Rena Moon

The Emperor was pleased with Yuna’s answer for his first question. He applauded her wisdom, “I’m very satisfied with your answer to the first question. For my second question, it is also a difficult question that may be a bit difficult for even the princes. After listening to your answer for the first question, I have high hopes that you will give me a satisfactory answer for the second one. The second question is if there was a crisis in our kingdom and there was a food shortage, how would you go about helping starving citizens?”

The second question seemed to tie in with the first question. The most likely reason for a food shortage was because there would be less crop yield for the farmers that were facing the drought. This problem wouldn’t be so prominent for the kingdom if the drought were prevented.

Food storage could also be the problem because there was no such thing as a fridge. During this time, Guwon didn’t have a way to store food and they didn’t realize that freezing food was an option. There was also a solution of drying food.

The country of Guwon heavily relied on vegetables. Meat was included in their diet, but they were only willing to eat pork, chicken, and fish. Beef was considered extremely rare because they were treated specially. They had the role of pulling carts in the farm. The reason was because of the lack of technology.

Yuna began to wonder if the citizens of Guwon would accept beef as a source of meat. She doubted the idea because of the culture that was instilled in their society. She thought of all the possibilities and she came up with a variety of different ways to combat starvation.

Another solution she thought of was the different types of seafoods that were not being used as food sources. In Guwon, people did not eat shrimp and Yuna thought it was a waste because shrimp was extremely delicious in her opinion.

Yuna formulated these thoughts into her head and answered, “I’ve come up with some solutions, but it requires people to be more open to change. I wouldn’t want the citizens of our country to judge the dishes that I have in mind without actually trying them out. This may seem unusual, but there is shrimp in the sea that can be used as a food source. Most fishermen have seen shrimp as bait to catch fish but have not thought of eating shrimp because of its shell and how tiny they are. The shell can be peeled off and the head can be removed. After cooking the shrimp until it is a pink color, the shrimp will be complete and ready to eat. Shrimp is actually a great way to combat starvation because shrimp is the most populated species in the ocean. They play a great role in our food chain. Majority of sea creatures rely on shrimp to survive. So why can’t humans?”

Some people seemed disgusted with eating shrimp because they were used to seeing shrimp as the bottom dwellers in the ocean. It seemed that they were reluctant to try it out. Although they didn’t want to bother with the idea of eating shrimp, they did become curious after Yuna’s explanation on how to cook it. Some adventurous foodies became curious about how shrimp would taste after listening to her explanation.

Yuna continued, “That is one solution, but I have another. The storage of food is extremely poor in our country. I’ve noticed that most foods are prepared immediately, and the ingredients are gone to waste after only a day. If possible, I would like to show everyone that food can be stored for months without it going bad.”

The Emperor was curious as to how Yuna could come up with a solution to store food to prevent starvation in their country. He let her continue and no one bothered to interrupt her train of thought because they were extremely curious as to how she would go about storing food for months without it spoiling. The only food they could think of was rice.

Yuna explained, “If no one has known. Food can be frozen to last for months on end. It isn’t common because vegetables and meat are readily available for people that can afford it. Most people that live in the tundra and cold environments are used to freezing their food and making it last throughout the cold winters. People may worry that the ice used to freeze food would melt instantly in this hot weather, but it is possible to maintain cold temperatures in dark and enclosed places like underground.

Another way to store foods involves drying the foods. Usually, foods that are dried can last a lot longer than fresh foods. Meats can be dried and seasoned to create jerky and that is also especially useful for the soldiers that are out at war. I hope that my answers seem adequate enough to be considered as a solution. If there are any doubts about anything I have mentioned, feel free to ask me more questions.”

Some of the terms that Yuna used were too complex for the common person to understand. Some of her explanations seemed far beyond their knowledge. They didn’t know if any of Yuna’s ideas would work, but it seemed like her answers were correct and logical.

The Empress’ smile seemed to be fading when Yuna answered the second question without a hitch. She began to worry about whether Yuna would be able to answer the last question as well. She couldn’t help but frown at the little girl that was smarter than her expectations. If this didn’t work out, she needed to find a way to get rid of her.

The Emperor on the other hand was overjoyed with Yuna’s answers. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He felt that Yuna was better than any of the kids in his kingdom. He wondered why he hadn’t met her beforehand.

He grinned, “I’m deeply satisfied with this answer as well. I will have to implement some of your ideas into our society so that our country can flourish. I hope that many of our citizens will be grateful towards you for the changes that will be implemented in the future. Now that you have answered 2 of the questions successfully, I will have to make the last question extremely difficult compared to the former questions.”

The Empress hoped with all her heart that this last question would stump her. She clenched her hands together in anticipation as the emperor asked the last question.

The emperor spoke slowly and clearly for everyone to hear, “This last question is just a what if situation. I do not want everyone to think that our country is experiencing this problem, but I would still like to know your answer to the question. The last question is if the nobility and merchants in the kingdom were slowly becoming wealthier and more powerful to the point that the king would be overruled, what would the king have to do to regain his power?”

Yuna felt that this question was extremely dangerous and if she answered incorrectly, she could offend the wrong people. She was also considered nobility so that could also put her family in danger. This last question made Yuna realize the reasons for why the Emperor would ask this question.

Although the Emperor made the question seem like it wasn’t happening in the Country of Guwon, it was something that would happen in the near future. When Yuna observed the Emperor’s expression, she could tell that he was worried about this particular situation because he was the type to plan ahead. The Emperor was wise, and she admired him for noticing the small changes that were happening in his kingdom.

The reason for the nobility and merchant’s success coincided with the corruption that took place behind the scenes. The correct answer lied in revealing these corrupt officials and nobility. The Emperor knew that this was a dangerous question, but he still chose to ask it. She could tell that he was expecting her to point them out so that he could correct the corruption without putting blood on his hands. He wanted Yuna to deal with the brunt of the problem.

Yuna carefully answered the question, “I believe that the only reason that the king would be overruled by his citizens lies in corruption. I know that it would be extremely difficult to find this corruption with the way our society works. Most of the finances of nobility and merchants are not displayed for everyone to see.”

Some of the corrupt nobility in question felt their hands grow clammy from being nervous. If Yuna spoke the answer correctly, they were afraid that their heads would fly. If they wanted to save themselves, they needed to find out how Yuna would answer quickly to prevent their losses. Most of these nobles felt the need to escape from the palace immediately but could not. There were countless number of soldiers and guards stationed at the entrance of the royal palace. There were also a lot of people there. It would raise suspicion if any of them were to escape openly.

Yuna finalized her answer by pointing out flaws in their system, “It would be ideal for the king to establish a system that can record the finances of each family. It is vital that there are people that specialize in finances to look through the reports thoroughly to find any loose ends. The people in charge of this are known as accountants and auditors. The process would be efficient if the accountants and auditors worked together to check these reports in an orderly fashion.”

Yuna answered the question very well and she was able to protect her family from trouble with her answer. The question somehow applied to her father because he was one of those nobles that were considered extremely powerful. Although he wasn’t involved in any corruption, he still had the power to overrule the king. She became worried about her father. She didn’t want the Emperor to mention anything about her father because he knew clearly that no one could force her father in anything and that included the Emperor himself.

The Emperor wasn’t completely satisfied with her answer, but he felt that she did a fairly good job. He still wanted to point out her father’s position to scare her a bit. He said, “I believe that you answered the question well enough, but I wanted to ask you a question regarding these nobles with power.”

The Emperor paused before continuing, “There may be corrupt officials, but what about those that are not corrupt? There are still nobles that have more power than the king and they also have an abundance of wealth that can overthrow the king. How would the king be able to prevent that from happening?”

Yuna was doing simply fine with the other two questions, but this last question seemed more difficult than she thought. It was obvious that the Emperor was referring to her father. She glanced in her father’s direction to see his expression. Her father was at the edge of his seat in concern. He wanted to go to Yuna at that exact moment, but he couldn’t have all eyes on him when the emperor asked this question.

He felt that the emperor was purposely trying to show that regardless of his power, he could not do anything while his daughter struggled under the eyes of all the royals and nobles. He clenched his fists in fury when he saw the emperor grin at him while asking the question.

Yuna noticed that the air was becoming thin and the people were beginning to catch on. They knew how powerful the Kim Family was and it seemed that some were happy to see them struggle. She tried to remain calm by taking in deep breathes while thinking about how to overcome this situation.

She straightened her back and faced the emperor head on without any fear. She spoke loudly and clearly for everyone to hear, “If there are people that are more powerful than the king, their loyalty must be tested. I believe that if these people are of no threat to the king, they should not be punished for the power that they have. If they have shown their loyalty through countless efforts without betraying the king, they should not be doubted. The king has nothing to fear and if they are indeed a good king, they would trust in those that have been loyal and honest. Most good kings would not be so pathetic to the point that they would feel insecure by their attendants. That is what I believe.”



The Emperor was dumbstruck by Yuna’s answer. He felt that she had somehow called him pathetic for doubting in her father. He couldn’t help but laugh after listening to her answer. The General had raised a strong and intelligent daughter. He wasn’t surprised that she was the daughter of the general. She was stronger than his sons. No one had ever stood up to him like this other than the general. He felt that both of them were indeed father and daughter.

The Emperor roared with laughter, “I am content with the answer that you have given me. You have passed. I will allow you to become Princess Ara’s teacher. I’m grateful for the Kim Family for their constant loyalty and their assistance. I am proud of you as the father of this nation. If everyone could please give the general’s daughter, Yuna a round of applause.”

Everyone began applauding Yuna with fervor. Yuna looked directly at her father to see his reaction. Her father smiled proudly at his daughter. He was proud of her for being able to stand up to the Emperor with so much courage. He did not expect his daughter to be anything like him, but he was wrong. She grew up to be strong like him.

Her mother that stood next to her father was in tears as she watched Yuna safely return to them. She was worried that their family would be in danger. Although they were safe now, there were bound to be more troubles in the future. She wasn’t as strong willed as her husband and daughter, but she was willing to become strong. She needed to be strong in the future to stand beside her family.