[The Three Kingdoms] Golden Sun Exhibition

7 – Becoming a Master (2)

After meeting Sama-ui.

My first impression about her was ‘she isn’t an easy person’.

She was a child who had come down due to the circumstances of adults.

Unable to speak candidly about the regrettable circumstances to a child, he had come down all the way from his hometown to well distant Hyungju.

At such an age requiring an adult’s care and supervision, he had been forced to part with his parents, siblings and family, his young heart must be brimming with sorrow and scars.

“He is just a child, he will understand.”

He had thought that maybe Samahwi’s impolite behavior towards him was more so due to the sudden change in environment than her own character.

But he was wrong.

“Fetch the tea cup myself? It’s over there.”

“So? Just because it’s there, why do I have to get it?”

“Why should I fetch it when you’re here?”

“Do as I order, as your master.”

“You’re not officially my master yet?”

‘Clever kid.’

Samahwi was essentially a sprout.

Whether it was due to the environment of her family’s superior status or not, she was far too comfortable and used to exercising her ‘authority’.

A child who had only ever given orders, who had someone else do everything for her.

When had tea been made by her own hands?

Even if she had made it out of practice or curiosity, as soon as she said ‘water’, someone else was always there to make the tea.

If he left her as she is, he doesn’t know if she would ever learn how to cook properly, and might just end up grazing for survival.

It’s no exaggeration to say, if Madam Seom’s family ever faces downfall, she would have to handle everything on her own.

That’s why she needs to be taught.

Those who knowingly misbehave are beyond redeemable, but if she doesn’t know, then she can be guided in the right direction through learning and practice.

That’s my job as her instructor here at the water mirror academy.

Samahwi is talented.

If there’s anything I am good at, it would be judging a person’s character, and perceptive skill that’s second to none.

And through my judgment, I think Samahwi, not taking into account her gender, is exceptionally talented in various areas.

That’s why she needs to be guided onto the right path.

This academic life could be severe and painful for Samahwi who has spent her life as a Madame, and if she does not change her perceptions soon, I may face great hardship in the future.

“Sorim Kim? Oh, that guy? He asked me to make him some food.”

“Did he seriously ask a monk to cook?! Outrageous!”

“That’s the story.”

Even if Samahwi shows a talent that suggests she might one day surpass me, if I don’t guide her on the right path now, there’s no telling what kind of person she could become in the future.

“Find that damn man right away. I will personally serve punishment.”

If she were to grow up as a narrow-minded and petty person, and later become a high-ranking official, she might call me to a government office.

Maybe she would find an appropriate crime and try to execute me.

She might even make a false charge as if she’s conducting a posthumous trial, even after I’ve died and been buried.

If she grows up like this.

If I ever wrong Samahwi, she strikes me as someone who will harbor a grudge and exact great revenge in the future.

It’s not that I believe in physiognomy or read celestial phenomena, but don’t we all get certain feelings when observing others?

Therefore, I will teach the cruel reality to Samahwi, a young bud from a flower garden, who possess common sense.

Thus, I will educate Samahwi on how to live in Hyungju, here in the water mirror academy.

I will show her the harsh realities of a chaotic world in person.

“Sir, what should I do today?”

Sama sat in front of the desk, dressed up. Just like before, she was wearing a delicate purple silk dress.

“Did you enjoy your breakfast?”

“Yeah. The fish was delicious.”

“I see. Did you have some tea afterward? Fish basically has a strong smell, so you should always rinse your mouth with tea after eating it.”

“Yeah.”

No matter how brazen you are, the fishy smell from your mouth is unbearable.

If she hadn’t rinsed her mouth with tea, I would have scolded her. Fortunately, Sama tried to maintain basic hygiene.

“Let me tell you a few rules of this place. After a meal… from now on, put this in your mouth, scrub it with your tongue, then rinse with water. Whether you scrub with the tips of your fingers or your tongue, that’s your choice.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s a tooth powder. It prevents your teeth from turning yellow and decaying. It also suppresses bad breath.”

I’m not sure what she used in the Sama family, but at least here, one has to at least clumsily rinse their teeth.

“Do I have to use this?”

“Of course. Drinking tea alone won’t do. You wouldn’t want your teeth to rot when you get older, would you?”

“Um…”

But when it comes to beauty, as a woman, she pays attention to the conversation.

I took out what I had prepared for Sama who had received the tooth powder from me.

“Today, we will go to Shin-Ya Castle.”

Lecturing on the first day? I am not a mentor.

It’s okay to discuss contributions once Sama is overwhelmed.

“So, take off the coat you’re wearing and put this on.”

“It’s old.”

“Yeah. It’s old, but there’s risk of being kidnapped if you wear something expensive.”

“Kidnap?…”

Sama’s expression suddenly turned pale.

“Yeah, here…”

She seemed very scared about the danger of the term

“kidnapping”, maybe because she’s a child.

She’s quick-witted, and so am I. If I present a specific situation to scare her here, it will rather backfire.

“Wear the clothes inside the academy only. Change into this when you go out.”

“Do I just change the coat? You’re doing this to prevent problems by looking shabby, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll change the inside too.”

Sama tried to change what she was wearing under the coat.

No need to change inside in Shin-Ya like there would be in Central Plain where there are remnants of Huang Kun hiding, but Sama was scared enough to change inside too.

“I changed.”

“…Yeah. Now you look like a peasant’s kid.”

Kidnapping. It seems like there’s a situation, but there’s no need to dig into it here.

The important thing is that Sama has at least reduced the risk of being kidnapped by her clothing.

While you can’t hide the beauty of her face, at least it prevents her from catching everyone’s attention.

“Now all that’s left is to take good care of him.”

“Have you ever heard about Hyungju?”

“I’ve heard it’s a good place to live.”

“Yeah, that must be. Shilla here and Hyungju seem close, but they’re far apart, so the news can be delayed. Yeah, like the news reaching here after the disaster of the Ten Propensities had erupted and settled down.”

Last year. In other words, when I first stepped into Shu-kyung Academy and started to move.

Hwangwan, he caused the disaster of the Ten Propensities.

He slashed the throat of General Ha Jin, the power behind the throne, and since then, a man called ‘Dong Tae’ who was working on his own affairs in Yangju came in with his army and took control of the government.

It is known that he had a considerable military power during the rebellion of Hwang Gun-jeok, and he went beyond Jang-an to Yang-ju, and he revealed his ambition to advance to Joong-won.

“After the disaster of the Ten Propensities, those who were originally stationed or governor in each region suddenly switched. The Hyungju branch should have changed as well, but they naturally replaced when they died. Follow me. Let’s talk as we go.”

I took Sama-ui out of Su-Gyeong Academy.

It’s not about having a class outdoors from the first day, it’s about showing her the true state of Hyungju.

“Hyungju has changed. The aristocrats started locking the warehouse door and started stacking up food in the warehouse. The farmers had to save money by sparingly using it.”

It might be shocking, but Sama-ui needs to know that Su-Gyeong Academy is in a different situation from Shilla.

There is a need to definitely show that this place is different from Shilla.

“Hyungju had been accumulating wealth with resources coming from Hyungju’s South, the four regions. But there was a famine in this South. Hwang Gun-jeok didn’t rampage much, but there were those who said they were going to rob like Hwang Gun-jeok’s infamous bandwagon. After several disasters overlapped….”

“We ran out of food.”

“Yeah, it’s a big famine. What did you feel after this morning?”

“…other than fish, there was nothing but bitter mountain herbs.”

A moment.

“Yeah. Su-kyung Academy is too poor to offer anything else to a guest who has come from a long way.”

Sama-ui stood stiff in her place.

She just watched.

“What about the peasants, considering Su-kyung Academy is in this state?”

The reality of Hyungju.

“This is what we call a peaceful place, probably the most peaceful place in the whole country, this is the reality of Hyungju.”

The corpses of those who died from hunger are scattered everywhere, and the morticians are cleaning it up, after all.

Children who can’t farm are out on the streets begging for food.

A boy, who looks like the same age as Sama-ui, blankly stares with a cloth tied around his waist.

“Gulp…”

“Famine. Hunger. Thieves. Pillage. It’s not just Hwang Gun-jeok in the country. There are bigger thieves running around. Those who covet money, those who crave color, those who crave power, and….”

I deliberately swallow the rest of the speech. I’m curious to see if Sama-ui will notice what I didn’t say.

“…Is there a way to handle those thieves?”

“Of course.”

“Can you handle those who are exercising their power arbitrarily?”

“Of course. Generally, the way to deal with such men is to hold a higher power compared to them.”

I reached out my hand to Sama-ui.

“Do you want me to teach you?”

“…Yeah.”

Sama-ui grasped my hand and bowed her head.

“I look forward to working with you, Master.”

“Right. That’s the attitude.”

I managed to catch my master’s words.

I gently stroked Samaui’s head.

“Let’s start by learning how to farm.”

“What?”

“If you only read books since you were young, your body will suffer.”

A healthy mind in a healthy body.

I’m definitely not making Samaui do hard field work.