My Lordship's Alliance

Chapter Eight : The Selection Campaign

Next morning the street was lovely as usual. Heeseung and Jungwon had stayed under a large tree in the centre of the township. Jungwon had a sound sleep while Heeseung spent the night twisting and turning in his sleep. He was worried about Sunwoo.

As both the bothers woke up in time to witness the busy street, they saw the tents for the Seonwoo selection camp erected on the temple ground. They immediately washed themselves up in the river and moved towards the camp. It was crowded.

"Is every youth in this country going to join this Seonwoo?" Jungwon chuckled lightening up the mood slightly.
"Most of them must have came here to have the free food." Heeseung looked at his empty stomach. Jungwon was also hungry, so they both looked at each other and decided to eat something first and then search for the scholar.

They went to the last tent where the scholars of the Seonwoo were giving out food and refreshments. The brothers quickly joined the queue. It was a long queue and they took about 30 minutes to reach the counter. And there he was, "Shim Jayoon"! A handsome young man wearing a simple Hakchangui (formal uniform of a scholar). He seemed calm and peaceful. Both Heeseung and Jungwon were astonished at how handsome the man was. No wonder the lord's daughter fell in love with him, they thought!

"Are you the scholar Shim Jayoon?" Heeseung asked. Jungwon was first in the line and was holding his bowl, slightly reaching out to recieve the food. Jayoon was about to put a ladle of soup on to the bowl but stopped as he became  a bit confused on Heeseung's question.
"Do I know you?" He asked Heeseung.

Jungwon who was eagerly eyeing the ladle scoffed to take the attention of the scholar so he can receive the soup but to no avail. He was hungry and couldn't wait. And with no answer from Heeseung, Jayoon again proceeded to put the soup on the short guy's bowl. Jungwon's eye's became big in anticipation of receiving and tasting the food.

"No, But we know someone who knows you!" Heeseung said.
Jayoon paused. Jungwon scoffed again! This time at Heeseung. The boy was frustrated at those two guys who constantly were disturbing his peace of mind.
"Sir," Jungwon hastily eyed at Jayoon to give him the soup.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" the handsome scholar smiled and proceeded to pour the soup.

"Where is Lord Gim's daughter? We are here to find her!" Heeseung said and on hearing that the scholar froze.

Jungwon had enough! "I'm here hungry as hell and these guys are testing my patience!"  He took the ladle from the man and poured himself the soup and angrily went to the other side blabbering nonsense. He sat down on the small embankment on the side of the road to relinquish the goodness of the soup. Both Heeseung and Jayoon stood there astonished at his behaviour.

Back in the Lord Gim's house, the daughter and son in law with their attenders were preparing to depart to the Bak household. Sunwoo was in a palanquin and was carried by Bak servants. Sunghoon was on his horse. The little girl Chul was walking beside the sedan chair with a cloth pouch in her hand, following her was Jongsaeng, the cook.

From the palanquin, Sunwoo slightly opened the window veil and looked outside, at the Lord's house. Everyone were present there except for his mom! In the midst of  all of these messed up incidents, he never saw his mother. The mother to whom he was her world. The mother who would stay hungry to feed him. The mother whose eyes teared up everytime the lord scolded him. The mother who would make delicious meals for the lord's family and save some for him! His mother must be working hard in the kitchen right now! Sunwoo's eyes turned teary and the thought of her made him curse at himself. 'what really was I thinking!'

Sunghoon was riding the horse but he saw Sunwoo and realised the emotions going through Sunwoo's mind. He turned to the side of the palanquin stopping it in the process. Sunwoo was startled, he saw Sunghoon getting down from the horse and walking towards him. Chul suddenly backed herself clashing on to Jongsaeng, who angrily scolded the girl off. But she didn't mind. she was happy seeing Sunwoo and Sunghoon interacting in front of her!

Sunghoon reached out to Sunwoo who was sitting inside the Sedan chair by its window.
"My wife, I see that you are tremendously sad to leave your family behind." He said, "For you I have stopped this palanquin. Go! Go there again and say your goodbyes!"
Sunwoo's eyes brightened. "Don't worry, if you want to visit your family, you should! Go! Meet them once more before you go!" Sunghoon said this and went back to hop on his horse. He ordered to turn the procession around.
Chul walked beside the palanquin and smiled heartly at Sunwoo who was in disbelief. How can a man be like this! Da-hee could have been happy with Lord Bak. Sunwoo couldn't believe his ears. He felt relieved and hoped that he could meet his mother and hug her. Chul was smiling ear to ear kind of mocking at Sunwoo thinking how lucky she is to be married to a man like Lord Bak Sunghoon.

The procession turned their direction and proceeded towards the Gimhae house. The whole family was surprised at this. They all looked confused. As the  procession stopped at the house, Sunwoo immediately got out of the palanquin and strodded towards the family still his head was held low. When Lords wife asked him what happened, Sunwoo told her that she forgot something and instantly went inside. He searched for his mother and on entering the backyard, he saw his mother, a poor old woman washing clothes. Her hair was wet and messy.

Sunwoo slowly with heavy steps reached his mother. His mother turned around to see the Lord's daughter. She was shocked and suddenly bowed her head but Sunwoo advanced to hug her. The lady was really worried! How could the lord's daughter hug this lowly servant, she thought. What if, the lord sees them!?. But she stopped once she realised the girl was crying hugging her. She didn't move and the warmth of the tears that fell on her blouse made her sympathise with the other. She didn't know what was going on with the young girl but she said, 'everything will be alright'.

Sunwoo suddenly removed his hands from his mother and hesitantly ran back into the house.

In the other part of the province, Heeseung, Jungwon and Jayoon were having a talk in the Seonwoo premises. Three of them sat under the Banyan tree outside the Buddha shrine.

" Da-hee's brother and me were in the same School." Jayoon spoke, " While he was able to get into a  Seonggyungwan, I could only afford to go to a Seonwoo."
Heeseung listened carefully to the other.
"Da-hee, I saw her first in the Gimhae house when I went there to borrow a textbook from Taehyung hyung. She was a beautiful girl but moreover she was very brilliant!" Jayoon smiled, "She could learn great poems and Proses by heart on the first try. She would often win debates with her brother"

"She wasn't like her family at all. She was compassionate to everyone. Even me!" Jayoon got emotional as he uttered her name, "Da-hee was the kindest person I have ever met in my life."

"At first, we would discuss topics from the Four Books and Five Classics and then later it lead to us writing poems and songs for eachother.." Jayoon continued, " we fell in love unknowingly."

"She fled from her marriage on the night before!" Jungwon said, "We were the ones to help her reach you!".
"And our friend who helped her escape is in great trouble!" Jungwon added.

"Where is she?" Heeseung asked, "I must take her back home to save our friend. Tell me! Where is she?"

"I don't know!" Jayoon said.