Legend of Fu Yao

“Yes. 14 years.” The woman turned to look at Old Lu, who was whimpering on the floor. Her expression was one of sadness and helplessness.

Usually, Meng Fuyao might have been touched by such an act of supporting each other during humble circumstances. But right now, she was very frustrated, and there were burning questions in her mind, so she could not care less. She asked, “Who wants to kill you two?”

“It’s just him, not me,” the woman said. “It was supposed to be peaceful there, as no one cared about us. Our circumstances may be humble, but we got used to living this way. Yet, a few months ago, someone suddenly wanted to kill him and mixed poison in his food. Luckily, I hit the bowl by accident, so the rice fell and was eaten by the dog. I was feeling grudgy at that time, but that dog experienced fits and died right away. It scared me so much that I couldn’t get a wink of sleep that night. There was no place to hide or escape, and two sinners like us could only await for our deaths in a corner. However, nothing happened after that, and no one asked a question. That made me question if the murderer almost killed the wrong person, and was willing to give up. Then, I thought about how before that happened, this lunatic kept drawing on the ground, saying that it’s for someone else to see. He couldn’t explain clearly who it was, so I wondered if the picture was the root of our troubles, and I forbade him from drawing again. Who knew that he would instead wake in the middle of the night to draw. I’m always so tired from washing eunuchs’ clothes in the day, so how would I have the energy to guard against him at night. See, now he attracted both of you…” Something that she said made her sorrowful, and she raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

Meng Fuyao sat, stupefied. Each word reached her ear, but each word made her even more muddleheaded. Her past resembled sparks of fire that lay unextinguished in a pile of ashes, and they continuously shone a bright-red color amongst the dark patch. One would find it hard to pick them out, and the sparks may even extinguish anytime, leaving behind a chilly and grey pile, just like how her heart felt right now.

Beside her, Zhangsun Wuji silently and gently took her hand in his. His palm was slightly hot, but to Meng Fuyao, whose limbs were icy-cold at the moment, this warmth was the most comfortable feeling for her. As she enjoyed the heat in her daze, she suddenly thought of matters that were totally unrelated. She remembered how Zhangsun Wuji’s palms used to be slightly cold, as his martial arts skills leaned more towards the softer side. However, recently, his palms had been warm no matter when he had extended it to her, and the warmth crept into her heart. At this thought, she glanced over to him. Zhangsun Wuji’s hands were in his sleeves while he held a cup of hot tea, and it was the reason why his hands were exceptionally warm.

This observation made her feel touched. He probably wanted to give her more warm feelings as she traveled along this dark journey. He gave her warmth not just by his actions or words, but also through physical contact; it was not only his continuous support and company but also his warm pair of hands heated up by a cup of hot tea, whenever she felt cold and chilly, be it mentally or physically.

If there was someone on the universe, who was willing to treat you in this way and listen to the truth with you, no matter how fearful or terrifying it was, what else was there to be afraid of?

Taking a deep breath and with tearful eyes, Meng Fuyao placed her own hand on his and caressed it in a consoling manner. Then, she signaled Tie Cheng to bring the woman somewhere else to be guarded, as she would decide on where to send her to only after she found out about what exactly happened. She also instructed her subordinate to secretly find a doctor – the old eunuch was seriously ill. She would only be able to fully know the meaning behind the three drawings, Consort Ying’s past, and the person who wanted to kill him if the old eunuch said it himself.

After the people left, there were only the two of them who remained in the hall. They looked at each other and listened to the rooster’s morning call. A few streets away, the early wakers opened their doors, and the watchmen clapped their clappers. Rays of sunshine slowly shone in through the window panels, and the reflected light made people look very bright and fair.

The extremely disturbing and dark night passed by like a river flow. Some feelings also passed by her like water flowing back to the East ocean, and these feelings could not be retained. However, her past – which was meant to be buried in the old books – barged into her life in a highly unrestrained manner. The past expanded and remained as a block in her heart, making her want to choke at every moment.

Zhangsun Wuji got up and blew out the candles. He pulled her into her arms gently and slowly caressed her face, wiping away the frost and traces of tiredness that were embedded at the corner of her eyes. In a low tone, he said, “Sleep for a while. The sky… is going to get bright soon.”

Meng Fuyao did not refuse, and she leaned in silently in Zhangsun Wuji’s arms. She could hear his calm and powerful heartbeat, and every sound of his heart beating was the most peaceful and beautiful song in the entire universe.

Their night adventure in the palace did not allow them to find out who the black figure behind the curtain was, but the secrets hidden in the past were slowly revealed until only the last barrier was left.

When Meng Fuyao woke up, she regained her composure. She had been in power for long, and she was no longer the unknown person who continuously committed mistakes whenever she acted rashly. After experiencing revolutions in four nations and getting used to stirring trouble to topple others, she would not allow anyone to have the chance to topper her.

Meng Fuyao first went to visit the Ninth Princess.

In the inner room of the residence, she and the Ninth Princess were engaged in a long discussion. The latter was calm and composed, and she told Meng Fuyao clearly that her father’s situation was special, and it was definitely not as simple as it seemed. The new female ruler definitely would not be someone of their own; hence, it was comical and useless for the various princes and princesses to guard their own powers tightly.

“The soldiers guarding our city’s defenses are split amongst three people.” The Ninth Princess drew up a distribution chart of their military strength. “His Majesty naturally holds the overall power to mobilize the troops, and he also personally manages the Capital Imperial Guards, though it’s probably the Empress who’s controlling the forces now. There are still 100,000 Divine Knights and 150,000 Eternally Valiant Soldiers. The Divine Knights are controlled by the Ministry of Military, which is headed by my third brother’s uncle. This means that the Divine Knights are under my brother’s control. Additionally, there are about 10,000 Amethyst Cape Knights and 10,000 Iron Guards, and each province has its own military forces too. It’s not easy to tell which camp they are under or how they will act in the future. However, in my opinion, once the new ruler succeeds, the answer will be clear.”

“Who are the Eternally Valiant Soldiers under?”

“They are under His Majesty, and they are split into three camps. One camp belongs to the Eldest Princess’ grandfather, while the other two camps are remaining neutral as for now. It is worthy to note that the captains of the Eternally Valiant Soldiers mostly served as soldiers guarding the border, and in their early years, they were under the former Generalissimo, who comes from the Tang family.”

Meng Fuyao smiled. “So, what are your plans now?”

The Ninth Princess stood up solemnly, and she bowed towards Meng Fuyao.

“I hope that you and the Crown Prince can extend a helping hand, to help my Xuanji settle its new ruler quickly, and therefore save the Xuanji royal family from internal bloodshed.”

“Me?” Meng Fuyao pointed to her nose. She looked at the Ninth Princess, and moments later, she laughed. “Do you really think that I’m a nosy King? It seems like I have no responsibility or obligation to care about Xuanji’s internal fight.”

“I may not know who the new ruler is, but I do know that the person in power right now does not harbor any favorable feelings towards you.” The Ninth Princess looked down and calmly added, “Why don’t you get it done once and for all?”

Meng Fuyao grinned and said, “The royal descendants of Xuanji are eyeing the throne with much determination, and they aren’t afraid of causing bloodshed amongst themselves. How admirable it is that you stand aloof and are the only who cares more about ties than the throne.”

“In just a short span of one year, my fourth and sixth sister, as well as my seventh and eighth brother have died.” The Ninth Princess was expressionless. “Though our mothers are different, we are also connected by blood. Yet they silently died, one by one, due to internal strife for ultimate power. More people may die in the future, but there are just too many children born into the royal family, and their deaths are deemed as insignificant as grass being trimmed away. Even if the Heavens and my parents do not pity them, I do.”

She bowed again. “May you take pity as well.”

Meng Fuyao stood to stop her bow. She smiled. “I’m just a foreigner who is temporarily staying in your country, and I only have 3,000 guards with me. So what if I take pity on you? You think too highly of me. But there’s something right about what you said. There are people in the court who are very displeased with me. Since I’m never one to retaliate only after someone offends me, when the time is right, I will actively strike.”

There was a joyful expression on the Ninth Princess’ face. “Thank you, King of Han. If you need any help, I’ll never reject your requests.”

‘What a smart person. She does know that everything comes at a price,’ Meng Fuyao thought as she smiled. She took out a drawing from her sleeves and said, “I heard that you’re well-versed with reading and writing. Hence, you attend to His Majesty with regards to official documents and reports in the Imperial Study. You would send all the reports to the Emperor’s palace every three days, right? Then, can I trouble you to present this drawing to His Majesty at your own convenience.”

When the Ninth Princess received the drawing, she could see all the contents on it. Meanwhile, Meng Fuyao carefully studied her expression. Seeing that there was no abnormal reaction, she could not help but frown.

This drawing was a combination of the scenes on the three drawings, and the fragmented scenes in her memory. It comprised the abandoned palace and a smiling woman, who looked like Meng Fuyao with a slightly different expression, and the woman was slightly older as well. Behind her, there was a tiny room. A closet and pots could vaguely be seen, and the curtain draped to the floor.

In Meng Fuyao’s opinion, Feng Xuan might not have ever noticed the eunuch nor the scene depicted in the last drawing. However, he would definitely have some recollection about the woman, right?

After the Ninth Princess kept the drawing, Meng Fuyao asked about the whereabouts of Feng Wu’s wife. After thinking for a while, the Ninth Princess answered, “My fifth sister-in-law… Fifth brother should just give up on searching for her.”

This answer was more than enough. With a sigh, Meng Fuyao stood up and left.

When Meng Fuyao returned to her accommodation, she arranged a few tasks for her subordinates. Then, she cleaned herself up and left.

She headed towards an alley where most high-ranking officials in Xuanji lived. Just like how the Amethyst Cape Knights and Iron Guards each minded their own business, the senior management of these two organizations also lived very far from each other.

Dressed in black, she first went to the residence of the Captain of Iron Guards. After finding the room of the Captain, whose leg was still recovering from the injury caused at Sensual Cloud, she pushed the door open in smiles. Casually, she picked up a precious 100-year vase from the table and knocked it down on the recuperating leg, and the Captain’s leg was broken once again.