By daybreak the next morning, news of the regency had spread across the entire kingdom of Hwa, with the king's decree plastered on every notice board. Within the palace, the royal court was up in arms at the proclamation. The ministers and officials had all gathered in the grand hall, engaging in irate discussion about the king's seemingly illogical decision.
"Has he gone out of his mind?" one of the ministers exclaimed, his rotund face flushed from agitation. "Maybe he is too ill to think straight. How could he name the princess as regent of the kingdom!"
A murmur of agreement went around the hall, with many heads nodding in response to what had just been said. No one had seen the princess in over three years, since she had mysteriously taken ill and was confined to her chambers, and even before that, her public appearances were far and few between. Hardly anyone in the royal court could still remember what she looked like, much less what sort of a person she was. Up till this morning, many had even forgotten that the king even had this sister. In short, it was ridiculous that the king had even considered leaving the kingdom in the hands of a frail, sickly girl.
"The king must be getting desperate. The crown prince is still a child, he's even less likely to be able to take over the throne," another said, his brows tightly knitted with worry.
"That is no excuse for putting the kingdom in the hands of a girl! The prime minister is in a much better position to be the regent, isn't that right? The king has always depended greatly on him."
The prime minister, a wizened old man by the name of Jing Bohan, was standing silently near the front of the hall, listening but not participating in the animated conversations going on around him. Already in his sixties, he had served under three kings and was the most senior member of the royal court, although his star had only begun to rise when the current king inherited the throne. It was a well-known fact that the kingdom of Hwa was built on horseback, and the generals of the army had always been held in a revered position compared to the scholars in the royal court. It wasn't until the gentle and bookish young crown prince became king did the balance of power in the court begin to shift. Now, in times of peace, the prime minister and his faction had overturned the long-standing order, rising in influence to rival the generals of the Hwa army.
Hidden behind an elegant set of blinds made from bamboo slats, the newly appointed regent observed the prime minister in amusement. If he had been surprised with the king's sudden decree, his expression betrayed no sign of it.
"Exactly!" one of the officials echoed. "Prime Minister Jing deserves the position much more than the princess. What does she know about running a kingdom! When word of this gets out, the other kingdoms will be sending their armies our way and the end of Hwa will be near. Jin fell to Gi precisely because its ruler was weak!"
"Surely they wouldn't do that? We have the strongest army of all the kingdoms. Anyone would need to think twice before launching an attack on our borders."
"Where is General Han, why isn't he here yet?"
Heads began turning left and right, searching for any sign of the commanding general of the Hwa army. Like the prime minister, General Han was a long-serving member of the royal court and besides the king, he was the only one who had been given the right to command all the armies of Hwa. This was the one thing the prime minister would never have, and because of that there existed the uneasy tension between the two men.
"Even General Han opposes the appointment of the regent!" someone shouted. "That must be why he isn't even here this morning." All ministers, minor officials and generals of the army were supposed to attend court daily, but other than the commander of the city and palace guards, none of the other generals were present.
"We've already been here for an hour and there's still no sign of her. Maybe it's all a hoax!"
"The princess has always been sickly, there's no way she can run this kingdom in the king's stead. We should file a petition to have her removed from her position. Prime Minister Jing, you should be the one acting as regent."
The prime minister cleared this throat, and all at once a hushed silence fell across the great hall. Yuehwa gave him a silent round of applause for his commanding presence.
"Gentlemen, the king must have his reasons for making this decision. Perhaps we should wait to meet the princess before jumping to any conclusions," he said calmly. He glanced towards the open doors, and everyone else followed suit, arching their necks as they waited.
"Where is she?" someone asked. "It's already past the hour. Such disrespect for the royal court!"
Such disrespect indeed. Can't have that now, can we?
Yuehwa whistled. A traditional folk tune of Hwa, one that her brother, and their mother before that, used to hum to her when she was a child to lull her to sleep. A song to call the lost ones home—and sure enough, here she was now, sitting amongst a pack of jackals.
The chatter in the hall ceased. Everyone looked around in bewilderment, trying to trace the source of the whistling.
"Who is it? How dare someone whistle in court? Preposterous!"
"I apologise," Yuehwa called out from behind her bamboo curtain. If those officials could see her now, they would be even more outraged, because she was lounging sideways in her brother's cedarwood throne with her legs kicked over the armrest. "But since I've already been accused of being disrespectful, I thought I might as well live up to the description."
Through the tiny cracks in the slats, Yuehwa revelled in the sight of the court officials' faces turning all sorts of colourful shades. Some red, some black, all delightfully awful. They were staring in her direction, the realisation of her presence sinking uncomfortably into their minds.
She waved her hand, and the king's steward stepped out from behind the bamboo curtain to address the court.
"Her Highness, Princess Lee Yue, Regent of Hwa," he announced.
No one moved.
The king's steward frowned when he noticed that no one was moving to kneel before the princess, save for the commander of the royal guard. Even the prime minister remained standing, eyeing the curtain warily.
"Do you not know how you are supposed to greet the regent?" he barked, pointing an accusing finger at all the officials.
"Forgive us, Your Highness, we mean no disrespect," the prime minister said slowly, "but before we accept the regency, there are some questions that perhaps we should clarify. All official decrees should be issued in presence of a witness from the royal court. This practice was institutionalised by the late king to ensure that there were no forgeries." He turned to glance at all the other officials who were standing in wait. "Did any of you act as the king's witness?"
A loud chorus of "no" rang out across the hall.
"I was the one who drafted the king's edict! The princess is right here!" the steward burst out. "Are you doubting that the decree is genuine?"
"Of course not," the prime minister smiled congenially. "But it is my duty to ensure the legitimacy of all royal decrees, so as to protect the king and crown. I'm afraid if there was no witness to the drafting of this edict, it cannot be accepted. I would be most willing to serve as the witness should the king wish to re-draft his decree."
The steward's face flushed a brilliant shade of red as he glared at the prime minister. It was obvious that the latter had no intention of accepting the regency, and his words of seeming loyalty and good intents were just excuses for him to reject the decree. Just earlier this morning, the king had once again lost consciousness and had not yet awakened. These fainting spells had become more frequent these days, and the periods of time for which he remained unconscious were becoming longer and longer. With so many pairs of eyes around the palace, it would hardly be surprising if the prime minister already knew of this.
He peered behind the curtain as if hoping that the princess would rescue him from this uncomfortable situation, but she merely sat there with a lackadaisical smile on her face.
"I was the witness to the royal decree," a loud voice came booming from the entrance.
All eyes turned towards the door. A row of men marched in, decked out in the deep red armour that was worn by the armies of Hwa. At the head of the pack was a burly man with broad shoulders and long greying hair fastened at the nape of his neck, his stern pair of eyes piercing straight ahead as he led his men into the grand hall. When they reached the front, all of them immediately dropped to one knee.
"Your Highness," they chorused, their deep voices sounding like the rumbling of thunder echoing throughout the hall. The rest of the officials stared wide-eyed at the men who were kneeling in front of the throne, surprised at their sudden entrance.
"Please rise," Yuehwa said. From behind the bamboo blind, her voice projected itself clearly and loudly, resonating across the hall with a certain authoritativeness that made the officials shudder slightly in their shoes. This did not sound like the voice of a girl who was chronically ill and bedridden for three whole years.
A slight frown appeared across the forehead of the prime minister, although it vanished within seconds. "General Han, we almost thought you weren't planning to show up for court this morning," he turned towards the general and said. "What a timely arrival indeed."
General Han Ming, the steely commanding general of the Hwa army, got up to his feet and tossed a scroll in front of the prime minister's feet. "I was the witness to the royal decree," he repeated himself. "If the prime minister wishes, you can verify it for yourself."
The prime minister picked up the scroll from the floor, unfurling it and reading its contents slowly. The corners of his lips twitched imperceptibly, although he still maintained his calm and collected demeanour.
Yuehwa knew what was going through his mind. Why would General Han be willing to swear allegiance to a young girl who would be even more lacking than the king himself? She was fairly confident that for all his intelligence, Jing Bohan would not be able to figure this one out.
The prime minister's gaze travelled towards the curtain, and the shadow that stood behind it. He then bent down on one knee and said, "Forgive me, Your Highness. It seems that all is in order."
Seeing that the prime minister had gotten to his knees, the rest of the officials followed suit, and an echo of hesitant voices finally issued the necessary greetings to the new regent of the kingdom. They waited for the princess to acknowledge their greeting and give permission for them to rise, but that acknowledgement never came. Exchanging glances with one another, the officials were perplexed as to what was going on. What was to happen next would alarm them even more, because in the next minute, the bamboo blind was ripped off its hooks and came crashing to the ground.
"I am most heartened to see that the prime minister and all the officials of this court are so deeply committed to protecting my family's throne and the sovereignty of our kingdom," Yuehwa said as she scanned the entire court, a slight smile toying upon her lips. "There are many aspects about the running of the kingdom that I am not yet familiar with, and I will be depending on each and every one of you to teach me the ropes."
Now that the blind had been torn down, everyone could see her perched brazenly on the throne, staring down at them.
Yuehwa had expected that the court would be taken aback by her appearance, because in their minds the princess was supposed to be a frail girl who had been ill for over three years, yet the girl standing before them today looked nothing of the sort. She had chosen to wear a plain red dress that had no adornments whatsoever, its sleeves and hem swaying gently with the breeze that was coming in through the open doors. Hardly court-worthy attire—but then again, she couldn't care less.
"Your Highness, it is inappropriate for you to be appearing in front of the court in this manner," the prime minister remarked, still remaining on bended knee. Since she had not asked them to stand, they had no choice but to remain in that uncomfortable position.
"Is that so?" Yuehwa quipped, arching an eyebrow. "In that case I would need all of you to get used to this, because I have no intention of hiding behind that curtain. There is no reason why I should not be able to speak with my ministers and generals face to face. I am not here as the princess, I am here as the regent of this kingdom."
The entire court went up in arms. Shouts of disapproval and reproach rang out.
The prime minister was the only one who still remained eerily calm. He said, "Indeed. You may do as you wish, Your Highness. I was merely trying to provide a reminder about court decorum, as you might not be familiar with it."
"My thanks to you, Prime Minister," Yuehwa said with a yawn, "but I believe you will come to realise that I am not a stickler for decorum." She swung around and stood up. "I believe this brings us to the end of today's little get-to-know-you. There are many things that I need to catch up on. If there is nothing to raise then court is dismissed."
"Your Highness, might you need me to run through the various matters of court with you?" the prime minister offered.
"That won't be necessary. Prime Minister Jing is a busy man and I wouldn't want to waste your time. If I have any questions, I will send for you." With that, Yuehwa turned and strode back towards the inner chambers, with the king's steward beckoning for the doors to be closed behind her.
Out of the corners of her eyes, she could still see the prime minister's self-effacing smile.
Wily old fox.
If he thought her a naïve little girl, then perhaps she would let him hold on to that misconception for a little while longer.
#
Although Yuehwa had been away for three years, nothing much had changed. Outside her chambers, a sea of red dahlias still bloomed, carefully tended by her palace maids in her absence.
"Your timing was immaculate, Uncle Han," she remarked, looking out of her window at the carpet of red outside. "Thank you. Without your help, it would not have been so easy to fend off the prime minister." She turned back and smiled at the man who was seated at the table, still wearing a sombre look on his face.
Earlier this morning, when she awoke to find out that the king had lost consciousness after yet another headache spell, the first thing she did was to secretly summon General Han to the palace.
When her brother had granted her permission to leave the palace three years ago, it had been announced to the court that the princess had taken ill and would need to be confined to her chambers for bedrest. There were few who were aware of the truth—but the commanding general happened to be one of them. When she was younger, she had badgered her father to allow her to learn the art of war, and he had eventually placed her under the tutelage of General Han with the condition that she would dress as a boy during her lessons, given that such behaviour from a girl would be frowned upon. Under his watchful eye, she had learnt how to ride on horseback, wield the sword and spear and master every possible military strategy, fast becoming his most able (and also most troublesome) student.
"It was a close call," the general said with a frown. He looked up at the girl who was lying along the ceiling beam, her hands comfortably propped behind her head. "What would you have done if I happened to be away from the capital? The prime minister would have successfully held you ransom."
"Well then I would just have to tie him up and hang him out to dry," Yuehwa replied with a laugh.
"You are now the regent, so it would be good if you could rein yourself in from time to time. That display on the throne earlier—don't repeat that again. Although I managed to gather the other generals, it doesn't mean that all of them are convinced by you and it won't help for you behave in that sort of flippant manner."
Yuehwa leapt off the beam and landed softly on the ground, sitting herself down across from him. "Uncle Han, could you arrange for me to meet with the other generals?" she asked, suddenly taking on a more serious tone. "You're absolutely right. They probably think it's ridiculous for someone like me to be sitting on the throne, and without their support it'll be even more difficult to me to deal with any internal or external threats."
After speaking with the king's steward last night, she had come to learn about the undercurrents that were lurking beneath the calmness of the royal court. This morning's incident only served to prove that her brother's concerns were real—there were those who were waiting for the opportunity to seize power and the reason she had been called back was to ensure that these wolves were kept at bay. Had it not been for the seal that the general had added on to the official edict this morning, perhaps she would have already lost the regency before she even had the chance to do anything.
And there was still Baixun and his ambitions waiting around the corner.
The general nodded. "I will make the necessary arrangements," he said. "The prime minister will not make it easy for you, that much I'm certain. He's a clever chap, Jing Bohan, but perhaps a little too clever for his own good. Be careful when you interact with him—that cunning hyena will try to stab you in the back when you least expect it."
Yuehwa smiled, slowly rotating the cup that she had in her hand. She didn't need the general to warn her about the prime minister, because she already knew what sort of a person he was from their brief meeting in court. Whenever he spoke he was polite to a fault, leaving no room for anyone to accuse him of any wrongdoing. Even while the other officials openly showed their support for him, the prime minister simply stood quietly by, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with their words. Jing Bohan was not the sort of man who would lead a rebellion and declare himself king—he was the sort who would hide in the shadows and control the king from behind, like a puppeteer.
Unfortunately for him, she was not intending to be his puppet.
"Your Highness," a knock came at the door and the voice of the king's steward followed thereafter. When she gave him permission to enter, the man came rushing into the room, bowing to both the princess and the general. "My apologies for interrupting, but there is something that I need to show you." He placed a cream envelope on the table in front of Yuehwa.
"What is this?" she asked.
"This came in this morning via messenger pigeon, while you were in court," the steward replied, looking a little worried. "It's from Feng, sent on behalf of their crown prince. The crown prince is on his way to Hwa... and he is coming with the intention of seeking your hand in marriage."
Yuehwa blinked, then she threw her head back and laughed. "Is that so?" she said, wondering what the face of the crown prince would look like when he realised who she was. It was not entirely unexpected. In order to stand a fighting chance against Gi, Feng desperately needed an alliance with Hwa, the only neutral party remaining among the five kingdoms. The easiest way to forge such an alliance without needing to cede any land was through marriage, which was exactly what the marriage between Baixun and Naying had been all about.
"Feng is moving quickly," General Han remarked. "The threat from Gi is not trivial, Princess."
The smile faded from Yuehwa's face. By addressing her as such, the general was subtly reminding her of her responsibilities as a member of the royal family—and now as regent. Her family was under siege from within, their kingdom was under siege from without. Even with the strength of their military, could Hwa withstand the challenge of Baixun and the consolidated forces of all the other kingdoms? The answer was uncertain.
"I will not use marriage as a political tool, Uncle Han." And certainly not marriage to an awful specimen of a man like the crown prince of Feng.
"And I wouldn't let you even if you would. But sometimes things can get beyond our control. Jing Bohan and his supporters will spare no expense at convincing the court that this marriage should happen for the sake of the kingdom's survival, if only to remove you from the regency and have you sent away."
"I know." Yuehwa's brows furrowed, and she tapped her index finger thoughtfully against the wooden surface of the table. "I'll figure a way out."