While the princess had a tearful reunion with her prince, Yuehwa chose to skip stones in the imperial gardens, a plate of chicken bones by her side as she washed it down with some of the top quality wine she had pilfered from the kitchens—again. By now, the head of the royal kitchens was convinced that there was a ghost in his kitchen because he couldn't for the life of him find the culprit. He set up an altar at the kitchen entrance to ward against the spirits—his food continued vanishing.
She counted the number of days since she had returned to Gi, tossing one stone out for each day. "—fifty-nine, sixty, sixty-one, sixty-three," she recited out loud, throwing out her final stone. It skipped five times across the water surface before sinking into the depths of the pond. "Sixty-three days." And still no sign of him.
Naying was well on the mend, and based on her own estimations the princess would be fully recovered within another ten days or so. When that day came, her job would be considered done and her debt to the princess could be written off for good.
The good thing about being in the palace was that she could get first-hand news of any political upheavals taking place across the kingdoms. Every morning while the king was addressing his ministers in the grand hall, she would laze about on the rooftop, eavesdropping through a carefully removed roof tile. She learnt about all the details of the war between Gi and Jin, and the suspicions of the Gi court towards the alliance with Dahai; she learnt of the drought that had struck the western border of the kingdom and the dilemma of dividing funds between drought relief efforts and the ongoing military campaign; she learnt of how the king would listen to all of these reports with disinterest, even falling asleep halfway on several occasions. But for sixty-three days, she heard nothing of the situation in Feng. As far as the Gi court was aware, business was as usual in the neighbouring kingdom.
"Where do you think he is now, Ember?" she asked her feathered friend. "What do you reckon he's doing?"
Aren't you tired of asking me that question? the bird replied testily. Who knows, maybe he's in some brothel somewhere with one girl in each arm, thanking his lucky stars that he rid himself of you.
Yuehwa laughed. "Ember, you're getting old. You already used that one two days ago."
I know, but it's not easy coming up with sixty-three different witty replies. If Shoya didn't show up soon, he figured he would be annoyed to death by Yuehwa's repetitive questions. Where are we headed after this? he asked. Perhaps when Yuehwa had something more to entertain herself with, she would spend less time thinking about the one that got away—and she would stop asking him useless questions.
Before she could answer him, a voice interrupted their conversation.
"You came back."
Yuehwa groaned. She knew that this moment was unavoidable, but one could hope. Turning around, she plastered on her brightest fake smile, though her eyes were hardly smiling along. "Look who's back from gobbling up someone else's land. I hope you didn't suffer from indigestion," she said.
Baixun chuckled, sitting himself down on the grass beside her. "I think my appetite is far better than that," he replied. "I've only just gotten started. Thank you, for finding the cure for Naying. Where did you find it?"
"Feng. We managed to find the golden chrysanthemum, an ingredient that's capable of curing any poison. It was only supposed to be a legend, but I suppose some legends are actually real."
"We?" Baixun raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't think I would have known to go looking for the golden chrysanthemum if I didn't have any help, did you?"
"Where is he now then?"
Yuehwa shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Who knows? Somewhere out there. Could be anywhere in the five kingdoms."
"Naying is almost fully recovered now. As long as she continues looking after herself well then there shouldn't be any side effects we need to worry about," Yuehwa added, tossing another stone across the water surface.
"Are you going to leave again after that?" Baixun asked.
Out of the corners of her eyes, Yuehwa could see him watching her expectantly, and it didn't take a genius to figure out what he hoped her answer would be.
"You know that I don't belong here. It's like living in a cage. Naying is used to it because she has lived her entire life like this and this is what the world is to her, but not for me. I need my freedom."
"Perhaps one day you would willingly stay put because of someone, even if that place were a cage. Yuehwa, my offer still stands. If you ever get tired of roaming, there will always be a place for you here. I will only ever have one queen, and that's you."
Yuehwa sighed. "In that case your kingdom will never have a queen, and you and I both know that cannot be." No kingdom could go without a queen for long, because the queen's position was irrevocably tied with that of the crown prince, who in turn represented the future of the kingdom. Without a queen, there would be endless fighting over which prince should be the heir to the throne and the legitimacy of the chosen heir would constantly come into question. "You already have a crown princess, and you are her entire world. I won't ever forgive you if you hurt her," she said, wagging a warning finger in front of his face.
"When Naying married me, she knew what she was getting herself into. It was a political marriage right from the beginning. I will treat her well, that I can promise you, but don't ask any more of me," he looked at her sadly. "I can't control who you choose to place in your heart, but likewise, you can't control who I choose to keep in mine."
It was a fair statement, one that Yuehwa couldn't argue against. There was no point arguing anyway, not when both of them were being equally stubborn. Instead, she chose to change the topic of conversation. "So what is your next step, now that you've taken Jin?" she asked.
"Wait."
"Wait?"
Baixun nodded his head. "Someone gave me a legitimate reason to attack Jin, which was why none of the other kingdoms stepped in to intervene and no one has disputed our claim over the land. However, if I make a move on any of the other kingdoms now, then I would be seen as the aggressor. Even if I win the battle, there will be unrest and instability. Conquering kingdoms is easy, keeping them is less so."
"You could be waiting for a very long time if no one makes a move," Yuehwa pointed out.
"I'm not in a hurry. Although I can't say the same about others," Baixun replied with a knowing smile. "I believe Feng will be looking to form an alliance with Hwa in order to guard its own sovereignty, although they will need to drive a hard bargain. The king of Hwa has little reason to agree to an alliance in which he has nothing to benefit from. With its military, Hwa can hold its own against the combined armies of all the other kingdoms."
"If that is so, then even if Feng falls, you may not be able to secure a victory against Hwa. Hwa has always been peaceful, but if you insist on agitating it, you may awaken a sleeping giant." She knew that Baixun already had it all planned out, but she was curious about what exactly he had up his sleeve. Even as he spoke of Hwa and its superior military prowess, the confidence in his eyes never faltered in the slightest.
"Kingdoms are not won solely through the battlefield, Yuehwa. There are more ways than one to get to where we want to end up. Sometimes, although it seems like there's an obstacle in your path," he picked up a stone and tossed it towards the pond, watching as it skipped five times across the water surface before it landed on the grass at the opposite end, "you can still find a way of getting across without sinking. It's just a matter of waiting for the right circumstances and having the right momentum." Reaching into his pocket, he took out a golden hairpin that had been carved with the motif of a phoenix and set with pearls, placing it in Yuehwa's hand. "I brought this back from Jin. I know you're not the type of girl who likes fancy accessories, but it reminded me of you."
Yuehwa looked down at the hairpin she was holding in her hand, a little surprised by his gift. "You should give this to Naying, not me," she said quickly. "It would suit her more."
"A phoenix for the Phoenix," Baixun replied with a smile, getting up on his feet before she could push the hairpin back to him. "It's just a hairpin. Keep it, if you consider me as a friend." Without waiting for her reply, he turned around and walked away.
As she watched his lonely silhouette slowly retreat into the distance, Yuehwa thought sadly about the inevitability that would eventually hit them all. "Keep it, if you consider me as a friend," he had said. But how long would this friendship be able to last? By choosing Shoya, she knew that one day they would need to be standing on opposing camps. And there could only be one winner.
#
Elsewhere, the White Scorpion was standing in front of a massive hanging tapestry of the map of the five—no, four—kingdoms. On his right stood the chief astrologer of Feng, Sheng Yun, with her disciple Xin'ai standing quietly behind her.
"I knew you would be back," Sheng Yun said, a subtle, confident smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
"Was that written in the stars too?"
She shook her head. "Besides reading the messages of the heavens, I also consider myself a fairly good reader of people. You would not give up on the chance to reclaim what is rightfully yours."
"Bold of you to assume you know what I would or would not do," Shoya replied coldly. He continued to study the tapestry, noting the little wooden pieces tagged at various locations on the map, representing the flags and armies of the respective kingdoms. The armies of Gi and Dahai, in particular, were uncomfortably close to the Feng borders. "For someone who's supposed to be concentrating on the heavens, you pay a great deal of attention to what's happening across the lands," he remarked, turning to look at the chief astrologer.
"There is no purpose in watching the skies if we cannot use its messages to influence the fates of those who walk this earth. Feng values astrology for the benefits it can bring to the kingdom, I am not naïve enough to think otherwise. I believe you must have some questions for me?"
"I like someone who can get straight to the point." Shoya turned and sat himself down on a white marble stool in the chief astrologer's study. Her disciple quietly poured him a cup of tea, and the understated fragrance of orchids began to waft in the air. "I don't care for the reincarnation hocus-pocus. As far as I'm concerned, I only have this one life that matters. You said you were expecting me. That means you must have a plan in mind for when I appeared, am I right?"
Sheng Yun's smile widened. She walked over and joined him at the table, brushing aside her broad sleeves to pick up her teacup. "Of course. This was a responsibility you're your mother entrusted to me before she left, and I take all my responsibilities very seriously," she said, taking a sip of tea. "Even if the king abdicates now, the next in line for the throne is the crown prince. Even though he isn't the king's firstborn son, he has already been proclaimed to be the heir. Without an official decree, your claim to the throne lacks any form of legitimacy and you will only be deemed as a usurper. The ministers and the commanding generals of the armies will not swear their allegiance to you."
"I don't care for the throne."
"Then what do you care for?"
Shoya stared down at the clear, golden liquid in his cup, swirling the few chrysanthemum petals floating on the surface. If he didn't care for the throne, then what was he doing all this for? No, it wasn't for the crown. He was more than happy to continue living life as the White Scorpion, roaming the lands as a free spirit. But he wanted justice. Justice for what he had been made to suffer through. A lesser child would have long perished, and it had been through sheer determination and grit that he managed to survive. Justice for the price that his mother had to pay—the price of her life, and her happiness. Justice for what they had been forced to give up, while others basked in their riches and power.
"You don't have to give me an answer. That you returned is already an answer in itself," Sheng Yun said. She gestured to Xin'ai, and the girl promptly unfurled a scroll in front of Shoya. A list of names. "These are the court officials who have long been discontent with the unruly behaviour and numerous transgressions of the crown prince. If not for the strong backing of the queen and her family, and the lack of a better alternative, he would not still be in that position. Once they know of your existence, it will not be difficult to sway them to our side."
"You have certainly been busy," Shoya said, skimming down the list of almost twenty names.
Sheng Yun laughed. "I keep my promises, that is all. I owe my life to your mother, and it is a debt I am willing to repay with my own blood," she said, directing her gaze towards the map. "The time for change is approaching, and we must be ready. Gi is preparing to make its move on our kingdom, and tension is high within the royal court. In order for Feng to stand a chance against Gi, the easiest way would be to forge an alliance with the one remaining kingdom that is still neutral—Hwa. The king's priority now will be to form this alliance, and that, is the key to returning you to your rightful place."
Shoya remained silent.
The threat from Gi was imminent. If Feng remained still, there would only be two possible outcomes: they would either need to face a bloody battle against the army of Gi that they were not ready for, or the king would simply surrender and swear fealty to Gi to avoid having to put up a fight. Either way, the kingdom of Feng would soon follow in the footsteps of Jin and become nothing but a vassal to Baixun's ambitions.
Making use of this conflict would provide him the greatest leverage to achieve his own goals.
"What are you suggesting?" he asked the chief astrologer.
"I would have thought that you already know what that might be," she replied, a knowing glint in her dark irises. She stood up and smoothed down the front of her midnight blue robes, turning to leave. "Take your time to consider it. I trust you will make the right decision eventually. Or destiny will make it for you."