AN: While the violence in this chapter is no worse than anything I've written before or anything on the show, I still want to issue the caveat that there is violence in this chapter. This chapter is special to me because the basic framework of Xing'er's revenge plan is still intact from the time months ago when I wondered, "How would this Xing'er try to get vengeance on Yuwen Xi/Yuwen Huai without implicating Yuwen Yue?" So from that moment, this story became at least a double-shot (LOL).
"Have you brought me what I asked for?" the Grand Concubine of the Third Branch asked Xing'er, holding out her hand imperiously in spite of her barely-there voice.
Xing'er reached into her robe and pulled out the small flute that Yuwen Yue had given her the previous week, clasping it in her hands and bowing before handing it over to the handicapped woman.
"Tell me, child," the woman asked as she took the flute and studied it with a wistful yet bitter look on her face. "Do you know the story behind this flute?"
Xing'er hesitated, not knowing what her beloved would want her to tell this woman who held their plot in the palm of her hand.
"I know it used to belong to Young Master Yue's mother," she said.
"So he told you that much, did he? Is he in love with you?"
Xing'er carefully blanked her face.
"There's no need for that, child. The First Branch has always been too sentimental, which killed most of them in the end. I doubt that Yue'er would've told you anything about the flute if he didn't want you to keep it after tonight."
"The Grand Concubine is wise and perceptive," Xing'er said, inclining her head.
The woman let out what would've been a caustic bark of laughter had her voice been stronger.
"All of that wisdom and perceptiveness couldn't save Yuwen Yue's mother—my niece—from Yuwen Xi that night."
"What?!" Xing'er blurted, a cold blast of shock radiating throughout her body.
"So Yue'er hasn't told you that particular secret yet? I shouldn't be surprised. The Yuwen men all seem to love keeping their dirty little secrets."
"I'm sure Young Master Yue will tell me about his mother when-"
"-when he thinks you need to know, and not a moment before—if ever. While he doesn't know the full truth about his mother's fate, he knows enough that he could've told you some of it before you came here. Those Yuwen men are all the same."
Xing'er gritted her teeth together, responding to Meng Feng's soft touch on her back warning her against arguing with the Grand Concubine when time was of the essence.
"I would appreciate any information you can give me that will be useful for the mission," Xing'er said stiffly.
"I'll bet you would...Xing'er, is it? Mm. Star and Moon. Like I said: the Yuwen men are too sentimental. Too secretive. Too undisciplined in spite of their desire to prove otherwise to the masses."
"So why are you helping us, then?" Xing'er asked as she waited, growing weary of the delay and the slurs against her beloved.
"Because I want to see the sun," the woman whispered. "Because I want to be free. Because I want that bastard to pay for everything he's done to me and my family."
"Are you going to give me a dress to change-"
"It's over there," the Grand Concubine said, pointing towards a loosely-tied sack resting on a low table. "It was the only logical choice, really. My niece was a wisp of a woman, just like you. You could easily pass for her in dim lighting, you know. I wonder if that's why...but it's no matter. Yuwen men love who they will regardless of the consequences."
Xing'er opened the bag with a feeling of dread, noting that the material seemed to be much older yet nicer than the ripped dress that Meng Feng was now covering up with her own iron bell outfit. She pulled the dress out and held it up to herself, noting that the tai fu ren was right: It looked like it would fit her so well that it may as well have been made for her. Looking at the woman in question, she began to take off her own iron bell costume.
"You've figured it out already, haven't you?" she asked, flashing what was supposed to be a grin but looked more like a grimace at Xing'er. "You know it was what she was wearing when Yuwen Xi..."
As she pulled the dress on with savagely efficient movements, Xing'er felt the rage she'd successfully banked flaring to life again. During the past week of planning, she'd managed to tamp down the anger and grief that she still felt over the loss of her siblings. The implications of the crippled woman's words, however, brought all of those emotions back to the fore.
"What should I say to Yuwen Huai?" Xing'er asked once she'd reined in her temper. "This wasn't part of the plan; I was just supposed to be another nameless girl."
The Grand Concubine was silent for a few moments.
"I don't know how much he knows," she admitted. "He's a cunning man who's familiar with his grandfather's nature, so I think he's figured out that my niece didn't have a drunken affair with Yuwen Xi like he claimed. I'm sure he's said things about Yue'er's mother around you; think about those insults and use them against him. You shouldn't have to go into detail; a few well-placed hints and threats should be enough to get the results you desire. If you and Yue'er have fallen in love with one another, I trust your ability to come up with believable lies when necessary."
Silence fell over the Grand Concubine's prison-like room in Hong Shan Yuan as Xing'er turned around in the peony dress. For such a frail woman, the tai fu ren still managed to wear one of the most predatory expressions Xing'er had ever seen. She said nothing, however, continuing to stare at her as Xing'er copied Meng Feng and pulled on her own iron bell outfit over the lovely but ruined dress.
Meng Feng straightened Xing'er's iron bell and rearranged a few places where the fabric bunched too much, reminding her painfully of her older sister, whom the former assassin would resemble in dim lighting more than Xing'er wanted to admit. Xing'er did the same smoothing and primping for her partner in crime before pulling out her white veil and affixing it over the bottom half of her face. The former assassin did the same, and they both prepared to exit through the servants' door.
"I'll have to congratulate Yue'er on his cleverness when I see him," the Grand Concubine said before they could leave. "Not even I cared about why my new 'deaf and mute' servants wanted to wear veils over their faces. I didn't suspect a thing until they told me the truth a week ago; of course, I stopped caring about much of anything long ago. At any rate, those outfits have just made you invisible. Nobody will care about you because nobody cares about me. Use that to your advantage and make them pay."
Xing'er and Meng Feng bowed their veiled heads to the woman and gave her their thanks. The tai fu ren stared at the small flute she was holding in her hands, saying nothing. Not willing to waste any more time, Xing'er led the way through the door to execute the next part of the plan.
Meng Feng noted with wary pleasure that the Grand Concubine's assertion about their outfits seemed to be true. As they walked from the tai fu ren's rooms to Yuwen Huai's, not a single person acknowledged them in any way. Apparently everyone recognized the deaf mutes who served the old lady, and nobody bothered to try to engage them in conversation—or to ask what they were doing away from their mistress.
The ease with which they traversed Hong Shan Yuan bothered the former assassin, making part of her believe that they'd have to pay for the lack of problems later with unforeseen complications. She dismissed such unproductive thoughts, however, figuring that nobody in the entire compound was a physical threat to her and Xing'er even without their swords.
Not that they were completely unarmed. Meng Feng had secreted a few of her favorite small knives and darts on her person, and she suspected that Xing'er had done the same. Seeing the woman without her slingshot and blade ring was odd; Xing'er had been particularly reluctant to remove the ring and had only agreed to do so after sharing a heavy moment with Yuwen Yue.
They approached Yuwen Huai's rooms from the back, hoping that the information from the servants that Yuwen Yue had planted in Hong Shan Yuan was correct. She assumed that somebody would notice a pair of iron bells loitering around the back entrance to Yuwen Huai's quarters in the darkness, but nobody said a thing. The wait felt longer than it likely was, but to her relief, she saw a servant girl approaching the building with a tray of wine and cups right on time.
Meng Feng didn't like this part of the plan since it involved interacting with a person who would remember their encounter. They hadn't wanted to chance trying to infiltrate the kitchens, however, so they'd settled for this method instead. Of course, all of their plan involved some degree of chance, and this part was probably the least of their worries going forward.
Bracing herself to appear deaf and unobservant, Meng Feng started walking towards the servant girl, sensing Xing'er doing the same slightly behind her. Yuwen Yue had been training the two of them all week in the art of not reacting to loud noises around them, so Meng Feng didn't flinch in the slightest at the clanking and rattling of the tray as it made contact with Meng Feng's middle. The servant girl dropped the tray in surprise, and Meng Feng managed to steady it enough so that it only hit the ground with enough force to shake things up some more.
In fact, the servant girl appeared to be more shaken than the tray itself, which was now being tended to by a solicitous Xing'er. Meng Feng blocked the girl's view of the tray while she patted around the poor servant, acting as if she were worried the girl was seriously injured. Xing'er had picked up the tray and was now handing it to servant girl, gaze downcast. Meng Feng felt this was a good idea since the last thing she wanted the servant girl to see was Xing'er's distinctive eyes.
Since the servant was still watching them in bewilderment, they looked at each other, gestured towards where they knew the kitchens were, and set off in that direction. Hopefully the girl would assume that they were going to pick something up for the Grand Concubine—or forget about the encounter entirely, if Meng Feng had her way.
The poison was now in the wine and on its way to Yuwen Huai, who had hopefully already had one pot of wine tonight and would thus be too inebriated in order to detect anything amiss. According to the two servant operatives, Yuwen Huai had taken to drinking heavily whenever he knew that Yuwen Xi was going to go on a rampage, so they'd planned to slip the drug into the second pot of wine. They saw the servant girl exit the building, obviously not wanting to linger any more than necessary. Now they needed to give Yuwen Huai enough time to ingest enough of the tainted wine that he wouldn't notice their presence until the right time.
By the time Yuwen Huai's booze-soaked brain alerted him to the fact that something was wrong with his wine, he'd already begun to feel its effects. His drunken mind urged him to drink more, so he did, not knowing why he did so. The dim lighting in his rooms was already producing a copious amount of shadows, and he suddenly began to see more of them moving around his room.
He opened his mouth to call out for his guards, but a sudden image of them looking at him with the same revolted expression that they often leveled at his grandfather behind his back flashed through his mind. No, he didn't need any help from those incompetents. After all, he was Yuwen Huai, the most cunning man in all of Wei. Soon he'd manage to take the Eyes of God away from Yuwen Yue and gain the favor of the emperor himself. He should be able to handle any threat that had dared to enter his rooms.
Small lights began to flare around the edges of his quarters, some of them staying lit indefinitely and others winking in and out of existence almost instantaneously. The shadowy forms shifting about him became better defined, changing from amorphous shapes into more human-like ones. Two feminine forms detached themselves from the undulating mass of shadows, the lights they bore in what he assumed to be their hands doing nothing to illuminate their faces.
What he could see, however, were their ripped, torn dresses, the damage unmistakable and familiar. For the first time in many years, Yuwen Huai knew genuine fear. He staggered over to his sword rack and drew his blade, waving it in a manner that would've been more threatening had his hands not been trembling and sweaty.
"That won't do any good against us," one of the voices said in a raspy, whispered tone.
"Nothing you can do can be any more painful than anything your family has already done to us," the other grated harshly.
"Wh-who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"Would you even recognize my name if I said it?" the first one accused.
"You'd definitely recognize mine if I gave it," the second one said.
Yuwen Huai's eyes widened in terror as the figures seemed to glide around the room. Other shadows joined them, seeming to condemn him by their very presence. The two female shades drew nearer, and the barely-there features of one made him gasp in recognition.
"You're...you're...her!" he blurted. "The sister of that no-good maid, Xing'er!"
The figure paused for the barest of seconds as if surprised that he'd remembered her face.
Of course I remembered it. I was so glad to know that another person Xing'er loved had met the bad ending she deserved by being related to such a maid. And now she—her spirit—is here...in my room...with…
"You killed me out of pettiness, Yuwen Huai," she whispered into the silence.
"I...I didn't...that was my grandfather! Not me! He's the sick one, the bad one. He killed you, not me!"
"Yuwen Huai. Yuwen Xi. Does it really matter? You're both the same on the inside."
"That's not true!" he roared. "I'm nothing like my grandfather! I'm my own man! I'm better than him!"
"That's not a high standard, Yuwen Huai," the second woman said.
The other figure glided forward, keeping her light lower than the other had done. She obviously wanted to torment him for a few moments longer. The dim glow reflected off of the dress, and his blood froze within him as its pattern finally penetrated his senses. Even in the darkened room, he still recognized the pattern of the Grand Concubine—the pattern that had covered the dress that his grandfather ranted and raved about every time he went on a bender.
"No...No...it can't be...you can't be...You're long dead! Dead and buried! I never even really knew you! I had nothing to do with...Surely you can't blame me!"
"But I do, Yuwen Huai," the voice rasped. "How can I not? You're just like your grandfather: a monster with no care for the feelings of others."
"But I don't do the sick things he does! Surely you've seen...I don't do things like that to those girls!"
"Don't you?" the voice taunted. "Don't think being dead has prevented me from seeing the things you've done, Yuwen Huai. I was there that day on the hunting grounds. I saw the results of your little play time. I saw the brutalized, savaged corpses of those girls. How was that any different from what your grandfather does? You're just like him. You're a monster just like him."
"No! I'm not a monster! I'm not like him! How dare you-! Leave me alone! Go back to where you belong!"
"But we are where we belong, Yuwen Huai," Xing'er's sister's spirit said. "We belong right here with you for the rest of your life."
"Forever?"
"Forever," the spirit of Yuwen Yue's mother said. "I'm looking forward to giving you the chance to get to know your aunt better, Yuwen Huai. After all, you're always tormenting my son about my fate, so you should get to understand that of which you speak, don't you think?"
"NO! You can't! I won't allow you to stay!"
"And what are you going to do to stop me? Your grandfather can't stop seeing me, and you see what that's done to him. How will you react to spending time with me every night? Will you fare any better than he has?"
Yuwen Huai waved his sword at the two figures, wanting to run them through to silence their taunting words. He cried out and charged them, not surprised when they seemed to fade out of existence at the last minute and reappear behind him. Slashing his sword wildly at them and the other shadows in the room also did no good at dispelling the faint, whispery laughter coming from the two figures.
"There's only one thing you can do to get rid of us," Xing'er's sister murmured.
"One way to prove to us that you're not a monster like your grandfather," his aunt taunted.
"What? I'll do anything. Just...I'm not a monster! Go away!"
"You have to kill the monster who killed me—who killed us," said Xing'er's sister.
"You have to kill the monster and save those slave girls," Yuwen Yue's mother rasped. "Otherwise your promises are just like those made by your grandfather—useless and empty."
"Kill the monster," he repeated, the idea taking shape in his head. "Kill the monster and you'll go away?"
"We'll go away."
"We'll consider your debt repaid."
"No more nightmares."
"No more shadows."
"If I kill the monster, that'll prove I'm not a monster," Yuwen Huai reasoned. "No more cleaning up his messes. No more listening to him put me and my mother down. No more nights like this one. No more...no more you!"
"No more us."
"No more us. Not unless you continue to treat my son poorly, that is. If you keep tormenting Yue'er, well, then...I'll be spending some more quality time with you, nephew."
"I'll be good to Yue'er, Aunt. I promise."
"And the servant girls?"
"I'll save them! I'll protect them! You'll see!"
"I hope so. If not..."
Yuwen Huai drew himself up to his full size and did his best to steady his weaving body.
"I'm going to kill the monster," he vowed.
"Yes, Yuwen Huai. Kill the monster."
"Kill the monster and any who try to stop you."
"Don't wait any longer."
"Do it now."
"Take control of Hong Shan Yuan like you were always meant to do."
"Avenge my death."
"Yue'er will give you the Eyes of God in gratitude."
"Take your rightful place."
"Kill the monster."
"Kill the monster."
"Kill the monsterrrr!" Yuwen Huai roared, running screaming out into the courtyard.
He staggered a bit on his feet as he whirled around to face Jile Pavilion, but the doors swiftly swam into focus before him. Running up the stairs with a wild howl, he cut down the guards who never even tried to stop him from entering. The fastened doors also gave way before his blows as if they wanted him to deal with the evil lurking within. Screams rang out all around him; some might even have been his own.
The blood incense tried to befuddle his head and distract him from his mission, but his inner power pushed it back. Nothing could stop him from killing the monster that was his grandfather. Women screamed out in fear and agony all around him, increasing his own rage and fury.
"Don't worry! I'll save you! I'll kill the monster!"
Yuwen Xi was currently standing in a shallow pool and choking the life out of some poor, nameless slave girl dressed in a filmy pink dress. Her wail of terror was suddenly cut off as his grandfather broke her neck with a savage crack. Yuwen Huai howled in rage and rushed forward, his sword carving through the guards who tried to stop him as if they weren't even there.
"You're a monster! I'm not a monster! You're a monster! I'm not a monster! Kill the monster!" he chanted as he hacked his way through the men trying to keep him from ridding himself of those spirits forever.
"Why do I have a grandfather like you?!" he yelled as he staggered into the pool and stabbed his grandfather in the stomach.
"Why was I born to the Third Branch?!" he screamed as he slit Yuwen Xi's throat.
"Why can't I lead the Eyes of God?! Why can't I inherit Po Yue Jian?! Why does Yuwen Yue always get everything he wants?! Why?! Why?! Why?!"
He punctuated every roared question with a slice, continuing to vent his frustrations well after the shallow water had run red with his grandfather's blood. Yuwen Huai laughed in relief as his consciousness began to fade out.
"I killed the monster," he muttered. "Did you see that? I killed the monster. Now leave me alone!"
The smell of smoke penetrated his senses, and he whirled around in confusion. Yellow and orange lights pulsed in his vision, adding to his befuddlement. He let loose with a howling laugh as he realized what the lights and odor meant.
"Burn the monster!" he cackled with glee as he doused himself with the red-stained water at his feet to protect himself from the fire. "Burn the monster!"
He stumbled his way towards the entrance of Jile Pavilion, entranced with the beauty of the dancing flames as they consumed all of the wood and gauzy fabric that had made this place so lovely. The enchanting nature of the fire almost compelled him to reach out his hands and touch it a few times, but his strong mind always overcame the temptation. Nothing would stop him from reaching his goal; nothing ever had.
Cries of "Grand Master!" and "Fire!" rang out from outside as Yuwen Huai burst out the door from within.
"Burn the monster!" he screamed as he gutted the first man who ran up to him. "Burn the monster! Burn the monster! Burn the monster!"
The screams of that pathetic steward reached his ears, and he sneered at the man. He was the monster's minion, after all. What if those spirits came back because Zhu Shun was still alive? Xing'er's sister surely hated the man, after all. One slice of his blade sent the pitiful dog crashing to the ground.
Yuwen Huai was vaguely aware of people running around in chaos, but he ignored them all as long as they stayed away from him. His blood was racing, and he wanted to find more monsters to kill. He set off at a shambling lope across the courtyard, quickly graduating to a staggering run as his instincts goaded him on to kill.
A couple of gliding female figures caught his attention, wresting a yell of denial from his lips. Something about the way they moved convinced him that these were the spirits in disguise. They had not responded to his scream, but that meant nothing. He was beyond caring about anything but getting rid of the spirits at this point. He'd tried his best to do what they wanted, and this was how they repaid him. He was determined to go down fighting, so he screamed his defiance at them and charged them, sword raised high.
Yuwen Yue sat in the quiet stillness of his rooms in Qing Shan Yuan, presenting a picture of serene tranquility to any who might see him. He was currently seated at his table, reading a bamboo text about...Buddhism. He knew it was definitely about Buddhism. Of course, he hadn't read a single character on the scroll since he'd picked it up, but he was certain that nobody else knew about his lack of concentration, which was all that mattered.
Not that there were many people about. It was, after all, late at night, and nothing of any consequence was supposed to be happening. Nobody else but Yue Qi knew about the Hong Shan Yuan mission that he'd been planning for months—or years, if he were honest with himself. Nobody else knew that Xing'er and Meng Feng weren't in their beds like everyone else thought they were. Nobody else knew that, inside, Yuwen Yue was a roiling mass of anxiety and worry.
He sipped from a cup of tea that a maidservant had brought him, wishing for the fifth or sixth time that night that Xing'er had made it for him. While Yuwen Yue knew that much of his current desire for Xing'er's company stemmed from his fears about her safety during the mission, he had to admit that some of it came from his simple desire for her company. He enjoyed spending time with his beloved and he wanted to spend more time with her in the future.
Yuwen Yue had long ago given up on the idea of marrying a woman for love—or that he'd even care for whomever he'd be forced to wed whenever one grandfather or other finally got his way. He closed his eyes as if savoring the tea, relishing instead the realization that, if all went well tonight, he would be in a position to be able to eventually become one with a woman he not only loved but liked.
Thoughts of becoming one in every way with Xing'er popped into his mind as they often did, chasing away the tension within him for a few blissful moments. He couldn't help but smile as he remembered the ardor she'd displayed during the rewards she received during training this week. While he knew that his training methods had been a bit unorthodox, he couldn't deny that Xing'er had gotten better at not responding to loud noises than she had been before that week.
The rules of the training regimen had been simple. He'd sneak up on her and make a sound. If she reacted to it, she had to spend an hour training in the jaguar arrow area. If she managed to act like she didn't hear him, however...Yuwen Yue allowed his smile to grow wider since he knew that nobody would be able to see it. Xing'er had gotten so good at pretending to be deaf that she'd innocently told him that she felt that she deserved an even greater reward for her advancement. The results of her request had been pleasurable for both of them and had fueled his dreams all the more.
Footsteps sounded outside of his open door and his smile immediately vanished. He projected an air of detached disinterest as the maidservant entered the room to take away the tray. She asked him if he wanted some more tea, and he responded that he did. He also asked her to light a cone of incense. His eyes never left the bamboo text.
As her footsteps faded away, he willed the sand in his wooden timekeeper to fall faster. Not that such futile wishes had ever forced time to speed up in the past, but he knew there was always a first time for everything. If he could find a way to bring Xing'er back into his arms more quickly, he would do it in a heartbeat.
Yuwen Yue wondered where his beloved was at that moment. Surely she'd already met with the Grand Concubine and set off towards Yuwen Huai's rooms. Had she poisoned his wine already? Had he drunk it? Had she and Meng Feng managed to convince him to kill Yuwen Xi yet? Had he done so? Were they heading back towards the tai fu ren's room? Was she already on her way back to him? Had everything gone according to plan? Was she safe? Had she been hurt? Killed? Captured?
The young servant girl returned, setting his new tea tray on the table with a smile. This time, he looked at her and gave her a polite look of dismissal. He rolled up one sacred text and reached for another as she left, not caring any more about the contents of this one than he had the last. Hopefully the next set of footprints he heard would be Yue Qi's, running to tell him of the attack on Hong Shan Yuan.
His loyal guard was the only one left in Qing Shan Yuan who knew the details of the mission, although he was sure that some others may have come to suspect that something was going on. Hopefully the perceptive ones who'd managed to notice the air of tension hanging around the place this past week would keep their suspicions to themselves.
Yuwen Yue put aside such impractical thoughts and went back to worrying about Xing'er, which was, if not useful, at least unavoidable. Would she get back to her room in time? Would she be in bed waiting for him when he banged open her doors to rouse her? Or would he be greeted with an empty bed and terrified sisters?
He sipped his fresh cup of tea and turned his attention to his latest sacred text, the characters blurring before him as his mind insistently reverted to thoughts of his beloved. While he knew that, hopefully, the Third Branch was having a significantly worse night than he was, the thought did nothing to assuage his troubled mind. The sand continued to drop at its normal rate, taunting him with its regularity—and at his inability to do any more to help the woman he loved with her mission.
All of Xing'er's instincts were screaming at her to turn around and face the murderous madman bearing down on her and Meng Feng. Her training, however, told her to face forward, to keep walking sedately towards their destination, and to not react outwardly regardless of the turmoil within. She knew that she was moments away from blowing her cover; a surreptitious glance to her right told her that Meng Feng had reached the same point.
Yuwen Huai continued to yell about spirits and how he'd kept his part of the bargain and that if they weren't going to go away, he'd make them. Xing'er couldn't help but admire the observational skills of her enemy as she realized that, even in his inebriated state, he'd somehow managed to connect them—or their style of movement, perhaps—to the so-called spirits that had paid him a visit in his rooms.
The staggering, uneven footsteps were closing in on them, and they were nowhere near close enough to the Grand Concubine's prison to reach the front entrance at their current pace, much less the back one. She and Meng Feng had, of course, prepared for the possibility of having to survive the spider's nest that guarded the front hallway of the tai fu ren's residence; her punishments from Yuwen Yue had been training for just such a possibility. In order to navigate the nest, of course, they actually had to reach it, which was a tall order given Yuwen Huai's approach from their back and the guards standing at the front door.
Xing'er's hand tensed as she prepared to reach inside her robe for the dagger she'd concealed there. Her cover would be blown, but she knew she wouldn't stand a chance of survival without her knife. Not that her chances of survival were that high right now, but at least she'd go down with a blade in her hand.
"Stop him!" a male voice rang out from behind them and addressing the guards at the door. "Young Master Huai's gone mad! He's killed the Grand Master, the steward, and every other guard he's found. Defend yourselves! Fight or die!"
The startled expressions on the guards' faces gave Xing'er and Meng Feng a valid excuse to react first with curiosity, then with open fear as they turned around and saw the blood-covered figure who was poised to cut them down. They made silent screams with their mouths wide open and eyes projecting a fear that wasn't entirely feigned. The guards rushed past them and engaged Yuwen Huai, who bellowed at them and called them "minions of the monster".
Xing'er took off at a run, Meng Feng matching her stride for stride as they pelted for the Grand Concubine's house. They could hear men dying quickly behind them, and they realized that the drug they'd given Yuwen Huai had made him virtually unstoppable. Instead of veering off towards the back of the building, they made for the front door, hoping that Yuwen Huai wouldn't follow them into the spider's nest beyond.
Meng Feng reached the door first and wrenched it open; Xing'er followed her through as they heard the last guard die with a harsh gurgle. They pulled the door shut, but it was unable to block out the roar of rage that Yuwen Huai made as he saw his spirits escaping. She shared a look with the former assassin as they quickly took off their iron bell robes and once again stood clad only in the torn, stained dresses and their white veils, taking heart from the woman's stolid determination and steady confidence visible in her eyes.
The sound of lunging footsteps met their ears again, so they leaped into the spider's nest without hesitation. The whining whooshing of the darts sounded immediately, and their training came to the fore once again as they used their robes to deflect and collect the metal projectiles. They knew they couldn't leave any trace of themselves behind, and a hallway full of darts would raise questions without easy answers.
Oddly enough, this part of the mission was less nerve-wracking for Xing'er than the other parts had been. After all, this was instinct. This was raw reflexes, speed, and dexterity. There was no play-acting in the spider's nest. There was no need to pretend to be anything other than what she was. There were only the darts, the robes, and the two of them, dodging and twirling around and beside one another.
Their veils trailed behind them as they turned their backs to the last set of darts and drifted backwards just as Yuwen Yue had taught them. Xing'er smiled briefly behind her veil as she remembered the kiss Yuwen Yue had given her when she'd finally gotten the motions right.
Yuwen Yue, you're going to owe me your longest, deepest kiss yet if I make it home, she thought as she powered her way towards the safety of the area in front of the Grand Concubine's door.
A jerk of Meng Feng's shoulder was the only indication Xing'er had that something was wrong before a dart whizzed by her head so close that it took a few strands of her hair with it. She pulled the woman to safety before another dart could hit them, the sudden silence caused by the lack of firing mechanisms deafening.
That quiet was shattered as the front door flew open and Yuwen Huai burst into the building. He gave a howl of glee as he spotted them—especially given that he could now see the same dresses they'd worn into his chambers. Xing'er twisted the stone handle and pulled the heavy door open, pausing only to look at the deranged, blood-covered form of Yuwen Huai as he lurched into the spider's nest. A couple of metallic thunks followed by a scream of agony that was suddenly cut off followed Xing'er and Meng Feng as they scrambled into the tai fu ren's room.
The woman greeted them with a small, wry smile and, of course, an insult.
"So I see the plan went as smoothly as Yuwen-made plans usually go."
Xing'er couldn't argue with the woman's barb this time.
"The Grand Concubine is wise and perceptive," she admitted again as she shucked off the peony-patterned dress. "But the plan worked. It worked a little too well, but it worked."
Standing there in nothing but her undergarments and the veil, she dumped the darts from the iron bell robe onto the discarded dress. The Grand Concubine's eyes widened and filled with grudging admiration as she realized the implications. A similar sound came from Meng Feng's side of the room, causing her to address them with heightened respect.
"So he taught you how to get away from monsters," she said to Xing'er. "Pity his father never did the same for his mother. When the worst Third Branch monster came for her, she had nowhere to run and no means to get there."
Xing'er said nothing as she concentrated on getting dressed. As much as she wanted to learn about the fate of Yuwen Yue's mother, she knew that that information could wait for another day. After all, she'd succeeded in avenging the dead woman as well as her own sister, so completing that vengeance by escaping was paramount. She gathered the dress and darts in her arms and looked at the tai fu ren in question.
"Put them back in the cloth bag," she said, pointing towards the bundle Xing'er had unwrapped what seemed like days ago. "You do the same," she ordered Meng Feng, who obeyed without question.
As they prepared to leave, Xing'er was at a loss as to what she should say before leaving. She settled for saying the second-most-important thing first.
"Tell the girls that Yuwen Huai saw us," she instructed. "Hopefully he won't remember anything that happened tonight if he survives—or if he does remember, it will hopefully be in bits and pieces. But there's the chance that he'll remember the veils, the dresses, our ways of moving..."
"Yuwen Huai is a cunning, observant man," the Grand Concubine said. "I'm not surprised that he saw through your costumes even in his drunken, drugged state. If he survives...But Yuwen Xi is dead, right?"
"Right," Xing'er confirmed. "One of the guards said so."
"Then this was all worthwhile no matter what else happens."
"Mm," Xing'er said, nodding once. "Oh, I almost forgot..."
She held out her hand, waiting patiently for the most important thing to be returned to her. The tai fu ren reluctantly held out the small flute, which Xing'er eagerly took. This mission had gone on long enough, and it wasn't over yet. They still had to return to Qing Shan Yuan without being spotted, send the girls—who were dressed as she and Meng Feng and pretending to be sleeping in their beds—back to Hong Shan Yuan, and be ready to return to the scene of the crime themselves whenever a guard managed to break away and alert Yuwen Yue to the calamity that had unfolded.
"Thank you for your help, tai fu ren," Meng Feng said, clasping her hands and bowing.
"Thank me by making sure Yuwen Yue honors his end of the bargain."
Xing'er bristled, but ultimately gave the woman a stone-faced nod, straightened the iron bell she'd replaced in her hair, and strode through the servant's entrance without a backward glance. Never had she been so glad to turn her face towards home.
As Yuwen Yue strode towards the guest quarters where Xing'er and her sisters were staying, he couldn't help but think of that time months ago when he'd expected her to have run away with Yan Xun but had found her safely tucked in bed instead. Now he was faced with the prospect of another empty bed, but this time, his fears were of a different variety. He now knew that Xing'er loved him and wanted to marry him, but he understood that, given the nature of this mission, he might have literally lost her to another man tonight.
Servants and Yue guards were hurrying and scurrying around the entire courtyard, gathering up the necessary supplies to aid Hong Shan Yuan with triage, feeding, and security. Yue Qi had played his part admirably, putting just the right amount of concern on his face to convince anyone who was watching that he was shocked and dismayed at the events of the night.
Not that all of the worry had been an act; after all Jile Pavilion burning down hadn't been part of the plan. Everyone knew how quickly fire could spread and how essential proper preparedness was when facing such a dangerous situation. Yuwen Yue had sent Yue Qi off to rouse all of the former Afterlife Camp assassins—including, hopefully, Meng Feng—while telling his most faithful guard that he'd go wake Xing'er up so that she could come with them.
He pushed open her door without so much as a pause this time, thankful for his years of training that kept his legs from going wobbly with relief at the sight of his beloved sitting up in bed. She did an excellent job of presenting a picture of a disheveled woman who had just been suddenly awakened.
"What, Master? What? What's wrong?" she blurted, her eyes coming wide awake in an instant.
Her sisters had also awakened in startlement, making exclamations of their own.
"Yuwen Xi's been murdered by Yuwen Huai, who's currently unaccounted for," he said. "Jile Pavilion is on fire, and numerous guards are dead. We have to secure Qing Shan Yuan in case Yuwen Huai attacks here, and we have to secure Hong Shan Yuan before anyone else gets hurt."
Xing'er stared at him wide-eyed, allowing the edge of the blanket she'd been holding around her shoulders to slip slightly down her back. While he knew that her reason for doing so was to demonstrate to him and her sisters that she wasn't wearing anything but her undergarments and had thus not been out of her bed lately, his gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the bare flesh of his beloved.
"Get dressed, Xing'er," he said before shutting the door a bit more heavily than necessary—but not before seeing the slight knowing twinkle in her eyes.
He could hear her sisters babbling in his wake, but he put them out of his mind. The last thing he needed was to be distracted from completing his part of the mission. To all of his people who had gathered in the lantern light of the courtyard, he was the perfect picture of calm serenity. On the inside, however, he was still reeling from the immense amount of relief he'd felt the moment he'd realized that his beloved was safe. In that moment, he hadn't cared that the mission obviously hadn't gone as planned. All that mattered to him was that the woman he loved had returned to him unharmed.
Unharmed and able to flash her shoulders at you, Spymaster, part of him said. Hurry up and get this matter resolved so that we can marry her and get on with our lives.
Yuwen Yue almost frowned in irritation at his inner voice before he caught himself. Instead, he focused on evaluating his people. His eyes quickly found Meng Feng in the group of Afterlife Camp assassins, and he knew another moment of relief. No matter what else happened tonight, at least his people had survived.
Familiar footsteps behind him caused him to turn around and gaze at his beloved. She was dressed in a set of simple dark blue robes that he'd had made for her, Can Hong Jian clutched in her hand and her feather blade ring in its proper place. Her small slingshot was also visible on her wrist, and he knew that she'd likely tucked away several knives on her person.
Instead of standing with the servant girls or Yue guards, Xing'er strode through the crowd and took her rightful place at his side. While she was obviously deferring to him as the leader, her demeanor was not one of submission or servitude. She had, apparently, decided to fully embrace her role as Xing'er; that thought made Yuwen Yue regret that they had a mission to complete and that he couldn't express his appreciation for her actions in a more personal manner than the brief potent look he gave her.
His beloved's gaze caressed him for a moment as well before deliberately looking in a different direction. She apparently found him as distracting as he found her but was doing her best to concentrate on the job at hand. He did the same as he called his people to order, gave them an official overview of the situation, and handed out some assignments beforehand. Yuwen Yue knew that he wouldn't be able to delegate some tasks until he'd evaluated the situation, but he knew that they would need plenty of food and medicine without knowing how dire the situation was at Hong Shan Yuan.
Without wasting any more time, he and his people set out from Qing Shan Yuan, leaving behind only enough men to guard the courtyard and enough servants to carry out their necessary domestic tasks. Everyone else moved as quickly towards Hong Shan Yuan as they were able, obviously being spurred on by the ominous glow of what must have been Jile Pavilion burning in the near distance.
The guards standing at Hong Shan Yuan's gate practically blubbered in gratitude and relief as they saw Yuwen Yue and a small army of people approaching them out of the darkness. They babbled about hearing terrible noises inside and wanting to see what was going on but knowing that they couldn't leave their posts no matter what because they might get attacked and then Hong Shan Yuan would fall and...Yuwen Yue immediately relieved them of their posts, appointing several of his own guards to take their places. The spymaster didn't object as the anxious guards joined his own party since he understood their desire to check on their comrades.
As they moved quickly through the first courtyard and into the main one beyond, even Yuwen Yue had to stop and take stock of the chaos unfolding before him. Jile Pavilion was completely engulfed in flames, and Yuwen Huai's rooms were also on fire. Corpses littered the ground around them, clusters of fallen bodies here and there attesting to their feeble attempts at fighting a master swordsman. A few servants were trying to at least contain the fires, but most of the personnel of Hong Shan Yuan were nowhere to be seen. Yuwen Yue hoped they had survived the night.
Keeping his face impassive, he delegated a variety of necessary assignments to his servants and soldiers. Some he sent towards the kitchens to check on the servants there; others got sent to the barracks in search of fresh pairs of hands. He ordered some of his men to set up a triage center to tend to the wounded so that they would be able to save as many as they could. The bulk of the rest got sent to try to contain the fires that were currently cheerfully destroying both Jile Pavilion and Yuwen Huai's rooms. Yuwen Yue wouldn't lament the loss of either building.
After he'd dealt with these basic needs, he addressed the smaller group still around him. These were his seasoned house guards and Afterlife Camp assassins that he knew could at least stand a chance against Yuwen Huai if they were to find him conscious enough to put up a fight. Xing'er was also present, currently standing alertly at his side as he assigned groups of fighters areas to canvas for his missing cousin.
He sent her a questioning glance, unsure of whether she'd understand what he was asking her. With a subtlety that made him proud, she raised the hilt of Can Hong Jian to her lips and quickly mimed playing a flute. Yuwen Yue didn't acknowledge her movements, not wanting to draw attention to them. Still, he knew that he needed to set off towards the Grand Concubine's building with Yue Qi, assuming that that was the last place that Xing'er had seen Yuwen Huai. The implications of her possessing that knowledge made his blood run cold, but he allowed none of those feelings to cross his face.
As the spies slunk stealthily throughout the darkened pathways of Hong Shan Yuan, Yuwen Yue crept towards the tai fu ren's prison in what he hoped looked like a random approach. The open door caught his attention, giving him an excuse to draw attention to it. He, Yue Qi, and an Afterlife Camp assassin approached the entrance with care, trying to extend their senses into the building to determine the level of danger.
Yuwen Yue entered first, the smells of metal and blood assaulting his sensitive nose immediately. His eyes were drawn to the bloody body lying roughly a third of the way into the spider's nest. He could detect no movement, so for all he knew, his cousin was dead. Part of him wanted to leave the man there and let someone else risk his life to pull him out, but Yuwen Yue knew that he couldn't do so for multiple reasons.
The most important of which is the metal spike lying near the wall almost all the way through this trap, he admitted. Xing'er and Meng Feng must've missed it as they were coming through here. Not that I can blame them; I'm not even sure that I could…
Rather than dwelling on pointless hypotheticals, Yuwen Yue ordered Yue Qi and the Afterlife Camp fighter to retrieve Yuwen Huai. Their faces paled, and he didn't feel guilty at all about waiting a few moments before explaining that he would wade into the trap himself and deflect all of the darts away from him. Nobody looked thrilled about the plan; at least Xing'er wasn't here to see this and worry about him—or insist on doing the job herself.
Without wasting any more time, he walked calmly into the spider's nest, deflecting the darts by instinctive rote with Po Yue Jian. He was aware of the two men behind him gingerly making their own ways into the trap, so he widened his defensive space to include them. Finally, he reached Yuwen Huai and moved beyond him, doing his best to keep the bulk of the darts away from his people. Some, of course, still got through, but their training and skills were top-notch and they were able to reach the wounded man.
Dragging, grunting, and groaning reached his ears, and he could hear his cousin's slurred voice in the midst of the complaining. He could also hear Yue Qi accidentally dropping Yuwen Huai a few times—purely in the interest of dodging the darts, of course. Yuwen Yue hoped his guard didn't do any permanent damage to his cousin or else the spymaster knew he'd be the one to answer for it.
Since Yuwen Yue had already reached the halfway point in the spider's nest, he figured that he may as well check on the tai fu ren. After all, going back the way he came would be just as difficult as going forward, and he'd be expected to explore this mysterious building to check for survivors. After dodging the rest of the darts with ease, he reached the door, which he twisted open.
The Grand Concubine's eyes widened as she saw him enter, and the two girls tending to her also looked at him in surprise. He was thankful that everyone was here and accounted for; he knew that the girls had been in danger of being caught while returning here. Yuwen Yue wanted to be able to recount this encounter honestly for the emperor and the courts when the time came, so he acted as if he didn't know the tai fu ren. She seemed to be amused at his subterfuge, but humored him in his exchange of introductions.
"I take it that that dragging sound I heard was you removing Yuwen Huai from the hallway?"
"Yes, tai fu ren," he said, inclining his head. "I'm afraid he's sustained serious injuries and is in need of immediate care."
"Pity."
"Please don't worry; he's a strong man and may yet pull through."
"Pity."
Yuwen Yue couldn't help but give the Grand Concubine a smirk at her insensitivity. He knew there was no love lost between this woman and any man from the Third Branch, so he wasn't surprised by her reaction.
"You seem safe here, so you need to remain here for the time being."
She looked meaningfully down at her crippled legs and gave him a look that reminded him eerily of his grandfather. He almost squirmed before he caught himself, unwilling to give the woman the satisfaction.
"In a few days, you can decide whether you want to stay here or whether you want to move to Qing Shan Yuan where, I assure you, you would be most welcome."
"I already know where I want to go," she said, giving him a faux-innocent look that brought his beloved to mind.
"Qing Shan Yuan has a lovely dower house-"
"I want to move into the da fu ren's quarters, of course," she said, looking up at him with a spark of mischief in her eyes. "After all, you're not going to be needing them any time soon, are you?"
He stared at her in shock for a few moments before realizing that she was simply trying to make a bit of innocent trouble for him and Xing'er. That impish look she was now giving him helped him to make his decision.
"That would be agreeable, tai fu ren," he said, bowing to her and smirking inwardly at her own surprise at his ready capitulation. "As you said, I won't be needing those rooms for awhile yet. By time I do need them, I'm sure we can come to some other agreement."
"You Yuwen men always have believed yourselves to be more persuasive than you actually are."
"I'm glad we have that settled," Yuwen Yue said. "Now if you'll excuse me..."
"What else has happened, Yue'er?" she asked in a softer voice.
"Yuwen Xi is dead. Jile Pavilion is on fire. Many guards have been killed. Zhu Shun is presumed dead, but I don't know for sure. My people are sweeping the courtyard for threats and survivors. I'll send someone to the back entrance with some food whenever we have some on hand."
"Don't bother, Yue'er," she said. "After all, I'm just a dead woman walking."
"Not anymore," he said before going out the way he came. The spider's nest was a mere inconvenience that barely slowed him down.
Xing'er had headed off in a different direction from Yuwen Yue, not wanting to be seen anywhere near the Grand Concubine's building. After completing a cursory sweep of her designated area, she led the people with her to the kitchens to make sure that everything was under control there. She also liked guarding the cooking area because doing so offered her a clear view of Jile Pavilion burning while giving her an excuse to not help to put the fire out. As far as she was concerned, all of Hong Shan Yuan could burn to the ground and she wouldn't shed a tear.
After all, they had evacuated all of the buildings that could possibly catch fire, so nobody was going to be caught unawares. There were also plenty of people surrounding the flaming buildings, so she wouldn't have been able to contribute much anyway. Not that she was contributing much here; all of the kitchen staff was intact, having been smart enough to run away once they'd figured out what was going on. They and some of the Qing Shan Yuan staff had breakfast preparations running smoothly and would likely be ready to feed everyone when the time to eat arrived.
She couldn't help but smile as she saw Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba in the midst of the kitchen staff, both giving and taking orders in the effort to make enough hot food and drink for everyone. Nobody—including her sisters—cared that the two girls were free while the others were slaves; all anyone cared about was coming together to do an essential job.
The little slave girl who had carried Yuwen Huai's wine to his rooms was also there, scurrying around while trying to stay invisible. She looked scared, and Xing'er wondered if her fear stemmed from the possibility of being outed as the one who had last given something to her master. If she were questioned, what answers would she give? Would she admit to having seen the two veiled maids of the Grand Concubine not far from Yuwen Huai's rooms? Would she somehow figure out that those two girls had not been what they seemed? If she drew the right conclusions, would she tell someone or would she keep the information to herself?
Xing'er scowled as she remembered one of the main reasons she tried to avoid inactivity: Doing nothing invariably led to thinking and introspection, which would drive her crazy if she indulged in it too much. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for trouble but knowing she'd find none. After all, since she'd helped to orchestrate the trouble in the first place, she was fairly certain that it had run its course already.
Maybe I could head back over to the triage area and see if Yuwen Yue's there, she mused as she watched the cooks moving with lightning speed in the dim light. There were already many people there when I passed them last, but if I'm going to do nothing, I can at least do nothing with Yuwen Yue.
A female figure faltered in the glow of Jile Pavilion, catching Xing'er's eye due to its familiarity. Xing'er frowned, wondering how Meng Feng had gotten roped into fire line duty. She knew the woman was surely as tired as Xing'er herself was, and she obviously needed a break. Xing'er straightened up as she prepared to take Meng Feng's place before realizing that the assassin wouldn't want to admit to any form of weakness in front of her peers any more than she herself would.
She glanced around and noticed that the men were looking at her expectantly for some reason. They'd never expected her to provide them with leadership before, so why would they now? What had changed?
An image from earlier that night came to her, and she remembered striding up to Yuwen Yue and taking her place at his side. She recalled the approving, possessive look he'd given her and realized that everyone from the servants to the house guards had seen it as well. The bolt of realization that hit her caused her eyes to widen.
They already consider me to be Yuwen Yue's wife—or at least his partner. They see me as someone who is both entitled to and capable of leading them. Do I? Can I? Should I?
Xing'er mentally shrugged as she strode towards the largest group of guards. She'd never cared about qualifications and designations before, so why should she start now? If they needed someone to tell them the obvious, then she'd do the job regardless of why they decided to obey.
"We need to take our shift at Jile Pavilion," she said to the mixed group. "They need to take a break and get something to eat; we need to do something productive. Let's go."
A bit of good-natured grumbling followed in her wake as she turned around and started walking towards Jile Pavilion, but most of the men seemed as eager to get moving as she was. Perhaps the blue tinge of the coming dawn was making them feel as if this night would finally end if they worked hard enough. Xing'er noted with satisfaction that the bucket-wielders had given up on saving either building and were now working to keep the fire from spreading.
"It's our turn to work over here," Xing'er said to Meng Feng, who was sporting multiple soot smudges on her face. "You can guard the kitchens—which should have some food and drink ready by time you get over there."
"That's not necessary, Xing'er," Meng Feng said, handing off another bucket to the next person in line as it came to her. "We're capable of finishing this job."
"Of course you are," Xing'er said, mentally rolling her eyes while admitting her hypocrisy for doing so. "But we're bored and tired of standing around while you guys look like you could use some boredom. We're ready to take our turn and do our fair share."
The men who had followed her voiced their agreement, and Meng Feng conceded gracefully, thanking them and ordering her own people to go over to the kitchens. Xing'er organized everyone around the two burning buildings, and they set about the arduous task of containing the fire so it could do no further harm. Hefting buckets, stamping out embers, and watching rooftops for any sign of smoke or flames became Xing'er's life for a time, leaving no room for pointless introspection or curiosity about Yuwen Yue's whereabouts.
As the early-morning sun began to brighten, the fires finally began to burn themselves out to the degree that they felt that they could relax a bit. They were still emptying buckets of water at a fast pace, but Xing'er could tell that no other buildings in Hong Shan Yuan were in danger. Not that she would've minded more of this hated place catching on fire, but she would've been loathe to have had to put those fires out, too.
A masculine hand placed over hers halted her progress of slinging yet another bucket-full of water at the smoldering wreckage of Yuwen Huai's former abode. She looked up in question into the gaze of her beloved, noting grumpily how immaculate and handsome he managed to look while she knew how much she resembled an ash heap. He gently took the bucket from her and emptied it in its proper place before placing it decisively on the ground.
"The next shift is ready to begin," he said, turning his head towards a group of approaching Hong Shan Yuan servants. "It's time for us to go home, Xing'er."
His face and voice gave little away, but she thought she saw approval sparkling in his eyes. She definitely heard approval in the group around them as they gladly surrendered their buckets to the new people and headed off towards the kitchens.
"Are we going to the kitchens, too, Young Master Yue?" she asked. "They should have enough food prepared by now to feed our shift."
"Actually, Xing'er, I've ordered our own cooks to have food ready for us by time we get back to Qing Shan Yuan—unless you actually want to stay here, of course, which can be arranged."
"Of course I don't want to stay," Xing'er said, absently rubbing at a soot smudge on her face. "I want to go home with you."
Her beloved's hand lifted to her face and softly caressed it, his thumb removing some of the ash coating her skin. He didn't seem concerned that practically all of Qing Shan Yuan and Hong Shan Yuan were watching them, and she couldn't make herself care, either. Given the nature of the night they'd had, nothing could make her regret Yuwen Yue's touch.
"Come, Xing'er," he said, lowering his hand and putting his mask back in place. "We have much to talk about—after we eat, of course. I'll even pretend to let you win our fight over the last piece of meat."
"I'll even pretend to let you think you let me win," Xing'er said, giving the man she loved a small smile.
They continued to banter as they walked away from the ruins of the homes of two evil men who had caused them such grief. Xing'er wanted to ask Yuwen Yue about Yuwen Huai, Zhu Shun, and the others who had been injured, but she could sense that he didn't want to talk about anything but trivial matters at the moment. Not that she could blame him; all she wanted was a warm bath, a warm meal, and time alone with her beloved. Everything else could wait awhile.
AN: I had much more fun writing the Grand Concubine than I anticipated, so I expect her to show up a time or two in the future. The next couple of weeks are going to be devoted to the fallout of this mission, so we're going to get the chance to catch up with some familiar faces. The emperor's reaction in particular to this incident is going to shape the course of this story immensely; I'm looking forward to getting into his head at some point and deciphering him.
Music Rec: "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" by Fallout Boy. Of course, I prefer cover versions (which shouldn't surprise anyone since fanfic is more or less covering canon works anyway). Favorite female vocalist cover: Terabrite. Favorite male vocalist cover: King the Kid. Favorite a capella cover/mashup: OneVoice (The song is a mashup of "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark" and "Radioactive".)