A/N: Posting of the rest of the 'beginning' of the story. As a reference point, I've placed Mulan in the transitional period between the very end of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the beginning of the Sui Dynasty in this fic. The Emperor referred to in this chapter is Wen Di, the founder of the Sui Dynasty. Also, in this universe the battle in the mountains from the movie happened, but Shan-Yu and his men never went to the Imperial City, so those events did not occur.

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Beginnings

China would sleep safely now. Incursions from over the northern border had been pushed back and the brave warriors that had fought so valiantly had been rewarded, including the young lady that had demonstrated so much prowess in battle.

General Li Shang smiled and his heart began to leap as he thought of his wife to be. He found himself reminiscing about all the experiences he'd had with the lady general that had proven to be his equal in ability and spirit.

Mulan had taken her father's conscription notice and joined the army in his place, due to the old warrior's age and a war wound that prevented him from being able to walk well yet alone fight ever again. She had been placed under Shang's command and blended right in, given that the old general had apparently taught her martial arts and swordsmanship.

An unusual talent on the battlefield, she had fought long and hard with him for these past five years and had risen through the ranks to become his second in command and the first ever female general, though he didn't know she was a woman at that time. So skilled was she that no one knew what she was until they stood before Wen Di. He and his men were paid well for their service and each one was asked what other reward they desired. When the Emperor walked up to General Hua there was a warm glint in his eye and his exact words were, "And what does the girl want for herself in return for her service?"

Shang thought he was dreaming in that moment. Had he heard wrong? The Emperor had spoken so softly. The girl?

The Emperor knew who her father was, it turned out, and that he had an only daughter. His General Hua was none other than that daughter, they discovered in that moment, the knowledge leaving the entire regiment feeling confounded, particularly Shang. The general with the slight figure had become a close friend to him, a trusted comrade in battle who'd come to his aid many times when his life was in danger and a great mind that was on par with him, matching him intellectually. He'd shared many good times with General Hua, though it had always been a somewhat confusing relationship for him. He found that he was attracted to 'him'; and he had sensed, to his great surprise, that the general returned his feelings. He caught the amorous glances that the young soldier gave him at times and thought he must be imagining them. It had flustered him no end, making him question his own sexuality and twisting his perception of himself around. He knew that many of the officers liked young boys; it was a status thing. But he had never approved of it and he certainly never believed himself to be one of those men.

Still, he had always valued the friendship and never acted on any of his feelings that went beyond that. They had spent many evenings in camp playing go and weiqi, and they had passed countless hours together discussing strategy, books and other things. Even before receiving the rank of general, Hua Mulan was the one soldier that had the guts to tell him that a decision he was making was less than wise. She was never disrespectful in her approach of the subject, she always offered an alternative and she would back down after making her point if he didn't accept her suggestion, always managing to avoid actually antagonizing him. He couldn't help but respect this young soldier right from the beginning.

Everything made sense when he found out the truth and a sense of relief flooded him so overwhelmingly that tears had almost come to his eyes. And he suddenly saw the possibilities of what kind of relationship he could actually have with the other general.

She left in a hurry after the Emperor released them, offering a quick goodbye to everyone, barely able to look at any of them now that the truth was out. When Shang finally left Chang'an after taking care of the paperwork that was required, he immediately rode to her village to speak to her. Mulan had already shed her armor and was dressed and made up as a maiden when he arrived at her home. He was as taken with her beauty as he had been with her bravery, intelligence and spirit. And she returned his feelings, just as he'd suspected all along. He knew he had found his soul mate.

Now, six months later, he was processing to her home with his own family and wedding party, on his way to greet his new bride and, after the traditional ceremony and customs, bring her home as his wife.

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Wen Di had a difficult task ahead of him now, just as the Emperor Qin Shi Huang had when he was still merely the King of the State of Qin. At that time the Middle Kingdom wasn't one country ruled by one Emperor. Rather, it was divided into seven states that were constantly at war with each other, many of these battles instigated by the King of Qin himself. He had a great vision, to unite the land into one powerful, united nation that would finally be at peace after all the battles to bring about his master plan were won. His plan was successful and for a few hundred years the Middle Kingdom was a united, powerful nation. But the country fell into disunity again after the Han Dynasty ended.

Now that the northern border was well patrolled and taken care of, Wen Di, who had taken the throne only four years ago and established a new Dynasty with its capital in Chang'an, turned to the situation of their divided nation. He immediately began to organize several military campaigns to reunify the north and south, calling in all of his top generals to lead those campaigns.

Shang knew it was only a matter of time before he was called to head up one of them. When the Imperial messenger showed up just a few weeks after their wedding, he was not surprised. But the messenger had a notice for Mulan too on that hot summer day, ordering that she report to the Emperor with him. They quickly packed and prepared for their journey to Chang'an.

He hadn't known what to expect, especially when Mulan was being summoned as well. But when Wen Di presented the assignment to them he was flabbergasted to learn that it was basically a treasure hunt. But he schooled his face into an expressionless mask.

"A sword, your Majesty?" he repeated. "Is this something that was stolen?"

"No, not stolen. Lost. I know it sounds strange, General Li, but I have my reasons for wanting it found. It belonged to the King of Qin, a great warrior himself and the first man to unify the Middle Kingdom and become Emperor. He wielded the Green Destiny in battle and eventually succeeded in his plans, as you well know."

"The Green Destiny. That's the name of the sword?"

"Yes. It was believed that the sword was touched by the spirits and contained magical powers. I want it found."

"Yes, your Majesty. Is there any information on where we might begin to look for it?"

"No. Start in this province as it was part of the original state of Qin and work your way out. It may be in a cave or in someone's possession that has no idea of its value if we're lucky. Perhaps it's buried far underground. If what they say is true and there are powers that are connected with this weapon, I would not want it to fall into the wrong hands and I am greatly concerned that maybe it already has."

"Understood."

"You two are perfect for this mission. Both of you are brave warriors in battle, you're a great team, and as a married couple in reality you can easily pass yourselves off as civilians if necessary. Besides, this is not an assignment that's appropriate for a large group. It requires subtlety and finesse, and I trust the two of you implicitly. No one must know anything about your assignment."

"Yes, your Majesty," they both answered.

"When you have found the weapon, bring it to me immediately."

Shang knew of Wen Di's mission to unify the north and south, an ambitious one that was comparable to Emperor Qin Shi Huang's mission to unify the seven warring states. He'd read about it in his studies when he was growing up, an important period of their history and part of their preparation for the government exams.

If the Emperor was superstitious, he may have believed that the King of Qin's success came with the aid of this sword and that it would bring him the same success. Of course he wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands; but Shang was sure the wrong hands were anyone's but his. But his job was to serve and follow the Emperor's instructions, not make judgments about politics.

"Where do we even start?" Mulan began, her eyebrows knit in puzzlement, when they were back in the privacy of their room. "More specifically than just this province."

"With the King of Qin."

"Because he was believed to have owned it?"

"Yes. And because Wen Di wants to unify north and south," he explained softly. "Just as the King of Qin wanted to unify the seven states. It's a superstition. He wants the same sword because he believes it will help him achieve the same goal. Like a charm."

"Interesting," she remarked, thoughtfully. "I did learn how to read and write, but I'm afraid I haven't read much about the King of Qin. I'll have to follow your lead on that one."

He laughed. "You didn't have to prepare for the government exams."

"Well, this ought to be fun. We're being sent on a treasure hunt."

"My thoughts exactly," he chuckled. "But if we fail to find the treasure it could mean our heads."

Mulan pulled the blanket over her head and groaned at his remark. She was already undressed and Shang quickly removed his clothing, tossing it aside and crawling into bed after her.

"Don't worry, my brave beauty," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace and kissing her lips. "We'll come up with a plan and figure out how to find this sword for the Emperor."

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A/N: There's the rest of the beginning. Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far. Thanks!