The Queen.

The officials began to show great shock. They all knew the Minister of Militaries weak son. They knew he was the childhood near brother like friend of the king. He was quite capable in terms of militia tactics quite the apple of his father, he was also a avid reader of literature and was a academia of highest honors from the Scholars association. He held real power in controlling scholars unlike these other officials who are either children of large families and are lost in the clouds or have forgotten their roots and hold only disdain to their former home.

Im Tae frowned deeply. He looked closely and indeed there were signs of castration having happened recently only. Yu Gu was shaking slightly, his arms were weak and his knees were near to collapsing. Furthermore a great paleness laid on his face as if anemic.

Premier Sun frowned and said, "Minster of Military are you trying to dilute the court by introducing your family into royal positions?"

Yu Yun said, "Premier how much do you think my family is worth to dare to that? I myself am away constantly at war and thus have hardly any place in the court. Furthermore the Eunuch of the king dies with the king such is tradition, this is similar to how the Royal physician dies. Gu is my only son and so my main family line will perish this generation, so I ask how am I diluting the court? Furthermore if you say that my son may mentally influence his highness I would like to remind you of his highnesses keen intellect and love of his people, and with these two ideas in place I would say his highness will never be swayed."

Im Tae seeing that Yu Gu was entering into dangerous territory exclaimed, "Enough. Yu Gu is a close friend and can be trusted as a confidante. Furthermore what the Minister of Military said is true the best Eunuch is not needed, but rather one that is comfortable to me."

The officials bowed and exclaimed together, "The highness is right."

Im Tae left the jade palace, Yu Gu shaking followed.

Im Tae in a corner abruptly grabbed Gu's shoulders and a look a anger appeared. He exclaimed, "What's wrong with you! Why have you become an Eunuch!?"

Gu said weakly, "Your majesty is not trying to say I do not have the right to choose how to express my body?"

Im Tae said, "Don't you know how dangerous the castration process is, how many people die? Don't you know how turbulent the palace is? How can you come in here!?"

Gu said sternly, "Brother it is my fault. If I had not joked around you wouldn't have to suffer like this. I cannot change history and stop you from taking the throne, but I can make sure you can vent your troubles and have a hand to hold."

Im Tae began to cry, "Brother... Brother... I'm sorry, it's all because of me."

Gu said, "Ai, you are just like when you were young. You take all the blame on to yourself and you cry. Come, come dry your eye's my king. What's happened has happened, now let us deal with the aftermath."

Im Tae nodded and he helped Gu walk.

The sun shone brightly down upon the two brothers. A mysterious wind carried away the laughter of the two as if nothing in the world existed anymore, but the affection of the two.

The day of the Queen selection had arrived. Many beautiful and elegant women wearing beautiful Hanfu's. White, gold, jade all the colors that could be imagined were present.

The girls each formed their groups where they talked and greeted each other with courtesy and manners. Any of these girls could be the Queen, what big coat tails would those be.

Yet set apart from the other girls was a girl wearing a Hanfu the color of a light pink pearl, a beautiful shimmer set upon it. Her eyes were sharp and her lips red. She had two big blue pupils, that shone a determined intensity.

She had a maid near her and the girl said excitedly to the maid, "Wanyu today's the day. I can meet him again. I can meet the prince once again."

The maid shared her joy and said, "Yes mistress today you will meet your first love once again. You will almost most definitely become the Queen. The name Queen Sandi will fill the world."

Sandi shook her head, "I don't care about any of that. I just want to be with Im Tae. I wonder if he still remembers me. It's been seven years since we last met in that small village to the north. That sand filled soup, the singing and the beauty of the fireworks, I still remember them but does he?"

The maid couldn't respond for a moment and said, "Mistress even if he doesn't either make him remember or make new memories."

Sandi said, "Thank you Wanyu. You are right I must never be prepared to fail, only to work harder."

A smile grew on Sandi's face as she puffed her chest out and glowed in pride.

Eventually the young women were led into numerous palaces to be tested.

There were numerous criteria's needed for a proper Queen. Most notably were her manners and how she talked, her grace how she walked and how she simply was, her poetry abilities, her family.

Many couldn't make the mark and those who could were further tested on various affairs and finally three candidates were left.

Sandi was one of the two final candidates. It had been a fierce and narrow competition and the intense expectations of their families didn't help the women one bit.

In front of the three girls were two men, one woman and one eunuch.

Im Tae sat in the middle. Premier Sun sat to the right and the Queen Dowager sat to the left looking indifferent. Yu Gu stood behind Im Tae with his eyes closed and a casual smile.

Premier Sun explained, "You three are the most talented women and are thus the most suitable to become Queen. Your qualifications are all suitable, but what matters now is whether you have a fate with his majesty. He will ask you three each one separate question. If the answer you provide suits his majesty you shall become our Queen. His majesty is talented in literature and had read the sage's texts numerous times. Prepare yourself, take as much time as you need and answer."

Premier Sun secretly nodded to Sandi. A comforting and encouraging smile on his old wrinkled face.

Im Tae knocked the table with his hand and said loudly with a now natural arrogance, "Well let us start."

He looked at the first girl who was quite pretty, but perhaps used too much makeup and looked off. She had big eyes and small lips, but she had an elegant bearing. She wore loose clothes, but one could see her figure was something that could incite the heart.

Im Tae calmly said, "If the eyes are the window to the soul as the ancients say, what do you believe the heart to be? When one is nervous their heart beats, when one is angry our hearts seem to be set ablaze, when sad our hearts seem to sink. Is this not the aspects of our soul, our emotion. Taking this information tell me why the eye's can be called the windows to the soul, and compare the two metaphors on which is more suitable and why."

The Queen Dowager mocked, "Your highness this isn't a trial of philosophy, we need to find both the most acceptable Queen as well as the most competent Queen."

Im Tae said quickly without a change in expression seemingly used to it, "Queen Dowager, this question is exactly what you say we should question. How can a Queen be expected to understand her people or her king unless she knows how the soul works. A Queen must understand emotions on a greater level than normal, without this a good Queen is lacking."

Im Tae then looked at the girl and said, "Please answer."

The girl thought of the question for five minutes and in fear of wasting anymore time gave a hurried answer, "The eye's are the windows to the soul because other people can understand how the person feels through that, but the heart is personal and other's can't understand the emotions filling the heart. Therefore in my opinion the eyes are far greater as they allow other's to understand one's pain and suffering and thus be able to help."

Im Tae smiled, "A very good answer in my opinion. It carries logic and also deeper thinking, furthermore it show's the benefit of the eye's reflecting the soul. Very impressive. Premier Sun your opinion?"

Premier Sun smiled and said, "Hm. It's extremely detailed indeed, but I feel it lacks the principal behind the saying. Similar to how an Eye for an Eye is a pardon for revenge. The eye's are the windows for the soul reflect how we grow and become done in by the vicissitudes of time, but we are forever the same person. Trying to compare one example of steadiness in change with a true form of emotion is hard and in my opinion useless. Thus although her answer is good, it fundamentally has no relation and proper explanation to the answer. My king?"

Im Tae nodded and said, "Yes, perhaps there is a oxymoron in doing this. Yet it isn't wrong in my opinion. It's human nature to do things we don't understand. Practitioner's in stories seek Immortality, but they lose so much on their journey they are basically living dead. People seek happiness, yet they do so many things that haunt them to such extremes that happiness seems to escape them even if in front of their eyes. Sometimes love can be poison. These are all ways in which humans are impractical, but yet we continue to do so and in fact in my opinion it's endearing and hopeful. Humans aren't people who give up, we fight for what we want and believe even if we end up burnt."

The room became quiet and seemingly a palpating feeling as if people could feel their blood tumbling and rushing began to spread. Premier Sun clasped his chest and knotted his brows.

Premier Sun said with a surprise filled smile, "Humans are endearing? I suppose I've seen too much filth that I've forgotten that. Not bad kid."

Im Tae looked at the second, "If a man came to you and asked for a seed, would you give the seed? If yes then if the man came back again and asked for a Ox to drag his cart would you give him the Ox? If yes then if the man became rich, but came and asked for a drink then would you give him the drink? I have two questions, if you gave the man all these things do you regret doing it and second what does it mean to do this."

The girl replied, "I would regret. I had given more and more and in the end I received nothing. Especially if he became rich and still didn't return me the debt. To do this set of actions is to be a fool."

Im Tae shook his head, "In my opinion it's not a fool who does this, but a smart person. The value of seeing someone succeed who you helped is in my opinion much more valuable that getting repayed. Monetary value is finite and even inconsistent, a drink in summer is more valuable than a drink in winter. The value you get back will never be comparable to what you give, but seeing the person you helped succeed is much more valuable. People are always more important than money."

Premier Sun seemed stunned and looked deeply at Im Tae. He seemed to be Continuously moved by this young man. A deep impression formed in Premier Sun's mind. The misty and dark world seemed to have a flicker of light, a fragment of hope of shining brightly and beautifully.

The Queen Dowager said, "Is that really how a King should rule? Letting other's walk over oneself? How foolish. Your majesty, in my opinion. This girls answer although a bit bare is the correct one."

Im Tae replied, "Queen Dowager we aren't tyrants or barbarian's. We are the leaders of the people and if we are so hungry for pride and money we will never be anything but a shabby empire. People are what build our walls and protect our people. Their value cannot be denied no matter what, therefore no matter what I set in stone my answer. She may not be wrong, perhaps that is a fools actions, but I prefer to believe and hope in people. It's too grim to believe that people are that ugly."

Sandi began to clap until she saw numerous eyes on her and then she gave a cheeky smile.

Premier Sun smiled and said, "I agree with the king. Seeing the people you help succeed is much more warming than cold money. People are warm and living beings. The Ancients say that a life has no comparable value, and that no amount of gold can compare. I wish to believe that the dreams of people aren't so little that a few coins can be exchanged."

Im Tae looked at Premier Sun and the two laughed for some strange reason.

Yu Gu smiled and so did Sandi.

Im Tae then said, "Alright last candidate. Let me ask you... What is the reason to live?"

Sandi took thirty minutes in deep thought.

The Queen Dowager roared furiously, a mean grin on her face, "How long will you take from our time."

Sandi bowed and said, "I apologise Queen Dowager, I simply wished to prepare an adequate answer such that I do not embarrass myself and waste the King's time."

Im Tae smiled and said, "It is fine. Please take as long as you need."

Sandi bowed and said, "I am ready. Your highness in my opinion the purpose of life is to smile. Very often we experience sad moments and cruel encounters, but life is to find a way to smile. Someone who gets stuck in those horrible moments doesn't live, he is a dead man walking. His expression and heart have shrunk and even death is a close resemblance. So obviously the opposite of what is resembling death is life. Smiling in happiness with those you love."

Im Tae's eye's widened, a mask of surprise sprung up on his face.

The air seemed to become scented in roses and Sandi seemed to shine brightly in everyone's eyes. She was like a bright moon shining upon them, and she seemed to reflect the Im Tae's light.

The two stared deeply into each other's eyes and suddenly the shut windows pushed open and warm spring winds flew into the palace and swept the documents inside. The world seemed to dissapear only the two staring at each other, one stuck in a mystery and the other burning in determination.

That same wind carried with it the warmth of peace and success and filled every corner of the empire. The poor and the rich, they all felt the warm wind which seemed to mark the beginning of something.

The seven tipped country began to morph past it's simplicity and it's bareness turning into the Seven dragon empire.

The great and kind King that stood at the helm and brought together the people, the formerly divided royal court and even the four warring empires. The elegant Queen who showed great intelligence and love for the people and showed great action towards the happiness and security of its people. The deceptive and protective Eunuch of the king who moved the shadows for the Sun. These three figures wrote their names down in history and brought the respect of all.