Priestess of The Moon

Chapter 5

We decided the Go match would be in five days.

I counted the days carefully. It seemed that my schedule became more and more busy recently. I had numerous more meetings with the Emperor and his Council, or occasionally their guests, the next full moon I had to meet with Zhu Hua and some other members of the Hu clan who were possible candidates for the seat of successor, and in five days was the Go match.

"Are you feeling fine, Priestess?" Mei asked me. I looked up from the wooden board dotted with black and white to her face.

Mei was a girl sold by her parents to work in the palace as a child and she had been my closest maidservant since I was of age. I always liked her because of her gentleness when combing my hair and dressing me, but also because she was educated. She could play complex games, talk about the books I read too, and tell me about the outside world.

"I don't think I can win against you," I sighed. "I can't believe how good you are at only seventeen-I wonder how good you'll be when you're an adult."

"You flatter me," she said, looking away. "I'm nothing but a servant."

"But your intellect surpasses some of His Highness's advisors that come," I teased. She laughed.

"Thank you. Also there is a way, Priestess. If you focus on the closer pieces first and ignore the corners, which I'm leading you to do, you might overtake me."

I smiled. "Are you sure you should be giving your enemy advice?" 

"Don't you have an important match?"

My hand stopped midair.

"Mei-do you know about it?"

She looked at me slowly, her large eyes innocent.

"Not exactly-but I won't tell. I would like you to trust me, if you can."

I think about what she could possible mean. She knows about the match? Or that Rui is visiting me? Or maybe about Rui, Zhu Hua, and Yang Jun? Maybe even about going outside?

Should I ask how much she knew?

At the same time, though, that would be incriminating myself.

"I'm sorry if I've upset you in any way," she apologized. I realized my hand was still in the air and quickly put the piece I picked up down.

"No," I whispered. "It's fine."

"I understand it might be rude of me to say so, but if you feel like you have no chance of winning in the middle of a battle, the most important thing is to not let the enemy know that. Be confident. Take risks. Do something unexpected."

I looked at her in surprise.

"You mean for Go?"

She smiled.

"In games, and in life."

***

By the time five days had passed, Mei and I had practiced enough to the point I could beat her two out of three games.

That night, like before, all three of them snuck into my room after I had my dinner.

Me and Rui sat across each other at the table, the board between us, with Zhu Hua at my side and Yang Jun on his.

This time Zhu Hua ate the plums on the plate on my table, and Yang Jun drank some of the tea I had prepared. Both of them were watching us duel while relaxing, as though we were fighting crickets and they were betting on us.