The Princess Card Has Been Played
The saying goes, watch the fire whether asleep or awake, and even check the ashes of a dead one. The expressions of the imperial guards hardened. The iron crossbow was the pinnacle of Central Plains weaponry. A vicious weapon that could pierce steel plates with tremendous draw strength, and one that could even fire five iron bolts with a single load.
Yet Makseok merely scoffed.
“Come now, you beastly cur. You dare bare your fangs at this loyal servant of the Emperor? At none other than the Seventh of the Eight Blood Cavalry, this Makseok?”
“The Northern Army also serves His Majesty.”
“How dare a pack of yard dogs try to sit at the same table as the Emperor’s personal servants? You worthless mutts are nothing but disposable beasts that can be replaced at any time.”
A mere Thousand-Man Commander acting so arrogantly. A common wretch who could be swapped out without a second thought. You lot are mere livestock. Only those of the Imperial Guard are worthy to be called the Emperor’s servants. How dare you talk back to a lord of the Imperial Guard?
“You’re just some scholar who’s never even cut down a single Jurchen savage, yet your mouth runs like it’s been oiled. While the dogs guard the house, you useless parasites just devour the rations. Is running away first from the battlefield your way of repaying the Emperor’s grace?”
Those incompetent fools who fawn and flatter while doing nothing but drain the treasury sure have a lot to say. What right do cowards who fled without completing their mission have to speak of loyalty?
Amid the vicious war of words, Cheong thought to herself.
Who said that again? When you live as a slave, you end up bragging about whose collar is shinier? Was it a collar? A chain? Or was it an ankle shackle? A contest to see who was the Emperor’s most loyal hound?
However, Cheong’s attitude was not exactly commendable. Culture is relative, after all, and one must respect differences. The spirit of the Central Plains could be summarized in two lines:
Those who don’t want to become slaves, rise up! If you rise, I’ll make sure nothing happens to you!
And thus, only those who wanted to become slaves remained in the Central Plains. Therefore, it was perfectly natural for them to brag about how shiny their collars and shackles were. It was simply their culture.
From the beginning, the character for “scholar” (sa) came from the image of a person stretching out their limbs only to prostrate themselves humbly on the ground in reverence. It was the so-called Five-point Prostration. A posture where the entire front of the body, without exception, was pressed flat against the earth (in a proper Five-point Prostration, one’s forehead should split open in a single strike). A truly servile posture expressing complete submission.
As a side note, the barbarians to the east apparently mistook Five-point Prostration for something like a deep bow. Or so they say.
Therefore, even among the lowest wretches, the most noble ones—the scholars—were those who lay on the ground more humbly than dogs. So naturally, bragging about one’s collar was not just a habit of the people of the Central Plains. It was the very essence of the Central Plains itself.
But Cheong could not understand it. That was why she felt a bit deflated.
They had already drawn their blades, yet they were only going to fight with words? Barking about who was the more loyal hound, and then… well, they say a dog that barks doesn’t bite…
Still, it was fine if they didn’t fight. Two precious pieces of luggage had been loaded onto the cart. First, they had to get them to safety. If only her body were in perfect condition, she would have slaughtered them all, but with her torn side, she couldn’t even do that.
Depressing. So depressing.
Cheong performed her Angry Sweet Potato Chewing technique, pouring her sorrowful heart into it.
Rage is my strength! I will chew up the world like a sweet potato!
Aigoo, why is it so bland?
Cheong gnawed fiercely on the sweet potato as if it were the world itself.
The Seventh of the Eight Blood Cavalry, Makseok, was trembling all over. Having picked the fight himself, his pride had been wounded, and he could not contain his fury.
How dare… how dare…!
It wasn’t that Makseok’s mind was weak. To him, a general was nothing but a lowly servant, a pathetic country bumpkin. It was only natural to become angrier when insulted by someone beneath him. In comparison, the general was merely a Thousand-Man Commander. Being cursed at by an Imperial Guard Inspector, his superior in rank, didn’t sting much. After all, getting cursed at by people who cursed every day didn’t exactly leave an impression.
Thus, Makseok scanned for any opening, his eyes gleaming with the genuine intent to draw blood.
And then he saw Cheong, who was still crunching away at the sweet potato.
“You! You wench!”
Makseok immediately recognized her. A bear-like figure wearing a chest harness and standing with her back to the cart—that must be the one.
Fireworks exploded in his head.
“You! You bastards are committing treason! Treason!”
“Watch your words. Treason? I’ve heard the Imperial Guard frames innocent people for treason just to advance their careers. So the rumors weren’t baseless after all.”
“Nonsense! Didn’t you use that wench to dare point blades at the Imperial Guard?!”
Makseok jabbed a finger at Cheong. The general followed the finger, let out a deep sigh, and shook his head.
“That wench? Do you have something wrong with your eyes? Where exactly is this ‘wench’ you speak of? You’re really grasping at straws now.”
“Ahem. Indeed.”
Cheong chimed in with a male voice. However, Cheong’s voice was the best under heaven. Even when she deliberately scratched her throat to sound masculine, her naturally beautiful voice still wrapped around the ears like silk. If one assumed it was a man, one might think, his voice is rather unmanly for a man, and let it slide. But once suspicion arose, it was easy to tell it was a fabricated voice.
“Damn it, was it really a woman? No wonder that cheap cotton mask looked like something a woman would wear. So you were planning to deceive us and escape from the start. Inspector, this has nothing to do with our Thousand-Man unit.”
“Ah.”
Wait, the mood suddenly shifted to public enemy mode. This disloyal bastard is changing his tune?
Cheong subtly placed her hand on the chest harness.
“Hah, don’t make me laugh! I saw that wench riding in the cart with your unit’s flag attached. Would you lot hand over your battalion’s flag to some unrelated woman?”
“That’s…”
“That wench dared to assault the Imperial Guard, killing six and severely wounding two! And you still insist you aren’t traitors?!”
“Shouldn’t you get your story straight? We were quietly pulling the cart when your side attacked first. They suddenly charged at us, so I thought they were bandits. And yeah, I definitely heard someone shout, ‘Catch those damn military bastards and kill them right now!’”
Cheong attempted to sow discord. Though fabricated, her words struck surprisingly close to the truth. The general’s face twisted.
“So you’re saying you saw the flag of the Great Shun Army and immediately attacked? Inspector? What is the meaning of this? Are you saying the Emperor’s servants attacked the Emperor’s army without reason?”
“Hmph! Did I not clearly see the fire reach the fuse and tell you to withdraw? Yet you still dare to flee openly while waving your flag?”
“Ugh.”
The general let out an uncomfortable groan. Since it was a direct order to die, it was true that they had committed the sin of disobedience. Seeing the deep conflict in that groan, Makseok’s momentum surged.
However, as clearly revealed by Makseok’s behavior, he was a servant, and the Northern Army was nothing more than a house-guarding dog. And servants never imagined that the dog would bite them. So he assumed the general’s hesitation meant his spirit had finally broken.
But the general’s concern was something else entirely. If they had attacked the moment they saw the flag, it meant the Inspector harbored a hatred for the Great Shun Army as if it were his mortal enemy. If they let them live like this, it would bring disaster. Even if it meant attacking the Emperor’s most cherished servants, they had to survive, didn’t they?
Unaware that the general was genuinely contemplating treason, Makseok was brimming with confidence.
“Indeed, you lot are extremely suspicious. Answer me this. Just who are you trying to smuggle away in that cart?”
“…I already said it has nothing to do with the Great Shun Army.”
“Is that so? From what I see, there is clearly a traitor riding in that cart. Did you know that the traitor has gathered demonic heads under him to plot rebellion? That wench must be one of the demonic heads he has taken in.”
A deep furrow formed between Cheong’s brows.
Is this bastard crazy? Demonic head? I have to hear myself called a demonic head by a bastard who raised his realm by drinking human blood?
“I told you it has nothing to do with you, didn’t I? Then prove your innocence by cutting off the traitor’s head yourselves.”
At those words, the soldiers quickly widened their distance from Cheong with a shuffle of feet and pointed their spears at her.
Yeon Pa shoved Jayu deeper into the carriage and shot Cheong a look. It was a resolute gaze telling her to leave them behind, take Jayu, and run.
Cheong let out a deep sigh.
Now there really is no other choice.
Thus, after letting out a deep sigh, Cheong spoke.
“How insolent. Who do you think you are, daring to hold your heads so high? How dare you stand with your knees unbent before the bloodline of the Son of Heaven?”
“Kwa-haha! So the wench finally reveals her true colors! Are you now trying to invoke the authority of a Prince? Spare me. Your master is nothing but a mere traitor. Still, a funeral will be held, and his princely title won’t be revoked posthumously, so tell your master to obediently offer his neck.”
There was no way invoking the authority of a prince would work on men who had come to capture Prince Deokhyun. Cheong naturally knew this as well.
“Since you have eyes yet fail to recognize your master, I must open them for you. I am none other than Yeon-sul, the one who bears the title of Princess. I am the legitimate blood of the imperial family standing before your very eyes, so how is it that your knees still float in the air?”
I am the Princess of this nation!
A stern rebuke flowed from Cheong’s lips.
Indeed, Cheong’s true identity was none other than the legitimate blood of the august imperial family—the Princess Yeon-sul, who had been granted that very title!
I, Yeon-sul, rightful heir to the throne and bearer of the Princess title, stand before you. All who serve the Empire shall kneel.
A heavy silence fell over the scene.
Caw. Caw.
As if on cue, a starving winter crow crossed the sky with a loud cry.
“……?”
The Imperial Guard warriors wore expressions that asked if they had heard correctly.
“……?”
The Northern Army soldiers also looked as if they were wondering what kind of nonsense this was.
“……!”
Jayu, who had been crouching under the blanket, suddenly wore an expression of realization.
That horned foal, So-hal! That big boar-like kid! Why didn’t I think of it sooner?
“……Haa.”
Yeon Pa slapped a hand to her forehead.
“Huh? What? I said I’m the Princess? There’s a Princess right here, so why aren’t you kneeling?”
The two commanders slowly shook their heads.
“This wench—no, this demonic-headed wench. I knew her martial arts were frighteningly strong, but it seems the demonic nature has reached her brain. Tsk tsk.”
“No wonder her strength was so exceptional. Her mind must not be sound.”
Pitying gazes turned toward her.
Cheong looked back. She met Yeon Pa’s gaze, which seemed to say, Is the best plan you could come up with really ‘I’m the Princess’? How pathetic. Anger surged within her.
What? What’s wrong with me? Is the idea of me being a Princess so ridiculous that everyone is looking at me like this?
Well, her appearance was filthy, and because the cotton had clumped up, she wore a bulky, lumpy padded jacket that bulged awkwardly to the right. On top of that, she had a chest harness strapped tightly across her chest. In one hand, she held a half-eaten raw sweet potato. And she was the very woman who had been crunching away at it throughout the entire verbal battle as if it were the most delicious thing in the world.
Moreover, everyone present had clearly witnessed her skilled rickshaw-pulling and strength rivaling that of Xiang Yu.
If she suddenly declared, Actually, I was a Princess all along, it was the kind of thing even a dog wouldn’t believe.
Without reflecting on her appearance, speech, or behavior, Cheong simply grew heated on her own, veins bulging prominently on her forehead.
She reached behind her, rummaged through her travel bag, and dug around inside. When she couldn’t find it easily, she muttered “Aish,” pulled the entire bag forward, and buried her head inside to search.
Everyone watched with a mix of exasperation and curiosity, wondering what the woman was up to this time.
Finally, Cheong found something. She hurled it in an arc toward Makseok.
Makseok caught it reflexively and looked down at the object in his hand.
It was a finely carved jade plaque.
All color drained from Makseok’s face.
It was a jade plaque engraved with a dragon and a peacock in gold. The dragon had five claws! The peacock had nine tail feathers! And hanging from it were six-colored tassels—white, black, red, gold, blue, and the noble purple. This was a symbol that only one person in the entire world could possess: the personal emblem of Her Majesty the Empress, Mother of the Nation.
Makseok blinked, rubbed his eyes, and even irreverently ran his fingers over the plaque.
“This… this is really…”
Of course it was real. It was the genuine emblem of the Empress. It was the very heart of a mother thinking of her daughter.