The First Retainer
I couldn't quite recall how I'd made it back to the manor. The moment I heard the name Jing Ke and realized I was the crown prince of Yan who would one day fail to assassinate the First Emperor of Qin, nothing else registered in my mind. All I vaguely remembered was telling her to come by tomorrow and that I'd have a guest house ready for her.
"Come to think of it, I never bought the gift." Half-dazed, I'd returned empty-handed. After going all the way to the market, I'd let my mind wander and forgotten the original purpose. Truly, a fool's errand worthy of Ji.
The thought of Ji brought a heavy weight to my chest, as if a stone had been placed there. If I truly was the crown prince of Yan who plotted the assassination of the First Emperor, then who exactly was that emperor? The current King of Qin was far too old. I'd heard he was around seventy. An aged king like that wouldn't live long enough to unify the realm.
In the movies, the First Emperor was always depicted as a young man or in his prime.
That meant the title belonged to one of the current king's descendants. "Surely it isn't Ji?"
If Ji really was the future First Emperor, then I was raising a tiger with my own hands. But I soon discarded the notion. Assuming Ji was the First Emperor raised too many contradictions. The original crown prince of Yan had never sought aid from Lord Pingyuan as I had, so he would have endured the same grueling hostage life as Ji. Given how Ji had sought me out, the two of them must have weathered that suffering together. Would the crown prince of Yan have had any reason to assassinate someone like that?
Doesn't seem likely.
After realizing Ji was a Qin hostage, I'd looked into his background. Ji had been even more thoroughly abandoned by his homeland than I was. In fact, calling him a hostage was an overstatement. Qin had sent a different hostage to Zhao: a man named Ying Yiren. Yiren married a woman of Zhao and fathered a child—that child was Ji. In other words, Ji was a mixed-blood son born of Qin's hostage and a Zhao woman.
After the Battle of Changping, when Qin besieged Zhao's capital Handan, the King of Zhao sought revenge by killing the Qin hostage Yiren. Yiren noticed the danger first and fled back to Qin alone. He abandoned his wife and child to escape. Would the furious King of Zhao have shown them mercy? Of course not. From that day on, the treatment of the hostage's remaining family plunged into hell. They were not Zhao people. They were a wanton woman who had clung to Qin's vile bloodline and the wretched offspring of that treacherous union. The Zhao had kept them alive only in case they proved useful, but their lives were surely far more wretched than anything I had endured.
A daughter of foreign blood, abandoned by her father. Ji could never ascend the Qin throne.
It won't be Ji.
Was this the result of rational deduction, or merely the product of my own desperate hope? Even as I offered plausible reasons, I knew the truth. I was interpreting the information to fit what I wanted to believe.
I forcibly stopped my thoughts from spiraling inward. If I became too lost in an unknowable future, I would lose sight of the present. I gathered my focus and stepped out of the room.
Han Jing was pacing outside the door, apparently worried after seeing how I'd staggered in yesterday.
"Han Jing."
"Young master!"
He approached and examined me closely. Finding no visible injuries, he asked, "Are you all right? I heard about yesterday's incident from Seok and Hyu..."
"Yeah. I'm fine. I must have overexerted myself focusing on the sparring. Sorry for making you worry."
"Not at all. I've prepared some medicinal food to help restore your energy. Come have a bowl."
"Let's do that. By the way, did you hear I decided to take on a new retainer?"
"Yes, I did."
"She hasn't arrived yet, has she?"
"I had one of the empty annexes cleaned up as a guest house, but there's been no word yet."
Since I'd told her to come today, she'd arrive on her own. First, food. Skipping dinner yesterday had left me quite hungry. But the meal would have to wait a little longer.
"I'm here~!"
A familiar woman's voice rang out from beyond the main gate. Jing Ke announcing her arrival. Speak of the tiger and it appears—though she didn't seem the type to become a proper gentleman.
"I'll guide her to the guest house. You should go eat, young master."
"No. What's the point of having a host if he doesn't greet his own guest? Let's go together."
Lord Pingyuan had personally welcomed me as a guest after hearing my drunken singing. If I didn't greet my own retainer in person, I'd only invite gossip about being too full of myself.
"Welcome, Jing Ke."
"Haha. I was so excited I couldn't wait. I came a bit early."
"Have you eaten yet?"
Before she could answer, her stomach let out a loud growl. Jing Ke gave an embarrassed laugh, placed a hand on her belly, and said, "Actually, I ran out of money a few days ago. I was hoping to win a bit of living expenses from that bet with Lao Guqian, but it didn't work out. Ehehe..."
Yesterday she'd shown her gallant side despite a touch of airheadedness. Now she was just the scatterbrained older sister next door. Han Jing let out a quiet sigh beside me.
"Um, young master... I'm not doubting your judgment, but... is this really the right person?"
I had no reply. Even I, who had seen her serious side yesterday and knew the grand drama she would one day star in, found myself wondering if the woman before me was truly that person. How much more so for Han Jing, who was seeing her for the first time?
Still, a person's true worth wouldn't change. I could chalk this up to seeing a new side of her.
"Ahem. Let's eat together. We were just about to have a meal anyway."
"Oh! Thanks! I'll go drop off my things first—where should I put them?"
Jing Ke's luggage was minimal. She carried only a single bundle. She loosened the shoulder strap as if she might toss it anywhere. The dangling bundle gave me the same feeling as yesterday's spar.
"Come on. I'll show you to the guest house."
"Ooh!"
My first meeting with a retainer thus began in an awkward atmosphere.
I had been out on an excursion for a week. Now familiar with the route, I crossed from the western gate to the eastern gate of Seoseong and waited for Ji. He's about due.
The promised time drew near, yet there was no sign of him. I fiddled with the gift in my hands. Jing Ke had not accompanied me. Though I'd taken her on as a retainer for protection, our familiarity and trust were still lacking, so only Seok and Hyu came with me. I'd told Jing Ke she was on rotation since she'd accompanied me to Lord Pingyuan's manor last time. Since it was entirely the master's decision when to call upon a retainer's help, she'd accepted the "vacation" cheerfully.
Worry began to creep in when, at last, Ji appeared.
"Dan, over here."
From the narrow alley where we'd once crouched and talked, Ji poked his head out and waved. Still wearing his ragged hood pulled low, he kept glancing around to check if anyone else was nearby. Once I stepped into the alley, he led me deeper inside.
"Did you wait long?"
"Not really. Did something happen?"
"Mm. It just took a while to leave the house."
For Ji, slipping out of the house and making his way here while staying out of sight must have been an exhausting journey. I wanted to go closer to his home, but he wouldn't want that. He still thought I didn't know his identity and wanted to keep it hidden. Little by little. I planned to approach carefully until he felt comfortable enough to let others in.
We found a suitable spot and sat down, catching up after so long apart.
"Um, hey, Dan..."
Ji fidgeted as if he had something to say. Twiddling his fingers and glancing at me, his desire was obvious. I considered teasing him, but changed my mind at the desperate look on his face.
"A gift?"
"Ah! N-no, it's not!"
He wanted it, yet his pride demanded he refuse. The struggle played out on his face, and I couldn't help but laugh. When I chuckled, Ji turned away in a huff.
"Really? You really won't take it?"
"......"
"Truly?"
"...I'll take it."
I took out the gift I'd brought and held it out to him. Ji rolled his eyes and stole a glance at what I'd prepared. The moment he saw it, his eyes widened. He turned fully toward me and stared at the gift in my hand.
"This..."
"How about it? Do you like it?"
The gift I'd prepared was a comb.