5 Chapter Five

The sorrow and grief of loss of their emperor crowded Xianghua. Even the nature showed it pain by showering heavily. Yu He was clueless as to how it had happened? And how was he supposed to explain it to his father? How was he even supposed to carry a headless corpse back to Qinshen and claim it to be Gu Lin? Yu He couldn't help stress out. His calm demeanor was stripped off, he was now angry and greatly disappointed in himself.  But now his warriors were waiting for his command. He got hold of himself and ordered, " Carry all the remains back to Qinshen. Leave nothing behind."

"Yes, Your Majesty." They replied in unison and complied to the order.

@Shixing border, after three weeks of Xianghua annexation

"This messenger seeks permission to pass this mystic bird from ZhaoShu to Qinshen. Royal orders from the Great Emperor of ZhaoShu." said a black hooded messenger holding a black mystic Phoenix with the Red Dragon seal on it.

"The permission is granted only for the bird. The messenger has to stay back. You may return." Said the Qinshen border patrol guard and took the mystic bird and set it free. It flew in the direction of Guijiang.

@Guijiang Imperial Palace

Yu Rong threw all the scrolls, artifacts and brushes on his table with a roaring growl.

"How dare he? How dare he ask for my son? War is what we are having in two days. Prepare, CaoYi." His anger and wrath were clearing evident in his voice.

CaoYi got chills down his body when he heard the order.

"And inform the Empress, I will come to meet her for evening tea in her palace. We have some important facts to discuss."

Saying so, Yu Rong flicked his sleeves and rushed to the medical wing to see his cousin. He found Yu He and Commander Lu talking to Yu Song.

"There is a spy in Qinshen. Don't talk about any war regime outside the meeting hall."

Seeing Yu Rong, everyone bowed.

"Song, how is your health?"

"I am fine, Your Majesty. Thank you for concerning yourself with me."

"It is my responsibility." Turning to Yu He, he said, "Join me in the Empress's palace for evening tea."

"Yes,Royal father."

They both walked out of the medical wing towards the Empress's palace.

@Empress' chambers

"Greetings, Your Majesty and my beloved son" Lin Na bowed before her husband. She had come to receive him. She led them both to the table where tea and snacks were arranged. Her personal maid Xixi served them tea and freshly made snacks.

"What is the matter,Your Majesty? You look stressed. What can this poor wife of yours do for you?"

"Lin Na, I want you to arrange the escape Yu Long and Yu Lin from the lands of Qinshen."

These words shocked both the empress and the Crown Prince.

"Your Majesty?"

" A message arrived from Zhang XinYi himself. He wants either of the two, War or Yu Long. I can not give away my son to that demon. War is inevitable. Prepare the escape of both YuLong and Yu Lin immediately. They should be sent far away from Qinshen. Consequences is what we will bear. Yu He will be responsible for their safety. I am sending my sons and daughter away for their safety. We can always get back Qinshen when we are ready to fight for it and win it. But I can't put my children through lifetime pains and punishment."

"Royal Father, Yu He will protect you. Yu Long can protect Yu Lin. Mother Empress and Royal Father, let me stay back and fight that treacherous monster. I can not leave as I have the responsibility to protect people. I am the Crown Prince of Qinshen."

"That's all the more reason why you need to leave. The future of Qinshen is your hands. People look up to you as their light. They worship you and are ready to sacrifice their lives for you. It is your responsibility to protect yourself and your siblings so that you can win back Qinshen. If we bet your lives now, we will lose Qinshen forever." Lin Na said in her beautiful yet majestic tone which soon started cracking as she was unable to control her emotions, "Your younger Brother Long is special and needs to be protected at all costs. If Zhang XinYi gets him, I can't imagine what will happen to this world. So, Yu He promise me, not as a Crown Prince but as an Elder Brother. Promise me that you will protect Long with your life. Take Yu Lin as she is too young for war."

"Mother empress, Yu He didn't get you. How is my baby brother special. He is definitely the kindest and most beautiful man one must have ever seen. But I feel Mother Empress meant it in some other way."

"Yes, he is special. He himself doesn't know what he possesses, nor does he know what his special powers are."

"Special powers?"

"We will have this conversation now. Please never in your lifetime reveal this secret to anybody. This is Qinshen's secret and the reason why you need to protect Long."

Later that night, Yu He visited his younger brother, who was busy writing something in a scroll.

"Looks like the Long is busy studying?"

" Brother He, you scared me. I was just trying this new brush I bought. Is this not pretty? This golden tip and the light scented wood body caught my attention. It is said this brush is two hundred years old. This brush cost me a fortune. Brother He, I even bought two other antique brushes. Wait a moment, I will get them."

Yu He looked at his younger brother in amazement. He knew his brother's obsession with antiques and artifacts. Yu Long always loved reading and learning. He loved the history and birth of this civilization. He loved the story of the birth of Qinshen and the mythology of the son of the Dragon. Lin Na loved telling these stories to Yu Long so that he could sleep peacefully without having nightmares. Yu Long and Yu He lost their mother at a pretty young age.Yu He was twelve then. He was able to cope up after his mother, Empress Feng Bi's assassination.

Feng Bi was married to Yu Rong at a pretty young age. Feng Bi, Yu Rong, Yu Song and Lin Na were brought up in the palace. They were childhood friends. Feng Bi was the most attractive and elegant lady in Qinshen. She was a replica of her mother. Born and brought up with values and morals, she was tender at heart and gentle in her behaviour. Her personality and aura spoke of royalty. She was engaged and married to Yu Rong when she turned fifteen. She had Yu He when she was only seventeen. She was not good when it came to cultivation but she shared love and affection as a mother empress should. Yu Rong was crowned when he turned twenty three. Yu He was made the Crown Prince at the age of three. Feng Bi took care of the palace and living conditions of people in Qinshen. She introduced policies and special training academy for the poor, providing free accommodation and food. Three years after coronation she got pregnant with Yu Long. It was said she craved for rare mystic fruits when she was pregnant with Yu Long. This pregnancy got her weak. After Yu Long was born, she stayed in her quarters mostly in her bed resting. She started falling sick more frequently. The palace doctor said it was the side effects of the mystic fruits she ate. Mystic fruits may appear delicious but are difficult to digest. They cause more problem for people in sensitive conditions. Her recovery was slow after the pregnancy. But this didn't stop her from teaching Yu He about morals and well being of people. She groomed Yu He and Yu Long at their young age into great gentlemen. She taught them values and ethics.

"Your people should always be your first priority. Then comes your kingdom. The least important is the royalty. When you people will sit on the throne, make sure to think for the benefit of the people of Qinshen first, then think about Qinshen's growth and then about royal palace. You are nothing without your people. You have be the Emperor for your people not because you were born royalty but because you have been chosen by them as royalty. Understood?"

"Yes,Mother." Yu Long and Yu He would reply in unison. This made Feng Bi chuckle while taking them both in her arms.

Everything changed so fast that one fateful night. No one knew how but Feng Bi was found dead in her palace quarters along with Yu Long ,who had fainted due to exhaustion from screaming ,and the assassin who had a hole in his chest. The sight was gruesome. Since that night, Yu Long couldn't sleep. He had nightmares of that assassin. Everything fell back to normal after Lin Na came into his life. She loved him and made him sleep telling him stories about kingdoms and empires. She told him mysterious tales and bought him artifacts and effigies with such stories about them.Yu Long had such a large collection of ancient scrolls and artifacts. He had once said, "There is a story about everything in this world. The brush we use to write or the ring we wear. Even the palace of Qinshen has a story of its own."

This obsession of his baby brother to collect and study antiquity amazed him. He knew his brother was smart and really intelligent.

"I found it, Elder Brother He."

"Show me, Long."

Yu Long ran to his brother who was standing at the entrance of his study.

Yu He and Yu Long sat in the bench near the entrance.

There was only a table in the centre of the study and one bench in the entrance. Rest all space was full of artifacts, effigies and scrolls. There was no place to put the foot in the mess. Yu Long's study was out of bounds for all palace maids and eunuchs. He loved spending most of his time there either studying something new or revising his lessons. This chamber was connected with two small store rooms. One room Yu Long used to store unused scrolls, brushes or unread scrolls or important artifacts. The second room was connected to his bed chambers. That room was small but he lit special incense sticks and lightly scented woods to create a small meditation chamber. That room had a wall covered using a drape with yin yang sign while the second wall had a small jade figurine of a dragon which was placed on a black marble rock.

"It is beautiful. Is it authentic?"

"Yes brother, it has the body made of sandalwood. Smell it. It leaves behind a beautiful trail of scent when one writes with this brush."

"That is really good. But doesn't my dear brother think it is time to clean this study. If Royal Father sees this, he will send maids to clean it up."

"I forbid. That is not allowed. I have told Royal Father and Mother Empress, they are forbidden from entering my territory. My study is the only area where I have my freedom."  Yu Long pouted.

Seeing such cute reactions of his brother he couldn't help but pinch his cheeks.

"I get it. But make sure to clean this chamber."

"Yes, Royal Brother." Yu Long immediately replied with a grin. Seeing this Yu He ruffled his baby brother's silky hair and remembered his pledge to protect his brother with his life.

His brother Long was special to him and to Qinshen. His will to protect him with his life became stronger seeing his innocence.

"Well, I came here to inform you, Mother Empress has summoned you and Yu Lin for dinner in her chambers. She had a new present for you."

His eyes shone with excitement. Present. A new present.

Yu Long nodded and stood up. He walked to his table and looked at the incomplete scribbling.

"Brother He, can I ask you for a favour?"

"Ask anything."

"Can you teach me how to war ethics and techniques?"

After the Xianghua Annexation, Yu Long seemed disturbed. He was strangely more determined to grow stronger and learn new techniques. He even started spending more time in his study and  in cultivation chamber.

"Long, answer me first. What happened in Shixing?"

"Brother, that….I met him."

"Him?"

Yu He saw his brother's fist clench and his body becoming stiff as if frozen.

Yu Long hated it whenever he thought about it. It was already three weeks since that unexpected encounter but he still remembered it as if yesterday.

He hummed. "Zhang XinYi."

Listening to his brother's words, Yu He blanked out for a moment as if he couldn't take in all that he heard. His brother met that cruel emperor? What did that demon do to him? Did he discover Yu Long's secret that his Royal father and mother empress wanted to hide desperately? He couldn't help but show his confusion on his face. During this time, Yu Long turned around to see if his brother was there or not. Silence was killing him.

"Brother He?"

"What did he do to you?" Yu He said with his creased brows.

"N-Nothing."

Yu Long fumbled. This was his first lie to his brother. He couldn't describe what all happened in Shixing. That intimacy, that disgrace and the worst part was his failure as a warrior.

Yu Long didn't receive the training like his brother in LiaoShu mountains. He was not very good with warfare and tactics. He had no experience or training in that field. He learnt only how to control his magic and how to defend himself. He had poor knowledge in attacking his enemy.

Seeing Yu Long's face show a mix of expression of anger, grief and despair, he couldn't help but conclude whatever happened was a bad memory for him. He let out a sigh. "I can help you with that."

This brought his younger brother back into reality. His face glowed again with happiness.

"Thank you, Brother He. Now I will proceed to Mother Empress' chambers. It's getting late for dinner."

"Yes. See you later."

It was time for execution of the plan. Seeing Yu Long rush towards the Empress' quarters, he motioned to CaoYi who hid  himself in the shadows.

"Grab the brushes, important scrolls and few of his clothes. And ask the same to be done for Yu Lin. Grab a few of her important belongings. There should be no mistake."

@Empress' Chambers

"Yu Long greets Mother Empress."

"O my son, come join me for dinner. I have a special soup. You see after this war and battle, you and Yu Lin have started working hard on yourselves. So I prepared this special rabbit soup. It has ginseng to help you relax. There are some mystic herbs to take away your fatigue."

"So thoughtful of you ,Mother."

Yu Lin said as she proceeded to have the soup.

Yu Long couldn't help but smile. He also gulp two mouthfuls of the soup.

"It's delicious, isn't it?"

Yu Lin and Yu Long nodded. They continued having that delectable soup.

Soon the drowsiness started taking over them. "Moth-.."

They both fell asleep.

"Sleep my children. Please forgive your Mother Empress. She is helpless in the hands of fate and destiny. I cannot change what is to happen. But let this poor mother protect you both for the last time."

#Two days later.

Yu Long twisted and turned in the ragged sheets. There was an unpleasant smell which caught his nose, causing him to wake up in displeasure. His eyes opened slowly, as he saw his sister Yu Lin sleeping next to him. His eyes opened wide, when he realised it was not his Qinshen palace. Where was he?

He looked around. It was a stable. Unable to trace how he landed in a stable, he tried waking up his sister, who was snoring in her sleep.

"So disgraceful. Wake up, Lin. Lin"

Yu Lin woke up, rubbing her eyes. "What is wrong, Brother Long? What is this smell?"

When she was fully awake she sat up with eyes opened wide. He reaction was same as that of Yu Long.

"That get out of this place."

They both slowly stood up. They looked down at their soiled robes. They dusted themselves and removed the hay sticks from their hair and made out of the stable.

"Where in the world are we?"

Yu Lin and Yu Long looked about to notice long stretches of farmlands. There were few houses here and there. Everything reeked rustic.

"Looks like you both are awake. Come inside. It is too hot outside."

They saw an average aged woman whom they immediately identified as one of the Empress' personal maids.

"Your Majesties, I am LuLi. I work in the palace. Now we are in XianXi. This is a small village in the outskirts of Qinshen." She spoke as led them through the muddy path to a small thatched hut, "this is your stay for tonight. This way, please. Your Majesty is waiting you inside."

She bowed one last time.

Yu Long opened the door to the hut, it was spacious but not as spacious as his chamber. He saw his belongings were laying on the floor in one corner. He looked about the room only to notice his Elder Brother He sitting by the small lantern and drinking wine.

"Come Long and Lin. Join me for dinner. You both must be hungry. We will have dinner and go to rest."

"Where are we brother?" Yu Lin asked. She was confused with all that had happened.

"We are in XianXi."

"We know that, Brother. But why are we in XianXi? We should be in Guijiang. Why are we here? Why don't we remember coming here?"

"Come and join me for dinner. I will answer your questions one by one."

"No, Brother He. We want answers first."

Yu He sighed and put his wine cup on the table.

"Fine. Sit down first. This is the order from our Royal Father. He has banished us from Qinshen."

Yu Long sat down gaping at his brother with mouth open.

"Banished?" Yu Lin questioned while sitting.

"Yes. But this banishment is to protect the Royal Bloodline. We have to protect ourselves to fight the upcoming war. Qinshen has received threats from ZhaoShu. After losing Taijing and Xianghua as its allies, Qinshen needs to be protected from within only. We all cannot fight a defeated war. As you all know during Xianghua Annexation, we discovered we had an enemy spy. That spy is still unidentified. So we were asked to go into hiding."

"Brother He, isn't this running away? We are warriors. We have to fight and die in the battlefield."

"But what is the use of sacrificing yourself in an already lost battle. Taking a step back to attack later is also a war tactic. We have to protect our Royal Bloodline and prepare to win back Qinshen when the time is right."

"But Brother, how can we win a battle if all the kingdoms are under ZhaoShu? And now we are giving up Qinshen. How can we do this?"

"Where are Royal Father and Mother Empress? Shouldn't they go into hiding as well?" Yu Long asked.

"The responsibility of the Emperor and the Empress is to stay with their Kingdom for their people. It is our responsibility to follow their orders. As far as the war tactic for the future, it will be executed once everything settles down. Remember this for life, Father Emperor has always said that in the battlefield, concentrating on one's powers is not enough. Never hesitate to take a step back and reevaluate your plan. Now we will stay back and observe. Understood?"

"Yes, Brother." They both replied in unison.

Yu He knew that his father was fighting an already lost battle. Zhang XinYi would use any underhand way to get what he wants. There is no way to stop him. He has to protect his brother from him. That will be his biggest defeat, not getting what he desires the most.

Yu siblings had their dinner and went to sleep in one corner will fire in the lanterns burning to keep them warm.

Next morning, they started off early, heading towards the Taijing-Qinshen border. They set off in a cart pulled by the cattle and disguised themselves as merchants who dealt with old artifacts. There was a trunk full of artifacts from Yu Long's study. Yu Long didn't want to part with those. But in order to enter Taijing, they needed a disguise. This was the best disguise that was possible with all they had.

"Long, we are not selling your artifacts. We need them to prove that we are merchants."

Yu Long pouted. "We could sell our robes, why artifacts."

"Brother Long, our robes will bring suspicion. If they see our expensive robes, they will know something is wrong. And I don't want to give away my clothes."

"Long, do you remember Mother Empress talked about giving you a present?"

Yu Long nodded.

"Here. Mother gave you a box. Open it."

" Yes." It looked as if he was drooling seeing that Pandora's box of mystery.

There was a golden scroll with a lock on it. The lock had a blue gemstone on it.

Yu Long immediately concentrated and put his mana imprint on the gemstone. It shone brightly and the lock opened with a click. This amazed the other Yu siblings.

"What is it, Brother Long?"

"I-It is….I cannot believe this...I-Its one of the Kungu's Four Dragon Scrolls."