AN: I got my Phoenix symbolism details off of Wikipedia, so if they're wrong, my apologies. Time is passing a little more quickly now, so events are taking place over the period of a couple of days instead of hours. The good XingYue is after her confrontation with Xiang, so you could skim down to read Yuwen Yue's reaction to the confrontation if you want (although I recommend reading the confrontation itself first so that you'll know what's going on). Also I should probably issue a general reminder that I'll be continuing "Awakening" after I take a break from writing after I wrap up this current monstrosity.
The harsh, haunting sound of the bili rose up and over the graves of A'Jing and his beloved and permeated the entire valley. Chu Qiao put her whole heart into her playing not just because she wanted to make a fitting tribute to her friend, but because she knew that this would be the next-to-last time that she'd ever play the flute that Yan Xun had given her. This bili represented a part of her past that she was eager leave behind as she stepped into the future as the wife of Yuwen Yue.
As the last notes of the melancholy tune she'd been playing faded away, she looked over at her companion, who was burning paper money with a solemn expression on her face. Zhong Yu threw one final piece on the small fire and straightened, coming to stand beside Chu Qiao.
"Thank you for taking care of this, Miss Yu," Chu Qiao said, tucking the bili away inside of her robes.
"It was the least I could do," Zhong Yu said, frowning.
Chu Qiao stood silently, looking first at the freshly-filled grave with its large mound of dirt over it and then at the more settled grave of the woman whom A'Jing had loved. She knew that Zhong Yu felt some lingering guilt over A'Jing's fate just as she herself did, but she didn't know what to say that could alleviate those feelings.
She knows that we might have been able to save him, too, she admitted. But she also knows that trusting him with the truth could've condemned us all.
Giving up on trying to pointlessly analyze the past, Chu Qiao walked over to the small fire and threw a piece of paper money on it. She knew that they could never know what A'Jing would've done and could never change the past, so why continue dwelling on this subject?
She continued throwing pieces of paper money on the fire while allowing her mind to drift back through time. The image of A'Jing tearfully begging Yan Xun to allow him to serve the prince assailed her, as did the memory of her trying his cooking for the first time. They'd all been through so much together, and now both he and Yan Xun had gone on to the afterlife.
"Hopefully he's at peace," Chu Qiao said, looking at A'Jing's newly-chiseled tablet.
"I like to think he is," Zhong Yu said, smiling sadly. "He and the prince, together in death as they were in life."
"Mm."
They lapsed into silence again for a few moments.
"I remember that time when Wei Shuyou sent those assassins after us-"
"That narrows it down," Chu Qiao muttered.
"-and A'Jing fought them with his cleavers," Zhong Yu continued, smiling fondly.
Chu Qiao produced a small smile of her own.
"He was an amazing fighter—and loyal to Yan Xun," she said, eyes tearing up.
"More loyal than we were, A'Chu?"
"I think so," Chu Qiao said. "Although I can't make myself regret the way things worked out."
"Neither can I, A'Chu."
They each dropped one final piece of paper money apiece onto the dying fire, watching the papers shrivel to ashes. Finally, they turned around and prepared to leave the peaceful valley behind. The two warriors looked at each other in consternation, and Chu Qiao could tell that her long-time friend was no more eager to carry out their next duty than she was.
"You and I have faced many battles together, Miss Yu. Why does this one feel so hard?"
"Because it's the last one that we have to fight before we can move on, A'Chu."
"For you, maybe," Chu Qiao said. "I still have several more battles to fight, but I'm confident I'll win them all."
"So am I, A'Chu," Zhong Yu said, smiling.
"What about you, Miss Yu?" Chu Qiao asked, a small smile of her own shaping her lips. "Do you still have a battle to fight—with Mister Wu, perhaps?"
"Actually, A'Chu, I won that battle yesterday," Zhong Yu replied, breaking into a radiant grin. "We want to get married soon—especially since we want you and Yuwen Yue to be there."
Chu Qiao loudly congratulated her friend and embraced her.
There's another thing that might never have happened had I not chosen to walk away from Yan Xun when I did, she thought in contentment.
"Have you set a date yet?"
"No, but we hope to marry sometime between Yuan Song and Meng Feng's wedding—whenever that may happen—and your departure for Wei."
"I don't know how long we'll stay here," Chu Qiao said. "So much is up in the air, but things can change so quickly. We could be here for months or we could get bad news and have to leave next week? Who knows?"
"Who knows?" Zhong Yu echoed. "We'll set a date soon; the fact that he's agreed to marry me after all these years is good enough for now."
"I'm glad I won't have to wait too long to marry Yuwen Yue," Chu Qiao admitted.
"Let's get this over with, A'Chu," Zhong Yu said, her face turning solemn once again.
"We've waited too long as it is," Chu Qiao agreed, her own smile melting away.
The weight of the bili suddenly seemed much heavier than it had been only a few moments ago. Suddenly Chu Qiao couldn't wait to leave it behind in the tomb of the man who had shaped her life so profoundly in good and bad ways. She fingered the flute absentmindedly, her face turning troubled as she and Zhong Yu left the valley.
"Will you play it one last time, then?"
"Yes. One last time."
"And then you'll leave it behind for the prince to play in the afterlife?"
"Yes. Maybe in the afterlife, he's the man I first met, the man who gave me the flute after asking me to run away to Yanbei with him."
"That's a nice thought, A'Chu."
"Mm."
They lapsed into companionable silence again, each one obviously lost in her own thoughts on the ride back to Hongchuan.
Maybe in the afterlife, you're the kind, chivalrous, brave, caring man I first met, Yan Xun, she thought sadly. Maybe you'll be able to take up your bili again and play it like you used to. Maybe you'll think of me and of the good times we had together before everything went so horribly wrong.
Chu Qiao allowed herself to get lost in memories of Yan Xun, knowing that this would likely be the last time she would indulge in them. She would remember him. She would visit him. She would play one final song for him. And then she'd leave him, turning her focus on cleaning up the mess he left behind in Yanbei and then, of course, marrying her beloved.
Prince Xiang did not approve. Oh, there were some aspects of his life that brought him satisfaction. The peace process seemed to be progressing apace, for example. Xiao Ce actually seemed to be acting like a semi-normal human being, for another. Granted, the latter fact made Xiang more nervous than if the crown prince had continued acting like the womanizing madman he'd presented himself as when they last met.
Relationships had been developing recently, and Xiang didn't approve of a single one—especially the ones in which people he cared about were involved. He wasn't too worried about his brother; after all, all he had to do was forbid the match on behalf of his father and the two of them would be unable to marry. His best friend, on the other hand, required a defter touch to rescue. The spymaster had shown a shocking level of naivete for someone who was normally so perceptive, but fortunately Xiang was ready to reveal the true nature of his close friend's fiance to him and to hopefully rid them all of her presence for good—at least in terms of relationships if not in business.
She can still be useful to us in a professional capacity, he admitted as his guests started to enter his tent. Regardless of the way she's trying to take advantage of Yuwen Yue, I can't fault Chu Qiao's work ethic or her commitment to making peace. But I won't have her infiltrating Wei and starting trouble while breaking my best friend's heart in the process.
Xiang had spent a significant amount of time in the military, so both evaluating a situation and forming a plan in response were second nature to him. Chu Qiao's motives had been somewhat difficult for Xiang to figure out, but after weeks of careful evaluation and thought, he was reasonably certain that he had deciphered his former archery coach's intentions.
She's a clever woman who naturally wants to amass as much power, money, and influence as she can, he mused as some of her compatriots came in through his large tent's entrance. Perhaps she simply wants to get as much of those things as she can, but perhaps she has a more nefarious motive for pretending to be in love with Yuwen Yue. After all, she is the leader of the Underworld, so what better chance would she have to bring all of her people's most hated enemies to their knees than to seduce and marry the head of their spy network? No, I can't help but feel that she wants to make trouble for Wei generally and the royal family and Eyes of God specifically.
Once the prince had determined Chu Qiao's motivations for feigning affection for his close friend, he'd worked out a simple and elegant course of action. He was quite proud of his plan and was certain that it would work in terms of opening the spymaster's eyes to the truth about his so-called fiance while perhaps damaging his brother's relationship as well.
Chu Qiao wants power, so I'll give her almost instant access to more influence and rank than she'd have as Yuwen Yue's wife. I'll make my offer. She'll pretend to reject my offer. We'll hammer out the details. She'll accept my offer. I'll withdraw my offer, tell her I'm onto her, and ban her from ever entering Wei except under the most stringent security. Yuwen Yue will be heartbroken, but at least he'll know her true nature before wearing red rather than after—and at least we won't all be in danger from her schemes.
Prince Xiang pasted a smile on his face as Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue walked through the tent's entrance together, arguing about something or other. While Xiang could tell that neither of them was angry at the other, he couldn't help but want his close friend to find a more demure, respectable woman to take as his first wife. After tonight, he'd be free to do so—with Xiang's assistance, of course. Hopefully he'd also be busy trying to find his brother a suitable first wife in a year or two; he'd keep his eyes open for suitable young women while looking for the best bride for Yuwen Yue.
"Welcome, friends," Xiang said, smiling at all of those who had gathered around the large table that just barely fit inside of his tent. "While our surroundings aren't exactly luxurious, right here in the lower camp seems like an appropriate place to have a banquet celebrating the progress that we've made in terms of crafting a lasting peace between Wei and Yanbei. Please take your seats so that we can begin our meal."
The people he'd invited naturally paired themselves off in couples (except for Xiao Ce, of course), but Xiang said nothing since that would actually suit his purposes when the time came to spring his trap after the meal had ended. As expected, Mister Wu and Miss Yu sat together, as did Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao-and, of course, his brother and that assassin. He Xiao and Miss Chong also sat together, perhaps confirming the rumors about them that he'd heard around the camp. Maybe she had formed an attachment with Chu Qiao's commander or maybe she simply didn't want to sit next to Xiao Ce.
Not that I could blame her or anyone else were that the case…
The servants had already deposited a variety of dishes on the table, and he and his guests began to eat their fill. While the food wasn't fancy, it was nourishing—and better than the average camp fare. Besides, most people seemed to be enjoying the company and the festive atmosphere, especially after the tensions of the past month.
"How unfortunate and unusual that I should be the only man here without a woman—except for His Highness, of course," Xiao Ce said, dipping his head mischievously at Xiang.
"That should be a character-building experience for you, Xiao Ce," Chu Qiao said, smirking at the crown prince.
"It's not too late for you to admit that you're madly in love with me, Qiao Qiao," Xiao Ce said, flashing her his foxiest grin.
"You'll be waiting forever for me to do that," she retorted, shaking her head in mock anger.
"Ah, Qiao Qiao, you wound me," Xiao Ce said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart.
"Good," she said, sending him a faux glare.
A couple of people laughed, and Yuwen Yue continued eating placidly as if he didn't notice that his supposed fiance was openly flirting with another man—one with more influence and prestige then Yuwen Yue possessed, no less.
The realization that Chu Qiao might, perhaps, have already had access to money and power were she to take Xiao Ce up on his offer made Xiang slightly uneasy in regards to his evaluation of Chu Qiao's motives. However, he figured that Chu Qiao assumed that the crown prince's offer was made in jest and thus was unwilling to entertain it—or to sentence herself to a life as one of Xiao Ce's concubines, which was a fate he'd have trouble wishing even on his worst enemies.
In general, the conversation around the table was light as people talked of pleasant topics that had little to do with politics and war. Everyone seemed determined to shove reality aside for a time, and Xiang was inclined to let them. After all, the less wary that Chu Qiao was, the more likely he'd be to catch her off her guard.
And when she gets caught off her guard, she makes foolish mistakes, Xiang thought with satisfaction.
"Now that we've had such an excellent meal, I can finally reveal the real reason for this gathering."
The pricked ears and wary eyes amused Xiang, although he kept his feelings hidden behind his mask. Yuwen Yue alone seemed perfectly calm and placid, seemingly unworried about what Xiang had planned. Chu Qiao's gaze had sharpened, although the prince knew that there was no way that she'd guessed what he had in store for her or his brother.
"Of course, I brought you all here together today to celebrate the recoveries that you've made, both physical and mental. We've all been through a lot over this past month, and we can all look back and compare where we are now with where we were then and feel immense pride. One person has especially distinguished herself in terms of planning, bravery, and a commitment to peace. Without her, we wouldn't be where we are today and the future would look much less bright—which is why I've decided to honor Chu Qiao by allowing her to marry my brother, Yuan Song, so that she can join our family and become Princess of Yanbei."
A variety of reactions greeted his pronouncement, and he was gratified to realize that he'd correctly predicted each one. His brother, of course, loudly protested, telling everyone at the table of his love for the woman at his side. She simply looked down at the table serenely, her mask every bit as good as Yuwen Yue's. He felt a stab of regret as he held no ill will towards the woman; he just didn't believe her to be a suitable first wife for his brother.
He Xiao also protested hotly, his fiery defense of his general and her love for Yuwen Yue predictable if naive. Xiao Ce and Xia Chong stared at him with openly-amused contempt. Mister Wu and Miss Yu stared at him warily, clearly unsure of his intentions but likely suspecting that the results would not be to their liking. Yuwen Yue's eyes had flashed for a bare moment before he'd erected his impregnable walls within them. And Chu Qiao...Her eyes were now open and honest, but he'd seen within them a predatory flash of raw opportunism that had confirmed his suspicions. To his surprise, he was actually somewhat disappointed that her love for his close friend hadn't been genuine.
I'll make you pay for that, Chu Qiao, and will expose you for what you are. I have few friends in this world, and I'll not let you take this one away from me while endangering us all. I wanted to believe that Yuwen Yue had managed to plant this flower within his own garden after all, but this flower is ambitious—and deadly.
"Thank you for honoring your servant Chu Qiao in such a way," she said modestly, inclining her head. "I cannot, however, accept such an honor, Your Highness."
"Why not, Chu Qiao?" he asked, knowing that this opening salvo was all part of the game and that things were proceeding just as he'd predicted they would.
"Because your servant is unworthy."
He smiled humorlessly as he remembered Yuwen Yue making a similar protestation in regards to Chun'er. Xiang glanced over at his friend, but the spymaster had not given any sign that Chu Qiao's words had perturbed him in the slightest.
"Come, come, Chu Qiao," he said jovially. "Let's not have any more of that false modesty. You're a war hero and a skilled fighter. You're well-regarded by many in Yanbei and in Wei—and some in Liang, I'd wager. You and my brother have been friends for years, so you'd make an excellent wife for him."
"Some may call me a war hero now, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm a war criminal in your land," she said calmly. "I joined in and even helped plan Yan Xun's rebellion. I've killed Wei soldiers."
"That unpleasantness is all in the past, Chu Qiao," Xiang said, waving a hand dismissively. "I think we're all ready to move into the future and leave such affairs in the past where they belong."
"So I take it that you'll be honoring Yuwen Yue and Yuan Song's agreement with us to grant us all full pardons, Your Highness?"
Xiang ground his teeth at having to give up such a large bargaining chip so early, but he mentally shrugged since he'd planned on pardoning them all anyway. After all, this peace process wasn't likely going to be successful if he decided to declare half of the people working on it war criminals.
Besides, nothing matters more than bringing Chu Qiao's true nature to light—and maybe giving my little brother a lesson in the fickleness of women to boot.
"Of course I will, Chu Qiao," he said. "I am, after all, a man of my word. All of you who fought with Yuwen Yue and Yuan Song and lived to tell the tale will receive full pardons from Wei as we move into the future together."
Chu Qiao's mask slipped for a moment as she gave him a genuine smile that lit up her eyes.
"Thank you, Your Highness," she said sincerely, clasping her hands and bowing to him.
Wu Daoya and Zhong Yu did likewise, expressing their gratitude. He acknowledged them, eager to get on with the important business at hand.
"I'll even give you a pardon for killing Yuwen Xi, Chu Qiao," he said, smiling. "If I could, I'd give you a medal for doing so, but I figured that you'd rather have my brother instead."
"Thank you again, Your Highness, but aren't you bothered by my background? Not only am I much lower-born than both you and your brother; I'm also the leader of a rival spy organization. I'm just a killer."
Xiang waved her off again, mentally tipping his head at her skill in playing this game.
"As with your part in the rebellion, all of that is in the past—the more distant past, I might add. No, I'm convinced that you've made a fresh start and that you've more than made up for anything you may have done in your Underworld years. As for your background, my years in the military have given me the belief that birth circumstances are secondary to personality and accomplishments. Besides, your martial skills will be useful in thwarting the numerous assassination attempts that will surely come my brother's way in the upcoming years."
"I would, of course, defend your brother's life with mine," she said, bowing her head once again, "but are you willing to excuse my lack of connections or fortune?"
"Do you really think we need money, Chu Qiao?" Xiang said even as he mentally winced at just how much Wei did, in fact, need money. "Not that we would turn down a fortune, of course; these past several years have been expensive. Still, I would rather see my brother settled down with a good, trustworthy woman than to have him marry someone just for her fortune."
His brother was openly goggling at him in a way that would've made Xiang laugh under other circumstances. The woman sitting next to him was still staring at the proceedings serenely, and Xiang's respect for her went up another notch.
My brother could stand to learn a thing or two from her—so to speak.
"But what about my connections, Your Highness?" Chu Qiao asked, eyes wide. "Surely you'll want Yuan Song to marry a proper princess so that you can form an alliance with another kingdom or family."
"Do we really need any more connections?" Xiang asked rhetorically, reaching the same mental conclusion as he had about money and Wei. "And don't be so modest yourself, Chu Qiao. You have many respectable people vouching for you in Wei and Yanbei. You're also a skilled general in your own right with the established capability of persuading men to follow you with an alarming yet endearing level of fanaticism-no offense, He Xiao."
"None taken, Your Highness," the commander said graciously, his mouth twitching in amusement.
Chu Qiao was silent, a pensive, calculating expression on her face. She was clearly readying herself to finally accept his proposal and expose herself, so Xiang readied himself for the kill.
"So let me make sure I understand everything, Your Highness," she finally said, her face unreadable.
"Go ahead."
"You're going to allow me to marry your brother because you're not going to hold any part of my past against me."
"Right."
"You're not going to hold my connections to a rival spy organization against me."
"Right."
"You're not going to hold my lack of good family connections or fortune against me."
"Right."
"You feel that my martial arts skills are beneficial to your family because I can use them to protect your brother from harm."
"Right."
"You feel that my leadership abilities will serve me well as Princess of Yanbei."
"Right."
"Well, then..." Chu Qiao said, hesitating for a brief moment as her eyes darted over to Yuwen Yue, who was as placid and unemotional as ever. She consciously looked away from him, and Xiang shifted in his seat like a tiger preparing to pounce.
He noticed that his brother looked elated for some reason, and he wondered if his brother's feelings for Chu Qiao were not as dead as he'd claimed. Maybe he really had managed to solve all of his problems with this one neatly-crafted scheme.
"Well, then?" he finally asked, losing his patience. "You're not known for your timidity, Chu Qiao. What have you decided?"
"Well, then, I'm still going to have to respectfully decline, Your Highness," she said apologetically.
"What?!" Xiang blurted out in a less-than-princely manner. "How could you...Is it the arm? Is that the problem? I never figured you to be that shallow, Chu Qiao."
Her eyes flashed and her face hardened.
"No, Your Highness," she said coldly. "The arm isn't the problem. The arm isn't any kind of problem. I myself have many scars, so if my own scars are not a problem for the man I'm marrying, then how could his scars be a problem for me?"
"Then why-"
"Your brother is a fine man, Your Highness," Chu Qiao said as if Xiang had never spoken. "I'm proud to be able to call him my friend after all we've been through. He's going to be an excellent ruler of Yanbei, a fantastic husband, and a wonderful father when the time comes. I never would've bothered to execute this coup in the first place had I not figured your brother to be vastly different from the rest of his family."
Xiang's nostrils flared at the insult, but he held his tongue, still feeling that victory was possible if he played his part right.
"So why are you still declining?" he asked. "What's the problem?"
"The problem, Your Highness, is that there's already a perfectly suitable woman for Yuan Song who meets your criteria and then some—and who, most importantly, is already in love with him. You've already said that the past, family connections, and fortune were unimportant, and that martial skills and leadership capabilities were beneficial. Meng Feng meets all of those standards and more and will fight all the harder for Yuan Song because she loves him. And trust me, Your Highness: Few things can motivate a woman to fight harder than love."
Chu Qiao's eyes bored into him, and he could feel his victory slipping away.
"In fact, Your Highness," she continued, smiling sweetly at him, "I, of course, cannot marry Yuan Song because I'm already marrying Yuwen Yue. I guess I can't blame you for forgetting about our engagement given how busy things have been around here these past few weeks. And since I'm not a great man like you, I can't have more than one spouse, so I couldn't possibly marry both Yuwen Yue and Yuan Song. Besides, I don't think that that would work particularly well, Your Highness. Do you?"
Chu Qiao clasped her hands together and placed them on the table, sitting in demure silence. Xiang was absolutely gob-smacked, realizing that he'd just suffered a complete, humiliating defeat at the hands of a woman whose mind he'd grossly underestimated. He could tell from the expressions of those at the table that they all thought him a fool—except for Yuwen Yue, whose face was still completely blank. His heart sank even further.
Maybe he's mad at her rather than me, he thought desperately. Maybe he found her presumptuousness off-putting and disrespectful.
Xiang's mouth tried to work, but nothing would come out.
Or maybe he's angry at me, he admitted. Maybe I've lost one of the only friends I have because I tried to keep him from making a mistake.
"N-no," Xiang finally managed to push through his throat. "I don't think that would work particularly well."
"So I'll marry Yuwen Yue and Yuan Song can marry Meng Feng; that should work well. Don't you agree, Your Highness?"
Xiang sighed in resignation, knowing that to protest would only make him look like an even bigger fool at this point. He'd made the mistake that so many of his peers had made by underestimating Chu Qiao. She'd taken him in completely and had played him like he was a rank snot-nose still living in the palace nursery.
A desperate idea came to him and he weighed the merits of making the equivalent of a desperate charge to break through enemy lines to freedom. Maybe Xiang could salvage this battle after all and still achieve victory against the odds.
Maybe what she wants is the Eyes of God, not Yuwen Yue. Maybe her plan is to go back to Wei, make excuse after excuse to not marry Yuwen Yue, sabotage the Eyes of God, wreak havoc in Wei, and escape, leaving Yuwen Yue high and dry without ever having to marry him at all.
"That would work well, now that you mention it, Chu Qiao," he said, perking up and smiling. "However, given the circumstances, you'll need to marry Yuwen Yue as soon as possible. Some people might doubt your sincerity otherwise."
Chu Qiao's face lit up in a genuine grin that quickly changed into the most predatory expression he'd ever seen on a person.
"Thank you, Your Highness," she said, clasping her hands and bowing as deeply as she could while sitting at a table. "I know that many people dislike me and would object to a marriage between Yuwen Yue and myself, but surely none of those people would dare to oppose our marriage with you endorsing it. Don't you agree, Your Highness?"
Xiang nodded numbly as Chu Qiao neatly outmaneuvered him again.
"In fact I think your brother and Meng Feng should get married as soon as possible as well, Your Highness," she said, grinning. "After all, them marrying would help to provide stability in Yanbei and would please the people and the soldiers, wouldn't it, Your Highness?"
The Prince decided that a full retreat was necessary.
"Yes, it would," he said woodenly.
His brother's face lit up more brightly than he'd ever seen it as his grin stretched all the way across his face. Even Meng Feng's normally serene expression changed to one of pure joy as she looked at Yuan Song with warmth and affection. Yuan Song smiled back at her and seemed to forget that there were other people at the table with them.
Zhong Yu and Wu Daoya broke the awkward silence, thanking him once again for their pardons. They promised to do their best to make Yanbei a prosperous, peaceful ally of Wei once again.
"In fact," Mister Wu said, "I have a few more ideas that I'd like to discuss with Your Highness, if you don't mind."
Prince Xiang smiled gratefully at the tactful tactician while feeling immensely ashamed of himself. He'd misjudged all of these people just like his own father had, and he couldn't help but wonder how high of a price he was going to pay for his folly.
Yuwen Yue wouldn't even look at Xiang; all of his attention seemed to be focused on Chu Qiao. The woman he'd tried so hard to set up looked far more nervous now than she had while confronting him. His close friend had still shown no traces of emotion, and he suddenly, shockingly found himself hoping that the spymaster wouldn't be too angry at the woman who had stayed true to him even after she'd been offered so much influence and power. He also hoped that he'd be able to mend things with his best friend—and with the woman who would hopefully become Yuwen Yue's wife in the near future.
Xiang dismissed everyone with a few more trite words, and people started bowing and leaving. Yuwen Yue looked at Chu Qiao and gestured towards the tent's exit imperiously with his head. She left without a backward glance, and Yuwen Yue followed her out, his face a blank mystery.
On the outside, Yuwen Yue looked as placid and serene as a slowly-flowing stream. On the inside, however, he was a roiling maelstrom of emotion, only managing to keep control of himself thanks to years of training. As they walked through the camp, they attracted plenty of gazes, but the soldiers quickly averted their eyes once they took in the bearings of the two of them. Yuwen Yue smiled internally, figuring that a bit of intimidation and mystery would do the men good.
And Xing'er, too, he mused as he watched his woman stride purposefully ahead of him. While he projected calm indifference, she radiated an air of nervous confidence and defiance. She squared her jaw and walked towards his tent, rightly guessing where he desired to have their inevitable conversation. His beloved had never been one to shy away from hard things, and this time was clearly no exception.
Xing'er walked into his tent as if she owned it, and Yuwen Yue couldn't help but contrast her current demeanor and feelings from those she'd displayed when she'd spent time in his tent in Chang'an. He followed her inside, stopping to secure the opening and to close them off from the outside world. She stopped in the middle of the tent and stared at him, challenge and brashness in her pose and expression.
Yuwen Yue looked back at Xing'er impassively, walking up to her slowly as his face gave nothing away. She clearly expected to experience the wrath of his tongue for her potentially disastrous showdown with Prince Xiang, and he barely kept a smirk off of his face as he realized just how right she was—although not in the way that she was likely expecting.
He stopped directly in front of her, gazing down at her with his most potent expression. Xing'er's beautiful, luminous eyes shone up at him, full of both fear and fire. Her eyes had always been his undoing, and this instance was no exception as they caused him to finally release his hold on his emotions.
With no warning, his hands shot out and grabbed her around her back and neck as his mouth descended swiftly to hers, claiming her lips in a passionate kiss. Xing'er gave an initial squawk of shock before wrapping her own hands around the back of his neck and returning his kiss with equal enthusiasm. Her nervous energy from the evening seemed to bleed out of her through her mouth and into his in a release of relief and arousal.
Finally he managed to break the kiss for a moment in spite of her muttered protest.
"That was dangerous," he murmured into her mouth before kissing it deeply again.
"That was risky," he said, kissing the underside of her jaw.
"That was reckless," he said as he pressed his lips to the throat that Xing'er had instinctively bared for him.
He placed his hand on the back of her head and gently lowered it back to the proper angle.
"That could've blown up in your face," he murmured into hers before kissing her on the lips again.
"I loved every moment of it, X'er," he rasped before lowering his mouth to hers and losing himself in the arms of his betrothed.
Xing'er was embracing him more passionately than she'd ever done before, his approval of her actions and the emotional high of her great victory obviously firing her blood and stripping her of her inhibitions. Yuwen Yue knew the situation was spiraling rapidly out of his control, but he didn't grasp just how much until he found himself walking Xing'er backwards towards his bed. His beloved made no protest, and he knew that she would provide him with no help in regaining his equilibrium.
As if Yuwen Yue had summoned him, Yue Qi strolled blithely through the entrance of the tent, pulling up short and gaping in astonishment at the scene that met his eyes. His guard stammered out an apology, whirled around on his heels, and exited the tent with comical speed.
Yuwen Yue staggered back and turned away from his beloved, breathing deeply as he tried to remaster his feelings. He was used to holding himself under such rigid control that actually having to work hard to calm himself was an unusual sensation. Eventually, he felt capable of turning around and looking at his beloved, who was panting heavily and obviously trying to come to grips with what had happened—and what had almost happened.
"You really need to give Yue Qi a raise, Yuwen Yue," Xing'er said faintly. "What would we do without him?"
"Whatever we wanted," Yuwen Yue managed to say, looking at her suggestively.
"You scoundrel," Xing'er said, blushing in a way that made Yuwen Yue want to take her in his arms again.
"Only where you're concerned, Xing'er," Yuwen Yue said.
"I'd better go," Xing'er said, making no move to leave.
They looked into each other's eyes, that emotional pull that had always tugged at them even when they'd barely known one another trying its hardest to bring them back together. Xing'er gave him a mischievous smile and pulled a small, familiar tub from her robes. She opened it, ran her finger across the top of it, and slowly rubbed her finger over her lips.
"Do you want some, too, Yuwen Yue?" Xing'er asked, taking the same finger she'd use to put balm on her own lips and once again coating it liberally. "Your lips are chapped, too, you know."
His eyes darkened as he stepped closer to her again and ducked his head slightly, allowing her to slowly run her finger over his lips. Yuwen Yue had to acknowledge that the lip balm felt good on his mouth, but its soothing nature was nothing compared to the sensation caused by his woman's sensual touch. He eyed her hungrily, causing her to remove her finger and take a step backwards.
"Good idea, X'er," he murmured, gratified to see her eyes darken as he said her name the way she liked.
That really does work, the analytical part of him thought, cataloging her response. I'll have to remember that for future reference.
Yuwen Yue realized that both of them were disheveled and figured that, unlike after their training session on Xiuli Mountain, he might actually be able to make Xing'er presentable. He reached out a hand and slowly began to reorder her hair, somehow ending up winding a strand of it around a finger instead. Xing'er stepped closer, obviously not objecting to his ministrations.
"I knew he was going to try something eventually," Yuwen Yue said, trying to bring some objectivity and reason into the tent.
"Me, too," Xing'er said, looking up at him with her heart in her gaze.
"I didn't expect him to take the specific route that he did, though," Yuwen Yue admitted as he turned his attention to smoothing out Xing'er's mussed robes.
"Maybe you should've seen this coming given how his father was willing to sacrifice Chun'er," Xing'er murmured, leaning slightly into his touch as he began straightening parts of her robes from which he'd already removed the wrinkles.
"I think he'll come around soon, Xing'er," he said.
"Do you?" Xing'er murmured, not seeming to care as much about his answer as she did his touch.
"Of course I do," he replied, not even pretending to be straightening her robes anymore as he ran his hands over his beloved.
Xing'er didn't object.
"He'll come to see the practicality—and inevitability—of this arrangement. He'll realize that we're not willing to compromise. He and I will have an awkward conversation. We'll work out our differences. All will be well. Victory is assured, Xing'er," he said before giving in and kissing her again.
After an indeterminate amount of time, she somehow managed to pull herself away from him, her eyes dazed and her steps unsteady. She whirled around and left, leaving a frustrated Yuwen Yue in her wake. His eyes roved around the tent before settling on Po Yue Jian, which gleamed dully in the light of the merrily-burning brazier.
Figuring that some nighttime sword practice would be a good way to work out his excess energy, he grabbed the sword's scabbard and pulled it out of the holder. Xing'er's silver bells tinkled happily, and he couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his entire face. Memories of their early days came to him, his mind settling on the image of Xing'er kneeling in the courtyard before he'd even named her such. The man he was now tried to imagine what the man he'd been then would think of the man he'd become, and he decided that, no matter what the answer would be, he wouldn't want to go back to being that cold, dour person for anything.
I wouldn't want Xing'er to go back to being that wary, weary woman, either, he mused, walking out of the tent and into the starry night.
Yuwen Yue noticed that he was once again getting a variety of both puzzled and knowing looks from the men he was walking past. He realized that, while he'd taken great care to smooth out Xing'er's robes and to order her hair, he hadn't done the same for his own appearance. His back straightened and his shoulders squared themselves as he strolled authoritatively through the camp. The spymaster refused to acknowledge that he looked less than perfectly groomed, and, as had been the case after his training session on Xiuli Mountain with Xing'er, he couldn't find much energy within himself to care about his image.
Being married to Xing'er is going to be so much more enjoyable than that old version of me could've ever imagined, he acknowledged as he reached the practice area and drew his sword.
The silver bells chuckled in agreement as he began a furious but graceful drill that failed to take his mind off of the embrace of his beloved.
He Xiao barely noticed the cold as he began patrolling the final ridge of his daily trek around Xiuli Mountain. Even though nobody else was up there, his day felt incomplete without checking for himself that all was peaceful in the snowy environs that were still technically his responsibility to guard. Nobody had ordered him to patrol here, but nobody minded that he did so, either. After all, everyone dealt with their demons in different ways, and He Xiao figured that strolling the mountain in solitude was harmless.
A flash of motion out of the corner of his eye had him grasping the hilt of his sword and pulling, but he pushed the sword back into place when he identified the lone figure standing at the top of the ridge and staring out into nothingness. While He Xiao was not thrilled to see Prince Xiang, he knew from bitter experience the dangers of turning his back on a prince—especially one as powerful as this one. Part of him was tempted to continue as if he hadn't seen the man, but he knew that Xiang had noted his presence and might make trouble for him if he ignored the prince.
Suppressing a sigh, he slowly walked up to Prince Xiang, making plenty of noise just in case the man hadn't heard him. As he got closer, he noticed that Xiang was holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hand. He Xiao came to a stop, but the only acknowledgment the prince gave that he'd heard him was to briefly loosen his hold on the paper before tightening it in his fists again, producing a crackling noise that sounded loud in the silence of Xiuli Mountain.
Not that He Xiao could blame Xiang for not wanting to talk to him; after all, he himself hadn't said two words to the man since his humiliation at the hands of Chu Da Ren several days ago. The prince had done his best to avoid everyone who had seen his defeat unless absolutely necessary, and he hadn't needed He Xiao's input for anything since that ill-fated dinner party.
"Can I help you with anything, Your Highness?" He Xiao asked, breaking the silence.
At first, Prince Xiang didn't answer, but the question he asked in return was the last one that He Xiao had expected.
"Is your father still alive, He Xiao?"
Multiple emotions cascaded through He Xiao, and he was thankful that Xiang wasn't looking at his face.
"Y-your Highness?" he finally blurted out.
"Is your father still alive?" the man repeated, his tone sounding so flat and odd that He Xiao couldn't be offended even though he felt he should.
"No, Your Highness," He Xiao said, coldness creeping into his voice. "He died in the defense of Hongchuan while defending two small boys from the brave Wei soldier who wanted to slaughter them."
"What did it feel like to lose him?" the Prince asked in that same emotionless tone.
"It felt...It felt...I can't possibly explain it fully, Your Highness," he said, puzzled at this line of questioning. "It felt like my heart had been ripped out and that, no matter how happy I might someday be in the future, I would never be able to fill the void his presence had left behind."
Xiang was silent for a long time, the crinkling and crackling of the paper in his fist the only sound that disturbed them.
"I just received this letter from a messenger," Prince Xiang said softly, holding up the hand with the paper clenched in it. "It says...it says that I need to return to Wei as soon as possible because my father has weakened significantly and will likely...join his ancestors in the afterlife soon."
He Xiao knew that he had to tread carefully, but he also couldn't resist his natural tendency to be open and honest.
"The first time I saw Chu Da Ren after Yan Xun had died, I told her that, while I knew that she'd been close to the prince, I wasn't sorry he was dead due to the pain and suffering he'd caused to so many. I won't pretend that I'll be sorry to hear of your father's death, Your Highness, because the blood of untold tens of thousands is on his hands. But I will say I'm sorry for you because I know how you feel and I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
"You don't know how I feel," Xiang said flatly.
"I'm...sorry if I offended you, Your Highness," He Xiao said.
"No, no, no," He Xiao said, waving his free hand. "Don't start that now, He Xiao. I've come to value your counsel because you never hold back with me or tell me what you think I want to hear. You didn't offend me; I'm just being honest. Your father died with honor, holding a sword in his hand while defending the innocent. My father will die curled up in his bed because his own daughter poisoned him after his favorite concubine drank the poison that said daughter was supposed to drink herself. I will never have the feeling of knowing my father died with honor. I'm sorry for what my people have done to your family, He Xiao, but I must admit I envy you for having the knowledge that your father died well."
"I'd rather he still be alive, Your Highness."
"Of course you would," Xiang said. "I think we'd both rather have any number of things be different—but they're not, and now we have to live with the consequences."
"Like the upcoming transfer of power?" He Xiao said, the prince's expression telling him he'd guessed right.
"This letter also says...it says that my father has named me the crown prince. Once he passes and is mourned, I'll ascend the throne of Wei and become emperor."
"Congratulations, Your Highness," He Xiao said, allowing a tinge of irony to color his voice.
"Ah, I hear that you've picked up on my obvious enthusiasm," Xiang said, his lips twisting into a wry half-smile. "You know, He Xiao, when I set off from Wei to conquer Yanbei, all I wanted was to bring glory to Wei and to prove to my father that I was the right man to become emperor. But now…"
"The first time I offered Chu Da Ren command of the Xiulis, she turned me down because she said there could only be one leader in Yanbei," He Xiao said, exchanging a meaningful glance with the prince. "She was, of course, right, but she eventually agreed to take command of us not because she wanted to but because she felt that doing so was right and necessary."
"I suppose I should feel honored that you're comparing me to Chu Qiao."
"My point is, Your Highness, that the best leaders are not those who crave power but those who assume the mantle of leadership reluctantly."
Xiang stared down at the icy lake, obviously lost in memories.
"What if I'm like my father?" Xiang asked so softly that his question could've almost been mistaken for the wind.
"Your Highness?"
"After all, I did try to ruin my best friend's life—and my own brother's on top of that—due to my own ignorance, paranoia, and jealousy. What makes me any better than my father?"
"The fact that you're asking that question, Your Highness. Do you think your father ever did? Or maybe he did and I'm being unfair to him," He Xiao allowed. "Your father compounded guilt upon guilt. The best way to ensure that you won't make the same mistakes he did is to be deliberately different—to rule with integrity and honor."
The prince was silent for a long time, his face troubled but his thoughts obscured. After a time, he once again asked an unexpected question.
"Are you planning on going back to Qing Shan Yuan with Chu Qiao, He Xiao?"
"Y-your Highness," he stammered, "I'm not sure-"
"Come, come, He Xiao," Xiang said, waving a hand. "As I said before, don't start that sort of thing with me."
"Yes, Your Highness. I would like to continue to serve Chu Da Ren in some capacity," He Xiao said cautiously. "I know some of the men would like to do so as well."
"How many?"
"Honestly, Your Highness, I'm not sure. Maybe 12-15?"
"Mm," Xiang grunted. "So less of an army and more of a...house guard? An honor guard?"
"Right."
"Have you talked to Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao about this?"
"I've been...reluctant to, Your Highness."
"Because you didn't know if you'd be allowed to go with her?"
"Just so."
Xiang sighed, his breath pluming in the chill of the air.
"Over the past few days, I've been thinking a good deal about trust. Being too trusting can result in disaster—as I think we've all seen in the last several years on both sides."
He Xiao inclined his head.
"Being unwilling to trust at all, however, can lead to even greater disaster. We'll probably never know the depths of Xiao Yu's involvement in our hostilities, but we can't pin all of the blame on her when we ourselves are so culpable."
"We're all going to have to let go of past grudges and grievances going forward, Your Highness."
"Would this process of going forward happen to involve the presence of a certain young woman with whom you've been spending a lot of time lately?"
He Xiao gaped at the prince, once again uncertain of how to answer him.
"Contrary to what you might think of me, He Xiao, I'm not completely clueless."
"Of course not, Your Highness," he said, eyes wide. "Miss Chong and I have discussed our mutual desire to serve Chu Da Ren after she marries Young Master Yue."
"So would she like to join you at Qing Shan Yuan as part of this honor guard—and to hone her Ice Martial Arts abilities?"
"I've gathered as much from our conversations," He Xiao admitted.
"You know where her allegiance lies, don't you?"
"I know of her connection to the Crown Prince of Liang, yes, Your Highness."
"Would she ever make trouble for Wei?" Xiang asked frankly.
"Only if you or some others made trouble for Wei—or Qing Shan Yuan," he replied evenly.
"Fair enough, He Xiao."
"Like me, Miss Chong is simply looking for a fresh start that doesn't involve completely starting over again."
"I've also considered that, compared to Xiao Yu and her compatriots, having Miss Chong as a Liang operative wouldn't be so bad," Prince Xiang said.
He Xiao smiled grimly.
"Miss Chong would never make trouble without good reason. She's had enough trouble to last a lifetime—and so have I, honestly."
"Do you really think your relationship will last a lifetime?"
"Who can know the will of the heavens?" He Xiao asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Man proposes; God disposes," Xiang agreed.
"I can say that this will last for the foreseeable future, which is good enough for me, Your Highness."
"Ah, yes, the foreseeable future," Xiang said, frowning. "When my father...goes to his ancestors, our government and family will shut down for a mourning period as is the custom. Miss Feng and Yu'er need to marry before that happens—in fact, they need to be established at the head of Yanbei before that happens in order to avoid even more chaos."
"So I assume that the choosing of the auspicious wedding date will have less to do with prediction and more to do with practicality?"
"Do you think those two really care about what day they get married on?"
"Not really, Your Highness."
"In fact, I think Yu'er would be willing to marry Miss Feng tomorrow—if doing so wouldn't send the wrong message about his reasons for marrying her, of course."
"There will likely be talk anyway about such things, Your Highness, given the new timetable."
"Mm," Xiang grunted. "I think Yu'er will put aside his reservations given the circumstances."
"As do I, Your Highness," He Xiao said, smiling.
"I should probably talk to Yuwen Yue soon," Xiang said, fidgeting awkwardly. "I'm going to need him in the upcoming months, after all."
"And he'll need Chu Da Ren."
Xiang grudgingly inclined his head.
"They should probably get married soon, too, now that I think about it," the prince said. "I doubt that either of them would be pleased to have to wait for the government to restart again after my father's..."
Xiang lost his composure for a moment, so He Xiao turned his head to stare out at the wilds of Xiuli Mountain. He felt a pang in his heart as he acknowledged that, once he left, he likely wouldn't return here for some time—if ever.
"Well, we all have a lot of work to do, Commander," Xiang said, all business again.
"Indeed we do, Your Highness," He Xiao said, clasping his hands around his sword and bowing.
The prince dismissed him, and he walked away, his feet eagerly taking him towards the mouth of the main pass that would lead down the mountain and to Xia Chong. He needed to talk to her now that one of the largest obstacles to their plans had been removed; he was certain that Young Master Yue and Chu Da Ren wouldn't turn them away.
Maybe we can reach that place after all, he thought,his mind reliving their conversations about their plans as he completed one of his last patrols.
Yuan Song knew that he was supposed to be paying attention to his surroundings, but since he didn't care about palace furnishings or color schemes, he found himself watching the woman he loved react to their self-directed tour instead. Meng Feng was viewing all of the rooms and halls with narrowed eyes as if she expected a horde of assassins to descend upon them at any moment.
"Any other woman would be thinking of tapestries and pottery and color schemes, but my woman is likely building booby traps in that beautiful head of hers," Yuan Song couldn't help but say to his beloved.
She rewarded him with a sheepish smile that she quickly changed to a haughty glare.
"Actually, Your Highness, I was just envisioning some exquisitely-crafted metal statues for this hallway," she said in her best bratty princess voice.
"Do these statues happen to shoot arrows at hapless intruders?"
"Of course, Your Highness," his beloved said, nose in the air. "What good would they be otherwise?"
"You're right," Yuan Song said. "We can't have statues crafted just for beauty; they must be deadly as well."
"Deadly and fearsome," she agreed, nodding. "What shall we cast our fierce statues as, Your Highness?"
"Phoenixes."
"Why phoenixes, Your Highness?"
"Because Phoenix is scary," Yuan Song said in a decidedly un-princely voice.
Meng Feng dropped her snooty air and shook her head at him affectionately, her hands on her hips.
"Well, she is!" he said, his eyes widened in mock terror.
"I think that would be a fitting tribute, Yuan Song," Meng Feng said as they walked down the hallway. "We'd all be dead had she not intervened, after all."
"I'm glad she's on our side—as much as she can be on anyone's side, that is."
"Phoenixes it is, then," Meng Feng said, grinning at him as they walked into what had been Yan Xun's bedroom.
The grins slid off both of their faces as they looked around the room in which his old friend had died. Yuan Song didn't know if the anger and depression that he sensed in the room came from his own imagination or from somewhere else, but he felt deep inside of himself that he didn't want to ever spend a night in this bed. He looked over at his beloved and saw that her face was also troubled; she turned her head and met his eyes, not needing to say anything to communicate her uneasiness.
"I know they've already replaced all the bedclothes, but we'll have them replace everything thing else in here," Meng Feng said.
He nodded in agreement and walked back out into the hall, glad to be away from the oppressive feeling he'd experienced in what he would likely always think of as Yan Xun's bedroom. The prince led the way to what he knew was the area that Meng Feng would live in as the first—and only, he could hear hear add—wife of the Marquis of Yanbei. Given how unpleasant Yan Xun's room had felt, he had no idea what to expect of the room that had last been inhabited by his old friend's mother.
Meng Feng walked into the room first, her alert bearing telling Yuan Song that she wanted to be the first one to face any feelings of unpleasantness. His heart swelled with affection for his beloved and her wide protective streak. She needn't have worried, however, as the atmosphere in this room was the opposite of the bedroom they'd just left.
Unlike Yan Xun's bedroom, this room was light and cheerful with furnishings that were elegant without being imposing. More appealing than the inviting décor, however, was the sense of peace that pervaded the entire space. He walked slowly over to the spacious, cozy-looking bed and gazed at it longingly, foreseeing numerous nights of sleeping here instead of Yan Xun's room in his future.
"We won't have to tell them to replace much of anything in here," Meng Feng said softly.
"Are you sure? This is your room, after all; you can do anything you want with it."
"Our room," she said firmly.
"What?"
"This will be our room, Yuan Song."
"Don't be silly, Meng Feng. We just left my room, and this will be-"
"Our room," she repeated, walking up to him. "I saw your face in there, Yuan Song, and I don't blame you for feeling uneasy in that room. Had his sword flown out of its scabbard and attacked us, I wouldn't have been surprised."
"For the record, Meng Feng, I would put you up against a phantom sword any day," Yuan Song said, smiling wanly.
Meng Feng gave him a small smile back, her expression telling him that she wasn't going to let the subject of their living arrangements go.
"You're not going to spend any more time in that room than you have to, Yuan Song," she said, looking down at what would become her bed in a few days.
"As the Marquis of Yanbei, I'm supposed to-"
"-do whatever you want—especially in terms of sleeping arrangements."
Yuan Song sighed.
"I just don't want to impose on your personal space. Are you...sure…?"
Yuan Song trailed off as he noticed the look on his beloved's face and was thankful that they'd elected to tour the palace on their own. He knew that if anyone else had been in the room to see the expression on Meng Feng's gorgeous face, he'd have blushed badly. The woman he loved was telling him with her eyes that she was very much looking forward to sharing this room—and this bed—with him in the near future.
"We'll sleep here, Yuan Song," she said. "Both of us—in our bed."
He hesitated a moment.
"Okay, Meng Feng, but someday..."
"Yes, someday," she said quietly. "Someday we'll face his ghost, but not today—and not anytime soon."
"When the time comes, we'll face him together," he vowed.
"Of course," Meng Feng replied. "I wouldn't allow you to do otherwise."
Yuan Song grinned.
"Now that, I believe."
"Good," she said, smiling as she turned slightly and wound her arms around his waist. He pulled her closer with his own arm and grinned larger as his woman sighed in obvious contentment.
"Installing the phoenixes will make me feel better," he said, trying to lighten the mood.
His beloved looked up at him, laughter sparkling in her eyes.
"Well, we could pair those phoenixes with dragons," she said mischievously. "That would be appropriate décor for the hallway leading to our bedrooms, right?"
Yuan Song felt himself blush, remembering that phoenixes and dragons were supposed to represent marital bliss when paired together.
"What would that tell others about our expectations for the future if our phoenix and dragon statues shoot arrows?"
"It would tell others that we're going to be blissfully happy and that if anyone tries to come between us, our statues will fill them full of holes."
"You can be so romantic sometimes, Meng Feng," Yuan Song said, shaking his head affectionately at his beloved. "Of course, phoenixes are supposed to represent loyalty and fidelity on their own, so they would definitely be appropriate for you."
"If my memory serves me correctly, they're also supposed to represent wise rule, which would be even more appropriate for you."
"For us," Yuan Song said, looking down at Meng Feng. "Do you really think that I'm going to be capable of ruling these people without you? I don't even know if I could make it through one officers' meeting without you at my side."
Meng Feng smiled softly at him.
"We'll figure out how to rule Yanbei together, just like we've learned how to do everything else together."
Yuan Song stared at the bed—their bed—and gulped.
"Speaking of which...once we're married...I don't know much about..."
Meng Feng gave him one of her serene looks.
"When we first met, you didn't know much about fighting one-handed, either, and now look at what you can do. We'll figure things out together just like we have for awhile now."
"Well, you did teach me to use my sword one-handed, so..."
He trailed off in mortification as he realized what he'd just said, his face turning red enough to match the wedding robes he and his fiance would soon be wearing. Yuan Song reluctantly looked at his beloved, halfway afraid to face her.
"Never change, Yuan Song," she said, her eyes full of love and amusement. "And for the record, I don't know much about such things, either, but I do know that people with far less intelligence than the two of us have managed to figure out their wedding nights, so I have complete faith in our ability to...win this upcoming battle, so to speak."
Yuan Song nodded wordlessly, his embarrassment giving way to love for his woman. She briefly grasped his hand and squeezed it before turning around and walking out of their room, and he followed her without hesitation.
I truly am the luckiest of men, he thought as he dutifully continued to survey the palace that would soon become his and his beloved's.
As Chu Qiao dismounted her horse, she ruefully thought that she'd almost rather be back in battle than here in this small, dusty town. The two Xiulis who had accompanied her seemed equally discomfited, although she couldn't imagine why they'd be so anxious. After all, the odds of someone staging an attack on a town this tiny were slim, and surely the three of them would be able to handle the sort of men who would be sent after the two women living in the little home before her. The Xiulis couldn't even say they weren't familiar with the locale since they'd been coming here weekly for years to ensure that her sisters had had everything they'd needed.
So much had happened since she'd last seen her sisters that she had no idea if she'd even be able to relate to them anymore. Her days as an anxious, wary silver bell were far behind her, and her future involved voluntarily returning to the place from which the three of them had tried so hard to escape. She would be marrying the man who had technically killed their brother and who was related to the man who had murdered their big sister. How would they react to her showing up so suddenly?
The Xiulis nodded at her and took their places on either side of the main entrance, their bearing appropriately martial and imposing. Chu Qiao suppressed a smile at the sight, amused yet touched at the loyalty her men showed her even in such a remote location. She squared her shoulders and strode through the door, her eyes adjusting to the dimness just in time to see two figures hurtling towards her.
"Sister! Sister!" they cried as they embraced her.
"Xiao Ba, Xiao Qi," she said warmly, hugging them back.
She waited for them to finish bombarding her with a cacophony of questions before deciding to answer the most important one first.
"Have those two really not told you about Yuwen Yue and I?" she asked incredulously. "As much as they like to gossip, I'm surprised all of Yanbei doesn't know."
"They wouldn't tell us anything," Xiao Ba said, pouting. "They kept saying we'd have to ask you for the details, so now that you're here, you can tell us everything."
"Well, as you might have guessed from their reluctance to give you any details, Yuwen Yue has asked me to marry him and I've said yes," Chu Qiao said, a smile breaking out on her face.
Her grin increased in size as her sisters emitted squeals and shrieks that would've brought an enemy army to their knees with their intensity. Another flurry of questions followed, but Chu Qiao couldn't help but notice the slightly wistful expression on Xiao Ba's face. She briefly considered the possibility that her little sister had had feelings for her master, but dismissed such thoughts as counterproductive.
After all, Yuwen Yue is mine, so why bother thinking about possibilities that will never happen?
Xiao Qi invited her in for a cup of tea, and she accepted, fielding their questions all the while. She gave them many details about her relationship with Yuwen Yue (while also leaving out a few of the more intimate ones) that had them sighing and laughing in all the right places. They clamored for more such stories, so she told them about Yuan Song and Meng Feng. Her sisters had a hard time believing that the same immature, spoiled prince who had tried to buy her at Qing Shan Yuan had grown up to be such a brave, romantic man.
The afternoon passed surprisingly quickly as she told them story after story from the past month or so. They seemed especially enthralled by her stories about He Xiao and the Xiulis—especially those that had to do with the actions of the soldiers. Xiao Ba asked about the two soldiers who had been coming to see them for years, and Chu Qiao dutifully told them a sanitized account of their courageous actions in the Battle of Xiuli Mountain. Considering that one of them had almost died at the barricade but had been rescued by He Xiao and the other had fought to the end and given blood to her, she didn't have to exaggerate their courage and bravery. Chu Qiao noticed that they also seemed quite wistful over the details of He Xiao's burgeoning relationship with Xia Chong, but she had no idea of what exactly had made them feel that way.
"Don't worry, sisters," she said. "I'm sure that you'll be able to find husbands of your own soon enough. In fact, discussing the future is one of the reasons I came here. Yuwen Yue and I have talked, and he's promised to provide you both with sufficient dowries and to help you find good husbands if that's what you want to do. He's also said that you can come back with us to Qing Shan Yuan, but we figured that you'd likely want to start families of your own in Yanbei instead."
Their eyes filled with tears, and they started shifting around nervously.
"Actually, sister," Xiao Qi said shyly, "we've already found husbands."
"What?!"
"That's right, sister," Xiao Ba confirmed. "We fell in love with them years ago, but given our circumstances, we didn't know if we'd ever be able to marry the men we love."
"Who could you have possibly fallen in love with here?" Chu Qiao asked. "After all, almost every man your age who grew up here has likely left to seek his fortune in a bigger city or to join the army."
Both of her sisters got guilty expressions on their faces as she said the last part, and two sets of eyes tracked to the door of their small home. Chu Qiao stared at them in incomprehension for a few seconds before the truth dawned on her and her eyes widened. She got up, walked to the entrance, and stuck her head out, staring imperiously at the two guilty-looking soldiers who had been standing guard outside.
The two Xiulis trudged into the house as if they were being led to their execution. Chu Qiao couldn't miss how their eyes lit up as they saw her sisters—and how her own sisters responded with looks of adoration of their own. She scowled at them, hating to admit that, once again, she'd been oblivious to the obvious truth that had been right in front of her eyes and that these two men had deliberately hidden the truth from her.
"You two fought with me at the gates of Chang'an," she began without preamble. "You ambushed the Wei soldiers so that Yan Xun could escape. You stood fast with me on the ramparts of Hongchuan against the vastly-larger Wei army. You stayed with the Xiuli Legion in Yanbei even though you knew that everyone hated you. You fought at my side to the bitter end on Xiuli Mountain. One of you almost gave your life there; the other was willing to risk his life to save mine. So how is it possible that you can do all of these things but can't even find the courage to tell me that you've fallen in love with my sisters?"
"Because the last time you thought your sisters were in danger, you started a war?" one of them said. The other nodded, his eyes wide.
Chu Qiao scowled but had to mentally award them a point for accuracy. She had to make sure that these men were serious about her sisters, though, so she planned her attack.
"Pathetic," she said, looking at them contemptuously. "I'm not sure if two such cowards are worthy of marrying my sisters."
She was gratified to see fire blaze in their eyes as they straightened their shoulders and strode proudly over to her two sisters. Each man took his place by his woman, and each sister beamed up at the man she loved.
"We know we're unworthy of the love of two such wonderful, beautiful women, Chu Da Ren," the soldier standing next to Xiao Qi said, "but we love them all the same and will dedicate our lives to their safety and happiness."
Chu Qiao's sisters both turned their best pleading gazes on her, but she kept her face vaguely disapproving as she inclined her head towards the door. The Xiulis reluctantly parted from their women and exited the house, nodding at her and muttering, "Chu Da Ren."
"Are you sure this is what you want?" she asked her sisters once the men were out of earshot. "Yuwen Yue has promised me that he'd help you to find husbands—or to be allowed to live in peace at Qing Shan Yuan or anywhere else you want, for that matter. You have options, you know."
"We know, Sister," Xiao Ba said, "and we're thankful for Yuwen Yue's generosity. But we've loved our Xiulis for years and could never turn our backs on them now just because we might be able to marry richer men."
"Besides, you said yourself how brave and loyal they are," Xiao Qi said. "We would've married them already, but with life so unpredictable and so many things left unresolved, we didn't feel like we had the freedom to do what we wanted."
"I know exactly what you mean," Chu Qiao said, giving them a small smile. "I felt much the same way about Yuwen Yue, and part of me still expects to wake up back in my palace room having dreamed the last month or so out of desperation."
She let the moment drag out for a few beats before grinning at her sisters.
"Okay," she said, bracing herself for the inevitable hugs and squeals, "you can marry your Xiulis."
Her sisters converged on her, babbling their love and thanks and promising to be good wives and mothers.
"I know you will," she replied. "I know the men will be good husbands and fathers as well. They're the best of men—except for Yuwen Yue, of course."
"Oh, of course," Xiao Qi said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure that you've decided that Yuwen Yue is the best man in the world by using your head and not your heart."
"Of course," Chu Qiao echoed her sister. "Who else is better at planning, fighting, diplomacy, spying, and living well than Yuwen Yue?"
"And kissing?" Xiao Ba asked, grinning mischievously.
"Of course," Chu Qiao said again, not missing a beat.
Her sisters predictably squealed again, bombarding her with a variety of questions about Yuwen Yue's...skills that she refused to answer in full.
"Speaking of which, I'm assuming that you'll want to...talk to your men," she said.
"Right, right, right!" Xiao Qi said.
"Right! We want to...talk!" Xiao Ba affirmed.
"Talk," Xiao Qi echoed, nodding enthusiastically.
Chu Qiao smiled at them before walking to the door and sticking her head out of it once again.
"Your fiances want to...talk to you," Chu Qiao told them with a straight face.
Her Xiulis' eyes lit up and they both stammered their thanks.
"Don't thank me," she said, grinning at them. "Go thank my sisters."
They wasted no time in going inside the house, and the noises that soon came from within told Chu Qiao that there was a lot of thanking going on.
Not that I could say anything to any of them given my own craving for Yuwen Yue's touches and kisses, she acknowledged. The ride back to camp is going to be immensely enjoyable, though.
A short time later, her sisters and her soldiers emerged from the dwelling, all of them looking a bit worse for wear but not scandalously so. She eyed them knowingly, and her sisters blushed—but not as badly as her Xiulis, who stammered assurances that they hadn't done anything inappropriate. Chu Qiao looked at them skeptically, but ultimately smiled in happiness.
As they said their goodbyes, Chu Qiao reflected that she was glad that she'd taken the time to come here to reconnect with a part of her past that she'd thought she'd lost. While she and her sisters might have changed and grown up, they were still bound together by their shared experiences from the past. She was glad that her sisters were seemingly going to get to experience some of the happiness that seemed to be blossoming everywhere even in these chaotic times.
"So did you guys work out all the details while you were...talking?" Chu Qiao asked innocently.
The Xiulis goggled at her in mild panic and stammered some incomprehensible gibberish.
"I'm just asking because you spent so much time...talking that I assumed that you'd gotten everything settled."
"Um...well...that is...Chu Da Ren...we..."
"Have you decided where you want to live? When you want to get married? How many children you want to have?"
"Actually, we want to stay in Yanbei," one of them bravely said. "They said they didn't want to go back to a place with such bad memories, and that they wanted to live in a place where nobody knew they used to be slaves."
"So you guys actually did do a bit of talking in there," she said in amusement. "I'm impressed."
"Chu Da Ren..."
"Am I really that intimidating?" she asked her Xiulis. "I'm not mad at either of you, and I'm not in any position to lecture anyone about being open and honest about their emotions."
"Actually, Chu Da Ren, you are that intimidating."
"Yeah, you are. I mean, these are your sisters we're talking about."
"I notice that neither of you is willing to talk about my emotions."
"Um..."
"I know that both of you were on duty when Yuwen Yue came to visit me in the...morning when he...sat beside my bed and...talked to me."
"Right," they both said at the same time.
"There was lots of...talking...and...sitting."
"It was definitely morning."
Chu Qiao smiled in affection at these two loyal friends.
"I'm glad that I'll be able to leave my sisters in such capable, trustworthy hands...so to speak."
The Xiulis blushed again, and Chu Qiao grinned in contentment. She didn't stop smiling even as she approached the lower camp—and the man she loved, who was waiting, as always, in just the right place to intercept her. Chu Qiao dismounted her horse and beamed up at the man she loved, contentment and joy radiating from her expression.
"What could've possibly happened to put that look on your face, Xing'er?"
"Apparently, these two fell in love with my sisters but didn't have the guts to tell me, the cowards."
"Ah, yes, Xing'er," Yuwen Yue said. "You certainly are the expert at boldly proclaiming your romantic feelings."
Chu Qiao scowled at her beloved fiercely. Her Xiulis both made excuses about how they were already late for patrol and how they needed to leave right away to attend to their duties.
"I'll boldly proclaim how annoying and arrogant you are, Yuwen Yue," she muttered.
What was that, Xing'er?" her fiance asked.
"Oh, nothing, Yuwen Yue," Chu Qiao said with fake enthusiasm. "I'm simply so happy that I was talking to myself about my feelings."
Yuwen Yue looked at her skeptically. An idea for vengeance presented itself to her, and Chu Qiao pounced on it gleefully. She shaped her face into a sultry expression and slowly walked towards Yuwen Yue, delighting in the confusion she saw in his eyes even though his facial expression didn't change.
"I can boldly tell you that I'm in love with you, Yuwen Yue," Chu Qiao said just loud enough for her beloved to hear.
"I can boldly tell you that I can't wait to marry you, Yuwen Yue."
He took a step towards her, his eyes darkening.
"I can boldly tell you that I can't wait to become your wife in every way, Yuwen Yue," she whispered, gazing up at him with desire in her eyes. "Was that bold enough for you, Yuwen Yue?"
Right on time, a patrol of soldiers rounded the corner and came into view. Yuwen Yue withdrew the arms that he'd stretched out in her direction, frustration in his gaze.
"Oh, well, I guess I should be going," Chu Qiao said, eyes wide with fake innocence. "After all, we wouldn't want the soldiers to get the wrong idea, now, would we?"
She whirled around and walked away without a backward glance, smirking with satisfaction at her victory and eagerly anticipating his inevitable vengeance.
I could definitely get used to this level of boldness, she thought with contentment as she headed for her tent.
AN: There's only one more regular chapter to go before the posting of the epilogue. Next week: Chu Qiao makes her peace with Xiang; the other ships are resolved. Two weeks out: Wedding night double-shot epilogue.
Translation/fanfic: Angel Chua continues to add chapters to "Secret Princess" at princessagents dot wordpress dot com.
Musical recommendations: This chapter features multiple people choosing to live life as they see fit rather than according to the desires of others, so "Live Like a Warrior" by Passenger works well here. I don't care for his voice, so I prefer to listen to the Helenamaria cover instead. For our favorite stubborn prince, BBMak's "Still on Your Side" works well for his attitude towards the people he has to "rescue." Poor Yuwen Yue gets Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" dedicated to him, although his little rebel has left him to go play with his sword at the practice field instead of doing what he'd rather be doing;). If you like rock covers, Dope has a good one (as do the Black Veil Brides, but be advised that they substitute the line, "But when I'm tired and lonely, she sees me to bed," with a NSFW replacement).