Chapter 5: Where To Start?

[Shi Han Jun]
It was the middle of the night when he summoned the Eunuch. He was sitting at his table by the candlelight. As he poured over the documents, his forehead started to sweat. Exasperated, he picked up his writing brush and dipped it delicately into the black ink. He was about to start writing when he suddenly stopped, his hand hovering inches from the paper. He couldn't bring himself to write it. He was so close to decreeing it, but would he dare? He was agonizing over his choices when a voice interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Bai Li has arrived," the messenger announced.

"Tell him to come in," the Emperor ordered as he put his brush down.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he bowed and left.

The Emperor waited a couple of minutes and soon, a man in a long purple robe entered. He wore a futou which was a headdress with two wing-like shaped flaps that stuck out from the left and right side and acted as decorations.

"Chen, cān jiàn bì xià," Greetings, Your Majesty. He held his arms up and brought his fingertips to touch. He bowed deeply.

"Please rise, Eunuch Bai Li," the Emperor said.

"Xiè bì xià,"Thank you, Emperor.  He replied as he straightened. 

"Why have you summoned Chen at such an hour, Your Majesty?" Bai Li asked.

"Zhen is sure you know the reason. Why then do you act surprised, Eunuch Bai Li?"

"Forgive me Your Majesty, Chen knows not what you mean. Chen dares not guess the reason. Please enlighten me."

"Oh? Are you sure you don't know? Zhen is sure you are aware of the trouble brewing in the city?"

"By trouble, does Your Majesty mean the riots happening in the city lately?"

"Precisely."

"Chen is indeed aware. Rest assured, the riots have been quelled."

"At the present, it seems to be so. However, who knows if this peace will last? How do you, Eunuch Bai Li, plan to keep the city at peace?"

He bowed slightly, "Chen will be sure to keep the Jing people in line. Chen will make sure they don't get the chance to cause trouble and will make it ten times harder for them to gather together."

There was an intense silence.

Finally, the Emperor spoke. "Good. Very good. You know the consequences you will face if you fail now. Don't you?"

Eunuch Bai Li bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"It's good that you remember... Zhen also has another reason why you were summoned."

"Your Majesty, enlighten Chen."

"A month ago, there were rumors that the Yan Gu had resurfaced. Worst of all, it's rumored that a highly secretive assassin sect has control of it. Now a month later, riots suddenly started occurring. What is your perspective on this?"

"Chen doesn't dare to have an opinion, Your Majesty."

"Eunuch Bai Li, you are highly respected for your insight and wisdom. Zhen summoned you here because Zhen trusts you not to be an irrational, impulsive man. Zhen is asking you for your perspective. Now answer."

"Yes, Your Majesty. Given the information, it does seem to be too much of a coincidence that riots are happening right after rumors have resurfaced."

"Since this is the case, what would you suggest Zhen do?" The Emperor asked as he stood up and started to pace. He put his arms behind his back and his right hand held his left wrist. He stood tall and proud as he paced back and forth across the room.

Bai Li bowed and replied, "Respectfully, Your Majesty, Chen thinks it would be wise to investigate the rumors thoroughly and check if the assassin group does, in fact, exist. If the rumors are proven true, then we should seize that opportunity and take the Yan Gu away."

"Hmmm. This seems like a wise course of action. In your opinion, who should I give this responsibility to?"

"As Your Majesty knows, First Prince, Shi Jing Chun is currently reigning as the general over your army and has been sent to Jing Du to quell the rebellion. Second Prince, Shi Wen Yi is sickly and can't go out of the palace for long. This leaves the Third Prince. Because he is an illegitimate child, he has no inheritance to the throne. To send him to investigate the rumors would be an excellent choice. If anything unfortunate happens to him, you still have two other sons, but if he succeeds, he can become a high ranking official in the imperial court and assist Your Majesty. "

The Emperor stroked his beard as he thought. "You propose a very good idea. Alright. Zhen will do everything you had suggested."

"Fu Long!" The Emperor called.

In ran a man who immediately half bowed. "Your Majesty, Chen is at your service."

"Summon the Third Prince now," the Emperor ordered.

"Yes, your Majesty," he said as he left.

Turning his attention back on Eunuch Bai Li, the Emperor waved his hand to dismiss him. "You may leave now."

Bai Li bowed one last time and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty." He backed out of the room still facing the emperor.

After he had exited, the Emperor looked at the papers on his desk, and with a sigh, picked them up and held them close to the candle. The papers caught on fire. He dropped the burning papers into the ashtray, where they slowly burned into ashes. *********************************************************************

A young man sat at his table holding a book in his right hand and studiously reading. His brows furrowed as he attempted to comprehend the words in front of him. His clothes were made of a silk blue as his long sleeves hung off his arms and rested on top of the table. He heard footsteps and glanced up. It was his loyal servant, Wei Mian Feng.

"Third Prince, the Emperor wants to meet you," he said as he held up his arms, made his fingertips touch, and bowed.

It's so late already. What urgent matter has caused Father to summon me? Shi Han Jun wondered. "Did Fu Huang say anything else?" He asked as he focused his attention back on the book.

"Nothing, Third Prince. But I'm guessing it was really important because he met with Bai Li just now."

Shi Han Jun sighed as he closed the book and placed it on top of a neat stack of books. "If that's the case, I had better get ready. Tell him I'm on my way," he said as he stood up.

"Yes Third Prince," Wei Mian Feng said as he exited the room.

Father wants to see me? What important matter does he have that he must meet me now? Shi Han Jun wondered. He quickly organized his marble table and got dressed. Putting on an extra black fur coat on, he strode to the mirror and patted his sleeves. I should be warm enough. It was winter all year round and especially at night, the temperatures would drop below freezing.

Standing in front of the two doors that led him to the outside world, he took a deep breath and breathed out slowly. Then bracing himself for the cold, he slid the two doors apart. A wall of chilly night air hit his face and immediately snatched all the warmth from his face. After sliding the doors closed, he set out.

The moon was bright as he crossed the huge spacious courtyard. The landscape was covered in an endless sea of white. The moon's light bounced off the snow, making it appear as bright as day. Shi Han Jun carefully made his way through the courtyard as he avoided the many patches of thin ice that had formed on the stone steps. Every morning, the servants had to shovel the snow because it usually snowed at night. Tonight, he was lucky. There was no snow but water on the ground had frozen, creating little patches of thin ice. If he were not careful enough, he might hurt himself. As he made his way across the courtyard, the wind picked up, howling in the night, and Shi Han Jun tightly wrapped his fur coat around himself.

Having crossed the enormous courtyard, he navigated his way through a maze of hallways. After a bit, he finally arrived at the front of his father's study room. He peered through the crack of the slightly ajar door. His father was hunched over the table as he wrote diligently on a piece of paper. Though his father was only in his early forties, to Shi Han Jun, Father suddenly looked very old and seemed to be carrying some great burden which weighed on his body and mind. The candle light showed a stern and determined face as he wrote eloquently with a brush. For a moment, Shi Han Jun just stood there admiring Father. Rarely was he ever able to see this side of Father. To everyone else, his father was a stern, strong emperor who ruled the nation justly. No one would have ever guessed that the emperor had his weak moments because in their eyes, the emperor was ordained by God, so how could he be imperfect?

Suddenly, a gust of wind slung open the door and banged it against the wall. Shi Han Jun found himself fully exposed.

Startled by the loud bang, the Emperor glanced up and upon seeing Shi Han Jun, he said, "Hello my son. How long have you been standing there?"

Shi Han Jun coughed uncomfortably then walked into the room. Stopping in front of his father, he brought his hands to his chest, made his fingers touch, and bowed. " Jiàn Fu Huang," he said. "I have just arrived and was about to knock when the wind suddenly blew open the door. Forgive me for startling you."

"Oh. I see. Miǎn lǐ." Drop the formalities.

Shi Han Jun straightened. The Emperor's personal eunuch closed the door.

The Emperor strode over to a shorter marble table to Shi Han Jun's left. He knelt on the ground and then sat on the back of his legs. "Come, join me," he said as he spread his hand across a chess board. Shi Han Jun obeyed and walked to the cushion placed near the table. He brushed his palm across the cushion as if to dust it off. After he was seated, the Emperor asked, "Would you like to go first, my son?"

Shi Han Jun took out a white piece of silk cloth and wiped the black container. He then placed the cloth flat on his open palm and took a piece out from the container and rubbed it on the cloth. Afterwards, he smiled and placed his piece in the middle of the board.

"Ahhh, Shi Han Jun, you always start with the same move. Perhaps try changing it up a bit? Your habits might give you away someday," the Emperor said as he used two fingers to pick up a round white piece. He placed it delicately on the board diagonal from Shi Han Jun's piece.

"Hmmm," Shi Han Jun said as he picked up his next piece, put it on the cloth, and thought about his next move. He placed it right across from the Emperor's piece.

"Ha! That was a good move, but not good enough," the Emperor said as he placed the piece to the left of where Shi Han Jun had placed his last piece. And just like that, they put piece after piece as they tried to outdo each other. Soon, the board was filled with black and white pieces.

It was the Emperor's turn.

"Well? Aren't you going to put down a piece?" Shi Han Jun asked as the Emperor fidgeted with the white piece in his hand.

After a moment, he threw the piece into its container and exclaimed, "Good! Very good! You were indeed taught by me! You used a predictable pattern of putting pieces down to make Zhen think he knew what you were going to do. Then you started to put the pieces down randomly and confused Zhen. Very well played, Shi Han Jun!"

"Fu Huang! We both know you just let me win."

"That's not true. Zhen was doing his best to beat you!"

They cleared the board and the Emperor took a jade cup and poured himself a cup of tea. "Drink tea," he said as he placed one cup in front of Shi Han Jun. Using the white piece of silk cloth, Shi Han Jun wiped the rim of the cup. Then he wiped the handle of the teapot and then the whole surface of the teapot. Finally satisfied, he poured some tea into the jade cup. He lifted the cup to his lips, and took a sip. Setting the cup down, Shi Han Jun broke the silence, "Why did you call me tonight? Is Jing Chun alright?"

The Emperor set his cup down and chuckled. "Han Jun, you are always worried about your brother. Don't worry, he's fine."

There was a confused look on Han Jun's face.

The emperor sighed. "Zhen has a very important task Zhen needs you to do."

Han Jun stood up and bowed, replying, "It is my honor to accept any command you have for me. I will do whatever you order, Fu Huang."

"That is my good son. Han Jun, I want you to know that the task Zhen is about to give you is really important." There was a slight pause as the Emperor waited for a response. When none was given, he continued. "As you know, your oldest brother is in the south, quelling a rebellion and Wen Yi is sickly and can't go out of the palace often. I can only trust you with this task."

There was another pause. Then he said, "I am sure you've heard rumors of the reappearance of Yan Gu. It is said that a mysterious sect that goes by the name Huang Feng, has the Yan Gu and is searching for the other pieces. My son, I want you to investigate this mysterious sect and the rumors, and if they are true, I want you to find a way to take it."

"Fu Huang, I have never known you to be someone who cared about rumors such as these. Why is it so important to investigate this rumor? What exactly is the Wu Bian Wu Ji and why does this mysterious sect want it and the other pieces so badly?"

"My son, it's about time you know. The Wu Bian Wu Ji is a treasure that, if one opens it, will enable a person to rule the world. However, in order to open the Wu Bian Wu Ji, you need to have four pieces: Sui Shou, Dan Wen, Xue Lu, and Yan Gu."

"Fu Huang, if opening up the Wu Bian Wu Ji is as simple as finding all four pieces, then why didn't someone try to open it earlier?"

"Many have and as a result, Jiang Hu was thrown into chaos as different sects fought each other for the pieces. The bloodshed would have continued if the Yan Gu didn't suddenly disappear."

"Ahhhh, I see what you're worried about. You're worried that with the resurfacing of the Yan Gu, Jiang Hu will once again be thrown into turmoil and bloodshed."

The Emperor nodded. "That is one of the reasons. The other reason is, many only know that the Wu Bian Wu Ji is a great treasure, but they don't know that if they open up the Wu Bian Wu Ji, they also release a beast that could wreak more havoc in Jiang Hu and destroy the world as we know it."

"So you want me to find out if the rumor is true and take the Yan Gu. Fu Huang, are you hoping if we take it, we can avoid the chaos that it may lead to?"

"Yes, my son."

"But what about the other pieces? What if someone has all three pieces and is just waiting for us to find the last one?"

"This is why the mission is so important. As long as we get the Yan Gu first, no one will be able to open the treasure at all. As long as one of the pieces is missing, they can't open it."

Han Jun sat back and crossed his arms as his brows furrowed. "I understand."

"Indeed. My son, I not only want you to take the Yan Gu, but I also want you to see if you can get news of any of the other pieces. That way, I can better understand how to de-escalate this whole situation and avoid the catastrophe."

"Er Chen míng bái. I will make sure to complete the task you've given me," Shi Han Jun said.

There was a brief pause.

"Well, it's getting late, Fu Huang, and I have to set out tomorrow. Er Chen xiān gào tuì," Shi Han Jun said as he got up, stuck his arms out, and made his finger tips touch. He bowed.

"Alright, Zhen is tired too. If you have any news, remember to update me by using a messenger pigeon. Wei Mian Feng knows where the royal pigeon stations are located. You can also take a couple of pigeons for your trip just in case. Stay safe, my son. Jiang Hu is very dangerous, so be careful," the Emperor said as he leaned against the table, his right arm supporting his head, and closed his eyes.

"Yes, Fu Huang. Er Chen gào tuì," Shi Han Jun said as he backed out of the room and returned to his own.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Chen (臣）:it's a way to address oneself when speaking to the emperor

Cān jiàn(参见）:a respectful way to greet someone

bì xià (陛下）: majesty

Xiè( 谢）:to thank, thanking

Zhen(朕）:I, the sovereign, we, typically used by the emperor

Miǎn lǐ (免礼）：this is used by superiors to tell people below them to forgo fomalities

jiàn(见）:to meet, a polite way to acknowledge and greet someone and is not tied to societal position

Fu Huang (父皇）: it's how a Prince addresses the emperor by acknowledging the king is both is father (父) and emperor (皇）

Mu Yi: ruled by Shi An Ning (Yan)

He Xuan: ruled by Dong Shan (Yan)

Qing Miao: ruled by Su Bing Zhou (Jing)

Qiu Jin: ruled by Quan Kun (Jing)

The two Yan rulers made an alliance and Su Bing Zhou, one of the Jing ruler's, forfeited his power to Quan Kun so that the Jings could unite under one leader.

After the war was over, Quan Kun sent out assassins to kill Dong Shan.

Míng bái(明白）：to understand

Er Chen (儿臣）:prince's way to address himself while also acknowledging he is the son of the emperor as he speaks to the emperor

xiān (先）:will first

Gào tuì (�'�退）:take his leave