Preparations and Emergency Skills
After the Feat Contest...everyone was in the Palace, in a meeting room since they just had dinner back at school.
'So you two will be going to Floating Light Forest next month.' said the Emperor to the princesses. 'Both of you have done well!' he said with a beaming smile. 'I expect you two to prepare well for this tradition!'
'Yes father/uncle!'
Every year, the Feat Contest is used to root out the best students who are then trained in the forest for one week and allowed to go all out in their training. It was a special privilege.
That, and they'll be the gossips of the city and soon, country.
And many people were gossiped about indeed.
The most gossiped ones, the strongest of their respective fields. The next to be gossiped about, are who are the ones who did well and those who fared poorly or in some cases...no hope at all, against Huang Beiyue who is famed for being a young genius swordsman at just age twelve, that not even Sima Guiyan can defeat and she can't cultivate, which says something! She fought a wuling and cultivators with just pure muscle power, skill and speed!
In return for lacking in Ki, she was a known genius in many fields to compensate, and currently teaching artisans her brand of clothing. Because in court, she said she didn't want people to die just for being lousy in art over clothing worth 45 gold ingots or more based on design as declared by Sai Si, the head of the Bugi'Er Family.
Naturally as Beiyue patented the art, she gets 40% off of profits when people start selling painted clothes from now on. But it's so expensive, only royalty, princes and dukes can casually spend on it...unless mercenaries can shell out such cash when they want it done!
Despite her lacking, she was one hell of a catch. But everyone knows they offended the Royal Family by snubbing her just because she can't cultivate when she was a genius in many fields with high-level education and skill. Her status is immensely high hence that most fathers and sons felt that after Xiao Yuancheng, they too, were idiots as rumor has it that she was TOO perfect that she has to have a flaw as a human being somehow.
Beautiful, intelligent and has many perfected talents. So she was born with a flawed dantian and that nasty, flame-carved birthmark on her face to keep her human somehow like the rest of them, and she was incapable of feeling emotions, and struggles to express them.
Not only that, she was 'very masculine' in behavior she was struggling how to behave like a lady by copying her mother and her cousin Princess Yingye. But it never looked natural yet behaving like a male was natural for her that she even drinks wine! Even in school banquet during Feat Contest meals, her mother tied the girl to her side just so she won't sneak to the wine table! Thankfully, she doesn't chase fellow girls that way...
When they tried sending marriage proposals, the Emperor turned it down, wanting Beiyue to meet a man who would want her the way she is, and make her feel like a woman. She behaves a tad too 'princely' that if one succeeded in making her fall in love as a lady, they're the winner they can marry his niece with full approval!
At school...
Huang Beiyue is seen in her masculine clothing again. She wore a haori with a bird print. As in, her big bell sleeves had wingspans painted on, her torso had the bird's torso and waist-down the tailfeathers. Then a powder blue modified uwagi and teal blue hakama. There's also bird leg-patterned leggings below her knees where she tucked her hakama in, and white tabi socks with rubber sandals. She was the ONLY PERSON to wear such unusual footwear. Heck, her handmaiden was much more normal. Though instead of skirt, she wears tucked-in trousers and she has a sword belt.
Her maid was quite the privileged girl too. Possessing jade-like skin making her amber eyes stand out, beautifully-glossy hair and wearing gloss on her lips, and knows martial arts. Unlike her lady, she cultivated up to a high level shocking for a maid to have, and wore a high-quality silk uniform as opposed to cheap material slaves wear. Her pink sleeveless ruqun wrap has painted patterns on. No doubt she was educated and clearly has access to cosmetic pills. With her looks alone, put her in a dress she'd look like a high-class lady. Very few masters are generous to their servants after all!
So once Beiyue was off to school, Dongling was to be cornered by many curious servants on behest of their young masters and misses...for questioning. However, Dongling keeps giving them the slip. Like hell she'll help them win her miss over(or so she thinks when actually, some sons are chasing HER, not her lady)!
xxx
At home...
'What is that, dear? Huiwen asked as Beiyue plucked off the leaves of a particular bush in the garden and putting them in a cloth sack.
'It's Sparrow Herbs mother. An elder told me its smell drives away the Floating Lights, so I'll wash my clothes in its extracts.' said Beiyue. 'It's stuff the King of the Night taught them during war some odd years ago when he freed elder and his tribe from slavery in Dongli.' she said as her mother wore a sad look of grief on her eyes. '...mother...do you know this man?'
Her mother burst into tears that got Beiyue alarmed and worried.
'!'
She learned a secret only her mother and grandmother knew. And it caused her mother great sorrow, that Beiyue would never get to know her true father. She was trying hard to move on, but the loss was too much. He had died months before Beiyue outed her incoming death four years ago. Her mother found him in Xiuluo City as a corpse with Aunt Jianqiu and she cried in despair, and she took 'him' home with her.
Beiyue never imagined she'd meet her true father this way.
'I'm trying hard to move on and remarry...but I lost more than your entire life's worth of time with your father because of our...situation.' said Huiwen in a pained voice. 'For all the sorry mother would tell me, it can never give him back to us! Even if Xiaoyao courts me and tries to love me, my sorrow will never go away even if I can see he truly loves me.'
...that explains why she's giving her grandmother the cold shoulder then other than required civil talks. If her grandfather was politically powerful, it was something her grandmother wasn't. And her children suffered for it. Goodness knows Emperor is still flinty with her, particularly when the truth came out.
'...its also bad to give a person false hope.' Beiyue told her mother. 'Handle this carefully mother. Both of you waited and lost. But one has a chance and losing is out of the question. I have a feeling things will end badly if both of you lost again. Especially in a world like ours.'
'...'
Huiwen has no idea what to say to that.
Her daughter has the ability to accurately judge people with a glance. How they feel and if they're being truthful or lying. She figured out that her own BROTHER is in love with her for crying out loud! That was a big NOPE even if she loved her brother in a FAMILIAL WAY, not that big nope. He also refused to remarry if only to temporarily avoid a political shitstorm. And Beiyue unwittingly reveals big nopes to thankfully, only Dongling who in turn tells her.
With Mu Shi out of the way, the Consorts and Concubines this time, want a FAIR FIGHT to be Empress this time. Then he would marry the winner of political wars in the Inner Palace as his Empress. He was fine with whoever as unlike his legal wife, he was actually fond of them. Enough that while he was stuck with Mu Shi, he gave privileges no Emperor would have done, as he knew the pain and sorrow of not getting to have the one one truly loved. He bestows them off to their chosen husbands. So the ones left, are those who remained single and stayed in the palace to avoid worser options by their fathers.
The other clans weren't too happy when the truth came out and weren't happy with mother.
However, Zhanye will not lose his Crown Prince status as one: he's extremely popular and well-respected, and two: he's the strongest prince. Only the strongest prince, can become Crown Prince, as only the most powerful son must become Emperor.
Last year, Jing had that promise...until Zhanye became Kirin's summoner.
'I know I will never get to know my true father. But he wouldn't want you to be sad and lonely either. At least, you attract men who truly love you as a woman and for who you are, not for your money, status and how they can use you for their own ends. I hope I'm as lucky as mother when it comes to men as well in my future.'
'I haven't forgotten what you told Yi'er who in turn told me!' Huiwen snorted. Good lord she scared Prince Lianyi when Beiyue told him what she looks for in a man!
Her nephew also confronted her out of worry when he tried visiting Beiyue after 'that incident' and accidentally overheard. Because she was dead serious.
xxx
'So this is the Sparrow Herb solution? It kinda stinks.' said Yingye as she brought over what she'd wear for the entire camp. She was uncomfortable with the pungency of the smell and tried in vain to fan away the smell from her nose, until deeming it a lost cause.
'But when dry the smell disappears. But if you get wet, the smell that drives the lights away come out, enabling humans to smell it when normally, only spirits can.' said Beiyue as she took out the soggy herbs through a strainer and squeezed out the water from the cloth bag. 'Better safe than being bitten all over.'
'This wasn't taught in school at all...its an unknown.' said Yingye as the girls dumped their clothes in for an overnight soaking and for drying the next day and Beiyue pushed the clothes further into the water with a stirring stick.
'It would be, since the tribe I met made this discovery and they live near it.' said Beiyue. 'They wash everything they own in it so they're floating light-free.'
'Hummm, then has brother Yi paid you a visit? He'll come as a Healer incase for accidents...' Yingye piped up. 'He could use this stuff.' she said. She was amazed such a thing exists, yet still undiscovered as very few people would take risks to discover unknowns just waiting to be known in the world.
'Eh? Ah, not yet...maybe bring up the idea to him tomorrow.' Beiyue suggested. 'You have a Music Class, I don't. We have a week to prepare things we need and I have to give Luoluo homework.'
'Homework? I thought Dongling's training him?'
'Yes, but sometimes I pitch in when necessary. Young Luoluo and Dongling is too innocent.'
'They're a year older than you!' Yingye squawked, her eyes popping out. 'You're talking like a grandma or something!'
Beiyue laughed at that before shaking her head.
'Youth and innocence doesn't always apply to age...it applies more with one's experience in the world. The ups and downs. What you learned. What you gained and lost.' Beiyue shook her head as she looked back on her own past as a samurai. 'People who have less of those, I deem young and innocent. Maturity comes when you've had your fill of those, and grew stronger from it in mind and heart, instead of becoming broken by it or turning evil yourself because of it.' she said. 'For me, that maturity, is power worth more. That way, evil-hearted people can never walk all over you.'
'Unfortunately, my student is very young and pure. I'll have to ease him and act when necessary.'
'That's how you see your world huh?' Yingye sighed, doing an armfold. 'That's kinda amazing in its own way.' she could not help but admire her cousin for her wisdom. Did going out and experiencing a lot made her think that way? Maybe she should go out more herself.
'Well, that's up to fate in being amazing or not.' said Beiyue. 'Sometime soon, go out and experience the world outside Nanyi. Do not tell anyone you're a princess so there's no bias involved as people treat royals differently, to the point they pretend they're someone they're not in a bid to impress.' she snorted as she stopped stirring, and covered the wooden tub with a lid. 'They in turn, become liars...that we too, have to lie and pretend to be someone we're not, just to be treated fairly and equally.'
'Heee...so when you went out, what name did you do by?' Yingye asked her curiously.
'I went by Mingye.' Beiyue spelled her first mother's name in the air using ice she created. 'I was also forced to put make-up over my birthmark as its a tell-tale sign of who I am. Well, it's universally known how to recognize me on the spot, to my eternal dismay.'
xxx
After soaking their clothes in Sparrow Herb solution, Beiyue proceeded to make rations next.
Thank goodness for space rings. Why in her day, no such conveniences exist!
Mayhaps, she got a little...TOO ambitious.
Rations in her day...were pre-soaked rice packed as juzu, slung around the shoulder as well as some salt, with the addition of whatever can be hunted. Not exactly appealing, but a lousy meal is preferable to an empty stomach leading to sleepless nights.
Here, thanks to Space Rings, she can run amok with it!
Marinaded pork belly cuts or chicken breasts for grilling, pre-cut and peeled vegetables as well as herbs which she separated into cloth bags and labeled, magically-deboned and de-scaled fish, and shellfish as well as some eggs, and condiments. Even prepared Ebi Tempura with her special seasoned flour with choice grinded-to-a-powder spice, and some chicken legs were also coated for frying. She had to pack a lot incase she had to share. And pots of pre-cooked wholewheat grains!
She was once asked, why not white rice?
'Healthy supplement but not everyone likes it.' said Beiyue. 'It's an acquired taste good for health, and I want a long life, thanks.'
And she made Luoluo eat it as part of his rehabilitation after ensuring he has no allergy to wholegrains. Wholegrain noodles are his daily grains instead of noodles out of refined flour from sunrise to sundown. He had once complained about it but she would tell him,
'After five years, combined with Wangye's medicine, you will be glad you did when adulthood comes for you.'
She even eats it herself to set as an example to her student, but she eats it as grain itself or as noodles.
But the foods she eats also brings a lot of 'yang energy' that she compensates with high-grade pills to maintain her femininity every day lest she grow up an androgynous beauty which will make her mother cry for her even less chance to get married, and takes them in time. She has to maintain maintenance, until she is at least, twenty years old.
Even in Nihon's nobility, the more feminine you look, the more beautiful you are. Even her master family the Ubuyashiki marries beautiful priestesses!
She has to follow some standards. Even if she didn't want to and finds it such a chore.
She sometimes laments she wishes she was born as a commoner, not as a noble or royal as she very much liked her free way of life, but alas. Oh well.
xxx
One day, she found Zhanye looking very ill in school and collapsed. She picked him up to hide him.
Using her ability, she saw his condition. Why are his inner organs so damaged and eats away at him?! What illness did that?
'Zhanye. What happened?' Beiyue asked him sternly, but worriedly.
'Haaah...the pill wore off.' came his labored, pained answer. 'I...I was bitten by a Heavenly Red Python snakelet. Prince Xiaoyao refined Hundred-Poisons Pill for me but its only temporary and body gains resistance over time because of the venom. I've been taking it for weeks. There's no other cure.'
Beiyue took out her black jade. Surely Zhanye can keep it a secret!
Being its owner, she dove into its wealth of knowledge within for Heavenly Red Pythons. To her dismay, there's no cure for its venom either that snakelet venom will not grant you an easy death while an adult will instantly liquefy you...but she found a way out by combining certain techniques in the jade.
'Zhanye, this is gonna hurt, but try not to scream, alright?' Beiyue took out her waist sash and twisted it. 'Bite to hold back a scream.' Zhanye nodded and put it in his mouth to bite into it. Beiyue opened his upper robe and placed the black jade on his chest. He wondered what that was, while she placed her small hands on his belly where his pain was.
She drew ki from the jade, wrapped her hands in it and pushed the ki into every cell in his damaged organs attacked by the venom.
Carefully, she wrapped her ki into the venom and damaged cells, which she carefully took out through the pores of the skin, damaging more that Zhanye whimpered in pain, his immense self-control preventing him from screaming when a lesser man would have howled enough to wake the dead. The damage was that Beiyue quickly encourages healing of the cells as well to prevent as much internal bleeding as she could.
It took hours that they missed after-lunch classes that she ordered Dashuang to fly to Principal Cang He for much-needed pills as to WHY she and Zhanye missed classes. Hey, it's an emergency dammit!
During the operation, someone watched them from the shadows...their eyes on the jade on Zhanye's chest.
She collected out a foul mass of ruined flesh, blood and venom, and dumped it far away from them as it smells of foulness, and she healed his damaged belly as best as she could, and took out the internal bleeding to prevent health complications with blood being where it should NOT be.
He's also anemic as a result.
'Haaah...haaahh...' Zhanye whimpered as hell as being anemic also made breathing difficult. Both were sweating heavily from different circumstances.
'Sigh, you've done well Zhanye...a lesser man would have howled enough to wake the dead by now.' said Beiyue tiredly. 'I doubt I could do what you could.'
'Believe me, I wanted to scream. I really want to. There were even times I wanted to just let go at night.' Zhanye lamented in a pained voice. 'It hurts a lot. But showing weakness is out of the question. That is the burden on my shoulder as Crown Prince! I...I can't cry freely.' he was utterly frustrated with that, too. Because clearly, it meant he could hardly have anyone to turn to so he suffers alone!
'Then, it's just us here and possibly Principal who'll surely come with pills we need soon.' said Beiyue softly. 'It's OK. No witnesses.' she reassured him and Zhanye gladly took that offer as he sobbed into her arms.
The person watching them from the shadows focused more on Beiyue, before they slipped away.
It took until class was over. Probably not that easy to make what they needed and Zhanye fell asleep from crying.
When the sky took on a golden hue, Principal Cang He came to find them, along with the Emperor and her mother.
'Yue! Zhanye!' Emperor gasped out in worry as they came riding on an enlarged Red Crane as using Dashuang would attract too much curiosity. 'Is he...?'
'He's alright now.' said Beiyue reassuringly. 'The process was tedious and difficult for him because it was really painful...but I managed. There's no cure for that venom so I drew it out instead.' she pointed at a spot not far from them where they saw what looked like reddish-foul gunk slowly melting down a part of a tree's roots. 'We just need a high-grade blood replenishing medicine and a regenerative medicine. I did what I could but he still needs those to stabilize his internal belly organs I healed using regenerative sorcery...which was experimentally made on the spot by the way...I just had no choice.' she told them to their disbelief. 'It was do or die as the poison is slowly causing rot inside him.'
The Emperor embraced his children in relief. He was glad he wouldn't lose a son today thanks to his youngest's brilliant scheme to save her brother.
As far as the man knew, Beiyue was his daughter through treacherous incest caused by an evil poison conceived during wartime. The Jade Bone Pill can only be cured, by Incest. He could never make it official thus 'his daughter' was just 'his niece'. And she was his daughter through his sister whom he loved as a woman, not as family thus he doted on her when he was sure nobody's looking, other than Huiwen herself.
The truth was Huiwen was ALREADY pregnant with her before that happened! So yes, she is truly his niece.
'Let's take Zhanye home. He's had a rough day.' Huiwen said softly. 'When he wakes, he can take the pills.'
Thus they went home.
xxx
Zhanye's room...
The Imperial Physician checked on Zhanye to verify Beiyue's claims that Zhanye is indeed, alright to collective relief, after he was given a sponge bath while in recovery sleep.
'Princess, please teach me that technique, that could come in handy!' the doctor exclaimed.
'Maybe tomorrow, when I found a way to refine it a little. It was a rough on-the-spot field aid and caused him a world of unnecessary hurt and immense stress I apologized in advance.' Beiyue shook her head. 'I won't be surprised if he went gray the next day!'
'Get some rest now Yue, I'll watch over Zhanye tonight. You've done enough.' Huiwen reassured her daughter who nodded and left.
'Well, I'll explain to the teachers tonight.' said Cang He. 'Princess pulled off a miracle.' he said thoughtfully in appreciation and amazement, stroking his long beard. 'If there's no cure, why not draw it out indeed!'
'I'm just glad I won't lose a son today.' said the Emperor in relief, caressing Zhanye's head. 'Maybe I should have this tradition cancelled for the future if it nearly lost me a son. If not for Yue I would have lost Zhanye! Tradition is not worth that!'
xxx
That night...
'Mother, here.' Beiyue took out a still hot pot of what looks like easy-to-digest soup and a bowl and soup spoon. The soup in the small pot was fragrant and brightly-colored with small bits of vegetable and mushroom visible with floating egg whites. Zhanye was awake and talking to her mother when she came.
'Yue!' Zhanye lit up in seeing her. He was forever grateful to his cousin for saving his life when nobody and nothing could. He's still hurting, having just consumed the pills he needs to recover overnight.
'Here, medicinal soup to help things along...let the vegetables be soggy and near-mushy for now, less stress inside.' Beiyue told him kindly. 'And when it cools to turn into jelly, that's OK too. I sort of boiled chicken bones and chicken combs for extra fat to feel full.'
'Alright.' so he can just melt it with fire magic later, no problem.
'No solids for at least, until dinner tomorrow.' Beiyue instructed. 'I'll give you the same soup tomorrow for breakfast and lunch.' and she left.
'...'
'Well, she's a good wife material in skills, her femininity just needs more work.' Huiwen lamented. 'What can cure her...masculinity?'
'Maybe a man who can make her feel that spring has come to her heart.' said Zhanye softly. 'Her eyes can help her sort out those who loves her and those out to use her. I wish I had that skill too.' he said. 'That way, I can marry a wife of my own choice, before father retires lest I be forced to make my own harem too.'
Beiyue's eyes and her insight were so incredible, that she prevented Jing from getting close to Lin Wanyi who was trying to win his favor four years ago, and helped him uncover an Anti-Zhanye conspiracy to install Jing as Puppet Emperor, so he took a big NOPE, and laid his eyes on another lady in school whom he grew fond of after checking every daughter in school, be they daughters of officials or nobility.
He laid his eyes on San Xiamei(beauty of red clouds), the daughter of Official San who works in the Ministry of Rites. She was in Imperial College for obvious reasons as a non-cultivator but still practices martial arts for a strong body anyway and they enjoyed a healthy relationship she was what Lin Wanyi was aiming to be, the Jing-Wangfei. Due to his doting on her, she was now a Silver Class C Warrior also privileged to have what commoner girls can never have: vanity supplements only the wealthy can enjoy.
Official San earns about 100.000 gold coins a month. While he can give his family a luxurious life and spoil his family silly, like hell he can afford vanity and cultivation pills!
Their furious father then took his revenge on the conspirators by subtly making their lives difficult in court and politics, as well as making them do tougher work on set deadlines than anyone else.
Because of her ability to vet people, the Emperor knew who to favor and trust, and who not to. Subtly, of course. Beiyue was also the one responsible for promotions on the sly within the court, ensuring those who aim high but corrupt enough to annoy Zhanye in the future will never get promoted.
One thing she cannot butt in in, was the subtle political wars for their clan to be next Marquis Jing'an after the Mu Clan's downfall. Families of Counts down to Barons were aiming for it. They just hope whoever wins that spot, isn't corrupt.