Legend of Fu Yao

“Oh?” As Zhan Beiye listened to Ji Yu, he suddenly felt that something was not quite right. As he was in deep thought, he gave a casual reply.

“King of Han is in Xuanyuan. Moreover,” Ji Yu paused. His next line was earth-shattering, but it corroborated with the doubt that flashed by Zhan Beiye’s mind. “I have a hunch that the newly-crowned Xuanyuan Empress is her!”

Zhan Beiye shot up in an instant, and he overturned the heap of documents stacked up in front of him.

“How dare she!”

At the same moment that Zhan Beiye flipped his table over, on a faintly discernible mountain far away, someone simultaneously gently raised an overturned table.

“You have made tremendous progress, and in no time, I will no longer rival you.” In a jade shelter, Zhangsun Wuji smiled and corrected the position of the table that was utterly disfigured by Tai Yan. Reaching out his hand, he asked, “I admit my defeat, can we stop now?”

Although Tai Yan clad herself in pink, her face was turning green in outrage. A few moments later, she spoke through gritted teeth. “Zhangsun Wuji, can you not be so gross? I have said it a million times – I don’t need your mercy!”

Choosing not to speak, Zhangsun Wuji smiled and walked towards a fence, and he glanced far away into the distance with slightly furrowed eyebrows. Beside him, mist ascended from the field of jade-white snow lotuses in dense fumes and meandered around him like a flattering brocade, showcasing his handsome features and grand presence which was similar to that of an immortal.

“You can choose whether you want it; I decide on whether I do it.” He could always use the simplest tone to drive Tai Yan mad, and he casually brushed his sleeves and walked away in smiles. “If you’re unhappy, just jump off the cliff.”

He left the enraged Tai Yan behind and walked away. When he turned at the corner of the corridor, he saw a green-clothed elder who was smiling. Immediately, he bowed respectfully.

“Teacher.”

The elder smiled at him, but his expression switched between a huge grin and nothingness. “Competing with Tai Yan again?”

Zhangsun Wuji smiled. “Junior Sister’s progress is astounding by the day. I am happy for her too.”

However, the elder frowned. “Tai Yan’s talent is limited. She will neither end up as the extraordinary genius of our sect, nor the one to bring our sect to greater heights.”

Zhangsun Wuji remained quiet.

The elder stared at him, and his eyes resembled the misty surroundings of the mountain. With an emotionless tone, he asked, “You’re still unwilling?”

After a moment of silence, Zhangsun Wuji answered, “Teacher’s Junior Brother and his successors are central figures who have experienced many years in the mortal realm. They should…”

“That’s my own issue.” The elder interrupted him and gazed at him for a long while. “Wuji, you have always been my favorite disciple, and you have never let me down all this while. Why is it that only a year has passed and you have changed so much?”

“I am guilt-ridden for disappointing you.” Zhangsun Wuji spoke no more. He brushed his robes to the side and knelt on the cold and wet jade floor.

Leaning forward, the elder looked at the gentle yet dignified composure of his favorite disciple, and his expression turned to one of anger. A while later, he waved his sleeve coldly.

“You’ll reflect here then! Get up only when you have come to your senses.”

Still, in smiles, Zhangsun Wuji gently bent over in the moist and cold weather.

“Yes.”

All good luck belonged to Meng Fuyao. The unfortunate mishaps only happened to her unfortunate suitors.

Be it overturning tables or being punished to kneel, both Emperors had been tirelessly strategizing to get her to become their Empress. Yet a certain someone had already ended up in an unrelated country to temporary live that life.

The thirteen days that Meng Fuyao spent in the residence were daunting, with a mix of being doubted, testing, spying, and being spied on, but it finally ended without any mishap.

Xuanyuan Cheng never found out anything suspicious about Yu Wenzi, and Xuanyuan Min’s appearance that night gave a very good explanation for the commotion around the wall and the popping sound of bones. Xuanyuan Min cleverly chose not to explain these two incidents and instead left Xuanyuan Cheng to infer on his own, which was much more credible than him specially explaining it.

It was worthy of mentioning that Xuanyuan Min was not one to mess around with. When he came over that night, he actually remembered to bring along an attendant who had a similar body size as Chun Mei, and he gave her Chun Mei’s mask and made her act as “Chun Mei” for a short while.

Meng Fuyao could tell that Xuanyuan Min had concealed his strength and bided his time over many years. Since he had enough power in his hands, he was ready to fight the last battle with Xuanyuan Cheng. The latter also seemed to be aware, or he would not have forced Xuanyuan Min to crown an empress so hurriedly. It was now a fight for time and freedom. Xuanyuan Min needed her as a fake Empress to help him get rid of the locks in the palace. As for his complete plan, he would not reveal it, and Meng Fuyao would not ask him about it. She had always cared only for the friends she was indebted to, and what she was doing at the moment was all for the sake of Zong Yue.

However, she could not help but worry whenever she thought of it. Even if Xuanyuan Cheng was disposed, Zong Yue and Xuanyuan Min similarly had conflicts of interest between them. Once the common external enemy was rid of, inner conflicts would arise. In the end, what would the outcome be?

The contest for power over the land under the heavens was like a game of chess. One careless move and the whole game would be lost. In the contest of Xuanyuan, Meng Fuyao was no longer the leading figure, and she was willing to be one of the chess pieces, just so that she could help Zong Yue during a crucial moment in the future.

Even if she was a chess piece, she had to be an aggressive one. This was Meng Fuyao’s principle; only when she was powerful enough, then could she thrive in this dark and bloody Five Regions Continent which was surrounded with conspiracies. Recently, she was even more diligent in her training, and after spying on Xuanyuan Cheng’s agile yet powerful steps that night, she was beginning to grasp the third sub-level of the sixth level of the Cleaving Nine Heavens technique, Cloud Steps. The breakthrough was at her fingertips.

…

It was the auspicious day of the marriage between the Emperor and the Empress.

At midnight, Meng Fuyao was already woken up to be dressed. After the cleansing of her skin, she went through threading, and a thin layer of pearl powder was applied on her face. An intricate pair of silver scissors was used to trim the already tidy eyebrows, and a mini brush made of purple bamboo was stained with black umber dye and gently used to draw on her eyebrows, painting a beautiful and elegant image. After the eyebrows, a smooth and delicate stroke was applied at the corner of the eye, and it soared like the wings of a phoenix. A lilac pearl was ground into powder form, mixed with oil and swiped over the eyelids of the shining eye, and a layered feel was instantly brought out by the eye shadow.

Then, her lips were drawn, and her hair was combed, and she changed into a golden phoenix robe sewn with colorful long-tail pheasants and the sea dragon. She was given the phoenix crown to wear, and it was studded with aesthetic bird feathers, crystal jade pieces, 18 peach blossoms made by rubies, a tassel with a phoenix and dragon biting on a jewel, and… it was indeed beautiful, but it was way too heavy.

After four hours of preparation, Meng Fuyao grabbed her heavy head which carried a heavier crown, and she felt that the weight on her neck and the powder on her face was heavy enough to flatten her.

‘F*ck, an Empress isn’t something that ordinary people can become. I will never become an Empress for the rest of my life!’

After that thought, she touched her face. She had to admit that Xuanyuan Min’s mask-crafting skills were almost as good as Zong Yue’s. The masks that they made were as delicate as a cicada’s wings, and the details were so realistic. It seemed as though the masks were treated by a substance, as the pores could still breathe as per normal and makeup could directly be applied on the mask. Vaguely, Meng Fuyao recalled that she incidentally chance upon Zong Yue cleaning up his medicine case, and there was a mask which was so thin that the arches of a finger could be clearly seen through it, and drops of water could seep past it. To be able to craft masks to such an extent could be considered as legendary.

The senior attendant who dressed her up seemed to be very satisfied with her product and brought her before a bronze mirror to tidy her up. Meng Fuyao stared at the reflection in a daze. She looked elegant and expensive, and she shone so brightly that the entire room seemed to be lit up by her radiant shine… It was too bright and too glaring.

A figure slowly appeared in the bronze mirror. Although clad in an attendant’s uniform, the pair of eyes gleamed, resembling a glazed surface. “She” silently scrutinized the dolled-up Meng Fuyao, and the expression was slightly strange.

On the contrary, Meng Fuyao revealed a huge and thoughtless grin to “Chun Mei” as she was in a good mood. She was originally worried about Dark Blade as he had forcefully compressed his bones that night and carried on for another hour for the sake of her safety. Successive injuries were very dangerous, and Meng Fuyao was afraid that it would end up as an illness which could not be cured, but he rejected all her offers to examine his condition. Then, she feared for his health on the day of the wedding, as a “close attendant” like him would probably have a lot of work to do. It was a relief that a senior attendant was specially assigned to help her and “Chun Mei” wouldn’t need to do anything but follow her on the carriage. Once her worry was alleviated, her mood immediately improved, and she no longer had that many complaints about being an empress.

Meng Fuyao scratched the thick layer of powder on her face and thought that luck wasn’t on her side. If Xuanyuan Cheng wasn’t so smart, she would have thought of a way to escape in the past three days…

‘Sigh, forget it since I have started this, I will see it to the end.’

Outside the residence, the Regent King had already led a team comprising the Minister of Rites and the Censor Chiefs – the main and deputy escorts of the bride – to await for Meng Fuyao.

Meng Fuyao took the Imperial Edict that dictated her as Empress, and casually placed it on the golden plate which the attendant was holding on to.

‘I should take less of such things like the Gold Decree. The previous time I was bestowed the title of Han King, I ended up coming to Xuanyuan. If I receive another decree, even if it’s under the name of someone else, I’ll probably get blown away to Fufeng,’ she thought.

After the conferring ceremony came the welcoming ceremony. Meng Fuyao first boarded the imperial palanquin, then the phoenix carriage at a brighter area in front of the residence. As the carriage swayed past the road, Meng Fuyao very casually opened the curtains and took a look outside. On both sides of the road, some workers who had set up the greenery overnight carefully moved away and knelt behind the plants or the walls. When Meng Fuyao glanced by, she suddenly felt that one of the figures was slightly familiar, but the carriage quickly passed by, and she could not have clearer sight.

That figure belonged to Little Seven. He was in deep thought while he corrected the position of a slanted pot of flowers. In the few days that he was in the residence, he had not seen Meng Fuyao and did not know where she had gone. As he was deeply engrossed, he did not notice the imperial palanquin that the Empress was riding on. Beside him, a worker tugged on his clothes and softly said, “Hey, the Empress is passing by, quickly, kneel down!”