Commotion (3)
In the official histories, women were, as a rule, mentioned by little more than a title tacked onto their surname.
Lady Sun, better known to the world by the name Sun Shangxiang, and Lady Mi, Liu Bei's wife, are the most representative cases.
And yet, rare as it is in those records, there exists a woman whose real name is mentioned outright. Dong Bai. It's quite distinctive, having the character for "white" in one's name.
But for all that her actual name made it into the record, her exit from the stage is remarkably anticlimactic. Given that the histories tell us Dong Zhuo's entire clan was exterminated after Lü Bu killed him, what became of her is as plain as day. The record never comes out and says that Dong Bai lost her life, but I find it hard to believe a child who had not yet undergone her coming-of-age rite survived that purge unscathed.
She is a figure one would only come to know through the many derivative works spun off the Three Kingdoms—truly one of those "if you know, you know" characters. Honestly, I doubt many people ever learned of Dong Bai from reading the official histories alone.
I looked at Dong Bai, whose white hair was her most striking feature, and spoke.
"Dong Bai."
"You called—... I mean, did you call for me?"
Dong Bai, answering my summons, replied in a slightly awkward tone. Watching the corners of her mouth twitch ever so slightly, I sensed something strange. It genuinely felt as though the polite speech was being wrenched out of her.
...Don't tell me she actually struggles with speaking courteously?
I opened my mouth, deciding to test her.
"It seems Diaochan found your exploits quite impressive."
"...I see."
"We seem likely to see plenty of each other from now on—shall I have you try calling me 'Master'?"
……?
At my suggestion, Dong Bai blinked her snow-white eyes.
"What in the world does that have to do with any—"
……
"...Might I ask by what reasoning you arrive at this?"
There it was—her true personality trying to slip out.
The sight of a girl whose tongue was clearly made for arrogance forcing herself into polite speech was thoroughly entertaining. Bolstered by Dong Bai's reaction, I made no effort to hide my amusement and let a small smile show.
"You seem to have more or less caught on yourself."
"...Urk."
"Go on, then. Say it. 'Master.'"
……
At my repeated prodding, a faint flush crept across Dong Bai's face.
There's a strangely satisfying pleasure in teasing her like this.
The sight of a girl with such a haughty face floundering before me was more than enough to awaken the sadist in me. I think I was beginning to understand why that mischievous one takes such delight in tormenting everyone else...
"M-Master..."
...Still, it felt like I was going too far, and my conscience pricked at me.
……
By then, even Seo Yeo, who had been silently watching the whole scene, was beginning to give me a strange look, so I spoke up.
"You don't have to if it's too much trouble."
"...?"
"I'm not the sort to enforce that kind of thing strictly, after all."
I already had more than enough people who skipped the formalities with me. There was Lü Bu, who fired off casual speech without a second's hesitation even in official settings, and Gan Ning, who treated me like a friend from the same neighborhood block. There was Sima Yi, who pulled a surly face at the drop of a hat, and Pang Tong, who to this day forgot every scrap of etiquette and tensed up the moment she laid eyes on me alone.
If I had truly wanted to drill those habits out of them, they would have been fixed long ago. But I considered it a kind of individuality, so I deliberately never touched it.
...Though to be fair, they all knew exactly when to mind their manners. Lü Bu would strut about as if nothing in the world could touch her, yet wilted the instant I took her to task. Gan Ning would beat a sheepish, smiling retreat whenever Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's eyes bulged at her. Sima Yi, well... weren't most of her shouting matches with Zhuge Liang about etiquette in the first place? And Pang Tong, with her timid nature, went pale as a ghost all on her own even when no one said a word to her.
So what if one more character joined this colorful ensemble? If anything, it was downright thrilling to wonder who would wander in next.
I grinned. "Speak however you're comfortable. Do as you please."
"...I am quite alright."
Dong Bai said this with a face as though a crack had run through her pride. "Just you watch. I am perfectly capable of at least this much."
"Oh? Then shall I have you call me 'Master'?"
……
No sooner had the words left my mouth than Dong Bai clammed up again.
I suppose she was simply born this way, I thought, gazing at the hair that fell to her shoulders. It feels a bit wrong to say, but she took exactly after her grandfather—the man who had never once wanted to bow his head to anyone.
It was nothing strange, really; young children are easily shaped by the adults around them. But then, why had this girl never turned crooked? Could it have been because I cracked down and restored discipline once, before Dong Zhuo's tyranny began in earnest? It was impossible to know now.
Once the noisy assassination commotion had passed, a summons from the imperial court arrived almost at once.
"Her Majesty summons the General-in-Chief!"
"Oh?"
"Yes, General!"
A man clad in the garb of the Imperial Guard—the Forbidden Army—saluted me with full courtesy and delivered his report. "Her Majesty says she has matters of great import to discuss regarding the recent incident!"
"I see..."
I muttered, stroking my chin. I had expected as much in broad strokes, but I hadn't imagined the summons would come flying in before I'd even finished cleaning up the affair. If I had been even slightly slower in handling things, the attendants who had tried to assassinate me would have nearly ended up in Her Majesty the Emperor's hands.
And had that happened, she would have done one of two things: torn them apart, or boiled them alive. There was a reason I had moved so swiftly, sealing off any opening for the Emperor to step in at all. How could repeatedly witnessing that kind of bloodshed possibly be good for anyone's mental health? There was no reason to pile more shock onto a situation that was anxious enough already.
"Understood. I shall make my preparations and set out at once. Report it so."
"Yes, General!"
The man withdrew with the poise befitting the elite soldiers who guarded the imperial family. I did not know exactly what we would discuss once I arrived, but of one thing I was certain: as always, she would fluster me and leave me utterly drained.
I really ought to be getting used to it by now. At this rate, how was I ever going to manage life as the Gukseo?
Letting out an inward sigh, I set off at a slow pace.
"You've arrived."
When I reached the Imperial Palace, Xun Yu welcomed me with her usual smile. "I hear all of Luoyang has been in an uproar lately."
……
"As for the reason... I trust I needn't spell it out for you."
"Quite."
That the General-in-Chief—soon to wed the Emperor and ascend to the seat of Gukseo—had been threatened with assassination. Even by my own reckoning, there was no juicier piece of gossip to be had. With so many attendants implicated in the plot against me, quietly burying the incident had never been an option.
...Not that it could be helped; the subduing itself had been quite the racket. Crashes and bangs in the dead of night, screams flying in every direction—it would have been stranger if the people nearby hadn't noticed. I would stake my life on it: even the neighbors sleeping next door had been jolted awake by the din.
"In any case, I am relieved you came through unharmed."
Xun Yu looked me over this way and that, then flashed a bright smile.
"Is there something I should be mindful of?"
"Ah, you mean that?"
Xun Yu answered without letting her smile slip for an instant. "Her Majesty seemed to be in rather poor spirits."
……
"The other ministers are far too busy watching the mood to do anything about it, so I humbly leave the matter in your hands."
...That hardly seemed like something to say with a serene smile. Wasn't she telling me the atmosphere was so tense that a single wrong word would get a man demoted before he could even open his mouth?
My shoulders suddenly felt heavy as I walked on, and I could see officials scattering in a rush from the corridor leading to the audience chamber. I had hoped I was wrong, but it looked like another private audience today. Just this once, I had wanted to avoid it—a hopeless wish, as it turned out.
Watching the scene, Xun Yu spoke. "It seems Her Majesty has been waiting quite some time."
"...I see."
It was a scene that laid bare just how much of her heart the Emperor poured into me.
"Please, go in."
Xun Yu escorted me to the very threshold of the audience chamber, then bowed with impeccable courtesy. A flawless posture, without a single flaw to be found.
Taking my cue from her, I stepped into the audience chamber and immediately bowed deeply at the waist, just as Xun Yu had.
"Your Majesty. You called for me."
……
"Your servant Jeong Reung, come in answer to Your Majesty's summons."
……
Even after hearing my greeting, the Emperor maintained an eerily long silence. Why would she do that? It's enough to make a person uneasy.
Just as my eyes began darting this way and that with my back still bent, the Emperor called to me in a level voice.
"General-in-Chief."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We distinctly said you need not stand on unnecessary ceremony."
Hearing that much, I instinctively realized the Emperor's mood was fouler than it had ever been. Even as I did, her words went on.
"General-in-Chief. Raise your head this instant."
"...As you command."
As I slowly straightened my back, a question suddenly occurred to me. Hold on—did I do something wrong? If anything, I'm the victim here, the one hounded by assassination attempts.
The moment that thought landed, I decided I had no reason to be afraid, and looked Her Majesty the Emperor dead in the eye.
Now, then. Time to think about how to handle this situation.