I Became the Crown Prince of a Ruined Country

18 – Life

I’m not sure how I got back to the mansion.

After hearing the name Jingga and realizing that I was the Prince Yan who would later try to assassinate Qin Shihuang and fail, nothing else entered my brain.

Somehow, I vaguely remembered that I had told my brother-in-law that he would prepare an inn for dining until tomorrow, so he asked me to visit him.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even buy a present.”

Half-fazed, he returned with his empty hands. At best, they went out to the market and then became distracted and forgot their original purpose. It’s really stupid like Jung said.

When I thought of Jung-i, I felt like my heart was clogged up like a heavy stone was placed on his chest.

If I am the Prince Yan who plots the assassination of Qin Shi Huang, then who is Qin Shi Huang?

King Jin of Danggeum was too old. He’s said to be around 70 years old? Such an old king will not be able to live on and achieve unity in the world.

‘Even in the movie, Qin Shi Huang was between young and middle-aged.’

Then, one of the descendents of the present King Qin is said to be Qin Shi Huang….

“Couldn’t it be Jung?”

If Jeongi is really the Qin Shi Huang of the future, then I am now raising a tiger with my own hands. But I soon abandoned that assumption.

Let’s say the real Jeongi is Qin Shi Huang. Then there were a lot of things that didn’t make sense.

Prince Yeon in the original history would not have been able to visit Pyeongwon-gun and get help like I did, so Prince Yeon would have lived a hard life as a hostage like Jeong-i. Considering Jung’s behavior when he came to see me, the two must have endured a painful life together.

Did Prince Yeon have a reason to assassinate Jeongi?

‘I don’t think so.’

After I noticed that Jeong was a hostage to the Qin Dynasty, I looked into the background.

Jung was more abandoned in his home country than I was.

No, even the word hostage was excessive. After all, Jung wasn’t even an official hostage in the first place. Originally, there was a separate hostage sent from the Qin Dynasty to the Zhao Dynasty.

The hostage sent by the Qin Dynasty was a man named Young Yi-in. Young Yi-in married a woman from Jo Na-ra and gave birth to a child, and that child was Jeong.

In other words, Jeong was a mixed-race child born from the meeting of a hostage from the Qin Dynasty and a woman from the Zhao Dynasty.

Later, following the Battle of Jangpyeong, when the Qin Dynasty besieged Handan, the capital of the Zhao Dynasty, the King of Zhao tried to kill Qin’s hostage Young Yi-in as a retaliation measure. Young Yi-in, who noticed this first, quickly threw herself out and succeeded in escaping to Qin.

But the one who ran away was the spirit alone.

He left his wife and children and fled alone.

Would the enraged King Jo show mercy to them?

It can’t be. The treatment of the hostage wife and children fell into hell after that day.

Mother and daughter were not from Jo. She was a scavenger who was attached to the blood of the despicable Qin Dynasty, and was the result of immorality with ugly blood flowing.

I tried to keep them alive just in case they would be useful, but their lives were probably more miserable than anything I’ve ever experienced.

A daughter of foreign descent who was abandoned by her father.

There was no way he would become King Jin with such affection.

‘It’s not going to be Jung.’

Is it the result of rational reasoning? Or is it the feet of hope I want to believe in?

I know the truth even though I give a plausible reason.

That I am interpreting the given information in the way I want, following the hope that it is not the case.

I forcibly stopped the thoughts that kept digging inside.

If you become too absorbed in worrying about the unknown future, you will miss the present.

I came out of the room trying to collect myself. Han-kyung was hanging around outside the door, probably worried that I had rushed in yesterday.

“Hankyung.”

“Young master!”

Hankyung approached me and examined my body carefully. When there was no apparent problem, Hankyung asked.

“Are you okay? I heard from Seok and Hugh about what happened yesterday…”

“Yeah. It’s okay. I must have been exhausted from focusing too much on approach. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

“Nothing to say. I’ve prepared some food to help keep you energized. Go and have a drink.”

“Sure. By the way, did you hear that I decided to have a guest?”

“Yes, I heard.”

“Hasn’t it arrived yet?”

“I cleaned up one of the vacant outbuildings and turned it into an inn, but there has been no news yet.”

Let’s start with a meal. I was very hungry because I skipped dinner last night.

But the meal was delayed a little longer.

“Come here!”

A familiar woman’s voice echoed outside the gate.

Her sister-in-law was the cry announcing her arrival.

He said that tigers would come if I told them, but I don’t think Jingga would be able to become a nobleman.

“I’ll go and show you to the inn. Young master will come after dinner.”

“No. I welcome you as a guest, but I only use it when the owner is out of it. Let’s go together.”

Pyeongwon-gun also heard my high-pitched singing and welcomed me as a guest, but if I didn’t personally receive it as a guest and greet it, there would be gossip about whether or not I was full.

“Welcome, bro.”

“hahahaha. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait. I came a little early.”

“Then have you eaten yet?”

Before Hyungga could answer my question, a rumbling sound echoed from her stomach.

Jingjia let out a shy laugh in embarrassment, then put his hand on his stomach and said,

“Actually, the funds ran out a few days ago. The bet with Nogucheon was also to raise some living expenses, but it didn’t work out. Ehehehe…”

Yesterday, although he was a bit clumsy, he was a brother who properly showed the side of a delightful girl.

Right now, there was no such thing as the poor sister next door.

At the sight of that unreliable figure, a groan was heard from the side. Hankyung swallowed his saliva and muttered loudly.

“Hey, Young master…I-I don’t doubt Young master’ judgment, but he…is that really the woman?”

I had nothing to say.

Yesterday, I saw Jingga’s sincere appearance and know the great action drama left in history. I really wonder if the woman in front of me is that person.

But since the true value of a person will remain the same, it should be treated as a new look.

“Keuheum. Then let’s eat together. We were just about to eat.”

“Ah! Thanks to me! I’ll unpack my things quickly, where can I leave them?”

The Jing family’s luggage was kept simple. All he had to do was carry a small bag. She untied her shoulder straps and placed her bag in her hand as if it could be thrown somewhere. I felt like I was watching the day yesterday.

“Let’s go. I’ll guide you to the inn.”

“Ow!”

The first meeting with the diners took place in such an awkward atmosphere.

§

I had been out for a week.

Now that I am accustomed to crossing from Seoseong to Dongmun, I was waiting for Jeong to come.

‘The time has come soon.’

Even though the promised time was approaching, I only touched the gift I was holding in my hand, seeing Jung’s invisible appearance.

For reference, Jing Jia did not accompany us. It was a long-awaited escort, but he only took Seok and Hyu with him when he went to meet Jung because he still lacked intimacy and trust with the family.

I told my brother-in-law that I was changing shifts because I went with him when I visited Pyeongwon-gun’s mansion the other day. Since it is entirely up to the owner to decide when to ask for help from the diners, Jing Jia gladly accepted it as a vacation.

What’s going on? Just when the wait had reached the level of worry, Jung finally showed up.

“But here.”

Jung poking his head out and beckoning in the narrow alley where we sat and talked the other day.

Jeong, still wearing a rag all the way down to her head, turned her head around to see if there were others around.

When I entered the alleyway, Jeong led me further inside and started talking to me.

“Did you wait a long time?”

“Nothing? What happened?”

“Yeah. I’m a little late leaving the house.”

For Jung, getting out of the house and hiding from the sight of the people around him must have been a difficult and arduous journey.

In my heart, I want to go closer to Jeong’s house, but Jung won’t want that. Jung still thinks I don’t know his identity and wants to hide it.

Little by little, little by little.

Until Jeong’s heart melted and she could afford to accept others, she planned to approach her cautiously.

We sat in a suitable place and talked about this and that after meeting for the first time in a while.

“Yeah, over there, but. You know…”

Jeongi She hesitated as if she had something to say. It was too easy a question of what Jeong wanted to say as she twitched her fingers and looked at me.

I was going to tease you a little, but changed my mind when I saw Jung’s desperate expression.

“A gift?”

“Ah! Uh…ah, no!”

I want to receive it, but I have to take care of my pride, and I don’t know what to do. The process of gradually leaning towards the latter was revealed in the expression, and laughter came out naturally.

When I chuckled, Jung jerked her head away in a pout.

“Really? You’re not going to take it?”

“…….”

“Really?”

“…You’ll get it.”

I took out the present I had brought and handed it to Jeong.

Jeong rolled her eyes and glanced at the gift I had prepared. And as soon as he saw it, Jung’s eyes widened.

Then, she turned her back to me and stared at the present in her hand.

“This…”

“How is it? Do you like it?”

A gift prepared by me.

That was a comb.