1 1: The blood princess

The lively lantern festival commemorates the victory of the Huang family overthrowing the previous Liu Empire paving the way to the new royal family to rule over the Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom enjoyed prosperity and peace for the past 100 years. But as far as the people with lowly birth this is not the case. The extravagance and love for the entertainment of the current King, made them suffer and lose their lives faster than they could say anything.

Lihua, who just turned 15 years old, is busy arranging the flower pots outside the 1st young master's residence when she heard footsteps towards her. She immediately falls down on her knees, showing respect to the person leading the group. The young master who will turn 18 next month, moved past the servant without even looking at her. His gloomy expressions mean that something might have happened in the Study Hall that caused the young master to return early on his residence followed by his servants who were tensed and frightened.

Lihua, slowly stood up and turned to leave when she heard someone said, "Hey, you! come here!"

Lihua freeze on the spot. She slowly turned around towards the house and bowed. "Yes, young master?"

"I said, come here!"

Lihua was immediately pushed forward inside by one of the young master's servant. She kneeled so low she couldn't make out the young master's expression. She said trembling, "Yes, young master?... Did Lihua committed a mistake?" She heard a deep sigh from the young master before she heard him say, "All of you, get out. I want to talk to this slave alone."

Slave? What a joke. Lihua thought to herself. Her eyes are now filled with coldness. She felt the scourging of feet moving outside of the room. When she felt that everyone is now gone, she immediately looked up and throw him a cold look.

"Don't look at me like that. I have more important things to discuss with you." the young master told her while sipping his tea. She waited for him to put down his cup. She had a bad feeling of what's going to happen but she waited. It can be some other matters with the other young princes in the palace. The same old issues of young men who are trying to prove themselves.

"We need to find someone," he said with a serious look on his eyes.

"Who?"

"The Blood Princess."

Dead silence. Lihua could hear her heart beat so fast she felt like she feels she will faint anytime.

"We need to find her if we want to keep our lives."

"What do you mean, young master?" Lihua tried her best to conceal the nervousness in her voice. She looked at the young man in front of him. They look at each other, eyes were fierce. It is like their first meeting in that dark, moonless night in the outskirts of the city near the Sǐwáng river.

"Please spare me, please spare..." the young child, aged 10 years old, is begging the three burly men to spare her life. Her face is swollen from the punches she received earlier that afternoon from the young master of the Minister of Finance. She was caught eating at the back of the kitchen. Since she is young and been running errands in the big mansion the whole day without eating anything since that morning, she took the chance of stealing some red bean bun in the kitchen. For a slave like her, eating is not permitted unless someone from the higher rank of servants gave them food.

"You dared steal and now you are begging for your life? You rotten little..." before he could finish his words he was hit by something at the back of his head making him stumble forward.

The other two looked around, "who's there?" said the man on the left looking frantically in every direction. Then, another sound of a stone being thrown hit the man on the right. With this, the two men draw their dagger from their sides and looked intently around. Lihua remained on the ground. Though her body is shaking from fear, she felt inside that she will be saved. After a few moments, she heard a man's body fell on the ground. She dared not look upward. But then, she felt something on top of her, she looked around and saw the remaining man aiming his dagger on her. She pressed her eyes shut and screamed. Then, a whooshing sound can be heard and the body of the man fell on her. She was screaming and crying until someone kicked the body of the man on the side freeing her.

"Shut up! if you don't want to wake up all the people here" It is the voice of a teenage boy. Lihua came to her senses and looked up to the person who saved her. She saw a young boy, not older than 13 years old looking at her with coldness on his eyes.

"If you wanted to live, you should have at least do something"

Lihua, stunned, just cried. The young boy started to turn around and leave when Lihua called out to him, "Why? Is it my fault to be born on a lowly family? Is it my fault that my family cannot afford to take care of me that's why they sold me as a slave in one of those aristocrat family? Is it my fault that..."

"You will just blame everything to your lowly status..." the boy was cut off the little girl's answer, "No." the cold wind blew signaling the coming of winter, "I blame the gods for bringing me in this time where the powerful who do not just refuses to look at the lowly but sees them worthless and used them in any way they wanted." It might be the calmness on her voice that made the young boy looked back and stared at the body of the young girl laying on the ground who is in the brink of death. There is something on her serene face that was shone by the moon who decided to break from the clouds on that moment. The young girl looked at him, "Thank you for showing me that there is still merciful people like you in this world. I might die tonight, but I promise to pay off your kindness on my next life." And with that, the young girl slowly closed her eyes. The young boy, stood transfixed on the spot, looked with tenderness on the young girl. He felt grief and resentment once again. He looked at the east where the city is located. The bright light coming from there signaled that life is bustling in the city. Everyone is unaware of what happened that night. No one cares that a young slave is dying. The young boy let out a scream.

Lihua slowly opened her eyes. She was blinded by the light inside the room.

"Aarrghh"

"You are now awake," said a soft voice of a woman

Lihua looked at the direction of the voice after she adjusted her vision. She saw a young woman, she is around 11 years old, wearing a simple blue dress, she has a beautiful kind face. She is smiling at her as she approached her bed.

"Who are you? And where am I?"

"You are in the Prime Minister's mansion. The 1st young master brought you here."

First young master? Lihua thought to herself and tried to remember what happened.

When the young girl saw the confusion on her face, she said, "I will bring some food in,"

Lihua looked around the small room when the young girl left. The content of the room is not much, aside from the bed where she is, there is a small table on the side and a small cabinet on the other. Comparing it to the servants' quarter in the Minister of Finance's mansion, this place is better. Lihua stood up and walked out of the room. She saw a small garden outside and a small path going to a bigger building on the right. The place is enclosed by a high wall. She surveyed the surroundings and she instantly knew that she was in the servants' quarter near the East Pavilion.

"I am indeed at the Prime Minister's mansion," she said, as she remembers the layout of the mansion that her master showed to her six months ago.

"Remember everything I told you and don't fail," she remembers her master's words during her last night at the Holy Mountain.

She looked up and saw small dark clouds forming from the distance.

"A storm is coming..."