#077. Side Story 03. Glorious Days (Part I)
This is a story from before the State of Qin became the Qin Empire. A time when it was still an alliance of seven small states.
There was once a boy. The place he stood before was a mansion that resembled a palace.
On either side of the main gate, the walls stretched endlessly, and beyond the massive gate rose a roof even taller than the gate itself.
Yet, if one looked closely, one could see that the walls and the gate’s handle were poorly maintained and slightly worn.
The remnants of past glory, perhaps. The boy muttered softly to himself, then drew in a deep breath.
“Is anyone here?”
From within, no sound stirred. The boy silently swallowed a sigh and grasped the gate’s handle, banging loudly against it. Dust puffed into the air—the gate had seen few visitors.
“Is anyone here?”
After he raised his voice once more and waited, the gate creaked open slowly from the inside.
Creak.
The hinges gave a grating noise, as though they hadn’t been oiled in years. Standing within was a girl, about the same age as the boy.
The boy was certain she was none other than Yi Baek-ryeon, the head of the Yi family.
“What business brings you here?”
Her voice was flat—more confirmation than question. As though she already knew who he was. The boy licked his lips briefly and spoke with as calm a voice as he could muster.
“I am Ja Cheong-ryeong, second son of the Ja family. Today, at my elder brother’s request, I have come to see if the Yi family is in need of anything. Might I be allowed inside?”
This was indeed the Yi family’s residence. The boy was the younger brother of Ja Hong-won, the very man who had brought about the Yi family’s downfall.
Once, the Yi family had surpassed even the Ja family in renown.
No, to say “surpassed” was laughable—the Yi family had been the leading house among the seven great clans that ruled Qin.
Meanwhile, the Ja family governed one of the most barren, rugged regions of Qin—a minor clan of little influence.
But all changed when Ja Hong-won set his sights on seizing control of the continent.
Before expanding outward, Hong-won wanted to first secure control at home. The Yi family opposed his ambitions, denouncing his war of conquest as unjustified. Hong-won did not bother to persuade them twice.
Instead, he chose the Yi family as the first target of his conquest.
After three years of siege, the Yi family collapsed—utterly destroyed. Hong-won was merciless, determined to make them a brutal example for the other five clans.
That bloody siege ended only with the death of the Yi patriarch. The moment a twelve-year-old girl received the clan’s seal of leadership, her first act was surrender.
With the Yi family subdued and the other five clans falling in line, Hong-won wasted no time in turning his armies outward. He remembered the abandoned Yi family only after the coalition achieved its first victory abroad.
“Even a ruined house lasts three years. Yi may have fallen, but they are still Yi. No harm in keeping them under our wing.”
That was all the thought Hong-won spared for them, and he left the matter of handling the Yi family to his younger brother.
While his brother waged bloody wars abroad, Ja Cheong-ryeong spent his days leisurely studying and cultivating himself at home. So he gladly accepted the single task entrusted to him.
But even as he came here at his brother’s request, the boy harbored no illusions about an easy life. He even went so far as to buy a house within the Yi family’s territory, expecting to be rejected at first and preparing for a long struggle.
“Please, come in.”
Yet, contrary to his expectations, the girl welcomed him in readily. For a moment, the boy was caught off guard, but he masked it well and followed her inside with composure.
“Baek-hwa, bring us tea. We should show courtesy to our guest.”
Just as the exterior suggested, the interior bore signs of decline—empty and silent. Likely the household could no longer afford servants, or perhaps those lost in the siege had never been replaced.
A younger girl, likely family, brought tea with a sharp glare before disappearing.
Not even a greeting for the guest, but the boy didn’t mind. The fact she hadn’t slapped him across the face could be considered noble restraint from the scion of a once-prestigious family.
“My apologies. It seems my instruction has been lacking, and you were shown poor manners.”
But even that fell short of the young matriarch’s standards.
So this was what it took to lead a great family at barely over ten years old. The boy marveled inwardly but smiled gently.
“It’s quite all right. This is already more courtesy than I deserve.”
He meant it. If their positions were reversed, he might have cast her out and sprinkled salt at the doorway.
The fact that she spoke to him at all, invited him in, and served him tea—that was more than enough.
Perhaps this was what true magnanimity looked like. To see such qualities in a twelve-year-old girl made him wonder what she might become in the future.
“So then—what brings you here today?”
Her patience seemed to end there. Strictly speaking, proper etiquette would have demanded more polite small talk before broaching the subject, but she did not bother.
Truthfully, the boy himself hadn’t known what to say. What conversation could one have with the young head of a family your brother destroyed? So he went straight to the point.
“As I said, my elder brother wished for me to ensure the Yi family lacked for nothing. If there is anything you require, I am here to offer assistance.”
“Your words are most kind, but I will simply accept the sentiment.”
As expected. The curt rejection did not surprise him. What would have shocked him more was if she had asked him openly for help.
The Yi family might swallow their pride, but their elders would never allow it.
Still, that didn’t mean he intended to give up. His brother had entrusted the Yi family to him. How could he face him if he failed such a simple task while Hong-won risked his life on the battlefield?
“I understand. But should you ever be in need, please do not hesitate to tell me.”
He feigned acceptance, pausing to sip the tea. It was a stalling tactic, yet the aroma of the tea was exquisite.
Judging by the family’s state, the leaves could not have been costly. It must have been the girl’s own skill. Good. Perhaps he could use that. He waited until he had emptied the cup before speaking again.
“By the way, the fragrance of this tea is wonderful. Even with my poor knowledge, I can tell it is of fine quality.”
“Your praise is appreciated.”
“In truth, I have always worried that, being born a younger son, I might appear lacking in refinement. But to meet someone so skilled in tea… it makes me wish to learn. Would you teach me? Think of it as helping a fellow Qin native avoid embarrassing himself abroad.”
If the Yi family openly accepted aid from the Ja family, outrage would follow. The elders of Yi would foam at the mouth.
But teaching tea? That was a personal matter. No loss of pride for either side—just a student and teacher.
It was a clever compromise: Yi would not be seen as beholden, Ja would not appear domineering, and both families could be satisfied.
That is, if the girl valued pragmatism over resentment.
“…Very well. If I can be of help, I will gladly do so.”
She was indeed wise. Faster than he imagined, their bargain was struck.
And so Ja Cheong-ryeong became her student in tea ceremony. He endured scornful looks each time he visited, but since he already had a house nearby, the journey was not difficult.
With sharp eyes, he noticed what the Yi household lacked and presented gifts under the guise of a student’s gratitude.
“My brother’s recent conquest is famed for its silk. The weave is remarkably fine—I thought it would suit you. With the New Year approaching, perhaps you might make new clothes.”
“Your thoughtfulness is appreciated. My younger sibling has outgrown her garments, so this will be most useful.”
As Hong-won’s conquests continued and Qin grew rich, the boy’s gifts grew costlier and more varied. The dilapidated Yi estate soon transformed.
And the meaning of those gifts changed as well.
At first, they were nothing more than tokens of support. Yi clung to any lifeline, and Ja did not wish to leave a prestigious clan dying at his back.
But over time, meeting with a purpose turned into time spent together. And slowly, the boy and girl began to care for each other.
“I must accompany my brother soon and will not be able to attend tea lessons as often. But… would it be all right if I sent letters?”
“…Gladly.”
“And you would reply?”
“Do you think me so rude that I would not?”
“Of course not. It’s only that I’m such a fool, I feel uneasy without reassurance.”
The younger brother of the man who ruined her clan, and the young head of the clan that hindered his brother. They should have been bitter enemies. Yet in truth, neither bore any guilt.
Cheong-ryeong was too young for war or strategy. Baek-ryeon had inherited leadership only after the adults who chose to fight had perished.
Had either been more emotional, their relationship would have ended differently. Had they met only as adults, reason might have prevailed and their bond ended once Yi recovered enough.
But they were young—and rational enough not to hate. So affection bloomed, and they began to interact as individuals, not clans.
“…What is this?”
“I went hunting for tiger, though I caught only a deer. The antlers are splendid, so I thought to gift them to my teacher. Deer antler is prized medicine, after all.”
“Then you could have just brought the antlers. Hah, no matter. It’s better than when you dropped thirty whole rabbits on me.”
“But those rabbit furs kept you warm all winter, did they not?”
The Yi head did things she needn’t have done for Ja. The Ja heir gave things he needn’t have given to Yi.
As such exchanges continued, the boy began to dream.
“If you wished it, you could surely rise to high office. Why not come with me to the capital and assist me?”
He dreamed of a future with her.
“…For someone talentless like me, that would be too much. I am grateful only for the thought.”
The barrier between them never fully vanished. Whatever feelings they shared, the divide of their clans stood firm. Yi would never forgive him; Ja would never accept her.
“Still, as long as I am able, I will continue to help you. Even if my help is no longer needed…”
But neither was indispensable to their clan. She was a branch heir forced into leadership due to the main line’s youth. He was a younger son, stuck between his brother and the future heir.
In time, both clans might gladly see them married off together—both to claim reconciliation and to cast them aside to the far frontiers.
“No… I think I shall always need my teacher.”
So the boy decided to wait. For he knew, in her eyes, in the brush of hands held just shy of touch, in the letters she never failed to send—she felt the same.
“…Young master. Please, steel yourself. Your lord brother… has fallen in battle.”
And with the news of his brother’s death, that fragile hope was shattered.
