Chapter 5: Chapter 5

“I will not!”

All the patience and goodwill left Xinyue’s body as she stared down Princess Yuyan, the current bane of her existence, as she refused to eat the food cooked for her by the soldiers. If it wasn’t the food, it was the campsite. If it wasn’t the campsite, it was the sound of the armor clanking. If it wasn’t the sounds, it was that the smell of the fire was too pungent. Xinyue could feel the last nerve she had being danced upon by embroidered silk slippers.

“And, why won’t you?” Xinyue’s voice was like a sword’s edge, sharp and pointed. The soldiers around the makeshift campsite shuffled their feet and tried to look anywhere but at the General and the Princess. They shuffled the coals in the fire and found themselves looking for more firewood. Only the princesses’ servants remained calm and collected, standing tall in front of the General.

“It is not fit for a princess to be eating such a thing.” Princess Yuyan scoffed and turned on the cushioned stool that was supplied by one of her many servants. It wasn’t a question, but she looked at the maidservant next to her for agreement. The maidservant nodded, the simple hairpin that held her hair back gleaming in the firelight. Each princess had brought ten servants with them to serve them and to help them adjust to the hard journey. They had wanted to bring more, but His Majesty refused. He probably did not want to anger the Kingdom of Long by implying that the princesses would not receive good care in their kingdom.

“Then eat your own food that you have brought.”

Princess Yuyan sneered in response, her black eyes flickering with anger and resentment. She scrutinized the General, almost as if trying to see behind the black cloth; she squinted her eyes, but then suddenly looked away as Xinyue continued to stare at her. The Princess was pretty, after all, she was an exact copy of the Queen, but she didn’t inherit the King’s gold eyes, a symbol of the royal family. Her hands trembled and she balled them into fists. It rankled her to no end, to look at Xinyue and her golden eyes.

“We did not bring any.” Princess Lihua, the daughter of Concubine Ruxuan, squeaked out. The two princesses agreed about the food, perhaps the first thing they agreed upon in their whole lives, but sat facing away from each other. The petite Princess Lihua had parked her carriage as far as she could from Yuyan when Xinyue had given the orders to stop the caravan.

“Then you have two options.”

Yuyan smiled, pleased she had options and she was going to get her way. After all, what was a General compared to that of a princess?

“You eat what we have provided or you won’t eat at all,” Xinyue paused, then continued, “Your Highnesses.”

The smile dropped from Yuyan’s face, and Lihua gasped in shock at the harsh manner her sister was being treated.

“Wait until my mother hears about this.” Yuyan threatened Xinyue with the Queen, her cheeks a bright red.

“Sure, Your Highness, I will wait.”

Yuyan spluttered and flapped her hands in the air, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

“Couldn’t you go and buy something else?” Lihua offered from nearby, the hope in her voice prevalent.

“Or use the weapons His Majesty provided for you to hunt something else?” Yuyan snidely offered, her nose upturned.

“There are no stores here. We are almost at the portal site.” Xinyue answered Lihua first before she turned to Yuyan, “This forest is the property of the temple that maintains and watches over the portal, their cultivators are responsible for our trip. To kill an animal in their forest would go against the temple rules.”

Although all temples and cultivators answered to the King, it wouldn’t bode well to piss off any of the cultivators who were in charge of the portal.

“Well, I guess you would know about the temples. I have never been.” Yuyan smirked and threw her hair over one shoulder. She hoped to wound Xinyue by reminding her of her parents’ abandonment and her time being sent to the temple.

“Yes, you’re right. I do know about temples.” Xinyue accepted the words without pause. “Your two options remain.”

Yuyan grabbed the bowl from the soldier and turned her back to Xinyue. Lihua followed suit soon after Yuyan, her shoulders rounded and tense as she ate. They both delicately lifted the utensils to their mouths and took petite bites of food.

“General, you’re needed in the main tent.” A soldier came to Xinyue with the message, and she was grateful that she could leave the two princesses’ presence.

“Your Highnesses.” Xinyue saluted and walked away before they found anything else in camp not to be of their liking.

Haoran waited for Xinyue outside of the General’s tent. He was tense, and his hands clenched into fists at his side.

“I guess Zixin left us a message?” Xinyue entered through the flap and into the warmly lit tent. Xiaobo was already inside, a hawk with a paper grasped in its talons on his left shoulder, the soldier was feeding it various insects and cooing at it.

“Yes, General.” Haoran was terse as he walked over to Xiaobo and took the message from the hawk.

Xinyue took the message Haoran gave her with two hands and unraveled the tiny scroll. The message was coded and sealed with magic. If the magic defense failed, the code would succeed in protecting the message inside.

Xinyue took a deep breath and pulled at the magic that pooled deep within her sternum and the bottom of her stomach. It took a bit of tugging before it flowed freely up and down Xinyue’s spine; she felt it like warm water pooling and falling over and over again. It wrapped around the scroll, plucking away at its defenses, which seamlessly fell away when it recognized Xinyue’s cultivation. Spreading the pool of warmth outward, Xinyue silenced their voices so their conversations could not be heard from the outside.

“Zixin has reported back on the State of Long.” Xinyue made quick work of the code.

“Well?” Xiaobo piped up his voice high and curious voice. “What did he say? What’s happening?” He balanced on the balls of his feet, trying to look at the note in Xinyue’s hand. Even Haoran looked curious about what the spymaster had to say, not reprimanding the younger soldier for his questions.

“We were right to assume that something triggered the necessity of the Crown Prince of Long’s marriage. Although they’ve yet to announce it, and they don’t want to make it known to the world, our spies in the palace have reported that something is wrong with the King of Long.”

Xiaobo sat back on his heels, causing the hawk on his shoulder to flap its wings and readjust itself with a ruffling of its feathers.

“Is Zixin sure?” Haoran’s hand reached out almost to grab the paper in the General’s outstretched one, but he restrained himself. With great strength, he wrestled his arm back to his side and reminded himself to remain patient.

“He wouldn’t have sent this message if he weren’t.” Xinyue sat on one of the stools in the tent, one foot over her knee and her head in her hand, as she considered the message.

“I don’t understand. What does that mean for us?” Xiaobo looked between the two older and more experienced soldiers.

“It means that this isn’t by coincidence that they are having this…competition.” Haoran struggled for the proper word to describe what was about to happen but gave up. “This really is for the queen’s seat.”

Xiaobo looked between the two of them, and cocked his head to the side. “I thought that was obvious? Didn’t they say they were looking for a bride?”

“A bride could have meant many different things,” Xinyue explained, “It could have been an excuse for trade, diplomacy, or other things. If they were truly ambitious, they could also have used this opportunity to start a war.”

“A war?” Xiaobo’s voice cracked, and Haoran gave his foot a bit of a nudge. “Why would they want that?”

“Think about it.” Haoran sighed. “Who is the most economically powerful state right now?”

“The Long Kingdom.”

“Right. And who has the best reputation and biggest amount of natural resources?”

“The Long Kingdom.” Xinyue could almost see the cogs turning in Xiaobo’s head as Haoran laid everything out for him.

“And, besides us, of course, who has the strongest military and the most stable royal family?”

“The Long Kingdom.” Xiaobo’s answer came out more of a whisper as he finally understood what was happening. “They would’ve become an empire.”

“They still could.” Xinyue cut in. “Depending on who the next Queen of the Long Kingdom is and the plans the Crown Prince has for the Kingdom. There is no Queen Dowager; the Crown Prince’s grandmother and mother passed away long ago.”

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“But-but the King-“

“Will possibly pass soon,” Haoran answered for Xinyue. “Whoever becomes the King of the Long Kingdom has the opportunity to start a war with the kingdoms to create an empire.”

“No one would let that happen!”

Xinyue sighed. “The Feng Kingdom is split apart with too much political strife. They would have to unite together to be able to fight against the Long Kingdom. The Mu Kingdom’s King has already been out of commission for years, and the Grand Mentor, while powerful, has not set up a stable enough military to take on the Long Kingdom.”

“Our Wu Kingdom! Our Wu Kingdom is strong.” Xiaobo grasped at straws. His head turned between the two soldiers in front of him, hoping someone could stop the bloody scenario being painted in front of him.

“Yes, we are militarily strong, but why do you think that is?” Haoran’s voice was cold as he looked at the General in front of him. “I will be harsh, I apologize, General.”

General Xinyue nodded; she already knew what was going to be said next.

“You saw the King, Xiaobo. He was exhausted; he had been fighting politically with the court for all these years. Not to mention with the Queen.” Haoran was cold and analytical, almost cruel. “The Crown Prince of Wu has never made it out of the palace and barely has any involvement in court. The only reason we would survive is because of the General, but she is not favored politically or in court. She was exiled.”

It was a harsh reality that was being spoken about in hushed tones in the General’s tent.

“That means, we will all become a part of the Long Kingdom.” Xiaobo’s face was filled with fear but also a sense of awe, his mouth parted and his eyes wide.

“Again, not necessarily.” Xinyue’s mind turned over the possibilities. “This is one strategy and option available to the Crown Prince of Long. It is not guaranteed that he is thinking this way. After all, he did ask for marriage.”

Marriage, a sign of peace and the joining of hands. It was possible that the Crown Prince wanted a peaceful joining of states and that he would maintain the status quo.

“We’re all talking about the one who’s called the God of Death, right?” Xiaobo raised his eyebrows.

“I am called the God of War, but I have prayed to the Gods to stop wars. I have chosen the least violent way, unless absolutely necessary. I have sacrificed much to control and temper the impact of war on citizens.” Xinyue raised a singular brow at Xiaobo, and he hung his head. “Should we not give the God of Death a chance?”

“Xiaobo, the General knows the Crown Prince of Long personally. We can only wait for time to pass to reveal his true intention.” Haoran lifted his hand as if to place it on Xiaobo’s still-hung head, but thought better of it and let it drop to his side again.

“The Crown Prince isn’t a vicious man, cruel at times, but violence isn’t in his nature. At least the man I met on the battlefield and fought with.”

“Let’s say he’s not going to create more wars and he won’t form an empire.” Xiaobo lifted his head and took a deep breath. “Then what is the other option?”

“Either option, there is only one best outcome for us.” Haoran nodded a bit to himself.

“What?”

Xinyue sighed. “We need one of the princesses of Wu to marry into the Long royal family.”

“We do?” Xiaobo squeaked.

“Hm.”

Haoran’s hands lifted as if he were communicating and praying to the heavens. “Oh, how I wish you were given a better brain.”

“Well, that’s just rude.”

“If the empire were to come to be, if one of the princesses were the Queen of Long, don’t you think the King of Long would be less likely to murder all of its citizens. It may even be a peaceful takeover. Not to mention that having an insider in the palace would be helpful for intel or for diplomatic talks.”

“Oh. I see your point.”

“If it’s not an empire, it would still benefit us for a princess of Wu to marry into the State of Long because of the trade, economy, diplomacy, and other benefits that would come from marrying into the kingdom. But, also, because it can secure our position as not an equally powerful state, but the second most powerful kingdom. This would help the Crown Prince of Wu when he becomes King and would stabilize his reign.”

That was the biggest problem of the Wu Royal Family: the lack of stability. Even before the Crown Prince of Wu’s sickness, which took the use of his legs, the royal family suffered from the court’s power dynamics and the lack of a strong ruler. Although His Majesty has worked for years to claw and drag the power back to the throne, there was a risk that the royal family would lose it all with his death. When His Majesty came into power twenty-three years ago, he had barely any scraps of authority left to him by the previous King. This time, the Crown Prince would be given a great deal of power, but could lose it in an instant. Especially with the plotting Queen and the conniving Concubine still alive and waiting for any sign of weakness to swoop in.

Xinyue felt it was time to add on to what Haoran was saying. “We also can’t let the Feng Kingdom or the Mu Kingdom gain this positioning. It’s not just because of the many benefits, but also because we don’t know if they would consider the empire more advantageous. Especially the Mu Kingdom.”

With the Mu Kingdom’s King spiraling out of control and the lack of a clear heir, the Mu Kingdom’s court may decide it would be better to join the Long Kingdom’s Empire.

“So we have to hope that the Crown Prince of Long is a good guy?” Xiaobo scratched his head. Even though he had not met the man, he had heard the numerous stories. To Xiaobo, the man was a living legend.

“Knowing him, he has already considered all the possibilities and outcomes. I would not be surprised if he hasn’t already come up with an ideal candidate.” Xinyue knew that the Crown Prince was calculating and strategic. The damn scar on her shoulder itched and begged to be scratched. “We need to watch him and try to get a gauge on his plans.”

“That would be easy for you, General.” Haoran shrugged.

“What does that mean?” Xiaobo’s puppy-like eyes looked at Xinyue.

“He only refers to our past meeting.”

Haoran covered a smile behind a hand, pretending as if it were a yawn, but Xinyue saw it.

“When we get to the Kingdom of Long, we can sort everything out. For now, we need Zixin to keep gathering information.” Xinyue looked at the paper in her hand and felt a tug in her stomach. The code shifted and disappeared, only to reappear with Xinyue’s message. The paper rolled itself into a tightly rolled scroll and glowed as it resealed.

“Goodbye, hawk.” Xiaobo gave the head of the bird a soft pat before it held up its leg to receive the message for Zixin.

“Do we know where Zixin is right now?” Xiaobo smoothed the bird’s wings as Xinyue tied the scroll tightly to its outstretched leg.

“He is in the Feng Kingdom. At least that was his last location.” Haoran stared at the bird, his hand carefully patting and gently scratching under the bird’s neck. The hawk leaned into its hand a bit and tilted its head.

“Zixin will be safe there. He won’t do anything out of the ordinary that would get him caught.” Xinyue finished with the scroll.

“I didn’t say I was worried about him.”

“Neither did I.” Xinyue gestured for Xiaobo to take the hawk out of the tent and to send him off to find his master.

“Zixin knows what he’s doing. He wouldn’t be caught by the likes of the Feng Kingdom’s guards.” Haoran glanced at his hands.

Xinyue nodded once in assurance, her second-in-command was far more transparent than he thought he was.

“General.” With a simple salute, Haoran was dismissed from the tent to get some rest before they went over to the portal sight tomorrow.

Xinyue looked around the tent before pulling off the cloth over her face. She walked to her bed and took off the knife she kept at her waist. Its sheath was simple and functional, black leather with a buckle, but the handle was far from ordinary. It was adorned with a carved dragon with five toes and pearls for its eyes. A strip of gold ran along its body where the stomach would be, and the very top of the hilt was round and made of gold, allowing the knife to fit in the hand nicely. She rubbed her thumb over the handle and the scales of the dragon, and slowly to the top of the hilt where the round end mirrored her reflection; it still looked the same as when she was first gifted it. Removing it from the scabbard, she shifted the knife in her hands so that it would shine in the candlelight. Tomorrow they would arrive in the Long Kingdom, and she would finally be able to see the Crown Prince of Long after a few years.