The Man with Grit
I entered the imperial palace escorting Yu Hyeop. Along the way I confirmed that He Jin’s subordinates stood arrayed in formation, yet I dared not check a single face for fear of arousing suspicion.
“...”
A scorching gaze burned into my back. No doubt it was Chosun, disguised as a palace maid, glaring at me full of questions.
She had come looking for Yu Hyeop early that morning exactly as promised. For a brief moment the two of them seemed to share a genuine sisterly vibe, then she dragged me outside and demanded an explanation once more.
“When do you intend to tell me?”
“You’ll know when the time comes. Why are you always so impatient...”
“Father told me the Empress Dowager means to issue a declaration of surrender to the Grand General. Did you perhaps sense something suspicious after entering the palace?”
“...”
I had no clean answer. Even if I kept silent out of a desire to save Yu Hyeop while knowing every event that was about to unfold, she would never believe me.
He Jin had answered the summons precisely because, as Chosun said, it looked like the Empress Dowager’s surrender document. The problem was that the one who had summoned him was not the Empress Dowager at all, but the Ten Attendants.
As I had seen only yesterday, the Empress Dowager cared nothing for what was coming; she was simply obsessed with tormenting Yu Hyeop. After a moment’s thought I asked her,
“Chosun? If someone realizes a critical secret yet refuses to speak of it, is that also a crime?”
“It depends on the outcome. If innocents lose their lives, then yes—it is certainly a crime.”
“Is that so? You already know that the ones who burned Mengjin last time were not the Black Mountain Bandits but the men of Ding Yuan, Inspector of Bingzhou. Yet you sealed your lips because it was Wang Yun’s will. In the end, aren’t you guilty of the exact same crime?”
“...”
Chosun’s face hardened in an instant. There could have been no more perfect mirror held up to her than this.
From only a few words exchanged between Yu Bi and me that day, she had already roughly grasped the conspiracy Yuan Shao had woven. Yet she had never spoken of it to a soul.
“You’re right. But that does not change the fact that I committed a shameful act.”
“Then why did you stay silent then? Deep down, didn’t you accept the utilitarian principle that the few may die for the sake of the many—that is, the principle of sacrificing the plum tree for the peach?”
“Why bring that up? Then tell me—who is the peach you mean to save, and who is the plum you mean to kill?”
“I am only trying to save His Majesty. Or the Son of Heaven.”
“...?”
Only I in all the world knew the true meaning of that deliberately ambiguous sentence. Because to me, Yu Hyeop was both His Majesty and the Son of Heaven.
But Chosun, who possessed not even half the information I held, could only misunderstand. She would think I possessed some secret scheme to save both Liu Bian and Yu Hyeop while eliminating only Empress Dowager He.
“If things go wrong, I will not forgive you.”
“We’ll talk about that when the time comes. His Majesty is waiting—shouldn’t we head back?”
And so the conversation ended. When she finally watched both Liu Bian and Empress Dowager He die before her eyes, what judgment would she pass on me?
“Are we going straight to the Son of Heaven?”
Yu Hyeop asked after dismounting inside the palace. I answered while scanning our surroundings.
“No. We wait for now. The Empress Dowager apparently has something to discuss with the Grand General.”
“What is happening?”
“Pardon?”
Yu Hyeop pricked up her ears at the mention of a private talk between the Empress Dowager and He Jin, openly showing interest. Right—I had almost forgotten that this child, puppet or not, was destined to become emperor.
Historically, Emperor Xian had yearned to break free of Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao’s grasp and rise as a true Son of Heaven.
Even after Cao Pi later deposed him and enfeoffed him as Duke of Shanyang, he was still praised for his benevolent rule.
“How much do you know?”
“I heard the eunuchs and the Grand General are at odds. Also that the Empress Dowager is attempting to mediate...”
“What does Your Majesty think? Most of the eunuchs the Empress Dowager protects were actually favored by the late emperor, were they not?”
Had I teased her too harshly for someone who was essentially a king? Yet suddenly I was dying to know what answer she would give.
“I do not wish for bloodshed. But if every man capable of serving in court now harbors a grudge against them, then for the smooth running of the state we have no choice but to expel them, do we not?”
“...”
To my surprise, Yu Hyeop declared that the Ten Attendants must be removed. That was remarkable—discarding one’s own father’s closest retainers is never easy.
This was a world without internet or anything like it. The information reaching Yu Hyeop was extremely limited, and living inside the palace made it all too easy to hear only arguments favorable to the Ten Attendants.
Yet she had reached a thoroughly rational conclusion. Liu Bian would never have spoken those words.
Other eunuchs led Yu Hyeop into the waiting chamber. I moved to follow, but whoosh!—Chosun alone remained behind and seized my arm, yanking me aside.
“What was that just now? How dare a creature like you put such a question to His Highness?”
“I simply asked out of curiosity. Aren’t you curious how much ability His Majesty possesses as a ruler?”
“I’m asking why you are the one asking. A lowly eunuch testing a king’s talent—do you not find that monstrously presumptuous?”
“Not presumptuous at all. A king has only eunuchs and palace maids. If not them, who else could ever ask such a question?”
Whoosh!
If she failed to draw a blade here she would not be Chosun. Still, she retained enough sense to hide the knife beneath her sleeve while leveling it at my throat.
“You are not even a eunuch to begin with. Just do as you are told. Why do you keep trying to cross the line?”
“I’m a cripple in times of peace and a cripple in times of chaos, aren’t I? If there is only one thing someone like me can do, wouldn’t I want to stake something on it?”
“You’re being absurd. If you could truly bear the responsibility for that action I might allow it. But you cannot—which is precisely why you tell me nothing.”
“Still, I thought you of all people would understand. You said you could stake your life and more for the country, didn’t you? I’m certain a day will come when you make the same choice I am making now.”
“...”
Of course, compared to the sacrifices she would one day endure to eliminate Dong Zhuo, this was nothing. Yet in the end Chosun had come here alone without a single word to Wang Yun.
From that moment she had already chosen the appeal of emotion over reason. Therefore she would, someday, understand the choice I made today.
Squeeeeeal!!!!
Then it happened. From somewhere a scream like the slaughter of a pig fattened for ten years rang through the entire palace.
“What is this?”
Startled, Chosun sheathed her blade and began searching for the source of the cry. The moment had finally arrived. I leaned to her ear and whispered,
“I’m sorry, Chosun. The truth is, the Empress Dowager never summoned the Grand General.”
“W-what?”
Thud-thud-thud-thud!!
The instant the words left my mouth, footsteps thundered through the palace. Armed eunuchs poured out in a flood and began surrounding the inner halls that held the Son of Heaven, the Empress Dowager, and Yu Hyeop.
“W-what on earth...”
“Let’s go inside for now. The king will be worried.”
There was no more time to hesitate. I seized Chosun’s hand and pulled her straight toward the waiting chamber where Yu Hyeop waited.
“What is happening? First a scream, then eunuchs with weapons came pouring out.”
Yu Hyeop had gone deathly pale. If bloodshed erupted inside the palace, the first target would almost certainly be herself.
“They are not after Your Majesty. You need not worry.”
“Then what has happened?”
“...”
I glanced at Chosun. The moment I admitted the Empress Dowager had never summoned He Jin, I had already half-confessed that I had deceived her.
“He Jin is dead.”
“He Jin... you mean the Grand General? How?”
“Zhang Rang and his faction forged the Empress Dowager’s edict and lured He Jin into the palace. They struck first, before he could kill them all.”
Shing!
Chosun could no longer restrain herself. She drew the dagger from her bosom, whoosh!—leveled it as if to bury it in my throat, and trembled from shoulder to shoulder.
“You bastard finally caused a disaster, didn’t you? You knew and still said nothing until now?”
“Strictly speaking I only had a rough guess. I never imagined it would actually happen this way. Anyway, from this moment on is what matters. The Ten Attendants have sealed the palace gates, detained the Son of Heaven and Your Majesty, and together with He Jin’s subordinates...”
Drip... drip...
While I spoke, Chosun’s blade, unable to contain her fury, bit into my flesh. Seeing the blood fall, Yu Hyeop cried out and seized her arm.
“Sheathe that knife at once.”
“This man deceived us. He knew every detail of their plot and still—”
“Did I not tell you to sheathe it!”
“...”
At the sharp command in Yu Hyeop’s voice, Chosun looked startled. It was only natural—I was the liar, and she had always been Yu Hyeop’s steadfast bodyguard.
But the situation had shifted. In that short time Yu Hyeop and I had forged a surprisingly solid bond of trust.
“Do Yeop, speak for yourself. Did you truly know the Grand General would die and still keep silent?”
Yu Hyeop herself must have been just as shaken. He Jin’s death alone was a cataclysm; if she learned that the one person she thought she could trust had lied, she would plunge straight into distrust of all mankind.
“Yes. I knew the eunuchs had forged an edict to summon the Grand General, and I let it happen.”
“W-why would you do such a thing? How much did I trust you? How could you do this without batting an eye...”
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but everything was for Your Majesty.”
“How can this possibly be for me? If the Grand General dies, chaos will erupt. How does blood flowing through the palace help me?”
Yu Hyeop understood nothing. He Jin was the sole check on Empress Dowager He, who sought her life.
If he fell, the Ten Attendants would seize power again, and Empress Dowager He would climb to the seat above all others in place of her foolish son.
“I’m not eloquent enough to explain that far. Just listen carefully to what I say from now on. Very soon a great upheaval will strike the palace. A true hell where friend and foe cannot be told apart will unfold. Your Majesty must escape under the protection of Chosun and myself.”
“How can we escape? You just said the eunuchs will detain me.”
“When the thatched cottage is about to burn, how can I leave Your Majesty here? The two members of the imperial family are their only bargaining chips. The moment He Jin’s men begin scaling the walls, they will try to spirit you away.”
Yu Hyeop seemed to accept that much and fell silent. Chosun, however, instantly spotted the flaw.
“You underestimate Zhang Rang—the leader of the Ten Attendants—far too much. Do you think he failed to predict that He Jin’s subordinates would revolt? By now he will have diverted troops so they cannot climb the walls.”
That, too, was a sound deduction. Zhang Rang was a seasoned veteran of the political arena; he had not killed He Jin on a whim.
In truth he had secretly issued edicts appointing Fan Ling and Xu Xiang as Colonel-Director of Retainers and Intendant of Henan, entrusting them with control of Luoyang.
Considering those posts had originally belonged to Yuan Shao and Wang Yun, it was effectively a knockout blow against the enemy’s one-two punch.
“Of course he would. But the men outside are far smarter than Zhang Rang. They will get in no matter what it takes. So from this moment there is only one thing we must do: the instant chaos erupts, escort Your Majesty westward. They will not be able to pursue us there.”
Instead, something far more terrifying would be waiting. But that was precisely my plan.
To deliver Yu Hyeop into Dong Zhuo’s hands with my own, then use those same hands to eliminate Empress Dowager He.
“Th-they’re breaking down the gates!”
As time passed, frantic reports kept pouring in from outside. By now Yuan Shu and Wu Kuang, leading their private troops, would be cheerfully smashing the doors to splinters.
Zhang Rang grasped the situation in a heartbeat. Then a eunuch burst in from outside—one who did not belong to the household of the Prince of Chenliu.
“We must move at once. Prince of Chenliu, please follow me.”
“...”
Everything was unfolding exactly as I had foreseen; even Yu Hyeop and Chosun could no longer refuse to believe. Together we prepared to leave with her—
“All of you, take up arms this instant and head for the south gate!”
But only Yu Hyeop and the palace maids attending her were permitted to follow. Short even one man, the Ten Attendants meant to throw every eunuch into the defense.
In the end we had no choice but to part. Yu Hyeop asked, face white with fear,
“What will you do, Do Yeop?”
“Go with Chosun first and follow Zhang Rang. I’ll catch up soon.”
It was a little off-plan, but I would manage somehow. Then Chosun spoke.
“Nonsense! How is someone who has never even swung a sword supposed to survive this chaos? As you said yourself, darkness has fallen where friend and foe cannot be told apart—they will cut down every eunuch they see.”
“If their targets are limited to eunuchs, so much the better. I’m not a eunuch, am I?”
I already knew how they would distinguish eunuchs from ordinary men. Fresh urgency from outside left no more room for hesitation.
“Your Majesty! Please come with us!”
The other palace maids led Yu Hyeop out of the chamber. Even then she kept glancing back at me with worried eyes, unable to look away until the last moment.
Chosun moved to follow as well. This time I was faster.
Smear... smear...
“W-what are you doing!?”
Chosun shoved me away and staggered back as I suddenly rubbed her face. Then she scrubbed at her own cheeks with both hands.
“I-ink? Why are you smearing ink on my face?”
“You have to hide your identity, don’t you? Wasn’t that Wang Yun’s iron rule?”
“...”
Still, she must have been thinking, why this method of all things? But I had no choice.
I knew all too well who waited for her in the west. I absolutely could not allow that monster to see her true beauty.
Chosun glared at me in silence for a long moment. Not that I had a towel to wipe her face clean anyway.
“Survive.”
Then an unexpected word slipped out. Until now she had treated me as a criminal fit only for execution, yet the moment of parting arrived and she demanded my survival with eyes more serious than I had ever seen.
“If you suddenly say something like that, I don’t know how to respond. Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly...”
“Only then can I punish your crimes, can’t I? So somehow stay alive and return to the king’s side. Then I will personally deliver judgment.”
“So that’s what it was... Of course. I’ll come back alive no matter what. I’m the gritty man Chosun likes, after all.”
“...”
Even now she looked at me as if I were pathetic for flirting. But she was the one who looked far more pathetic, glaring with ink smeared across her face.
What I meant was that she was so beautiful it was almost pathetic. If I had to rank it, she was without question the number-one beauty in all of Luoyang.