Disclaimer: I don't own them. SNK owns Mai Shiranui.
Koei's Bane 2
Chapter 2: Ma Yunlu, The Anti Zhen Ji
Zhen Ji took the news of Oichi's pregnancy with joy while Zhao Yun gave Nagamasa a congratulatory shoulder pat. While the three discuss the head of Azai his plans, there's a woman standing far away from their presence by the main lobby. She was embroiled with rage. It was not that of jealousy, but betrayal.
"Zilong, I'd like to talk to you alone about an important matter on this just between us," Nagamasa tone changed as the mood becomes seriously dire.
Zhao Yun nodded and turns to to Zhen Ji, "Luo, I'll be at the Shu group later. You can wait for me there. Will you be checking on the Wei group while Azai and I are going to discuss in private?"
"Later, I've decided to wait for you at the Shu group even if it means putting up with Zhuge Liang and Ma Chao's distaste for my presence there," Zhen Ji answered.
Zhao Yun gave only a frown regarding to the man he used to trust the most in history and the man people believed to be his 'friend' in the games. Just now, they heard the good news from their Sengoku friends and then all he has to worry about is what Zhuge Liang and Ma Chao believed the kind of person Lady Zhen was to them.
"Kongming doesn't believe you're a virtuous woman because of your marriage to Cao Pi and Mengqi hates the Cao family and among anyone relate to by marriage. Just stay in Zijun and Bogong's corner until I return," Zhao Yun told her.
"Sigh...it's not like I'm responsible for all the bad things Zihuan and Mengde had done to get this hated in ShuHan," Zhen Ji shook her head displeased.
She waved at the two men and proceed into the Shu group leaving Zhao Yun and Azai Nagamasa just the two of them alone in private.
"So what is it that's troubling you right now, my friend?" Zhao Yun looked at him concerned.
Nagamasa waited until Zhen Ji is no longer in sight. The woman that was eavesdropping them also followed her, but the men were unaware of her existence. After a brief silence, he so started a new conversation.
"Have you proposed to her yet?" Nagamasa winced.
"Oh…I would if the one thing that concerns me about her needs to be addressed. I can't propose to her without the permission of the most important person in her life to approve our relationship. So far, my son Guang already knew and Tong doesn't care since he's proud to have me as his father, the mother doesn't matter," Zhao Yun thought over the reaction from both of his sons.
"So, if her ex husband, Cao Zhi, Cao Cao, Lady Bian are not the problem, then….,"
Zhao Yun nodded, "….Rui."
"To the son, the mother matters. You needed Cao Rui's permission to propose to Zhen Ji. Is it this big of a problem, Yun?" Nagamasa looked at him concerned.
Zhao Yun reminisce the past when Cao Rui emerge from the sins of his father as the second Wei Emperor. It leaves a lot of things complicated in his late years till death.
"To have such a humble, wise, and elegant mother was a blessing, but the life Cao Rui lived had left a huge torn on her death. Cao Rui's propaganda was that the heroes his grandfather praise were the benevolence generals of righteousness. But his father's upbringing destroyed that reality. Our actions during the Han loyalist/Cao family contention make us the bad guys, Nagamasa," Zhao Yun turns around to watch the afternoon sun radiate from the door window.
Nagamasa knew that kind of propaganda when he opposed Nobunaga in the first Anti Oda coalition. Nagamasa was not treated as the good guy. The western traders support the Oda because the renegade Buddhist monks caused chaos and murdered the Christians making this worst and then Mt. Hiei. Because of Mt. Hiei, he could not change his allegiance with the Asakura, but it made more hardships on himself and Oichi.
"Things were best left unresolved after my historical death. However, now that Luo and I are celebrities, I ought to talk to Rui about what I knew of his mother before permitting to move our relationship beyond. If he still wants Zhen Ji and Cao Pi to get back together, I have to back off," Zhao Yun hide his depressed face from the Japanese man behind him.
"I've gotten back together with Oichi and everyone was happy," Nagamasa said bluntly.
"That's because both of your histories together were positive. Good history, my friend," Zhao Yun returned his gaze with a passionate reaction.
"I don't know about you, but I regret leaving Oichi with so much sorrow years after Odani Castle and then Kitanosho where she died the same way as I," Nagamasa shook his head disagreeingly.
"Isn't that the Way of the Samurai?" Zhao Yun raised his eyebrow.
"Look, Nobunaga had disorientated the Samurai culture. I've been having second thoughts on the ways our culture been mistakenly simplified. I agree with Nobuanga about a land where we could live freely from old tradition, but I could never abide to evil, tyranny, that's my reason for rebelling. After that, Oichi lost all sense to the samurai culture, we left our daughters to resolve our deaths themselves and my first son was forced to be murdered by the very man who conceived Chacha's son," Nagamasa had never been that regretful over the legacy of the people he care about. They suffered as much as he had and he never seen it past his lifetime.
Thinking over how Nagamasa lived, Zhao Yun remember serving Gongsun Zan as a dark page in his early life. Yuan Shao's publicity stunt had turned the moral compass to his favor due to Liu Yu's death. He returned to Hebei after aiding Liu Bei into Xuzhou as a fugtive, a felon whom criminal charge was opposing Benchu despite wanting to save the Han. He was antagonized just for serving Gongsun Zan and allying with the Black Mountain Bandits made his life a living hell. It's easy to make the people believe you're on the wrong side when you have good intentions to fight for. Even Zhen Ji knew about it that time. Does he want to talk to Nagamasa about why he choose Gongsun Zan and opposed Yuan Shao?
"I never thought the people I associate with were considered worst than Cao Cao and Cao Pi," Zhao Yun said with a stoic tone.
"Oh yeah? Nobunaga is worst than Hisahide from my point of view," Nagasama scoffed.
"Hisahide, the guy who killed the Sword Shogun Yoshiteru, correct?" Zhao Yun asked.
"Hai…" Nagamasa Azai recap the villainous spider daimyo who kills his own masters for power, but nothing compares to a Daimyo who kills innocent people on holy ground.
"Beibi," Zhao Yun muttered.
Nagamasa shook his head and put his hand on Zilong's shoulder, "My friend, our hardships were fought for good intentions. It wouldn't matter who the most powerful or the winner was. Still, I regret leaving my own children and Oichi to suffer alone."
"I didn't regret aiding Liu Bei. There's so much we both suffered to provide good intentions for the people. So, why am I still having PTSD ever since becoming a celebrity in Koei's Warriors franchise and Three Kingdoms games in general? And Zhen Ji doesn't want to be a villain anymore because of Zihuan," Zhao Yun thought as he scrolls back into the sunlight wandering on his mind.
Later on, Zhen Ji walked through the hall passing by Koei employees until she met Diaochan, the true postergirl of Three Kingdoms and the covergirl in every incarnation of ROTK game series.
"It's good to see you back," Diaochan greeted.
"Of course, I arrived in time for Dynasty Warriors 9. So, our outfits have become skimpier through time…." Zhen Ji sighed.
"Tell me about it. We're the only ones who are good at handling this kind of treatment in fandom because guys couldn't get the point of how we suffered as women. I'm supposed to be fake and you're real, Lady Zhen," Diaochan crossed her arms appearing more alluring than last time with her new revealing DW 9 outfit.
"You end up as the wife of a ruthless man who doesn't care about what you think and don't like and ordered your death. Should men in 2018 give a damn about me anymore?" Zhen Ji blinked.
Diaochan bursted into laughter. She was spot on, but that's the oppose of what she represented over Zhen Ji.
"I'm just a common dancer who ended up being adopted into Wang Ling's family, Luo. This unlaw act Cao Pi done to you was of a greater political scale than my plan to make Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu kill each other over me!" Diaochan laughed.
Zhen Ji briefly took her words as humor and reminese the good part of her relationship with Cao Pi compare to the politically evil part of it.
"Anyway, what's going on at the Other's group? Is there anything of notice?" Zhen Ji asked.
Diaochan cleared her throat and explained the other woman what when on. Lu Bu became the number one most popular character in the 2017 Western Dynasty Warriors Popularity Poll and it left the Others force in silence due to the lack of a Musou mode for Yuan Shao, Meng Huo, Dong Zhuo and Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turbans in DW 8 XL.
"It's Lu Bu, nothing to comprehend. I could understand women in the west are attracted to a gargantuan meathead compare to an intelligence coolhead like Guo Jia in the east," Zhen Ji giggled after the sentence.
"Speaking of Fengxiao, he's going to be my love interest in Secret of Three Kingdoms," Diaochan revealed the news of her role in the newest Three Kingdoms drama.
Zhen Ji's gaze widen. She did not know there's a new Three Kingdoms drama after The Advisor's Alliance she's been following during her promotions in China.
"You and Fengxiao…?" Zhen Ji muttered.
Diaochan became worried upon the revelation on the news, "I become the girlfriend of the most popular character in the east. However, I'm also the girlfriend of the most popular character in the west. Couldn't they put anyone else besides me as Guo Jia's love interest?"
"Who else is in this Secret of Three Kingdoms drama? I assume Han's Empress Fu?" Zhen Ji asked.
"Yes, she's the main female character and Liu Xie's fictional twin brother. Unsurprisingly, Sima Yi gets a titular role again. That man is everywhere now," Diaochan sighed.
"Empress Fu Shou HATES me because of Cao Cao and Cao Pi….." She thought hard on the last time she knew about the tragic Han Empress.
"Royal Concubine Dong too," Diaochan added.
"I've never met Consort Dong. She stood by her father Dong Cheng against Cao Cao. Lost her life and the life of her unborn heir…" Zhen Ji felt more ache over the two royal ladies of Emperor Xian.
"And Cao Jie. She was your sister in law right?" Diaochan frowned.
"Yes, I never wanted her to be treated the same way when her brother took the throne from Xian," Zhen Ji nodded. "Zihuan forced her to give up the Empress crown, the very clothes that Empress Fu Shou worn…."
"You are also cast as Cao Pi's wife," Diaochan smirked.
"If it's about Emperor Xian and his twin brother, I am cast as 'the stupidly nice girlfriend of the villainous boyfriend' trope to make people think Cao Pi is a good guy. Seriously, I wanted to be the one that oppose his ambitions instead of making our relationship OTP," Zhen Ji rolleyed.
"Except the plot had you getting an affair with him during the Battle of Guan Du while you're married to Yuan Xi," Diaochan unveil the plot.
"Hahahaha! He was a spoiled brat at the beginning! I wouldn't easily fall in love with him that time. What's more, he thinks about loaning money as a kid. Good Riddance, these TV writers never get why our relationship don't work in modern times! I was just a noble woman too beautiful that he wanted my body," Zhen Ji shook her head hysterically.
"Cao Pi….a lover of money?" Diaochan glared in disgust.
Zhen Ji rubbed her head in stress. She knew too much about him since he intermediately took her virginity after they met. It was a time where no matter what you wanted to do for the people, you're still a woman with a body whose job was to allure men like Cao Pi.
"If this direction towards your portrayal in this new drama offend you, you can go tell the original San Guo Ji Mi story author, Ma Boyoung," Diaochan showed Zhen Ji the picture of the Secret of Three Kingdoms author.
Zhen Ji checked out the author's picture and felt unsurprised by what kind of man he is. Male writers writing her out of making Cao Pi look cool in fiction.
"Is he a fan of Cao Pi?" Zhen Ji questioned.
Diaochan gave another look at the author and turn the page on her tablet back to the Secret of Three Kingdoms page with the story plot synopsis.
"He's more of a Sima Yi fan honestly," Diaochan shrugged.
"Hmmm…..are you going to promote this drama with Guo Jia?" Zhen Ji asked.
"Lu Bu will get angry if I did. I have no other choice, but to join Fengxiao and promote the drama together with Sima Yi, Emperor Xian," Diaochan answered.
"Can't say, I pity him. Fengxian had this coming soon. And he was dead by the time you became Cao Cao's concubine. Fortune a bitch." Zhen Ji said.
"I concur," Diaochan nodded.
"That same goes for me and my actual death….;will I ever get more exposure in media as an early love interest to Zilong?" again Zhen Ji thought.
Diaochan showed Zhen Ji the actress playing as her in a still shot.
"I'm sorry, but I prefer Zhang Zhixi's version from The Advisor's Alliance. Not because I had to cut myself with a knife and trace blood on my lips vilantly to devote my false loyalty to Wei. 75 percent of my historical personality on that show was fact while the other 25 is fiction. I'm not loyalty," Zhen Ji checked out the second still with Wang Xiaomei comforting Cao Pi actor Tan Jianci. "Is this suppose to be the sweetest moment between me and Cao Pi or the most cheesiest. What on earth was Cao Pi so sad about? Not being better than Cao Zhi again?"
"I think so, since Cao Zhi in the drama. I'm under a different name right now," Diaochan scrolled the page to the remaining cast of characters in Secret of Three Kingdoms.
"Jia Xu, Xun Yu, Yang Xiu, Yang Biao, Kong Rong…he doesn't like me either because of Cao Cao and Cao Pi. Man Chong in it too. Looks like the ministers once again take the center stage along with women like myself and today's generation of women want more female warriors," Zhen Ji could not be happy with this type of Three Kingdoms play.
"It's suppose to be a romance drama," Diaochan explained.
"The one thing romantic about Cao Pi and I was that most females wanted a relationship with the powerful man who could make you the Empress of China. I never thought such a thing when I abide my sin as a prisoner of his sexual satisfactions and then get killed. I have rant this depiction over and over. But, hardly anyone believed that I don't want to be an Empress of Evil," Zhen Ji blunted stared at Diaochan after that.
"…."
"Ji, tell me the truth?" Diaochan demanded.
"About my relationship with Cao Pi? Did I truly loved such a spoiled brat?" Zhen Ji crossed her arms annoyed.
"We could never have any control over our lives as women, so yes, I demand the truth," Diaochan refuted.
"I was murdered….that's your answer," Zhen Ji coldly put it.
Diaochan thought deeply by the implying irony over her death. So it was a forced relationship, nothing more, nothing less. But, why all the saturations on Three Kingdoms media?
"Dynasty Warriors beg to differ," Diaochan raised both of her hands up.
"He always complain about Cao Zhi, ruin Zijian's friends to secure his position as heir. Zihuan kept himself out of trouble by not making mistakes, but I've seen through the lies. Dynasty Warriors, he was better than Cao Zhi in every trait and threaten Zhi to do a larger text of words. That's the opposite of the Sanada brothers brotherly love. Zihuan is a selfish jerk with Zijian. My relationship with Cao Zhi was cordial, not because I don't like him. Heavens, what is it I can't like a sweet boy Lady Bian loved as much as she loved all of Cao Cao's children?! But the guy was alone and mistreated. His wife was murdered because of my unfair favoritism from Cao Cao! I hated the way it went!" Zhen Ji shouted.
Diaochan was taken aback by the darker tone of Zhen Ji's voice, "Alright, alright! I get it little sister! Everything was forced upon you, unwanted to be exact…"
"You were curious. The deeper you study about my relationship with Cao Pi, the more you knew he had no business violating my moral piety. A sheep can't linger with a wolf too long," Zhen Ji stated.
"Heaven's I shouldn't have gotten myself into a debate with Lady Zhen just like in ROTK 13" Diaochan thought.
The two remain on a brief silence before Zhen Ji decided it's time to make her leave towards the Shu group and wait for Zhao Yun to return. She lost a small portion of interests in Secret of Three Kingdoms. They want to fantasize her relationship with Cao Pi, by making it scandalous, so be it?
"Having me fall in love with that spoil brat is the biggest joke about me. No one going to find me sympathetic there and it doesn't change the fact that Lady Guo exist. There were several concubines of Zihuan. One got thrown out and I've tried to warn him. Persuade him to do the right thing. I've been acting like an older sister to him for almost sixteen years of our marriage historically. I haven't proceeded to show affection towards Yuan Xi on my five years of marriage compare to the spoiled brat's sexual needs because of that damn war! The people were suffering for so long by the ambitions of men! I knew people like Liu Bei and Cao Cao wanted to fight for the whole world, but couldn't comprehend the people's needs. I wanted to do something, but someone asked for my body and it's….oh, lets move on from that, Diao. I must head for the Shu group right now," Zhen Ji excused herself from the agony conversation about her relationship with Cao Pi.
"What else can I know about your relationship with Cao Pi?" Diaochan tapped her chin puzzled.
She didn't answer as she slowly Passover Diaochan and left the hall leaving Diaochan by herself…and the eavesdropping Ma Yunlu.
Minutes later…
"I don't know why such a popular novel becomes a TV drama this year. Do they like the idea of Emperor Xian having a twin brother? Having me fall in love with Cao Pi during the Battle of Guan Du? Falling in love with Cao Pi during the Battle of Guan Du….am I truly that stupid to be the one to commit adultery instead of the historical opposite? Gosh…." Zhen Ji said herself.
Everything about Cao Pi is about Lady Zhen. Everything about Cao Cao is about Lady Zhen. Everything about Emperor Xian's abdication is about Lady Zhen. Why can't they find other ideas and roles for her in medias, she thought. People want the truth. What kind of truth they want to know? Cao Rui being Yuan Xi's son? She didn't have intercourse with him and Yuan Xi was a selfless man just like Zilong. Cao Pi was an entirely different person from Yuan Xi and the majority still don't get it! She hates the misconception! She hates the way they tried to 'fix' the relationship! She…
"AGH!" Zhen Ji felt a hard kick in the abdomen sending her clashing against the wall.
The person who kicked her hard was the same woman that followed her now pointed her spear towards the fallen flower.
"Your supposed 'tragic' death was the biggest lie! You had it, Lady Zhen! I believe you loved the guy because you desired temptation! They gave you everything…and my family loss so much! Just like the Yuan clan!" Ma Yunlu place her boot on Zhen Ji's face slowly intensified the pain on her cheekbone.
"Ugggh…!" Zhen Ji struggled to get back into her senses from the pain of the wall's force.
"That's right…you loved what you had. The palace life, the children, all those jewelries and other extravant garbage for the price of my families deaths, the homes burnt and loss by Cao Cao, the honor and dignity of Xi Liang! Now you want your venomous temptation at the heart of a hero like Zhao Zilong, the heart of ShuHan!" Ma Yunlu snarled.
Looking horrified by her words, Zhen Ji struggled to speak, but Ma Yunlu's foot was still on her face. What happened to Ma Yunlu?
"I don't see why you deserve sympathy. A whore like yourself should stay rotten, disregarded to woman's society for your filthy temptation. The records claiming you as a wise woman, that's bull! If you were wise, you wouldn't have let all that temptation incite Cao Cao's son! You deserved to die because you were the definition of a liability! Just that filthy body and your temptation was the reason why you are evil!" Ma Yunlu released her foot and then thrust it against Zhen Ji's gut.
"Oof!"
"That's for my family! We struggled to understand why we lost them! Cao Cao wanted to control everything by force and what crime do we get for my brother refusing to join that selfish bastard you considered as a father who loved you so much that he killed those who talk down on your beauty like what happened to Cao Zhi's wife right?!" Ma Yunlu cocked her spear near Zhen Ji's forehead.
"N..no..you got it wrong…" Zhen Ji weakly struggled to speak.
"You know what's wrong, Zhen Ji? You getting sympathy. Do you truly deserve redeeming because you're…what did those bastards praise you as again? Virtuous?! Is that still a lie?" Ma Yunlu grimaced.
Zhen Ji slowly shot her sadden glance at Ma Yunlu. She knew too many people have suffered under the Cao family. How could she not ignore the turmoil since she was a child?
"You'd make fun of my family's death for opposing the Hero of Chaos. People wouldn't dare talk down on you the same way they wouldn't dare talk over Cao Cao. You are just as terrifying to the people as Cao Cao with your venomous temptation. Mark my words, Lady Zhen…" Ma Yunlu wrathfully uttered.
Sun Shangxiang gave a hard look at Ma Yunlu.
Sun Shangxiang: Are you suppose to be my clone?
Ma Yunlu: I thought I was originally created to be…I really don't know anymore cause of my popularity in other games outside of Koei's ROTK.
Sun Shangxiang: I'm still being portrayed cute since DW 6….
Ma Yunlu: I'm sorry to hear that again. How about a duel?
Sun Shangxiang: Seriously? You're OP in ROTK 13 compare to me and Zhu Rong. Both of us were the original warrior women in the Guanzhong novel….
Ma Yunlu: I'm getting too much love over being created as 'Zhao Yun's wife'…
Zhu Rong: So this is the strongest woman in three kingdoms now, Shangxiang?
Sun Shangxiang:…
Ma Yunlu: Erm, I don't have the honor to declare myself that.
Ma Chao shows up.
Ma Chao: Yunlu, did Zhao Yun accept your marriage yet?
Ma Yunlu: no…
Ma Chao: That closet douchbag! How long is he going to turn down the offer!
Sun Shangxiang: What's so romantic about Zhao Yun? He's bland just like Liu Bei! There aren't any men that respect me in Shu because I like to hold a sword and fight!
Zhu Rong: Say the gal who doesn't do anything after the marriage.
Sun Shangxiang: Don't make me hurt you ape!
Zhu Rong: Hey what did I tell you about calling me ape, you cat!
Sun Shangxiang: Cat!? You dare utter me lowly? I'm a tiger, rawr!
The two ladies clashed.
Ma Yunlu: I wonder if this is their usual rivalry throughout the series?