The Innocent Heart - Chapter 19

With Huo Qubing’s presence, the Hall of Cooling became a scene of familial harmony. Liu Che felt instantly better upon seeing the child. He beckoned and ordered Huo Qubing to come forward.

“Qubing, tell me, why did you leave home without cause the day before yesterday? Did Zhongqing scold you?” Liu Che pulled Huo Qubing to sit beside him, his manner extremely affectionate. It was as if he and Huo Qubing were not ruler and subject with clear differences in status, but merely an elder and a beloved junior.

Huo Qubing scratched his head, slightly embarrassed: “I had a little spat with my uncle, and in a fit of pique, I ran out of the house. By the time I realized it, the curfew had begun, so I had no choice but to stay at a friend’s place.”

Both the nephew and the uncle tactfully omitted the story about Wei Shao’er and Chen Zhang. Firstly, even in the Han Dynasty, secret couplings without a proper matchmaker were considered a moral failing. Furthermore, neither of them had a good impression of Chen Zhang and had no intention of mentioning him in the Emperor’s presence.

However, Liu Che, listening to Huo Qubing’s words, was not focused on his “quarrel” with Wei Qing. Instead, he became curious: “A friend? I was unaware, when did you make a friend?”

Liu Che believed he knew this child, Huo Qubing, quite well. His standards were quite high. Although his background was somewhat humble, he never blamed himself for it. The sons of aristocratic families looked down on his origins, but Huo Qubing, in turn, looked down on their unproductive days spent on cockfighting and dog racing.

This Huo Qubing had made a friend?

“Just a few days ago, due to some coincidence, your servant and he crossed hands, but unfortunately, I was no match for him. His name is Guan Yueyao, and your servant has invited him home to be my retainer.”

No sooner had his voice fallen than Liu Che couldn’t help but laugh again: “What did you say? You recruited him to be your retainer?”

He was so young, yet he was already following others in recruiting retainers—it was almost as casual as children playing games.

Wei Qing and Wei Zifu watched from the side and finally let out a sigh of relief. Having served the Emperor for a long time, both knew very well how much Liu Che, as the Emperor, resented the prevailing trend of powerful families recruiting retainers. But it seemed Huo Qubing possessed a unique charm, or perhaps Liu Che’s fondness for the child was so deep that even when he did something the Emperor disliked, he could be forgiven without any resentment.

“A’Yao said he was unwilling to be a servant, and your servant was very hopeful that he could teach me martial arts, so your servant proposed that he be my retainer, and A’Yao agreed.”

Huo Qubing answered seriously, which made Liu Che interested in the young man named A’Yao mentioned by Huo Qubing.

“Since Qubing is so attentive to him, why doesn’t he come to the palace tomorrow, so I can see his ability and judge if he is worthy of your treatment?” Liu Che, in a good mood, suggested. Out of love for Huo Qubing, he gave extra importance to the friend he spoke of.

Moreover, the court was in great need of talented people at the moment, and Liu Che was eager for talent, willing to promote talented individuals without sticking to convention. Huo Qubing was a prospective general he favored and was diligently cultivating. Liu Che’s focus was currently set upon the vast grasslands beyond the Great Wall, but to conquer another powerful nation, the few existing generals in the Han army were not enough to sustain his hopes for the future.

With the manor’s masters, except for Wei Shao’er, all absent, and Huo Qubing gone, Guan Yueyao had no horse to ride. Since there was nothing to do, Guan Yueyao decided to return to the abandoned manor. He had left in a hurry yesterday, leaving his clothes and money there. Furthermore, he was worried about Laosan, the puppy, and wanted to bring him back as well.

Fortunately, a retainer was not a servant. When the master did not summon them, they could dispose of their personal time quite freely. This gave Guan Yueyao enough time, during Huo Qubing’s absence, to rely on his memory to return to the abandoned manor, retrieve his clothes, and bring back the puppy Laosan, keeping him in his room.

When Huo Qubing and Wei Qing returned to the manor, Guan Yueyao was in the courtyard, using old clothes provided by the maidservants to make a kennel for Laosan.

“Guan Yueyao?” Suddenly, a shadow fell over him. Guan Yueyao subconsciously looked up and saw Wei Qing again.

Wei Qing was only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old at the time. Although he was frowning and his face was stern, he still seemed quite approachable in Guan Yueyao’s eyes. This was perhaps unavoidable. Wei Qing was naturally kind and gentle. Although he had gained the Emperor’s attention and trust, he had not yet achieved the historical fame he would later acquire and did not possess the majesty of a Grand Marshal (大司馬) or Grand General (大將軍), nor the imposing presence that demanded respect.

But under the bright daylight, Guan Yueyao finally saw Wei Qing’s appearance clearly. The Wei family were all exceptionally good-looking, and because Wei Qing had practiced martial arts for years, his posture was tall and straight, his physique sturdy, and he exuded an additional sense of heroic spirit.

Fourteen or fifteen years old was an age when girls were easily captivated by older people, and she just happened to encounter such a handsome young man. For a moment, Guan Yueyao felt a dizzy spell, and her heart began to beat violently. However, her romantic feelings had not yet awakened. She did not realize the reason for her flushed cheeks, merely attributing it to the nervousness of meeting a friend’s elder.

“Yes… I am Guan Yueyao.”

“You come and spar with me. I am older than you, so I will allow you to use a weapon,” Wei Qing said, rolling up his sleeves.

“Uncle? What are you doing?” Guan Yueyao didn’t react, and Huo Qubing was equally confused by his uncle’s actions.

“The Emperor wants to see him tomorrow. If he has genuine talent, that is good. If he is merely someone looking for a free meal, we should prepare early for that,” Wei Qing earnestly answered his nephew’s question.

Huo Qubing opened his mouth, wanting to defend his friend. But before he could reply, Guan Yueyao had already accepted the challenge.

“A spar it is, but your current clothes won’t allow you to move freely. Even if I win, it won’t be a fair victory.”

The momentary flutter of excitement was diluted by the distrust in the other party’s tone. He stood up from the steps where he was sitting, but even standing, he was still a head shorter than Wei Qing. He strained his neck, trying not to be looked down upon.

The small stubbornness and bravado of the young person did not annoy Wei Qing. On the contrary, this behavior, which was exactly like Huo Qubing’s, finally created a slight favorable impression of the young man with the uncertain background.

“How about we spar at the practice field later?” Huo Qubing’s suggestion reached both of them at the opportune moment.

“Agreed. I’ll go back to my courtyard to change clothes and come right back.” Wei Qing nodded, withdrew his gaze from Guan Yueyao, and turned to temporarily leave his nephew’s courtyard.

“Well, can you really defeat my uncle?”

As soon as Wei Qing left, Huo Qubing rushed over. His eyes held some concern for Guan Yueyao at this moment, but even more so, anticipation.

“Uh, I don’t know. I haven’t fought your uncle,” Guan Yueyao scratched his head and answered honestly.

…

Huo Qubing looked at his friend, somewhat speechless: “Seeing how confident you were just now, I thought you could beat my uncle.”

“Is your uncle very formidable?” Hearing Huo Qubing say this, Guan Yueyao felt even more uncertain.

“At least none of the soldiers under his command can beat him,” Huo Qubing thought for a moment and said with unconcealed envy.

Being a martial artist, Guan Yueyao was not apprehensive upon hearing Huo Qubing’s words; instead, he felt a faint expectation rising in his heart.

After a short while, both sides stood ready in the practice field, facing each other with stern expressions. Facing this opponent who was significantly taller than her, a long-lost sense of urgency and excitement to win a competition seemed to return to her body.

In the Han Dynasty military, the default form of contest was a style of Chinese wrestling called Jiaodi. This was a martial arts sport with a long history in China, dating back to the mythological era of the Yellow Emperor.

However, the martial art Guan Yueyao usually practiced was not Jiaodi, but the set of techniques for the Miaodao  – a long, two-handed saber). According to the man who taught him, this saber technique evolved from the Xinyou Daofa  created by the Ming Dynasty general Qi Jiguang. That was a set of saber techniques created for combat on the battlefield. It drew upon the strengths of both Chinese and Japanese saber arts, its momentum was sharp and unstoppable, making it a highly lethal form of combat. However, after centuries of evolution, it had gradually developed into the new routine Guan Yueyao had learned, which was better adapted to modern fencing rules.

“Go, pick a suitable weapon from the rack over there,” Wei Qing looked at the young man before him. Seemingly casual, he was actually observing her closely.

What kind of weapon will he choose? Or does he plan to wrestle me empty-handed?

The uncle and nephew both held the same question in their minds. They watched Guan Yueyao walk to the weapon rack. After a brief pause, he unhesitatingly picked up an unsharpened, ring-pommeled long saber (Huanbing Changdao – 環柄長刀).

Guan Yueyao didn’t know that this was the prototype of the Miaodao he would later become proficient with. However, the two were already quite similar, so he didn’t give it much thought and merely picked up the long saber to test its weight. It felt heavy in his hands, not the weight he was accustomed to, suggesting it was specially made for Wei Qing.

While he was examining the long blade in his hands, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing were also observing him. Guan Yueyao’s choice greatly exceeded Wei Qing’s expectations. He had recently been pondering tactics to counter the Xiongnu cavalry. Even though the Emperor was currently using the nation’s full resources to cultivate tens of thousands of cavalry, in terms of individual combat ability and long-range shooting from horseback, the Han army was far inferior to the Xiongnu warriors, who were raised on horseback from childhood.

Therefore, Wei Qing decided to take a different approach, drawing inspiration from infantry formations. He planned to use a cavalry charge in formation to break through the enemy camp, followed by close-quarters combat. This would shorten the distance between the two sides, allowing the Han army to exploit its strengths and significantly close the gap in combat effectiveness. By discarding the long-range bows and arrows, the saber became the key to victory in Wei Qing’s eyes.

Is this a coincidence? Just as I am contemplating formations and saber techniques, this retainer whom Qubing “picked up” chooses a long saber as his weapon when I test him.