Princess Agent: Season 1

36

As the snow fell, the funeral bell rang continuously. Within the Sheng Jin palace, a black figure turned inside the towering ancestral temple. Along the long and narrow corridor, he walked deep into the heart of the Xia Empire. The flickering flames from his candle illuminated him as a long shadow was cast behind him.

It was April 17th, 770 of the Cang Bai calendar. It was a year that was unforgettable. On that day, the entire family of the King of Yan Bei, except for his son, Yan Xun, who had lived in the capital for most of the year, was slaughtered. Their spirits could not rest in peace after they were killed. They were all executed on the Jiu You Platform, right in front of the Sheng Jin palace gates. Their bodies were dismembered and burned, turning them into dust.

At this very place the ferocious flag, which terrorized the northern territories, started to fly in silence. The flag was imprinted with a ferocious lion of Yan Bei. When the noble families of the empire tried to divide the land of the Yan Bei territories, there was a grand celebration on the northwestern prairie. The 11 tribes of Quan Rong gathered together. The Da Han King, Nayan Minglie personally hosted the celebration as they celebrated the downfall of the Yan Bei ruler and the death of Yan Shicheng, as well as the miles of northwestern fertile soil which the Xia Empire selflessly cultivated for them. The great Quan Rong God had blessed his tough people. With that, they believed firmly that no one could resist the blades of the prairie warriors.

At this moment, the cold wind howled through the dilapidated door that led to a remote and narrow room. Snow leaked in from the roof and there were neither braziers nor warm stoves. There was only a broken bed, which was blackened with dirt, reeking of a strong stench.

Outside the door, the soldiers were playing drinking games in delight as they drank the night the way. The strong scent of meat wafted into the house. The young man's face was pale with his forehead scalding. His chapped and whitish lips made him look sickly. His sharp brow was tightly furrowed as drops of cold sweat dripped from his temples. His jet-black hair was already drenched in sweat.

Sounds of banging echoed within the room. An eight year old child struggled as she lifted a chair, smashing it onto the floor soon after. By smashing it repeatedly onto the floor, the chair finally gave way into pieces of firewood. She took a deep breath as she wiped the sweat from her head. She lit a fire. A flame crackled to life, warming the house in an instant. She boiled a bowl of water carefully. After which, she climbed onto the bold bed-stove and cradled the teenager's head as she whispered, "Yan Xun, wake up and drink some water."

The teenager had already lost his sense of hearing. He had no response at all.

The child frowned as she reached for a pair of rough chopsticks on the table. She wrenched open the teenager's mouth and forced the hot water down his throat. He coughed instantly as his chest shook violently. Yan Xun coughed loudly as he threw up all the water that he had been given.

Chu Qiao looked at the water that had just been thrown up. She could see a trace of blood in it. Her heart sank as she bit her lip and sniffled. She crawled out of the bed and continued boiling water.

"Yan Xun?" As night fell, the house got unbearably cold. Chu Qiao wrapped the teenager in fur coats and quilts, while she merely wore a thin jacket. She shrank into a small figure beside Yan Xun as she held a porcelain bowl. She whispered, "I have added some rice to the water, it's porridge. Get up and have some."

The teenager remained silent as if he was fast asleep. However, the moonlight shone onto his tightly closed eyelids, showing signs of his pupil moving. Chu Qiao knew that he was not asleep and had been awake all this while. He was just reluctant to open his eyes.

Chu Qiao let out a slow sigh as she lowered the bowl. She hugged her knees and sat against the wall.

Outside, a blizzard raged. Through the broken doors and windows, they could still see the pale tree under the moonlight. Her voice was low as she slowly said, "Yan Xun, I am a person who has nothing. I came to this foreign land without power or authority, without family or friends. My family had been killed. Some were beheaded, some were banished, some were beaten to death, and some were dismembered and thrown into a lake to feed the crocodiles. Some of them were raped and killed when they were still so young. Their bodies were piled onto a cart as though they were trash. This world was supposed to be a fair world. Even if you were a slave with a pathetic bloodline, you should still have the basic right to live. I did not understand the existence of different classes within society. Why did wolves have the right to devour rabbits without the rabbits having the right to fight for their life? But I understand now; it was because the rabbit was too weak and it did not have the teeth and claws to defend itself. If one does not want to be looked down upon, he must stand up for himself. Yan Xun, I am young, but I have patience and the luxury of time. Those that have owed me a debt, not one of them could escape from me. I must live on, to see that they have paid for their sins. Otherwise, even if I died, I cannot rest in peace."