Note: Before anyone objects to the beginning of this chapter, I am going along with the poetic license that SotFF occurred after the winter these characters are currently experiencing. In other words, this is prior to Po's knowledge of the five's pasts…especially Tigress'.
Also, the next chapter gets back to what I really love to write: action. Yes, drama's good and all…but I much prefer battle scenes and a smattering of comedy. Shan's had his share of real zingers, but Li's the resident smartass, so he needs a little more love. :)
As always, please read and review!
Memoirs of a Master
Chapter 15
In all honesty, Po expected the next morning to be awkward. Never mind that he felt he and Tigress had made a breakthrough in their relationship…if it could be called that. Friendship? Not quite. Mutual respect? …Possibly.
But he could not deny the fact that what had happened last night had changed something. Or maybe they had changed? He figured Tigress' feelings towards him remained largely unchanged since the day they met; why would they change?
But Tigress surprised him when she offered to spar with him in the training hall, to "teach him a couple forms to develop his balance. I promised to train him while Shifu was gone, after all."
So here they were, up before any of the rest, up, awake, and training long before most of the servants were awake and beginning their chores. The early rising was not something the panda would ever get used to, for he was decidedly not a morning person. He also didn't appreciate that she was doing this in the cold, while she was only just recovering from a cold; before they left he demanded she wear a thick wool robe, scarf, mittens and an additional layer over the robe for good measure.
Tigress, on the other hand, was in her element, something he believed had been instilled since she was a small child. He suspected—because rarely did she talk about her past—that she had lived at the Jade Palace almost as long as Tai Lung had, that she had parents somewhere who wanted her to escape the fate of most Chinese women, parents who loved her and only wanted the best for her. Her wanting Shifu to appreciate her and love her as a daughter was a likely response to the lack of parental involvement; he surmised this after realizing that none of the other Five—except for Viper—knew anything about Tigress' family. But to his surprise, even Viper admitted that she had no clue what the feline's parents were named. She just knew they were "out there, somewhere, and she missed them".
But there was something Po noticed as he trained with her, learning a form that required quite a bit of acrobatics (which he failed miserably at). There was something quite exotic about her, something he couldn't place. The shape and color of her eyes, for instance…well, he'd seen very few tigers, but she didn't exactly look like the ones he had seen. He wondered where she came from, for surely she wasn't a local.
"Are you paying attention?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I spaced," he apologized.
She just rolled her eyes, "You've been here four months and you've still haven't gotten used to early mornings? You're hopeless."
"I haven't been doing kung fu since I was a kid, you know."
"Yet you know so much about it."
"Yeah well, I'm kinda obsessed."
"No…" she replied sardonically. "Say it isn't so!"
"I'm beginning to think either Shan's or Li's sarcasm is rubbing off on you."
"I admit, they had some nice zingers," she smirked. "Shan was right though—Shifu does look like a stuffed animal."
Po froze and stared at her. She sent him a look. "What?"
"Did you honestly just make fun of him?"
"…Are you saying I shouldn't?"
"Naw, it's just that…I dunno, I always thought you had no sense of humor."
Now it was her turn to stare. Putting her hands on her hips, she gave him a no-nonsense look. "No sense of humor?"
Po quickly defended himself. "I-I didn't mean anything by it, I swear!"
But she was silent for a moment, contemplating, then asked softly, almost sorrowfully, "Do I really come off as that harsh?"
"You want me to be honest?"
"Please."
"Promise not to maim me or remove any internal organs?"
"I promise not to sell them on the black market, how's that?"
Po still stared; Tigress sighed in resignation, "I was joking."
"…Please don't joke about things like that," he said. "I never know when you're serious." He paused, then said, "Honestly? Yeah, you are that harsh. Every image I have of you, or have ever seen…you always look so serious, so…cold."
"But I'm not," she defended. "I'm not cold…how could anyone think that? I mean, I save people's lives for heaven's sake!"
"Why do you think you come off like that?" he asked. "I know I can come off like I don't care, or that I'm not really serious, or nothing affects me…but that's not true. I am serious about kung fu, as serious as my cooking. And when people make fun of me for my weight or think I'm stupid or smell bad, that hurts. The only difference is that I don't show it; I don't let their opinions bother me, because I can't change their minds. Just like you can't change Shifu's mind or his methods. He's not going to change, but you can."
Tigress was silent for a moment, looking over the training hall, feeling a chill as a cold wind came in through the open roof, early morning sunlight glinting off the snow that lay on the floor that had fallen through the opening. She rubbed her arms to combat the chill she felt, then looked back at Po, "I wasn't always like that…I actually used to be happy, you know?"
"Are you cold?"
"No! I actually care—"
"No, I mean physically, are you cold?"
"Oh…yeah, a little." She blinked in surprise as he took off his overcoat and threw it over her shoulders. "What are you doing?"
"Makin' sure you don't get sick again. C'mon, lemme make you some hot breakfast."
"No soup."
"Oatmeal, I promise," he gave her a reassuring smile. "I found some brown sugar in the cupboard, y'know, if you like that sorta thing…"
She smiled, hugging his coat close to her body, "I do…it's the way I like it. With a tiny bit of cinnamon."
"You like cinnamon?"
"Oh yeah. You know, when I was a girl, there used to be this female rabbit who would make cinnamon sweet buns for breakfast, but only on special occasions. I used to love those, they were my absolute favorite, with cinnamon and dark brown sugar—she'd give me a stick of sugarcane while she baked. When the sweet buns came out, they'd be so big and puffy with the brown sugar all melted inside, and she'd sprinkle more cinnamon on top…"
Po watched her, and saw something that amazed him. It was a smile, one of fond remembrance, of a recollection of something, something that had been so dear to her…
"Tell ya what," he decided executively. "Nix the oatmeal—I'll make those cinnamon buns instead. You deserve something good."
"But…" she started, "They're only for…"
"You're feeling better, aren't you?" he smiled. "That's a special enough occasion for me."
He could have been wrong, but it looked like she was about to cry. Instead she smiled, and when she sniffed, she blamed it on the cold, "Yeah, I think so too…"
He held out his hand to her to help her cross a treacherous spot of ice. "I could use your help though. I never made these before."
Tigress looked at his offered hand, as if deciding if it was a good idea, but then she shrugged and took his hand, "I think we can manage."
The week in the Miao family villa passed uneventfully after Yeying's dismissal of her former suitor. We saw quite a few well-wishers come to the house to congratulate us on our marriage, some offering small gifts, red envelopes with money, and prayers. Most of Yeying's girlhood friends had already moved out of their homes and were married, and one or two could actually make the trip to see her. One was very pregnant, as round as the moon (her fifth!), and the other had her fourth son with her in tow. The second friend's husband was a decent fellow, I admit, and quite as fond of his wife as I was of mine. The rest of Yeying's friends were either married out to faraway villages, or had husbands who wouldn't let them come.
I found that it wasn't misogyny that kept the women at home. After word spread of my marriage, people in Yeying's natal village started to raise their voices…loudly. Many were outraged that the Chancellor had allowed his daughter to marry someone who would not give her sons. Sons, sons, sons…I am beginning to wonder if Chinese care about just three things: philosophy, tea, and sons.
Li's words came back to mind: they're just jealous.
"There's more to it than that, I'm afraid," Miao Li said to me one evening as we walked through the market, Yeying's hand in mine, and my mother-in-law clasping the hand of her husband. "Sometimes I wonder if society ever considered that the gods gave us the ability to love for a reason. In a perfect world we would all marry for love, and to the person we want, not the one our families want."
"In a perfect world," my wife stated, "it would be illegal for a man to strike his wife, or for a woman be forced to bind her feet. Women would have the same rights as men, the same freedoms, and to take those freedoms away would be criminal."
"And next I suppose you'll tell me that religion will be illegal?" the Chancellor snorted. "For isn't religion where we get many of our societal norms? What next, the government telling us how many children we are allowed to have? No, Daughter, I know this is not a perfect world…but I fear for China if it should ever attempt to be perfect."
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"I've seen this at court: you wonder why it takes so long to get anything done in government? Just to get a single signature takes a month of bartering and haggling, and another month to discuss the pros and cons of it. The reason is simply that men each have differing ideas of perfection. What is heaven for one man is hell for another. That is why there is no heaven on earth. The gods saw fit to give us the ability to love, yes," here he tenderly patted his wife's hand. "But did they not also give us free will? Free will is the reason for everything. One imposes their will on another, the other doesn't like it, boom, there's war."
"But free will is a gift, darling," Miao Li reasoned. Yeying and I just stood back; clearly this was an old pastime between the two of them.
"I will not deny a gift of the gods when it is obvious, my dear, but I am saying that it is a gift most often used for ill means…"
"Ill means by men who are not learned in sutras like reasonably educated people."
"And what are generals? Reasonably educated, yes, but they impose their free will and cause suffering!"
"Is this normal?" I asked Yeying. She nodded, "Oh yeah. I think I inherited my mother's oratory skills. I swear she and Father were debating these very same things while I was still in the womb."
"Well now I know where you get it," I whispered, earning a playful slap in return.
Despite my initial misgivings, I did enjoy my time there. That week was just what I needed to get to know my father-in-law better. He taught me to play mahjong, something I had always had very little patience for. He was a tough teacher, but I learned quickly. For example, I quickly learned that I sucked at mahjong. Yeying, her two brothers, their wives, my father-in-law, my mother-in-law, and a good 60% of the children were able to best me. I gave up.
After a week, we gathered our things and prepared to leave for my home. Miao Li saw us out, and the Chancellor said he would escort us as far as the first four-way stop; he was heading back to the Imperial City for an annual meeting, and promised to see us along. When we parted ways, he held his daughter tightly as if he'd never see her again; to my surprise, she hugged him just as tightly.
"Remember who you are," he told her. "This is the only gift a father can give his daughter, to remind her who she is. I can give you many gifts, but none that are as important as this one." He slipped her a tiny scroll which she pocketed discretely.
"I will, Baba, thank you." One last wave, and he was going north, towards the capital, while we continued west.
"What did he give you?" I asked her a little later.
Yeying finally handed me the scroll. She knew what it was. When I opened it, I was…shocked to say the least.
"Is this what I think it is?" I asked.
"Yup."
"He's okay with this?"
"Mother's been trying to get him to do this for years. All he needed was to see me in action." She took my hand and gripped it. "It's not quite a daughter, but having our youngest niece training at the Jade Palace is a start, isn't it?"
The funny thing about marriage is all that they don't tell you about marriage. For example, they don't tell you that you're going to fight. Many of the things Miao Li warned me about would eventually become true. Yeying and I started to bicker about the stupidest things; going to bed mad was a frequent occurrence. Come morning, we would still be so mad at each other we—you guessed it—sparred until the aggression was kicked out…sometimes literally. I don't recommend physical violence when working out a disagreement with your spouse, but in our case, it worked. By the time we were done fighting, we were so exhausted we had forgotten what we were mad at to begin with.
A week on the road by ourselves was an interesting way to test the waters of our relationship. Most of it was learning by trial and error. I learned things I had no clue to when she was still my friend, and she learned things about me I kept carefully hidden.
We slept together in our small—"cozy"—tent. We ate by the banks of mighty rivers, under ancient trees and by the light and warmth of crackling fires. A week on the road, and we finally made it to my home village. Because we were higher in the mountains, snow had come early to the region, and a light dusting, perhaps three inches or so, carpeted the ground. The villagers had good timing; judging by the equipment we saw left by the drained rice paddies, they had only just completed the harvest.
I could hardly recognize the village. The simple wooden structures were long gone: everything was constructed of stone. In the distance there was evidence that Mount Tai Lung had itself a quarry, and the snow leopards and villagers were making a killing (so to speak) selling the stone to merchants across the empire. Rumor had it even the Emperor requested some of it for a wing of his summer palace. I could only imagine how Jin Lung felt about that.
The long winding dirt roads I remembered as a child were now paved with smooth river stone, and this place had blossomed from a simple farming community into a bustling, up-an-coming town. Had I blinked, and missed all of this?
Yeying was as astounded as I was. When we had saved Zhou-tong from Red Claw's forces, there was maybe twenty houses for twenty different families, and possibly no more than thirty huts around the rice paddies for those poorer families, linked by rambling dirt roads. Now, those huts were gone, and the houses—proper houses—numbered in the hundreds. There was art here, music, and architecture so impressive that Chancellor Miao might have been jealous.
"What the hell happened?" I asked myself.
"No clue—but something tells me that quarry has something to do with…holy cow," she pointed. We were in the center of the village. The main square had been just a packed earth clearing in my youth. Now, it was paved over, with a fountain—and fountain!—in the middle, with fresh running water; women and children were gathering fresh water there for their houses.
"Nice, ain't it?"
Ochir had come up to meet us, grabbing us in a huge, bone-crunching hug in greeting. "I didn't recognize this place—those snow leopards really know how to work with rocks."
"The snow leopards did all of this?" I gasped.
"Is that running water?" Yeying gaped.
"Yeah, actually. Mountain spring water. It runs on something Jin Lung called a 'pipe line' underground. Under the ground, can you believe that? They set this up two summers ago, apparently. There's this guy, the Dragon's Lair head engineer, Tai Lee, he's a cool guy. Got this plan for something, eh…'indoor plumbing' I think he called it? Anyway, he designed all of this."
"Did he also design the layout of the town?" I asked.
"Hell naw, your brother did that."
"My brother?"
He beckoned us to follow him. "C'mon, there's a lot you need to see. Oh, and before it comes up, Shan's okay, he's just, uh, been distracted lately…"
As it turns out, "distracted" was an understatement.
Shan, it had appeared, had found himself a girlfriend.
Sort of.
She was the youngest daughter of Jin Lung, who was fiercely over-protective of her. Min Lung, "gentle dragon", was the clan's sweetheart. Scarcely above eighteen years, she was attractive in her demeanor, her sharp intellect, and most of all, her childlike curiosity to learn more about the world beyond the mountain. That curiosity led her to Xue Shan, who was at first repulsed.
Yes, repulsed.
I kept forgetting he was blind. We all did. Ochir almost yelled at him "can't you see how hot she is?!" before he remembered that he couldn't. Ochir finally had to tell him to touch the girl's face to "show" him her beauty.
As soon as he did, he was never the same.
The snow leopard I saw in front of me was not the Shan I had known since I was a young adolescent. This snow leopard tripped over himself, stuttered when he spoke to her, and would have bent over backwards for this girl. Now, one could argue it was his total denial of his, ahem, urges, but once we truly met Min Lung, we knew why he was so whipped.
"Gentle Dragon" my eye! We found out later that when it came to battle, she was ruthless! And he loved her violent nature.
In fact, when Shan had first touched her face, she got offended (apparently it is a cultural insult in snow leopard society to touch the face of one you are not close to). He probably still bears the scars she gave him. Only one other female had ever done that to him, and she was married to me.
When we found him in the large guest room of my parents' house (a converted upstairs women's chamber my mother saw no use for), he was over the moon…or moon-crazy. Either way, he was not himself. He actually greeted Yeying with a hug and such flowery speech I was preparing to remind him who was actually married to her.
"Gods, if you could see this woman!" he sighed. "I mean, looks aside, she's got one hell of a sense of humor—you think I'm morbid? She makes me look like I'm nothing but rainbows and sunshine. And she's so smart! And when she fights…!"
"We get it, you're in love," Ochir said, rolling his eyes and giving me a long-suffering look. "They've only known each other for a week, and look what happens. First time the man sees a pretty face and I lost him, man, totally lost him!"
"You really think we've lost him?" I asked, glancing over at the lovesick snow cat.
"Shifu, he's a thousand miles away."
Shan sighed contentedly, and I swore he was purring just thinking of Min Lung…
"Yeah," I agreed, "He's whipped."
"So how did you two meet again?" Yeying asked him. Shan stood from his perch on the bedroll and paced the room,
"I was meditating one morning, like I usually do, and while I'm working on one sutra, I hear someone coming up behind me, right? It had snowed the night before, and kids were playing in the snow, snowball fights, you know that stuff, it was making it tough to concentrate, but I could hear the crunching snow from someone walking…you get it. Anyway, I hear someone trying to sneak up on me, and I'm not having that. I throw a snowball, miss, and get nailed in the face."
"You got nailed in the face with a snowball?"
"Knocked on my ass, yup," he nodded, but he didn't seem too disappointed. "I recognized the laugh; Min Lung," he sighed dreamily.
"Oh, gag," Ochir muttered.
"Oh, yes!" Shan said excitedly. "I mean, at first I was really, really irritated, but then I felt her face when she tried to help me up…I 'saw' an angel, or what I imagine them to be…"
I whispered to Ochir as an aside, "Is she cute?"
"Remember Tai Mei?"
"Yeah."
"Hotter than Tai Mei."
"Whoa."
"Wait," Yeying jumped in, "You mean to tell me that you—Mr. Can't-No-One-Sneak-Up-On-Me-Never-Ever-Ever—got hit by a snowball?"
"I was distracted," he said quickly, trying to save face.
"Clearly," I said, making sure he heard my insinuation. It's too bad I couldn't record the dirty look he gave me for posterity; it was priceless. In fact, there were many moments with my friends and family and throughout my life that I wish for some way to capture the moment forever, to show others the good times we had, the faces of people we have forgotten, and the things that changed our lives.
For instance, if there were some way for me to see a play-by-play of how those two snow leopards met, I guarantee I would have held it in blackmail against Shan for the rest of his life.
When we finally had the occasion to meet Min Lung…well, Ochir was right. Next to Min Lung, Tai Mei looked like a crone. Min Lung was a real beauty, with her mother's golden amber eyes, graceful movements and soft lips…forgive me. Years later, just the memory of her beauty is distracting. At the time, I had to keep reminding myself I was a married man.
Elder Brother was giving us a tour of the town that Second Brother had designed. He had always complained that the layout of the village didn't make any sense, and that if he had the chance, he'd make it better. Well, after our father was appointed the new village headman, Second Brother became the key developer, working his designs into Tai Lee's plans for a larger village. It wasn't long before we came upon the pair hunched over a table eating wontons and pouring over diagrams and plans, but they weren't alone.
I recognized my youngest sister-in-law immediately, and she welcomed me with open arms and a wide smile. I had to curb my enthusiastic hug—she was as round as the full moon with her fourth child, and looked the picture of motherhood; consequently, for every pregnancy she always craved wontons from that particular booth. Second Brother and Tai Lee had simply decided that meeting there would just make it easier.
Sitting next to my sister-in-law was undoubtedly the most beautiful example of a snow leopard I had ever seen. Glancing at my wife, I saw even she was astounded. Min Lung had all the slender graces of her species, a slim graceful neck and a lovely face, round and pale as the full moon, dotted with tiny spots that accentuated the delicate bone structure. Her eyes were a stunning golden amber that could fix a man in his tracks, and that sly, somewhat smug smile she directed at Shan could easily have been misconstrued as a predatory glint.
"Well, Master Xue Shan, do what do we owe the honor?" she asked coyly.
I was amazed he could keep himself together long enough to give a coherent answer: "I thought that was you, Min Lung. These are my friends, the ones I was telling you about? Masters Shifu and Yeying. They were married about three weeks ago."
"Only married less than a month, eh?" she smiled at Yeying. "How is it working out?"
"Pretty well, I'm not going to lie," my wife replied, slipping her hand in mine. Min Lung's expression softened considerably, "I wish you the best of luck, and many years together."
Knowing Shan wasn't the only snow leopard watching her didn't escape my notice. Tai Lee sent Shan an annoyed look but got back to his plans, desperate for a distraction, something to keep his temper in check. It was something he was known for, but luckily his outbursts were infrequent; his fuse was the longest of any feline I have ever met. Easily a workaholic, he threw himself headlong into everything he did, with an almost obsessive tenacity to completing every single project he began. My guess, judging by the looks he kept sending to Min Lung, was that his reasoning for his obsessive-compulsive work philosophy was anything but personal work ethic.
We pulled another table over and began conversing with my brother and his new "partner in crime", as he called him. While my sister-in-law and my wife got caught up, I watched Shan and Min Lung out of the corner of my eye.
She showed such outward poise, it was difficult to tell she was at all flustered by Shan's attentions. Not that he was being completely transparent, indeed, he was barely containing himself around her, which made her smile and blush. He was sly when it came to compliments; if there was one thing you could never accuse him of, it was being a poet.
"Your hands are cold, are you dressed warm enough? You can have my cloak," he offered.
"Master Shan, we're snow leopards," she reminded him with a sly smirk.
"Really? That explains the long fluffy tail, then," he teased, grinning when she giggled. I saw Tai Lee roll his eyes, which didn't escape my wife's notice either. I think both of us believed that if Shan could have seen the venomous looks Tai Lee gave him, Tai Lee would be short one pelt, or a head shorter, if you catch my drift.
"How long do you intend to stay, Master Shan?" the female continued.
"As long as my friends intend to stay."
"Are you always so loyal?"
"To those I love, absolutely. I mean," he bit his lip and I heard Yeying giggle. Shan covered, "Love as in family, my friends are my…family, does that make any sense? I think I confused myself…"
Min Lung giggled, shaking her head, "Its okay, I got your meaning. Your friends are lucky to have you in their lives."
I could be wrong, but she seemed absolutely smitten with him as well. The more I watched them, the more I began to think…She's good for him. Not that she was too good for him, or not good enough. She was good for him. I knew very little about her, but from what I could tell, she could be as sweet as honey but carry a viper's bite if she needed to. That pirate's smile almost always on her face and those stunning eyes told me that much.
The table shook violently when Tai Lee was shocked out of his reverie by Jin Lung's barked order. He hissed in pain, both knees apparently hitting the underside of the tabletop.
"Tai Lee! You were supposed to meet with us in the Main Hall," the matriarch marched over. "And yet here you are, passing your time in idleness like it is meaningless. This snow means winter is coming sooner this year than last, and there are still roofs that need rebuilding…"
"I've sent my roofing crews to mediate the problem, ma'am," he said calmly, keeping his voice and face as expressionless as possible. But then I saw a flicker of something—hope?—when Min Lung spoke up.
"Mama, take it easy on him. You work him like a dog already. Tai Lee's the smartest guy in the valley, and I think he's aware that snow generally means winter."
Jin Lung sent her daughter an annoyed look; Min Lung just grinned cheekily, sending back a mock-innocent expression.
"Be that as it may," the clan leader continued, "You have an obligation to attend these meetings, no matter how…busy…you are."
"My fault, I'm afraid," Second Brother stepped in, taking the blame. "We're still working the logistics for plumbing, and must have lost track of time."
"Hang this 'plumbing' nonsense, its too late in the year to do anything about it. Leave it for spring."
"Ma'am," Tai Lee spoke, and I was amazed at the oxymoronic strong voice spoken with a soft tone, "I feel I'm on the verge of a breakthrough…"
"I have very little patience, young man," she said, getting in his face. "If you weren't so good at what you do, I would have kicked you out for being an embarrassment to our clan; don't press your luck. You will be at the summit next week, or you can kiss your job goodbye."
The male snow leopard stared straight ahead like a soldier in the ranks, and gave a curt nod, "Yes Ma'am."
"Min Lung, we're leaving."
The young female sent her mother a look, "I want to stay a little longer. I'm only just getting to know Shifu and Yeying."
Jin Lung gave Shan a look so murderous I honestly feared for his life. "Now, young lady."
Min Lung sighed and stood, patting Shan's shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Shan held back on the dejected sigh as he gently grasped her hand, "Okay. See you."
The two females set off, the elder marching double-time and her daughter struggling to keep up.
"And I thought my parents were strict," I said.
Tai Lee sighed and began collecting his various papers and writing instruments, "That's just the way it is. Only a suicidal fool has a chance with her. I'll see you later, Chin," he said to my brother.
"See you, Tai."
"Okay, fill us in," Yeying asked my brother and his wife, once Tai Lee was out of earshot. "What did Jin Lung mean by him being an embarrassment?"
"His father was a weapons expert," my sister-in-law explained as she massaged her round stomach. "And he was supposed to follow in his father's footsteps, but he hated the idea of becoming a 'merchant of death', bless his heart. But he was also…well…"
"He was also the runt of the litter," my brother said finally.
"That's one hell of a runt," I said appreciatively. Tai Lee may not have been as strong or as massive as Shan, but he was still rather well-built, likely from his primary job in construction. If no one had told me, I would have guessed him to be a warrior; it became clear there wasn't a bone in his body that actually wanted any of that.
"That's what I thought," my brother continued. "Still though, of all the snow leopards I've ever met—even Shan here—Tai's the most humble of any of them. I'm guessing living so long in the shadow of others, where nothing you do is ever good enough, will do that to a guy," my brother shook his head. "But it's incredible—the things he's accomplished, the designs he's done, he built this entire town from the ground up! And once this indoor plumbing thing kicks off, can you imagine the honor it will bring his family and the entire clan? We heard word that the Emperor knows about his plans to bring running water indoors. No more having to go to a well to fetch water. Want to take a bath? Pull a line and water just comes right out of a pipe and into the tub! There're so many other ideas he's got…the guy's a genius, pure genius!"
I noticed Shan's jaw had set while Second Brother was extolling his comrade's virtues, but the feline grudgingly admitted, "I admire that he uses the skills of a warlike trade to make a peaceful existence for himself. I won't deny that…"
But he also couldn't deny that there was just a hint of jealousy there, too.
Ochir informed us that Shan and Min Lung weren't the only couple we'd have to deal with for the next month.
"We ran into Ren along the way here. Li stayed behind to 'catch up'. Ren promised to stop by here—the road he's taking passes by the village, so he'll probably camp for a few days."
And sure enough, not two days after we arrived in the village, Ren's regiment arrived as well. I had never seen the wolf in his full military regalia, and I must admit that while the other officers looked impressive in their red cloaks and thick armor…Ren just looked uncomfortable, out of place. He didn't cut as impressive an air as I was used to him being. There was something wrong here; something that didn't quite fit, or something that was missing.
Li ran forward and we embraced like brothers, then he launched into a barrage of questions about Yeying's family, while I asked after he and Ren. Ren was, of course, allowed to stay with my family—the other officers were staying at a nearby inn.
"I'm not going to lie, they were tough," he said later by the fireplace, telling us about a recent battle he'd been in. "Granted, we had some of Khan's men on our side, but those Manchurians still know how to fight."
"How is Khan, anyway?" Ochir asked. "Haven't heard much lately."
"He's well. Had his first grandchild a couple months back. Borte's still in the capital as the official Mongolian ambassador."
"Wow, good for her!" Yeying grinned. "The Emperor must really like her."
"He likes that she's direct," Ren smirked. "Most of his council are so afraid of him, they tell him only what he wants to hear—she tells him everything, and isn't afraid of his temper. He respects that, I think."
"You've met the Emperor?" Shan asked, suddenly not preoccupied with his crush (or more accurately, his obsession).
"Once or twice."
"What's he like?"
Ren shrugged, "He's an emperor." He sighed through his nose at our deadpan stares, and elaborated. "Okay, fine, he's…actually very nice. A philosopher, some-time poet. Getting on in years, but still sharp-minded. As he ages, he prefers peace over war, like most elders do. He's very fair."
His short, clipped answer left something to be desired, but we could tell that there was a reason for it. Li likely knew that reason already, but as for the rest of us, we could only guess. Ochir seemed to understand and respect the decision to keep secrets—he had a military upbringing in early childhood, so at least that was something he and Ren shared.
We had dinner, then as it was quite dark and cold decided to head straight to bed. Because we were still in my parents' home, Li ended up sleeping in a separate bedroll from Ren so he wouldn't raise my family's suspicions. Once they were alone with us behind closed doors, they stayed in each other's arms, keeping warm from shared body heat. Yeying and I did the same, wrapped in a blanket as we sat by the light of the brazier until Yeying, Li, Ochir and Shan retired to sleep.
But Ren and I were still wide awake; I could tell from the concerned, almost haunted look in his eyes as he gazed upon his sleeping lover that something was bothering him. After a long moment and a heavy sigh, he looked over at me and said, "I think I need some air. Want to come with?"
We ended up simply going down to the kitchen, where we could be alone, and not bother the sleeping household. Ren pulled me aside and offered a game of mahjong, which I politely refused, citing my abysmal abilities. Instead, we settled down for chess, for which I was at least proficient; the wolf, I'm afraid, with his upbringing amongst the army, was an expert.
Yes, he handed me my tail, but he was fair enough to go easy on me.
"There's actually something I wanted to discuss with you," he finally confessed, fingering a piece. "Something I haven't brought up with Li, yet."
"I'm not sure I'm the guy you should be speaking to," I said, making my move and stealing a pawn.
"You're his best friend, and you know him better than I do."
"Well, I wouldn't say that. I think there're some things you know about him that I don't," I said pointedly with an arched brow.
Here he blushed, just a little, chuckling to hide his embarrassment, "Yeah, I suppose you could say that. But anyway, this isn't about that. I'm resigning my post in the army."
I knocked over my queen in shock. "You're what? Are you crazy? Think of the opportunities!"
"I have, and I've thought of the consequences as well. I've talked this over with Borte, and she agrees that…something isn't right in the Forbidden City." He lowered his voice and leaned in closely, speaking in a tone so low, only one gifted with impressive hearing—like me, or Shan, who I knew was on the other side of the village by now—would decipher. "We think there may be a coup."
I struggled to digest this. "A coup? Against the emperor? Who would be so…stupid?"
"'Desperate' is more accurate. There are a lot of people who aren't happy with the way the empire is being run. The Emperor—may he reign a thousand years—is aging, and alarmingly fast. The last time we were in the capital, Borte even told him her concern that he didn't look well. He knows her well enough now and trusts her judgment that he didn't get insulted. But she and I agree that there may be a plot to take his life."
"H-how? How can that be possible? Who would dare…?"
"Shifu, you don't understand," he pressed. "This is going to be an inside job. Most people…well, this emperor has been rather progressive. Every daughter he sired never had her feet bound; he educated them, let them take part in the imperial exams. The battle of Red Claw Ridge taught him that it may be a good idea to open our borders and admit more trade, repair diplomatic ties with other nations. He has plans to change the very social structure of the empire. His ministers won't say anything for fear of getting their heads lopped off, but I can tell—they want to keep the status quo."
"So why leave the army?"
"I can't do anything to stop the coup from happening if I don't have the evidence to sever the head from the body, if you'll excuse the term. I've talked it over with the General—you remember him? He's the next in line for the throne if the Emperor passes away too soon. The General agrees that if I work undercover, I can gain the information I need. But I wouldn't have the backing of the army—they'd report everything I did. The only way to prevent this is to form a secret task force; so secret that not even the Emperor will know of its existence."
I didn't like this at all. This was a huge risk and very dangerous. I trusted Ren's instincts, of course, but I feared for his life if he were discovered. I told him my fears; he chuckled mirthlessly, "Why do you think I haven't told Li? But this is to protect him as much as to protect the Emperor."
"How is this protecting him?"
Ren sighed, ignoring our game, "I think my men are coming on to my secret. I have refused to marry someone just to keep up appearances; that wouldn't be fair to her, and it's not fair to Li. My honor code won't allow me to do that. But if I don't…"
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't."
"Exactly. My men are already suspicious. If I resign, 'disappear' for a while, start up the task force—no less than ten, maybe as many as twenty—of people whom I know are loyal to me, and can be trusted to keep my secret as well as others, I can be with Li without any fears."
"But won't the Emperor know?"
He fixed me with a look. "Shifu, if you had any idea what sexual acts were performed behind the Forbidden City's walls…well, it makes what Li and I do look as natural as—"
"I get it, thank you," I said, getting a little uncomfortable. "No offense…"
"It's alright," he smiled in understanding. "I figured discussing your best friend's sexual nature with his boyfriend must be a bit…uncomfortable for you."
"Just a little." I paused, mulling over the information I had just been given. "May I ask…"
"If you insist," he teased with a smirk.
"If you're resigning…how will you hide what you're doing?"
He returned his attention back to our game, and stole one of my knights. "I was thinking of opening a tea shop."
"Be serious."
"I'm perfectly serious. I have a colleague whose remedies are amazing. Think of it: rare teas, herbals, medicinal treatments…cater to the upper crust of society but provide goods and services to the common people, make it look like an honest business, but use the shop as a meeting place. I would live there, of course, set up shop in the capital. Perhaps the Emperor would grace us with a visit."
"I still think it's risky."
"Being a soldier is risky," he said as I moved my remaining rook across the board. "I'd rather not have to face an enemy on the battlefield. I know I'm built for it, bred for it, but I've seen what war has done to my father…I don't want to run the risk of it happening to me."
I didn't know what to say. There was more than he was saying. "Ren? Is something wrong with your father?"
He sighed, crossing his arms on the table and hanging his head. He paused, probably to formulate the best way to break whatever news he had. When he finally looked up, he looked worn and worried, "He's taken to the bottle."
This was the worst news I could have imagined. The warrior who had been my childhood hero, the one I wanted to emulate in life…how had he fallen so far?
"How long…?"
"I've only known about it for a month," he said. "It's probably been going on for years and I just never noticed. His injuries from the Battle of Red Claw Ridge…they did something to him. He came so close to death that time, I think it scared him."
"Red Claw probably had something to do with it."
"Oh, undoubtedly. My going away to fight probably didn't help. I refuse to feel guilty about it. He's an adult, and it's his life, his responsibility."
"I don't know how you can just sit back and watch…"
"I am not sitting back and watching," he snapped viciously, quickly defensive. "Do you really think I haven't tried helping him? I took off a month from campaigning and training recruits to help him kick the habit. He's not willing to help himself…I've given up…" he sighed again. "But this is my chance, my last chance to help him. If I can prove to him that everything he trained me for, everything he raised me to be, was for the good of the empire, for the good of China…maybe that'll give him hope."
"Ren," I asked after a pause. "Does he know about you and Li?"
The guilty look told me everything. He glanced at me and shook his head, "Don't look at me like that. I've tried telling him, but it never seems like the right time. Telling him now would put him on a downward spiral he won't be able to come back from. No, the time isn't right. But I know I can't wait much longer."
"Oogway knows."
"I know. I can't believe it took him that long to figure it out," he chuckled. He shook his head, getting back to the original topic. "I think it was the inborn slyness from my mom's side that's helped me win battles before. I haven't lost a battle yet, and I don't intend to now."
"Your mother…?"
"Didn't you know? My parents' marriage was arranged; she came from a family with a long history of training in espionage, a long line of imperial assassins too. I think mom actually worked as a guard for the Dowager Empress before the Empress died; my mother married my father not long after."
"Miao Li said she 'married beneath her'…"
"To a common soldier born of a peasant family. I make no secret my family's humble beginnings. I think it makes people respect me more." He moved a piece. "Dad said I take after her more than I do him. I'm not as stubborn as he is, I'm more willing to take to diplomacy than war. I understand that it all boils down to money. War is a business…"
"A business that kills people," I muttered.
He winked at me, "And you think I'm crazy for wanting to get out of it?"
I moved a piece across the board; he quickly stole it. I looked up, "When are you going to tell him?"
"Li? I…" he sighed raggedly. "I'll tell him before I leave. I need to head back to the capital to hand in my resignation, which is what I'm doing immediately. I told my superiors about…well, about my father. They're sympathetic, and one of them said he'd understand if I were to ask for an honorable discharge. Filial duties override everything in this society."
"Thank the gods for that."
"Amen." He paused, then fiddled with a piece he had taken. "There's also something I wanted to ask of you…a blessing, if you will."
"A blessing?"
"Well, I can't exactly ask Li's parents…"
A wide smile broke out on my face. "Are you asking me what I think you're asking?"
He smiled wide for the first time since we'd met, but looked a little sheepish, "Well, you are his best friend, so who else would I ask?"
"If you're asking what I think you are," I told him, overjoyed. "Then you got that blessing."
The next day, to everyone's surprise but my own, Li was over the moon. Actually, he might as well have been over every celestial body in the sky. I had never seen him so happy, and you know what, he deserved this happiness. Both he and Ren deserved it.
Ren had roused him early, while the rest of us were still asleep, taking him someplace for a short while for some privacy…and Li's delighted shout woke the rest of us immediately. When we finally confronted him about it, he told us elatedly,
"I'm moving in with him!" he grinned.
Yeying asked, "Moving in, as in…forever?"
"Well, technically we can't get married," Li explained. "I mean, we're probably going to do some kinda ceremony where we promise ourselves to each other...but…yeah, forever."
She paused, stunned, but when it sunk in, she squealed in delight and hugged him. "That's great! Oh my heavens, Li, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"
Ochir punched Ren's shoulder in lieu of a hug, "Way to go, wolf. Gotta hand it to ya."
"You bet," Shan said, shaking his hand, "Congratulations."
"Thanks," the wolf said breathlessly. "I didn't think I would keep it together…but I did it. This is something I've been planning for months, and dreaming of for years."
"Good job," Ochir nodded. "Just one thing, though—Li snores."
"Oh I know."
"He's also got a bottomless stomach," Shan warned. "So feeding him will be tough."
"I think I can manage."
"And if you don't treat him right, we'll break your legs," Ochir said, slamming his fist into his open palm. Shan smiled wickedly, unsheathing his claws.
Ren's smile fell. "…Okay, I'll remember that."
Li ignored all of this and hugged me in celebration, "I can't believe it! This is…this is all so unexpected. I mean, I never expected…of course I dreamed but…holy shit, man!"
I laughed and hugged him back, "I'm really happy for you, Li."
"Did he really ask you for a blessing?"
"Yeah, actually," I said. He gave me a lopsided grin, "Thanks…of all the things you've done for me…this is one of the best."
"Not the best?"
"No," he clapped a hand to my shoulder. "The best thing you ever did was become my friend."
No, I was not going to cry…that was not going to touch me so much that I was going to…damn…
"Shifu, are you crying?"
"No, just got something in my eye—dusty in here."
He nodded in understanding. "You're right—a lotta dust."
As expected, Ren departed for the capital within a few days. Before he left, of course, Li gave him a (very) personal going-away present: a rather passionate kiss that we had to leave the room for. It was Yeying's doing; she felt it was something too personal for an audience. When Ren stumbled out of the room a moment later, a dazed and goofy smile was plastered on his face. Li just looked rather proud of himself. Truthfully, if I gave Yeying a kiss like that (and believe me, I did), I'd feel proud too.
Also on Ren's To-Do list was going home to tend to his father, and see what could be done. Li offered to go and help; Ren told him to wait and see how things went. I think we all knew what he meant: he was finally going to tell his father. Needless to say, we prayed for him daily that things would go well. Pending the results of that reunion, Li would move into the Jian family home…or Ren would move to the Jade Palace.
We spent three more weeks in Zhou-tong, then knew it was necessary to return to the Valley of Peace. Shan was sad to be going, and Min Lung was despondent as well. Jin Lung couldn't hold in her enthusiasm, much to her daughter's dismay. Fortunately, Shan and Min Lung wouldn't have to wait long to see each other again; she made a special visit that following spring and spent the majority of that year with us.
I was happy for them, I really was. I think we all believed they would work out. I think you can tell that it didn't. In the end, I'll never know exactly what happened…but as for what did happen, that is a revelation for another chapter.
Ten years later, Yeying and I were still happily, blissfully, ecstatically married, as in love with each other as the day of our wedding. In that decade, word of mouth about our training reached across the empire, and our class sizes exploded in population. Master Oogway couldn't remember the last time he'd had so many students in the Palace.
"This is what the Jade Palace was meant to be," he told me one day in the Hall of Warriors. "Seeing you and Yeying assuming roles you love, and living a life that fulfills your every need and want makes me glad. Seeing all these children learning the ancient art and skills warms my heart." What he meant was that, since the majority of us had left to pursue our own dreams, the Palace had felt rather empty.
Li had left the Palace to go live with Ren, as planned, but not in the Jian household. Much to my surprise—and delight—Jian Qiang had actually been glad for the news when Ren told him. He wasn't thrilled to hear his son had no interest in women, obviously, but knowing the object of his son's affections was Li, someone he knew quite well, lessened the blow. "As long as my only son is happy," he had said, "I am happy."
He was uncomfortable with not having heirs to the family name, but Ren assured a way around that. "I hope so," was all the old wolf would say on the subject. The three of them sold the house and moved to the capital city where, sure enough, Ren opened that tea shop he had talked about. Having his father living with them made it easier for the younger wolf to force his father to stop drinking. "Three cups of tea in the morning, and three at night," Li told us in a letter. "You'd be amazed what it's done for 'Papa-in-law'." Otherwise, the tea shop was hugely popular. Its reputation preceded itself—its most famous client was, of course, the Emperor, and his entire court…which was exactly what Ren had hoped for.
Xue Shan and Ochir left the Palace not too long after Li left. They had gotten restless (and slightly jealous/disgusted at the "lovey-dovey crap" we newly-weds were known for). So, they set off to find their fortunes, and if rumors are to be believed, they got into their fair share of scuffles and skirmishes. But they had become quite a team, until there was not a warrior in the land who was foolish enough to take them on, even individually.
Even then, he and Shan parted ways, Ochir to the western, and eventually southern part of the empire, and Shan back to Zhou-tong. The monthly letters I received from my youngest sister-in-law (whom I was always fond of, and continue to be) told that his relationship with Min Lung had escalated, and rumors of engagement were running rampant.
As for my wife and I, things could not have been better.
I was thirty-two, Yeying was soon to turn thirty, and we were perfectly content with our lives, but for one thing…
Children. We had talked about it, considered it, waited, but now, Yeying and I were certain. We wanted children, as many as possible. Many of our younger students would have jumped at the chance, if not for their own loving families.
"We should go to Bao Gu," my wife told me one night as we lay in bed together. "We're sure to find someone there."
"You're absolutely right," I said. "What do you think…boy first, or a girl? And how old?"
"Oh, I could care less; why not both? I just want them to be healthy, and eager to find a loving family, which I'm sure we'd be."
"Definitely," I said, holding her hand. "But for the record, I hope we find a girl, one just like you."
"Good lord, Shifu, you can barely handle one of me!" she laughed.
I smirked, rolling her over onto her back, nose-to-nose. "You're so sure about that?"
"Are you willing to prove me wrong?"
"What do you think?"
But our dream of a perfect family would have to wait. The next day after we finally determined to adopt, we received a letter from Lady Borte, from the Forbidden City. We—Jian Ren, Dong Li, Xue Shan, Ochir, Yeying, and myself—were needed in the capital, to serve the Emperor.
It was very near to lunch time, but Po had made so many of the sweet cinnamon buns that the Five—and especially Tigress—had feasted all morning. The panda had lost count of how many the tiger had eaten…lost count at…six, maybe? They were on the small side, she admitted, but tasted just as good as she remembered them. To Po, seeing the nostalgic smile whenever she bit down into one of the buns was worth all the fighting, all the disagreements. He would gladly cook those for her every day if only to see that perfectly unadulterated gleeful smile.
Monkey, who had known Tigress even longer than Viper, whispered to him, "I haven't seen her this content in years. How did you know this was her favorite food?"
Po just shrugged, sharing a secret smile with the tiger. "Eh, I had a hunch."
Monkey sent a significant look to his three comrades, who all silently agreed. If their hunches were correct, they wagered some things were about to change quite drastically in the Jade Palace.
But for a certain panda and tiger, who offered to share the last sweet bun with him, life was good.
I don't think I can hide it anymore, this is starting to become a Pogress fic. Totally didn't mean to do it when I started it, but that's just the nature of the beast, I guess. Oh well. Y'all know what to do.