Chapter 4: Master and Servant
“To be so frightened by a single jest—how pitiful. The Young Master shall not know of this, so go about your business in peace. If your sister truly loves peonies, I shall grant her a few varieties this autumn.”
“My deepest thanks, Young Mistress!”
Seok-ha let out a sigh of relief. Dropping his arrogant act entirely, he bowed low and quietly directed the laborers to move the flowers.
“Move them with the utmost care.”
Moran watched them with a satisfied smile. Inwardly, she mused that creating a commercial garden and hosting annual flower festivals would indeed secure her a comfortable, independent life.
As the last pot was moved, Seo-a rushed to bolt the gate, but a plump hand suddenly thrust through the gap. A stout woman with a heavily powdered face and crimson lips smirked. “Seo-a, do not close the gate. Mistress Udong has come to pay her respects to the Young Mistress.”
Seo-a felt a chill run down her spine. She swung the door wide and glared at the woman hiding behind the stout servant. Udong was dressed in the latest fashion—layers of sheer silk revealing a pomegranate-red undergarment.
“To think Udong-onni still remembers this place… Ah, I should call you ‘Mistress Udong’ now. My apologies, please forgive me.”
The “beauty” raised her head, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Seo-a, why must even you be like this?”
“What should I call you then?” Seo-a spat back. “Should I call you ‘Concubine’? You haven’t been formally titled yet; I’d be terrified of getting thrashed for using the wrong name.”
Udong hid her face and sobbed. “Do you not know the circumstances? It wasn’t intentional. Has the Young Mistress still not forgiven me?”
“Pah!” Seo-a spat toward her. “Do you think the Young Mistress even bothers to remember someone like you? Have you no shame coming here? Get lost!”
The stout servant tried to intervene, suggesting that if Udong fared well, it would benefit everyone in Moran’s courtyard. But Nanny Im, a sharp-eyed older woman, appeared behind them and grabbed the meddling servant.
“Our Young Mistress is narrow-minded? Did she beat the girl? Did she curse her? Come, let us go to the Old Madam and ask her ourselves!”
Udong recoiled, clutching her stomach in fear. Eventually, the gate was slammed shut. From inside, they heard the stout servant grumbling to a weeping Udong to stop crying and focus on birthing a son to secure Liu Chang’s favor.
Inside the courtyard, Solsol the parrot flapped its wings and shrieked: “Nonsense! Nonsense!”
Moran stepped out and tapped the bird with her fan. She warned Seo-a to avoid Udong to prevent further schemes. However, Nanny Im—Moran’s devoted former wet nurse—was fuming. She pulled Moran aside, her eyes full of pity and frustration.
“Young Mistress, if you still consider me your nanny, listen to me. Before, you sought out misery and fell gravely ill. Now that you are recovered, you push away every opportunity [with the Master], letting others reap the rewards. You must be wise to protect your position and keep lowly things like Udong away. Do not let the Ha family lose face.”
Moran knew that Nanny Im, like her parents, believed her life depended on this marriage. She couldn’t reveal her desire for divorce yet. Instead, she played the part of the submissive ward.
“Nanny, I understand. I was merely angry at how he looked down on me before. I will be more careful from now on.”
Nanny Im embraced her. “If only you hadn’t been ill, you wouldn’t have had to marry into this house where they look down on us. But since you are here, you must thrive—for yourself and your parents.”
“I know,” Moran smiled. “That is why I will dress beautifully for tomorrow’s banquet. Nanny, help me decide which hairstyle suits this silk.”
By the hour of the Monkey (3-5 PM), Moran decided it was time to visit her mother-in-law, Madam Chi. Adjusting her hair and robes, she set out toward the main quarters, followed by Uha holding a silk parasol.
