1.26 AuYeung LaiSan - Daggers Flying

As the dancers and the music sped up signifying the height of the performance, there seemed to be electricity in the air. I stared at the colors waving rhythmically and suddenly a blinding twinkle flashed in my eyes. I blinked and tried to find it within the dancers but I didn't see it again.

Concern seemed to be welling up in my heart. I looked on the platform where the royal family was viewing the performance and I noticed that the Crown Prince was also missing from his table. Looking over at MeiMei, I noticed that she was staring over at the Prince from BeiGao, not an admiring stare, she had a bit of a scowl on her face.

Suddenly there were screams and I quickly turned my attention back to the performance stage.

I saw what had triggered the scream, a dancer was covered with blood on the stage. The other dancers and musicians all had a fighting stance, and some had flung daggers up towards the platform. Guards that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere were already standing in front of the royals and blocked all the daggers. The General with an army of guards stopped them so fast, that it seemed only to have taken only seconds to control the situation. Standing over one of the dancers on the ground, was General Szeto holding a sword pointing at the squirming dancer's throat.

Murmurs filled the area and some young ladies even started to cry at the sight of blood.

The Crown Prince who was next to the General, walked forward, squatted down next to the dancer and flung away all the remaining daggers that were hidden in her dancing outfit. As he did this, he questioned the dancer, "Who sent you?" The dancer spat at him and did not answer. She suddenly started convulsing and soon stopped moving. "She is dead." the Crown Prince announced.

"Guards, check their mouths! Don't let them take the suicide pill." All the guards squeezed open the assassins' mouths but some acted too late. "Lock up all the remaining assassins. Thoroughly search them and hold them for interrogation," the Crown Prince ordered.

The guards hauled off all the performers and even more guards appeared. The Emperor announced, "My apologies, my honored guest but at this time the celebration has ended. Please follow the guards who will escort you to your waiting carriages." After he said this, the guards ushered the royals off the platform and back into the Inner Palace.

The General and the Crown Prince were speaking, when the woman named PuiHa was also escorted away by the guards. She had a bit of a frightened look upon her face. I then saw Physician Feng walk up to her and covered her with his outer coat and personally escorted her away from the area.

I followed my father and mother back to our carriage and on the way home, I heard their hypothesis of what might have happened. Though I knew nothing of the internal strife of the Palace, only one hypothesis seemed logical. It was the one where they had come to kill the Prince or Princess of BeiGao to disrupt the peace between the two countries, but mom and dad did not mention who they thought might have plotted this.

Arriving home, mom hugged me and said, "If you need, I can stay with you tonight." I smiled back at her and said, "Mom, I am fine. Jo-yi will accompany me tonight. Don't worry."

"Okay, if you feel uncomfortable, please come to me," my mom said as my father turned her towards their courtyard. Before he walked away, he patted me on the shoulder and gave me a gentle smile.

I smiled back, then said good night to them both.

Jo-yi had met us at the door and was accompanying me as we walked back to my room. I recapped all that happened, including seeing the girl named PuiHa that was with the General.

We talked well into the night, before we nodded off to sleep.

A gentle breeze woke me up.

Jo-yi had opened a window and the afternoon sun shone high in the sky.

I yawned and asked Jo-yi what time it was and if she had prepared breakfast, my stomach growled on cue. Jo-yi chuckled and replied that it was already one in the afternoon and not just breakfast but lunch had long been prepared and waiting for me.

She prepared a basin of water and a towel for me to wash up, then she left to go fetch lunch from the kitchen.

I noticed that it was awfully quiet this afternoon and when Jo-yi returned I asked where everyone was, cause it seemed quieter than usual. Even the kids were not playing around the gardens.

Jo-yi whispered, Master and all your brothers were summoned into the Palace this morning. All the madams and the children have been praying in the ancestral hall since this morning.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I said muffled as I had just shoved a mouthful of noodles in my mouth.

"Madam said not to wake you since you had a terrible evening and she was worried it might affect your health."

"That's just silly. What are they praying for in the ancestral hall, anyways?" I questioned.

"Madam wanted the family to pray for the safety of the family and the country. So she ordered each of the Young Madams and their children to take turns each hour to go pray with her." Jo-yi said.

"So mom has been there this whole time?"

"I believe so." Jo-yi answered.

I shoved another mouthful in my face and said, "Okay, get me ready to go to the ancestral hall."

Jo-yi worked frantically to get me dressed and ready to go out.

"Okay let's go."

We walked towards the back courtyard where the ancestral hall was and along the way I did run into some of the children that were quietly playing in their courtyards.

I reached the hall and immediately, my second sister in-law stopped me from approaching my mother. She held a finger to her lips and shushed me as she pushed me backwards, back out the doors.

"Don't disturb your mother now. She is praying at the moment." my sister in-law said.

"I know and Jo-yi said she has been at this all morning," I said hushly, mimicking my sister in-law's volume.

"It is okay, we have all been watching over her. We give her water and she has eaten her meals. We even massage her knees and legs when she finishes a section of scripture. So don't worry, she is fine," my sister in law says, almost pleading with me to understand.

"Okay, I will wait outside until she is done," I tell her.

She nods and walks back in, taking her post as she continues to burn incense after kowtowing to the ancestors.

I watched as my mother sincerely muttered the scriptures and I thought about what I have seen in the underworld. I used to not believe it but now I know it is all true. All the gods, the stories and even our destinies, it is all true.

After a bit longer, I walked to a bench outside the hall and stared out into the road. The pebble road was neatly decorated, big boulders lining the path and a couple of statues scattered at certain points, nothing too fancy or interesting.

I then remembered the road I had taken to get to the Palace of Fate, the lanterns that lit the road, the red palace door and ZhiHin's room.

Suddenly, a voice spoke inside my head. "Are you okay? Luckily I'm not in the middle of anything, so I can answer you right away. So what is happening?" he questioned.

"ZhiHin, why are you contacting me now? I asked.

"You sent the butterfly to me," he retorted back.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about the last time I visited the Hall of Fate and I must have accidentally recalled our meeting that day. I didn't mean to call you." I said apologetically.

"Well now that I am here, well I do have some good news. The knot is loosening. Your mission might be a success after all.

" That is great. If it is loose enough, does it mean that I don't have to go through with the engagement and it would just work out?" I asked happily.

"Of course not. The mission is not complete until you get this engagement. Also to remind you that you only have a few more days. It is a turning point in his life and will change your fates all together." he said.

"Okay, I remember but there is nothing I can do. There was just this assassination in the Palace last night and he is busy. Actually everyone is, even my father and brothers were all called into the Palace this morning and they are still there." I told him.

"Oh!" and then there was silence, after a long pause he finally said, "Well just remember your mission. I'll talk to you later. Bye"

"Hey!" I rushed to say but it was already too late, he was gone.

I thought he was acting weird, but I didn't want to call him back. Because he was just going to lecture me more about the engagement.

So I focused back on just waiting for my mom.

After waiting for about another hour, she came out to look for me. I rushed over to her as I saw her at the entrance.

"Mom, you must be tired," I stated as I held on to her as we walked a bit back inside to the stone table near the entrance.

"No, I am fine. Your sister in-laws have all done very well in taking care of me," she stated.

"I am glad, but why are you torturing yourself, praying for so long today?"

"What torture?" as she gently slapped my lips.

She then clasped her hands together and said, "God forgive his silly girl. I am only showing my sincerity."

"Okay, I am sorry." I said with a wink.

She slapped my shoulder and said, "Don't be naughty in front of your ancestors or they will punish you."

"Okay, okay. But seriously mom, please do take care of yourself," I pleaded with her.

She patted my hands and smiled at me.

Not long after, a maid came to announce that everyone was back and that they wanted to have the whole family meet in the dining hall.