Author: SapphireMarbles
Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors. Koei Tecmo owns Dynasty Warriors.
The Phoenix Flute
"I have one more request. Remember me. Remember me through good times and bad times."
"Mother, why are you saying such things right now?"
"It's just the spur of the moment…Promise me this and know that I love you and your brother more than anything in this world."
"Okay. Please stop talking like this. It makes things feel uneasy."
"You are my daughter and have the royal Cao blood in you. No one will ever take that away."
"I know that already."
Cao Jia, the 14 year old daughter of Cao Pi and Zhen Ji, replayed the conversation with her mother from a week ago in her head as she stared at the pond with catfishes. She was leaning against the bannister of a bridge in the palace's garden in the middle of the night.
Cao Jia remembered, since she was little, how her mother loved going to this garden during her spare times and would, sometimes, take her children along. Her mother would play her flute as Cao Jia hummed to the tune or admired the elegant songs she composed. Zhen Ji found inspiration of new ideas for her music and poetry whenever she was in this garden. Cao Jia had always thought this garden looked flamboyant and beautiful, but now it looked plain and dull to her eyes. She refused to accept the reality she was facing.
Mother, I miss you.
Tears no longer leaked from her eyes since the Wei princess was now too sad to express them. Cao Jia would never thought her mother would end up like this. Despite the princess's broken heart, she felt angry of how rumors rapidly spread about her parents and Consort Guo and recently dragged her uncle Cao Zhi along. She viewed it as disrespectful albeit she didn't know the whole truth and if any of the rumors were true. The one thing Cao Jia knew was true was that she would always be her mother's daughter. I can't believe a week ago all this happened and you are no longer here.
One week ago
It was the full spring season where many flowers blossomed in the Wei palace's gardens. Birds chirped and tweeted while bees buzz. Lady Zhen enjoyed this blissful nature while she admired the garden from the bench she was sitting on. At the age of 38 years old, Zhen Ji still possessed her well-known beauty and charm from her younger years.
A rough cough escaped from her lips. The cough was instantly followed by the feeling of light headiness. Zhen Ji shut her eyes from the impact. Despite her head hurting she longed to be out to feel the cool breeze kiss her neck since she has been locked in her room for days.
"Sister, you should come back inside. Your condition might worsen."
Zhen Ji opened her eyes to find that the voice belonged to her brother in-law, Cao Zhi. He was a man with soft, delicate face features unlike his older brother, Cao Pi.
"I just want to enjoy this spring season. Even in the worst condition, a beautiful day does light up one's mood," she replied to him with a smile.
Cao Zhi then sat down on the bench next to her. He pitied this woman. He pitied her for all the difficulties she was facing recently. He pitied how she wound pretend nothing was shattering her. He pitied her although he respected how she strongly handled those situations by not luring others to take sides. He simply felt bad for what Zhen Ji was enduring all by herself.
"Has my elder brother written back to you?" he asked.
"Yes, he has. He said Rui is doing fine," she answered back. Cao Pi was on a trip for several days with their son, Cao Rui, while he left Zhen Ji, his daughter, concubines, and the rest of his family behind.
Cao Zhi sensed there was something else she left out. "Is there anything else?"
Zhen Ji was silent for several seconds. "He asked me to be his empress even when he lost favor of me. The news was appalling... I cannot be his empress. I know I should feel happy for his offer, but I am not."
She remembered every word of the last letter Cao Pi wrote to her. Mixed emotions stirred whenever her thoughts wondered back to his letter.
Her brother in-law looked at her straight in the eyes. Her mask had finally broke into sadness. He was fully aware of the dispute between the married couple. "Although my brother's actions and words can be harsh, he probably changed his -"
"No, I cannot be empress. I simply cannot," Zhen Ji blurted out loud. "What emperor would want an empress who is constantly sick and has arguments with him?"
"Sister," Cao Zhi said in surprised of her outburst.
"I am sorry," she apologized. "I feel as if time is running out for me."
"Don't say that!"
Zhen Ji then placed her right hand onto his. "Thank you for everything. When my time has come, will you please help guide my children? Will you help Cao Jia on her studies?"
Cao Zhi deeply looked into her eyes for the second time. Her eyes started to water. It looked like life was slowly draining out of her body.
He hugged her as an act of comfort. "Of course, I'm their uncle. I would be happy to do those things for them."
"Jia, thank you for performing my favorite song for me," Zhen Ji said by finishing her sentence with a hoarse cough. She was sitting on her bed and dressed in a night gown with her hair loosely down.
"You're welcome. Mother, you should be resting now," Cao Jia answered as she laid down her flute, next to a folded parchment, on the table near her mother's bed.
"I am not sleepy. I want to spend time with my daughter. Come and sit on the chair across from my bed. I don't want you to catch my sickness."
Cao Jia obeyed her mother's orders. Once she sat down on the chair, she looked at her mother. Her mother still looked like a goddess even in the ill state she was in.
"It seems like my daughter may have inherited my talents of music and poetry. Am I right?" Zhen Ji asked with a proud expression.
"Well, I still have a lot to learn," Cao Jia informed humbly.
"Jia, when I'm not around and your father is busy, ask Uncle Zhi to help you on music and poetry."
"Okay…I heard Father and Brother will be back tomorrow morning. Has Father been kinder with his words?" Cao Jia gingerly asked. She was aware of some of the details of the downfall between her parents. She knew very well how cruel her father's words could be. Zhen Ji didn't want her children to be involved in her marriage's dispute however she would answer a few questions they had. She also would tell them to not only blame their father in this situation, to not take sides, and to not feel any different toward both parents.
"Your father has his reasons behind his words." Zhen Ji's words sounded so little. Her body started to feel weak again. I don't have that much time left.
"Mother, it's not right for Father to say such things. You are a good wife, mother and in-law."
"Listen to me and please do not interrupt," the mother said feebly with a strict presence. Cao Jia leaned in to listen what her mother has to say.
"Jia, be a good daughter and do not make your father angry. Respect your elders even when you disagree with their actions. Continue to focus on your studies and always show manners when meeting people."
Cao Jia nodded to her mother's words.
Zhen Ji continued on. "Be kind, generous, and strong. Lastly, look in the good in people first." In order to prevent her tears from spilling out from her eyes, Zhen Ji blinked several times to hide the tears from Cao Jia while talking. She wanted to cry at the same time she did not want Cao Jia to feel sad to see her tears.
Zhen Ji reached for Cao Jia's hands as she got off from the chair to become close to her mother. This sounds selfish, but I want to say this. Zhen Ji looked into the eyes of her only daughter. "I have one more request. Remember me. Remember me through good times and bad times."
"Mother, why are you saying such things right now?" Cao Jia asked worriedly.
"It's just the spur of the moment…Promise me this and know that I love you and your brother more than anything in this world."
"Okay. Please stop talking like this. It makes things feel uneasy."
"You are my daughter and have the royal Cao blood in you. No one will ever take that away."
"I know that already."
The mother smiled and pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. Cao Jia noticed how her mother dramatically lost weight these past few days due to her illness.
"I love you, Cao Jia."
"I love you, Mother," Cao Jia replied before the hug ended.
"It is late. You must go to bed," Zhen Ji declared.
"Do you need me to help you with anything?" Cao Jia asked.
"No. There is nothing else."
"Good night, Mother." Cao Jia said as she looked back on to her mother when she reached the door of the room.
"Good night, my daughter." Her mother's sing song voice replied as Cao Jia exited out of the room.
Tears were finally released from Zhen Ji's eyes when the door closed.
It was a bright morning of the next day. Cao Pi and Cao Rui had already arrive from their trip to the Wei's palace. Cao Jia along with Lady Bian, Cao Zhi, and Consort Guo had been waiting for their arrival in the throne room since early in the morning.
Once greetings were exchanged, Cao Pi observed the throne room to find his first wife. "Jia, where is your mother? Doesn't she know it is too late to still be in bed?"
"Mother has been sick these days. She probably lost track of time."
"Yes, she has been sick. Go and inform her that your brother and I have already arrived."
"Yes, Father."
Cao Jia knocked on her mother's door when she reached her room. No response was heard. Cao Jia knocked the door again. No response. The princess knocked two more times with no sound of her mother's sing song voice. Cao Jia then opened the door to find her mother still on the bed with her eyes closed and her right hand wrapped on her neck.
"Mother, Father and Brother are already here. Father wanted me to inform you this. He wants to see you," the princess announced, but her mother did not even move an inch or let out a noise from her lips. "Mother? Mother?"
Cao Jia moved to the bed and gently shook her mother's shoulders. "Mother?" Zhen Ji did not respond to her daughter's shaking of her shoulders. Cao Jia started to panic. No. No. No. This can't be.
She put her finger to the end of Zhen Ji's nostrils to sense any signs of breathing. No breathing was present. Cao Jia's eyes began to turn to the color red as tears streamed her face. She screamed loud enough for the whole palace to hear. "Mother, no! Please wake up. Wake up."
Her watery eyes diverted her gaze to her flute, she left the night before, followed by the opened letter on the table near the bed. She remembered the parchment was folded unlike how it was now. She recognized it was her father's handwriting. She quickly read the last sentence.
"Although, you have lost all my favor as a wife and have been constantly sick lately, will you still consider to be my empress?"
Cao Pi, Cao Rui, Cao Zhi, Lady Bian and Consort Guo rushed in to the room. "Cao Jia, what's all this screaming?" Her father asked.
Cao Jia turned around with her eyes still red with streaming tears. She stepped away to the side of the bed to show Zhen Ji's appearance.
"M-Mother is dead!" Cao Jia cried. Everyone in the room was speechless and shocked at this news.
Cao Pi glanced at his letter on the table, to Zhen Ji's face, and lastly to her right hand on her neck.
Cao Jia continued to stare at the pond with the orange, white and black catfishes. Her reflection was visibly seen in the pond. Through her reflection she could easily see she inherited the dominant genes from her mother. When growing up many people mentioned she looked like a younger version of Zhen Ji. Cao Jia noticed how her mother had a beauty mark under her right eye while Cao Jia, herself, had a beauty mark on the left side above her upper lip.
She wanted to escape from this reality. She wanted to go back to the happier times. When thinking if the rumors, surrounding her parents, Cao Zhi and Consort Guo, were true she remembered her mother telling her to be strong, to not take sides, and to not feel different toward both parents. Mother, I will listen to your words, cherish our joyful memories, and always remember and love you.
"Jia?" The voice broke her thoughts.
The princess turned around to find it was her Uncle Cao Zhi.
"Uncle Zhi? What brings you here?
Cao Zhi chuckled. "I should be the one asking you that." He pulled out a wooden box from behind him and opened it to reveal five flutes with many elegant designs. "These were your mother's. She used to love to collect many flutes. She would want you to have all of these. The one with the Phoenix design was her favorite."
"They are all beautiful. Uncle Zhi, will you please help me improve my music and poetry studies?"
Cao Zhi smiled at his niece. "I would be more than happy to."
Cao Jia picked up the flute with the Phoenix design from the wooden box.
At that moment, both uncle and niece thought they heard the melodies of Zhen Ji's favorite song playing.
A/N:
1) My OC Cao Jia is based on Cao Pi and Lady Zhen's daughter, Princess Dongxiang.
2) Historically, Lady Zhen was a generous, selfless, and kind woman. Much different to her current DW counterpart/character.
3) Many of you reading this fanfic probably heard of the story of Cao Pi and Lady Guo involved with Lady Zhen's death. There is another story that contradicts it by stating that Lady Zhen died of illness and there was no downfall between the married couple. You can decide which story to believe. There are evidences to both sides.