Spring Snow - Chapter 1 Part 1

It was an evening with the twilight gently fading. Eunhwan was walking along the corridor leading to the Empress Dowager’s palace, accompanied by the innkeeper of Hwirak Palace, who had come to visit. As they neared the Empress Dowager’s palace, the innkeeper briefly halted his steps. Eunhwan also stopped and tilted her head for a moment. The sky was turning into a deep indigo, as the autumn sun bathed it in hues of dark blue and purple, with the twilight beautifully blending without layers. Outside the palace, the harvest must have already begun.

Hwirak Palace was the palace where Queen Gyeongsun, the late Empress of the Seonjong Dynasty, resided. It was a palace that no palace maids from the royal court would visit. It was also a palace that Eunhwan had no reason to visit. However, recently, the Emperor had mentioned to Queen Gyeongsun, who was not the one to take pleasure in such matters, that he found Eunhwan charming. As a result, Eunhwan had visited Hwirak Palace fifteen days ago to meet the Empress Dowager, and today was her third visit.

After offering a cup of tea, the Empress Dowager smiled and, unlike the innkeeper who had praised Eunhwan’s embroidery skills with a serious expression, she did not speak of embroidery. Instead, she laughed, commenting that Eunhwan’s neck was slender and her waist was shapely, making her quite alluring.

“Compared to her slender neck and narrow waist, her face is round, and the corners of her eyes are sharp.”

“Was the peony embroidery you presented a month ago come from your hands?” Eunhwan, who had expected such a question, couldn’t understand the Empress Dowager’s gaze, which seemed to scan the chest and hips of a mere palace maid. But then again, isn’t that always the way with the thoughts of one’s superior? As a maid, if one cannot fathom it, then so be it.

Eunhwan stopped in front of Hwirak Palace and glanced at the head palace maid, who was waiting patiently. The woman’s pale face was eerily white, with even her lips devoid of colour. She gave Eunhwan a brief glance before quietly walking into the palace to report. Before long, Eunhwan found herself standing before the Empress Dowager.

“The palace maid from the Su-bang, Cho Ga Eunhwan, has arrived.”

“I greet Your Majesty.”

Her heart pounded. She knelt and lowered herself to the ground, the sound of silk rustling as it crumpled under her. The plain, sky-blue silk spread evenly across the floor. Eunhwan could feel her eyelids fluttering lightly as she swallowed dryly.

“Do you know a man?”

There was no command to rise. Surprised, Eunhwan briefly lifted her head, only to quickly lower it again. The Empress Dowager’s face appeared expressionless at first glance. It wasn’t filled with anger, nor did it carry the smile it once had. Suppressing her struggling pulse, Eunhwan repeated the Empress Dowager’s question in her mind.

Do you know a man? She had no such experience. What reason would a palace maid like her have to know a man? Men were distant, unattainable beings to her. Since the moment she entered the palace, she had been that way. With her pretty face, she had never wanted to catch the eye of her superior, and even now, she had no wish to marry an unknown man, as the Empress Dowager would have it. Eunhwan was a maid in the Su-bang. She was meant to spend her days weaving threads and waiting out the years.

“How old are you this year?”

“Twenty.”

The answer didn’t come from Eunhwan. It was the head palace maid who had brought her, the woman who had always scrutinized Eunhwan with a stern face. It was her.

“You’re a bit older, but still quite beautiful.”

“Her figure is indeed quite graceful.”

“And yet, there has been no pursuit from Prince Kangchin?”

The Empress Dowager’s voice, as thin as a chirp, continued without interruption. The head palace maid looked down at Eunhwan and nodded. The Empress Dowager smiled slyly. Was this a good thing or a bad thing? It seemed to carry that meaning. Such beauty, yet no prince of the royal family had rubbed his interest against her backside.

‘Prince Kangchin would never have left you alone…’
The Empress Dowager muttered softly. Eunhwan, unable to understand what the two higher-ranked women were saying about her, broke out in a cold sweat. Fearful that she might suddenly collapse or vomit, she nervously pressed her lips together.

“Eunhwan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You said your name is Eunhwan from the Cho family, yes?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Your father is a merchant in the southwest, dealing in textiles, correct?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Is that so?”

“Lift your head and show me.”

The head palace maid’s command dropped like a thunderclap. Eunhwan lifted her head, her face pale. She saw the Empress Dowager. Her face was gentle, like that of a Bodhisattva. She wasn’t particularly beautiful, but her features were calm and pure, fitting for the Empress of a preceding emperor. Perhaps because she had never had children, despite being past her prime, she still appeared youthful and radiant.

“Eunhwan.”

“Yes, yes, Your Majesty.”

A shallow breath escaped her lips. Eunhwan, terrified that her delayed response might anger the Empress Dowager, trembled, and looked at her.

“Become the Emperor’s woman for a night.”

The Empress Dowager’s expression remained gentle. There was no trace of wrinkle around her eyes, only a caring light. It was almost like the eyes of a mother looking at her child. Eunhwan could only tremble, unable to respond, her lips quivering.

“But… but I am only a maid…”

“I know. You are neither a concubine of the Emperor nor a court lady. However…”

The Empress Dowager paused and looked at her. Eunhwan, with her parched face, looked up at the Empress Dowager, but at the heavy gaze, she lowered her head. She tried to think of the Emperor, but since she had never met him… The few times they had been close were so few that she had never dared to lift her eyes to look at him, so it was hard to recall.

“You are beautiful. The Emperor will gladly take you into his arms.”

***

‘You’re beautiful… A woman like you, wouldn’t the emperor easily become aroused? So, teach the emperor how to control his desires. You must stir his lust so that whether it be a concubine or the empress, they can all be brought in. Do you understand? Eunhwan. The fate of the Wang family rests on you.’

The warm milk evenly dampened her shoulders. The milk mixed with the hot water, which had red petals floating in it. Strangely, there was no fishy smell. Only the sweet, warm fragrance of the fragrant oil mixed with the steam, moistening the nose. When the evening light began to fade, Eunhwan, who had entered and exited the Huirak Palace, was immediately moved to become the emperor’s woman.

In a daze, she followed the steps of the head court lady and arrived at a bathroom prepared by the empress dowager. She washed her hair in hot water that smelled of dried chrysanthemums and washed every corner of her body with the sweet-scented oil mixed in the water. Finally, Eunhwan wiped her skin with milk, which was said to purify and whiten the skin, then washed her entire body with clean water and wrapped herself in a towel.

“Excuse me, I…”

“How… how is it that the preparations are almost finished?”

While Eunhwan was brushing her hair down after it had been pulled up, she looked at the Chief Court Lady with a voice that trembled with the threat of tears. The woman, who had been overseeing every procedure as part of the Empress Dowager’s personal service, looked at Eunhwan with a displeased expression, as though she found the sight of Eunhwan’s eyes reddening suspicious and distasteful.

“No, the servant does not know His Majesty…”

“…”

“Does not even know how to deal with the man. So, so this matter…”

Eunhwan spoke with a face that seemed ready to cry. She couldn’t finish her words. Fear made her heart feel as though it would burst from her throat. Her mouth kept drying out. She hoped that even now, the Empress Dowager would retract her order, or if not, that the Emperor would be angered by the lowly palace maid’s act of sleeping with a man, and have her removed.

“It’s an order from Huirak Palace. Do you dare to disobey it?”

That’s not what… she wanted to add. But the Chief Court Lady seemed to consider even adding words a form of disobedience to the Empress Dowager, glaring at her with fierce eyes. Eunhwan, with her lips tightly pressed together like a clam, lowered her head. The moisture that had gathered around her eyes soon dampened her eyelashes. The face of the palace maid preparing her for her makeup darkened. Eunhwan wiped her eyelids, feeling as though she would hear a sharp warning any moment now.

***

The Emperor was said to be close to the age of twenty. To be exact, he was twenty-seven, and it had been eleven years since he ascended to the throne of the Kingdom of Wu. He was the eldest son of Emperor Seonjeong, the late Emperor Deokhyeje, and the only legitimate heir. His biological mother was Empress Hwa, also known as the esteemed Empress Dowager Hwa.

Eunhwan blinked and waited for him. It had been four years since she entered the palace as a lowly palace maid. She had lived her life as a palace maid who had only ever seen the Emperor’s shadow, but now, lying in his bed, her body completely exposed, she thought about the current situation.

Tears came to my eyes. The sight of her sobbing in the thick blankets, surrounded by the golden space —it was so unfamiliar, so terrifying. And because it was so unfamiliar, it made her fearful. It seemed like the Emperor would arrive soon, and her face felt like it would swell up.

What if His Majesty orders me to be taken out because my swollen face looks ugly? No. Would that be a good thing? Should I be happy if that happens? What should I say to the Empress Dowager to apologize for my wrongs? Will His Majesty really embrace me? Will it feel good when he does? But I don’t know anything about men, and I really don’t know what to do with him…

Eunhwan sniffled and then bit her lips hard. Her lips, stained red with rouge, were pressed against the front teeth. Usually, women who took on such tasks knew well about these matters. So, about the relationship with a man. She wasn’t just a mere decoy for nothing.

The crown prince or royal heir would gain experience by viewing erotic paintings around the age of thirteen, and before marriage, they would be introduced to a bedchamber maid by the emperor and empress to become familiar with sexual matters. At this time, the bedchamber maid was older and more mature than the royal heir, who was the one she was supposed to teach.

Because she had to naturally lead and teach the royal family. However, Eunhwan knew nothing. She was trembling because she truly knew nothing. It was when she was gasping and gripping her hands tightly. A murmuring sound was heard. Eunhwan’s face turned pale.

***