The coppery sun rose over the Great Wall, and eleven-year-old Li Fei stood silently on her family's balcony to watch it. She wasn't like the other girls in China. After all, her parents were quite famous, particularly her mother, Mulan.
Thirteen years ago, China was at war with the Huns. Her father, Li Shang, had been the captain of the recruits. While her mother had taken the Huns out by triggering an avalanche, her father had been wounded by the leader of the Huns.
Then, in one unforgettable night, her mother had braved the Underworld to rescue her father's soul and prevailed where no one had before. Afterward, her father informed the Emperor that a woman had succeeded where every man had failed.
The Emperor was so grateful and surprised that he'd offered her mother a job as one of his counselors. Mulan had informed him that first, she'd have to sort out her family affairs and arrange her marriage. After that, she'd gladly join his council.
That ludicrous Chi Fu attempted to get her kicked off the council again because she was a woman. Even after her parents had saved a flooded village, he only complimented her for saving his sorry ass.
Still, her parents continued encouraging women to demonstrate they had more to contribute than being wives and mothers. So when Fei was born, she received an education other girls were forbidden. Plus, her father had instructed her to fight till she could best him like her mother did.
However, today was extra crucial. By the Emperor's own request, Fei would be joining her parents today at the royal palace for dinner with the Emperor himself! Fei couldn't wait to show those stuck-up woman-haters what the daughter of the Hero of China could do!
"Bring on the day! I'm going to make my family proud! I'm my mother's daughter, and I want to prove it! Today's the day to prove it like my mother did!" the preteen girl exclaimed as she bolted inside to get dressed.
She settled on an imperial red dress embroidered with golden phoenixes. After fiddling with her hair for hours, she ultimately settled on a long ponytail with the flower comb tucked above her right ear. She then put on her golden dragon pendant, a gift from the Emperor when she'd been born.
"Mother! Father! I'm ready!" as she skipped out of her room only to find her parents kissing. "Eww!" she made a disgusting face. Her parents pulled out of their kiss before chuckling at their only child.
"Oh, Fei. One day, love will come your way. Then this won't seem gross to you, my little warrior," her father replied, using his nickname for her.
"Maybe, Father. But for now? I want to demonstrate that I have what it takes to follow in my parents' footsteps. After all, if I'm going to take Mother's position one day as an advisor, I must start today!"
"Oh, little warrior," laughed her mother. "We're just attending a small gathering today while your father checks the troops over."
"I know that! But it's still vital to me to make a lasting impression!" the attractive preteen exclaimed loudly. Her parents chuckled again before becoming serious.
"Okay, just remember not to speak at the conference. This isn't because you're a girl, Fei. You're only shadowing me today. So, your job is to observe what is going on carefully. Alright?"
"Yes, Mother! See you later, Father!" as she hugged him before she and her mother strolled off. As her mother instructed, Fei meticulously took in every detail around her. She also minded her manners and showed respect to other palace staff.
Finally, they arrived at the assembly chamber. Of course, the rest of the council was flabbergasted to see a child, let alone a girl, there. They'd only begrudgingly accepted Mulan. That said, they had no idea why her daughter was with her.
"My fellow council members, I know my daughter's presence is unexpected. But the Emperor himself has requested that my daughter accompany me as I do my responsibilities starting today so she can take my place when I step down."
Fei disregarded the murmuring and disgusting looks the old fuddy-duddies gave her. Instead, she calmly followed her mother to where the extra chair had been set up. Again, today, she listened and observed silently as advisors discussed the taxes and trading expenses.
While not permitted to speak, Fei did write down some ideas she had come up with. She'd even figured out how they could shorten the time it took to travel to trade.
Eventually, the meeting concluded for the day, and as they departed, Fei showed her mother the list of ideas and suggestions she had written down. Her mother smiled proudly and promised to discuss them with the Emperor at dinner. Then, they arrived at the training grounds to watch the new recruits fail to retrieve the arrow.
Fei gave her mother a sideways glance. "How come you're the only one to figure out how to retrieve the arrow during training?"
"Because I used my brains, and most men are taught to think with their muscles," giggled her mother as so many young boys failed at the exercise. Fei couldn't help but laugh as well. Eventually, her father told the recruits they were done for the day.
Fei noticed how much her mother loved the sweat glistening on her father's shirtless body. Again, she figured, she was still too young to understand this. Or she just hadn't found someone to make her feel that way—probably a bit of both.
The rest of the day went smoothly till dinner time. Sitting at the same table as the Emperor himself was nerve-wracking. But he seemed to enjoy having a child there for company.
He asked her questions and seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. She also brought up some ideas she had conceived during the meeting. Again, the older man seemed immensely impressed.
He looked at the couple and smiled. "You two are truly blessed to have such a wonderful child as Fei. Undoubtedly, she'll help make China a better place for all when she comes of age. So let's raise our glasses in a toast to both Fei and the future of China!" Everyone did, and Fei couldn't help but beam in pride.