Encounters & Reunion

Chang Bo has yet to interact with a girl like Lan. She's beautiful, and she knows it. She's witty, not easy. She walks with elegance and confidence but doesn't stick her ego into the crowds. An interesting girl indeed.

He stood there and took a glance at the medicine shop. Laughing while he shakes his head, making his way back home admitting his defeat.

Lan makes it past the capital gate into the village outside. She looks at the torn down stalls and citizens. The difference between life inside and outside the gates are too drastic. 'These people are still the people of Xia, yet..'

Lan gets more disappointed by the monarch's power by the day. 'What's the point of having total power as an emperor when you can't take care of your people?'

She then turns to see a little kid: dirty, skinny, weak...Lan went to one of the stalls to buy bread. She walks to the kid, and crouched down, "Here," handing it to him. He doesn't take second to hesitate, and hurriedly grabs to eat it.

Lan pats his head, "Slow down or you'll choke...There, there." Once she sees that he had his full, she hands him her bottle of water. "What's your name?" "Sheng."

"Okay, Sheng, why are here alone? Where are your parents?" He doesn't answer. "How about I take you home?" No reply.

Lan stands back up, and the boy tugs her dress. "Yes, Sheng?" He points at the bread stall. Understanding what he meant, she went to buy a pack full of bread and gave it to him. "Here, how about you bring this home to give your family?"

Sheng grabs the bag and smiles, "Thank you jiejie." He ran off.

Lan smiles and stands up to continue her journey. But in front, a hatted man in an [distinguished] orange robe stands there. Lan doesn't think much and tried to walk past him until he blocked her way.

The large veil covers the sour look on Lan's face. Her voice, though, was still annoyed. "How may I help you, Young Master?"

The man pulls his hat up, revealing his face. Lan's annoyed level skyrockets. 'This again? I underestimated their persistence.'

But she has to continue her act, so she took a step back to curtsy, "Your Highness." It was Prince Chang Chen.

"You may rise. I must say, I knew you were different from the moment I saw you at the party, but this was unexpected." Lan curtsies, "You overpraise me, Your Majesty."

'Unexpected? To be kind?', she internally scoffs.

"If Your Highness is done, I'd like to excuse myself. I have someplace to be." Lan curtsies again to bid goodbye. Chang Chen nods, "Okay, I won't be in your way."

'What's up with these brothers?' Humans sure are unpredictable. Lan didn't expect these pampered royals to go beyond the palace walls.

Putting all her encounters aside, she continues her journey to the west.

Once away from the public's eye, Lan took off her dress and hat and placed it under a bush. Now, in her navy training suit, she ties her hair up high.

Appearance-wise, she's a boy. Only her face makes her seem feminine, but no matter, she lightly smears her face with dirt.

Lan makes her way westward, passing through forests, grasslands, and villages until she reaches a capital gate. A big banner that says 'Qiu' atop.

Lan takes a deep breath and walks in. Her first time stepping onto Qiu lands in nine years. She doesn't walk in with the intention of setting her plans into action yet. Not yet. She went to personally see how her mother's doing..with her strength.

She climbs up the tree close to the palace. The backside is less guarded, so that's her best bet.

She picks a corner and climbed up. The guard gets knocked asleep before he could notice the intruder. Lan sneaks him into an isolated room and changed into his clothes.

Lan walks out and blended in with the other guards. In a two by six-position, they march around, and as Lan marched, she began to hear the maids gossip every other residence.

She gets worried as she concludes that her mother had fallen seriously ill. Quickly, Lan manages to reach the Empress's palace.

Blending in with the guards on shift, she's in front of the doors. Her mother's door. Her mother is behind that door. Lan holds the tears.

Taking a deep breath, she breaks away from her 'position' and walks in. A maid blocked her.

"I have an urgent message from the Emperor. Off your head, if you defy His Majesty's words." Intimidated, the maids back off, and Lan walks in with slow steps.

The room was grand, as expected. But it felt lonely. In front, the empress, Empress Rong Lan, lays in her bed. Lan gets closer, but the sound of her armor woke her mother up.

Worried she's being attacked, the empress gets shaken and was about to scream for help before Lan covered her mouth. "Mother..mother..it's me." The Empress shakes her head. "Look. Look," Lan pulls her dagger out, "Mother. It's me, Lan."

Empress Rong Lan stops shuffling and sat in disbelief while a waterfall of tears runs down her face. She caresses Lan's face, "Lan..oh, my Lan." They hugged.

Without holding it in anymore, Lan broke out in tears too. She nestles within her mother's warmth. They stayed that way for a long time before Lan pulls out.

"Mother, are you ill? How are you? Does that man mistreat you?" "No, no, I'm fine darling. It was a bait Emperor Zhuang ordered to do." Lan sneered at that name.

"Lan I'm okay. He doesn't mistreat me. I'm an Empress in name, he can't do anything to me, so be at peace child...How about you? Oh, you've grown so much," she breaks into tears again, "I thought you were gone.."

"Mother, I've been well. I'm sorry I couldn't visit you sooner. But don't worry about me. A kind man adopted me into his family nine years ago, and the-they treat me well." Lan reassures her with a smile. Glad the other party has been fine all these years, they hugged again.

The Empress looks at her daughter. A fine young woman she's become. But when she looks into Lan's eyes, she sees so much maturity and strength. 'My poor daughter..' She realizes her Lan had gone through many more hardships since that night.

To ease Lan's burden, she also reassures, "Lan'er, take your time. Do what you must. I trust we will meet again beyond these walls. The Emperor hasn't and will never touch me without my permission. I promise."

"Mother, I swear I will free you. In times due, I will."

"I know, child."