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Yun Zhong Ge Chapter 32: Aroma Filling the Room
Poor Xiao Mei. To have no family, no one who truly cares, no love, I can't even begin to imagine how would feel. This is when Liu Xun gets his first taste of power, and power can be like a drug, once you have a taste of it, you just want more. Its obvious Yun Ge still cares for Meng Jue, if not why all that avoidance? After all, he was her proper first love, and even Liu Fu Ling can sense it. How awesome was it that Liu Fu Ling actually looked to Yun Ge for her opinion first when Meng Jue asked whether they could be alone? It isn't about him, or his feelings, but about her. He put her first, her feelings, her emotions, her everything came first. That is enough for me to be on the Liu Fu Ling & Yun Ge s.h.i.+p.
CHAPTER COMPLETE. I'm so sorry about the delay this time. I've been really busy and feeling under the weather as well. The weather has been crazy and everyone seems to be falling sick around me ):
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Chang An was never short of legends.
In this world’s busiest and most bustling city, there were hostages who later became princes, songtresses who became Empresses, grooms who became generals, ‘keeping Empress Chen Jiao in a golden house’, beauties who sweep kingdoms off their feet. Then of course, there were also Emperors and princes who died sudden deaths, crown princes who became commoners, Empresses who received a commoner burial. The people of Chang An weren’t easily excited for they were already used to the
legends, so only a truly amazing legend who get them abuzz with excitement. If someone became a general, or some rags to riches story about a maid marrying n.o.bility actually happened, it will be talked about, but weren’t considered legends. However, this spring, a new legend was born in Chang An, even the people of Chang An who were already used to legends knew a legend when they saw one. They knew it would be like other legends, pa.s.sed along for hundreds, no, thousands of years.
“By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor’s edict was as follows: The witch hunt implicated many, and dragged out for years, I have often lost sleep because of that. The great-grandson of the late Emperor- Liu Xun, has been drifting as a commoner for the past ten years. Bearing the will of the late Emperor, I p.r.o.nounce special pardon for him against this crime, and bestow upon him the t.i.tle of Marquis of Yangwu.” Liu Xun, Crown Prince Ju’s eldest grandson, was born to much fanfare. During his first month celebration, the late Emperor decreed the whole world celebrate along with the imperial family. Then, when he was still too young to know anything, Crown Prince Ju’s entire clan was killed and the young Liu Xun was imprisoned. Thereafter, all forms of calamity happened during the time he was in prison. First, the prison caught fire, killing countless prisoners. Then, some prisoners rioted, killing guards and prisoners alike. The fate of the young Liu Xun was a mystery during the spate of ‘accidents’, no one knew whether he was alive or dead. Rumours spread that he had died, some said that he lived. Most people understood that it was only a few kindhearted souls who hoped that he lived. After the news of the pa.s.sing of Emperor Wu of Han, and the rise of a new Emperor, a new page of history had turned, burying everything to do with Crown Prince Ju along with it.
Sometimes a few people might speak of Crown Prince Ju’s n.o.ble deeds in pa.s.sing, but Liu Xun who didn’t leave any impression, was completely forgotten. Unexpectedly, after more than ten years, Liu Xun reappeared in Chang An, in addition, he was someone many Chang An people were familiar with: The head of youxia- Liu Bing Yi. From an imperial descendant to a prisoner, from a prisoner to youxia, from youxia to Marquis. How was this not a legend? Everything about Liu Xun was dug up once again to be subject to deeper scrutiny; as if they could find some deeper meaning behind all the events once further discussion was held.
‘Idle loafer’ became known as ‘enduring humiliation with dignity’, ‘no gainful employment’ became a man ‘of lofty ambitions’, ‘combative and itching for a fight’ became ‘heroism in his bones’. Also, his marriage with Xu Ping Jun, Xu Ping Jun once known as ‘muddled in the head, blind in the eyes’ suddenly became known as ‘wise woman who knew a hero’, turning into the heroine of the legend in her own right. The officials at court were all abuzz with news of the reappearance of the grandson of Crown Prince Ju. Huo Guang meticulously observed, but still couldn’t figure out what Liu Fu Ling was trying to do.
Emperors were usually guarding against their relatives more than officials because the probability of their relatives usurping the throne was always far higher than that of court officials.
Yet, Liu Fu Ling was slowly paving the way for Liu Xin, first allowing Liu Xun to s.h.i.+ne at court, gaining the recognition of those at court, then allowing him to gain recognition among the people as well. At first there were a few officials who were unhappy with the way his majesty was promoting Liu Xun, but once they found out his ident.i.ty, all unhappiness turned into sincere congratulations. After conferring the t.i.tle of Marquis on Liu Xun, he made him Director of the Secretariat, commanding him to record all matters of state, in charge of the edicts the Emperor made. Although it wasn’t a very important position, it was a good position to start from, allowing him to be familiar with all affairs of state. Then there was Liu He. Huo Guang couldn’t understand this man either. If his frivolousness was an act, but it wasn’t like Liu He was keeping a low profile these past few years then putting on that ridiculous act. It was during the reign of the late Emperor, when Huo Guang witnessed the actions of a ridiculous prince, Liu He was only eleven or twelve then, Huo Guang couldn’t think of any reason for him to act that way. Yet, if his frivolousness was real, Huo Guang just couldn’t completely believe that either for some reason. Right now, he just couldn’t work out why Liu Fu Ling summoned Liu He to the capital. It was like a game of chess, though he could see the pieces his opponent had, he couldn’t figure where his opponent would place them next, so he could only act first.
His mission was of utmost importance. If a Huo maiden were to first bear a prince, then everything would be so much easier with a prince they could rely on. In order to send Huo Cheng Jun into the palace, he paid a visit to Xiao Mei to discuss his intentions. First, whether or not Liu Fu Ling liked women, in order to secure his throne, he would have to take on concubines. If he chose the daughter of an important court official, then that officials’ family’s rise and fall would be tightly knitted to his majesty’s power. Liu Fu Ling would then gain a powerful helper to reduce the influence of the Huos at court. This was definitely not what Huo Guang wanted, in order to prevent the other court officials’ daughters from entering the palace, he would first pick a few irrelevant maidens, and rely fully on Xiao Mei. Secondly, he didn’t want Xiao Mei to first hear of his plans to send Cheng Jun into the palace from someone else, making her feel like she wasn’t part of the Huos; he wanted Xiao Mei to be part of them.
Xiao Mei was still her sweet, obedient self, nodding at everything he said, clapping her hands in joy when he mentioned sending Huo Cheng Jun to the palace, saying “Finally, a relative to accompany me in the palace.”
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It was a banquet thrown to celebrate Empress Shang Guan’s fourteenth birthday. With Huo Guang behind it, the banquet thrown was grander than ever before. Court officials and their wives gathered at Jian Zhang Palace, congratulating the Empress on her birthday. Liu Fu Ling also bestowed expensive gifts on her, blessing her on her birthday.
Xiao Mei was seated below Liu Fu Ling, towards the side, when she heard his sincere congratulations, although she still felt lonely, she was happy. She plucked up courage to talk to him; he smiled as he answered each of her questions. When he talked to her, his body would bend slightly forward, his attention rapt. In his eyes, Xiao Mei could only see two of her little reflections and at that moment, all her loneliness vaporized. At least, he could only look at her now. Xiao Mei suddenly felt something indescribable towards Huo Guang. He was still her grandfather after all, and he was the only one who planned this grand banquet for her, remembered her birthday, and it was only him that could make his majesty sit by her side, to drink wine and talk with her.
Warmed with wine, the officials at the Ministry of Rites presented to Xiao Mei the embroidery commoners made in lieu of her birthday. Eight palace maids carried a roll of fabric in, about 1 or 2 zhang wide.
Her curiousity piqued, Xiao Mei smiled and asked “What was so big that they had to embroider it on such a large piece of cloth?” The eight palace maids slowly unrolled the embroidery. On the wide, red silk, a thousand children were embroidered on it, each of their expressions different, some were cute and naïve, some were playful and happy, some were pouting in anger, some were clever and smart, and so on. The official who presented the gift kowtowed to congratulate her. “May his and her majesty bear a hundred sons and thousands of grandchildren.”
In an instant, Xiao Mei’s heart tumbled thousands of feet into the deep abyss. So this was the reason behind Huo Guang planning this birthday banquet for her! But this was her birthday! Her hands hidden beneath her sleeves, she pinched herself hard, for this was the only way to maintain her smile. Chancellor Tian Qian Qiu stood, and reported “Your majesty, currently all six palaces are empty, for the sake of your empire, I beseech your majesties to make plans.” Huo Guang looked towards Xiao Mei, his eyes full of meaning. Xiao Mei’s palm was already blue and green with pinch marks, but she still smiled sweetly as she said “Chancellors.h.i.+p, you speak logically. I have erred. As Empress it is time to help his majesty choose his concubines and fill the harem.” At her words, Huo Guang finally stood and suggested to Liu Fu Ling to choose a concubine, and all the other officials quickly followed in succession. Liu Fu Ling was childless, worrying many court officials, even those who didn’t usually agree with Huo Guang also beseeched Liu Fu Ling to choose a concubine, first was truly for the sake of the empire, and second, they were hoping the prince would not carry Huo blood. Liu Fu Ling blandly said “Today is the Empress’ birthday; we can talk about this later.”
Tian Qian Qiu immediately started launching into a grand speech, from Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang to the late Emperor Liu Che, not one Emperor was like Liu Fu Ling, their harems still empty at twenty one years of age. The fervor intensified, and with Tian Qian Qiu leading the crowd, all court officials knelt as one, successively. Then, in the huge Jian Zhang grand hall, the whole crowd of people acting as one, kneeling, kowtowing, then shouting “For the sake of the empire, may your majesty please reconsider!” Their bellowing shook the pillars of the hall. Then the kneeling, kowtowing and shouting resumed. “For the sake of the empire, may your majesty please reconsider!”
Kneeling…
Kowtowing…
Shouting…
Rising…
Over a hundred officials repeating the same action; their voices travelled out of Jian Zhang Palace to its surroundings. Although their actions seemed respectful, in actual fact, they were forcing him to make a decision by refusing to stop. As long as Liu Fu Ling didn’t nod, everyone would only ask him to ‘reconsider’. Even Yun Ge standing at a corner could feel their attacking force rolling towards her in waves, much less, the one everyone was kneeling to- Liu Fu Ling? Liu Fu Ling stared at his feet, the officials repeatedly kneeling, his fists clenched in his sleeves, his veins pulsed, but he couldn’t do anything to stop them. Shang Guan Xiao Mei suddenly collapsed backwards, falling hard on the floor. A palace maid screamed “Your majesty, your majesty!” Xiao Mei’s face was deathly pale, her lips blue, remained unconscious.
The officials' “For the sake of the empire, may your majesty please..” stopped, choking on their words, dumbly staring at the palace maids and eunuchs all in a frenzy. Liu Fu Ling looked deeply at Xiao Mei then commanded “Send her majesty back to the palace immediately, and send for a physician to go to Jiao Fang Hall.” At that, he hurriedly left along with his Empress.
A whole hall full of officials, everyone looking at each other, then at the empty dragon and phoenix couch, horror and despair written plainly on their faces. It was the Empress’ birthday banquet, now that the Empress was gone, what were they celebrating? Everyone left resentfully.
Tian Qian Qiu sidled up to Huo Guang, whispering “Lord Huo, what do you think we should do?”
Huo Guang was still smiling, though his tone was cold, and turned to Huo Yu “I’m worried about her majesty’s health, go tell the physician to do a thorough check, and take proper care of her.” Huo Yu replied “Your son understands.” Hurriedly running off towards the Grand Imperial Inst.i.tute. Huo Guang turned to Tian Qian Qiu “I am her majesty’s grandfather, now that she has taken ill, I am greatly anxious and worried about her health. We will speak of this only when her majesty has recovered.” Tian Qian Qiu nodded “Your lords.h.i.+p is right.” Huo Guang felt a mix of surprise and anger.
With the Empress taken ill, as a subject and as her grandfather, there was no reason for him to be begging his majesty to choose a concubine at this stage, disregarding her health. If Huo Cheng Jun were to enter the palace now, and if this story spreads to the common folk, it would be easy for them to jump to the conclusion that she was fighting with her majesty for favour, and the Empress was so angered she fell ill. Before being t.i.tled concubine, first losing her virtue, this was disadvantageous to not only Huo Cheng Jun, but also the future of the Huos.
Under the cover of the night, Huo Yu brought several physicians who just saw Xiao Mei to see Huo Guang. These physicians were all Huo Guang’s trusted cronies, they promised Huo Guang that her majesty had really fallen ill, it definitely wasn’t faked. She had fallen ill because of the suppressed melancholy in her heart and the wind and cold that buffeted her body. Her cold triggering the melancholy; it wasn’t difficult to treat but would need some time to recuperate.
Huo Guang’s anger subsided somewhat, but his suspicion just couldn’t be erased. The following day, once court was adjourned, he requested Liu Fu Ling to permit him to visit Xiao Mei.
Once he reached Jiao Fang Hall, he carefully interrogated the palace maids. The palace maids reported, before Huo Guang’s last visit to her majesty, she was already coughing slightly at night. Palace maid Cheng’er nagged her to see a physician but her majesty roundly refused. After he saw her majesty, her spirits lifted greatly, and she started talking more, but she had headaches and felt tired in the mornings. Cheng’er once again advised her majesty to summon a physician but once again, received her majesty’s rejection. Her majesty said once she was done settling the matters of the next few days, she would be fine with a few days of rest. They didn’t expect her symptoms to actually get worse, leading to her falling ill in the end. Huo Guang calculated the dates, and his suspicion that Xiao Mei was faking her illness dissipated as well; he was only left with a sense of helplessness. Some of his anger he directed at the palace maids serving Xiao Mei, no one actually truly cared about her health, all he heard was Cheng’er advised, Cheng’er worried, but this Cheng’er was not even one of his own.
When he stepped forth to see Xiao Mei, Xiao Mei was shedding tears on her pallet. “Grandfather, when will little aunt come into the palace? I feel terrible; I want her here with me. Grandfather, please allow little aunt come to the palace to accompany me.” She was still his flesh and blood, so Huo Guang felt quite bad too. If any other official’s daughter in Chang An fell sick, she will definitely be meticulously cared for by her mother, with her sisters around her to entertain her and her brothers and father to check up on her. Although Xiao Mei belonged to the n.o.blest of families, when she fell ill, she only had a group of palace maids who didn’t even care about her in front of her pallet.
After Huo Guang requested his leave, he specially summoned Cheng’er over and nicely reminded her “Do take good care of her majesty. After her majesty recovers, you’ll definitely be nicely rewarded, your father and your brothers will benefit too.” Cheng’er’s face fell as she was reminded of her father and brothers whom she haven’t seen in years, and bowed gratefully to Huo Guang “Waiting on her majesty was what your servant was supposed to do. Lord Huo, maybe some words are better not said, but if your servant doesn’t say it, then no one else would, so your servant can only follow her heart, whether right or wrong.” Huo Guang said “I am not someone who would criticize harshly, don’t worry. If you have anything to say, speak.” “Her majesty had a slight fever over the past two days, your servant often heard her mumbling in her sleep, sometimes calling “Grandfather”, sometimes calling for “Mother”, sometimes calling for “Uncle”, and sometimes she will cry and say “lonely”. When she wakes up with a start in the middle of the night, she will ask “Is little aunt here yet?”. If my lord has the time, please visit her majesty more often. Your servant thinks that it will be more effective than any other medicine.” Huo Guang’s gaze swept across all the other palace maids, some of them immediately bowed their heads.
“When your servant was on night s.h.i.+ft, I heard it too.”
“Your servant also heard her sleep talk, once screaming “Grandfather, uncle, bring me out of the palace.’”
“Your servant thought it was just normal sleep talk stemming from homesickness, and so didn’t….” The palace maid spoke haltingly, afraid to continue.
All of Huo Guang’s suspicions truly vanished then, and praised Cheng’er saying “Many thanks for your thoughtfulness towards her majesty.” Cheng’er quickly replied “It was only your servant’s duty; your servant doesn’t dare to accept my lord’s thanks.”
As Huo Guang walked out, he ran into Yun Ge on her way to visit Shang Guan Xiao Mei. Yun Ge moved towards the side to let him pa.s.s, bowing prettily in greeting. Huo Guang already knew that Yun Ge often came to play with Xiao Mei. If Xiao Mei was sick, Yun Ge would naturally come to see her. Thus, he wasn’t surprised, treating her like any higher ranking palace maid, nodding in greeting as he walked past her.
When Cheng’er saw Yun Ge, she happily went forward to receive her. The other palace maid treated her coldly, going off to do whatever they were supposed to do. On the other hand, Mo Cha who came with Yun Ge was only a normal palace maid, they didn’t need to guard against her, plus she was always cheerful and generous, everyone had more or less gotten a few treats from her, so they all greeted her with smiles when she walked past. When they smelt the unique scent on her, everyone crowded around curiously. “What kind of scent is this, for it to be so unique?”
Mo Cha proudly opened up her pouch to let them see “This was made recently by the physician; Supervisor Yu gave me a bit of it. Not only is the scent special, it can also calm one’s senses and cure coughs.” The moment the pouch opened, the aroma filled the room, like fragrant orchids and irises. Living in the palace, they had already smelt various scents, but this particular scent appealed to all of them and they crowded closer for a look. “Is it really that wonderful? I don’t sleep well at night.” Mo Cha was being her usual self, although she didn’t have much, but everyone there could get a bit of it. Yun Ge turned to Cheng’er and smiled “Go play with them too! I come here often and am very familiar with this place, no need to specially attend to me.” Cheng’er had taken a whiff of the scent too, and already liked the scent, so she nodded her head. “If missy has anything, do call upon your servant.” She ran off to Mo Cha’s side for a bit of the scented powder.
“Are you feeling better?” Shang Guan Xiao Mei heard Yun Ge’s voice; she shut her eyes as she continued to sleep, ignoring her. “Many thanks for you agreeing to help us.” Xiao Mei turned around; lying on her side “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This illness has sapped me of my strength, where would I have the strength to help others?” Yun Ge didn’t know what to say, so she continued to sit quietly.
When a few palace maids turned their heads to check on Yun Ge and her majesty, they only saw that the both of them weren’t talking, Yun Ge sitting quietly by the pallet and her majesty lying down with her eyes shut, looking a little tired. The palace maids smiled in relief then turned back to discuss scents with other palace maids, only half keeping an eyes on their actions.
Although Shang Guan Xiao Mei’s eyes were closed, her face a picture of calm, in heart there was never-ending wind and rain. Her grandfather thought his majesty didn’t favour her because she wasn’t gentle or pretty enough, thinking that in other to preserve his throne, his majesty would take in concubines and sow his seeds; but he was wrong. It wasn’t that her grandfather wasn’t smart, he was just too smart. He a.s.sumed that men as smart as him would know what is important, what isn’t, when to attack and when to give up, but he didn’t know that there were truly men who were smart and muddleheaded.
She didn’t know why she rejected Yun Ge soundly even though she definitely didn’t want to see Huo Cheng Jun in the palace either. Maybe it was because she wanted to see Yun Ge disappointed and sad; she didn’t like Yun Ge’s smiles. Yet Yun Ge disappointed her once again. Yun Ge didn’t seem upset at her rejection, neither did she show her disappointment, only gently saying “I understand, you have it harder than us.” No one can lie better than her, for they only lie as they lived, but she was living a lie. Her whole life was a lie. Yet she couldn’t detect any forced smiled on Yun Ge’s face, or hear Yun Ge utter any lie.
After getting warmer, the weather turned cold again, so it was easy to catch a chill. And so, she fell sick. She was worried that her grandfather would suppress news of her illness, so not only must she fall sick, she must let the world know.
Every spring, the Empress would lead the official’s wives to pray to the Silkworm G.o.ddess, to pray to the Heavens for abundance of food and clothes for everyone, so she was planning to fall sick and collapse at the mulberry trees. She didn’t expect the chill in her body to be brought out by the storm in her heart, suddenly collapsing last night when she felt anger and sorrow consuming her.
She told herself, this was only for herself - it was for her mother who killed herself, for her brother who died so young, for all the lives lost in the Shang Guan clan. She wasn’t helping him, definitely not!
A palace maid outside the curtain said “Your majesty, it is time to take your medicine.”
Shang Guan Xiao Mei opened her eyes and smiled at Yun Ge “Go back! This isn’t a serious illness; the physicians said I would recover after three, four months of proper rest. Don’t worry too much.” Yun Ge nodded silently, and left Jiao Fang Hall after bowing.
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“She refused to accept our thanks.”
Liu Fu Ling nodded, not saying a word. Yun Ge continued “Xiao Mei is only giving us three to fourth months; we must settle the rest ourselves.” Liu He smiled “You’re still troubled over the Huo Cheng Jun matter? Isn’t it just the problem of being childless? Based on what the officials are saying, this is an issue indeed. Your majesty, you should work harder at night, if you do, making a child in three to four months, or even more than one, shouldn’t be a problem at all. Your subject is just confused, why has your majesty seemed to miss the mark even after so many years?”
Indeed, no one could beat Liu He’s cheekiness, for he actually said those words with no fear.
Liu Fu Ling remained expressionless but Yun Ge’s cheeks were rosy red, she made a sound of annoyance “Do you think everyone is like you?” Then turned around and left hurriedly.
Liu He stared at Liu Fu Ling, surprising himself by actually detecting a trace of shyness under Liu Fu Ling’s expressionless façade. A mistake? It has to be a mistake! Liu He’s eyes grew round, and said in disbelief “Your majesty….you….you…..couldn’t have not, have not….could you possibly be still a virgin….no, no way…..” He was so filled with surprise that he was stuttering, unable to form a full sentence.
Liu Fu Ling lightly interrupted him, looking very in control and calm as he said “I was just asking you about the Qiang, Xiongnu problem and how to solve it, you still had yet to reply.” Liu He wanted to delve deeper, but a eunuch outside the hall reported that Liu Xun was seeking an audience, so Liu He had to change the topic. When Liu Xun entered, Liu Fu Ling repeated the question once more, and asked him to mull over it.
Liu He replied, full of smiles “The other countries in Xi Yu have always been one of the concerns in this dynasty, but they are small and weak, and so will always choose to rely on stronger parties. As long as we can control the Qiang and Xiongnu, then we shouldn’t be too worried. Furthermore, with Princess Jieyou at Wusun soothing the various countries at Xi Yu, and with her and Madam Feng [1] at the forefront, even after the late Emperor’s death, throughout the most turbulent times, there wasn’t any big riot at Xi Yu. Now that all is stable at court with upright officials, it makes Xi Yu even less of a concern. What are most worrying are Qiang and Xiongnu, and between the two, the Qiang uniting as one is the most pressing concern. Once they unite, war will definitely break out at the borders.”
Liu Fu Ling nodded in agreement; Liu Xun’s expression changed but didn’t say anything. But both people in the hall were sharp and caught on to his change of expression. Liu He smiled “Looks like our little Marquis has already thought of a solution.” Liu Xun quickly smiled and saluted Liu He “Uncle, please do not tease me anymore.” Then he turned to Liu Fu Ling “I haven’t thought of this in advance, but it was someone else who threw a silk ball over, it is just a matter of whether or not we accept.”
Liu He thought his words were strange and couldn’t help but make a “Hmm?” sound, Liu Fu Ling only nodded, mentioning him to continue. “Your subject is sure your majesty still remembers the Qiang prince Ke’er Dada. After the duel, Ke’er Dada once went to find Meng Jue, and in front of Yun Ge and I, he said ‘when I become the King of central Qiang in future, as long as you serve Han, Central Qiang will not touch any part of Han’”
Once Liu Xun repeated Ke’er Dada’s words, he remained silent, only looking towards Liu He and Liu Fu Ling. After a moment of silence, Liu He said happily “Although Central Qiang is not the biggest tribe among the Qiang, they are their geographical position is most crucial. It lies in the middle, the north connects to Xi Yu, West Qiang, South to Miao, East Qiang, [1] Madam Feng was Princess Jieyou’s maid. She was also a meticulous, smart, well-read lady with a gift for languages. As Princess Jieyou’s representative, she helped maintain Han customs, bestow gifts and visit the other countries, acting the mediator, restoring peace, and greatly helped their economic development, spreading Han’s technology and culture throughout most of Xi Yu. She was China’s first woman diplomat and an outstanding female amba.s.sador. Princess Jieyou treated her like her own sister, and married her to an important general, so she was respectfully known as “Madam Feng” throughout all of Xi Yu. Not only is it a key position for the Qiang tribe, it is also the pa.s.s to Miao. Without Central Qiang, it will be hard to the Dao Nu’s power to reach Miao; without Central Qiang, the Qiang cannot be united as one. Yet, it is none other than the Central Qiang leader right now who is pus.h.i.+ng for the unification of Qiang so that they could ally themselves with Xiongnu to attack our country.”
Liu Xun nodded “What Uncle said is extremely true. With a wise leader, naturally good officials will follow; it isn’t hard for a person of Meng Jue’s caliber to maintain his official position. However, it is to your subject’s understanding that Ke’er Dada is only the fourth prince in Central Qiang with three elder brothers. If he wishes to be king, it wouldn’t be easy. It would be even harder if his views on Han clash with that of his father’s.”
Liu Fu Ling said lightly “Then we can only help him change ‘even harder’ to ‘easy’.” Liu He said “For Ke’er Dada to come up with such a method to seize the throne means that he is a fierce wolf, if we let him be king….” He shook his head and sighed. Liu Fu Ling smiled “When a hunter hunts, it isn’t afraid of meeting fierce wolf, but afraid of meeting a wolf that doesn’t know the power of the bow. Wolves that understand the power of the bow, no matter how fierce, as long as the bow is in the hunter’s hands, they would know fear, and wouldn’t be willing to face the hunter head on; but those wolves who don’t know the power of the bow have no fear, only wanting to pounce and kill the hunter.”
Liu He mulled over it for a while before nodding and smiling “Your majesty rarely hunts, but knows quite a lot about it. They are all fierce wolves, so we can only pick the wolf that already has fear in his heart.” Liu Fu Ling said “We must handle this matter with utmost secrecy, our state cannot be directly involved or we would only end up intensifying the conflict.” He looked at Liu Xun “You have been a commoner for many years and know many travelling swordsmen in the land. This matter concerns the stability of the borders and the lives of civilians; I believe those swordsmen would be willing to lend a hand.”
Immediately, Liu Xun knelt and kowtowed, then softly added “Your subject is willing but has a favour to ask.” Liu Fu Ling asked “What is it?” “If your subject is to handle this matter, then your majesty cannot ask any further questions, for they have their own rules.” Liu Fu Ling nodded his a.s.sent, only reminding him “I will not ask any further questions with regards to this matter, and I shall only wait to congratulate Ke’er Dada on his ascension. However, if you need any materials or funds, you can come to me anytime.” Liu Xun’s heart skipped a beat, but he suppressed his happiness as he kowtowed his thanks to Liu Fu Ling, his face a picture of calm.
Once Liu Xun left, Liu He who was observing the proceedings with a smile, sat up to say something, then thought, if he could think of it, then of course Liu Fu Ling would have thought of it too. Since he was choosing this line of action, naturally he would have his own reasons, so he lazily slumped back onto the couch.
Liu Fu Ling only smiled at him, saying “Many thanks.”
Liu He sighed silently when he saw how easily Liu Fu Ling read his mind, his heart sunk as he thought of Second Brother, but he kept his smiling façade up….
At Liu Xun’s new residence, Maquis of Yangwu’s residence. Huo Cheng Jun’s unsuccessful try to enter the palace should have been a good thing to them, but Liu Xun just felt that Meng Jue seemed unhappy. “Meng Jue, you seem to be disappointed that his majesty didn’t take a concubine.” “Am I?” Meng Jue didn’t admit it, neither did he deny it. Liu Xun said “It is only a matter of time before his majesty decides to take a concubine. Even if he doesn’t, there is still an Empress Shang Guan. Based on Yun Ge’s character, even if she can bear with it for the time being, she definitely won’t be able to bear with it for the rest of her life, her leaving him is a definite thing. Furthermore, you shouldn’t have behaved like that in the beginning if you knew what the result would be. You hadn’t even married her yet and you were already wavering; most other women would have left with a flick of their sleeves, let alone Yun Ge? You deserve Yun Ge’s att.i.tude toward you right now.”
Meng Jue smiled and said “My Lord Marquis, how much do you understand of my matters? If it were you back then, you might have already been a son-in-law of the Huos.” Liu Xun ignored the displeasure beneath Meng Jue’s smile and asked “If you don’t tell, how would I know? Why on earth did you fall out with Huo Guang?”
Meng Jue smiled, “My Lord Marquis, from now on, you’ll need to focus your attentions on many other things, don’t waste any effort on my own issues.” The servant outside reported “Prince of Changyi is here to congratulate my Lord Marquis on his house moving.” Liu Xun quickly got up to receive him.
When Liu He entered and caught sight of Meng Jue, he didn’t say anything, only heaved a long sigh. Liu Xun was confused. Meng Jue already understood his meaning, and his smile turned into one with a tinge of loneliness. Liu He handed all the things Yun Ge cared of him for Xu Ping Jun to Liu Xun “Everything here is from Yun Ge to Madam. Yun Ge also said, if madam has recovered from her injury, she may pick a day to enter the palace to visit her, for nowadays, it is more convenient for madam to enter the palace than for her to leave it.”
Liu Xun smiled and expressed his thanks.
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Spring was the season of hope, the time when the autumn harvest was growing slowly on their branches. As the blooms brought in hope, even the air was filled with their aromatic scent. Liu Fu Ling and Yun Ge walked side by side along the Blue River.
The Blue River was gurgling with life, coming from the horizon and at the same time heading back there, it was only a pa.s.sing guest at Wei Yang Palace. Yun Ge smiled at the water; Liu Fu Ling was smiling too, their wordless understanding plain for all to see.
“Ling Ge Ge, what do you want to do?” Yun Ge’s words were utterly random but Liu Fu Ling understood her meaning at once. “I haven’t thought of it yet, for there are so many things I want to do. Hm, maybe to first build a house.”
“House?”
“With marbled walls and a gla.s.s roof. Admiring the snow in winter, the rain in summer, and the stars at night.”
Yun Ge was walking backwards so that she could face him as they talked. “You want to build our gla.s.s building? Do you even know how to fuse gla.s.s? Oh right! Though the art of fusing gla.s.s is a secret technique in most countries, but you have in your hands all the secrets under the sky, with this one skill, we wouldn’t have to worry about starving to death.”
As she spoke, she got extremely excited and her eyes grew as wide as saucers “What other secrets do you know?” Liu Fu Ling smiled “I’ll tell you one day when you feel extremely bored. All you need to know right now is this; all these secrets are enough for many countries to send trained a.s.sa.s.sins after us.”
Yun Ge clapped her hands in joy, already imagining their wonderful future “Isn’t that just like hide and seek? Only a more exciting and intense version.” Liu Fu Ling could only smile; he could already see the future ‘peaceful’ life ahead of him after abdicating the throne. They walked along the small path of cobbled stones, towards the imperial gardens.
“Be careful.” Liu Fu Ling warned Yun Ge.
“Ah!”
Yun Ge was gesturing wildly and Meng Jue was walking fast, when they collided into each other, Meng Jue ended up half supporting, half embracing Yun Ge. “Sorr…” Even before she finished her sentence, that all too familiar scent already clued Yun Ge in to who it was and she started to struggle out of his embrace but his arm never let go, keeping her firmly in his arms.
Liu Fu Ling reached out to grasp Yun Ge’s hand “Beloved official Meng!” Although his words were few, the authority in them was unmistakable. Liu Fu Ling’s tone was the usual expressionless one, but under the gentle waves was the rare chilly edge to his tone. Yun Ge felt Meng Jue stiffen slightly, then he slowly let go of her and bowed to Liu Fu Ling “Your subject didn’t realize that your majesty was here, and acted impertinently. Your subject asks permission to speak to Yun Ge alone for a while.”
Liu Fu Ling looked at Yun Ge questioningly. Yun Ge shook her head, to indicate that she wasn’t willing “Say whatever you wish to say here!” Meng Jue rose, his eyes full of suppressed anger “I smelt the scented powder on quite a few palace maids, but none on you, how do you explain that?”
“How do I explain that? I just pa.s.sed the scented powder to them, they used it, I didn’t, that’s it!”
A smile slowly spread across his face “I only made one pouch full of this scented powder, looks like you’ve given it all away.” Yun Ge remained silent, her silence an admission.
“If you sleep between 7 to 9pm, then by 9 to 11pm, you’ll feel tightness in your chest and will often wake up coughing. After turning for another hour, then will you be able to fall asleep…”
“There are physicians here to look after me, I don’t need your worry.”
“Yun Ge, you really are a stubborn bull! This is your own body, you’re the one who suffers at night.”
“You are the stubborn bull, not me! I’ve already said I don’t want it, but you insisted. If you keep giving me, I’ll continue to give them away!”
From their conversation, Liu Fu Ling more or less understood what was going on ‘Yun Ge, if you suffer at night, why have you not told me?”
Yun Ge didn’t reply, but secretly thought: you already blame yourself because of this matter, and now that you’re dealing with even more important issues, I didn’t want to add on to your troubles just because of a slight cough.
Liu Fu Ling continued “Since Meng Jue had already come up with a better solution to your cough, why didn’t you accept it?”
“I…..” When she read the disapproval in Liu Fu Ling’s eyes, she turned away angrily.
“Meng Jue, please make another batch of this scented powder, I will personally make sure Yun Ge uses it this time.”
Meng Jue bowed and departed, but after a few steps, he suddenly turned to Yun Ge and said “Medicine can’t be taken simply, if you don’t wish to cause harm unto others, I’d suggest you quickly to ask for the unused scented powder back.”
Yun Ge was troubled, how could she ask for something back after she had already given it away? Mo Cha will kill her.
“Meng Jue, you liar. You’re just trying to tease me.”
“Whether you believe or not, it is up to you.” Meng Jue’s smile was warm as he left gracefully. Yun Ge glared at his departing figure. She only turned back resentfully after he completely disappeared from view. When she turned back, she caught Liu Fu Ling’s contemplative gaze, and was slightly fl.u.s.tered “Ling Ge Ge, what are you thinking?” Liu Fu Ling only stared at Yun Ge, not replying. Although Meng Jue had long left, the anger in her eyes hadn’t completely left. Yun Ge was always kind and treated everyone she met well, it was very hard for her to be truly angry; one because she had an easygoing personality and two it is also because Yun Ge never truly took the other person’s words to heart, as long as she didn’t care, no matter what the other person did, she could look at it lightly.
“Ling Ge Ge…..” Yun Ge held Liu Fu Ling’s hand and shook it. Liu Fu Ling held her hand tightly as he smiled “Nothing, I was just thinking, I should hold on to you tightly.”
At night.
Yun Ge was preparing to sleep when Liu Fu Ling entered carrying a wooden box and ordered Mo Cha to bring the incense burner. He threw a handful of scented powder into the burner. In a few moments, the room was filled with an aromatic scent. Yun Ge grumbled “His hands must be nimble, to make this so quickly.” Liu Fu Ling sat on the side of her pallet and smiled “Such aromatic scented powder would already very attractive even without medicinal value. Now that it can cure your cough, isn’t it even better? That would save you the pain of having to eat bitter medicine.”
Yun Ge didn’t want to talk about Meng Jue anymore, and latched on to Liu Fu Ling, wanting him to tell her a joke. Even before Liu Fu Ling finished his joke, Yun Ge was already fast asleep.
The scented powder Meng Jue made was very effective, Yun Ge slept soundly till the next morning, without coughing or waking up in between. Henceforth, this scent became the scent often used in Xuan s.h.i.+ Hall, accompanying Yun Ge to sleep every night.
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[1] 1 zhang 丈 – 3 1/3 meters
[2] Madam Feng was Princess Jieyou’s maid. She was also a meticulous, smart, well-read lady with a gift for languages. As Princess Jieyou’s representative, she helped maintain Han customs, bestow gifts and visit the other countries, acting the mediator, restoring peace, and greatly helped their economic development, spreading Han’s technology and culture throughout most of Xi Yu. She was China’s first woman diplomat and an outstanding female amba.s.sador. Princess Jieyou treated her like her own sister, and married her to an important general, so she was respectfully known as “Madam Feng” throughout all of Xi Yu. Not only is it a key position for the Qiang tribe, it is also the pa.s.s
Poor Xiao Mei. To have no family, no one who truly cares, no love, I can't even begin to imagine how would feel. This is when Liu Xun gets his first taste of power, and power can be like a drug, once you have a taste of it, you just want more. Its obvious Yun Ge still cares for Meng Jue, if not why all that avoidance? After all, he was her proper first love, and even Liu Fu Ling can sense it. How awesome was it that Liu Fu Ling actually looked to Yun Ge for her opinion first when Meng Jue asked whether they could be alone? It isn't about him, or his feelings, but about her. He put her first, her feelings, her emotions, her everything came first. That is enough for me to be on the Liu Fu Ling & Yun Ge s.h.i.+p.
CHAPTER COMPLETE. I'm so sorry about the delay this time. I've been really busy and feeling under the weather as well. The weather has been crazy and everyone seems to be falling sick around me ):
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Chang An was never short of legends.
In this world’s busiest and most bustling city, there were hostages who later became princes, songtresses who became Empresses, grooms who became generals, ‘keeping Empress Chen Jiao in a golden house’, beauties who sweep kingdoms off their feet. Then of course, there were also Emperors and princes who died sudden deaths, crown princes who became commoners, Empresses who received a commoner burial. The people of Chang An weren’t easily excited for they were already used to the
legends, so only a truly amazing legend who get them abuzz with excitement. If someone became a general, or some rags to riches story about a maid marrying n.o.bility actually happened, it will be talked about, but weren’t considered legends. However, this spring, a new legend was born in Chang An, even the people of Chang An who were already used to legends knew a legend when they saw one. They knew it would be like other legends, pa.s.sed along for hundreds, no, thousands of years.
“By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor’s edict was as follows: The witch hunt implicated many, and dragged out for years, I have often lost sleep because of that. The great-grandson of the late Emperor- Liu Xun, has been drifting as a commoner for the past ten years. Bearing the will of the late Emperor, I p.r.o.nounce special pardon for him against this crime, and bestow upon him the t.i.tle of Marquis of Yangwu.” Liu Xun, Crown Prince Ju’s eldest grandson, was born to much fanfare. During his first month celebration, the late Emperor decreed the whole world celebrate along with the imperial family. Then, when he was still too young to know anything, Crown Prince Ju’s entire clan was killed and the young Liu Xun was imprisoned. Thereafter, all forms of calamity happened during the time he was in prison. First, the prison caught fire, killing countless prisoners. Then, some prisoners rioted, killing guards and prisoners alike. The fate of the young Liu Xun was a mystery during the spate of ‘accidents’, no one knew whether he was alive or dead. Rumours spread that he had died, some said that he lived. Most people understood that it was only a few kindhearted souls who hoped that he lived. After the news of the pa.s.sing of Emperor Wu of Han, and the rise of a new Emperor, a new page of history had turned, burying everything to do with Crown Prince Ju along with it.
Sometimes a few people might speak of Crown Prince Ju’s n.o.ble deeds in pa.s.sing, but Liu Xun who didn’t leave any impression, was completely forgotten. Unexpectedly, after more than ten years, Liu Xun reappeared in Chang An, in addition, he was someone many Chang An people were familiar with: The head of youxia- Liu Bing Yi. From an imperial descendant to a prisoner, from a prisoner to youxia, from youxia to Marquis. How was this not a legend? Everything about Liu Xun was dug up once again to be subject to deeper scrutiny; as if they could find some deeper meaning behind all the events once further discussion was held.
‘Idle loafer’ became known as ‘enduring humiliation with dignity’, ‘no gainful employment’ became a man ‘of lofty ambitions’, ‘combative and itching for a fight’ became ‘heroism in his bones’. Also, his marriage with Xu Ping Jun, Xu Ping Jun once known as ‘muddled in the head, blind in the eyes’ suddenly became known as ‘wise woman who knew a hero’, turning into the heroine of the legend in her own right. The officials at court were all abuzz with news of the reappearance of the grandson of Crown Prince Ju. Huo Guang meticulously observed, but still couldn’t figure out what Liu Fu Ling was trying to do.
Emperors were usually guarding against their relatives more than officials because the probability of their relatives usurping the throne was always far higher than that of court officials.
Yet, Liu Fu Ling was slowly paving the way for Liu Xin, first allowing Liu Xun to s.h.i.+ne at court, gaining the recognition of those at court, then allowing him to gain recognition among the people as well. At first there were a few officials who were unhappy with the way his majesty was promoting Liu Xun, but once they found out his ident.i.ty, all unhappiness turned into sincere congratulations. After conferring the t.i.tle of Marquis on Liu Xun, he made him Director of the Secretariat, commanding him to record all matters of state, in charge of the edicts the Emperor made. Although it wasn’t a very important position, it was a good position to start from, allowing him to be familiar with all affairs of state. Then there was Liu He. Huo Guang couldn’t understand this man either. If his frivolousness was an act, but it wasn’t like Liu He was keeping a low profile these past few years then putting on that ridiculous act. It was during the reign of the late Emperor, when Huo Guang witnessed the actions of a ridiculous prince, Liu He was only eleven or twelve then, Huo Guang couldn’t think of any reason for him to act that way. Yet, if his frivolousness was real, Huo Guang just couldn’t completely believe that either for some reason. Right now, he just couldn’t work out why Liu Fu Ling summoned Liu He to the capital. It was like a game of chess, though he could see the pieces his opponent had, he couldn’t figure where his opponent would place them next, so he could only act first.
His mission was of utmost importance. If a Huo maiden were to first bear a prince, then everything would be so much easier with a prince they could rely on. In order to send Huo Cheng Jun into the palace, he paid a visit to Xiao Mei to discuss his intentions. First, whether or not Liu Fu Ling liked women, in order to secure his throne, he would have to take on concubines. If he chose the daughter of an important court official, then that officials’ family’s rise and fall would be tightly knitted to his majesty’s power. Liu Fu Ling would then gain a powerful helper to reduce the influence of the Huos at court. This was definitely not what Huo Guang wanted, in order to prevent the other court officials’ daughters from entering the palace, he would first pick a few irrelevant maidens, and rely fully on Xiao Mei. Secondly, he didn’t want Xiao Mei to first hear of his plans to send Cheng Jun into the palace from someone else, making her feel like she wasn’t part of the Huos; he wanted Xiao Mei to be part of them.
Xiao Mei was still her sweet, obedient self, nodding at everything he said, clapping her hands in joy when he mentioned sending Huo Cheng Jun to the palace, saying “Finally, a relative to accompany me in the palace.”
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It was a banquet thrown to celebrate Empress Shang Guan’s fourteenth birthday. With Huo Guang behind it, the banquet thrown was grander than ever before. Court officials and their wives gathered at Jian Zhang Palace, congratulating the Empress on her birthday. Liu Fu Ling also bestowed expensive gifts on her, blessing her on her birthday.
Xiao Mei was seated below Liu Fu Ling, towards the side, when she heard his sincere congratulations, although she still felt lonely, she was happy. She plucked up courage to talk to him; he smiled as he answered each of her questions. When he talked to her, his body would bend slightly forward, his attention rapt. In his eyes, Xiao Mei could only see two of her little reflections and at that moment, all her loneliness vaporized. At least, he could only look at her now. Xiao Mei suddenly felt something indescribable towards Huo Guang. He was still her grandfather after all, and he was the only one who planned this grand banquet for her, remembered her birthday, and it was only him that could make his majesty sit by her side, to drink wine and talk with her.
Warmed with wine, the officials at the Ministry of Rites presented to Xiao Mei the embroidery commoners made in lieu of her birthday. Eight palace maids carried a roll of fabric in, about 1 or 2 zhang wide.
Her curiousity piqued, Xiao Mei smiled and asked “What was so big that they had to embroider it on such a large piece of cloth?” The eight palace maids slowly unrolled the embroidery. On the wide, red silk, a thousand children were embroidered on it, each of their expressions different, some were cute and naïve, some were playful and happy, some were pouting in anger, some were clever and smart, and so on. The official who presented the gift kowtowed to congratulate her. “May his and her majesty bear a hundred sons and thousands of grandchildren.”
In an instant, Xiao Mei’s heart tumbled thousands of feet into the deep abyss. So this was the reason behind Huo Guang planning this birthday banquet for her! But this was her birthday! Her hands hidden beneath her sleeves, she pinched herself hard, for this was the only way to maintain her smile. Chancellor Tian Qian Qiu stood, and reported “Your majesty, currently all six palaces are empty, for the sake of your empire, I beseech your majesties to make plans.” Huo Guang looked towards Xiao Mei, his eyes full of meaning. Xiao Mei’s palm was already blue and green with pinch marks, but she still smiled sweetly as she said “Chancellors.h.i.+p, you speak logically. I have erred. As Empress it is time to help his majesty choose his concubines and fill the harem.” At her words, Huo Guang finally stood and suggested to Liu Fu Ling to choose a concubine, and all the other officials quickly followed in succession. Liu Fu Ling was childless, worrying many court officials, even those who didn’t usually agree with Huo Guang also beseeched Liu Fu Ling to choose a concubine, first was truly for the sake of the empire, and second, they were hoping the prince would not carry Huo blood. Liu Fu Ling blandly said “Today is the Empress’ birthday; we can talk about this later.”
Tian Qian Qiu immediately started launching into a grand speech, from Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang to the late Emperor Liu Che, not one Emperor was like Liu Fu Ling, their harems still empty at twenty one years of age. The fervor intensified, and with Tian Qian Qiu leading the crowd, all court officials knelt as one, successively. Then, in the huge Jian Zhang grand hall, the whole crowd of people acting as one, kneeling, kowtowing, then shouting “For the sake of the empire, may your majesty please reconsider!” Their bellowing shook the pillars of the hall. Then the kneeling, kowtowing and shouting resumed. “For the sake of the empire, may your majesty please reconsider!”
Kneeling…
Kowtowing…
Shouting…
Rising…
Over a hundred officials repeating the same action; their voices travelled out of Jian Zhang Palace to its surroundings. Although their actions seemed respectful, in actual fact, they were forcing him to make a decision by refusing to stop. As long as Liu Fu Ling didn’t nod, everyone would only ask him to ‘reconsider’. Even Yun Ge standing at a corner could feel their attacking force rolling towards her in waves, much less, the one everyone was kneeling to- Liu Fu Ling? Liu Fu Ling stared at his feet, the officials repeatedly kneeling, his fists clenched in his sleeves, his veins pulsed, but he couldn’t do anything to stop them. Shang Guan Xiao Mei suddenly collapsed backwards, falling hard on the floor. A palace maid screamed “Your majesty, your majesty!” Xiao Mei’s face was deathly pale, her lips blue, remained unconscious.
The officials' “For the sake of the empire, may your majesty please..” stopped, choking on their words, dumbly staring at the palace maids and eunuchs all in a frenzy. Liu Fu Ling looked deeply at Xiao Mei then commanded “Send her majesty back to the palace immediately, and send for a physician to go to Jiao Fang Hall.” At that, he hurriedly left along with his Empress.
A whole hall full of officials, everyone looking at each other, then at the empty dragon and phoenix couch, horror and despair written plainly on their faces. It was the Empress’ birthday banquet, now that the Empress was gone, what were they celebrating? Everyone left resentfully.
Tian Qian Qiu sidled up to Huo Guang, whispering “Lord Huo, what do you think we should do?”
Huo Guang was still smiling, though his tone was cold, and turned to Huo Yu “I’m worried about her majesty’s health, go tell the physician to do a thorough check, and take proper care of her.” Huo Yu replied “Your son understands.” Hurriedly running off towards the Grand Imperial Inst.i.tute. Huo Guang turned to Tian Qian Qiu “I am her majesty’s grandfather, now that she has taken ill, I am greatly anxious and worried about her health. We will speak of this only when her majesty has recovered.” Tian Qian Qiu nodded “Your lords.h.i.+p is right.” Huo Guang felt a mix of surprise and anger.
With the Empress taken ill, as a subject and as her grandfather, there was no reason for him to be begging his majesty to choose a concubine at this stage, disregarding her health. If Huo Cheng Jun were to enter the palace now, and if this story spreads to the common folk, it would be easy for them to jump to the conclusion that she was fighting with her majesty for favour, and the Empress was so angered she fell ill. Before being t.i.tled concubine, first losing her virtue, this was disadvantageous to not only Huo Cheng Jun, but also the future of the Huos.
Under the cover of the night, Huo Yu brought several physicians who just saw Xiao Mei to see Huo Guang. These physicians were all Huo Guang’s trusted cronies, they promised Huo Guang that her majesty had really fallen ill, it definitely wasn’t faked. She had fallen ill because of the suppressed melancholy in her heart and the wind and cold that buffeted her body. Her cold triggering the melancholy; it wasn’t difficult to treat but would need some time to recuperate.
Huo Guang’s anger subsided somewhat, but his suspicion just couldn’t be erased. The following day, once court was adjourned, he requested Liu Fu Ling to permit him to visit Xiao Mei.
Once he reached Jiao Fang Hall, he carefully interrogated the palace maids. The palace maids reported, before Huo Guang’s last visit to her majesty, she was already coughing slightly at night. Palace maid Cheng’er nagged her to see a physician but her majesty roundly refused. After he saw her majesty, her spirits lifted greatly, and she started talking more, but she had headaches and felt tired in the mornings. Cheng’er once again advised her majesty to summon a physician but once again, received her majesty’s rejection. Her majesty said once she was done settling the matters of the next few days, she would be fine with a few days of rest. They didn’t expect her symptoms to actually get worse, leading to her falling ill in the end. Huo Guang calculated the dates, and his suspicion that Xiao Mei was faking her illness dissipated as well; he was only left with a sense of helplessness. Some of his anger he directed at the palace maids serving Xiao Mei, no one actually truly cared about her health, all he heard was Cheng’er advised, Cheng’er worried, but this Cheng’er was not even one of his own.
When he stepped forth to see Xiao Mei, Xiao Mei was shedding tears on her pallet. “Grandfather, when will little aunt come into the palace? I feel terrible; I want her here with me. Grandfather, please allow little aunt come to the palace to accompany me.” She was still his flesh and blood, so Huo Guang felt quite bad too. If any other official’s daughter in Chang An fell sick, she will definitely be meticulously cared for by her mother, with her sisters around her to entertain her and her brothers and father to check up on her. Although Xiao Mei belonged to the n.o.blest of families, when she fell ill, she only had a group of palace maids who didn’t even care about her in front of her pallet.
After Huo Guang requested his leave, he specially summoned Cheng’er over and nicely reminded her “Do take good care of her majesty. After her majesty recovers, you’ll definitely be nicely rewarded, your father and your brothers will benefit too.” Cheng’er’s face fell as she was reminded of her father and brothers whom she haven’t seen in years, and bowed gratefully to Huo Guang “Waiting on her majesty was what your servant was supposed to do. Lord Huo, maybe some words are better not said, but if your servant doesn’t say it, then no one else would, so your servant can only follow her heart, whether right or wrong.” Huo Guang said “I am not someone who would criticize harshly, don’t worry. If you have anything to say, speak.” “Her majesty had a slight fever over the past two days, your servant often heard her mumbling in her sleep, sometimes calling “Grandfather”, sometimes calling for “Mother”, sometimes calling for “Uncle”, and sometimes she will cry and say “lonely”. When she wakes up with a start in the middle of the night, she will ask “Is little aunt here yet?”. If my lord has the time, please visit her majesty more often. Your servant thinks that it will be more effective than any other medicine.” Huo Guang’s gaze swept across all the other palace maids, some of them immediately bowed their heads.
“When your servant was on night s.h.i.+ft, I heard it too.”
“Your servant also heard her sleep talk, once screaming “Grandfather, uncle, bring me out of the palace.’”
“Your servant thought it was just normal sleep talk stemming from homesickness, and so didn’t….” The palace maid spoke haltingly, afraid to continue.
All of Huo Guang’s suspicions truly vanished then, and praised Cheng’er saying “Many thanks for your thoughtfulness towards her majesty.” Cheng’er quickly replied “It was only your servant’s duty; your servant doesn’t dare to accept my lord’s thanks.”
As Huo Guang walked out, he ran into Yun Ge on her way to visit Shang Guan Xiao Mei. Yun Ge moved towards the side to let him pa.s.s, bowing prettily in greeting. Huo Guang already knew that Yun Ge often came to play with Xiao Mei. If Xiao Mei was sick, Yun Ge would naturally come to see her. Thus, he wasn’t surprised, treating her like any higher ranking palace maid, nodding in greeting as he walked past her.
When Cheng’er saw Yun Ge, she happily went forward to receive her. The other palace maid treated her coldly, going off to do whatever they were supposed to do. On the other hand, Mo Cha who came with Yun Ge was only a normal palace maid, they didn’t need to guard against her, plus she was always cheerful and generous, everyone had more or less gotten a few treats from her, so they all greeted her with smiles when she walked past. When they smelt the unique scent on her, everyone crowded around curiously. “What kind of scent is this, for it to be so unique?”
Mo Cha proudly opened up her pouch to let them see “This was made recently by the physician; Supervisor Yu gave me a bit of it. Not only is the scent special, it can also calm one’s senses and cure coughs.” The moment the pouch opened, the aroma filled the room, like fragrant orchids and irises. Living in the palace, they had already smelt various scents, but this particular scent appealed to all of them and they crowded closer for a look. “Is it really that wonderful? I don’t sleep well at night.” Mo Cha was being her usual self, although she didn’t have much, but everyone there could get a bit of it. Yun Ge turned to Cheng’er and smiled “Go play with them too! I come here often and am very familiar with this place, no need to specially attend to me.” Cheng’er had taken a whiff of the scent too, and already liked the scent, so she nodded her head. “If missy has anything, do call upon your servant.” She ran off to Mo Cha’s side for a bit of the scented powder.
“Are you feeling better?” Shang Guan Xiao Mei heard Yun Ge’s voice; she shut her eyes as she continued to sleep, ignoring her. “Many thanks for you agreeing to help us.” Xiao Mei turned around; lying on her side “I don’t know what you’re talking about. This illness has sapped me of my strength, where would I have the strength to help others?” Yun Ge didn’t know what to say, so she continued to sit quietly.
When a few palace maids turned their heads to check on Yun Ge and her majesty, they only saw that the both of them weren’t talking, Yun Ge sitting quietly by the pallet and her majesty lying down with her eyes shut, looking a little tired. The palace maids smiled in relief then turned back to discuss scents with other palace maids, only half keeping an eyes on their actions.
Although Shang Guan Xiao Mei’s eyes were closed, her face a picture of calm, in heart there was never-ending wind and rain. Her grandfather thought his majesty didn’t favour her because she wasn’t gentle or pretty enough, thinking that in other to preserve his throne, his majesty would take in concubines and sow his seeds; but he was wrong. It wasn’t that her grandfather wasn’t smart, he was just too smart. He a.s.sumed that men as smart as him would know what is important, what isn’t, when to attack and when to give up, but he didn’t know that there were truly men who were smart and muddleheaded.
She didn’t know why she rejected Yun Ge soundly even though she definitely didn’t want to see Huo Cheng Jun in the palace either. Maybe it was because she wanted to see Yun Ge disappointed and sad; she didn’t like Yun Ge’s smiles. Yet Yun Ge disappointed her once again. Yun Ge didn’t seem upset at her rejection, neither did she show her disappointment, only gently saying “I understand, you have it harder than us.” No one can lie better than her, for they only lie as they lived, but she was living a lie. Her whole life was a lie. Yet she couldn’t detect any forced smiled on Yun Ge’s face, or hear Yun Ge utter any lie.
After getting warmer, the weather turned cold again, so it was easy to catch a chill. And so, she fell sick. She was worried that her grandfather would suppress news of her illness, so not only must she fall sick, she must let the world know.
Every spring, the Empress would lead the official’s wives to pray to the Silkworm G.o.ddess, to pray to the Heavens for abundance of food and clothes for everyone, so she was planning to fall sick and collapse at the mulberry trees. She didn’t expect the chill in her body to be brought out by the storm in her heart, suddenly collapsing last night when she felt anger and sorrow consuming her.
She told herself, this was only for herself - it was for her mother who killed herself, for her brother who died so young, for all the lives lost in the Shang Guan clan. She wasn’t helping him, definitely not!
A palace maid outside the curtain said “Your majesty, it is time to take your medicine.”
Shang Guan Xiao Mei opened her eyes and smiled at Yun Ge “Go back! This isn’t a serious illness; the physicians said I would recover after three, four months of proper rest. Don’t worry too much.” Yun Ge nodded silently, and left Jiao Fang Hall after bowing.
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“She refused to accept our thanks.”
Liu Fu Ling nodded, not saying a word. Yun Ge continued “Xiao Mei is only giving us three to fourth months; we must settle the rest ourselves.” Liu He smiled “You’re still troubled over the Huo Cheng Jun matter? Isn’t it just the problem of being childless? Based on what the officials are saying, this is an issue indeed. Your majesty, you should work harder at night, if you do, making a child in three to four months, or even more than one, shouldn’t be a problem at all. Your subject is just confused, why has your majesty seemed to miss the mark even after so many years?”
Indeed, no one could beat Liu He’s cheekiness, for he actually said those words with no fear.
Liu Fu Ling remained expressionless but Yun Ge’s cheeks were rosy red, she made a sound of annoyance “Do you think everyone is like you?” Then turned around and left hurriedly.
Liu He stared at Liu Fu Ling, surprising himself by actually detecting a trace of shyness under Liu Fu Ling’s expressionless façade. A mistake? It has to be a mistake! Liu He’s eyes grew round, and said in disbelief “Your majesty….you….you…..couldn’t have not, have not….could you possibly be still a virgin….no, no way…..” He was so filled with surprise that he was stuttering, unable to form a full sentence.
Liu Fu Ling lightly interrupted him, looking very in control and calm as he said “I was just asking you about the Qiang, Xiongnu problem and how to solve it, you still had yet to reply.” Liu He wanted to delve deeper, but a eunuch outside the hall reported that Liu Xun was seeking an audience, so Liu He had to change the topic. When Liu Xun entered, Liu Fu Ling repeated the question once more, and asked him to mull over it.
Liu He replied, full of smiles “The other countries in Xi Yu have always been one of the concerns in this dynasty, but they are small and weak, and so will always choose to rely on stronger parties. As long as we can control the Qiang and Xiongnu, then we shouldn’t be too worried. Furthermore, with Princess Jieyou at Wusun soothing the various countries at Xi Yu, and with her and Madam Feng [1] at the forefront, even after the late Emperor’s death, throughout the most turbulent times, there wasn’t any big riot at Xi Yu. Now that all is stable at court with upright officials, it makes Xi Yu even less of a concern. What are most worrying are Qiang and Xiongnu, and between the two, the Qiang uniting as one is the most pressing concern. Once they unite, war will definitely break out at the borders.”
Liu Fu Ling nodded in agreement; Liu Xun’s expression changed but didn’t say anything. But both people in the hall were sharp and caught on to his change of expression. Liu He smiled “Looks like our little Marquis has already thought of a solution.” Liu Xun quickly smiled and saluted Liu He “Uncle, please do not tease me anymore.” Then he turned to Liu Fu Ling “I haven’t thought of this in advance, but it was someone else who threw a silk ball over, it is just a matter of whether or not we accept.”
Liu He thought his words were strange and couldn’t help but make a “Hmm?” sound, Liu Fu Ling only nodded, mentioning him to continue. “Your subject is sure your majesty still remembers the Qiang prince Ke’er Dada. After the duel, Ke’er Dada once went to find Meng Jue, and in front of Yun Ge and I, he said ‘when I become the King of central Qiang in future, as long as you serve Han, Central Qiang will not touch any part of Han’”
Once Liu Xun repeated Ke’er Dada’s words, he remained silent, only looking towards Liu He and Liu Fu Ling. After a moment of silence, Liu He said happily “Although Central Qiang is not the biggest tribe among the Qiang, they are their geographical position is most crucial. It lies in the middle, the north connects to Xi Yu, West Qiang, South to Miao, East Qiang, [1] Madam Feng was Princess Jieyou’s maid. She was also a meticulous, smart, well-read lady with a gift for languages. As Princess Jieyou’s representative, she helped maintain Han customs, bestow gifts and visit the other countries, acting the mediator, restoring peace, and greatly helped their economic development, spreading Han’s technology and culture throughout most of Xi Yu. She was China’s first woman diplomat and an outstanding female amba.s.sador. Princess Jieyou treated her like her own sister, and married her to an important general, so she was respectfully known as “Madam Feng” throughout all of Xi Yu. Not only is it a key position for the Qiang tribe, it is also the pa.s.s to Miao. Without Central Qiang, it will be hard to the Dao Nu’s power to reach Miao; without Central Qiang, the Qiang cannot be united as one. Yet, it is none other than the Central Qiang leader right now who is pus.h.i.+ng for the unification of Qiang so that they could ally themselves with Xiongnu to attack our country.”
Liu Xun nodded “What Uncle said is extremely true. With a wise leader, naturally good officials will follow; it isn’t hard for a person of Meng Jue’s caliber to maintain his official position. However, it is to your subject’s understanding that Ke’er Dada is only the fourth prince in Central Qiang with three elder brothers. If he wishes to be king, it wouldn’t be easy. It would be even harder if his views on Han clash with that of his father’s.”
Liu Fu Ling said lightly “Then we can only help him change ‘even harder’ to ‘easy’.” Liu He said “For Ke’er Dada to come up with such a method to seize the throne means that he is a fierce wolf, if we let him be king….” He shook his head and sighed. Liu Fu Ling smiled “When a hunter hunts, it isn’t afraid of meeting fierce wolf, but afraid of meeting a wolf that doesn’t know the power of the bow. Wolves that understand the power of the bow, no matter how fierce, as long as the bow is in the hunter’s hands, they would know fear, and wouldn’t be willing to face the hunter head on; but those wolves who don’t know the power of the bow have no fear, only wanting to pounce and kill the hunter.”
Liu He mulled over it for a while before nodding and smiling “Your majesty rarely hunts, but knows quite a lot about it. They are all fierce wolves, so we can only pick the wolf that already has fear in his heart.” Liu Fu Ling said “We must handle this matter with utmost secrecy, our state cannot be directly involved or we would only end up intensifying the conflict.” He looked at Liu Xun “You have been a commoner for many years and know many travelling swordsmen in the land. This matter concerns the stability of the borders and the lives of civilians; I believe those swordsmen would be willing to lend a hand.”
Immediately, Liu Xun knelt and kowtowed, then softly added “Your subject is willing but has a favour to ask.” Liu Fu Ling asked “What is it?” “If your subject is to handle this matter, then your majesty cannot ask any further questions, for they have their own rules.” Liu Fu Ling nodded his a.s.sent, only reminding him “I will not ask any further questions with regards to this matter, and I shall only wait to congratulate Ke’er Dada on his ascension. However, if you need any materials or funds, you can come to me anytime.” Liu Xun’s heart skipped a beat, but he suppressed his happiness as he kowtowed his thanks to Liu Fu Ling, his face a picture of calm.
Once Liu Xun left, Liu He who was observing the proceedings with a smile, sat up to say something, then thought, if he could think of it, then of course Liu Fu Ling would have thought of it too. Since he was choosing this line of action, naturally he would have his own reasons, so he lazily slumped back onto the couch.
Liu Fu Ling only smiled at him, saying “Many thanks.”
Liu He sighed silently when he saw how easily Liu Fu Ling read his mind, his heart sunk as he thought of Second Brother, but he kept his smiling façade up….
At Liu Xun’s new residence, Maquis of Yangwu’s residence. Huo Cheng Jun’s unsuccessful try to enter the palace should have been a good thing to them, but Liu Xun just felt that Meng Jue seemed unhappy. “Meng Jue, you seem to be disappointed that his majesty didn’t take a concubine.” “Am I?” Meng Jue didn’t admit it, neither did he deny it. Liu Xun said “It is only a matter of time before his majesty decides to take a concubine. Even if he doesn’t, there is still an Empress Shang Guan. Based on Yun Ge’s character, even if she can bear with it for the time being, she definitely won’t be able to bear with it for the rest of her life, her leaving him is a definite thing. Furthermore, you shouldn’t have behaved like that in the beginning if you knew what the result would be. You hadn’t even married her yet and you were already wavering; most other women would have left with a flick of their sleeves, let alone Yun Ge? You deserve Yun Ge’s att.i.tude toward you right now.”
Meng Jue smiled and said “My Lord Marquis, how much do you understand of my matters? If it were you back then, you might have already been a son-in-law of the Huos.” Liu Xun ignored the displeasure beneath Meng Jue’s smile and asked “If you don’t tell, how would I know? Why on earth did you fall out with Huo Guang?”
Meng Jue smiled, “My Lord Marquis, from now on, you’ll need to focus your attentions on many other things, don’t waste any effort on my own issues.” The servant outside reported “Prince of Changyi is here to congratulate my Lord Marquis on his house moving.” Liu Xun quickly got up to receive him.
When Liu He entered and caught sight of Meng Jue, he didn’t say anything, only heaved a long sigh. Liu Xun was confused. Meng Jue already understood his meaning, and his smile turned into one with a tinge of loneliness. Liu He handed all the things Yun Ge cared of him for Xu Ping Jun to Liu Xun “Everything here is from Yun Ge to Madam. Yun Ge also said, if madam has recovered from her injury, she may pick a day to enter the palace to visit her, for nowadays, it is more convenient for madam to enter the palace than for her to leave it.”
Liu Xun smiled and expressed his thanks.
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Spring was the season of hope, the time when the autumn harvest was growing slowly on their branches. As the blooms brought in hope, even the air was filled with their aromatic scent. Liu Fu Ling and Yun Ge walked side by side along the Blue River.
The Blue River was gurgling with life, coming from the horizon and at the same time heading back there, it was only a pa.s.sing guest at Wei Yang Palace. Yun Ge smiled at the water; Liu Fu Ling was smiling too, their wordless understanding plain for all to see.
“Ling Ge Ge, what do you want to do?” Yun Ge’s words were utterly random but Liu Fu Ling understood her meaning at once. “I haven’t thought of it yet, for there are so many things I want to do. Hm, maybe to first build a house.”
“House?”
“With marbled walls and a gla.s.s roof. Admiring the snow in winter, the rain in summer, and the stars at night.”
Yun Ge was walking backwards so that she could face him as they talked. “You want to build our gla.s.s building? Do you even know how to fuse gla.s.s? Oh right! Though the art of fusing gla.s.s is a secret technique in most countries, but you have in your hands all the secrets under the sky, with this one skill, we wouldn’t have to worry about starving to death.”
As she spoke, she got extremely excited and her eyes grew as wide as saucers “What other secrets do you know?” Liu Fu Ling smiled “I’ll tell you one day when you feel extremely bored. All you need to know right now is this; all these secrets are enough for many countries to send trained a.s.sa.s.sins after us.”
Yun Ge clapped her hands in joy, already imagining their wonderful future “Isn’t that just like hide and seek? Only a more exciting and intense version.” Liu Fu Ling could only smile; he could already see the future ‘peaceful’ life ahead of him after abdicating the throne. They walked along the small path of cobbled stones, towards the imperial gardens.
“Be careful.” Liu Fu Ling warned Yun Ge.
“Ah!”
Yun Ge was gesturing wildly and Meng Jue was walking fast, when they collided into each other, Meng Jue ended up half supporting, half embracing Yun Ge. “Sorr…” Even before she finished her sentence, that all too familiar scent already clued Yun Ge in to who it was and she started to struggle out of his embrace but his arm never let go, keeping her firmly in his arms.
Liu Fu Ling reached out to grasp Yun Ge’s hand “Beloved official Meng!” Although his words were few, the authority in them was unmistakable. Liu Fu Ling’s tone was the usual expressionless one, but under the gentle waves was the rare chilly edge to his tone. Yun Ge felt Meng Jue stiffen slightly, then he slowly let go of her and bowed to Liu Fu Ling “Your subject didn’t realize that your majesty was here, and acted impertinently. Your subject asks permission to speak to Yun Ge alone for a while.”
Liu Fu Ling looked at Yun Ge questioningly. Yun Ge shook her head, to indicate that she wasn’t willing “Say whatever you wish to say here!” Meng Jue rose, his eyes full of suppressed anger “I smelt the scented powder on quite a few palace maids, but none on you, how do you explain that?”
“How do I explain that? I just pa.s.sed the scented powder to them, they used it, I didn’t, that’s it!”
A smile slowly spread across his face “I only made one pouch full of this scented powder, looks like you’ve given it all away.” Yun Ge remained silent, her silence an admission.
“If you sleep between 7 to 9pm, then by 9 to 11pm, you’ll feel tightness in your chest and will often wake up coughing. After turning for another hour, then will you be able to fall asleep…”
“There are physicians here to look after me, I don’t need your worry.”
“Yun Ge, you really are a stubborn bull! This is your own body, you’re the one who suffers at night.”
“You are the stubborn bull, not me! I’ve already said I don’t want it, but you insisted. If you keep giving me, I’ll continue to give them away!”
From their conversation, Liu Fu Ling more or less understood what was going on ‘Yun Ge, if you suffer at night, why have you not told me?”
Yun Ge didn’t reply, but secretly thought: you already blame yourself because of this matter, and now that you’re dealing with even more important issues, I didn’t want to add on to your troubles just because of a slight cough.
Liu Fu Ling continued “Since Meng Jue had already come up with a better solution to your cough, why didn’t you accept it?”
“I…..” When she read the disapproval in Liu Fu Ling’s eyes, she turned away angrily.
“Meng Jue, please make another batch of this scented powder, I will personally make sure Yun Ge uses it this time.”
Meng Jue bowed and departed, but after a few steps, he suddenly turned to Yun Ge and said “Medicine can’t be taken simply, if you don’t wish to cause harm unto others, I’d suggest you quickly to ask for the unused scented powder back.”
Yun Ge was troubled, how could she ask for something back after she had already given it away? Mo Cha will kill her.
“Meng Jue, you liar. You’re just trying to tease me.”
“Whether you believe or not, it is up to you.” Meng Jue’s smile was warm as he left gracefully. Yun Ge glared at his departing figure. She only turned back resentfully after he completely disappeared from view. When she turned back, she caught Liu Fu Ling’s contemplative gaze, and was slightly fl.u.s.tered “Ling Ge Ge, what are you thinking?” Liu Fu Ling only stared at Yun Ge, not replying. Although Meng Jue had long left, the anger in her eyes hadn’t completely left. Yun Ge was always kind and treated everyone she met well, it was very hard for her to be truly angry; one because she had an easygoing personality and two it is also because Yun Ge never truly took the other person’s words to heart, as long as she didn’t care, no matter what the other person did, she could look at it lightly.
“Ling Ge Ge…..” Yun Ge held Liu Fu Ling’s hand and shook it. Liu Fu Ling held her hand tightly as he smiled “Nothing, I was just thinking, I should hold on to you tightly.”
At night.
Yun Ge was preparing to sleep when Liu Fu Ling entered carrying a wooden box and ordered Mo Cha to bring the incense burner. He threw a handful of scented powder into the burner. In a few moments, the room was filled with an aromatic scent. Yun Ge grumbled “His hands must be nimble, to make this so quickly.” Liu Fu Ling sat on the side of her pallet and smiled “Such aromatic scented powder would already very attractive even without medicinal value. Now that it can cure your cough, isn’t it even better? That would save you the pain of having to eat bitter medicine.”
Yun Ge didn’t want to talk about Meng Jue anymore, and latched on to Liu Fu Ling, wanting him to tell her a joke. Even before Liu Fu Ling finished his joke, Yun Ge was already fast asleep.
The scented powder Meng Jue made was very effective, Yun Ge slept soundly till the next morning, without coughing or waking up in between. Henceforth, this scent became the scent often used in Xuan s.h.i.+ Hall, accompanying Yun Ge to sleep every night.
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[1] 1 zhang 丈 – 3 1/3 meters
[2] Madam Feng was Princess Jieyou’s maid. She was also a meticulous, smart, well-read lady with a gift for languages. As Princess Jieyou’s representative, she helped maintain Han customs, bestow gifts and visit the other countries, acting the mediator, restoring peace, and greatly helped their economic development, spreading Han’s technology and culture throughout most of Xi Yu. She was China’s first woman diplomat and an outstanding female amba.s.sador. Princess Jieyou treated her like her own sister, and married her to an important general, so she was respectfully known as “Madam Feng” throughout all of Xi Yu. Not only is it a key position for the Qiang tribe, it is also the pa.s.s
