White Magnolia, Pink Chrysanthemum
Fandom: Mulan (Disney)
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairing: Shang/Ping (slash M/M)
Rating: M
Summary: Captain Li Shang falls in love with a local opera singer Ping. Honor, duty, and war stand in the way of their love.
Warning: mature readers only. Lemon heavy.
Author's Note:
Okay, I lied on my bio that I do not write what I do not know. I do not know what it is like being in a yaoi relationship or man/man kind of love (I am a straight woman with a dirty mind that often end up in the gutter more times than I wanted to). But I do enjoy reading them from time to time and occasionally attempt my hands on writing a few. This is not my first time at it. I did post a few stories years ago but took them down. The idea of this story came to me rather hard after reading a couple of old favorite fan fictions and of course, with my specializing in gender-bending, I went ahead and wrote it and it just bloomed before I realized it was actually close to the finish and had to finish it. I took few more days on considering of posting it because it is heavy with yaoi lemon throughout the story. This story has a plot and the lemon is just part of it, like sex, is a part of life.
Forgive me if you find errors or anything that does not make sense. I did my best to keep close to the Chinese culture and style here. But you will have to admit that the movie Mulan is just way off.
If you do not like yaoi slash, lemon or anything of the sort, please leave and refrain from commenting, otherwise, I would have to prove my point with the word "assume".
The story has been edited as of March 2019.
Enjoy the story.
White Magnolia, Pink Chrysanthemum
Chapter One: The Golden Princess
Shang, a young captain of his father's Imperial Army, was a handsome man. He was tall with broad shoulder and finely chiseled face. He was a dream husband material for many young women. He was on his way to rise and become a general in his father's footstep and make a name for himself and earn the honor of the Emperor of China. Young and handsome as he was, he had no interest in marrying anytime soon and wanted to prove to his father that he was capable of handling a legion of his own. His father had hinted that the time would come soon. Trouble was stirring over the Great Wall of China where the Huns lie.
"Son, they have the Opera House here in this town." General Li gestured to the wall poster as they entered the town of Weizhuang. He pulled his horse rein to stop the horse and inspect the peeling paper that publicized the town's Opera performance. Shang had to smirk at his father's love for Opera houses. It was always like this, if there was one in any town they visit, his father must make sure to visit and watch at least one performance. He shook his head and held onto the control of his restless white steed that was stomping underfoot.
"A performance, then?" He asked his father as his horse made a full circle and settled to stand there. Shang noted the poster dictating that the upcoming performance was going to be tonight and featured the local singer nan dan named Fa Ping. What an unusual name, then again, it was a feminine name for a man and fitting for a nan dan, a performer that play female roles in opera, it had meant Flower Vase.
The General drew back from reading the poster and turned to his son, "yes. Tonight. The man who we are visiting in this town, Fa Zhou," Shang nodded, recalling his father's oldest and closest friend who had two sons, to whom they were planning to visit for several weeks before his father returns to his duty for the Emperor. "He wrote that one of his sons is a performance in the opera. I did not realize he would be a nan dan."
Shang shrugged, "maybe he was good for the role. Let's go. I tire of being on my restless horse's back." He gestured to his impatient horse, he had recently gotten his proud white steed and needed to train it to behave. They have been riding nearly all day from the last town across the eastern Henan Providence.
"I agree," his father urged his steed on, and they entered the town's gate, taking in the sight of a beautiful town. The buildings were stone and trees of magnolia was in bloom, perfuming the area with a heady aroma. It was late summer, and the heat was decent. Young pretty women giggled and cooed as they rode past down the road.
Shang glanced around, taking in the sight of the town. It had a peaceful and idyllic feeling, and he felt himself relaxing. Fa Zhou, his father's friend surely chosen a good place to retire and raise his family. He recalled the tall and handsome man from his youth. The last time he had seen the man was when he was around seven years old, and the lieutenant has just gained a second son and had announced his retirement to stay with his family and raise his sons. At the time, his leg was already beyond the point of recovering, and he was more adept to hobble than walk tall and strong. General Li was sorry to see his most loyal, trusted lieutenant go and lose a best friend at the same time.
They passed the town and approached a grand property and dismounted their horses. General Li gave a grateful nod to a servant that took their horses, and another one took their bags. They entered the circular opening of the wall that separated the property from the town, to enter a beautiful and large garden. Shang could see how well kept the garden was and the path curved before them, leading to a nice sized home. A man in comfortable blue changshan, leaning heavily on a cane smiled at them from the front of the house. A portly handsome woman stood next to him, she had a sweet smile on her face.
"General Li!" The man called out to them and waved them to come in. "Welcome, I am happy you both made it safe here. Please unburden yourselves and be comfortable."
General Li embraced his old friend, "Zhou! I see your leg has not bested you yet. Thank you for opening your home to us."
The woman beside Zhou bowed, "I am happy to see you well, Li."
"Lovely Zanjun, you become more beautiful as time passes." General Li kissed the woman's hand and turned to his son, "my son, Captain Li Shang. He makes me proud by becoming a captain recently."
Zhou and Zanjun turned to Shang and bowed. The older man clapped Shang's shoulder, "last time we met, you were only this high." he gestured Shang's height when he was younger, much shorter. "You've become handsome."
"I am sure you have the matchmaker going crazy back home, searching for the right one for you?" Zanjun teased as they entered the house to sit at the table. A grandmotherly woman greeted them as she came with a tray of tea and cups.
Shang chuckled, "ah, no."
Li shook his head, "he would not let me set him up with the matchmaker yet. He would rather train with the army and rise high. I believe he intends to take my title from me." He laughed as he took the teacup from the old woman.
"Or play around before he gets tied up, eh?" Grandmother crackled, and everyone rolled their eyes at the crude mouthed woman.
Shang chuckled uneasily, "ah, that's not it. I just want to succeed before I get settled. Plenty of time for that, isn't that right, Uncle Zhou?" He turned to the older man, "you didn't get to settle and have a family until late in your life."
"That's right. But I would encourage you to consider a little bit earlier than I have done. I regret my leg limit my capabilities to keep up with my sons."
"Speaking of your sons, where are they?" Li asked as he glanced around.
Zhou placed his empty cup down and smiled, "Minling, my eldest, married recently and is living with his wife's family for the time being. He is happy with his bride. As for Ping, he is at the opera house, getting ready for his performance tonight."
"We saw the poster on the way in." Li supplied as he took another sip of his tea.
Shang watched Zhou and Zanjun's faces, noting they became neutral on the subject of their youngest son. They seem very prideful of the eldest but almost shameful of the youngest. He wondered why. He decided to be bold and asked, "Ping, it seem he does not bring you pride as much as Minling."
Zhou sighed and slipped his hands into his sleeve and sat back on his pillow, "do not get me wrong. Ping bring us honor, but not as we expected. We knew Minling would follow his mother's side of the family as a merchant from a young age. When Ping was born, we hoped he would follow my path in becoming a soldier and succeed and perhaps, one day hold the honor of being a lieutenant like I once was. But as he grew, it became very apparent he would not." He glanced at his wife who displayed a hint of sorrow in her face.
The grandmother crackled, "the gods decided to play a joke on us!" Everyone turned to the old woman who was crackling to her own internal joke. "Ping should've been born a girl!" She shook her head and sighed, becoming calmer. "We went to the fortune teller to find if we would have a girl or boy when Zanjun was pregnant with Ping. We were told they would have a girl, of great beauty and would bring the family great honor. We even had a name for her, Mulan."
Shang whispered to test the name, "Mulan?"
"Alas," Grandmother continued, "when the baby was born, we were shocked to see a boy!"
Zhou smiled sadly, "Yes, I was overjoyed to have another boy. It did not matter if the fortune teller was wrong, we were happy nonetheless."
"But he grew into a pretty little boy!" Grandmother crackled again.
General Li frowned, "what do you mean?"
The father glanced at his old friend, "you would have understood when you see him growing up, but you were busy. Ping isn't strong, rather he is more feminine and looks like a woman. He did not like to play rough like other boys, he preferred to read and write, play board games and stay out of the sun. It became clear to me as he became older that he would not follow my path at all."
Grandmother slapped her hand on the table, "bah. He's a great boy! He brings a great honor by being a nan dan!"
"Nan dan, yes." Zhou agreed, "it took me a while to figure out what would be best for him to bring honor to the family. The opera house master heard him singing and decided he would be a good nan dan for the opera. He has been part of the opera house for the past few years and is very good."
"Well, I look forward to seeing Ping perform tonight. What role is he playing?" Li asked as he grinned at his old friend. Zhou smiled softly, knowing of Li's love for opera.
"He plays the main princess in the Golden Flower." Zanjun softly supplied, smiling softly. "It is a hard and challenging role, and he is good, I have to admit."
Shang knew of the story of the Golden Flower, it was a famous opera play that is a favorite of the Emperor and often played in many opera houses throughout the providences. He has seen several different versions with his father through their travels. The main princess was a character of great beauty and voice like golden bells, also a tragic one because, in the end, she died. For some unknown reason, he looked forward to seeing the performance tonight, he was curious about what Ping looked like and what he is like.
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Zhou hobbled down the slope of the amphitheater of the opera house, it was a small open centered performance stage on the west end of the town. The entire arena was like a bowl with a gradual slope toward the square in the middle that was the stage. Shang waited as his father helped Zhou by supporting one side while his wife supported the other. He glanced around to take in the surrounding, it was simple and yet beautiful with magnolia and cherry trees lining the outer edge of the amphitheater. The performance would begin once the sun goes down and the lanterns turn on. He turned his head to the deepening reddish sky, the wind was warm and gentle, and the stars would come out bright. It was an ideal night for the opera.
The Fa family and their guests settled near the stage, sitting on the blanket that Zanjun and Grandmother brought for them all to sit on the grass. Shang thanked these women and sat down on the edge and relaxed. Soon the amphitheater filled up, and musicians took their place off the side of the stage and started to warm up with some light songs. The lanterns were being lit one by one by the stage helpers, and soon, the chattering crowd became hushed as several brightly costumed actors danced down the amphitheater from the magnolia trees and settled on the stages, striking poses.
Shang watched as the actors danced and sang, expressing the tale of the Golden Flower. It was one of the tragic stories where the selfish rulers sacrificed their children for long life and beauty but failed in the end when the young princess fell in love with a soldier and exposed the truth. He knew the story by heart and looked for the princess to show up, and the song changed. A lone figure came down from the east path to the stage, elaborate golden and white dress shrouded the lithe figure. Long flowing hair fell down the figure's back, and elaborate headdress sat on the head. Shang felt his mouth go dry as he watched the princess take her place on the stage and all the other actors fell back, giving her a solo spot. She was beautiful, and he became entranced by her goddess-like beauty when he saw her clearly. Her round face was like the moon and black mysterious painted eyes that glittered in the lanterns. Her deep red painted lips, tiny but plush, opened and the haunting song came out. She sang of her story, her woes, and sorrow.
For the remaining of the performance, Shang ignored everything but kept watch on the princess. He never felt such stirring deep inside him from a beautiful woman. He wanted to know her, to hold her and caress her pale face and taste the red lips. He was entranced up until she slumped down on the stage, dead, having been killed by her own jealous mother, the Empress. The empress fell, slumped over the princess' legs as the soldier killed her. Soon, every character of the royal family was dead, and lots of red fabrics were thrown across to portray blood, and the soldier was left standing, weeping and singing in the deep tenor of his lament, finishing the play.
The enchantment over Shang broke as the audience clapped, cheering the end of the excellent performance. He blinked and looked to his father, noting the tear in his father's eyes. He turned back to see the actors stand up and bow and then the emcee came up and introduced each actor's name. The princess stepped up as the emcee shouted, "Fa Ping, the Princess!" The audience screamed and cheered wildly. Shang blinked and realized he had fallen for a male actor and shook his head, amazed by the talent of a small town opera actors. He had never been entranced like that before.
"Impressive!" General Li boomed as he slapped his friend's back, "your son, Ping, is a very impressive actor!" He chuckled and gestured over to Shang, "even Shang was drawn in!"
Shang blushed and looked away, watching as the actors interacted with the audience, greeting children and other people. He searched for the golden clad princess and swallowed as he found Ping approaching them in graceful stride worthy of a goddess.
"Ping." Zhou greeted his son, grinning with pride. Shang was surprised to see the pride in the older man's face when it came to Ping for the first time. "That was a beautiful performance tonight. I would like to introduce you to our guests, General Li, and his son, Captian Li Shang." He gestured to his friend. General Li bowed and commented on the performance.
Shang took the opportunity to study the young man's delicate feature under the paint. He searched for any trace of masculinity but found none, it was almost hard to believe that the beautiful goddess-like woman standing before him was a man. Ping turned to him and bowed, "It's nice to meet you, Captain Li. I hope your stay at our house is comfortable." He spoke. Shang found his voice, not like a woman, but a soft melodious tenor. When he sang on stage, he sang in a beautiful soprano.
Shang found himself saying, "I look forward to spending my time at your home. Perhaps we will get to know each other and become good friends like our fathers."
"I look forward to that," Ping replied, smiling shyly. The actor who played the prince approached them and whispered in his ear before leaving. He turned back to them, "I apologize, I need to go and change. They want to close up soon. I'll be home in an hour, father." He bowed to Zhou.
"We should be getting back," Zhou commented as Ping left.
Shang sat on the edge of the floorboard that gave way to the garden, his back leaning against the pillar that supported the house. He couldn't sleep and was restless and opted to sit on the porch. The moon was bright and full, shining down and illuminating the garden. It was a different scenery from the daylight but beautiful nonetheless. He understood why his father wanted to rest here before joining up with his army in the next town over. It was peaceful and idyllic. His father had gone straight to bed after a drink with Zhou when they came back to the house. Grandmother had crackled upon looking at Shang when they came back from the opera house, leaving everyone puzzled at her antics. Shang quickly learned that the old woman was eccentric.
He saw a shadow move in the garden from the entrance and watched as a slender figure walked along the path, heading to the house. Once the figure moved out from the shadow of the trees and the moonlight hit his face, he recognized it was Ping. Ping has come home at last. Watching the young man and going over Zhou and grandmother's words from earlier. He understood now why it was difficult for the family to accept the boy's unusual appearance. He was definitely beautiful, with long hair that fell down his waist and his graceful movement. He was undeniably a male, flat chested with a lean figure. It was a no wonder he made a perfect nan dan, an opera actor that specialized in roles of female characters.
Deciding to call out to Ping, Shang spoke, "you're late."
Ping froze before he stepped up the stairs leading to the entrance of his house and glanced over to where Shang sat on the side. "Oh!" He startled and turned to him and bowed, "apologies. I did not expect the master to keep us so long."
Shang stood up and stepped down from the house and onto the garden grass, "not that it mattered. Your parents had gone to bed hours ago." He approached Ping and stood there, looking down at the smaller man, finding he only came up to his chin. "You look different."
Ping laughed softly, his laugh was like a bell. "Ah, it must be makeup and the dress then."
"That must be it." Shang chuckled, amazed how he felt at ease around Ping. He tilted his head and reached out to touch Ping's earlobe. He felt his finger sparked at the touch of Ping's cool skin and withdrew, showing his finger, a white powder was on it and smirked, "missed a spot." He realized he was finally starting to feel tired. "It's late. I'm going to turn in. See you in the morning." He bowed and turned, hopping onto the deck and slipped into the doorway that led to his room.
Ping stood stock still. When Shang had touched his ear, he felt the spark and his heart hammered. He reached up to touch his ear where Shang had touched and seen that he was right, he had missed cleaning the white makeup off there. He swallowed and shook his head, continuing his journey into the house and headed to his room. He glanced up to see the door across from his room ajar and saw Shang lying on the futon mattress, sleeping. His heart thudded hard, and he closed the door. He had heard of General Li from his father his whole life, how the man was a great friend and a strong leader of the army. His father almost idolized Li and missed being in the military as General Li's lieutenant. He knew his parents had hoped he would follow his father's footsteps one day but were sorely disappointed that Ping did not meet their expectation.
When he had heard recently that General Li and his son, Captain Shang would be visiting for a few weeks, he wondered what they would be like. It was a surprise to see them at the amphitheater tonight, and he was pleased to see General Li to be a kindly older man. But to meet Shang, he was surprised to find the Captain young and handsome, not like a rugged man he had pictured. Shaking his head, he turned in his room and went straight to his bed and laid down, exhausted from the night performance. He would not be returning to the opera house for a few days, earning the respite.
References and other things used in the chapter:
Nan Dan - Chinese Opera actor that specializes in female roles.
Golden Flower - inspired by the 'Curse of the Golden Flower' but not the same.
Fa Zanjun - Ping's mother. She has no first name in the movie.
Minling - Ping's older brother. He has little to no roles but is here for a reason.