A/N: Sorry this took so long. My computer hates me. See I had this about
done when my computer deleted half of it. I'll hope its worth the wait.
Disclaimer: If you've seen it, I don't own it.
Chapter 3: Lesson 1 Staying Quiet
As Shang had promised he returned the next morning with his young charges in tow. Mulan spotted the approaching group and turned to her father in disbelief. "He has kids?" She asked shocked.
"No my daughter, they are just in his charge." Fa Zhou reassured his daughter.
Shang helped the young girl and boy off their mount and headed towards Fa Zhou. Shang bowed before the older man. Shang's brother and cousin followed his lead and bowed.
"Thank you for your hospitality sir." Shang said politely.
Fa Zhou looked at the little girl. "Mulan you will have to share your room with the young lady. Captain you will have to share with your brother."
Shang nodded. "Sir if you need it these two are capable of doing chores so that we will not be a burden on you."
"I do not think that will be necessary but if it is I will tell you. Come I will show you to your rooms."
Fa Zhou showed Shang to the spare bedroom where two bedrolls had already been laid out. It was not very big but it would do for the time they would be there. Shang set his stuff in the corner before rejoining the Fa Family with his brother trailing behind.
"I should make introductions. This is my brother Wu and my cousin Lien. Wu, Lien this is Fa Zhou, and his daughter Fa Mulan. I'm going to help Mulan pass the matchmaker's test."
"Let me show you to your room so that you can get started. After all you only have two weeks to do this." Fa Zhou gestured for them to follow.
Two weeks?! Shang thought as he looked at Mulan. "We better get started Mulan, he said as he put his stuff in the room and led her out to the gardens.
She grinned. "So where do you want to start oh great teacher?"
Shang raised his eyebrow at the title as they reached a quite spot by the temple. "We'll start on what you need the most help on. Staying quiet."
The glare she gave him would have frightened any other man. "Hey I'm not saying I mind, I'm saying people like Chi-Fu and the Matchmaker care how much you talk."
"Oh." She said quietly.
"Ok so first off you have got to learn only to speak when spoken to. That is probably your major problem. Well one of them. If I were to say something to your father about you it would provoke you to speak out in your defense. I don't blame you but you must not do this. I learned to repress this urge quickly by being forced to be in the same room as Chi-Fu too many times. Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue and take it."
"Like you did so often with Chi-Fu in training?" Mulan smirked at him.
"Ok so bad example. Lets move to another weakness. Defending yourself. You do it a lot I've noticed. The matchmaker is not your friend, we know this. In fact I'm pretty sure she hates you right about now. I can almost guarantee she will take shots at your dignity and honor and she will, and this is a sure thing, bring up your survival in the army. It's going to happen and you can't stop it."
"And I'm not allowed to defend myself. Ok so what do I do?"
"Do like I do with Chi-Fu most days, ignore it. When this is all over I'll have a sparring session with you to take your anger out if you'd like. Want to try some of the things she is bound to say?"
"Best to be prepared." Mulan took a deep breath and waited for the insults to start.
"Look at you, you should be more ashamed that you discraced your family to join the army! I knew you would dishonor your family but this is ridicoulous! And then you aren't even thankful that they sparred your life out of the goodness of your heart. Instead you spread lies about how you completed the training, won the battle with one shot, and saved the emperor. You are a disgrace! You should never have went! You probably hid like a coward throughout the whole thing. The emperor would never bow to such a disrespectful, dishonorable, worthless girl." Shang shouted whatever he could think of.
Mulan bit her tongue rather hard at some of the statements. She knew the matchmaker would probably say such things but to hear it from Shang was far more painful.
"Very good." Shang congratulated.
"That was difficult." Mulan stated simply.
"Oh, that's not the worst of it yet. Tell me something, have you heard the rumors going around about you?" Shang didn't wish to bring the subject up but knew the Matchmaker would do anything to break Mulan.
"Not many. I don't leave the house much since the whole thing." Mulan was well aware that rumors were flying around about her but not what the rumors said.
"They say you are a concubine, Mulan. They say the only reason that you survived for so long is that you pleasured the men. They say the reason I didn't kill you is that you were my concubine." He winced at the memory of hearing such things.
Mulan's eyes widened. "How could they say such things?"
"Its what makes sense to most people Mulan. You were a young girl who went into the army, you were found out, yet you survived, you went to the imperial palace and were confronted by the emperor about your deeds, those who weren't there and haven't heard the real story from those who were have to figure something out and this is all they can see that makes sense. I know its not true, you know its not true, the troops know its not true, but most people weren't there when you saved all our lives. Most of us don't want to think about the battle either so not many have heard the truth. Its just one of those rumors that comes with unknown circumstances."
It hurt Mulan to think about such things being said about her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because the matchmaker will bring it up. She has something against you, she will do anything to make you lose your calm and give her a reason to dishonor you. She's jealous of you, that's what I think. She's jealous that you not only brought more honor than any marriage could to your family but to China as well." Shang took her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I'm not trying to hurt you by telling you this." He stated solemnly.
"I believe you. Thank you. I don't think I would have been prepared for that." Mulan smiled a little. "I should set her on fire on purpose this time but I can't afford to."
"Mulan! Shang! Lunch!" Fa Li yelled towards the garden.
"After lunch, we'll work on the Final Admonition." Shang led her inside to eat.
They didn't see Grandmother Fa peeking at them through a window, grinning widely.
A/n there that didn't turn out too bad. Next chapter will be lesson 2: the Final Admonition as well as lunch. ( This ended up being 3 pages.
Disclaimer: If you've seen it, I don't own it.
Chapter 3: Lesson 1 Staying Quiet
As Shang had promised he returned the next morning with his young charges in tow. Mulan spotted the approaching group and turned to her father in disbelief. "He has kids?" She asked shocked.
"No my daughter, they are just in his charge." Fa Zhou reassured his daughter.
Shang helped the young girl and boy off their mount and headed towards Fa Zhou. Shang bowed before the older man. Shang's brother and cousin followed his lead and bowed.
"Thank you for your hospitality sir." Shang said politely.
Fa Zhou looked at the little girl. "Mulan you will have to share your room with the young lady. Captain you will have to share with your brother."
Shang nodded. "Sir if you need it these two are capable of doing chores so that we will not be a burden on you."
"I do not think that will be necessary but if it is I will tell you. Come I will show you to your rooms."
Fa Zhou showed Shang to the spare bedroom where two bedrolls had already been laid out. It was not very big but it would do for the time they would be there. Shang set his stuff in the corner before rejoining the Fa Family with his brother trailing behind.
"I should make introductions. This is my brother Wu and my cousin Lien. Wu, Lien this is Fa Zhou, and his daughter Fa Mulan. I'm going to help Mulan pass the matchmaker's test."
"Let me show you to your room so that you can get started. After all you only have two weeks to do this." Fa Zhou gestured for them to follow.
Two weeks?! Shang thought as he looked at Mulan. "We better get started Mulan, he said as he put his stuff in the room and led her out to the gardens.
She grinned. "So where do you want to start oh great teacher?"
Shang raised his eyebrow at the title as they reached a quite spot by the temple. "We'll start on what you need the most help on. Staying quiet."
The glare she gave him would have frightened any other man. "Hey I'm not saying I mind, I'm saying people like Chi-Fu and the Matchmaker care how much you talk."
"Oh." She said quietly.
"Ok so first off you have got to learn only to speak when spoken to. That is probably your major problem. Well one of them. If I were to say something to your father about you it would provoke you to speak out in your defense. I don't blame you but you must not do this. I learned to repress this urge quickly by being forced to be in the same room as Chi-Fu too many times. Sometimes you just have to bite your tongue and take it."
"Like you did so often with Chi-Fu in training?" Mulan smirked at him.
"Ok so bad example. Lets move to another weakness. Defending yourself. You do it a lot I've noticed. The matchmaker is not your friend, we know this. In fact I'm pretty sure she hates you right about now. I can almost guarantee she will take shots at your dignity and honor and she will, and this is a sure thing, bring up your survival in the army. It's going to happen and you can't stop it."
"And I'm not allowed to defend myself. Ok so what do I do?"
"Do like I do with Chi-Fu most days, ignore it. When this is all over I'll have a sparring session with you to take your anger out if you'd like. Want to try some of the things she is bound to say?"
"Best to be prepared." Mulan took a deep breath and waited for the insults to start.
"Look at you, you should be more ashamed that you discraced your family to join the army! I knew you would dishonor your family but this is ridicoulous! And then you aren't even thankful that they sparred your life out of the goodness of your heart. Instead you spread lies about how you completed the training, won the battle with one shot, and saved the emperor. You are a disgrace! You should never have went! You probably hid like a coward throughout the whole thing. The emperor would never bow to such a disrespectful, dishonorable, worthless girl." Shang shouted whatever he could think of.
Mulan bit her tongue rather hard at some of the statements. She knew the matchmaker would probably say such things but to hear it from Shang was far more painful.
"Very good." Shang congratulated.
"That was difficult." Mulan stated simply.
"Oh, that's not the worst of it yet. Tell me something, have you heard the rumors going around about you?" Shang didn't wish to bring the subject up but knew the Matchmaker would do anything to break Mulan.
"Not many. I don't leave the house much since the whole thing." Mulan was well aware that rumors were flying around about her but not what the rumors said.
"They say you are a concubine, Mulan. They say the only reason that you survived for so long is that you pleasured the men. They say the reason I didn't kill you is that you were my concubine." He winced at the memory of hearing such things.
Mulan's eyes widened. "How could they say such things?"
"Its what makes sense to most people Mulan. You were a young girl who went into the army, you were found out, yet you survived, you went to the imperial palace and were confronted by the emperor about your deeds, those who weren't there and haven't heard the real story from those who were have to figure something out and this is all they can see that makes sense. I know its not true, you know its not true, the troops know its not true, but most people weren't there when you saved all our lives. Most of us don't want to think about the battle either so not many have heard the truth. Its just one of those rumors that comes with unknown circumstances."
It hurt Mulan to think about such things being said about her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because the matchmaker will bring it up. She has something against you, she will do anything to make you lose your calm and give her a reason to dishonor you. She's jealous of you, that's what I think. She's jealous that you not only brought more honor than any marriage could to your family but to China as well." Shang took her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I'm not trying to hurt you by telling you this." He stated solemnly.
"I believe you. Thank you. I don't think I would have been prepared for that." Mulan smiled a little. "I should set her on fire on purpose this time but I can't afford to."
"Mulan! Shang! Lunch!" Fa Li yelled towards the garden.
"After lunch, we'll work on the Final Admonition." Shang led her inside to eat.
They didn't see Grandmother Fa peeking at them through a window, grinning widely.
A/n there that didn't turn out too bad. Next chapter will be lesson 2: the Final Admonition as well as lunch. ( This ended up being 3 pages.