The Spring Competition: day 2

The following day, the whole family accompanied me to the grounds of the competition, setting up a pavilion for themselves while they waited. Today I would be competing in calligraphy and Go, not exactly flashy, but they were certainly challenging.

Heng Li joined my family in watching the bouts where I participated.

Calligraphy was by far the strangest competition I had ever been with. We were given rolls of parchment and ingredients to make ink with, then we were told to draw a certain ideogram. Points were given or deducted according to the direction and thickness of our strokes, as well as the cleanliness of our overall piece.

I smiled, expertly drawing out the words I was given: Dragon, Heaven, Empire, Honor. The words flowed out of me as if I was in a trance, and I found myself humming an old song I had heard my father sing many years ago. It spoke of the legendary Yellow Emperor, the forefather of the nation.

When I finished the last stroke, I put my brush down and sat in silence, waiting for the judge’s decision. I’m not worried, but I don’t think I’ll join this event again. However, I think I might end up taking calligraphy as a hobby. I felt myself entering a state of near-meditation as I wrote down each word.

After a few minutes of deliberation, the judges declared a tie between me and a lady named Bai Fan. We were taken to the emperor to be congratulated for our performance, and on our way there I couldn’t help but praise her work. Calligraphy is, often, a subject for males, given that females are allowed very few chances to practice. At this time and age, they are expected to be perfect wallflowers.

And while Bai Fan’s beauty was exceptional, her talent was what amazed me and I admitted that to her.

She smiled brightly and offered me a slight bow. “High praise coming from the Emperor’s favorite.”

I chuckled. Apparently, my suspicions were founded. “Will you be competing in another event, my lady?”

She glanced at me with a slightly mocking tone “In which events are you not competing, milord?”

I snorted “I will root for you in half the events, then.”

She raised an eyebrow “rooting for the competition?”

I smiled at her “there is no competition when the talents are complementary. I will look forward to watching your events, my lady.”

She bit her smile, but I saw it nonetheless.

Trying to be a gentleman, I offered her my hand so she could mount the steps toward the emperor.

Disregarding the eunuch’s hand at her side, she chose to take mine instead. “You, my Lord, are a dangerous man.”

I returned the smile. “I am only dangerous to my enemies, my lady. I have yet to find one here.”

Bai Fan raised an eyebrow, staring haughtily at me but with half a smile on her face. “Friends, then?”

The way she asked made me think of another time and another place. To the time I met my best friend in a bookstore in the future.

“It would be my honor.” I answered with a slight bow before climbing the steps and standing at her side. “Shall we?” I motioned forward and was rewarded by a blinding smile.

“We shall.”

Kneeling in front of the Emperor’s golden pavilion, I saw Heng Li sitting at the old man’s right, and Meiling beaming at me from behind them.

“We meet again” the emperor beamed at me, and without losing his smile, he looked at the woman beside me “and you are?”

“To answer the emperor, this subject’s name is Bai Fan, daughter of General Bai from the western border.”

“Ah yes!” the emperor chuckled,

“General Bai is a great man. It warms this old man’s heart to see that his daughter inherited her mother’s looks. We will be on the lookout for your future events, Miss Bai.”

“I am sure my father will be pleased by your praise, your highness.”

The emperor made a gesture and a eunuch approached Miss Bai with a present: a brush made of jade and horsehair.

“You may leave, and give my best to your father, Miss Bai.” Bai Fan made a low reverence and left me with the emperor and his family. “That was the prize my wife had chosen for the first place in calligraphy. It is not common for me to find myself without something to give to those who make their best effort in whatever endeavor they undertake. So, what should I award you with, young Shen Mu?”

I bowed my head “If I’m permitted, your highness, there is one thing I would like to petition.”

“I’m allowing you.”

I nodded “This subject simply requests permission to enter the imperial library.”

“Oh?” by his tone, I knew my request had surprised him.

“To answer his majesty, this subject wishes to pursue a life of cultivation, it would be a great aid to have access to the immense knowledge base stored in the imperial library.” I risked a glance at the old man, and I saw him lightly pull on his beard.

“I think that access to the said library would indeed be an apt prize to bestow on one who would win the title of champion of my Spring Competition.”

He was testing me. If I asked for it as a prize for the event I just won, I would seem vain. And I had stated that it was my intent to continue the path of cultivation, so he would want to first see if there was merit to my words.

I smiled “I wholeheartedly agree, your highness.”

The old man answered my smile with his own. “Very well, if you win the said title, I shall bestow upon you the prize that you have asked.”

“This subject thanks you greatly, exalted one.”

My words might have been a little over the top, but that's how grateful I was for the opportunity. Now all I needed to do was win first place in every event I had subscribed myself to.

After I was dismissed by the emperor, I walked straight to the next event.

Go was both more complex and simpler than chess, but both board games were about strategy and probability. Studying hard from age four, I had played Go with one of my teachers, who had incidentally been the empire’s go champion in the past. From him, I learned many strategies and stratagems to come out on top in every game. It took me years, but I had been able to defeat him twice, which he had deemed ‘good enough for me, before continuing with other topics.

I played every game thinking that I was facing him, and that’s how I ended up in the first place.

And again, I found myself in front of the emperor.

“It appears some in my entourage were beginning to miss you.” The man joked, making both the prince and princess at his side blush.

After some small talk, I was praised for my achievement and then sent on my way.

My family celebrated my triumphs by taking us to eat at Ying Yi where we were soon joined by none other than Heng Li and Meiling.

It was the first time my mother met the princess. My father had had the honor before since it was common for him to visit the palace in official businesses, but this was the first time he had a chance to watch her in close quarters.

And, of course, both my parents were able to witness her interest in me… and my hesitance to her advances.

After eating I accompanied both royals to the entrance of the palace. But before I could leave, Heng Li addressed me:

“Shen Mu, the martial arts competition starts tomorrow, right?”

“Um”

“I look forward to seeing you in action, master” He smiled and offered a small bow, to which I responded in kind. “And do not lose to my brother.”

“I shall do my best for his majesty.” Since they weren’t leaving yet, I asked “There is a taboo that prevents me from fighting your brother, so I might have to withdraw from the final.”

Meiling looked troubled, but Heng Li was grinning like mad “That’s where you are wrong. The taboo is to touch the imperials. Plus, he entered the competition without the emperor’s permission. The dishonor can only land at brother’s feet.”

I scratched my chin, nodding. “So as long as I don’t touch him, I won’t break the taboo…?”

Meiling approached me and took my free hand in both of hers, which made me look down at her.

“Can you do it?”

I smiled confidently, “I’m sure I can come up with something.”

“Mei-Mei, I think the only one who is worried Sheng-ge will lose is you” the prince teased, and his sister puffed her cheeks, glaring back at him.

“I am not!”

“You are too!”

“Am not!”

I lightly chuckled at the pair and quickly bid them farewell.

Even as I left, I could still hear them bickering.