Surnames
After they returned to Xing, Ling realized that Lan Fan was missing something.
"The emperor would like to see you.", a guard called from the doorway. Lan Fan grabbed her mask and headed out the door.
"Thank you, Feng." She headed down the corridor. The bodyguard began to ponder why she was called. Some sort of problem? If there were, it's not urgent. They would ask all the guards to go. She shook her head. The young master most likely wants to go to another one of those new restaurants, she thought, dismissing her worries. Lan Fan turned the corner and entered his makeshift office. "You called for me, Young Lord?"
"Lan Fan!", he smiled, casting aside his papers. "I've discovered something. Also, why don't you call me Ling? We've known each other for a long time, right?"
"That would be unprofessional,", she sighed, but added quickly, "Ling."
"There we go!", he said with a grin. "Anyways, back to my discovery. I've noticed that you are missing something, Lan Fan."
"What is it, Youn-, I mean, Ling?" She began thinking of what could be wrong. Was there something wrong with her? If this is an arm joke, I swear to god…
"A last name! I mean, Lan Fan is a pretty cool name, but it's only a first name!" Lan Fan sighed.
"Grandfather said it was not necessary for the Emperor's Shadow to have a last name. We are supposed to be unnoticeable, and without a surname, it is more difficult to find out who we are. The Shadows have never had them anyway.", she explained, turning to face the window.
"But that was the old system! I've told you, I didn't like the way my father ruled. As the new emperor, I've changed many things."
"Yes, I realized that. It's why you removed the concubine system just 2 months ago."
"So why can't you get a last name? If I can remove 50 potential wives, you can get a last name.", Ling pleaded.
"But if I were to get one, what should it be? I can't associate myself with a noble family, so Chang, Lin, and Fong, and all previous concubine's surnames are out of the question." She began to walk in circles, thinking of possibilities. "I could adopt my father's name, since he wasn't a guard. No, that wouldn't work, he was just a simple craftsman. It would be improper for someone of such low status to be serving under the emperor." Lan Fan continued to come up with ideas quietly, but rejecting each one. A name that wasn't of too high or low social status, didn't associate itself with one particular profession or group, and that sounded right was very hard to come by.
She turned to Ling to ask for his opinion, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. A servant entered with a tray of food, and slowly backed out. Lan Fan knew better than to ask him things while he was eating, he always seemed to function better after food. "What do you think will be a suitable last name for me, Ling?"
"I've got the perfect one!" He paused to swallow his food. "How about Yao?"
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review and/or favorite.