When the ascension ceremony ended, the Empress Mother headed back to her own private residence with General Shao and her servants.
"Leave us." The Empress Mother ordered her servants before entering her chambers with General Shao. Her meek servants bowed and shuffled backwards to the outer courtyards of the residence, closing the doors behind them. To the outside world, General Shao was only the Empress Mother's close confidant and military advisor. But her servants knew better.
Once inside, the Empress Mother sat at her dressing table. A set of three copper mirrors lined the edge of the table with the largest piece flanked by the remaining two smaller ones.
"My dear, you look tired." General Shao murmured as he attempted to massage the Empress Mother's shoulders. The Empress Mother flinched from his touch.
"What's the matter?" General Shao asked with a hint of annoyance barely tingeing his voice.
The Empress Mother's mind was elsewhere and didn't notice the slight change in the general's demeanor.
"Is it right to abdicate the throne to Ye An right now? Isn't.. he too young?" She asked the general through his reflection on the mirror with an uncertainty that was extremely out of character for her.
"Yes, of course it's right. You and I both know that there were many emperors before him who have ascended to the throne when they were much younger. Even your late husband, the late Great Emperor Lee Gang unified the country when he was only nineteen. His Imperial Majesty would be fine." General Shao waved his hand nonchalantly.
"Yes, but.." the Empress Mother barely stopped herself, nearly spilling one of the secrets she had held so closely to her heart for decades.
The Empress Mother hurriedly changed the subject. "Gang Rui, you mentioned that young lieutenant who could work with Ye An. Is he still available?"
"Xi Chen? Yes. He's still on standby. Have you changed your mind?" General Shao asked inquisitively.
The Empress Mother paused for a split second, but quickly replied, "Yes."
However, General Shao still managed to catch her hesitation, so he asked, "Do you want to meet him beforehand?"
"No, it should be fine. You mentioned that the military prowess he possesses only comes by once every hundred years, isn't it?" The Empress Mother asked, finally removing her ceremonial headdress.
"Yes. His skills are unmatched. I believe he could even take me down if he puts his mind to it." General Shao replied absentmindedly.
"Hmm.. But is he trustworthy?" The Empress Mother continued.
"Yes, I guess. Let's just say that he's the honorable sort." General Shao was getting impatient with the endless questions.
"Then it should be fine. Could you arrange for him to enter the palace as soon as possible?" The Empress Mother asked decidedly while staring at her own reflection in the mirror.
"Don't worry, I'll arrange everything tomorrow. For now, we have other matters to attend to." General Shao replied, his words turning into a whisper at the end.
Outside, the servants watched the candles in the Empress Mother's chambers go out.
*******
The Northern Border
Early next morning, a young man was training using a piece of bamboo in the military dojo. He only had his black pants and boots on, with his long black hair tied up in a tight bun away from his face. His shirt was folded neatly and placed at the corner of the room. He was tall and wide-shouldered, and had healthy sun-kissed skin, except for a small pale scar on the left side of his torso. The palms of his hands were wrapped in bandage cloths to provide him a better grip on his weapon. Power rippled through his toned muscles as he waved his weapon, his every movement controlled and precise.
The morning rays were only starting to shine into the dojo. But the young man seemed to have been training since before dawn. His sweat was glistening at the nape of his neck as he breathed heavily. The golden specks of his hazel eyes glinted brightly as he moved in and out of the sun rays.
The doors to the dojo suddenly burst open.
"Lieutenant Yun!" A young officer yelled for Xi Chen while looking like he just ran across an entire country.
"What's the matter, Ah Lin?" Xi Chen put his weapon down and asked gently.
"Hold. On. I. Need. Water." Ah Lin replied in between gasps. Xi Chen has had many acquaintances, but not many friends, and Ah Lin happened to be one of his closest, if not only friend. He was three years younger and was like a younger brother to Xi Chen. They entered the military at about the same time and Xi Chen still remembered the scrawny child that Ah Lin was when they first met each other. And that scrawny child grew up to become the captain of his own troop. Xi Chen couldn't be prouder.
Xi Chen walked to a tiny makeshift pantry he had set up earlier at the corner of the room by his clothes which was equipped with a teapot and a couple of teacups. He poured a cup of lukewarm tea for Ah Lin which the latter gulped hungrily. Then, Ah Lin carelessly poured another cup himself and downed that as well before taking a deep breath and finally facing Xi Chen to deliver his news. Ah Lin, much like any man in the military, was well-built but he was still slightly shorter than Xi Chen so he tilted his head up slightly before making his announcement.
"A letter from General Shao just came through. He has ordered for you to be transferred to the emperor's residence! Your new assignment is to be the emperor's personal guard. Effective immediately!" Ah Lin announced with an enthusiasm that was on par with an excited puppy while stuffing the letter into Xi Chen's hand. "Wait, no. Not exactly immediately I guess, since you would still need to travel all the way to the capital. I guess it's more like you need to travel to the capital immediately. Not, you know, you have to guard the emperor immediately. Anyway, I still have other errands to run. Look for Governess Hsu when you reach the East Palace! Good luck! I'll visit you in the capital if I get any off days! Again! Good luck!"
Xi Chen smiled fondly at the young officer who was already leaving and waving him goodbye.
Xi Chen read the letter by General Shao and murmured to himself "Well, there goes today's training."
He picked his shirt up and walked towards the dojo locker room to grab a fresh set of clothing before heading to one of the many common outdoor baths around the dojo.
It was still very early in the morning. No one was at the bath yet. Xi Chen picked the bath area that was situated beneath a natural waterfall that was usually crowded but was now peacefully empty.
Xi Chen took his boots and soiled pants off before heading towards the waterfall. Cold water pounded on his whole body. This was Xi Chen's favorite part of the day. The tranquility before the day officially begins. This would probably be the last time in a long time before he would have the chance to savor this moment again.
After his bath, he went back to his quarters at the barracks. Xi Chen's quarters was a narrow room that was slightly bare but clean and tidy. Everything was situated in its proper place. Since he didn't own many items, all of them fit into a bag that he slung over his shoulders. He then strapped his bow and arrows on himself before sheathing his sword.
Xi Chen's sword was made specifically for him at the end of his first real battle. Its hilt was carved from white jade and was cool to the touch even on the hottest of days. The sheath of the sword was also carved from the same piece of jade with a black leather strap that snaked around his waist.
After slipping a couple more daggers into each of his boots, Xi Chen stood back up to look at the room one last time before turning to leave this chapter of his life behind.
*******
The Empress Mother was sitting on a futon, with one knee lifted and an elbow resting on the knee, getting ready to take her morning meal that was displayed over a low mahogany table when a servant outside her door announced "The emperor has arrived!"
The Empress Mother's servants opened the doors and Ye An stepped in, his arms ninety degrees from his body with his palms overlapping each other.
"I, Ye An, am here to greet Your Majesty a good day." The young emperor said as he bowed and brought his forehead to his overlapped hands.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I didn't expect that you would greet me in the mornings now that you're the emperor." The Empress Mother stood up and bowed in reply.
"Respecting elders is a given regardless of status." Ye An replied fluidly as he straightened his back.
"That sounds practiced. Anyway, it's good that you came. Come, sit with me." The Empress Mother sat back down and invited Ye An to join her while taking a bite of fried fish. Servants hurriedly set up a place for the emperor.
"I have something to inform you. I had General Shao arrange for one of his men to be your personal guard. He would be at your residence by the end of today." The Empress Mother informed.
Ye An was taken aback by the sudden arrangement but didn't show any signs of his surprise outwardly and just mildly asked, "May I know the reason for this arrangement?"
"Do I need to spell it out for you? Since you're now officially the emperor, you would need someone to be your messenger, especially during court meetings. We can't have people hearing your voice." The Empress Mother said sharply before adding the last part as an afterthought. "Besides, it's also protocol for an emperor to have a personal bodyguard."
"I have been working on my voice and I'm making progress." Ye An retorted, ignoring the last part.
"Well, your progress isn't quick enough. The pitch of your voice is still too high." The Empress Mother's eyes flashed in irritation while Ye An's darkened.
"Just do as I say." The Empress Mother ordered with a note of finality. "His name is Lieutenant Yun Xi Chen. He's one of the best military officers in a long time and handpicked by General Shao. However, he is still unaware of your... predicament." the Empress Mother continued.
In a sudden burst of annoyance, Ye An brusquely replied "You mean he doesn't know that his emperor is actually a woman."
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