WRITTEN BY HYUGA NATSU
THIS STORY IS A FICTION AND ALL NAMES OF FIGURES AND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
Mother.
Why did Mother have that expression?
Return to your room.
That old man…
That old woman…
Who were they?
I can't remember clearly.
What a terrible dream.
Who were those old people?
At that time, I had no way of knowing.
But later, I was told.
The old man was my father, and the old woman was my grandmother.
And…
The man I had always thought was my father,
turned out to be my brother.
Even that slow-witted palace woman
should be realizing it by now.
Or perhaps she already has.
If so, that would be a relief.
I can't stay silent forever.
"Once upon a time, in this land,
another people lived here.
They had no ruler.
But one day, a noble woman from a distant land arrived,
carrying within her womb a child of the heavens.
That child became the first emperor of the Country of Li.
The woman, who could see even on moonless nights,
came to be called the Wang Mu.
She was even said to be an immortal who had descended from the celestial realm."
A founding legend of this country, huh?
What do you think, Apothecary?
Lord Jinshi, your face can be seen.
I'm diligently studying here, and yet,
if such a creature is peeking in, how can I concentrate?
Are there about 20 students?
I thought there would be more…
It started with just ten, so it has grown.
Well, this is about right. That said…
If Lord Jinshi's plan succeeds,
and the literacy rate of the maids improves,
It could change the very nature of the rear palace.
In fact, Xiaolan has now
progressed to the stage where she can read simple stories.
-My lord, it’s about time. -Yes.
What about you?
I'll stay and observe a little longer.
I see. If anything catches your attention, report it to me.
Understood.
Xiaolan.
Maomao, you came?
How is it? Have you learned some characters?
I still have a lot to learn.
I need to ask the teacher something again.
-Maomao, come with me. -Oh…
The teacher is in the building next door.
I go there sometimes to ask questions.
An old shrine?
Excuse me.
-Sorry to interrupt. -Coming.
That young lady over there is a new face, isn't she?
A strangely long and narrow structure that seems to stretch deep inside.
The pillars are placed closely together.
The rooms must be divided into very small sections.
Are you curious about that shrine?
Yes, I found its architecture rather unusual.
That shrine was built by the people
who originally lived in this land.
When Queen Wang Mu took control of this region,
she did not reject the old faiths.
Is Queen Wang Mu the mother of the first emperor we just learned about?
Yes. Queen Wang Mu told her son this,
"Anyone who rules this land
must pass through that shrine.
And only those who choose the right path
shall become the ruler of this land."
Her son safely passed through the shrine,
and thus became the emperor.
The reason the capital was relocated to this place was because of that shrine.
I see!
However, it hasn't been used for decades now.
Whether it will be used again in the future, who knows?
What do you mean by that?
The previous emperor’s older brothers
all perished due to a widespread illness.
The only one left was the previous emperor.
So the decision was made without the need for the passage ritual.
I'm glad to see someone interested in that place.
It's been quite some time since that happened.
Were there people who used to take an interest in it before?
Yes.
There used to be a rather unique court physician here.
Whenever he had free time, he would wander around the rear palace.
Just like you, he was also curious about that shrine…
-Wait, could it be Luomen? -Oh? You know him?
Damn, I let that slip.
He was my foster father.
After leaving the rear palace, he ran an apothecary in the pleasure district.
I see, so you're Luomen's…
Was this man close to my father?
Maomao!
Look! I wrote it!
Oh!
There is no poison.
-I'll take my leave. -Wait, Apothecary.
After this, I want you to accompany me.
Where to?
To the Shrine of Choosing.
Why all of a sudden?
What exactly is he planning to do?
It's the old shrine I saw during the day.
And also…
the teacher at the learning hall?
I have been expecting you.
May I pass through it once more?
No matter how many times you come, it may not change anything,
but if you are still willing to…
That’s quite a daring way to speak to the Emperor.
Who will accompany you?
Then, these two.
What?!
Isn’t this place off-limits to women?
The Queen Wang Mu and the Empress Dowager were both women, you know.
-Please, come on in. -Well then, shall we proceed?
Three doors?
"Do not pass through the red door"?
The doors are…
blue, red, and green.
So we’re supposed to choose either blue or green?
Which door will you choose?
I’ll go with blue this time. Last time, I chose green.
Indeed, that was the case.
Well then, this way.
Please consider those of us who manage this place.
Just when we think it is no longer in use,
someone suddenly shows up.
I have caused you trouble.
Three doors again…
Green, brown, and light blue. Next it says,
"Do not pass through the brown door."
I’ll choose green.
No way…
Will this just keep
repeating forever?
Going up, going down, going back, turning around…
I’ve completely lost my sense of direction.
It feels like we’re just going around in circles.
Why did the Emperor bring me here?
I wish this would end soon.
This is the final door.
The next set of doors are…
blue, purple, and yellow. And it says,
"Do not pass through the blue door."
Also, there’s another door leading here.
Does that mean there's another path that merges here?
I’ve decided.
I’ll choose yellow.
-Are you sure? -Yes.
A dead end?
"Child of royalty, yet not child of the Wang Mu."
I don’t understand the meaning, but it’s clearly a rejection.
It's the same result as last time.
He looks unusually serious.
Is it impossible for me to know the will of heaven?
What are you saying?
Ever since this shrine was sealed within the rear palace,
I have been the only one left to manage it.
What meaning could the will of heaven possibly have?
This old eunuch was probably
managing this shrine long before
the rear palace was even established.
In order to continue maintaining it,
he went so far as to become a eunuch just so he could stay here.
Your way out is over there.
The Emperor followed the instructions on the signs.
There shouldn’t have been any mistakes.
And yet, he still didn’t reach the right answer.
Was there another meaning behind all that?
The number of rooms?
The colors of the doors chosen?
I'm sure Luomen would know.
My old man would know?
Are you saying that my father would be able to figure it out?
Well, who knows?
My father's knowledge is certainly incredible.
But being told, "This is beyond you," really pisses me off.
My father's knowledge is exceptional, especially when it comes to medicine.
Does that mean this is related to that?
Three doors, three colors…
"Child of royalty, yet not child of the Wang Mu."
What is the true meaning behind those words?
Do you understand the meaning of
"Yet not the child of the Wang Mu"?
Now that I think about it…
In the story of the founding of the nation,
it’s always the first emperor's mother, Queen Wang Mu, who appears.
The father is never spoken of.
Then one would expect the maternal lineage to be valued,
yet in reality, succession is passed down through males.
If they intended to preserve Queen Wang Mu's bloodline…
The previous emperor’s older brothers
all perished due to a widespread illness.
Lord Jinshi.
Have you realized something?
Were the former emperor’s brothers full siblings?
Not all of them,
but I heard that the mothers of the imperial princes were sisters.
In other words, their blood was quite close.
This may sound rude,
but may I ask you something?
I permit it. Speak.
Throughout generations,
haven’t many of the emperors had poor eyesight?
I have heard that their eyesight certainly wasn’t very good.
But the previous emperor had good vision.
I knew it.
Is it possible to pass through that shrine once more?
Does the young lady have the qualifications for that?
You brought her along with you earlier,
but entering multiple times is not a good idea.
Especially if she intends to interfere with the choice of doors.
Besides, she’s neither a consort nor a princess, is she?
I'm just a mere servant girl.
Then shall I elevate her to a consort?
Though convincing Lakan will be troublesome.
-He must be joking. -You must be joking!
What would the other consorts think?
That is true. In that case,
would you take her instead?
That would be acceptable, wouldn’t it?
If that is His Majesty’s wish.
Then, shall we go?
He seems more playful than usual.
First, the blue, red, and green doors.
"Do not pass through the red door."
-Which will you choose? -The blue one.
This is the same as the one His Majesty chose.
Next, there's green, brown, and light blue. It says,
"Do not pass through the brown door."
The light blue door.
The one I chose is different from yours.
When I passed through earlier, I didn't realize it.
If there is a door that only a "child of Wang Mu" can choose…
Then the key must lie in the "color" of the doors.
This is the tenth one.
There's a white, purple, and green door.
It says, "Pass through the red door."
But there is no red door. What does this mean?
The green door.
Green?
You’ll know once you go through.
This is…?
Congratulations.
It seems you have chosen the correct path.
Long ago, those chosen by Queen Wang Mu
became the next king.
They would stand here
and swear an oath to the people.
If no one could choose this path,
they would return to this shrine
with a consort who could.
Originally, one who inherited the rightful blood
was meant to do it.
But this time,
it seems that someone else has found the answer.
You're the one who provoked me!
What is this guy's problem?
More importantly, explain this to me
in a way Jinshi can understand.
Perhaps
you should ask the young lady over there.
This guy…
Is he trying to make me explain?
So it seems.
In the founding legend, it is said that Queen Wang Mu
possessed eyes that could see through darkness.
Those chosen by this shrine…
In other words, those who carry Queen Wang Mu's blood
are said to have eyes that cannot distinguish colors.
Eyes that cannot distinguish colors?
What do you mean?
Then, allow me to explain the logic
by which I chose the doors earlier.
At first, there were three doors. Blue, red, and green.
The instruction was "Do not pass through the red door."
That means both blue and green should be correct choices,
but "the child of Wang Mu"
would have chosen blue.
Because if one cannot distinguish between red and green,
they would choose the door that is definitely not red.
Unable to distinguish red from green?
It is rare in this country,
but in the western lands, it is said that
one in ten men cannot differentiate between red and green.
Luomen would know that, wouldn't he?
My father, who studied abroad in the western lands,
would have known this trait.
So that's what he meant by that.
The next door followed the same logic.
It said, "Do not pass through the brown door."
If one cannot distinguish between brown and green,
then by process of elimination, they'd choose the light blue door.
For the final door,
the instruction was "Pass through the red door."
However, there was no red door.
But if one could clearly distinguish between white and purple,
then the remaining door must be red.
In other words, while it appeared as though there were two correct choices,
the correct choice was only one.
But
if every emperor throughout history had such a trait,
someone would notice, don't you think?
My foster father once told me that
even if one cannot distinguish colors,
they can learn to adapt over time.
So people around them might not even notice.
And, in exchange for their difficulty with color perception,
they are said to have excellent night vision.
That might be the origin of the legend
about the eyes of Queen Wang Mu.
So only those who inherit this trait from Queen Wang Mu
can pass through this place?
Perhaps some people have stumbled through by chance,
but the probability of making it to the final chamber
would be incredibly low.
In the old tales,
it is said that Queen Wang Mu came from a distant land.
She had the trait of being unable to distinguish colors,
yet she came from the western lands
with her attendants to this land.
Settling in a new land
wasn't an easy task.
So, she married the leader
of this land.
Wait, Apothecary.
In the legends, it is said that Queen Wang Mu had no husband.
That is what makes Queen Wang Mu so cunning.
To prevent the bloodline from becoming concentrated,
it was not uncommon
to marry someone from outside.
Although Queen Wang Mu is the ancestor,
the throne has been passed down by male heirs
because they followed the method of establishing
the leader of the bloodline.
However, Queen Wang Mu's descendants
couldn't accept the idea of their blood thinning out
and disappearing entirely.
A way to ensure that Queen Wang Mu's blood
will be preserved for future generations…
That is the "Shrine of Choosing."
If no one possesses the trait,
then someone of close blood to Queen Wang Mu is taken as consort,
and together, they enter the shrine.
The reason why consorts are also allowed
to enter the shrine is because of this.
Bit by bit, in this manner,
they embedded themselves at the heart of the nation,
erasing the existence of the original rulers from the stories
until only Queen Wang Mu remained as the true ancestor.
In time, as those who remembered the past disappeared,
the only remaining story became the truth.
It was an extremely peaceful yet…
slow shift of power.
Well, of course, that’s not something I can say right now.
So, does that mean
I do not carry the blood of Queen Wang Mu?
The existence of this shrine is the only definitive way to determine that.
Even if a parent possesses the trait,
it does not always pass down to their children.
Also, when blood becomes too concentrated, it can cause adverse effects.
It is possible that the late emperor’s siblings
fell ill for that very reason.
To think that a mere girl
would actually solve the mystery is something I never expected.
"Mere girl"?
It is said that Queen Wang Mu
was able to rule this land because of
her exceptional wisdom.
If you're going to dilute the bloodline at this point,
why not incorporate someone like her?
What nonsense is that old guy saying?
Well, that might be interesting,
but I’d rather not make an enemy of Lakan, and more importantly,
she’s lacking about 15 centimeters around the chest.
Mind your own business.
But do be careful.
There are many who would not
welcome the introduction of outside blood.
I am well aware of that.
Does Your Majesty truly understand?
Please be careful.
Understood.
Who is he really?
Just the Emperor’s favored eunuch?
Is that really all?
It doesn't matter.
Ignorance is bliss.
That's just how it is.
NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW
Next episode, "Empress Dowager."
Subtitle translation by: Abhishek Chand Ramola chest.