Emblem of the Phoenix

凤凰图腾

emblem-of-the-phoenix

Interlude 1: Dream of the Deep Palace

On the day of my ascension to the throne, the maids laughed secretly, hiding behind me and watching me with envy, calling me the luckiest princess.
Yes, I was indeed very lucky.
I was just a little princess born to a royal concubine, with an elder brother who was the king and an elder sister who was the grand princess. The grand princess was very beautiful and assertive. She seemed to be better than me at everything. When we were very young, Father happily held her and announced that he would select the best and most handsome young man in Xiwan to be her husband.
As for me, I had always been obedient and quiet, silently obeying my elder brother's orders to marry a nobleman of some small country or to marry for an alliance. That was all the fate I would have in the future.
I always stayed silently under the palace windows embroidered with exquisite patterns, secretly looking outside. If I was lucky, I could see that person dressed in black robes, hurrying towards the main hall surrounded by many people bowing respectfully. If I could catch a glimpse of him from afar at that time, it would make me immersed in happiness for the whole day.
That person was the State Preceptor Zhuo, whom my elder brother hated but also feared.
Zhuo Yu.
Many palace servants hinted to me that he manipulated the court, controlled the military power, and held the emperor hostage to command the vassals. He was a thoroughly bad person.
However, some people didn't think so. My sister, the noble grand princess of Xiwai, looked down at me proudly and asked with a cold smile, "What's the use of you hiding here and secretly watching him a thousand or ten thousand times? If you like someone, you should go and fight for it! Let him know!"
I just lowered my head in silence and timidity. I wasn't as pretty as my sister, nor as brave as her. She had the most beautiful honey-colored skin in the world, her eyes were bright and her lips were as red as the color of fresh strawberries.
Perhaps only someone like her could bravely and unreservedly show her love for the State Preceptor Zhuo.
Everything took a turn on that fine and sunny day. My door was slammed open. At that time, I was sitting in a large lounge chair reading a book. The huge impact almost made me jump up. The two young girls in red who barged in were among Zhuo Yu's Thirteen Iron Guards. They usually looked down at people, but now they bowed low to the ground and shouted, "Please go to the main hall, little princess!"
The maids were so scared that they started crying. I was very confused. "Go to the main hall... but... why?..."
"His Majesty the King has been assassinated and died in the Celestial Dynasty, and Her Highness the Grand Princess has also been assassinated," their voices were indisputable. "Now you are the only legitimate bloodline left in Xiwan! Please go and ascend the throne quickly!"
My elder brother and elder sister... were both dead?
How could my elder brother go to the Celestial Dynasty? Didn't my sister go with Zhuo Yu to have an audience with that emperor of the Celestial Dynasty? Didn't she come here to ridicule me fiercely before she left?
I still remember what she said at that time. She laughed and pointed at me, saying, "A little white rabbit like you being born into our royal family, there must be something wrong with the bloodline! You blush just saying a word!"
Actually, I didn't blush every time I said something. It's just that day, when Zhuo Yu was passing by me, he suddenly stopped and said something to me unprecedented, "What is the princess doing here?"
My face turned red instantly, not knowing what to say. Fortunately, he didn't dwell on this question and just nodded lightly, ordering someone, "It's late and the dew is heavy. Escort the princess back to the palace."
Just this one sentence made the this princess remember it for several years. Zhuo Yu rarely took the initiative to talk to her. He rarely said anything to women at all.
How could my elder brother and sister suddenly die? Would they stay in the Celestial Dynasty forever?
What about Zhuo Yu? Was he... still alive?
I jumped up abruptly and ran out the door. I couldn't remember if I was wearing shoes. When I ran to the main hall, I only saw Zhuo Yu leaning on the wide and luxurious couch, his black robe loosely wrapped around his body. His face was pale as he raised his hand to cover his lips, spitting out black blood mouthful by mouthful.
"Lu Jiuchen..." He seemed to be instructing someone about something, but suddenly he looked up and saw me, immediately stopping.
I stood at the door in a fluster. The main hall was crowded with ministers and generals. The Thirteen Iron Guards surrounded Zhuo Yu. Everyone held their breath and looked solemn. Everyone looked at me in surprise, as if I had interrupted some important meeting by barging in.
I staggered, wanting to run away, but suddenly Zhuo Yu said, "Someone come."
"Yes."
"Help the princess to her seat."
A high-ranking leader among the Iron Guards walked over and "helped" me respectfully to the highest position in the main hall, where only my elder brother could sit. I looked at the ministers below in a daze, and they looked back at me in the same daze. Zhuo Yu struggled to stand up and walked in front of me, asking softly, "Do you know that the king and the grand princess were assassinated?"
This was the first time I had looked at him so closely.
I nodded.
"Are you willing to become the new monarch?"
I wanted to say, I am willing, I am willing to do anything for you. But I was too excited. Maybe my sister was right. I shouldn't have been born into this royal family at all, and I shouldn't have become a princess of this country.
Zhuo Yu looked at me for a long time. Probably a century passed before he finally lost patience waiting.
He turned around and pointed to his Iron Guards, "You five, serve her well." After instructing those five girls, he turned to the other eight young men, "You are responsible for protecting her until the coronation ceremony."
I was originally supposed to marry a king in his fifties from a distant neighboring country and become his queen, but one day, I was suddenly pushed onto the center of the stage, facing an equally bewildered audience, playing the role of a monarch.
What a ridiculous play, everything was a puppet on strings, with the real audience being only Master Zhuo sitting in the last row. As long as he was watching, I was willing to endure it all.
That period was the most chaotic time of my life. Everyone was busy, with ministers constantly coming and going, troops being dispatched, and guards on high alert. I was the only one with nothing to do, just needing to show up on time at the coronation ceremony and put on the crown.
Until one day, this orderly routine was shattered by a piece of news.
They told me that Lu Jiuchen had returned.
When I heard this news, Zhuo Yu was sitting with me in the imperial garden discussing the coronation ceremony. Actually, it wasn't a discussion, he was just giving orders and I was following them.
Zhuo Yu's expression in that instant held a hint of shock, but quickly returned to a slight calmness and mild disgust: "What is he coming back for?"
The Iron Guard shook his head: "I don't know, the city guards said he only said: open the gate."
Zhuo Yu's expression didn't change at all. Whenever he faced Lu Jiuchen or heard his name mentioned, he always had that expression, slight, with a bit of disgust and mockery.
Before this, he had kept Lu Jiuchen locked up in a secret place deep in the palace of Xiwan Country, no one knew for how long. It was said that from the day he rebelled and attacked the palace, manipulating the court, he had been keeping Lu Jiuchen under house arrest. To him, Lu Jiuchen was a blatant threat, the only person that Master Zhuo was wary of, and this was something the entire palace knew.
It was said that on the day he took the eldest princess and led an envoy to the Celestial Dynasty, Lu Jiuchen escaped, no one knew where to. Actually, it wasn't an escape, with General Lu's martial arts, no prison could hold him, he had just been staying there not wanting to leave. No one knew why that day he suddenly felt he should go out for a walk, and then he disappeared.
But why had he returned?
Zhuo Yu thought for a long, long time, then he said: "...Open the gate for him."
Another Iron Guard came running, kneeling on the ground: "My lord, no need... General Lu has already entered."
Zhuo Yu's expression was strange for a moment: "...Then send someone to follow him and see where he goes."
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, the Iron Guard who had received the order earlier returned, his voice trembling for some reason: "My lord... General Lu, he... he returned to Muhou Hall where you imprisoned him and sat down, not moving..."
I can still remember Zhuo Yu's expression at that time long after, I had never seen such an expression on Zhuo Yu's face before, as if he had heard something unbelievable, as if Lu Jiuchen was not a person in his right mind.
...General Lu's mind was probably indeed not quite right...
Everyone knew that Zhuo Yu intended to imprison him until his death, with simple three meals a day and a small space... Anyone who escaped would not want to come back...
Zhuo Yu slowly lowered his eyelashes, slowly finished the remaining wine in his cup, and suddenly stood up and left with big strides.
He left in such a hurry that he didn't even say goodbye to me.
Actually, I had met General Lu once when I was very young.
He was a member of the "Hidden Blade", my father had once spoken of him with reverence. This man Lu Jiuchen, even if the sky fell, he would not change his expression, truly unmoved even if Mount Tai crumbled before him.
He was very stern, always silent, not making a move until it was truly necessary, like a blade without an edge. He was simple and plain, even if his name shook the world, it was a kind of pressure and influence that slowly accumulated in people's hearts.
Zhuo Yu entered the palace later than him. The year Zhuo Yu led troops into the palace, threatening my elder brother to hand over the royal seal, some court officials were actually on the side of the royal family. He always tried to win over dissidents first, and only eliminated them if that didn't work. But for General Lu, who held the most power at the time, he didn't even try to win him over and directly forced him into seclusion in the palace with a strong order.
That was actually very strange. Whether Zhuo Yu won over Lu Jiuchen or killed Lu Jiuchen, he wouldn't be feeling so stuck in the throat today. But Zhuo Yu neither had the confidence and courage to win him over, nor the resolve to kill him. He kept Lu Jiuchen locked up, as if forcing himself to gradually forget this person's existence.
Someone once secretly said with disdain: What kind of world's best martial artist is Zhuo Yu? Lu Jiuchen's martial arts are far superior to his.
It was said that they had fought each other a total of three times. The first time Zhuo Yu narrowly won, the second time was a draw, and the third time Zhuo Yu was soundly defeated.
It was said that Zhuo Yu didn't dare to compete anymore and directly issued an order of imprisonment, high-sounding and unperturbed.
On the day of the coronation banquet, fine wine and singing girls covered the palace floors like flowing water. Zhuo Yu got drunk, he staggered to his feet and said: "Your Highness, I am overwhelmed... I shall take my leave first..."
A pair of young men and women among the Iron Guards immediately stepped forward to support him. They were all very handsome and beautiful people, even if their martial arts were not top-notch, they would still stand out in a crowd, as if they could emit light. They were all fiercely loyal to Zhuo Yu, the most trusted and beloved among his confidants.
Perhaps it was the frenzied atmosphere or the alcohol that gave me courage, I stood up and commanded haughtily: "You may all withdraw, I will personally escort the State Preceptor back to rest."
The young man and woman glanced at me without a word. I became angry and asked sharply: "What, can you not hear the words of your new king?"
They paused for a moment, bowed slightly, and withdrew. I went over to help Zhuo Yu up, but it was my first time being so close to a man and I really didn't know how to go about it. After thinking for a bit, I imitated the actions of the red-clothed girl from earlier and forcefully tried to help him up. To my surprise, I was able to lift him up with almost no excessive weight.
Zhuo Yu had his head lowered, looking like he couldn't handle his alcohol, but only I could see that with his head down and pure black hair draped over his eyes, his eyes were brightly looking at me.
"To the bedchamber."
I suddenly realized he wasn't actually drunk, just unwilling to drink more.
Those two iron guards from earlier also knew this, so the real reason they withdrew was actually not because of my order, but Zhuo Yu's...tacit permission.
His tacit permission was probably much more commonly heeded than my orders.
I started laughing, the alcohol making my smile even more dazzling: "State Preceptor, have you ever feared anyone?"
We walked to the official road far from the flutes and pipes. Zhuo Yu made an "oh" sound and chuckled: "Why does the princess think of this question?"
I also didn't know why I thought of this question. I stubbornly clung to all the resentment a young girl could muster: "I just want to know!"
Zhuo Yu glanced at me and turned his head away. We walked for a long time. Just as we were about to reach the silent palace in the night, he suddenly said faintly: "...There is someone."
"...Following this direction, you'll see the eternally quiet Muhou Palace...The man in Muhou Palace, I used to greatly fear him..."
At that time, I thought he answered me because of my persistence. Only later did I realize that he actually liked seeing me act all imposing without any confidence to back it up.
This appearance was just like how he had been for so many years.
We ascended the nine jade steps of the palace. I couldn't help but ask: "But State Preceptor, you're so formidable, why don't you kill Lu...kill him?"
Zhuo Yu shook his head: "Can't kill him."
"Then why don't you win him over?"
"Can't win him over..."
Zhuo Yu's voice carried a very peculiar meaning. I placed him on the couch, his black robes draping down from his body. Under the moonlight, we both seemed to not know where we were. He appeared to completely disregard my presence as he lay on the couch. Frowning with extreme fatigue, he looked like he was about to fall asleep.
I couldn't help quietly asking: "...Could it be that you've always wanted to win him over, willing to pay any price?"
Zhuo Yu turned over and laughed: "Princess, why are you so interested in these matters? If you want to inquire about my attitude towards Lu Jiuchen, then I'll tell you, he's a hero. If you want to infer my stance on the royalist faction from this, then I'll tell you, just because Lu Jiuchen is a hero doesn't mean everyone in the royalist faction is a hero. Alright, anything else you want to ask?"
My face must have turned red again, but it wasn't from shyness. I just wanted to stay a bit longer. I didn't know if it was appropriate to leave at this time. I just wanted to converse with this man. The overly embarrassing emotions made me speak without thinking.
A crazy notion suddenly flashed through my mind and I asked recklessly: "Is Lu Jiuchen that important? Can you not accomplish your grand undertaking without him? No matter the cost, you must win him over?"
Zhuo Yu was noncommittal: "Something like that."
"No matter what he wants, even if it's your own body, you'll give it to him?"
Zhuo Yu was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter: "...Just that? Of course that's fine then!"
For a long time, I had never seen Zhuo Yu touch any beautiful man or woman. He always lived very quietly, not letting anyone get close, nor actively getting close to others. He didn't love wealth or beauty and had no entertainment. If he didn't control the royal authority, perhaps he could have been a sage.
I was frozen in place, shocked by the contrast of it all, not moving for a very long time. Zhuo Yu raised his eyelids to look at me and asked: "Princess, are you going to stay longer?"
I looked at him, at a loss.
He stared at me and stated plainly: "I was married before."
I jumped up in a fluster and ran out of the hall. I didn't know where I should run, only knowing the sound of the wind whistling past my ears. The clamorous sounds of gongs and drums came from far away, like a distant dream. Everyone was immersed in joy, no one could see me, their new king, hiding in the shadows of a flower bush, eyes wide open, eye sockets dry, without even a hint of tears.
Half a month later, the country of Xiwan urgently mobilized troops, gathering 300,000, and heavily pressed towards the borders of the Celestial Dynasty.
With the first ray of dawn, the war finally sounded its first horn.
Zhuo Yu, the State Preceptor of Xiwan, personally led the troops. Wherever the great army went, they swept through, swallowing 300 miles of the front lines overnight. Several cities fell in succession, putting the Celestial Dynasty's borders in imminent danger.

Emblem of the Phoenix

Emblem of the Phoenix

Chapter 35 - Interlude 1: Dream of the Deep Palace

Leafy