Three months after she was born, Liu Fei was taken out of the kingdom of Shu and into the rival kingdom of Wu. Shu was going to make an attempt of peace toward Wu in hope that the two kingdoms could join forces against their common enemy, the kingdom of Wei.
Fei was brought along so she could finally be shown off to the outside world.
Liu Bei stopped his nursemaid outside of Wu's castle. "Here," he said, removing his sword's sheath from his belt, "Take my sword and show Fei the city." The nursemaid nodded and gave the girl to Bei just long enough to strap the sword about her own waist. The group departed, Shu's ruler and generals going into the castle and the nursemaid and three guards moving back into the city.
The small group stood out quite a bit. It was traditional for the people of Wu to always wear red just as the people of Shu always wear green and the people of Wei wear blue. Many people stared; some even glared or spat upon them.
A young man with a kind face jumped out at them, giving the nursemaid a slight scare. "I heard there would be visitors from Shu!" The boy seemed excited to see them, which was a surprise in itself for the guards. "Please come visit my father's shop. It is just right across the street and you shall be welcome there."
The company graciously accepted the boy's offer, thankful for the glimmer of generosity.
The guards quickly learned, however, that the people of Wu were not to be trusted.
As soon as they stepped into the building, the boy barred the door. Many figures, all cloaked in red and brandishing swords, stepped out of the shadows. The nursemaid quietly cursed Liu Bei for not sending more guards. Three guards could not protect the jewel of Shu.
"'On your knees woman," a rough female voice called. "You have done well."
Tears formed in the corner of the nursemaid's eyes. She reminded herself that she had to do this. "Your son will be spared for your service to Wu. Now hand over the girl."
The nursemaid flinched at that curses thrown at her by the guards. "You have betrayed us and the entire kingdom of Shu," one spat down upon her. All three drew their swords. "But we shall not go down without a fight!"
The nursemaid closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of battle. In the midst of it all hands reached for the child in her arms and snatched it away. The guards would not win, she knew. They were up against the queen of Wu, Jing Yin, Sun Jian's wife, and all of her bodyguards. One, two, three, the bodies fell in defeat, red staining their green uniforms.
The nursemaid opened her eyes and found her son standing before her. Everything suddenly turned black and she realized then that she had also been betrayed. They had killed her son and now she was off to join him. She had given away Liu Fei, the jewel of Shu, all for nothing.
Yin took a look down at the body of the nursemaid. Something stood out. She reached down and grabbed the sword the nursemaid had failed to remember.
She was unable to hold in her gasp. This was the sword of Liu Bei. "Boys!" she exclaimed, "It seems we have a bonus gift!"
Later that night, Yin came home a silent bundle in her arms. Sun Jian grinned and quickly dismissed all servants but one, their most trusted. "I see we have a daughter," he turned to the servant, "Bring the boys in here."
A minute later their two sons, Sun Ce and Sun Quan, came in. Seven year-old Ce ran in ahead, plopping down atop his father, unaware of the child in his arms. Quan, nearly a year old, was carried in on the servant's hip. The servant gave Quan to his mother then left the room so the family could talk privately.
"Boys, this is your sister," their mother said. She lowered Quan so he could see the girl. "Her name is Fei."
Ce's eyes widened. "But why didn't your belly get all big, like it did before Quan came?"
Jian smiled. His son was too smart to be fooled by them. "Well, Ce, I'm afraid Fei's real parents died. We saved her. Now she is your sister and I want you to treat her as such."
Ce nodded. He leaned forward to look at his sister closely. "She's really cute. She's gonna be really pretty when she grows up, huh?"
"That is right," Jian chuckled then glanced at his younger son, "And one day she shall make your brother a beautiful wife."
The prince frowned. "Aww! Why don't I get to marry her?"
Jian patted his head. "Perhaps you shall. Why don't we save this conversation for a later date. You are much too young to be thinking about marriage."
The princes of Wu made their way back to bed then, leaving their parents alone with their new sister.
"Well, Love," Yin began, "I have another brilliant surprise for you." Jian raised an eyebrow as she revealed a sword from beneath her cloak.
Jian recognized it immediately by the twinkling emeralds dotting along the blade's hilt and the jade-colored silk knotted about the sheath. This green silk was also tied to the hilt in flowing ribbons bearing the picture of a dragon woven in yellow thread.
"This is Liu Bei's sword!" Jian exclaimed. "How did you manage to get your hands on this?" Jian pressed his thumb to the edge of the blade. It was sharp enough to draw a single ruby of blood.
"The nursemaid had it. I suppose Liu Bei let her use it to protect Fei with, little good it did though. What shall we do with it?"
"I cannot use it that is for sure. Nor can any of my men. We simply cannot risk anyone we meet in battle recognizing the blade."
Looking down at Fei, an idea suddenly came to Yin. "Why not let Fei have it? She will not need it anytime soon. We are planning on training her to become a great warrior, correct?" Jian nodded. "By the time she is ready we can make adjustments to the sword."
"Yes, and by then no one will be thinking to look for the sword." Jian leaned back and sighed. "Can you imagine one day our Fei defeating her own father in battle with his own sword?"
The two laughed at the thought of it. "It shall surely be a great day for the kingdom of lies and deceit," Yin said mockingly.
"And we have gotten what we need, the foretold 'Goddess of Beauty and Grace', the key to winning the war! The fiercest warrior China has ever seen! And everything has been set in place as well. We are prepared for when Shu comes knocking at our doors searching for the girl."
"One more good thing has also come out of this, Love," Yin grinned slyly as Jian raised an eyebrow," Liu Bei shall finally stop pestering us with the stupid peace talks."
