Chapter 16: General

Shang stood in the palace garden in a daze. He had left the celebration and had come outside to be alone for a little while and to think.

He was so overwhelmed by everything that had been happening that his head was spinning. He thought about Chen and about what he knew about him now. He thought about how close he'd come to losing his little brother and how Mulan had saved Chen's life. And how they had both saved the Emperor and China together. They had both been given medals of honor. Yao, Ling and Chien-Po had each been given the rank of captain for their performance, and Shang would be training them in their new positions. Mulan was made a special advisor to the Emperor and received the rank of captain also. And Shang had been given the rank of general now.

But things had happened so quickly to him. Just a few months ago his father had made him a captain. And now he was a general. He was younger than anyone that had ever received the rank of general.

"Shang?"

Shang blinked and snapped out of his reverie at the sound of Mulan's voice. He turned and half smiled at her.

"Shang, what's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just can't believe I'm a general already. I'm still so young and I was hardly a captain for very long."

"You deserve it. You're going to be a great general."

"I hope so. But I know I will be expected to fill my father's shoes. That's a lot to fill. He was such a great general. And he had so much more experience than me when he became a general."

Mulan put her arms around his waist. "Shang, the Emperor is a smart man. I'm sure he realizes the difference between the level of experience you have and the level of experience that your father had. I think he will be intelligent and realistic about what he expects from you."

He nodded, returning her embrace. "You're probably right."

"You've accomplished a lot, Shang."

"You helped me."

"They were still your accomplishments."

He smiled and kissed her, then he gestured to a stone bench and they walked over to it together and sat down.

"I never knew Chi Fu hated me so much. I knew he resented when my father made me captain, but I had no idea of the extent of it. He was really a sick man."

"I know. A lot of people are going to be envious of you, Shang. You have so much going for you and you've already accomplished so much. You'll have to get used to it."

He leaned in and kissed her. She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek against her hair and they sat like that in silence for a little while.

"Mulan, there was something else I was wondering about you," he began after several minutes. "Well, there are many things, actually."

"What?"

"When you came to visit the first time, you were talking with my grandfather about Sun-Tzu. How did you come to read Sun-Tzu?"

"It was in our home. Remember, my father was an officer of the Imperial Army."

"He gave it to you to read?"

"Not exactly."

Shang smirked, amused. "You took it."

"I was bored one day and I had already read everything in the house. No one was home. So I went in and took it and read it."

Shang chuckled.

"At least this is over and hopefully we'll have peace for a little while," Mulan commented.

"Yes. And while we have peace for a little while…we were in the middle of planning our wedding and got side-tracked."

Mulan smiled. "We have less time to plan if we want to keep it the same day."

He nodded and they were silent again for a little while, each thinking their own thoughts.

"I'll have to make sure I thank Mushu for helping to save Chen if I ever see him again."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll turn up again."

"You have a very powerful guardian, Mulan."

Mulan snickered. "Yeah, well, he's more powerful now. Now he's really a guardian. When he first came to me at Wu Zhong he wasn't."

"What was he?"

"Demoted."

"Demoted?"

"Yes. He was supposed to send the great stone dragon, but he destroyed the great stone dragon. So he came instead. He caused a lot of trouble for me there. But everything turned out okay. And after he saw me through that adventure he was made a guardian again. Officially."

Shang laughed.

"Chen seems to be having a good time," Mulan said, grinning at him. "He has a little girlfriend now."

Shang rolled his eyes. "I know. Now I'm never going to hear the end of it from Grandfather."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first told my grandfather about you I found out from him that my parents weren't married through a matchmaker either. He thinks all the Li men have problems controlling themselves with pretty women. When he saw Chen with Su-Tan he threw up his hands and muttered about Chen starting already."

Mulan started laughing. "What about your Grandfather?"

"I wouldn't dare ask him."

"Do you want to rejoin the others inside?" she asked after a few minutes.

"Yes, we probably should. We're the guests of honor. Everyone is probably looking for us."

They stood up and began to head back, their arms around each other. Before they got inside they were cut off by Chen, who came careening out the door when he saw them. Shang stopped him with his free arm and put his hand on his head, rubbing it affectionately.

"Shang?"

"What?"

"Now that you're a general, will you have to be away a lot like Father was?"

"I hope not, Chen. Hopefully we'll have continued peace in China now."