768.I wish to stay by your side.
Park Seong-jin spoke first. "But... why are you here again?" It was a question, but there was no surprise in his tone, as if he already knew this person would come.
"I paid my respects to the Great Khan." After a brief pause, Zhang Zhiqian added, "I met with several high-ranking officials to inquire about the details of the matters at hand."
"Didn't they ask you to go to the palace?"
"I did. I turned it down."
Only then did Park Seong-jin look up. "Why?"
"I wish to stay by your side. Please allow me."
A brief silence passed. Park Seong-jin let out a dry laugh. It felt awkward that someone more than twice his age was calling him 'senior,' and now was asking to set up camp right beside him.
"Ugh, I too need some time," he said, half-joking.
"I won't be a bother," Zhang Zhiqian said.
Park Seong-jin sighed, and Zhang Zhiqian pointed something out. "You've already made quite a big move, haven't you?"
Park Seong-jin paused for a moment. "You're referring to the Empress matter, aren't you? I couldn't just sit there and take it."
"That too is something tied to the wine of karma," Zhang Zhiqian replied.
Park Seong-jin nodded. "It's karma, and it will give rise to more karma. But if it's fate, I won't avoid it."
His words were met with a soft, cautious voice, "You see karma too directly."
"Is there something wrong with seeing it directly?"
"It's not bad, it's just... narrow," Zhang Zhiqian said calmly.
"Narrow?" Park Seong-jin asked. "Are you saying it's narrow because I'm young?"
"It's not about age, it's about experience."
The voice remained calm. "You have lived with a strong will. It was the necessary attitude in your time."
"Are you saying it's different now?"
"It's no longer necessary. You have already surpassed that. Yet, you are still living with the mindset of the past."
Park Seong-jin sighed softly. "...And so?"
"That's why I need to be by your side."
"Now, what are you talking about?"
"I'll take care of the little things in this world. I'll ask about the reasons behind things and handle them flexibly."
"I've never relied on anyone."
"That's exactly it."
A silence lingered. Breaking it, Park Seong-jin spoke, "Only during the kurultai."
"That will be enough."
"I'll set up our camp just beside Goryeo's."
"Don't make it too noisy."
"Of course, you won't even notice it's there."
"And... will you really not bother me?"
"I won't speak unless you call me."
Park Seong-jin chuckled briefly. "Ha."
"I'll have the camp set up," Zhang Zhiqian added.
"Not too close."
"About ten tents?"
"Ten tents are too close... But that should be fine."
"Once the kurultai is over, we'll part ways."
"Yes. I'll stay by your side until then."
So, Zhang Zhiqian's camp was set up about ten tents away from the Goryeo camp. It wasn't too close, nor too far. Even if they tried not to be conscious of each other, the distance was naturally felt.
The Courtyard of Beijing:
The courtyards for the kurultai were filled with the military camps of various countries. Flags were mounted on every tent, and each flag represented a different master. Though the paths between them were wide, they were not places where one could walk freely. Eyes were constantly upon them, and every word spoken could become a problem.
The incident happened in front of the Goryeo army's camp. A few Yuan soldiers were blocking one side of the Goryeo camp. In front of them stood a Goryeo stableman, with two horses and a cart halted behind him.
"This area is under control starting today. No entry past this point," said the soldier. His tone wasn't rude, but it was just polite enough.
"It's the kurultai period. Movement of foreign military camps requires prior permission," the soldier continued.
The stableman looked unsure and glanced behind him at the Goryeo camp. At that moment, Park Seong-jin stepped out from the camp. The moment he set foot in the courtyard, all eyes turned toward him. The atmosphere shifted immediately. Though no words were spoken, his presence alone had already become a rumor.
"Don't block the way. If the cart can't get through, we'll carry it by hand," Park Seong-jin's voice was low but firm.
One soldier swallowed. He too had heard the rumors. But the Yuan flag was still behind him.
"According to regulations, carts aren't allowed inside. This is as far as they can go."
"Regulations are made for people, not the other way around," Park Seong-jin's gaze swept past the soldier, scanning the military camps behind him. This was a situation where it could end right here. He already knew where to apply pressure to make things crumble.
It was at that moment...
"Senior."
Zhang Zhiqian's voice came in just a half-beat later. When Park Seong-jin turned his head, Zhang Zhiqian had stepped out beside him. He wasn't blocking the way, nor stepping ahead; he merely positioned himself between the two parties.
"Please give me a moment," Zhang Zhiqian said.
The soldiers looked at him. His Daoist robe, calm gaze, and manner that naturally bridged the camp inside and out caught their attention.
"The cart carries not Goryeo's needs," Zhang Zhiqian continued. "It's tea and fodder for the horses, to be used at today's banquet."
The soldier narrowed his eyes.
"That makes it an even bigger issue."
"True," Zhang Zhiqian nodded. "Which is why it's a problem. If this is blocked, the banquet will be delayed. If the banquet is delayed, responsibility will fall on the entire courtyard."
He didn't speak directly to the soldiers but cast his gaze past them, toward the crowd behind the camp.
"Among those gathered here, who would want to bear such responsibility?"
The soldier's face stiffened. He didn't want to fight. More precisely, he didn't want to be the one who made the mistake.
Zhang Zhiqian finished with a soft tone.
"Let the regulations be as they are, but for today, simply mark this cart as 'no issues.'"
After a brief silence, one soldier nodded.
"Move along."
The path cleared. The cart moved forward, and the surrounding military camps resumed their noisy activities as if nothing had happened.
Park Seong-jin remained silent for a long time.
"If I were alone..." he spoke low, "I would have broken through here."
Zhang Zhiqian responded, "And you would have been at ease immediately."
"But the whole courtyard would be on alert because of you."
Park Seong-jin looked up at the tents. Countless flags fluttered in the wind.
"…This is a view I can't see."
Zhang Zhiqian shook his head.
"It's not that you couldn't see it, it's that you chose not to. There are ways to open a path with force, and ways to open it by stepping aside. You're just too accustomed to the first."
Park Seong-jin exhaled slowly. That day, he learned something else. This was another study he would have to learn going forward.