8 October 1889     I am summoned to the palace through a hastily written message by Her Majesty. It was delivered to me in secret through a common distant cousin—one of her maids—from the Yi clan. Two days ago, my father planned a meeting with Count Takai and his men to discuss Japan's interests in our country's military. I am supposed to be there but the orders from the empress herself superseded all other summons. Of course, I do not make it secret that I have little liking for my father's affairs. I would much rather be anywhere but with him.   Still, I liked the palace even less. The thought is unsurprising. I spent several years within its restrictive walls and before that in the solemn house of my cousin Lady Min—who became the Empress. The palace was too full of intrigue, secrets, and plots. I had been happy when I was sent to learn and train with Gojong himself, along with the sons of other noblemen.   How ironic that while I wanted in, the Emperor of All Korea wanted out. And he told me I would soon agree. And he was not incorrect.   She made me wait for close to an hour in an anteroom until one of her maidservants escorted me to a pavilion hidden from the courtyard—and the rest of the palace—by lush gardens. I found her there, alone, frowning over a baduk board already laden with the stones.   I looked around and saw we were left alone efficiently. What eyes and ears remained on us I am hopeful will remain blind and deaf.   She told me not to stand on ceremony but I am unable to not at least accord her the respect that befitted a woman of her station. I bowed low but not low enough to miss the lifting of her eyebrows. I am scolded, though I know only teasingly. If I cannot obey a simple request, what more something of a graver nature?   I sat down before her and the board, spent a minute or so deciding on my move and made it. We played in silence, I don't know for how long. Many years ago we would have been talking over the stones like angry crows, perhaps even gotten into an argument. Lady Min would have flicked one stone at me and I would have retaliated by flicking her directly on her forehead with my finger.   But I had an empress before me, not the cousin I grew up with. I had to learn how to distinguish when she left Lady Min and became Myeongseong in Unhyeon Palace.   Lady Min is an impressive baduk player but she seemed to have some difficulty winning stones. She was distracted and though she tried hard to keep it, I saw her hand shaking over the board and her eyes quivering with every sound that we did not make.   I sensed she was disturbed, greatly so but I held my tongue.   It was a longer time until she began to speak to me about the country, her gentle but weak-willed husband, the Daewongun, the Crown Prince, even her favorite maidservants. She talked about things I already knew and I felt her fear.   I gave her the last play but she did not make the move I expected her to make, to give her the winning strike. She moved another stone and we were both caught in a deadlock.   I am in a battle, were her words. But she also said she was out of choices.   I could not understand her but I refrained from speaking. She was not talking about the baduk game because I gave her a choice she did not take.   Jinki-yah. She called me by the name she knew me with as a young girl. And then she asked me about Count Takai and my father.   I wondered how she could have known. Perhaps she does have eyes and ears everywhere. I