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- Thread starter MangaDex
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- Jul 15, 2019
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Not much to say about this chapter.
Firstly, your humble translator is an idiot. She presents her basest apologies to you. Sookjung is a family name, not the Empress Consort's personal name. What made me doubt was that there was a Princess Sookjung in Ancient Korea. There is also the fact that I did not know what the character for "Née" was in Chinese or Korean (same character, just my having a total lack of knowledge. Uncultured to the max). Now, here comes a challenge! Look at Consort Sung's personal name. Enjoy trying to pronounce it. I would assume that, by aesthetics and the name, her motherland's real-world counterpart would be Nepal? India? Thailand? I wouldn't know.
So, something I forgot to mention previously. It is very surprising Consort Deok was made Consort. The ranks of consort were generally reserved for women who bore sons. A woman with a daughter might be raised in rank from lower concubine to higher concubine. But once again, consorts were legal wives. And among the ranks of consorts, Consort Deok, Consort Sung and now Longhee are all on the highest ladder. They are all bin/빈/嬪, which could be equivalent to the Chinese Imperial Noble Consort title, which is most probably the title I will be adopting in future updates. In fact, I should have adopted it from the start, taking into account that with upcoming seasons come new faces and new titles. It is going to be plenty of fun.
There is something else that does not make sense. Let us assume that just based on the fact that she had a daughter, the Empress Consort decided, out of kindness (because we all see how goodhearted Née Sookjung is) or under pressure from the Emperor, to make Consort Deok a Consort. The fact that her child has special needs could have had both of them banished to the Cold Palace (an annex to the palace were deposed consorts and concubines were placed until their death - a prison of sorts; it was insalubrious, the food that was served those women was definitely subpar, if not rotten, the women and children banned in the Cold Palace had no rights and were punching bags for the servants). So, just because of First Imperial Princess Soe, Consort Deok should have lost her title of Consort. Congenital defects could be acceptable in Ancient Chinese society as long as these defects did not hinder the individual in taking his rightful place in society. Soe having special needs is considered as very inauspicious and being accused of being inauspicious is a social death sentence. Why was Consort Deok made a Consort that is JUST beneath the Empress in power and how did she remain a Consort?!
And there is more to the mystery that is Consort Deok. She comes from a merchant family. What is more, she comes from a slave-trading family. Merchants were second-rate citizens in Ancient China. In fact, among the four occupations (gentry scholars, peasant farmers, artisans and craftsmen and finally, merchants), they were considered as the lowest class. They would and did compete for power, but to get to it, they generally needed officialdom. Once they became officials, they had chances of mingling with the higher classes. But becoming officials did not ensure that they would flourish. In fact, it all depended on status. A small-ranked official might have not been any better off than a servant from a rich family. If you want to see how merchants went from second-rate citizens to Prime Ministers, check out Lü Buwei. That man was an inspiration. Smart, tenacious and a little treacherous, when needed. Interesting fact, Wu Zetian's (first and only Empress Regnant of China) father was an artisan, who become an officer and proved himself in battle. That's the lowest rank I have seen among Imperial concubines. But anyways, being slave-traders and silk merchants was much worse than being any other type of merchant. Funny fact that proves just how people can be hypocrites, slavery of Han people was in fact illegal (foreigners could be sold as slaves). Of course, this was as inaccurate as could be. Servants sold themselves into slavery all the time, parents sold their daughters into brothels, etc. There was a lot, A LOT, of slave-trading going on. And well, laws in Ancient China only applied to those without power, whether social or buying power. But the fact is, does the Emperor truly want to be the son-in-law of a former slave-trader?! What is more, the servants speak of it! It is a widely-known fact. Even Wu Zetian whose father was neither a silk nor slave-trader only achieved the rank of cairen (seventh rank) with her first Emperor (and even her second). That's 6th rank. There were 32 women above her in rank. 8 women of the same rank as her. Whereas, Consort Deok, the daughter of a slave-trader is a legal wife and a second-ranked court lady with only one woman above her in rank and, as of now, only 3 women of the same rank.
WHY AND HOW?! Why is Consort Deok so high-ranked when everything is against her?! She has no family backing, besides from a financial standpoint, she has no son and her poor little girl has special needs, she is aging at that too. Consort Sung most probably is a political marriage with a country that could hurt the Empire. Née Sookjung comes from an obviously powerful family. Longhee gave not one, but two sons. So why Consort Deok?!
There is something else that doesn't add up. The Empress Consort said that it was ridiculous for Consort Deok to hope attract the Emperor's attention with fineries. 1) Consort Deok is a smart woman who would not use a methods she doubted. 2) Consort Deok has been married as long as the Empress Consort to the Emperor. When we put everything together, she is the one with the most favor in the whole palace because she is also the one with the worst background. I get that Longhee comes from a defeated country. But two sons have a way of erasing a lot of bad points in the Imperial Harem. 3) If Empress Consort did not fear Consort Deok would she have demanded that the Emperor not attend the Bongoje?! She stated that the reason was that Consort Deok had gone overboard with spending money. But as we see in the narration, it was common to go overboard with spending for the Bongoje. So her reason was ludicrous. Which brings me to the following.
Empress Consort is NOT a woman who is fully in control. She is a woman who fakes till she makes it. And her perfectly composed exterior makes one worried and anxious. When the women around her get anxious, they also get sloppy. We saw a few chapters ago how her behavior hit two birds with one stone. Namely Consort Deok and Longhee. Something else that is interesting, everyone knows about Consort Deok's situation (at the very least, based on last chapter, Consort Sung does, and since Consort Sung is low-profile, which implies everyone knows) and yet, no one tries to help her. Of course, she seems like an aggressive person. However, she is also not a villain. Not only because Intorno obviously doesn't want to portray her as one, but because she waited for at least 13 years to get rid of Longhee. The truth is, Longhee being a Consort now makes it all the more difficult for Consort Deok to put her plain action. It is one thing to get rid of a concubine, yet another to get rid of a Consort with two sons. But the fact that Consort Deok waited until the very last moment to attempt something desperate implies that she never even planned to drag Longhee into this. Her hatred and jealousy were of the type you and I feel. The furthest we would go is badmouthing the woman behind her back.
The problem, the switch that ALL these women have turned on is Soe. The fact is, in the Palace, when you are silent you are an accomplice. These women all felt the Empress Consort wanted Consort Deok's blood and they decided to silently to side with the Empress. Longhee has the Emperor's favor. Whispering a few words in Soe's favor would have been easy for her. But she did not. Behind their angelic faces, there is no pity for others. They want to see Consort Deok fall, whatever they say. They might not actively seek her demise, but their silence and their lack of empathy speaks tons. I am not saying that I judge them. I do not. This is the life in the harem. However, it does not mean either that I would shed tears if Consort Deok succeded in dragging them all down, one way or another. You choose your path and walk it, with all the consequences that come with it. In the harem, inaction is also a path with consequences.
Firstly, your humble translator is an idiot. She presents her basest apologies to you. Sookjung is a family name, not the Empress Consort's personal name. What made me doubt was that there was a Princess Sookjung in Ancient Korea. There is also the fact that I did not know what the character for "Née" was in Chinese or Korean (same character, just my having a total lack of knowledge. Uncultured to the max). Now, here comes a challenge! Look at Consort Sung's personal name. Enjoy trying to pronounce it. I would assume that, by aesthetics and the name, her motherland's real-world counterpart would be Nepal? India? Thailand? I wouldn't know.
So, something I forgot to mention previously. It is very surprising Consort Deok was made Consort. The ranks of consort were generally reserved for women who bore sons. A woman with a daughter might be raised in rank from lower concubine to higher concubine. But once again, consorts were legal wives. And among the ranks of consorts, Consort Deok, Consort Sung and now Longhee are all on the highest ladder. They are all bin/빈/嬪, which could be equivalent to the Chinese Imperial Noble Consort title, which is most probably the title I will be adopting in future updates. In fact, I should have adopted it from the start, taking into account that with upcoming seasons come new faces and new titles. It is going to be plenty of fun.
There is something else that does not make sense. Let us assume that just based on the fact that she had a daughter, the Empress Consort decided, out of kindness (because we all see how goodhearted Née Sookjung is) or under pressure from the Emperor, to make Consort Deok a Consort. The fact that her child has special needs could have had both of them banished to the Cold Palace (an annex to the palace were deposed consorts and concubines were placed until their death - a prison of sorts; it was insalubrious, the food that was served those women was definitely subpar, if not rotten, the women and children banned in the Cold Palace had no rights and were punching bags for the servants). So, just because of First Imperial Princess Soe, Consort Deok should have lost her title of Consort. Congenital defects could be acceptable in Ancient Chinese society as long as these defects did not hinder the individual in taking his rightful place in society. Soe having special needs is considered as very inauspicious and being accused of being inauspicious is a social death sentence. Why was Consort Deok made a Consort that is JUST beneath the Empress in power and how did she remain a Consort?!
And there is more to the mystery that is Consort Deok. She comes from a merchant family. What is more, she comes from a slave-trading family. Merchants were second-rate citizens in Ancient China. In fact, among the four occupations (gentry scholars, peasant farmers, artisans and craftsmen and finally, merchants), they were considered as the lowest class. They would and did compete for power, but to get to it, they generally needed officialdom. Once they became officials, they had chances of mingling with the higher classes. But becoming officials did not ensure that they would flourish. In fact, it all depended on status. A small-ranked official might have not been any better off than a servant from a rich family. If you want to see how merchants went from second-rate citizens to Prime Ministers, check out Lü Buwei. That man was an inspiration. Smart, tenacious and a little treacherous, when needed. Interesting fact, Wu Zetian's (first and only Empress Regnant of China) father was an artisan, who become an officer and proved himself in battle. That's the lowest rank I have seen among Imperial concubines. But anyways, being slave-traders and silk merchants was much worse than being any other type of merchant. Funny fact that proves just how people can be hypocrites, slavery of Han people was in fact illegal (foreigners could be sold as slaves). Of course, this was as inaccurate as could be. Servants sold themselves into slavery all the time, parents sold their daughters into brothels, etc. There was a lot, A LOT, of slave-trading going on. And well, laws in Ancient China only applied to those without power, whether social or buying power. But the fact is, does the Emperor truly want to be the son-in-law of a former slave-trader?! What is more, the servants speak of it! It is a widely-known fact. Even Wu Zetian whose father was neither a silk nor slave-trader only achieved the rank of cairen (seventh rank) with her first Emperor (and even her second). That's 6th rank. There were 32 women above her in rank. 8 women of the same rank as her. Whereas, Consort Deok, the daughter of a slave-trader is a legal wife and a second-ranked court lady with only one woman above her in rank and, as of now, only 3 women of the same rank.
WHY AND HOW?! Why is Consort Deok so high-ranked when everything is against her?! She has no family backing, besides from a financial standpoint, she has no son and her poor little girl has special needs, she is aging at that too. Consort Sung most probably is a political marriage with a country that could hurt the Empire. Née Sookjung comes from an obviously powerful family. Longhee gave not one, but two sons. So why Consort Deok?!
There is something else that doesn't add up. The Empress Consort said that it was ridiculous for Consort Deok to hope attract the Emperor's attention with fineries. 1) Consort Deok is a smart woman who would not use a methods she doubted. 2) Consort Deok has been married as long as the Empress Consort to the Emperor. When we put everything together, she is the one with the most favor in the whole palace because she is also the one with the worst background. I get that Longhee comes from a defeated country. But two sons have a way of erasing a lot of bad points in the Imperial Harem. 3) If Empress Consort did not fear Consort Deok would she have demanded that the Emperor not attend the Bongoje?! She stated that the reason was that Consort Deok had gone overboard with spending money. But as we see in the narration, it was common to go overboard with spending for the Bongoje. So her reason was ludicrous. Which brings me to the following.
Empress Consort is NOT a woman who is fully in control. She is a woman who fakes till she makes it. And her perfectly composed exterior makes one worried and anxious. When the women around her get anxious, they also get sloppy. We saw a few chapters ago how her behavior hit two birds with one stone. Namely Consort Deok and Longhee. Something else that is interesting, everyone knows about Consort Deok's situation (at the very least, based on last chapter, Consort Sung does, and since Consort Sung is low-profile, which implies everyone knows) and yet, no one tries to help her. Of course, she seems like an aggressive person. However, she is also not a villain. Not only because Intorno obviously doesn't want to portray her as one, but because she waited for at least 13 years to get rid of Longhee. The truth is, Longhee being a Consort now makes it all the more difficult for Consort Deok to put her plain action. It is one thing to get rid of a concubine, yet another to get rid of a Consort with two sons. But the fact that Consort Deok waited until the very last moment to attempt something desperate implies that she never even planned to drag Longhee into this. Her hatred and jealousy were of the type you and I feel. The furthest we would go is badmouthing the woman behind her back.
The problem, the switch that ALL these women have turned on is Soe. The fact is, in the Palace, when you are silent you are an accomplice. These women all felt the Empress Consort wanted Consort Deok's blood and they decided to silently to side with the Empress. Longhee has the Emperor's favor. Whispering a few words in Soe's favor would have been easy for her. But she did not. Behind their angelic faces, there is no pity for others. They want to see Consort Deok fall, whatever they say. They might not actively seek her demise, but their silence and their lack of empathy speaks tons. I am not saying that I judge them. I do not. This is the life in the harem. However, it does not mean either that I would shed tears if Consort Deok succeded in dragging them all down, one way or another. You choose your path and walk it, with all the consequences that come with it. In the harem, inaction is also a path with consequences.
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