Chapter 15
A/N: …Alright.
Y'all are just gonna have to trust me.
[Scene: Wu's office, Forbidden City, sunset.]
WU: (Looks over as the door opens, standing at attention beside the map table and the Emperor, who is standing on the stool again. SHIFU, PO and the FOUR enter, looking like they were called to the room in haste.)
SHIFU: (Seeing Wu and the Emperor and coming to a halt, giving a quick bow) Your Majesty, Captain. We were told there is an emergency?
WU: There is. (He nods to the corner; Shifu and the others look over. Sitting on a chair, still slightly quaking, is a familiar goose messenger in a saffron jacket.)
THE FOUR AND PO: Zeng! (They hurry around, Shifu at the forefront.)
SHIFU: (Urgently) Zeng, what are you doing here? Has something happened to the Valley?
ZENG: (Quaking and gulping) Grandmaster Shifu! I-I flew as fast as I could– but it's already been several days, they could be anywhere by now– oh please don't be mad at me, Master Shifu, someone had to tell you and it's not my fault I'm the messenger–!
SHIFU: (Sharply) Zeng, calm yourself! (The goose quails, and the grandmaster softens his tone a bit:) Now speak clearly. What is going on?
ZENG: (Gaping at him, helplessly) I-It's Master Tigress, Grandmaster. And the T-T-T– (he stammers off).
PO: (Finishing for him:) The Ten Thousand?! They have Tigress?!
WU: It's worse than that. (They turn back; the captain is setting out several scrolls on the table, each written with characters in different hands.) We've received messages from several towns and prefectures across the southern part of the empire.
EMPEROR: (Anxiously) Each of them has the same story: they were invaded by a warband of several dozen soldiers from the Ten Thousand, who stayed there for only a few nights before moving on. The imperial army hasn't been able to catch them, but looking at their progress it seems they're heading this way. (To Shifu directly, almost apologetic:) All of the messages say that the leaders of the warband were General Zhong…and Master Tigress of the Jade Palace.
(Shifu's eyes go wide; the Four and Po share stunned looks.)
PO: What? But that doesn't make any sense—when we left her at the Sacred Mountain she wanted nothing to do with the Ten Thousand!
ZENG: (Piping up) Sh-she was there, Dragon Warrior. I-I saw her. (To the Emperor, bowing very low:) She took tribute from all the citizens of the Valley, and General Zhong kept calling her—f-forgive me, but—(gulping) he called her the "Empress." Please pardon me, your Majesty!
WU: (As the Emperor reassures the messenger with a kind gesture, the captain continues:) The troops from the garrison have also reported back from the West; the Monastery of the Sacred Mountain is gone, it's been burnt to cinders. The locals told them that Zhong and your student took over the tea shop on the mountain path for an evening before heading on their way; there was some sort of altercation between them, but ultimately Master Tigress agreed to go with them.
PO: (Arguing) That can't be right. Tigress would never go along with them, she'd kick Zhong's tail from the Sacred Mountain all the way back here if she saw him!
EMPEROR: (Trying to be sympathetic) We think she is being blackmailed. (Reaches into his yellow sleeve and pulls out a thinner scroll; he passes it to Shifu, who takes it in stunned silence, unfurling it as the masters read over his shoulder.) We received this message early this morning; it's from Lord Wang, of the Prefecture of the Beautiful River in Yunnan Province. He said he was forced to host a meeting between General Zhong and a former minor officer of the Tiger General, but reassured us of his loyalty. He also mentioned that Master Tigress was there, apparently under duress.
WU: The Emperor—in his heavenly wisdom and mercy—has decided that treason-under-duress doesn't still count as treason. (His tone is completely professional, which of course means he disagrees with this line of thought). However, this isn't something we can ignore forever. If they are moving towards the Northern Capital as they appear to be, she will need to turn herself into the City Guard if she wants us to grant her amnesty.
SHIFU: (Speaking up, brusquely—and with an unintended note of unease:) Of course. I'm sure she understands that.
WU: (Eyeing him for a beat before turning away) Let's hope she does, Grandmaster—and that General Zhong hasn't convinced her otherwise. (Turning to his maps with a frustrated growl under his breath.) The imperial army has orders to check every boat along the rivers and the Grand Canal, but if they are traveling by water then they could already be very near the Capital. (As he talks, Shifu approaches the table and hops up to balance next to the Emperor on his staff, peering over the map as his brows begin to pinch anxiously. His shoulders hunch slightly and he glances over, worried, as Wu says:) We might already be too late.
[The shot focuses back in on the map, and specifically the Valley of Peace in Guangxi, and the river that runs through it, before it pans over…]
[Scene: The shot of the map pans over from the rivers to the coastline, which then fades into a realistic view of a Chinese junk with red sails, tacking along the coast in the dying sunlight.]
[Inside the boat, Tigress is sitting on the bed in a private cabin, meditating by the light of a low-burning paper lantern in the windowless room. Her maid is sitting silently on the other bed opposite her, apparently reading a book of poetry. Both look over as the door opens.]
ZHONG: (Enters and glances at the maid; without a word she stands, bows to them both and leaves. He turns to Tigress.) We're nearly there. (Her eyes open and flick sideways, almost cherry-red in the dim light.) Ah, still not in the mood to talk?
TIGRESS: (With a dangerous calm) If you think anything you say will persuade me after what you did to the Valley, then you are a fool, and I am going to enjoy destroying you.
ZHONG: (With a sigh through his nose, sitting down on the bed opposite her) Believe me, Empress, this…situation, is as unpleasant for me as it is for you.
TIGRESS: (Ominously soft, and laced with a growl) Believe me: it isn't.
ZHONG: (Ignoring this) I thought we should talk before making landfall. While your upbringing at the Jade Palace gave you an education and impressive martial prowess, it also gave you only one understanding of the war and your father—one heavily influenced by imperial propaganda. (Tigress just glares back at him; he spreads his hands.) Surely you at least owe it to us to hear our side of the story?
TIGRESS: I doubt you're going to give me a choice.
[In the blink of an eye, the scene changes. Instead of a boat, the setting is inside a canvas war-tent; instead of the shadows of a windowless cabin, the shadows are those of twilight before dawn, illuminated by a single yellow paper lantern.
Instead of Tigress, a man is sitting at a desk, an inked terrain map spread out before him. We have seen him before, in paintings, tapestries—even visions—but never before like this: in a linen tunic, sword sheathed and resting against the desk, looking up at the viewer with mild amusement.]
ZHONG'S VOICE: (Eager, and far younger) –If you would just take a look at my plans, my liege, you'll see I've come up with an idea for ambushing the target that will significantly reduce our own casualties.
TIGER EMPEROR: (Wryly) I doubt you're going to give me a choice.
[Wide shot; we see the so-called Tiger Emperor accepting a proffered scroll from a young Zhong, who is standing at attention beside the desk. The latter is barely twenty years old, and still has both of his eyes.]
YOUNG ZHONG: (Flustered) I– of course, I wouldn't want to impose on your time–
TIGER EMPEROR: (Waving a paw) At ease, Zhong. (He opens the scroll and studies it, nodding to himself.) Hm. You're learning. (His cadence is remarkably similar to Tigress's; his movements mirror her usual agile strength as he glances up and adds:) However you've forgotten to account for the imperial garrison. They're only two days away; if someone managed to get a message out during the ambush, we'd be overrun within the week.
YOUNG ZHONG: (Crestfallen) Ah. I hadn't thought of that… Sir, what are we going to do?
TIGER EMPEROR: (Gestures to his map, and Zhong peers closer) Running is pointless. So, we'll draw the garrison out with a weaker attack on the town that masks our true numbers, and then ambush them ourselves. Surprise will give us the upper hand.
YOUNG ZHONG: (Awed) Brilliant, sir…
TIGER EMPEROR: (Glances up at the young soldier with a mild snort.) Hm. We'll see. (He stands.) If it's as brilliant as you say, we'll walk away from this with a good number of provisions. (Claps Zhong on the shoulder as he heads for where his armor is hung on a wire rack.) And if it's not, we'll all be dead anyway.
[End flashback. In place of his emperor, his lord's daughter is glaring at him. Zhong lets out a quiet sigh and half-chuckled "hn" despite himself.]
ZHONG: (With a grim, and almost sad, smile:) …I was twenty years old when I first met your father.
[A new flashback begins. We see again a young Zhong, about twenty years old, sitting in the robes of a lord and listening to the complaints of rabbit villagers.]
ZHONG: (Voiceover) I had recently become the governor of a great prefecture, like my father and grandfather before me. Thinking they could take advantage of my youth and inexperience, the local peasantry began to make unreasonable demands of me. [The young Zhong frowns, and then says something sharp and brandishes his hand in refusal, to the villagers' anger.] I refused, and the peasants launched a rebellion. It caught like sparks to kindling, and soon the upheaval had spread to several other neighboring provinces; even my own soldiers sided with them against me.
ZHONG: (VR, Cont'd; we see the young Zhong handing over a scroll to a young Loi, his messenger.) In desperation I wrote to the Emperor asking for reinforcements. Instead, the court sent your father, who had negotiated down a rebellion of citizens in the Capital. [The young lord greets the Tiger General at his estate, anxiously explaining the situation to him over a shared cup of tea.] His official orders were to oversee peace talks between myself and the other governors and the rebellion leaders. However, when he saw the unreasonableness of the uprising's demands… [The Tiger General frowns, asks a clarifying question of the young lord, and then stands, picking up his sword and re-tying it to his belt.] …he sided with us instead and took the initiative. The budding rebellion was crushed and order was restored.
[Flashforward to present. Tigress looks unimpressed.]
TIGRESS: He butchered hundreds of civilians.
ZHONG: Sometimes a firm hand is needed. And surely you have to grant that revolutionaries are no longer mere civilians?
TIGRESS: (Ignoring that point) The general had his orders, he disobeyed them.
ZHONG: (Lightly) And you've never disobeyed your master's orders when you had more information on a situation than he did? Or possibly even an Emperor's orders? (She looks about to answer and then pauses.) Ah. Do I detect a hint of hypocrisy in that silence?
TIGRESS: (Coolly) I have, on occasion. It's never worked out well for me.
ZHONG: (Having to grant that) Yes, well…it didn't work out well for us, either. [Brief flashback to the Bull Emperor ordering the Tiger General away.] Instead of being grateful that your father had put down a nascent revolution, the Emperor was displeased that his orders had not been followed to the letter, and stripped his greatest general of his rank and banished him from the Capitol. [Shot of the furious general storming away from the Forbidden City, a hand on his sword.] Your father realized that China was being ruled by weak men, ones who could not impose order on the Middle Kingdom. In a flash of insight, he saw that the Mantle of Heaven had passed to him; all he had to do was prove he had the strength to seize it.
TIGRESS: That isn't how that works.
ZHONG: Oh? And is it so much more unlikely than that your departed Grandmaster had his own insight from the universe, instructing him to appoint a sentimental weakling to the throne?
TIGRESS: (Growling) Do not question Master Oogway's wisdom.
ZHONG: (Raising an eyebrow) Of course. My apologies—Empress. (Her eyes narrow, and he continues:)
ZHONG: In the meantime, for my crime of assisting an imperial general in suppressing a rebellion in my own province, I had received word from the Forbidden City that I was to be divested of my ancestral lands and reduced to the status of a minor bureaucrat. [Brief flashback of a young Zhong reading the emperor's message with growing shock and anger as a young Loi trembles in the background.] Facing impoverishment and humiliation at all of twenty years old, I had nowhere to turn—until your father took me under his wing. What he saw in me, I'll never know.
TIGRESS: (Drawling) Someone easily manipulated?
ZHONG: (Growls sharply at her before he catches himself. Tigress smirks slightly, and he lets out a curt sigh through his nose.) Your cynicism is unwarranted. Your father earned my loyalty. With an imperial battalion against him, he defended my ancestral lands practically on his own, and with the help of the other dispossessed lords we launched a counter-offensive that eventually took the Northern Capital itself. Your father took his rightful place on the dragon throne and ruled there for nearly a decade.
ZHONG: [Cont'd; flashback:] Those were glorious days. [Shot of the Tiger General sitting on the dragon throne in the Forbidden City, receiving petitioners; everything from his imperial robes to the hall around him glitters with golden splendor.] Your father was everything an emperor should be: generous to his allies, courageous in battle, a master tactician. Under the Tiger Emperor's leadership the Capital flourished; his building projects strengthened the city walls, and beautified the capital with private gardens and a glorious temple at which even that so-called emperor still worships. [Shot of the General in an office, nodding in approval as he looks over the building plans for the Temple of Heaven; he furls the scroll and hands it back to a sambar-deer architect, who bows and leaves.]
TIGRESS: (Voiceover, flat:) By the enslavement of civilians.
ZHONG: (Voiceover) By the conscription of civilians for public construction projects—nothing that hasn't been done by other emperors before. [The general walks out of the office onto a veranda beyond; the scene beyond is of the city arrayed below him, the many construction projects underway.] Of course, there were some complaints, as there are in every dynasty—but ultimately your father ensured order and peace in the Capital. [He looks over to where Zhong is standing guard at the door, and the long line of petitioners behind him, and smiles.] The imperial court was streamlined and made more efficient; loyalty was rewarded; people all over China flocked to our cause and our influence spread. [Flashpresent: Zhong gestures to her.] You talk about the Mandate of Heaven, but if the Bull Emperor had been so well-loved then how did your father gain so many followers?
TIGRESS: With fear, I imagine.
ZHONG: Yes, he was feared—by the people who should have feared him. But he was loved as well, by the right people. Quality over quantity, Empress. (Tigress just glares back.) Your father was a formidable warrior, but he did not win his many successful campaigns as one man; he was a great leader. At the height of our power, a full quarter of the imperial army and many lords across the whole of China had left the Bull Emperor to serve the new dynasty.
TIGRESS: (Mocking) A dynasty of fifteen years, over a third of them on the back foot. Truly a powerful legacy.
ZHONG: It's true, we lost the city—traitors from within opened the gates to an invasion force that arrived by the sea, and we were forced to fall back to the west. For five years, we were betrayed again and again, as those your father had once supported as his allies turned their backs on him in his hour of need. [Flashback of Boss Wolf, still with both his eyes, in an army camp in the mountains, reading a letter delivered by war-hawk; he looks up at his men, and then shakes his head and hands the letter back to the hawk.] In the end, only a few of us did not prove traitors to this man who had fought harder than any of us for our glorious tomorrow. [Flashback of a thirty-five year old Zhong, sobbing as he clings to the wounded Tiger Emperor's paw and emphatically shaking his head, refusing some order, until his lord's paw rakes him across the eye and knocks him down, crimson blood spattering the white snow.]
TIGRESS: [Flashpresent; unfeeling:) How unfortunate for him. (Zhong's eyes narrow.) But none of this explains why you think I'm qualified to rule the Middle Kingdom. I wasn't raised to be an emperor.
ZHONG: Neither was that rabbit. And more to the point, you're incorrect. (She frowns.) Tell me, what is the imperial taxation rate on agriculture in the Valley of Peace?
TIGRESS: (Annoyed) One out of every thirty bushels harvested, same as everywhere else. I don't see how that's relevant–
ZHONG: Yet you knew it off the top of your head. And you knew where the palace census records were; how to give orders to the populace, such that they would be obeyed. [Flashback: a teenage Tigress sitting beside the reflection pool, studying one of the Thousand Scrolls.] The Grandmaster of the Jade Palace is also the governor of the Valley of Peace. You know as well as I that you were raised from a young age to take over that responsibility someday if necessary.
[Brief flashpresent. She doesn't respond, and Zhong resumes his story:]
ZHONG: I tried to follow you after you were taken from the monastery—[flashback of Zhong stumbling through a snowy pinewood forest, his eye wrapped in makeshift bandages]—but I lost you in the mountains. And when I lost you, I lost hope. I had failed your father's final order to me, his dying wish: to return his heir to the throne.
[Cont'd; transition shot to Zhong, missing eye now scarred, wandering like a ghost through the streets of the Capital as confetti rains down and people celebrate on all sides the ascension of a new emperor. Nobody pays him any attention.] In near-despair I went to the Northern Capital, in hopes that perhaps you had been brought there. But the whole city was in such a state of celebration over the choice of that so-called emperor that it was impossible to find any information. [Zhong ducks into a bar in the seedy side of town, which we recognize as the Busted Snout; while a young wolf woman sets a drink of something smoking down in front of him, Zhong looks over listlessly as two people start to talk.] But then, I heard mention that your Master Oogway had made another prophecy. [Zhong's eyes begin to widen in shock and anger:] A prophecy about the return of the Ten Thousand, and some kung-fu hero who was destined to defeat us again. Infuriated, and desperate for any information, I took a great risk and broke into the imperial library…and found this.
[Flashpresent. Zhong has reached into the fold of his robe and retrieves something wrapped and tied in raw mulberry silk; when he undoes the tie, it reveals a scroll with gilt yellow handles.]
TIGRESS: (Eyes widening) So, it was you who stole the Emperor's copy of the prophecy…
ZHONG: (With a small smile, he unrolls the thin scroll, studying the painted watercolor designs around the edges—perfectly resembling the markings of the warrior in front of him.) You can imagine my shock when I opened the scroll and found, not a portent of doom, but an omen of victory. [The scene flashes back, and we see a stunned Zhong peering gape-mouthed down at the stylized markings, wild hope dawning in his eyes.] Those fools at the palace had never seen your markings, so they assumed the prophecy spoke in their favor, but I knew what I was looking at: a promise that one day, I would find you, and you would lead us to our destined triumph. [A noise catches his ear, and the younger Zhong looks over in sudden wariness, before shoving the scroll into his tunic and hurrying away into the shadows.]
ZHONG: (Voiceover, cont'd:) I searched for you for thirty years, long after everyone else had given up. [Brief scene of a late-thirties Zhong arguing with Boss Wolf, with Shen's mountain foundry in the background; Boss Wolf laughs at him, and Zhong strikes out in anger, clawing out his eye.] Most of them called me a fool. Sometimes, I almost believed them. [Scene of a mid-forties Zhong as a minor bandit lord, sitting alone at the head of a table in a thieve's den and watching his band of rabble split the profits of a day of looting.] But I never lost faith. I knew you were out there somewhere. [As an argument breaks out between the bandits, Zhong ignores it, reaching into his pocket to pull out and study the scroll with her markings.] I knew your father's legacy could not have been snuffed out from this world so easily. And then, one day…
[Flashback: Zhong, again abandoned, again alone, wearing old armor and looking for all the world like a lone bandit as he wanders through a busy city; the hectic atmosphere and the view of Mount Qingcheng rising in the background identify it as Chengdu in Sichuan province. As he passes by a stand selling toys, something catches his eye, and he looks over.
It's SUN and FENG, presumably traveling, given their coats and the packs on their back; Feng is delightedly receiving a Master Tigress figurine from the shopkeeper while Sun hands him a few coins.
Zhong stares at the figurine in her hands, stumbling towards them almost as if in a dream; Sun notices his approach, sees the clawed-out eye and armor and quickly pulls Feng away. Zhong reaches out a paw after them and then finds his attention caught again by the goods displayed in the stall.
Merchandise from the Jade Palace is arrayed in front of him: action figures, paintings—even cheap printed posters, bearing the characters for "The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five: Defenders of Gongmen City!" and an image of the team. Po, grinning, is usually at the front, but Zhong doesn't focus on him, but instead on Tigress. Her fierce expression looks out at him from every angle.]
ZHONG: (voiceover, cont'd:) I saw your face. On a poster, in a market stall of children's toys. [Suddenly moved to haste, Zhong pulls out the old scroll and opens it, looking in gape-mouthed shock between the merchandise and the markings on the silk.] Master Tigress of the Jade Palace. Although I had never seen you before, I wondered how I could have been so blind. Three decades I had sought you, and here you were this whole time, hiding in plain sight—waiting for the proper moment.
[Flashpresent. Tigress is watching him, expression wary, shoulders hunched.]
ZHONG: You want to know why I have faith in you despite your resistance to your own greatness. It is because my faith has never been disappointed. (Rolling the scroll shut, insisting:) Don't you see? You could have ended up the child of some poor farmers, but instead you were raised to be a warrior, and educated as a ruler! I couldn't have arranged it better myself. Everything is as the prophecy foretold it to be; your Majesty, this was destiny.
TIGRESS: (Staring at him, and sounding less sure than she should as she responds:) …You're insane.
ZHONG: (Sighs, and then stands up, turning for the door. As he reaches it he pauses, looking back at her:) We'll be reaching port early tomorrow morning; after that it's only a short overland journey through the mountains. You should get your rest. (Tigress doesn't respond, and he adds quietly:) I've believed in you for thirty years, your Majesty. The only question is whether you believe in yourself.
[He sets the scroll on a small table in the room—right next to the Dragon Scroll. Tigress watches them roll a few inches from the rocking of the boat, and then back up again as Zhong closes the door.]
[Scene: the Forbidden City, night. Shadowy clouds skitter across the moon above; an uneasy wind stirs the flowering trees, tearing several petals away from the branches. They dance on the current for a moment, and then are abruptly ripped sideways and out of frame as the wind begins to change direction.]
[Inside a private guest room in the barracks, Shifu is meditating by the light of a single candle.]
SHIFU: (Inhaling, deep and rhythmic, with each chant:) Inner peace… Inner peace…
NOISE: [The sound of the wind; a gust twitches the open shutters and swirls down into the room. Shifu's ear twitches at the sound of the candle guttering, briefly interrupting his pattern:]
SHIFU: Inner– inner peace… Inner… (His tone grows more tired, his ears beginning to droop).
[Flash: the emperor's concerned face.]
PAST-EMPEROR: (Echoing) "Are you certain? Can you be certain your students would never betray you?"
SHIFU: …peace…
[Flash: Shifu's own faltering voice.]
PAST-SHIFU: (Echoing) "No. I am not… I could never be absolutely certain."
SHIFU: …Inner…
[Flash: Chaos. Fires burn; people scream; tables are overturned and walls smashed as one man's rage is vented upon the Valley.]
[Up at the Palace, Zeng is flapping his wings in a panic, shedding feathers as he squawks his frantic message to Shifu and Oogway:]
ZENG: –It's Tai Lung! He's laying waste to the Valley!
SHIFU: (Sharply:) What?! That's impossible!
ZENG: H-He's gone mad, he's destroying everything in his path!
OOGWAY: (Firmly, to Zeng) Go, hide yourself. We will put an end to this.
SHIFU: (As Zeng flies away out the side-windows and Oogway steps back towards the pool:) Master– we must go! If Tai Lung is truly– if he is– (unable to even finish the thought:) We must go stop him!
OOGWAY: (Grimly) There is no need. (As he turns towards the doors:) He is already here.
[Shifu turns just in time to see the hall doors explode into a million pieces. He leaps forward, ready to defend the scroll—but something is wrong. Time has jumped and melded; Oogway is gone and Shifu is alone, left to confront Tai Lung and his legacy of mistakes on his own. The first blow catches him off-guard, as Tai Lung strikes him with fists blazing with blue fire, knocking him back; Shifu rolls back and finds his vision filled with the enraged face of his son:]
TAI LUNG: All I ever did, I did to make you proud! Tell me how proud you are, Shifu!
[He hits him, hard; Shifu weakly tries to defend and fails, unable to keep up with the hail of blows.]
TAI LUNG: Tell me!
[Another hit, the blue flames blazing.]
TAI LUNG: Tell me!
[The blow knocks him flying to the edge of the reflecting pool, and Shifu hits the ground hard and ragdolls. When he at last comes to a standstill against the steps and forces himself to a knee, he looks up weakly, grimacing—and then his eyes go wide.]
[In front of the shot a striped paw, not a spotted one, unsheathes its claws, and a new figure steps out of the shadows.]
TIGRESS: (Hissing) Tell me. [The claws come raking down.]
SHIFU: (Awakes with a start and a strangled shout, still in a cross-legged sitting position on his floor. He breathes hard for several moments, wide-eyed and clutching at his chest, before he looks over at the candle. It's long-cold, but not burned down. The wind must have blown it out.)
NOISE: (The sound of boots on flagstones and soldiers talking quietly. Shifu turns and looks out the window; in the courtyard beyond, gray dawn is rising. Wu, apparently having been on-duty that night at the Hall of Heavenly Purity, is walking with several of his senior rhino guards towards the guard offices.)
SHIFU: (Hesitates, watching them; his eyes land on the guttered-out candle on his floor, and, expression turning grim, he stands up and hurries for the exit.)
[Shot shifts outside to where Wu and the other guards are walking.]
SHIFU'S VOICE: Captain.
WU: (Looks over to see Shifu walking briskly towards him, the grandmaster staff in hand. He gives a nod of dismissal to Lt. Caixia and the other rhino guards, who go on ahead of them, and then inclines his head briefly to Shifu.) Grandmaster. Can I help you?
SHIFU: (Anxiously, stopping in front of him) Have you received any more information on Master Tigress's location?
WU: It's only been one night, Grandmaster. (Shifu looks frustrated by this, and Wu says:) I told you I'll inform you of any information as soon as I have it.
SHIFU: (Huffing) Yes. I know. (Relenting) Thank you, Captain.
WU: (Watches him, and then softens—just a hint—and ads with the tone of one testing the waters:) But I can understand your concern, having one of your students in the Ten Thousand's hands. (Shifu nods, distracted, and Wu adds:) His Majesty also mentioned to me that you adopted her as a child.
SHIFU: (Looks up, surprised at this insight, and then sighs and gestures towards the garden. Wu apparently agrees, since they begin to walk. Shifu, grimly:) I want to know more about General Zhong. He's a formidable opponent in battle, but what kind of man is he? How does he think?
WU: (Tilting his head, considering the question.) Hn. I've looked into him, but records about him after the war are sparse. He shows up occasionally in the imperial guard reports as the leader of a number of small bandit groups, but they always seemed to dissolve after a few years. I guess being a single-minded zealot isn't good for profits. (Shifu gives an ironic nod and "hnh" at that.) Those who've met him say he seemed like a conspiratorial lunatic at the time—raving on and on about an "heir" of the Tiger General still being out there somewhere. I guess now we know he was right.
SHIFU: (Sighing) And I assume we don't know much about his life before the war, either.
WU: (Rubbing his chin:) Actually, I personally might know a bit more than most. (At Shifu's expression he adds:) General Zhong's prefecture was adjacent to that overseen by the Emperor's father when His Majesty and I were boys. My lord was a sickly child, so I spent most of my days at his side at the estate until the war began, but I heard stories about life in the neighboring prefectures from refugees who came to our lands.
SHIFU: (Surprised) General Zhong was a prefectural governor?
WU: Yes, a young one. His father and several other lords of the nearby prefectures had ruled their lands ruthlessly for years; when his father died and he became the new lord, his peasants tried to appeal to his better nature, but Zhong took it personally and increased their tax demands. That was the last straw; the peasants revolted, and since his father had treated their own soldiers pretty terribly, they sided with the rebels.
SHIFU: (Catching on) And as we've seen, revolutions spread like wildfire, whether for good or for ill.
WU: There were uprisings in every neighboring prefecture where the peasants were overworked and overtaxed. The Bull Emperor heard, of course, and sent an inquiry to my lord's father asking about the situation since we were their neighbors. My old lord told him the peasants had a legitimate grievance, so instead of sending an army to crush the rebellion the Emperor sent a negotiator.
SHIFU: But why send a general to oversee a peace meeting?
WU: Because at the time, the Tiger General was temporarily serving as the captain of the guard here in the Northern Capital. There had already been talk of rebellion here in the city among certain families—(Shifu nods, catching the meaning)—but the General had successfully negotiated with his own people to not launch a coup against the Bull Emperor; because he respected them, he could talk to them on their level. (Voice acquiring a growl:) He had no such consideration for country peasants. In fact he approved of Zhong and the other governors for keeping the "lower" species in their place.
(Shifu snorts, and Wu pauses, then says quietly:) The prefecture where I grew up isn't far from here. When the Tiger General betrayed the Bull Emperor and launched his coup, it was one of the first to be overrun. His Majesty's father died…and so did mine. We were fifteen years of age.
SHIFU: I'm sorry.
WU: We fled here to the city, and when that too was taken we followed the Bull Emperor's court across China. When he was old enough my lord threw himself into the war effort, joining the bureaucracy and helping manage all the paperwork that a war generates; he did the labor of three men, but I don't think he ever expected to be remembered for it until Master Oogway said he had received the Mandate of Heaven. (To Shifu, abruptly firm:) I know sometimes he seems like he's taking too soft a hand with situations, or even being naïve, but you must understand that the suffering we witnessed was beyond measure. Oftentimes his kindness and optimism were the only reasons those around him didn't just give up…myself included. And while he'll never be remembered as a great war-leader, he's worked tirelessly to rebuild the Middle Kingdom after the war, and there have been no major conflicts until now; China has prospered under his leadership. People mistake him for being weak and foolish, but in truth he's simply a man of peace.
SHIFU: Yes…I know someone like that. (They pause, watching as across the courtyard Po and the others leave the barracks, the panda talking animatedly and showing one of the Thousand Scrolls to Mantis and Viper.)
SHIFU: (Returning to the point at hand) I assume this is not the version of events accepted by the Ten Thousand.
WU: (With a snort) No. From my reconnaissance, I have a pretty clear idea of what their story is: the peasants were greedy rebels, the Bull Emperor's decision was a stab in the back, and every failure of the war was caused by further insufficient loyalty from one group or another. That narrative can be traced back directly to General Zhong himself and his view of events, but it's becoming more and more widely believed, as if it were historical reality instead of one man's opinion. (Brooding:) The Ten Thousand's cruelty inspired resistance in every prefecture and province they conquered, it's no surprise they were never able to solidify their rule. But at this point, there is no fact of history nor philosophical truth from any sage that could convince these new recruits that this failure was their Ten Thousand's own fault. Zhong's version of events plays too neatly to their sense of entitlement and injured pride.
SHIFU: (Agreeing) Tyrants can never hold the Mandate of Heaven for long.
WU: Mm. But the question isn't whether they can succeed. (He walks ahead, leaving Shifu behind him.) The question is how many lives they'll destroy before they fail.
[Scene: the forests of the mountains north of the Capital, in the early twilight before the sun rises. The small warband is moving silently through the trees; as they come over the edge of a hill, Tigress, at the forefront, spies in the distance the serpent-like rise and fall of the Great Wall on the ridges of the northern mountains. Small dots are moving along it: imperial guards on watch, pacing back and forth, their gazes fixed decidedly north—away from the party, who has come up from the southeast coastline.]
ZHONG: (Coming up beside Tigress along the path and pausing; sounding untroubled:) You could at least see where we're going before running off to get yourself arrested.
TIGRESS: (Glancing at him) Arrested?
ZHONG: Of course. (Turning away and heading off down the dirt path.) You're a known traitor to the emperor now. Your best odds are to trade them some information to not shoot you full of arrows on-sight—information like the location of our base of operations, perhaps.
[He continues on, unperturbed. Tigress takes one last glance at the guards on the far-away wall, and then follows.]
[Scene jumps ahead some ways; the warband comes out from under the flowering boughs of the treeline and stops in front of the mountain complex. Dawn is rising, and Tigress's eyes widen in silent shock as she looks up into the impressive stone gateway and the windows peeking out from the rough mountain face, bathed in the golden light of a new day.]
ZHONG: (To the guards) Loyalty and honor. (With a nod from the guards the gates begin to open, and the warband moves inside. He watches as Tigress tries and fails to hide her amazement at the courtyard-house built into the cavern, with its tasteful bioluminescent garden and carved stone buildings.) Beautiful, isn't it? (Nods back to the still-open gate.) You can even see the city from the windows.
TIGRESS: (Looking around the courtyard suspiciously) Whose estate is this?
ZHONG: Yours.
[As they move further into the grotto, the soldiers disappear into one of the side-houses. Tigress watches out of the corner of her eye as the tiger maid is joined by another girl with identical stripes at one of the stairs leading up to the second floor of the house above the front gate, and then turns her attention to the courtyard itself.
Whereas when we saw it before it was empty, now the far end of the courtyard, near the back-most building, a large table has been set up. A war-map of China and another of the capital, complete with markers and figurines like what Wu has in his office, is laid out on top of it, and about a dozen chairs have been arranged around the table. The place is set for a meeting.]
TIGRESS: You're expecting company. (Looks over her shoulder at Zhong, eyes narrowing.) Who?
ZHONG: (Eyes her, evaluating, and then replies:) Several important potential supporters of your ascension to the throne. Military figures, powerful governors, affluent merchants.
TIGRESS: So, you need me to cooperate. (She steps closer to him—and to the open gate.) Which means you've badly miscalculated. (Zhong raises an eyebrow.) You've kept me in line by threatening innocent lives, but now we're in the Capitol; the city guard, the Grandmaster of Kung Fu and the most powerful warriors in all of China are here to stop you. There is nothing you can do to keep me from escaping and turning you all over to the Emperor.
ZHONG: (Simply) Then go.
TIGRESS: (Startled) What?
ZHONG: The gate is open. You are free to leave at any time. (He gestures back to the entryway; nobody is moving to shut it.) Go to the city guard, turn yourself in and tell them our position. (Tigres watches him, bewildered and wary.) And then…what? Do you think you can go back to your old life? To practicing kung fu in the valley you just marched on under a banner of conquest?
TIGRESS: (Growling) You made me do those things–
ZHONG: Does it matter? All of China knows who you are now. (She glares at him, and he steps closer as well; quietly:) If you thought you could go back, you would have done so when your friends came to get you from the monastery. They were stupid enough to believe that if you went with them you'd be returning to fight by their side, but you'd already guessed the truth, hadn't you. (Tigress's eyes flicker away, ears flattening.) That you would be going back only to be imprisoned, possibly even executed—not for what you've done but because of who the Emperor and his people recognize you to be. It's the one matter on which they and we agree. (She doesn't answer.) …You know I'm right.
[She looks back at him and opens her mouth to answer, but the sound of footsteps draws their attention sideways.]
ZHONG: Ah. (Nods to the Commander, who stops and bows.) Your Majesty, this is–
TIGRESS: (Interrupting in surprise) Commander Guan, of the North Gate. I know you.
COMMANDER: (Rising) Your Majesty. I wasn't sure you'd remember me after ten years.
ZHONG: The Commander tells me you've met before.
TIGRESS: (With an uneasy glance in his direction, but replies nonetheless:) We fought together in the Battle of Juyong Pass, ten years ago. [We get a brief flashback of a younger Tigress and the other Four fighting in a battle in a stony mountain pass; the commander can be seen in the background, also fighting beside his men.] The North Gate requested backup against an invading force from the Steppe, and the Five volunteered to go.
COMMANDER: (With a smile.) Your team's first mission, if I recall correctly.
ZHONG: (Looks over as an eagle approaches with a scroll; he accepts the message, reads it and gives the two a nod.) Excuse me, your Majesty. Commander, I leave the situation in your capable hands.
TIGRESS: (Eyes him suspiciously as he bows briefly, goes back to the gate and converses quietly with the eagle, and then looks back at the commander. As they start to walk, she begins:) So, what exactly is a commander in the imperial military doing working for the Ten Thousand?
COMMANDER: Ex-commander. (She looks at him in surprise, and he gives her a rueful smile, rolling one of his shoulders; we can see that it doesn't make a full rotation in the socket like it should.) I was wounded in a minor skirmish at the Gate and it never quite healed. Nothing I couldn't compensate for in a fight, of course—but in exchange for three decades of dedicated service, the military forced me into early retirement.
TIGRESS: (Dryly) So instead of taking up a hobby, you joined an insurrectionist group?
COMMANDER: (Snorting) They told me to "enjoy my free time"; enjoy it how, by reading endless history books? That's no life for a warrior. –As to why I'm here: actually, it's because of you.
TIGRESS: (Startled out of her sarcasm) Me?
COMMANDER: Of course. I've been following your career for a while now; in fact, when I was still in charge of the North Gate I intended to recruit you. We could have used your talents defending the Pass. (Turning to face her.) Your abilities may have gone overlooked by others, your Majesty, but not by me. When Zhong told me who you really are, well, suddenly many things became clear.
TIGRESS: (Doesn't answer. The Commander turns as the two tiger girls approach and dutifully incline their heads to him.)
COMMANDER: (Setting a hand on each of the girl's shoulders and turning back to her with a broad smile.) My daughters, Hua and Jia. It is my honor to present them as your handmaids, your Majesty. (They bow to her.) Girls, why don't you show your new Empress to her quarters?
TIGRESS: (Startled) I don't need– (but it's too late, the girls have already risen from their bows and are escorting her towards the main house, leaving the commander watching in mild amusement behind them.)
[From near the door, Zhong watches, a small smile on his face. He looks back and down at the sound of someone coming up behind him and looks over to see Loi carrying the folded brown coat and green tunic, as well as a covered basket of other odds and ends.]
ZHONG: Ah, Loi, good. Everything is going to plan.
LOI: Y-Yes, my lord. Should I bring her Majesty's possessions up to her room now, my lord?
ZHONG: No…wait until I've had a chance to talk to her. (He turns away, heading further into the courtyard.) Besides, didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to disturb a lady in her own quarters?
LOI: Uh– (Glances to where the kung fu master—the furthest thing, in temperament and lifestyle, from a "lady"—is is continuing to protest, unheeded, to the elegant young women guiding her away.) O-Of course, my lord.
[Scene: late morning, the palace library. Warm sunlight is streaming in through an open door onto the desks, but Shifu barely seems to notice. He's reading through a book that, to the careful viewer, reveals itself to be The Great Learning—one of the Four Books of Confucianism.]
SHIFU: (Reading to himself in a mutter:) "Thus it is that there are few men in the world who love and at the same time know the bad qualities of the object of their love, or who hate and yet know the excellences of the object of their hatred. Hence it is said, in the common adage, 'A man does not know the wickedness of his son…'" (Breaking off and not finishing the quote; firmly:) –But I was careful, I did not make the same mistake twice. (As if trying to reassure himself:) Tigress knows her place; she won't be tempted like–
NOISE: [A rattle—very faint, but Shifu's ears flicker and he cuts off, surprised, and then frowns and stands up.]
SHIFU: (Sharply:) Who's there? (There's a guilty silence, and he scowls, picking up his staff and twirling it into ready-position.) Whoever you are, you will reveal yourself, or you will quickly find yourself acquainted with the consequences of spying on the Grandmaster of Kung F–
CRANE'S VOICE: (Quickly, with a panicked squawk) I-It's just me, Master Shifu! (He pokes his head and neck out from behind a shelf, wincing.)
SHIFU: Oh. Crane, it's you. (With an annoyed grumble he twirls the staff back into an at-ease position and starts to walk over.) What are you doing sneaking around? I could have done you a serious injury– (He's reached the shelf now and finds Crane awkwardly cringing and trying to conceal something behind himself with his right foot; Shifu's expression falls flat.) Are you seriously trying to hide something behind your back?
CRANE: Wha– me? O-of course not, Master, just, um, stretching my leg–
SHIFU: Crane.
CRANE: (Winces deeper and then sighs, unfolding his leg to hold out a rolled-up wall scroll in his talons.) I-It's a Ying original. (Shifu frowns in confused surprise and takes it.) It's a famous painting, and, y'know, I was curious, so…
SHIFU: (Ignoring this, he unfurls the painting, and then stops. Although it's new to him, we the audience have actually seen this several times before: it looks like the vision Po had of the Tiger Emperor months ago, and of the tapestry in Zhong's office—sword in the left hand, right claws bared, slightly-too-large amber eyes. The use of brightly-tinted pigments seem to make it even more lifelike than a typical ink painting.)
CRANE: A-Apparently it's pretty true to life. (Shifu doesn't answer. His student, now rambling and out of intelligent things to say, says something stupid instead; in a horribly upbeat tone:) Personally I think it's one of his best works; just look at the way he uses the green and blue in the background to make the orange tones stand out! And that expression, I mean wow, now that someone's pointed it out you can really see the family resemblance–
[He immediatelyrealizes he's messed up and shuts his beak with a clack! as Shifu shoots him a flat look; then the grandmaster sighs, looking back down at the painting. Crane, unfortunately, is right.]
SHIFU: I know we are all worried about Tigress. (Firmly, as much to himself as to his student:) But we must have faith, and trust in Master Oogway's prophecy; he would not have led us astray.
CRANE: Oh, um, a-actually that reminds me. (He ruffles his feathers nervously:) When we were at the temple, Tigress said something about the Ten Thousand having another interpretation of the prophecy?
SHIFU: (Startled and looking up at him) Another interpretation?
CRANE: (Trying to be helpful:) Yeah, something about how "a thousand years of peace is just a thousand years without war"? I-I don't know, I didn't really understand it…
SHIFU: (Repeating to himself) Another interpretation…. (Realizing his student is still watching him, he clears his throat:) Thank you, Crane, I'll– ah– I'll take that into account.
[Crane, looking relieved to have passed on a problem to someone higher up the chain of command, bows to his master and leaves. Shifu watches him go, and then sets the painting down and peers at the prophecy scroll, rubbing his chin with uneasy bewilderment.]
SHIFU: (Half-under his breath.) "Another interpretation." One that favors them, no doubt—but that doesn't make any sense, if Master Oogway had predicted– surely he would have told– (He breaks off as he looks out the open door, baffled and frustrated. His eyes land on the waving tree branches of the plum blossoms outside the library; their pink flowers look very much like those of the Sacred Peach Tree.)
SHIFU: (Muttering to himself, as if trying to remember something nearly forgotten:) "Look at this tree; I cannot make it blossom where it suits me, nor make it bear fruit before its time."
[The wind blows. A swirl of petals tear off and swirl past outside the window.]
SHIFU: (Frowning deeper:) "But I can control when the fruit will fall. And I can control…where to plant the seed…" (Something, at last, seems to click, and he stands up, looking around the library in dawning horror.)
[Shots of a flurry of activity: Shifu grabbing ancient scrolls off shelves, flipping open bound books, unrolling the star charts with a loud rustle. Resources are compiled in haste on the desk, seemingly at random, until finally the shot pulls back and we see, in an array around the Scroll of Prophecy, the many texts laid out like the pieces of a puzzle. The star chart is open to the turning of the years—ox, tiger, rabbit in succession. A philosophy scroll is unrolled to the ancient image of a yin and yang, dragon and tiger chasing each other around the circle. A volume of imperial army records shows a sketch of General Zhong, the character for his name—"Loyalty"—printed at the top. The empty gold casing of the Imperial copy of the prophecy is set out beside it, and at the very top-center of the desk, just above the prophecy scroll, is the painted wall hanging, emblazoned in vibrant colors with its fearsome image of the Tiger Emperor.]
SHIFU: (Quoting under his breath as he peers closely the scroll of prophecy) "And with the Emperor's most loyal warriors at its call, the tiger shall vanquish over the usurper, preserve the dynasty, and usher in a thousand years of peace." (Looking up in realization:) There's another interpretation of the prophecy—and Oogway was trying to prevent it.
[The empty library doesn't answer. Shifu is left to sit in silence for a moment, before he abruptly steps back from the desk and shakes his head, beginning to furiously pace:]
SHIFU: No. No, I refuse to even consider it. Tigress is no traitor, she's not Tai Lung! I raised her better than that! (Gesturing angrily, as if trying to defend himself to an imaginary accuser.) I never filled her head with dreams! I never told her she was destined for greatness, or that she deserved special treatment, or how proud I was of h– (But he's cut off abruptly as a flood of images rushes into his mind:)
[Shot: him irritably correcting a young Tigress's stance in the training hall.
Shot: him shouting at a teenage Tigress for bringing him the wrong warriors.
Shot: Tigress bowing and apologizing for "failing" him in not becoming the Dragon Warrior.
Shot: ZHONG: (Voice echoing) You raised a fine leader. (With an inclined head:) Her father would have been proud.]
[Flashpresent. Shifu stands silently for a moment, facing the door and the blossoming trees.]
SHIFU: (Stunned:) H-How proud I was of her. I never… (He hesitates, and then slowly—with shoulders hunching, as if afraid—he looks back at the table.)
[The image of the Tiger Emperor watches him from the paper. From this angle, it almost looks like he's gloating.]
[Scene: the mountain complex. The girls have successfully cajoled Tigress up the stairs onto the veranda overlooking the courtyard, as the warrior continues to protest:]
TIGRESS: (Arguing) I told you, I'm not staying and I'm not an Empress. (One of the girls opens the centermost door of the hallway and bows.) Just tell me where Zhong's men put my things and– (Tigress stops short as on instinct she steps inside the room and looks around the room, her eyes slowly going wide.)
[A panning shot of the room shows the reason for her surprise. Compared to the luxury of the Emperor's bedroom seen in the beginning—all scarlet bed-curtains and gold artifacts—or even the beautiful furniture of the quarters in the Wang mansion, this room is simple, even austere. There is a four-poster bed, simply carved with undyed silk curtains to keep out the cold, a desk and chair, a shelf lined with books, a wardrobe, and an iron brazier. Everything is of good quality, made from the same dark hardwood, but simple design; this is clearly the room of a high-ranked general—not an aristocrat.]
TIGER MAID 1: (Both still bowing, one of the two—Hua or Jia, it's not clear which—speaks up:) Is everything to your liking, your Majesty?
TIGER MAID 2: (The other:) We can rearrange anything that is not to your satisfaction.
TIGRESS: (Gives them both an unsettled look, and then, without answering, goes to the bookshelf. The spring noonday sunlight from the open window—which offers an excellent view of the city in the distance—falls over the books as she takes one out; clearly more modern texts, these books are bound pages, not scrolls, and she opens it to a random page in the middle. It unfolds to reveal a set of painted watercolor diagrams of battlefields and lines of handwritten characters explaining complicated maneuvers.)
TIGRESS: (Snaps the book closed—it's clear she knows who wrote it—and shelves it, turning back to the maids with an annoyed:) I– (But she stops abruptly as something next to the door catches her eye.)
[It's a set of beautiful yet functional Ming-dynasty Mountain Scale armor; the pieces themselves are all in black, but the circular disc-guard on the chest is embossed with the gilded image of a fenghuang, the raised gold lines of the phoenix glittering brightly against the black.]
TIGRESS: (Stares at it, mouth-closed and wide-eyed in startled surprise as—almost as if against her will—she warily walks closer. She reaches out a paw to touch the boss, and then catches herself and abruptly draws back, glancing around guiltily like she's worried she's been caught doing something wrong. The two maids, however, are still respectfully watching the floor instead of her, and with abrupt defensiveness, Tigress stalks towards the door. The girls look up in surprise as it slams shut behind her.)
[Scene: the imperial library. The Emperor is now sitting beside Shifu at the low desk, looking concerned; it's clear they've been talking for some time. Shifu's ears are drooping and he looks tired—tired, and very guilty.]
SHIFU: Master Oogway was the one who encouraged me to adopt her. He must have known who she was, or at least guessed, very early on—and guessed too that the prophecy did not have just one possible interpretation.
EMPEROR: How can you be certain?
SHIFU: It was his way. He used to say "we often meet our destiny on the road we take to avoid it." He knew he couldn't change fate, so he tried to guide it—to plant the seed somewhere its growth could be directed and nurtured. But in the end it still led us here. I…I led us here.
EMPEROR: Grandmaster–
SHIFU: (Vehemently, as if having to force the words out:) "Grandmaster" or not, I was not a good master to her. I know a great deal about kung fu, but as for rearing children… (Slumping, the fire leaching out of him:) I was indulgent towards Tai Lung, and it turned him into a monster. But I fear I may have gone too far in the other direction with her. It will have left her vulnerable to their tactics.
EMPEROR: (Trying to console) Listen, I understand your worries; I've had them myself! But Master Tigress is your oldest student—and she's more than that too, isn't she? (Shifu looks up at him, and the Emperor says gently:) You hinted as much when you mentioned you adopted her. You see her as a daughter, don't you?
SHIFU: (Sighing, as if admitting to something shameful:) …Yes. I do.
EMPEROR: (Encouraging) Then perhaps she sees you as a father in return.
SHIFU: (Grimly, to the emperor's confusion:) I know she does. (He adds in a mutter, mostly to himself:) And that's why I'm worried. (The Emperor doesn't answer, taking several of the papers in hand, including the star chart.) Forgive me, your Majesty. I know to even suggest this borders on blasphemy, but–
EMPEROR: (Interrupting him) No. Don't apologize, this needed to be said. (Looking back up at him:) But we must think of China first, of what awaits the people if the Ten Thousand take power once again. I don't think we should pass judgment on your student until we have further proof, but if this does come to pass—Grandmaster, can you defeat her?
SHIFU: No. (Exhaling heavily and looking down at the philosophy scroll with its illustrated yin-yang. The dragon roars silently across the black-and-white field at the swiping tiger.) But I know who can.
[Shot shifts ahead; Shifu is walking through the palace gardens outside the library, alone now and with a depressed, preoccupied expression; he's leaning more heavily than normal on his staff.]
[In another part of the garden, Po and the others are practice-sparring in an open courtyard; Po is fighting Monkey while the others watch and offer commentary:]
MANTIS: –Sorta looked like Master Oogway's nerve-attack technique.
PO: Yeah, that's where I got the idea. (Blocks a punch from Monkey and tries for a spinning-kick, which the simian ducks.) Still haven't totally mastered it though, the scroll's really hard to understand.
VIPER: Could you do it again?
PO: I don't know, it was kinda heat-of-the-moment? I think it was something like this– (redirects another punch and then plants his paw squarely in Monkey's solar-plexus; there's a brief flicker of gold that knocks his opponent back, but nowhere near as powerful as what he did on the temple roof.)
MANTIS: Yeah, that's it!
CRANE: You did it!
MONKEY: Ooh… (Rubbing his torso and giving Po a wincing thumbs-up.) Good job, Po.
PO: Thanks, guys. (Rubbing his chin:) It was stronger before, though. I think I just need more focus, or–
SHIFU'S VOICE: (Grave) Po.
PO: (Looks back over his shoulder.) Oh, Master Shifu! (The students quickly arrange themselves in-line, but their teacher isn't meeting their eyes, instead looking anxiously anywhere else.) Sorry, I didn't see you there.
VIPER: (Noticing that something is off:) Master? Are you alright?
SHIFU: I… (Looks around at his students. They watch him back, trying to read his expression, and he marshalls his self-control.) I am fine, Viper. (To Po.) Come, Panda. There is…there are duties of your role that we must discuss.
PO: (Brightening) Oh! Okay, Master Shifu, I'll be right there. (To the others:) Sorry guys, gotta go do Dragon Warrior stuff.
SHIFU: (Gives a small nod and turns to walk away—looking anxious and, mentally, barely present. Po doesn't seem to notice, but as he jogs after his master, the other Four share worried looks behind him.)
[Scene: the mountain complex. Tigress is standing on top of the veranda, looking down into the courtyard as servants and workers continue setting up for the meeting; from a distance it looks as if she's just looking imperiously down at the preparations, but at closer view we see her calculating expression. Her eyes follow the last servants as the men—a pair of pigs—finish hanging up the tapestry scroll from the monastery behind the main chair and then return to one of the side-buildings.]
NOISE: [The sound of a door shutting. Tigress's pupils shrink slightly; this is her chance. She flips down off the veranda and lands with a light "Hahp!" as she hits the ground and then straightens up. She casts one wary glance over her shoulder towards Zhong's office as she quickly strides to the tables and walks to the seat of honor at the far end, where the view of the maps is right-side up.]
TIGRESS: (Reciting under her breath as she studies the plans:) Gongmen City… the Southern Capital… the Eastern Seaport… (Frowning down at the maps, bewildered.) There's no way he has the manpower for this. What are you playing at, Zhong…?
NOISE: [The click of a door opening; her eyes dart up to the second floor of the main house, and see that Zhong's office door is opening. She turns abruptly on her heels to go around the table, clearly intending to make a break for it—and then stumbles to a halt as something catches her view out of the corner of her eye.]
[Directly behind the chair, from where the tapestry has been set up, the Tiger Emperor is looking down at her imperiously. The cub version of her is still positioned front-and-center of the tapestry, and for a moment the kung fu master is drawn up short—frozen by the curiosity in her younger self's eyes, and the piercing gaze of the Tiger Emperor. There's the noise of faint steps on the stairs behind her as she stares up at the family portrait, and then:–]
MALE VOICE: (Quietly) He would have been proud, of the warrior you've become.
(She turns. Zhong is standing behind her, between her and the open gate—and still wearing his sword. Her eyes narrow, but she glances briefly up to the veranda, and the window visible through the open door of his office.)
ZHONG: (Noticing this and raising both eyebrows at her.) Don't you think you've done enough running away?
[Scene shifts. Po and Shifu have reached another garden courtyard, with Shifu several steps ahead of Po. He stops below a flowering tree, his back still to his student.]
SHIFU: This will have to do. (Turns abruptly to face Po, with all the determination in his face as if he were facing down a great battle.) This will not be pleasant for either of us. Prepare yourself and step forth.
PO: (Repeating with an uneasy laugh.) "Prepare myself?" (But Shifu's face is unyielding, and the panda's brow creases.) Master Shifu, what's going on?
SHIFU: (Sharply:) Step forth, Dragon Warrior. (Looking first surprised and then wary, Po does so.)
[Scene cuts back to Tigress and Zhong. Both of their postures have shifted, just slightly, but the tension is clear. They're both preparing for a fight.]
TIGESS: (Cool) I thought you said I was free to leave.
ZHONG: You are. (Steps forward, untying the sword from his belt and setting it down on the table. Tigress watches it and then looks back up at him, calculating her chances.) If you really want to leave, this fight should be no trouble for Master Tigress of the Jade Palace—if you still think that's who you are.
[Tigress eyes him, and then, with a lunge, she flips clear over the table—and over Zhong, so that she lands with her back to the door. But she doesn't turn and run; her fury has finally reached the boiling-point, and she adopts her starting-stance.]
TIGRESS: (Cold) Ready.
[Miles away in the Forbidden City, Po also raises his fists, eyeing his teacher down.]
PO: So, are you gonna tell me what this is all about? Or are you just gonna be all mystical and kung fu-y so I figure things out on my own again?
SHIFU: Not this time, Panda. Tell me– (takes a swift side-stance and spins his staff, ready for the fight) –what do you know about the principles of unity and duality?
[Cut to Zhong and Tigress. The pair have begun to circle, each watching the other for an opportunity.]
ZHONG: I heard you grew up in an orphanage. I'm sorry. If I had found you sooner, you would have had a much more fulfilling childhood.
TIGRESS: My childhood was perfectly fine.
ZHONG: Oh? I heard they locked you in a room—because that's what they do to monsters, isn't it. (Her eyes narrow.) It's no surprise you hold such loyalty to the first person who let you out of that cage, but you will need to learn to think bigger. (Knowingly:) You must have always felt that a great destiny awaited you.
TIGRESS: (Coolly) What makes you think you know me well enough to say?
ZHONG: (Confident to the point of careless, still circling) I've known you since the day you were born. I know you better than you know yourself. (Unsheathes his claws; Tigress registers this with narrowed eyes, but looks less threatened than unwittingly interested.) More importantly, I knew your father.
(As he passes in front of the shot, the real-world Tigress turns into a paper-cutout of the Tiger Emperor sparring with Zhong in the western mountains, his daughter's mannerisms and step—everything down to the tilt of her head—mirrored by her father before her.)
ZHONG'S VOICE: If only you could see what I see, you would understand. You would know how much he lives on in you.
(The Tiger Emperor lunges.)
(Smashcut.)
PO: (Blocks Shifu's staff.) You mean like, Yin and Yang, right? (Dodges another staff-strike.) Opposites attracting, balance and harmony, all that stuff. (Tries to punch.)
SHIFU: Yes– (Blocks and takes hold of Po's wrist, flipping the panda around on his back.) –"all that stuff." The world, panda, is made out of opposites. (Reacts, as Po undoes the lock by flipping around it, with another swing from the staff; Po dodges it just in time.) Night and day, summer and winter, heaven and earth. Action, and reaction. (Po's circular, reactive style of fighting combines with Shifu's more direct attacks to become a fluid system as they move around the sparring circle.) When these opposites are balanced, nature becomes fruitful, and there is harmony.
PO: (Rolls out of Shifu's leg-sweep and draws back into a ready pose, resetting the pattern of action-reaction. Grimly:) So what happens when there isn't balance?
(Smashcut.)
ZHONG: (Blocks one of Tigress's strong attacks and responds with a clawed one of his own, not holding back. Tigress easily blocks it and responds with another brutal punch, which Zhong blocks in turn.) Your power is impressive. Your strength will only grow as you free yourself from the restraints which have held you down. (Tigress feigns a punch, but he responds unexpectedly by catching rather than blocking it and twisting her arm into a lock.)
TIGRESS: (Gritting her teeth against the pain) Those "restraints" made me who I am. (She contorts, and then manages to flip out of the lock.)
ZHONG: (Impressed:) Perhaps. (He tries for a claw-strike again; she blocks.) But you must have felt you had a destiny—something greater than just being the Dragon Warrior's sidekick. (Tigress's eyes narrow slightly, and Zhong chuckles.) I thought so.
(He lunges forward in front of the shot. Shifu and Po appear on the other side, still sparring:)
SHIFU: Just as there must be balance in nature, there must be balance among people. Between the leader and the follower there must be a harmonious relationship, beneficial to both parties. (There's a brief shot as they separate, showing Po and Shifu, student and master, on opposite sides of the courtyard.) But that is something the Ten Thousand have never understood. When that balance disappears, the relationship withers, and bloodshed and chaos will follow. A dynasty which invites revolution cannot hope to hold the Mandate of Heaven; the China that the Ten Thousand envision could not stand for a hundred years– (he abruptly leaps forward with his staff)–let alone a thousand.
(Tigress and Zhong trade blows. They've fallen into something of a pattern, but their attacks are no less dangerous because of that. We feel the force of their blows whenever one lands.)
ZHONG: Conquest runs in your blood; you are a prophetic figure. All you have to do is accept the glory the universe has already destined for you.
TIGRESS: Let's talk about the prophecy, shall we? Hahp! (Flips out of another grapple and strikes forward with an attack, which Zhong blocks and returns.) What makes you so sure your interpretation is correct?
ZHONG: "For an age Heaven has predominated upon the Earth; now Earth takes its rightful place." (He strikes out, swiping with his claws; Tigress parries.) The dragon symbolizes spiritual power. Take for instance your Dragon Warrior; some believe him to be an incarnated deity, or an avatar of the gods. (Strikes again)
TIGRESS: (Blocks and hits him back with an open-paw strike, pushing him back to his side of the ring; mild snorting.) You think Po is a heavenly spirit?
ZHONG: I'm not terribly concerned with what he is. (Takes stance.) What I care about is you. (They start to circle again, but now Tigress has lost her humor, her gaze gone flat and hard—a transparent attempt to hide her obvious curiosity.) As the dragon symbolizes the heavens, so does the tiger symbolize the earth. Since the beginning of our people, we have been natural rulers—people of strength, nobility, purpose. The glory of what China could be—if only the proper hierarchy of nature were respected. (Lunges forward, closing the distance.)
TIGRESS: (Blocks; as if quoting a childhood lesson:) Nature is a balance. (Falling back into the pattern of strikes and parries:) Just as the different seasons are necessary for life, so are differences among peoples necessary for China to have peace– (Tries to hit; Zhong blocks) –and prosperity. (A second strike.)
ZHONG: (Blocks again) Necessary? Of course they're necessary—in their proper place. (Strikes out.)
(Cut to Shifu and Po, trading quick-paced blows around the circle:)
SHIFU: Light and darkness, sun and rain—both are needed to keep the world in balance. For China to prosper there must be true peace, a peace built on harmony, not fear and corruption. (Po attacks; Shifu blocks.) Likewise, I believe that your and Tigress's destinies may be two sides of the same coin.
PO: (Redirecting a potential strike from the staff) "Two sides of the same coin?" What does that mean? (Returns with a kick.)
SHIFU: (Catches Po's side-kick easily, still pensive:) Shortly before I first brought Tigress to the Jade Palace, Oogway showed me the prophecy of the Thousand Years of Peace. (As Po tries to escape the lock, Shifu whirls him around with the staff; the motion spins us into a flashback of a younger Shifu, reading the prophecy by candlelight in the Hall of Warriors:) He made me no promises, but I began to believe she would unite the earthly leadership of the Jade Palace with the spiritual powers of the Dragon Warrior to bring lasting peace to China. (Whirling staff brings us back to the present, as Po hits the ground and rolls.)
SHIFU: Of course, that did not come to pass—but since that time, I have come to see that her destiny and yours are tied together in ways I still do not fully understand. (He points at the downed Po with his staff.) In you—in both of you—Master Oogway saw the future of Kung Fu. But the meaning of that future is not yet certain. While your abilities lie in the spiritual, hers lie in the physical, in the realm of practical leadership. In the hands of the Ten Thousand, that same leadership could be used to horrible ends.
PO: (Standing and trying to comfort him) Come on, Master Shifu, you know that Tigress would never do that. (Shifu looks up at him, eyes grave, and Po's confident smile falters.) ...You know that, right?
[Cut to Zhong]
ZHONG: The fact that people like that panda or the emperor are in power is everything that is wrong with China. (Tries to hit; she blocks.) The usurpers sit on our thrones, take our titles, and rule with an emotional sentimentality combined with physical weakness! (Another hit; another block, but this time it pushes her back a step.) The world is out of order. What we want—what you want, if you would be honest with yourself—is to put things right. To ensure that the natural rulers rule, and the natural followers follow. That, Empress, is the secret to peace!
(Sweeps her leg suddenly; Tigress, caught off guard, hits the ground. Zhong disengages, standing upright. He gestures to her knowingly) And of course, you know all about usurpers.
TIGRESS: (Standing; retorts, but is winded and not as convincing as she should be:) I don't know what you're talking about.
[Po and Shifu.]
SHIFU: (Beginning to pace) I have known Tigress since she was a little girl. She is brash, abrasive, and has little patience for people who don't meet her standards. (Po nods.) She is also a natural leader. Given who her father was, it may well be a family trait. (Turning abruptly to face him.) Panda. If she asked you to, how far would you follow her?
PO: ...Anywhere. She's our leader, I'd– we'd follow her anywhere, me and the Five. You know we would.
SHIFU: (Grimly:) And what makes you think you're the only ones?
[Zhong and Tigress.]
ZHONG: I've looked into your history. Everyone in the Valley of Peace thought you were certain to be the Dragon Warrior. (Mild chuckle.) How frustrated you must have been when you were passed over for a common, untrained panda.
TIGRESS: (Stiffly) The universe brought the Dragon Warrior before Master Oogway at the proper time. It was not my place to question it.
ZHONG: Even while ignorant of your true identity, your greatness demanded respect and honor among your fellow masters—until the panda came along. The blood of a conqueror runs in your veins, and yet he gets honors, accolades, parades. He's the darling of the people, the favorite of the emperor himself. (Each word grounds itself into her ears as Tigress visibly tenses, fists curling, growl growing.) Whatever you told your Master Shifu, you can't have desired to play second erhu to the Dragon Warrior forever.
TIGRESS: I am second to no one. Po is the Dragon Warrior, but I am Master Tigress! I am the leader of the Furious Five!
ZHONG: Are you?
TIGRESS: (Snarls and lunges)
[Po and Shifu]
PO: (Looking stunned) Master Shifu…what are you saying?
[Zhong and Tigress.]
ZHONG: (Blocks) Twice your Grandmaster Oogway rejected perfect candidates for the title of Dragon Warrior, and who did he choose in your place?! (Tigres snarls again and tries to open-palm-strike; Zhong blocks again.) Only a fool could fail to see the true reasons, and you, my Empress, are no fool!
TIGRESS: (Enraged) Don't talk about things you don't understand! Kyah! (Kicks.)
ZHONG: (Blocks a third time) And now they have taken away your command of your own team! Why?! Not because you failed them, but because of who you are!
TIGRESS: Enough! (Tries to scissor-kick; he blocks, she flips and tries to backhand him.)
ZHONG: (Knocking away her blow and hitting her back:) Your whole life, you have been told to apologize for your power! [Hits; flash: Lan in the garden telling the enraged Tigress she's like her father.] To hide your strength and feel ashamed of it! [Hits; flash: Zeng dropping the bowls of rice in terror.] To let lesser people take your place! [Hits; flash: her sneering at Po through the barrack doors.] To view your ancestors as monsters!
[Hits; flash: a young tiger cub roaring in a hallway as lightning flashes outside the window.]
TIGRESS: (Lets out a wordless roar of fury and charges; in one swift blow she disarms Zhong and shoves him back against the table, her eyes snapped to slits, one arm like a bar across him and claws poised to strike at his last good eye.)
(But she doesn't do it. Her paw wavers in the air. Despite having Zhong at her mercy, she seems somehow unable to follow through.)
ZHONG: (Looking back at her, completely calm) But you, Empress, have nothing to apologize for.
[To Po and Shifu.]
SHIFU: I am saying, Panda, that she has been isolated with them for weeks now, far from anyone who could question the lies they are no doubt telling her.
PO: But she hates the Ten Thousand more than any of us!
SHIFU: (Sharply) Yes! But the hatred she carries has shame at its source, not justice! And hatred that comes from shame is a dangerous thing. It is nothing more than injured pride! (Po is stunned speechless; his master exhales, slumping.) And I know how dangerous injured pride can be in one of my students…or one of my children.
[Shift to Zhong and Tigress. Tigress still has him pinned and she's breathing hard, but it's clear he's rattled her by how her still-slitted eyes have widened and stance weakened.]
ZHONG: (Quietly:) The only thing holding you back is your fear of being feared. Once you free yourself from that, there will be no one who can stand in your way. (Extracts himself from her grip easily:) And as for the panda: let him have his little title. Let him have the Jade Palace. The prophecy is clear that your destiny far exceeds his.
(He steps and gestures broadly to the table, indicating the full panorama of the map of China against which she'd pinned him: its rivers and plains, its mountains and valleys all glowing golden under the torchlight. It radiates gravitas, and Tigress stares at it, stunned.)
ZHONG: (Peering down at it as well; quietly, but firmly:) A destiny where you will never have to apologize for who you are again.
[Po and Shifu:]
SHIFU: (Grim but insistent) Whether she acknowledges it or not, Tigress holds a deep resentment in her heart—for me, and for many other people who have hurt her… and I suspect for you as well.
PO: For me? But– Tigress wouldn't, she's my best friend–
SHIFU: Which is why she could never admit to herself before now that she feels this way. But I believe that inside, she still carries a seed of bitterness over your becoming the Dragon Warrior when she could not. From what we have seen these many months we can conclude that Ten Thousand are experts in manipulating that same sort of resentment in their recruits. (Darkly) And I don't know if she's strong enough to resist them. (Up at him) Po. I do not know entirely how or why, but I know that through this prophecy the two of your fates are linked. I hate considering this possibility as much as you, but if the worst comes to pass then I need to know that you are ready to do what must be done to save China and the Emperor.
[Zhong and Tigress. She stares at the map, seemingly unable to respond; Zhong smiles to himself and steps back.]
ZHONG: Our guests will be arriving in a few hours' time. Until then, consider my proposal. (He heads to the stairs to the main house, and then pauses and looks back.) By the way, your things have been moved to your room. I've left a little gift with them—something to remind you of home.
[Po and Shifu]
PO: Master Shifu, it– it sounds like you're asking me to kill her.
SHIFU: I am asking you to stop her. (Sighs.) By…whatever means prove necessary.
[Tigress stares after Zhong as he vanishes back into his office, and then turns back to the empty courtyard, the table spread with the maps, and the portrait of the father she never met—looking deeply shaken, and deeply alone.]
[Scene: sunset, the Forbidden City, the guard barracks. The door opens and Po comes in, looking troubled. He sits down on the cot, sagging with depression.]
PO: (Looks up over the window, lips pursing. Silhouetted against the fading purple light of the sunset and the lights going on in the Forbidden City and the Capital beyond, six action figures stand on the sill in their kung-fu poses. Beyond them, blossoms swirl past the window and are blown away as the changing winds pick up speed.]
[Cut to the inside of the mountain fortress. Tigress stands briefly on the veranda of the second floor of the main house, looking in on the courtyard. The maps on the table continue to glitter gold in the torchlight, and she turns on her heels and heads inside her room, face a hard mask.]
TIGRESS: (Harshly, to the maids who bow as she enters:) I'm leaving, so don't try to stop me. Where are the scrolls that Zhong's men brought up?
TIGER MAID: (One of the girls points timidly towards the desk. Tigress strides over and picks up the thin prophecy scroll, tucking it into her yellow tunic and grabbing the Dragon Scroll as she turns to go—and then stops dead, turning back as something on the window catches her eye.)
PO: (Sighs and stands up, going to light the lamp. As the lantern-light washes over the room, it illuminates the faces of the painted wooden Five and himself. They're set evenly in a row and arranged by height, with the shortest figurines of Viper and Mantis on either side and the tallest—himself and Tigress—in the middle.)
TIGRESS: (Stares. Set on the windowsill, framed by the glowing lights of the city beginning to glimmer as night falls, is a set of the Jade Palace action figures—no doubt picked up by Zhong during their visit to Mr. Ping's. The characters on the small wooden crate read "The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five – Collector's Set with Box!" Predictably, the Po figure is at the front-and-center of the group with his trademark grin.)
(Her own figurine, of course, is snarling and swiping theatrically—one row behind his.)
PO: (Sighing) Agh, Tigress… (Peering down with worry at his friend's likeness.) Where are you?
TIGRESS: (Continues to stare. The longer she stares the angrier she seems to get, chest rising and falling faster, teeth grinding harder, fists clenching tighter and tighter until–)
NOISE: CRACK! [The Dragon Scroll fractures under her grasp.]
[Scene: The front gates of the mountain complex. Under the cover of darkness, people are arriving with small retinues: we see, among others, a raptor in the tasteful robes of an imperial lord; a grizzled female Ussuri bear and an old tiger, both in beat-up armor; and a golden-cat officer in proper imperial-military armor. Most of the arrivals are middle-aged to older, like Zhong, with the exception of a young mongrel man, whose flashy clothing marks him as a person of means.]
[Shot shifts ahead; the visitors have all taken their seats around the table, watching Zhong—who stands at the head of the table, to the side of the middle-most seat—with alternately curious, suspicious, or even mocking expressions.]
ZHONG: (Eyes flicker up to the still-closed door of Tigress's quarters, and then back down at the table. He gives a smile that's less self-assured than he'd probably like.) Honorable lords, officers and venerable warriors, welcome. I'm glad to see you could all make the journey.
RAPTOR LORD: (Interrupting with annoyance:) A long journey, Zhong. Two days on wing, through the forests, and having to cross over the Wall without being seen? I got soaked to the bone in the clouds. (There are sympathetic grumbles across the table.) This had better be worth it.
ZHONG: (Smoothly) It will be, I assure you. Gentlemen—and lady (he gives an incline of the head to the bear bandit, who snorts, unimpressed)—I am here to present you and the…esteemed cohorts, which you represent…with a glorious opportunity.
GOLDEN-CAT OFFICER: (Studying the maps) This looks more like the opportunity to get slaughtered, Zhong. The Eastern Seaport, Gongmen City? (Looking up at him.) I thought you said you had a plan. With what manpower are you intending to pull this off? What resources?
MONGREL MERCHANT: (Drawling) I'll tell you with what resources: ours. (To the rest of the group:) That's why he's asked us all here, to convince us to sign onto his bad deal.
(There are titters around the table; Zhong looks ready to respond, but the elderly tiger bandit slams his fist down on the table before he can:)
TIGER BANDIT: (Indignant) You ought to show a little more respect for your elders, ungrateful whelp! It was the Tiger Emperor who made your father rich! (About to launch into poetic waxing:) If you only knew the honor that General Zhong is offering you–
BEAR BANDIT: (Snarling) Oh pipe down, you old codger, no one wants to hear relive your glory days!
TIGER BANDIT: How dare you talk to me like th–
RAPTOR LORD: (Interrupting loudly before the two bandits can start brawling:) So where is this "empress" of yours, Zhong? (He gestures around the table with a wing.) Is she late? Picking out a dress? (Snickers arise from the other chairs.) You must take us for fools. Do you really expect us to believe your ridiculous claims that Master Tigress of the Jade Palace has joined up with your doomed little rebellion?
[More laughter; Zhong is visibly biting back a growl at this point, but the snickers and jeers only grow louder until–]
FEMALE VOICE: Yes.
[The generals turn at the sound of something flipping down from the veranda and landing on the flagstones; there's a brief shot from behind as the figure straightens up. In front of them, armor stark black over the yellow imperial jacket and cool red eyes surveying the group, a newcomer has appeared.]
TIGRESS: I do.
END ACT TWO
NOTES:
-I tried to figure out what the inside of a Chinese chuán/junk boat would look like in this era, but the best I could find was that there were apparently separate cabins for higher-ranked officers, and a single cross-section illustration which shows that there were bunks/berths instead of hammocks (as would have been in use in Europe).
-The veranda scene: The Tiger General is not actually in the Forbidden City proper at this point, but in one of the pavilions of Jingshan Imperial Park. Previously a private imperial garden attached to and directly behind the Forbidden City, now a public park, its pavilions on artificial hills offer splendid views of the Forbidden City and Beijing as a whole.
-This story is actually making a major historical inaccuracy that I feel is worth noting. Although the Tiger Emperor is somewhat inspired by the Yongle Emperor, he's not a 1:1 parallel—specifically because the Yongle Emperor was the one who built the Forbidden City, along with the Templer of Heaven, and moved the capitol to Beijing ("Northern Capitol") from Nanjing ("Southern Capitol") after his successful rebellion against the previous emperor and his ascension to the throne. This is an intentional choice in order to blur the era into a more "fantasy" setting and avoid identifying the villains with any real historical individuals or dynasties, but due to how significant an "error" it is, I wanted my readers to be aware of it.
-"One out of every thirty bushels"—this is accurate to Ming dynasty tax rates on agriculture.
-Chengdu, Sichuan: the place of origin for mapo tofu, a type of tofu in spicy sauce and a local delicacy for the city—the same dish Po and Tigress eat in Chapter 5. The implication is that Sun and Feng have traveled there for Sun to learn how to make it and bring a new specialty back north.
-"a Ying original"—this is a reference to Qiu Ying, one of the Four Masters of Ming-dynasty art. Although a member of the Wu school of painting, which emphasized ink washes, Qiu Ying was a flexible painter who also worked in the "blue-and-green" style, which used mineral dyes to make these colors pop on the background. Qiu Ying was especially noted for being good at copying older paintings and styles, making him popular with collectors of his day.