The Innocent Heart - Chapter 24

“You truly possess some ability; it’s a waste for you to enter the Qimen [Inner Court]…”

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Che (Emperor Wu of Han) waved his hand and, in recognition of the meritorious offering of the Miao Saber, bestowed upon Guan Yueyao the official rank of Langzhong (Gentleman Attendant), to wait for orders at the Golden Horse Gate. Huo Qubing and Wei Qing also received generous rewards for their successful recommendation.

Guan Yueyao thus found herself, somewhat dazed, becoming a minor official in the Western Han court at the age of fourteen.

Before she could fully grasp what the position of Langguan entailed, Huo Qubing pulled her to bow again before Liu Che, ostensibly to express thanks for the favor.

After thanking the Emperor, Liu Che was in no hurry to dismiss the trio from the palace. Instead, he began to discuss strategies for campaigning against the Xiongnu with Wei Qing. He intentionally allowed the two juniors, Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao, to listen nearby, also intending to subtly examine and observe these two youths who had greatly pleased him.

Huo Qubing goes without saying; Liu Che had practically watched the boy grow up and knew he possessed astonishing talent in both warfare and archery. Consequently, Liu Che placed high expectations on him, waiting only for him to mature before dispatching him to the battlefield.

As for the youth named Guan Yueyao he met today, he too had aroused deep interest in the Emperor’s heart. In any case, the Miao Saber and the saber techniques he presented today were reward enough in themselves.

However, Liu Che currently had no intention of suddenly placing an unknown youth in such a high-profile position, as it would easily expose his plan to campaign against the Xiongnu again. Moreover, whether this youth was truly a gem still required further testing.

Liu Che naturally had his considerations for placing him in this role. But while listening to Wei Qing expound upon his views on the Xiongnu on one side, and lending an ear to “eavesdrop” on the conversation between the two youths on the other, Liu Che almost lost control and sprayed out the fruit wine in his mouth.

“What is this Langzhong? Will I have to work every day?” the youth named Guan Yueyao was quietly asking Qubing beside him, his tone sounding quite unwilling.

“I also think, what’s the point of being a Langguan? It would be better to go train in the military camp early on. In a few years, I can lead troops to fight the Xiongnu,” Huo Qubing also leaned over and replied in a low voice.

“If I could go to the camp with you… that wouldn’t be so bad.”

The two children thought their murmuring was quiet, not realizing their conversation had been heard by the two adults beside them. Wei Qing’s expression changed, and he prepared to rise to apologize on their behalf.

Liu Che, however, was not displeased; on the contrary, he found it rather amusing. Such innocent, childlike words, candid and straightforward, were a rarity for him to hear within the palace walls. Furthermore, judging by their conversation, they seemed to have little interest in gaining official rank or honors, but were instead focused on the military.

Liu Che nodded slightly, stopping Wei Qing’s movement. He had no intention of blaming the two children; on the contrary, a new idea sprouted in his mind. To pacify the Xiongnu in the north was, in his view, an excellent aspiration, but becoming a general required far more than just excelling at riding and archery. Otherwise, Li Guang would serve as a cautionary tale for them.

He looked at Huo Qubing and Guan Yueyao, who were still whispering conspiratorially, and gave a slight cough.

The two youngsters then realized that their small actions had long been noticed by the Emperor. They lowered their heads, dutifully straightened their postures, and ceased speaking, as obedient as students caught slacking off in class by the teacher.

“Starting tomorrow, Qubing, you and Yueyao will enter the palace together to study the classics. If you only think about joining the army every day, when you actually get to the battlefield, the Xiongnu won’t be as easy to deal with as you imagine.”

Teacher Liu finally made up his mind to severely crack down on the two little fellows’ cultural studies.

“Ah?” Both were startled, looking at each other in surprise. The event was too sudden for them to process, and they both forgot to thank the Emperor.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and thank His Majesty!” Finally, Wei Qing, unable to watch any longer, couldn’t help but prompt them.

Wei Qing’s words were like a sudden awakening, and the two youths once again bowed before the Ninety-Five Sovereign. Having performed this action many times in one day, Guan Yueyao’s previous resistance was finally somewhat eroded. After all, between the safety of her knees and the safety of her life, she preferred to choose the latter.

The night before, Huo Qubing had specifically visited her room to give her detailed instructions. He knew that his good friend came from another time and space, where, although hierarchies of age and status still existed, the distinctions in etiquette had almost vanished. But this was the Han Dynasty, where the royal family governed every stratum of society with strict ritual, and the gap between classes was almost a chasm, crossed only by a very few who achieved social advancement. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Fortunately, although Guan Yueyao was somewhat unwilling about the matter, she hadn’t dwelled on it too much. This accounted for the multiple instances of Huo Qubing having to drag her to perform the proper bows today.

Liu Che was in high spirits today, having obtained the blueprints for the Miao Saber. Coupled with the thought that he would have to teach two mischievous little fellows tomorrow, filling their heads with as much knowledge as possible, his mood was excellent.

He had been on the throne for ten years, yet his household remained very empty of heirs. Although he had two daughters born to Consort Wei Zifu, they were both still quite young. Moreover, Liu Che felt he could dote on his daughters, but found it difficult to place high expectations on them. Thus, in reality, Liu Che seemed to be indulging in the experience of raising a son through Huo Qubing. And now, Guan Yueyao had been added to the mix.

The fate between people is often so wonderfully strange. Just as he favored Huo Qubing without reason, the youth named Guan Yueyao also appealed greatly to Liu Che’s sensibilities. The sight of him waving a bamboo stick in the courtyard during the day always made Liu Che fantasize about the heroic image of him and Huo Qubing galloping across the battlefield in the future, expanding his territories.

On one side, Liu Che was reclining on Wei Zifu’s pillow at night, dreaming of the future. On the other side, in the study of the Wei Residence, Wei Qing was rubbing his temples with a headache while looking at the two youths standing before him.

The root of the matter was that upon returning to the residence, due to Liu Che’s decree, Guan Yueyao was no longer a commoner but had suddenly become a Langguan attendant waiting for orders at the Golden Horse Gate, with an immeasurable future. Before leaving the palace, Liu Che had explicitly stated that the two of them must enter the palace the next day after the morning court session, as he intended to personally teach them military strategy. Judging by the Emperor’s excited demeanor, Wei Qing was certain this matter would not change in the short term.

To prevent the two from incurring the Emperor’s wrath tomorrow, Wei Qing decided to test the bottom line of Guan Yueyao that very evening. He was certainly aware of Huo Qubing; although the latter disliked studying, being from a noble family ensured he had at least basic literacy. However, Guan Yueyao’s situation made Wei Qing uncertain, as in this era, no one would expect a street beggar to be literate. After all, literacy was a luxury in those times. Even Wei Qing himself only began learning to read after his sister, Wei Zifu, entered the palace.

“Yueyao, do you know how to read?” Wei Qing asked Guan Yueyao with concern.

“Of course, I do!” Guan Yueyao nodded without hesitation. Her answer was so matter-of-fact that even Wei Qing raised an eyebrow at her, looking unconvinced. At this moment, a thought that had previously crossed his nephew’s mind also flashed through his own—could this little beggar actually have an extraordinary background?

But he quickly realized he was overthinking. Wei Qing was always cautious; even after hearing Guan Yueyao’s resolute answer, he did not fully believe it. Instead, he picked up a bamboo slip from the table, opened it, pointed to the characters, and asked Guan Yueyao, “What does this say?”

This time, it was Guan Yueyao’s turn to be dumbfounded. Of course, she could read, but she read Simplified Chinese, and might recognize some Traditional Characters. However, the Seal Script popular in the early Han Dynasty looked no different from celestial script to Guan Yueyao.

She opened her mouth and stammered out the characters she recognized on the slip: “Terrain… something… assist something. Gauge the enemy… victory? Calculate danger… something…”

“Terrain is an asset to the army. To calculate victory by gauging the enemy, to plan for danger, and to measure distance—this is the way of a great general. One who knows this and engages in battle is sure to win; one who does not know this and engages in battle is sure to lose.”

Amidst Huo Qubing’s roaring laughter, Wei Qing finally couldn’t bear it and recited the sentence from Sun Tzu’s Art of War – ‘On Terrain’.

And he reached his conclusion: Guan Yueyao could read, but not much.

“Qubing, from now on, teaching Yueyao to read at home will be your task.” Wei Qing glared at his nephew, who was grinning from ear to ear, and assigned him the duty.

Guan Yueyao also felt somewhat embarrassed. Although she had been a ‘delinquent youth’ for a year in the modern era, she was considered a decent student back in China. But now, transported to ancient times, she was nearly reduced to being illiterate. She secretly resolved in her heart that she must study diligently. Having long been accustomed to a literate world, suddenly being unable to recognize characters made Guan Yueyao feel extremely uncomfortable.

Since they had to face the Emperor tomorrow, the time tonight was particularly pressing. Wei Qing decided to temporarily set aside the military affairs he was researching and joined Huo Qubing in the literacy work.

Guan Yueyao was not unintelligent; perhaps due to a vague, hazy sense of admiration she held for Wei Qing, she studied with exceptional diligence under his guidance. Furthermore, ancient Chinese characters have a clear evolutionary lineage, much like Seal Script to Clerical Script, or Traditional Characters to Simplified Characters. Although there are simplifications and variations in character structure, as a native Chinese person, she seemed naturally capable of grasping the meaning of the characters more quickly than other ethnic groups, distinguishing the word from a single stroke.

This was probably the first time Guan Yueyao felt time pass so quickly. It seemed like the blink of an eye before the three of them finished the evening’s study and returned to their respective rooms.

Guan Yueyao was mechanically stuffed with Seal Script characters until her mind was full. Lying on her bed now, she felt like she would dream of studying characters all night.

“Alas, why does the ‘class’ have to start all over again?” she said regretfully, lying on the couch and looking up at the complete ceiling.