The Legend of the Underwater Palace and the Sea Dragon Prince

15. Hua Cheng returns to XianLe, and has an unpleasant surprise

Back to XianLe once again, Hua Cheng gave orders for his men to unload the cargo from Crimson Rain and went straight to the palace – he didn't send any messengers as he wanted to do a surprise to the crown prince, having brought those flower shaped rice cakes he liked. He sighted Black Water at the docks and pursed his lips: hopefully he wouldn't get to see He Xuan much.

As he walked through the city, he kept smiling to himself, imagining Gege's reaction seeing the cakes. He arrived at the palace, which was oddly quiet, but it was only shen time, the crown prince and his advisors would naturally be –

At the audience hall, a strange scene: at the top of the stairs, He Xuan, surrounded by all his men plus Jun Wu, and at the ground below, His Highness with his aides Feng Xin and Mu Qin, the Guoshi and a few other palace attendants. There was this sullen silence, a tension in the air.

With a sense of foreboding, Hua Cheng stepped in, "What's going on here?"

"Ah Hua Cheng, good timing!", He Xuan replied with his usual sarcastic smile, "I'm divorcing the crown prince of XianLe and taking over the underwater palace on your behalf, as part of your pre-nuptial contract. I know you should be the one moving mountains and draining seas here, I apologise, but I didn't know when you'd return, and the contract is nearly up – "

"Don't you know the immensity of Heaven and earth?", Hua Cheng snapped beyond furious, shooting a glance at His Highness, "You can't do that".

He Xuan laughed unpleasantly, "Hua Cheng, I didn't know you could be so naïve after being a pirate for so long. His Highness married for XianLe, you married for the Calamity Pirate Confederation. In your absence, I'm second-in-command, so of course I can do it".

Hua Cheng reached for his cutlass, ready to pounce at He Xuan, when he added, "Plus, why the surprise now? Wasn't all this devised by the two of us long ago?"

"You're courting death!", Hua Cheng hissed, unsheathing E'ming threateningly.

"Hua Cheng", the Guoshi said, "We know everything. How you and this He Xuan planned for you to seduce His Highness, marry him with this, hum, pre-nuptial contract, only to snatch the palace before your one-year anniversary!" He gave Hua Cheng a hard look and repeated, "We know everything".

Hua Cheng wanted to deny it all, blame He Xuan, saying the plan was his, and he was just pretending to heartlessly go along with it not to lose face, but in reality... he then exchanged looks with His Highness, who remained silently standing behind Feng Xin and Mu Qing.

"Using His Highness' good nature, his enlightenment, deceiving him, playing with his feelings – " Feng Xin couldn't continue: he was nearly coughing up blood in outrage.

Mu Qing said coldly, "As the water recedes, the rock appears. So this is the real you: a pirate, and a backstabber".

They were all with swords drawn and bows bent towards Hua Cheng, in a state of irreconciled hostility, and Hua Cheng himself... still exchanging looks with the prince, he was unable to speak, in a state of shock, with a lump in his throat and a tightness on his chest.

He Xuan and his men just kept laughing at him, being confronted by the prince's aides and the Guoshi, as if that drama down below was but a play for their entertainment.

Hua Cheng straightened up, feeling that cold detachment before a fierce battle, and holding onto E'ming, said, "Yes. We had this dirty plan for snatching the palace, but it doesn't mean I have to go through it till the end". He turned to the prince, "Do you understand what I'm saying, Gege?"

"Don't call him like that! You've long lost the right to even look at His Highness – ", Feng Xin shouted.

Hua Cheng looked up to He Xuan, "Guess what? I've changed my mind", he smiled bitterly, "Even if Gege hates me, doesn't want me anymore and sends me away, I won't let you get away with this. I'll kill you, and all your men – "

He Xuan just smiled, but his men all unsheathed their weapons, and the situation at the audience hall was like a kite with its string cut, spiralling chaotically and out of control.

"Hua Cheng", he replied, "You're practically a scholar with all your scrolls and books, but maybe you don't know this: it doesn't matter what you do. It doesn't even matter how strong these demons are, let alone a sea dragon demon: they're bound by their word, they can't escape from it".

Hua Cheng was about to reply he didn't care, he'd kill He Xuan all the same, when he heard the crown prince speaking for the first time.

"He's right", he said with a clear voice, all composed and dignified, "It is indeed on our pre-nuptial contract that you can divorce me within a year, and as the other party to this agreement, I can't do anything but accept it, and hand over the underwater palace to you".

He bowed politely but not subserviently: he was still the crown prince of XianLe, a powerful sea dragon demon with thousands of years of cultivation, indeed as different than Hua Cheng, He Xuan and the rest as Heaven and earth! And Hua Cheng never felt it so much like in that moment when he saw the disappointment and sadness in the prince's golden eyes.

Nodding at his attendants, he made to leave the palace, as Hua Cheng just sighed, "Gege..."

His Highness turned to him and approached. Touching his face, he said softly, "I have lived for thousands of years, but never felt as happy as during the time we were together. Thank, you San Lang. Man proposes, Heaven disposes, well this was all bound to happen".

He walked away, leaving Hua Cheng just standing still, feeling numb all over, in the silent hall.

"It wasn't hard, was it?", He Xuan spoke after a few moments with a hint of relief, as if, in spite of what he said, he felt the sea dragon prince wouldn't keep to his word and smash them all to pieces at the last minute. He continued, "Ha! Who knew you could be so sentimental, Hua Cheng, and really fall in love with the crown prince? It's not that I didn't see it coming though – "

At this point, he could vaguely register what He Xuan was saying: that he knew Hua Cheng wouldn't stick to the plan till the end, and the agreement he made with Jun Wu. That ambitious whitetip reef shark demon would get to rule XianLe, while the pirates could keep the underwater palace as their base of operations, and get a little tribute of pearls and corals on the side.

Still laughing and talking loudly, He Xuan and the rest of his men went to the great hall, leaving Hua Cheng behind without any second thoughts. To celebrate the success of their coup, they wanted a lavish banquet, with much wine flowing – only, they found out the whole palace was now empty: cooks, servants and attendants having vanished as if by magic.

Showdown time everyone! Do you feel sorry for the crown prince? Or for Hua Cheng? Let me know in the comments, thank you for reading, and don't forget to vote! 😊😊😊

Updates on Thursdays and Sundays.