Early upload cause I'm really busy this week. See you Friday! And happy Father's Day to all the fathers. We honour and appreciate you.
Chapter 26
Bai Shen Hong
Emperor Huizhong
The Dragon Palace
A person who masters the art of playing the qin is considered refined and fine-tuned.
Shen Hong's favourite hobbies entailed wine, poems and the qin. His qin was a treasured instrument handed to him by his father. It was Royal Father who taught him to play and appreciate music.
The qin has thirteen major notes on its one string. It also has a lingering sound when compared to other instruments.
Shen Hong wiped the shiny wooden surface, though it was already at its best in cleanliness. It was his way of giving it love and greeting. He then ensured the instrument was balanced well on the lengthy table before he could play.
Underneath the deck he sat on, the flowing water trickled as it passed to the rest of the palace. It was a wonderful afternoon and the sun blazed, a rare occasion since winter was already here. His perspiring skin enjoyed the breeze that would pass by the deck's shade to cool him off.
"Do you know any poem by a Confucian scholar, Luo Meng?"
Luo Meng rested against one of the poles holding the shade.
"Luo Meng is illiterate, Your Majesty."
It was an empty reply, the one like the rest of the people who spoke to Shen Hong as the dragon.
Respect is when someone belittles themselves to be lesser than the emperor. Luo Meng was not illiterate but he spoke in such a manner to indicate he was inferior compared to the dragon.
Adding on to that, Luo Meng brooded half the time nowadays. Probably issues to do with the woman who captured his heart. Shen Hong dared not ask about it because he did not have any advice. Matters of the heart were only something he willed to talk about with a bottle of wine in hand. It was a complicated subject best avoided when sober.
"Alone I sit in you huang li(deep and quiet bamboo forest)." Shen Hong began to recite a poem, downing his first cup of wine. "Plucking the strings of my qin." His hand strummed on a string, producing a soft graceful tone. "In joys and sorrows, I sing. Yet who will understand me?"
The melody was raw, remote and a sombre melancholy that mashed well with his soul, his unspoken words and the state of his heart.
"Right, Luo Meng." Shen Hong stopped, remembering something.
His shadow guard jerked, caught in the midst of falling asleep. Did Shen Hong really need him as a guard in this state?
"At His Majesty's service." The sword clanked on the floor as Luo Meng tried to sit straight and proper.
"Any reports for me?" Shen Hong preferred to hear any reports Luo Meng had when he was in a calm state. Unless a matter was urgent, Luo Meng was to withhold information until he asked for it. This was how he managed his temper. News told to him in a miserable state resulted in him judging negatively and easily punishing.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Luo Meng got up and clasped his hands at chest level, bowing his head. This was a respectful manner to speak to the dragon. Though they shared kinship, they would always be separated by status and position. "No response has come from Queen Elora, Your Grace. Her non-responsiveness may mean Furia is willing to still stand with Huticah if we attack."
"They are not strong enough."
"This servant agrees. What do we do?"
"We proceed with our plans. If they defend Huticah, we destroy them too." His empire was above many nations, who would stand against them? "Anything else?"
"Your Majesty, the palace guards have seen suspicious movement around the palace recently but are still not able to trace what is going on."
"Have them tighten security in Hougong and the middle palace. After Yang Liu, they cannot be reckless again. It might be Gurio again." With each day, tensions were rising on the borderland between Nevoria and Gurio. The strategy with his generals as far was to wait and see who took the first move.
War did not bother Nevoria, they were born ready. The same couldn't be said for Gurio.
"But what about His Majesty's safety?"
Shen Hong chuckled, baffled by his guard's worry for him. "Do I seem scared?"
"No, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Nam rushed onto their deck from among the emperor's entourage, stationed away from their master but still close enough to hear him if he requested their assistance.
"Your Majesty, General Feng has arrived," the eunuch said.
Shen Hong had been waiting for Feng Chang An. "Let him in."
"Yes. But..."
"What?"
"What about the concubine His Majesty asked to come dance?"
"I'm no longer in the mood."
All the women he summoned to dance couldn't dance better than the one who he pridefully couldn't summon. He reminisced on how Li Lian lightly swayed and twirled on his mother's celebration.
When he saw her dance, he was jealous of the musicians who played the instruments. He wanted to be the one who played and watched her. Just the same way he wanted to be the man who played her heartstrings and have her dance to his tune.
"Thousands and thousands of years for the dragon." General Feng bowed, passing a sideway glance of contempt at Luo Meng. The two didn't like the other and though the raft existed for years Shen Hong liked being ignorant. "Greetings to His Majesty, the emperor of our Great Nevoria."
"Don't stand on ceremony. Sit opposite me." Shen Hong instructed, picking off on his qin with a relaxing tune. Music pacified him and kept his insanity at bay. "We have known each other since we were young."
Feng Chang An was from a noble family. The Feng afforded Chang An the rare opportunity to seat-in classes with the crown prince. As crown prince, Shen Hong had noble classmates, not that he could not afford to have a teacher for himself. It wasn't so. 'Company while learning incites a lively environment and competitiveness, which is good for learning.' This was the previous dragon's way of thinking.
"Since we were ten, Your Majesty." General Feng confirmed.
"My parrot told me something about you."
"It will be an honour to hear what the words are."
"It told me that you occasionally meet Li Lian in secret. And my question to it was, what would a general be doing with my woman?"
Chang An quickly clasped his hands over the other in the air and bowing further, loudly declared, "This servant wouldn't dare!"
"Are you telling me my parrot lied?"
"Your Majesty, the times this servant has spoken to Second Class Female Attendant Wei was in the public eye."
The qin hit an unnecessarily high tune, disapproving Chang An's words. "Only you would dare lie to me as you are doing right now."
"Your Majesty, this servant is loyal."
If not for Chang An's skills, Shen Hong wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
"Li Lian, is my woman. Mine. If I hear you were around her ever again, I will post your lifeless head on the city gate."
"His Majesty is sagacious!"
This general was confusing. Many years have passed and Shen Hong couldn't figure out who Chang Feng was true-hearted to. Nevoria or Huticah? Before the assassination, it was of no concern like now. He needed to know.
"The South Wing keeps contact with Huticah even till now. Huticah killing my father does not stop you."
Chang An kept his eyes to the ground. "His Majesty is above all and knows everything."
"The South Wing knows much more about Huticah than you let on." Shen Hong purposely changed the tune to a deadly one. Chang Feng knew not to be rattled by the emperor, the advantage that came from being acquainted with him for many years. "If I wanted to kill King Tobba, I couldn't easily do it. You agree?"
"Yes. King Tobba does not stay in one place, making it difficult to find him."
"Some say it is King Tobba's father who murdered my royal father, therefore it is unfair to kill King Tobba for his father's mistakes. What do you think?"
Chang An took a minute to reply. He thought it through. "Can the dragon be considered unfair? He is righteous."
That was a great move. Shen Hong smirked, amazed by his general. "Then what do you say, Chang An?" He pulled a string harshly, it tore. "What do you say if I say, you are the right person to avenge the injustice on Nevoria?"
For the first time, they stared at the other. Shen Hong did mention to his generals he had plans to send one of them on this mission. He just had not yet said who would go. All of them wanted to be picked as the reward was being promoted as Grand General. But what he saw in Chang An was not happiness and Shen Hong had secret suspicions why.
The emperor added coldly, "By the next moon, King Tobba should be in the books of history. And you will do it."
It had to be General Feng because the South Wing had to choose now. Nevoria or Huticah?
General Feng rubbed his neck. "What... does His Majesty mean?"
Shen Hong grinned, lifting his cup and toasting the air. "King Tobba must die."
S.V