Author Angel Chua
Adapted from Princess Agents drama series and original novel by Xiao Xiang Dong'er – Chu Qiao Chuan Biography
Phoenix Crown Empire (08.12.2021)
A sound of horse hooves woke up the Liang Palace grounds, as the Turkish Prince envoy finally announced its arrival to enter one of the five gates of the majestic Daoming Palace.
The Daoming palace is set apart from all the palaces in China, it was constructed by the present day Empress of Liang, the second wife of Emperor Tang.
The Turkish Prince occasionally visits the Tang Empire to improve their trades and widen their political relationship.
As a token for the visitors, the Chinese palace ministers greet them with warm hospitality and their military hosts the Olympic ground for one of their favorite games the horseback riding or what they call the Polo sport.
The Emperor of Liang sat on his throne-like chair along with Prince Xiao Ce at his right and to his left is the Turkish Prince who has deep-seated green eyes, exudes strong male charismatic charm, woody masculine scent, and a beard all over his face make him so manly on his well-defined square jaw and white small teeth and two-bladed swords in his waist, round and straightforward thick gold medal around his head.
To complete the look, a white A-cut dress and a gold sandal in his feet. In his arms as half cast gold medals and a gold belt adorned with some of Persia's beautiful jewels sitting in its waist.
Xiao Ce feeling left behind on his metropolitan style as the Liang palace maids were pouring all of their eyes to the Turkish Prince and the Turkish Prince being flirty and feeling so handsome at the moment, he put his hand on his jaw emphasizing his perfect lips and jawline and the palace maids cannot help it.
The maids continued to watch and catch those sweet glances the Turkish Prince throws at them and some whispering giggles can be heard beside their foxy, sexy Prince.
And again, on his flashy robes felt some moment of insecurity in the air.
The Liang crown prince foxy eyes suddenly shifted from the Turkish Prince to his palace maids, and all of them stopped their whispering giggles and chuckles. Xiao Ce's eyes narrowed thought he looks angry this kind of face became more handsome as he grabs one of the gigantic fan made of cats' fur almost covering his entire half body.
Xiao Ce used it to fan it to his face. The Prince suddenly uncomfortable, covered his entire face, eats some of the cat's fur.
Now he cannot stop to spit these furs in his side, the palace maids with some worried face when they saw the Prince suddenly is like choking to death.
After a while the Turkish Prince saw what was happening to Prince Xiao Ce he asked: Is something wrong with you?
Xiao Ce on his poker face behaved and back to his social graces he said: "Nothing is wrong, only your flirty face."
The Turkish prince displayed a wondering face he touched his jaw and said: You mean my beardy fancy face?
Xiao Ce back to choking but hid it to the Turkish Prince face he said: "Will you excuse me, I will have to take my fresh morning tea to rejuvenate my body and to prevent growing hairs around my handsome face."
The Turkish Prince on his slight muse nodded to Xiao Ce and again displayed that flirty eyes and face to one of Xiao Ce's palace maids and Xiao Ce loathes it.
The Prince on his big yellow flowery long robes stood up and walked away slowly while the palace maids threw some rose petals in the air and cleared the wind in his pathway by some diffusers.
Emperor Tang had a little laughing moment when his crown prince walked out of this sweat and dusty game as he always complains it's not his cup of tea. Emperor Tang raised his hands as he officially gave the signal to open the game.
The Turkish envoy reputation is known to many empires, and they have never lost any single game, they always win. But this time Emperor Tang wants to see their chance of winning, his palace ministers prepared twenty-four Chinese horsemen.
They say that to fight four Turkish horsemen, the ratio is 1:4, for every one Turkish polo player it is equivalent to four Chinese men playing horseback riding sports.
Emperor Tang wanted to prove this is false and so he took four weak men to start the game and strategically positioned the game.
Adding its four men on the average, and on the final game, the release the stronger ones with the purpose in his mind: "To defeat the Turkish is a victory to celebrate and gain equal respect from these royal dignitaries."
The Turkish players showed whose at the pro league, and who is not, looking like a bullied fellow, the starting four were not able to score not even once.
Already at the middle of the game and the erected pole that tallies the score for every flag attached to it signals a winning moment, but Emperor Tang may have to admit defeat and reward the Turkish visitors with 10 taels of Li gold dragon head as the reward for their mighty and unbeatable horsemen.
This means Emperor Tang needs to train more of his horsemen as they became Lee Cecilia (codename of Xiao Ce/Li Ce to Wei army during his state visit to Wei) unable to withstand the dust and blows, every Chinese polo player down to the ground.
At the last round of the match when the Turkish Prince already smells the sweet victory but turned to his side to get a glimpse of a prime warhorse slowly marching the Liang palace ground with three more Chinese players riding at their prime war horses following his back.
Riding in it, is a young man of his early 30's, wearing a blue cape and golden armor all over his body, his face covered with a shining golden metal mask, his black ink long hair tied at the middle of his head arrived in his cold, handsome face and commanding presence.
The Turkish players may have already been spent but here is another set of players ready to break some bones and cuddle their tired horses.
Emperor Tang suddenly rose from his seat when he saw the man in a distance and clapped at them, just when he thought he has no hope to win this match and feels downcast, he rose up to cheer for the last set of players to seal the fate of this match.
The Turkish Prince feels impossible to lose, still confident of his men, he started to drink the early wine served on the small royal table and he begins to cough when he saw how this tall Chinese man came to sweep the polo ground and scored their first.
Another swing of the mallet and the man with the golden armor powerfully leaped and controlled the warhorse landing where dust and one of the Turkish players accidentally bumped into and fell from the Turkish horse.
The pole scored another point, and a golden flag was attached horizontally to the Chinese pole. The match went for hours trying to steal the lead of the game when finally the lead was bounced to the Chinese team.
Emperor Tang frequently rose from his chair to cheer for his team, while Xiao Ce was seen walking towards them this time on his sportsman dress like he is going to archery match, not a polo match.
The Turkish spirit re-awakened when at the last field goal, wants to fight back and bring back their lead from the Chinese team.
Horse hooves continued to run around the ground as it sprays dust to the Turkish eyes but they never surrender attitude put them to last but like a battlefield already won by the Chinese and another Turkish man suddenly down on the ground, yet the other side seems still intact.
The Turkish Prince suddenly saw Xiao Ce and scoffs in front of him like a brother to his younger one he said: "What happened to your lovely face?" teased by the Turkish prince he laughs out loud, one cannot help but comment on his dirty, ugly face.
This spoiled brat crown prince thinks he is going to win over today's look by copying the look of a tribal hero, a black band in his head with a black jade at the middle, Xiao Ce on his foxy eyes came out with his smudged cheeks of black ink makeup on his face.
But rather than looking like a fearless hero, he looked like a clown. Nonetheless, he went to sit on his chair beside his father. The Turkish Prince frequently looking at him Xiao Ce beamed, and on his foxy eyes he asked: "Are you a pervert?"
The Turkish Prince annoyed he said in his formal face and low tone of voice: "of course no, I have 50 wives and 200 concubines back at my harem."
Xiao Ce cannot fight back as he cannot match the Turkish Prince appetite for women, he said: "What about a contest of archery later? I am sure you are not going to decline a royal request."
The Turkish prince about to respond when suddenly the match is over, finally announced who won looking at the two erected poles, the Turkish team lost the game to the Chinese side.
Emperor Tang was pleased and overwhelmed as the results were legitimate, and with no further questions, the Turkish team stood up and bowed to the Emperor of Liang. While the Turkish envoy was eyeing for the man who has the golden mask, they ask for the man to reveal its face.
The handsome man on its prime life climb down from his horse and bowed to the Emperor first and nodded to the Turkish Prince while he blinked his eyes to his younger brother Xiao Ce.
Emperor Tang introduced Prince Lou, whom he did not claim he is a son but rather the son of the late Emperor his father and Prince Lou's mother the present day Queen Yuan of Liang his wife.
One may say this is a complicated scenario to think about and any minds would have to think twice and careful to address who is this Prince in front of everyone who brought victory to the Chinese team.
Before Prince Li Yuan renamed himself later as Emperor Tang to sit onto Liang Throne, he forced His father to step down from Liang throne by killing two of his own brothers that would then leave him the only heir.
His early beginnings include a reliable form of the Imperial government and its success but not his relationship with his father. Although Emperor Tang allowed his father to live and forced him to support his regime, he did not leave his father behind.
No matter how Emperor Tang please the late Emperor, the father always rejects his son and always choose the opposite direction of whatever his son decides to do.
After the late Emperor abnegated his throne, following the ritual and traditions of the Liang empire all of his concubines pack up and must travel to Kong Sang mountain to serve the temple and become a nun.
Except for one woman, Concubine Yuan expressed his interest not to leave the capital. Looking back to their silent past, while she was still serving as the Emperor's duty to produce a male child, Emperor Tang itself had already developed feelings on her but were not pursued until he sat on the Liang Throne.
The Concubine Yuan of the late emperor cannot possibly accept such fate while she is still young and have dreams to pursue and does not want to leave his son behind, she wrote a sad love letter and sent to Emperor Tang.
While the Concubine Yuan starts to slowly walk, tearful eyes and pastel-colored nun dress, she prayed that heavens would hear her plea, in the middle of the Liang Palace ground, a far away man on his simple robes is running towards where she is. Suddenly when the man finally closer to Yuan, the man said: "If you reach the gate and it doesn't open, it means that is not your door you are allowed to step out."
Concubine Yuan felt speechless on the Emperor's romantic speech, she hugged him, and they hugged, and the Emperor had a little amnesia forgot his title and etiquette, kissed the love he has been waiting for in his life.
After all, was put into proper place, Emperor Tang on his seal passed a decree to promote her as the Imperial Concubine one of the highest position next to Empress Lu Zhi.
Emperor Tang already married by the time she became her Imperial concubine, his first Empress Lu Zhi who bore Xiao Ce and held him as the sole heir to his throne.
Unfortunately, the Empress suffered baby blues after giving birth to the crown prince.
The Empress is a first-time mother went through sleepless nights for weeks, unable to respond to his husband's needs, and almost abandoned her mother instincts not to mention a temporarily forsaken throne.
The Eunuchs who were assigned to Empress gave reports to the Emperor that she is not getting any better, they tried to send her to the Royal Temple to recover her spirit and soul.
Unfortunately, when the Empress feels she was being locked up to the temple and forced to perform some rituals, she refused and ran to the Imperial Concubine palace.
The baby prince was brought to Imperial concubine Yuan to care and nourish while the Empress is sent for her recovery.
Everyone was horrified when they saw the Empress barefoot and went to cuddle the baby prince then suddenly took it and ran away from the palace.
The Emperor heard the news and immediately ordered the Imperial guards to seize her Empress. They marched to the ground and closed every gate, eventually found the Empress with her child.
The Eunuch went close to the Empress and said: "He is the crown prince, an heir to the Throne, what are you going to do with him? Your Majesty, hand over the baby prince to me."
Suddenly the Empress realized what she did was wrong and finally gently kissed the forehead of the baby prince sweetly sleeping in her arms.
The Empress aware of her crime knows that she will face the Emperor and explain herself said: "How can I explain this crime when I don't even understand why I feel this way?"
The Empress came close to the Eunuch and handed him the baby prince and on her barefoot, came back to her sanity but the crying face she ordered the royal guards to take her back to the Royal temple, and they all bowed to her.
The baby prince back to the Imperial Concubine, aside from being the Emperor's impossible love supposed to be forbidden love, one of the reasons why the Emperor favors her Imperial Concubine more than her Empress was due to the Empress condition.
The eunuch was also partly to be blamed because they are the one whispering to the Emperor's ears about her through the hidden agenda of the Imperial Concubine. She learned how to manipulate the Eunuchs and looked at it as an opportunity to break their relationship, and she played this part very well.
As the Emperor and Empress's relationship grew colder, the Imperial Concubine came to fill it with the heir of the throne under her care, she did not mind being a tool for their divorce.
After the crucial moment of Empress Lu Zhi, she stayed for few years in the Royal Temple, and she has never felt any better knowing that she was banned to even see or take care of her son as a consequence of what she did to the baby prince.
But she obeyed the Emperor's order's and suffered for her actions she didn't understand herself at that time.
Now, back to her healthy self and sanity ready to go back to her position.
Due to the gap piled up for years, she was not able to go regain her position again to the Emperor especially when the Imperial Concubine rose up not to only assume her position in her absence for the sake of obligations and duty to the Empire.
The worst nightmares of the Empress Lu Zhi life happened when eventually, a decree was passed on to her to become a deposed Queen. Reasons are not clear but one thing was for sure, someone made the arrangement behind it.
Eventually, the Empress now a deposed Queen packed up her own possessions and was given enough treasures to live a life separated from the Throne.
The Emperor on his grace did not strip her entitlements being the biological mother of Prince Xiao Ce, but this act will, in turn, affect and change the destiny of the Prince.
As the Empress finally steps out of the Palace, the only royal palace maid as her companion slowly looked forward when she heard the Liang Palace gates slowly closed before her eyes and only a silent teardrop fell along its path.
Prince Lou, on the other hand, grew up mighty and strong while the Imperial Concubine his mother, crowned as the new Queen, took the next highest position in the Liang Empire equivalent to his husband, Emperor Tang.
Her ambitions for the Throne is unquenchable that she refused to move to the Palace of the Deposed Queen Xiao Ce's mother.
She later proposed to build a new palace which later became China's center stage for cultural arts and center for trade of commerce and industry.
Queen Yuan on her cunning abilities blended her two sons in one courtyard, these two powerful princes made a pact on their brotherhood and were cultivated with wisdom and ability to think out of the box.
The Queen frequently educated the two to have strong values about how to rule the Empire when their time comes. Later did they know, that though they were born as blood brothers but was never destined to become loyal to each other in the pursuit of who will sit in the throne.
Xiao Ce learned to mask himself and show a facade of being immature in front of his brother Prince Lou so Prince Lou can also share some privilege he has whenever he sees his father bestowing favor at him than his brother.
Xiao Ce knows how to control envy inside his family and preserve family love and brotherhood intact even if the crown was already in his head he did not ever use it to take advantage of Prince Lou.
Xiao Ce is ten times wiser than any one of his brothers and sisters, maybe because, during his primary life, he grew up at the lap of a cunning and shrewd Queen. It is a high advantage.
However, the most vulnerable position and he is aware of it, one mistake could end his life, and the people of this empire will fall into chaos given an empty sit for the future Liang crown prince, everyone with interest will seize and turn to their beastly nature.
The only thing, the Emperor, never balanced the father figure between the two, he made sure that Prince Lou will always have to bow down to his younger brother Xiao Ce.
Therefore depriving Prince Lou of a father figure and like a cup will always play the role of taking up his younger brother burden's and sacrifice his own dreams.
