Author Angel Chua
Adapted from Princess Agents drama series and original novel by Xiao Xiang Dong'er – Chu Qiao Chuan Biography
Lost and not yet found (05.14.2021 edited)
After the icy lake tragedy, Meng Feng and her team went as far as the East to look for Yuwen Yue but some of her private followers stayed with Prince Yuan Song. Yuwen Yue's grandfather won't believe he is dead unless they bring him the body of his grandson. It has been a year since then, and no dead body found and no living proof as well.
The same thing happened to Yue Qi, Yuwen Yue's close-in bodyguard, he has been missing since the icy lake tragedy, and no one knows where he is.
Speculations coming from the Royal family that Yue Qi is wounded and may have been fallen from a cliff may have survived and hidden Yuwen Yue, or they may have been saved by other parties.
This made Yuwen Gao very upset because every day the Emperor was asking updates and so is the 13th Prince Yuan Song and he cannot provide any substantial information which threatens his position as the Master of the Eyes of God.
"Master, the bird, came back and there is a message" said by one of Yuwen guards.
Yuwen Gao sprinkled appearing powder then read the message, and it came from Yue Liu it said:
"Master Yuwen Gao, there was no trace of Yuwen Yue or Yue Qi, and we have already reached one year from the date you set for our return. Should we continue to search?
Yuwen Gao immediately went to his table and draft a reply, sprinkled a disappearing powder and sent to his servant and the servant gave it to the Yuwen guard, and the guard attached it to the pigeon feet. The bird went to fly.
"Yue Liu, a message from the pigeon."
Meng Feng gave the paper snow to Yue Lui, sprinkled the appearing powder and read:
"I cannot withstand the shame of what my grandson brought about to the Yuwen family, and I have an Emperor to take care of, let us proceed to plan B."
Yue Liu went sad and said: "Meng Feng, we have to go back to Red Plateau and declare them both dead to the empire. We will have to look for a dead body and bring it to them."
"That is impossible!" said Meng Feng and with teary eyes, she turned her back at Yue Liu.
"Slaves obeys" we have to act quick.
Yue Liu staring at the back of Meng Feng is also not feeling right about plan B, though he is already aware of it but did not expect it to happen. Still longing for his master's Yuwen Yue's absence, and all of his brother's died except for him.
Their plan B was to declare Yuwen Yue dead by obtaining a body and also his brother Yue Qi, and this breaks his heart. Yuwen Gao already fabricated all the evidence to make the emperor believe and using the whitewash strategy he will close the tragic story of Yuwen Yue and Yue Qi.
At the Shen Jin Palace, the emperor's health is quite feeling sick lately, then news came from Yuwen household on paper snow it was written plainly, and it said:
Dearest Emperor:
I am deeply grieved, and I cannot even think and write clearly, we have found dead bodies both my grandson and his bodyguard. Its been a year, so we had to cremate their bodies but rest assured we did an autopsy and confirmed it is my grandson and his bodyguard dead.
Yuwen Gao, Master of the Eyes of God
The emperor suddenly cried, coughed and passed out. His servants called in for the royal doctor, and the doctor came right away.
The doctor gave the Emperor acupuncture points and let him rest while Yuan Song already knows this information first-hand as Meng Feng's follower went to him to inform him too. Yuan Song was seen gloomy, and he did not eat his royal meals for the entire day.
He just went to his room and wrote some emotions and thoughts in his diary. The 13th Prince crossed a name in his journal and want's also to cross out another prominent name in his diary but cannot do so. He thought of Chu Qiao and once again he wrote:
"As the autumn season is coming so is your master left the branch and leaves, another sure thing to look forward to and I hope it will be a short cold season and I won't be going through an eternal winter. When I look back at our beautiful cherry blossoms secret garden, I dreamed that one day, you and I will sit together and watch the leaves fall, that you may cry on my shoulders when I tell you, your master left this earth and walked in the afterlife."
Meanwhile, Yuan Che rushed to the palace and came to see the Emperor. He is dressed in a dark red military uniform with a large iron covering on his shoulders and breast-plate in his chest. The concubines saw him as they were all outside the Emperor's hall and waiting for him to be awake.
After Yuan Che saw his father and about to leave when suddenly the Emperor touched his hand and opened his eyes a bit but then he was back to sleep.
"Your father may need some time to recuperate his health."
"Royal doctor, is there anything we have to worry about his health?" Yuan Che wants to know if he needs to prepare any unexpected things in the future.
"I did not see any major health issues, but we may have to watch out how he takes big news like this, may cause a sudden decline of his health and for all, we know it may take his life if he is not able to control his emotions. For now, what he needs is a long vacation for him to recover."
In other words, the emperor is not getting any younger and is not going strong unlike before to handle such big blows that affects the entire empire. Yuan Che is some sort of thinking his ambition and how he can influence his father to leave the throne to him next to the 13th crown prince of Wei, Yuan Song.
Yuan Che nodded and said: "I will confer this to my brother Yuan Song," then went out of the Emperor's Hall.
Yuan Che arrived at his own palace, let it out when as he already heard the news about Yuwen Yue, he was devastated because Yuan Che was not really trusting Yuwen Yue as his ally at first but it slowly developed over time especially when Yuwen Yue had to assume the duty to be his general under his command.
He remembered all their good times and their danger zones in their military expeditions. Yuan Che recalled when he teased Yuwne Yue to become his brother-in-law for Princess Chuner but seems Yuwen Yue's feelings are not mutual. The 7th Prince settled being his ally and trusted friend.
He has deep regrets because it was too late to know when Yuwen Yue went in the icy lake mountains of Yanbei with no armies or battalions and only a handful of Yuwen guards on his side.
Yuan Che also knows that Yuwen Yue did not come there as Wei General neither as a master of the Eyes of God, he knows Yuwen Yue came as a lover of Xinger to look at her for one last time before she finally chooses to settle and marry Yan Xun in Yanbei.
It was at this time Yuwen Yue took everything at face value what he and Chu Qiao talked about their government affairs and what is taking place in their personal lives. Yuwen Yue was repeatedly warned by Meng Feng and Yue Qi not to come to the temple near the Xuili mountain, but Yuwen Yue created reasons for him to attend and personally come to rescue Yue Jui one of Yuwen household spies who was in trouble as Yan Xun held its brothers and sisters.
Yuwen Yue sent an invitation to the Xuili General to meet him at the secluded temple, and Chu Qiao went to see him. When Chu Qiao came, Yuwen Yue dismissed his guards and ask for them to wait for him in the foothills of the mountain.
Chu Qiao sat down and began to drink and Yuwen Yue was just looking at her just because at some point the last time he held her on his arms was when he saved her from the blades of Princess Chuner and she was unconscious who bravely fought for Hong Chuan and then left her as if nothing had happened.
But it seems Chu Qiao may have known this well and started talking by thanking him for helping her many times, and Chu Qiao asked Yuwen Yue for a toast, and Yuwen Yue responded to her toast.
Until Yuwen Yue drank his wine then inhaled deeply to mention about their upcoming betrothal to Yan Xun, Yuwen Yue added: "Maybe the next time we see each other, should I correct myself and call you like the Duchess of Yanbei?"
It was a press release from Yan Xun camp with a vague plan hidden on it and was aimed to lure the shark to bite his favorite bait small fish Xinger.
Chu Qiao is unaware and did not think it was crucial for Yuwen Yue to know what is the truth behind it and she just naively responded: "When I meet you next time maybe you have your wife and kids as well."
Back to the Yuwen household, Yuwen Gao settled the ashes in a temple urn and put Yuwen Yue's tablet beside his son Yuwen Hao. Yuwen Gao got angry-looking at it, and he ordered his guards to take the urn and throw it to the desolate place where the vultures and raven shall feast on its ashes and ravish it on air.
He thought the urn doesn't deserve a place in the Yuwen ancestors temple and is not worthy to be placed beside his Son Yuwen Hao, after all, the body burned was not really his grandson Yuwen Yue.
As for Yue Qi fake ashes was buried in the humble graveyard near the Yuwen ancestors temple.
With Yuwen Yue's and Yue Qi's death press release, Yuwen Gao gave unlikely remarks to the Yuwen household to ban any mourning rites for the former interim master of the Eyes of God.
Everyone was not expecting this to happen and Yuwen Yue only to bear the shame of the family that served as their scapegoat and avoids the wrath of the Emperor who currently took a leave of absence in his office.
Yuwen Gao also ordered the name of Yuwen Yue to be removed in the Yuwen families book of records and banned it from being uttered in the Green Hills courtyard since he brought more disgrace than an honor to his family.
After all is said and done Yuwen Gao felt tired and said: "Yuwen Yue, if only you listened to me, this would not happen to you."
Yuwen Gao is looking at himself as a failure and yet another failure for his grandson because of a maidservant, same story to tell.
Both Yuwen's weakness falls under the hands of their maidservants and the people cannot help themselves to form their opinions about what happened to Yuwen Yue and believed that he died in the icy lake because of his maid Xinger.
The rumors spread like fire after Yan Xun got the news that Yuwen Gao announced Yuwen Yue's death on official government publication.
Yan Xun's step was to purposely make the Eyes of God breakable and bring about their own image to downfall because Yan Xun knows, it cannot be brought down using military strategies but similar to that Helen of Troy who launched a thousand ships, a maidservant beauty will turn them into ashes.
Yan Xun was looking at the Canhong Jian sword displayed on his war room, and he looks at it with much pain in his eyes and heart.
Seems every time he wins a battle to advance his troops and kingdom, his turns soul to a cold stone, numb and alone.
As the eyes of God weakens, he is almost half of the job done in his ambitions of taking over the Wei state by his father's blade and his ultimate goal to sit to the throne of Wei and rule over the entire land. In this case, the mighty blood of Yan might somehow be appeased but will never be equal and still feels its heavy weight of injustice and for the untimely deaths of his family members.
"The world, we have already spread the news to the entire empire, its cities, and far-flung areas." a Yanbei messenger just came back from two weeks journey to inform everyone about the death of Yuwen Yue and his bodyguard.
"Did you make sure to let the damage unrepairable to the Eyes of God?"
"There is nothing for the poor dead master of the Eyes of God to go back after our press release today. The public temperament was totally disgusted about the news and turned against to the Eyes of God."
"Good job, now I will see my next steps and expect to happen in a few months time. I just need to gather all my financial resources to build a palace for the Xuili General where this will be kept in memory of her." Still, his eyes on the Canhong Jian sword and did not turn his back to face the messenger.
And the messenger nodded and said: "The world is there anything else I can serve you?" said the messenger who is looking at Yan Xun's back.
"Call A'Jing, I have an important topic to discuss," said Yan Xun.
"The world," said A'Jing on his casual military dress uniform came in to respond to the call of the Prince.
"Have you gathered all the master builders?"
"Yes. I did, in fact, it will be here at any moment."
"What about the taxes I imposed lately? Did anyone rebelled against it?"
"No one, except for some low slaves who are forced to work harder to pay for the double tax for this year."
"Did you told them about the punishment if anyone will not follow?"
"Yes, I read it in front of the town people and everyone bowed their heads, and no one dared to speak against it."
"Good, then I expect Mr. Lui Xiu to bring me twice as much."
"Is there anything I can serve the world?"
"You are dismissed."
Yan Xun left on war room, he opened a blueprint plan and laid it down on a long table made of shiny mahogany wood and look at it.
