Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Sixty-seven

     San Jin remembered his dignity and the audience watching him greet his uncle so was a little more formal than usual. General Tan took this with good humor but could not help teasing. 

"Somebody has starched your shorts, Nephew," he said while pulling San Jin into a quick embrace.

"I am so glad you are here," San Jin's voice cracked with emotion.

"It's all good." General Tan slipped back into a more formal demeanor. "Now let's get this lot sorted and then you can catch me up on everything."

The general chatter stopped as the General made his way to the centre of the room. He was flanked by a couple of his own men. San Jin and his protectors followed closely behind.

"Gentlemen, I am happy to welcome you to our estate but I must ask your indulgence while I get my troops settled and shake off the dust from the road. Please go ahead with the meal and I will join you shortly."

General Tan then spun on his heal and left before any of the local dignitaries could catch his eye. As he passed San Jin he said firmly, "You've got this."

San Jin nodded and with the help of Junseo and the estate manager herded the group into the dining area. Hae-sung made no secret of his role as San Jin's food tester. They had already discussed this and Scout Jia had decided safety would need to come ahead of any doubts this might raise. He also reminded them Junseo and Il-don had already proven they were capable of expelling poison but had relied on San Jin's energy to do so.

"All under the direction of a court physician," Junseo played down his role.

"So now you know how to do it. Honestly, I don't think we need to worry but it is a reminder to everyone to stay on their toes."

When the General returned to the manor and noticed the precautions take for San Jin and he made a point of only sharing in the dishes Hae-sung had already sampled. He saw no reason not to take advantage of the established safety measures. Some of the other guests also took note.

"Your pretty boy must be really dedicated to his new friend," Yoo-suk's brother teased.

"He is not my anything. I guess they don't want to take chances with the heir, or the General, for that matter." Yoo-suk shrugged off the barb. It was best not to let his brother see how the remarks might sting. He reminded himself this was what he wanted for Hae-sung. The chance to be part of a team with other boys his own age -- to be accepted as part of a group and acknowledged for his talents. It had to be expected they would take risks for each other. He just had to trust Scout Jia knew what he was doing. It was almost as if his thought called the man because there he was, greeting his friend with a smile but at that point the General rose to address the gathering.

"I am heartened so many of you wanted to greet my nephew and his friends even though they are only here to get their horses into better shape and practice away from the other competitors in the senior finals." General Tan smiled at San Jin and then gestured for the other boys to identify themselves and be acknowledged with a toast to their success.

"It is also very fortuitous we can meet and decide how to respond to the threat that has come to our shores from the southwest. My reports will carry more weight with the governor if we can itemize the commitments you can make toward the defense of your lands and our shared lines of communication. I know some of you have updates from different encounters with the enemy and I am eager to hear your individual reports."

After making this announcement the General made his way directly to Lord Taghar's party where he was greeted warmly. They exchanged information about the number of encounters in recent weeks. Lord Taghar also expressed his concern over the fire damage to the library in the study. Yoo-suk offered his assistance in locating any replacement texts. The General thanked him sincerely and made his way to the next group.

After he had made a full circuit, he bemoaned the fact he had to rely on an unknown translator to talk with Trader Pierce. "I was hoping to keep what he has to share confidential. I just can't trust a translator who was so conveniently available when the other one fell sick."

"Junseo can help. Trader Pierce already knows him," San Jin volunteered his friend without hesitation.

"I will be happy to oblige once my replacement arrives," Junseo reminded San Jin of his priorities. "There are also matters about the fire we should discuss with General Tan," he added.

"How much of your favourite phrase book do you think you might recall?" The General asked San Jin with a very serious tone.

"Oh, I think between us we could probably write it all out," San Jin looked to Hae-sung and Junseo for assurance on this point.

"The younger ones were so relieved to have practical phrases to learn they didn't recognize it was giving them so many of the tools they need to understand the classics," Junseo could not hold back his admiration for the piece.

"The younger ones nothing. Since he started reading it nobody has been able to pry the text away from Song-hee," Hae-sung jumped in.

"Wait. Does that mean he still has it in his possession?" General Tan looked at each of the boys eagerly.

"I expect so, he is just over there," San Jin waved to Song-hee who approached cautiously.

"I understand you took a liking to a certain odd schoolbook we had in the study," the General said very quietly.

"Sure did. I am glad I decided to sneak it out the day of the fire. It was wrong of me but I wanted time to copy more of the rhymes down. Since then, I managed to make a full copy." He started to reach for the manuscript but Junseo shook his head.

"Does anyone else know about this?" the General asked.

"Just our group. We kept up studying as best we could under the circumstances." Song-hee could tell this was important to the General.

"Alright. I will come find you later," General Tan nodded then asked Song-hee if he could relieve Junseo.

It took a few minutes to find a secure room for their meeting with the Mearcan trader. Benjamin Pierce was full of his usual flatteries but it did not take long for the General to get him to focus on the business at hand. Merchant Pierce detailed what his countrymen had been able to gather about the Misaon ports and the strength of its nearest navy vessels. Junseo took careful notes and read them back in both Hakkul and Angla before handing them to General Tan. The General then paid Trader Pierce and sent him on his way.

"I don't know why you would trust him." Junseo said after the westerner had left.

"I don't. I only trust I paid enough to keep him loyal to our cause for a few weeks."

"Oh?"

"It will take him at least that long to get through to his contacts on the other side. With any luck we will have deported them all by then."

Junseo smiled at this thought and then explained their concerns about the curtains they had been asked to hang in the General's suite. "I have those so I can destroy the room and its contents if I need to," the General explained.

"I wondered if it wasn't something like that when I unlocked the puzzle box in the headboard. I wouldn't have tried it except it looked the same as the one Grampa Min used to give me," Junseo blushed as he admitted to this bit of snooping.

"Was the compartment empty?" the General asked quietly.

"No Sir."

"And if it is now?"

"I will only remember what you ask me to," Junseo touched his head and then his heart to show his sincerity.

"I will let you know but I will tell you this for certain. It was a lucky day when you met Me Yan and San Jin." The General nodded and Junseo understood he had just been dismissed.