her case.
Wang Jinggong pointed to the incubation chamber.
“Then tell me—why are the silkworm eggs arranged like that? If you truly discovered this through trial and error, you must know why.”
The silkworm eggs were neatly arranged in orderly stacks.
The sudden question momentarily caught Eun Hwaran off guard.
Wang Jinggong and the other eunuchs smiled smugly.
‘Help me.’
Eun Hwaran lifted her fan to her mouth like a ventriloquist and subtly signaled to me.
So much for “Just raise the silkworms and you’re done.”
“I know the reason.”
I raised my hand, and everyone’s gaze turned to me.
When a kid stepped forward, the eunuchs scoffed in disbelief.
“Tch, how far has the Eunseong Trading Company fallen.”
“Tsk tsk, dragging a brat to such an important inspection…”
But their mockery didn’t last.
“The eggs are stacked like that to help the silkworms dissolve their shells with their internal fluids and emerge more easily.”
As I answered confidently, the ridicule faded.
“During hatching, silkworms retreat when their heads bump into anything. If this happens repeatedly, they weaken and die, or the hatch rate plummets. That’s why the eggs are neatly stacked for optimal emergence.”
It was detailed knowledge not easily accessible (thanks, WoodWiki), and the eunuchs shut their mouths.
They turned to Wang Jinggong, their supposed expert, as if asking him to refute me.
But there was nothing to critique. He reluctantly nodded and moved on to the next question.
“Then why do you boil the cocoons in hot water?”
“First, to kill the silkworm inside and preserve the product’s quality. Second, to soften and extract the silk thread into a glossy single strand.”
Once a silkworm bursts out of its cocoon, the product quality drops drastically.
That’s why they must be either boiled for silk or kept alive for further breeding.
“Hrrngh.”
Wang Jinggong groaned, unable to refute anything.
I had proved, without a doubt, that this chamber had risen through genuine effort.
But would they really acknowledge that and grant the license?
“...Just who are you?”
His tone changed.
“How does a mere brat know so much? Suspicious.”
“Did you bring in someone from Miryang Sericulture?”
Of course.
Everyone in the chamber sighed collectively.
Trying to reason with such shameless animals had been hopeless.
“Still as repulsive as ever, Wang Jinggong.”
A middle-aged man’s voice came from behind.
Wearing the same blue robe, he stepped forward, brazenly criticizing Wang Jinggong.
“Who the hell are y—wait. Cheonsugong?”
So he had the right to speak that way.
From the looks of it, the man I’d brought in earlier also held a position in the Imperial Palace.
Likely a eunuch too—which explained all that twitching earlier.
I might’ve wronged him a little.
“The imperial gold assessment should exist to select capable trading companies for sericulture, not serve as your stage to flaunt petty power.”
He pointed out the unjust and biased nature of the inspection.
Whatever the circumstances, someone powerful seemed to be backing us.
“Cheonsugong! Even if you act out, it won’t change anything! I came under royal orders to ensure a more thorough inspection!”
Wang Jinggong subtly reminded everyone that a royal backed him too.
This matter involved some very high-level figures.
I had assumed it was mere lack of guanxi or a rival’s interference.
“Wang Jinggong, whose orders are you acting on?”
Then came another voice—a young woman’s.
Elegant and melodic, like jade marbles rolling in a silver dish.
“Hmph, and who the hell is this wench?!”
He snapped, irritated by the question.
But at the word “you wench,” Cheonsugong’s face twisted into a murderous glare as he suddenly drew his sword.
Shring!
“Wang Jinggong—! Have you lost your mind?! Do you know whose safety you just insulted?!”
The eunuchs looked at him like he’d gone insane.
Then, a veiled woman stepped forward and gently tapped Cheonsugong’s shoulder.
He bowed deeply and stepped aside.
Then, lifting her veil only slightly—just enough for the eunuchs to see—she revealed her face.
As the veil fell back down, Wang Jinggong and the eunuchs went pale—whiter than their face powder.
The word they muttered in panic was enough to send shock through the entire chamber.
“P-Princess Peach Blossom…?”
“……!!”
***
King Louis XIV of the absolute monarchy once said:
“I am the state.”
It was a statement so powerful it could make knees buckle. One person embodied an entire nation.
And there was another place just like that—the Central Plains, where the Emperor was called the Son of Heaven.
“I-I only called you a wench due to a tremendous misunderstanding…!”
“Wang Jinggong, silence that mouth.”
And that day, I witnessed it firsthand—
The absolute power wielded by a daughter of the Emperor in an autocratic nation.
True power.