Chapter 78: Non-Aggression Between the Court and the Martial World (2)
Chapter 78: Non-Aggression Between the Court and the Martial World (2)
Clack.
A white stone landed upon a high-end board crafted from finely polished ebony.
It was a battlefield where black and white stones were scattered in a struggle for dominance. That was the nature of Go.
Go was also known as Bak-ui or Wigi, and it was long considered the path of military strategy and statecraft.
In the 21st century, this might sound like someone claiming they could become a four-star general just because they were decent at RTS games, but it’s worth remembering that even Sun Tzu and Mozi were masters of Go.
"Your style is impatient, Hwi."
"Why do you sound exactly like my grandfather?"
"Is it a family trait, then?"
Wow, did she just take a dig at my lineage?
"I’m currently at three wins and two losses, you know. Anyone listening would think you’ve been sweeping the board."
"I placed my stones slowly for the first three rounds to gauge your skill. That is why I won the following two in a row, is it not?"
"You looked pretty serious for someone just 'gauging' me."
"I tend to be serious about everything."
"Should I hit her?"
I grumbled as I scanned the board, then promptly resigned by dropping my stones.
In the first match, I had won easily without even needing to count the territory.
In the second match, I won by five points.
By the third match, the lead had shrunk to half a point.
She was far too accustomed to reading moves, grasping styles, and devising counter-strategies. Every time Ju Woo-rin’s eyes swept across the board, I felt a suffocating pressure.
What really felt unfair was that I had been dead serious about studying game records every three months just to face my grandfather.
Guanzapu, Sanjapu, Sijapu, Yidanping—I had tracked down every manual available in Beijing and devoured them night after night.
And yet, the "big data" I had painstakingly built up was seen through in just three matches. I suppose this is what they call a difference in raw talent.
"You are not well-versed in the Ten Rules of Go, are you?"
"Yeah, yeah, sure."
"No, I am being sincere."
Ju Woo-rin’s eyes curved into a pleasant smile as she looked at me. She began tidying the stones as she spoke.
"Your style is rough and hegemonic, yet tenacious enough never to lose sight of your goal. Such is your play, and such is your temperament. As a martial artist, it is beyond reproach. In fact, that very hegemony is a virtue one must possess in this government office, but..."
The Ten Rules of Go refer to the ten essential principles one must follow during a match.
Most of them are advice on how to defend and how to compromise.
In other words, they were things my family never taught.
"To take what you desire at all costs, and to move straight ahead the moment you resolve to claim it. The technique of disguising that entire process with ferocity to intimidate your enemies at a glance. That is the kind of person you are."
"That’s a compliment, right?"
"Of course."
Saying so, Ju Woo-rin gave a soft smile.
"If there is someone who can fill what you lack, there is nothing you cannot achieve. I speak of the arts of protection and governance. Behind every fierce general, there must be a righteous ruler."
"Oh."
There goes this rebel again.
When I let out a smirk and shook my head, Ju Woo-rin let the comment slide lightly as if it were a mere joke.
After that, we bickered back and forth while cleaning up the Go set.
It was a peaceful day. Having rested well for the first time in a long while, Ju Woo-rin seemed to be regaining her vitality, and my own condition had improved to the point where I was starting to get restless.
"I suppose it’s time for me to head out."
"...Hm?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean, head out?"
"I can't keep playing the houseguest here forever."
It had already been three days since I woke up.
I had spent about nine days lying still and recovering, so it was about time I finished the overdue reports for my family and returned to the Hao Clan.
To summarize, the Three Idiots of the Five Poisons Sect had inflicted injuries on me that required about two weeks of recovery.
"Hmm. I see. Indeed, I cannot hold a guest with a long journey ahead for too long..."
Ju Woo-rin muttered, looking a bit dejected.
My heart felt a bit heavy seeing her fiddle with the corner of the Go board for no reason.
Because she was unnecessarily mature and used such stiff language, I kept forgetting her actual age.
Had she just reached the age of twenty? By the standards of this era, twenty wasn't exactly young, but it didn't look that way to me.
I mean, I’m 18 (plus 27). Whether it’s due to hormones or this Peng family body, my mental age doesn't seem to have grown in direct proportion to time, but regardless, she still looked like a kid to me.
How should I put it?
She’s a fresh recruit who’s been stuck inside Beijing her whole life, doing only what she’s told. And sadly, because she’s so talented, she’s a workaholic suffering from a total lack of labor rights.
Thinking about that, a sudden curiosity struck me.
"Hey, have you ever actually been outside the walls of Beijing?"
"Hmm...? No. I have not."
"In your whole life? Not even once?"
"Is that not only natural? From the moment I could walk, I had to be strictly protected. No matter how great the officials of the Pure Stream Faction may be, they cannot protect me outside of Beijing."
"Hah."
At those words, I turned my head to look out the window.
Under the clear autumn sky, beyond the walls of this private residence, the massive shadow of the Forbidden City loomed over Beijing.
"And you’ve lived in this house the whole time?"
"Yes. I suppose so."
"Man."
She’s pitiful as hell.
I could see exactly what those Pure Stream Faction bastards were thinking when they chose this residence.
No matter how grand the Forbidden City is, it’s not easy to feel its shadow from the outskirts of Beijing.
But not here. This was a district for the nobility, incredibly close to the Inner City.
In other words, you could always see the inner walls of the Forbidden City from here.
They wanted her to be crushed by that shadow, to feel its majesty, and to instill a sense of purpose that bordered on obsession.
It was a truly horrific form of gaslighting. Those devious bastards.
This girl lived a life where she had to look at the Forbidden City—which could kill her at any moment—and walk into it every single day.
"This won't do."
"What won't do?"
"You know how to ride a horse, right?"
"No, I never had the opportunity to learn."
"Tsk, so they didn't even want you to be able to run away? Follow me."
"Eh? Wait? Where? Hold on!"
I stood up and pulled her along by the hand.
Ju Woo-rin hesitated in confusion, but she allowed herself to be led out without much resistance.
"A guy I know said that when you're feeling stifled, riding a horse and just running helps clear your head."
"Is that friend of yours perhaps from the Northern Yuan?"
"Uh... he's not exactly from that line, but he's similar."
What a racist.
I let out a chuckle, suddenly remembering Murong Cheong’s disgruntled expression.
Ju Woo-rin hummed as she shook a paper bag filled with sugar-coated pills and candies.
To be honest, any shred of dignity befitting a Hanlin Academy scholar had been thrown to the dogs.
"Why did you buy so much?"
"If we are to leave Beijing, we will likely miss a meal. Should we not have something to snack on?"
"Kid, do you think there isn't a single inn outside of Beijing?"
Is she some kind of city slicker?
Does she think everything outside the capital is just wilderness?
"It looks like it's all just candy."
"There are also dang-ita and yeotagon. Would you like one?"
"Can that... even count as a meal...?"
They were all types of deep-fried dough soaked in sugar, basically like twisted donuts.
She’s a total bread-maniac.
"Hehe, I eat very little, so a few will suffice for me. But you were gravely injured, were you not? It would be troublesome if you did not eat properly."
With those words, Ju Woo-rin resumed her humming and continued walking.
We borrowed a horse sponsored by the Hao Clan from a brothel in Daizhalan.
It would be too cruel to make a complete beginner learn on her own horse.
There were no "equestrian experience classes" in this era where you just sit on a saddle and follow a course.
I learned by falling off a few times myself, so I didn't really know how to teach a novice either.
So, what else could I do?
"...?"
It was when I was leading the horse toward Guang'an Gate to exit the outer city of Beijing.
I realized I couldn't hear her footsteps or her humming anymore, so I turned around. Ju Woo-rin was standing still just inside the city gate.
Passersby glanced at her with annoyance as she blocked the middle of the road.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Guang'an Gate was a gate primarily used by commoners, so no one dared to pick a fight after seeing her fine attire.
I gripped the reins and led the horse back toward her.
"What's wrong?"
"...Hwi."
Ju Woo-rin was staring at the city gate with slightly clouded eyes.
She watched the guards standing beneath the gate and the soldiers walking along the battlements in silence for a long time.
And then, she looked back with anxious eyes.
Toward the direction where the magnificent Inner City loomed in the distance.
Watching her, I scratched my head.
It seemed they had squeezed her until she was practically a broken shell.
Is it truly a kindness to open the door for a bird that has lived its entire life in a cage?
I had seen a sentence like that in a book back in the 21st century.
Well, it’s certainly something to ponder. This might just be my one-sided meddling.
For someone who had to live under the shadow of the Imperial Court while fearing it her whole life, even stepping through this gate could be a burden.
But I remembered the tune she was humming just moments ago.
And the way she walked with a skip in her step after buying way too many candies at the market.
Yes, I’m being nosy.
But so what? Who cares?
My family doesn't teach that kind of restraint.
The men of the Hebei Peng Family are known for delivering both kindness and hostility one-dimensionally.
Please just think of us as simple, rustic fellows who are a bit clumsy at social interaction.
"Up you go."
"...?! Wh-wh-what?! What are you doing?!"
"Is this kid starving? You eat all the candy. Why are you so light?"
I lifted her up and set her on the saddle. Strictly speaking, riding a horse inside Beijing was highly restricted and technically illegal.
The Imperial Palace in Beijing was a strictly controlled society where even a single button on a garment was dictated by a complex hierarchy.
Riding a horse within the city was an issue that even the Imperial Guard needed prior authorization for.
Perhaps remembering this, Ju Woo-rin’s face turned pale.
She hurriedly looked toward the guards.
The Imperial soldiers, who were likely symbols of fear to her.
"...?"
And the soldiers, amidst the commotion happening right in the middle of the gate, were looking only at the commoners as if they had seen nothing at all.
"See? It’s no big deal."
"...How... is this possible...?"
A few of the guards glanced my way, but the moment our eyes met, they immediately snapped their heads back to look straight ahead.
If you head just a bit further west from Guang'an Gate, you hit the Peng Family District.
In other words, this area was practically under the direct influence of the Hebei Peng Family.
Why would they complain about a man wearing the Peng Family’s martial robes riding a horse?
Besides, it wasn't like I was trying to ride into the city; I had only mounted just before leaving.
No guard would want to get on the Peng Family's bad side over something so trivial.
"Ha... I see. It truly is so."
Clop, clop. I took the reins and walked slowly, the horse following behind me.
The city gate receded into the distance. We moved past the thick outer walls onto the broad main road that stretched into the countryside.
"It really... really was... nothing at all."
Ju Woo-rin looked out at the vast plains of North China, the autumn sunlight pouring over them, and the countless commoners moving across the earth toward the horizon that stretched infinitely far away—
She squinted slightly against the sunlight.
"To think the Nine Provinces are this vast. Compared to this, how small and insignificant that Forbidden City is. Haha..."
This girl, who was born and raised entirely within the walls of Beijing, taught and groomed according to the will of others under strict surveillance and protection.
Facing a horizon where there was no Inner City to look down on her, and no outer wall to block her path.
Staring blankly at that wide parallel line she had never seen in her life, the long landscape that separated the sky and the earth.
"Thank you."
She simply smiled.