Tiao was sitting in front of the mirror, admiring his own reflection and servants swarming around him, when he saw Shang at the doorway. "Come in." Tiao said with his usual masculine voice. He still stared at his reflection in the mirror as he began addressing Shang. "Tell me, does this robe make me handsomer? I can't see how I could get more beautiful than I already am."
Shang looked at the wary faces of the servants, then turned to his friend. "You are still vainer than any woman I've ever met."
"Can I help it if I am gorgeous?" he said. Tiao dismissed his servants and did not continue talking until he saw that all of them were gone.
"By the way, Shang," Tiao said in a sudden empathetic voice. "I'm sorry about your father. I know how much it meant that you and he-"
"I'm fine" Shang interrupted.
"Are you sure?" Tiao asked.
"Yes," Shang replied.
"Oh, I have bad news," Tiao said, watching his friend's reflection. "My father thinks that you should be General. Your victories in this battle have impressed him."
Shang, resenting the comment, asked, "Why would that be bad news?"
Tiao answered, "I thought that you'd be a bit… you know…just tired of the army thing. Maybe you'd like a bit of rest for now… settle down, find a nice girl."
Shang was surprised with Tiao's sentiments, mainly for the fact that Tiao recognized how Shang would feel. Shang's sole reason for his ambition was to please his father, and now that his father was gone, he no longer had that ambition. Tiao was right—he should take a break. However, Shang couldn't bear to admit it—since the army was his entire life—so he took the news in stride.
An Imperial Guard appeared at the doorway. "Your Highness, the Emperor wishes to speak with you. Captain Li, the Emperor requests you to accompany us."
Both Tiao and Shang followed the soldier down the hallway. When they approached the end of the hall, the guard opened the ornate door to the room in which the Emperor was. "Emperor" the soldier said. "Your son and the Captain are here now."
"Thank you," the emperor said. He motioned to Tiao. "Come in."
While Shang knelt down, Tiao moved towards the mirror to look at his reflection and tended to his hair.
"Li Shang, please rise," the Emperor said. "I know this is a bit informal, but I want to let you know that I have decided to appoint you General. I have consulted many of my advisors on this, and they all agree that you show great dedication. And, if you can do with this army what you did with those soldiers at Wu Zhong, then I'm sure this army, under your direction, will be the finest China has ever seen."
"Thank you, sir. I am most honored," Shang said stoically.
"Tiao, please stop staring at yourself and address your father." The Emperor gave an exasperated look to his son.
Still looking at his profile, Tiao asked, "Why the guard, father? Afraid that I might run?"
"Of course. You always try to run when I want to talk to you about choosing a wife. I wanted to tell you that I decreed an empire-wide search for women to make up your royal consorts. I don't know why I should considering there are enough beautiful young women vying to be your wife. Don't you find any of them attractive?"
"Father, just because they are attractive doesn't mean that they are interesting," the young man said while looking at himself in the mirror. "Besides… they are not as beautiful as I am."
Shang and the Emperor gave each other wary glances. Tiao turned to his father. "That was a joke."
"This is no joke. You must choose a wife soon. She has to be a woman that all China would look up to and respect. And… and…"
Shang studied the Emperor's pallid face. "Your highness? Are you feeling well?" Tiao turned his attentions to his father and went to his father's side.
"I don't know," the Emperor replied wearily, taking hold of Tiao's arm. "I am suddenly feeling weak." He started walking slowly toward his bed, using Tiao as a support.
Shang ran out of the room and down the hallway, screaming for help. Shang reentered the room with some servants and a doctor, and Tiao moved aside.
Once the servants started pushing Shang and Tiao out of the way, they returned to Tiao's room.
Tiao sat back down in front of his mirror and studied his shaken expression. "Shang?"
"Your father may be dying, and all you can think about is how you look?!" Shang stormed out of the room and made his way through the hall. A doctor confronted him to tell him that the Emperor's health was fading. Shang was about to tell Tiao, but he was too angry at Tiao's vanity and apparent aloofness concerning his father's condition.
Tiao sat in his room, staring at the mirror. He wasn't really looking at himself, but just trying to collect his thoughts. Tiao couldn't understand how Shang could yell at him like that. The doctor interrupted his thoughts to tell him the news and left him alone again. Tiao stared intently on his reflection, in shock to find that his father was not immortal. He walked back into his father's room to see him lying on the bed.
Tiao walked up to the bedside, and kneeled before the man. "Father, it's me," he whispered.
Gathering all his strength, his father smiled. "Tiao, the doctor says that I should be myself in a few days, but I could see it in his eyes that he was thinking otherwise." Tiao did not know how to reply to this, but instead he smiled back at his father.
"Tiao, rule justly. Respect everyone, down to the lowliest peasant. Also do your best to protect this kingdom."
Tiao got up to exit. Without turning around, he replied "I will, father," and exited the room.
Tiao tried to think of what to do next. He thought of telling his family and advisors, but could not decide on how to word it. He then realized that it would be wrong to tell them, since they would all just go to him for their inheritance. Tiao thought of going to Shang, but he was probably still angry with him. He then remembered the little tavern he would often visit. Of course, he was never allowed to go, but he would always sneak out there whenever he felt the need to get away from it all, and this was the current situation.
He found himself back in his room. He took off his royal apparel and put on very ordinary-looking clothes. He then put back on his royal robes over his other clothes and walked out of his room and towards the exit of the palace. He stopped at his father's bedroom and looked in. His father was sleeping, and there were two servants with him. He then proceeded to the outside entrance when he was stopped by one of the maids.
"Where is your Highness off to?" She asked.
He didn't bother to look down as he responded. "To the gardens." Tiao then proceeded at a quicker pace. He went to a hidden area in the gardens where he and Shang would often go to spy on the servants. He took off his robes and tied his hair up haphazardly. He then held some dirt in his hands and rubbed it on his face. He walked past the Imperial Guards unnoticed.
Tiao walked through the streets of the Imperial City and stopped in front of a tavern.
"Hey, Kuanyin's here!"
Tiao stood at the entrance of the tavern, scanning it for anyone who would recognize him. Upon seeing nobody there that would know his true identity, he walked in, assuming his alias as Kuanyin, their drinking buddy. He stopped at a table where the four men were playing a gambling version of Mahjong.
"Kuanyin, you have any money to spare? This fool is trying to cheat me," Da Ge said, the stench of the liquor overpowering Tiao's sense of smell.
"Da Ge, you stink." Tiao said while watching them play the game.
"Yeah," responded Er Ge, Da Ge's younger brother with whom he always gambled. "and his smell ain't so good either."
Tiao reached into his pocket and pulled out a few coins. "Just don't spend this on more liquor afterwards." He handed it to Da Ge then walked away.
"Kuanyin!" shouted Kuo, the burly man surrounded by two other men, all noticeably drunk. "Get your skinny ass over here!" He then shouted at one of the waiters. "You! get my friend something to drink! He has a lot to catch up on."
"What are your troubles now?" Shao zu asked, looking over Tiao's expression.
"What makes you think I'm troubled?" Tiao asked before downing his first serving of the liquor.
"You only come in here when you're troubled," Shao zu stated.
"If you hadn't noticed, Shao zu, we don't come in here for the food," Kuo roared. "We all come here because we have troubles, and we want to drown them out in cheap liquor and cheap women."
"My father's going to die, and I don't feel ready to take responsibility of the household," Tiao said in between drinks. "Furthermore, it's his dying wish that I get married."
"I don't see anything wrong with that," Da Ge yelled from across the room. "You're handsome, and you have money."
"Kuanyin," Gang, another one of the drunken men, teasingly fawned, "I'd marry you, even if we're both men."
"I want a wife that wants to marry me, not my money or good looks." Tiao said resolutely, unperturbed at the advances made by Gang.
Shao zu stared at his empty cup. "Believe me, there's no such woman like that."
"Not true!" yelled Er Ge from across the room. "Da Ge has a wife, and he has neither money nor good looks!"
"So, what are you going to do?" Shao zu asked.
Tiao sighed. "I don't know."
After a long silence, and a few rounds of drinks, Gang asked, "You know what Kuanyin needs?"
"Another drink?" Kuo said before chugging another drink down.
"No…" Gang answered.
"a wife?" Shao zu said.
"I mean right now!" Gang answered irritated.
"enlightenment?" Da Ge yelled from across the room.
"No!" Gang exclaimed disgustedly, pounding his arm stump to the table. "Where did that come from?"
"I don't know, I was just thinking." Da Ge shouted.
"Stop thinking so much. It's bad for your health." Er Ge said while putting down sticks. He then picked up the pitcher and poured more liquor into Da Ge's cup. "Here, have some more drink"
"What were you saying?" Tiao asked, curious as to what Gang thought he needed.
"Oh yeah, Kuanyin needs a prostitute!" Gang exclaimed. "Not one of those cheap ones next door though."
"Yeah…" Kuo said thoughtfully.
"What about that one girl? Xiaoming," Shao zu offered.
"Oh, yeah! I heard about her." Er Ge yelled. "But she's only for those rich people."
"Kuanyin, how much money do you have?" Kuo asked.
Tiao looked at his comrades. "I don't think a prostitute is the best thing for me right now."
"No, this prostitute is different. She has some sort of magical powers." Shao zu said. Tiao shot him an incredulous look. "Really! My friend's friend, his name's Ling, he saved up five months' earnings just for this girl. The lady who ran the place wouldn't let him in unless he was dressed properly and clean. So, he had to work two more months to buy suitable clothes and get clean. He said afterward that she was amazing, like she gave him more energy, or something like that."
"So he worked for seven months for one night with this woman?" Tiao scoffed.
"He said it was all worth it, or that's what my friend tells me." Shao zu then reached for his cup, his mouth dry from having said so much.
"I wouldn't spend seven months' wages on one night with some overpriced whore!" Kuo said. "Do you know how many drinks I can buy with that?"
Tiao, seeing that his friends offered nothing to alleviate his troubles, left the tavern, and decided to take a little walk around the city. However, his coordination was impaired from the liquor, causing his to stumble through the streets of the Imperial City, attracting many stares. In midst of his drunken stupor, he heard his name being called.
"Tiao?" Tiao turned around to see Shang staring back at him. "Tiao, is that you?"
"No," Tiao replied in a drunken state. "I am Chen Kuanyin."
"Tiao, you idiot," Shang muttered. He took Tiao's hand. "Follow me."
Shang led the drunken prince through the streets of the Imperial City until he reached his house. The entire way Shang was too angry to speak with Tiao, and only vented his emotions through violently pulling at Tiao to pick up his pace. Tiao, who was too smashed to recognize anything, thought that Shang had led him back to the palace.
"Why am I here? The reason I left in the first place was to be away from here." Tiao grumbled angrily as Shang sat him down and placed a cool wet cloth on his head.
"What are you talking about?" Shang asked.
Tiao spotted an unfamiliar maid in the hall and began addressing her. "Do I know you?"
"Ignore him," Shang ordered.
"Excuse me," Tiao slurred. "Who are you to order around and be familiar with my maid?"
"Tiao, you're probably too drunk to notice, but this is my house, and she is my maid."
Tiao took a closer look at his surroundings and, realizing none of them were to familiar, accepted his friend's words to be true. "I don't care whose house it is. I'm the Emperor of China!"
"Bo, please make some tea for me." Shang asked. He then turned to Tiao. "Do you realize how much of an idiot you are? Do you know what danger you put yourself through?"
"I'm sorry, Mother, it won't happen again." Tiao said crudely.
"You're lucky no one recognized you," Shang admonished. "Imagine the scandal that would surround the empire." Shang's eyes were averted to Tiao's appearance. "Umm, Tiao," Shang eyed him up and down. "What are you wearing? And, is that dirt on your face?"
"So?" Tiao responded. Shang looked at his friend, trying to piece together what he saw earlier with what he was seeing now.
The maid returned with the tea, and served it to both Tiao and Shang. Tiao began sipping the tea while Shang only stared down at the tealeaves. "Why didn't you come to me?" The hurt in Shang's voice brought Tiao out of his inebriated state
"I thought you were angry at me," Tiao replied solemnly.
"I was," Shang began, "but then I realized I was being unfair, so I returned to the palace, and you weren't there, so I went out to look for you."
"You didn't tell anyone I was gone, did you?" Tiao asked accusingly.
"I only told them that you were at my house. That you needed some time away from the palace."
Tiao only nodded and took a sip of Green Tea. He decided to get his mind off of the situation by starting on another subject. "Shang, what are you going to do when you become General?"
Shang shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. I guess I'll make some revisions in the way our army operates."
Tiao inquired, "Plan on accepting women now?"
"I guess I would allow women if they pass the same tests as any soldier would," Shang replied. He drank more of his tea before continuing. "I doubt that any woman would go through that though."
"Your Fa Mulan did," Tiao remarked.
Defensively, Shang stated, "Well, she's different."
"I see… She's a manly woman?" Tiao was amused at the thought.
"No, she's just," Shang pondered over which word would perfectly describe her. "determined."
"Imagine—an army of women! They'd probably talk the Huns to death, or trade fashion tips even!" Tiao and Shang laughed at the thought. Tiao then rose from his sitting position and started walking around. "So, you honestly didn't know she was a girl?"
"If I knew she was who she was, I would have sent her back home immediately," Shang replied.
"Well, I don't know. After all, she would have been the only woman you'd have contact with," Tiao said, eyeing Shang's reaction.
"You know me better than that," Shang answered, offended.
"Well, in times of desperation," Tiao said. "Besides, who's to say that she didn't take advantage of her situation among the troops?"
Shang shook his head. "No, she's not like that."
"I see," Tiao scanned the room and fixated his eyes at the mirror. "Oh god."
"What?" Shang asked with concern.
"I just saw my reflection. These clothes bring out my rugged charm." Smiling, Tiao sat back down.
Shang looked at him incredulously. "Yeah..."
Tiao looked around the hall. "Where am I going to sleep? I'm tired. The bed better be comfortable."
Shang led him to a bedroom. "You can sleep in the guestroom. Good night." Shang walked slowly through the hall, trying to get the day's events off his mind. He started to think about Mulan, and a smile crept onto his face. He entered his bedroom, quickly got undressed, and got into bed.
