There Must Be a Reason for This - 5
With a pounding heart, I unrolled the tightly wound bamboo slip, but unfortunately, I couldn't read it right there on the spot. 'What does it say?' The characters written on it were different from the ones we use today. Come to think of it, this was only natural. King Huainan, Ying Bu, lived about 1,600 years ago. If this was a slip penned directly by someone from that era, it would naturally use the script of the time, which differed from ours.
'Even Baek Qi's manual needed interpretation.' The Myeol Yuk Guk Pyeong Cheon Sin Geom had been written in Qin script. I'd barely made out the title, and only after handing it to the Hanlim Academy could it be properly translated. This slip would be no different. It was a shame, but there was no helping it. I'd have to entrust this one to the Hanlim Academy too. Still, since Samshik had reacted to it, and it was pristine despite being an ancient artifact, it must be something important. I could ask them to handle it with special care... or something like that.
'What the—?'
The characters on the bamboo slip began to wriggle and squirm, transforming into letters I could read. I was flustered. What kind of sorcery was this? I hadn't expected the characters themselves to change, not the slip.
"Yun-ah. What are you staring at so intently?"
Lost in a daze as I watched the characters rearrange themselves, Grandfather had quietly approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Heavens."
He let out a soft exclamation upon seeing the letters dance across the slip like they were alive. Even Grandfather—the pinnacle of eccentricity, who wandered the Central Plains whenever he got bored—was taken aback by the sight. If he of all people reacted, then this truly was an extraordinary and bizarre occurrence. My already racing heart beat even faster. What on earth was written here? What kind of measure had been applied to this slip to cause something like this?
'It's not a martial arts manual.'
One thing was certain: whatever was written on this slip wasn't a martial technique. The slip was too small to hold a full manual's incantations. No one would record a technique on something this size. So, was it King Huainan's last will and testament? If it was a short one, this size would make sense.
"Ah."
"There, it's done."
As I pondered the slip's nature while watching the transforming letters, it wasn't long before every character had shifted into modern script.
"Your Highness, Han Un. What are grandfather and grandson up to, getting along so nicely?"
Gu Gangwang, who had been issuing various orders to his soldiers, approached us as well.
"Uryang-i, take a look at this."
"Oh? A bamboo slip? Could it be King Huainan's martial arts—?"
Gu Gangwang tilted his head as he followed Grandfather's gesture.
"It's in letters I can read. Did they use the same script back in the Han dynasty?"
"Of course not. It was originally in a different script, but it changed so we could read it."
"Pardon?"
Gu Gangwang blinked, as if unsure what Grandfather meant. A perfectly natural reaction. I was only staying quiet because I'd witnessed the letters changing in real time. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have understood either. I might've thought Grandfather was making some odd joke.
"Grandfather is right. It was originally written in ancient script, but suddenly the letters started moving and turned into the ones we use now."
"Hearing the explanation makes it even harder to understand."
Frankly, I felt the same. Even I didn't fully grasp what I was saying.
"It must be some kind of sorcery. That's a field even we don't know much about, isn't it?"
"True enough."
Once Grandfather offered his opinion—"This is sorcery"—Gu Gangwang finally nodded in acceptance. Sorcery was a craft apart from martial arts, so even Hwa-gyeong masters like Grandfather and Gu Gangwang would lack deep knowledge. Besides, sorcery was known for producing all sorts of bizarre and wondrous phenomena, so changing letters was hardly remarkable. That was the simplest way to think of it. With the letters already changed, there was no other explanation that made sense.
'The Hanlim Academy will figure it out.' A 1,600-year-old slip with 1,600-year-old sorcery—they'd probably analyze it eagerly.
"Yun-ah, read it first. Summarize it for us when you're done."
"Ah, yes."
Of course, grasping the contents came before handing it over. It had kindly adjusted itself for us to read, so it would be rude not to. Following Grandfather's request, I began reading the bamboo slip.
This dogshit world—before I leave it, I'll leave behind one final gripe.
In truth, born a man in these chaotic times, I made full use of my talents, so I have no regrets about my life. I left my name as a man, achieved merit as a warrior, and rose to kingship. What regrets or lingering desires could there be?
But that doesn't mean I wanted to die like a dog just because I had no regrets. I never wished for my end to unfold like this.
Yu Bang, that damned bastard. Does it make sense to treat us—who helped topple Xiang Ji, who embraced the world in our arms—like this? Using us in a pinch, then discarding us when times ease up—what kind of magnanimity is that for a man?
Of course, Han Xin deserved to die. Even if I'd been Yu Bang, that fool's actions would have made my teeth grind. But Peng Yue? No. If you're killing the likes of Peng Yue, who wouldn't you kill?
How lamentable. Xiang Ji to the east, Yu Bang to the west. With rivals like that vying for the world, how could it ever know peace? When the lords you must serve are such scum, how can anyone follow them with true loyalty?
Having served both, I say they're both sons of bitches. Yu Bang is at least marginally better than Xiang Ji, but he's a slimy bastard too.
I go to my death. If my uprising succeeds, King Huainan dies and a new emperor is born. If it fails, then merely Ying Bu dies.
Frankly, success is unlikely. But I can't die prettily at the hands of that Yu Bang bastard. I'll leave him a wound he'll never forget.
And for whoever succeeds me, for the descendants who'll suffer under bastards like Yu Bang, I'll leave a small gift. Xiang Ji's tomb.
...?
"What."
"Yun-ah?"
"Han Un, what's wrong?"
I couldn't just gloss over that line; astonishment burst out involuntarily. Even as Grandfather and Gu Gangwang asked what was the matter, I couldn't respond.
'Xiang Ji's tomb...?'
King Huainan's words were that shocking. They could render our hard-won discovery of his tomb meaningless.
Obviously, it's not his real tomb. Xiang Ji's corpse was chopped to pieces. But I glimpsed his martial arts over his shoulder and luckily obtained a bit of his weapon. I left them there—that qualifies as a tomb.
I read only that far and quietly rerolled the slip.
"Grandfather, Your Highness."
This was beyond what I could handle alone.
I took a moment to collect my thoughts at Un-i's words. Xiang Ji's tomb. The tomb of Western Chu's Overlord Xiang Yu. No corpse, perhaps, but the resting place of that tyrant's martial arts.
'This is going to cause an uproar.'
I'd come with light expectations and uncovered something monumental. If word of this spread across the realm, what chaos would ensue? Of course, as the testament of a traitor, it might be false. But we'd found Baek Qi's tomb in Shaanxi and King Huainan's here. There was no reason we couldn't find the Western Chu Overlord's.
"Yun-ah."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Keep this silent. It's not something to proclaim openly."
"I'll keep it in mind."
I glanced at Un-i, who nodded vigorously, then turned to Uryang-i.
"I'll keep my mouth shut too."
The answer I wanted came immediately. Naturally—both Un-i and Uryang-i grasped the gravity. This was the Western Chu Overlord's tomb, of all things. If revealed, every warrior under heaven would take notice and flock there. That would be disastrous. Too many people would hinder excavation and risk relics slipping away. The state's treasures would vanish.
'Can't have that.'
The state had found the tomb and the information. We needed to keep it airtight and excavate thoroughly.
"I'll report this directly to His Majesty. Uryang-i, stay put until he issues orders."
With that, I looked down at the three-headed snake, Samshik, by Un-i's feet. Good boy. He'd found the slip first and alerted Un-i, hadn't he? If some random soldier had spotted it instead, we'd have been in real trouble.
"Well done. You've earned great merit."
- Shiiik.
Samshik wriggled his body like he was dancing at my words. Smart fellow, and a good dancer too. Truly commendable.
'When we get back, I'll feed him all sorts of treats.' Right now, I felt like giving him an elixir. Preventing chaos for the state and realm—what was an elixir compared to that? If he were human instead of a snake, I'd teach him martial arts myself.
"How fortunate that our eldest grandson is loved by spirit beasts."
Un-i smiled bashfully as I voiced my honest sentiment. Truth be told, our eldest grandson was the real star here.