The Enemy Uncovered

It takes us easily over two hours, writing down the last known names and locations of the northern tribes on a large map, their leaders, relations and alliances. The records may be outdated in large parts, but it’s all we have to go on. There are newer missives, which update some of the information and the queen amends the entries in the books by hand wherever needed. Sometimes she even crosses out whole pages and inserts new pieces of paper. Dinner comes and goes and I’m so engrossed in reading, I can’t even appreciate the flavours much.

“I found it!” Queen Zhu suddenly shouts triumphantly. “I knew I remembered them moving around in that part!”

She holds up a page that tells me nothing at first glance.

“Them?” I ask.

“There has always been a vast number of people stemming from a fox lineage in the empire, but there is a group of white fox people among them, who are still seen as inauspicious signs of disaster. Usually the fox children are black, red or brown… but every few years a white one is born. They were ousted from their families and all put together in a settlement far in the northeast… until they weren’t satisfied with their exile anymore and left. Or at least that’s what everyone thinks is what happened, since they disappeared from their village completely, seemingly overnight. I don’t blame you for not knowing this. It was before your time.”

“Then what about white foxes now?”

“They are tentatively accepted in most parts of the empire, but they usually hide their identity. You see, they have a great affinity for yin energy, which aligns them with the ghostly and demonic.”

I shake my head. “We have a great affinity with yin energy as dragons that gain their power from moonlight, but no one prosecutes us…”

Queen Zhu sighs. “If one day the imperial throne falls to another lineage and the dragon people are ousted, the same could happen to us. But don’t worry about that now, child. Your relatives in the southern capital have held power for almost a thousand years by this point. Most people don’t remember that there was ever another ruling family, since almost no other lineage lives as long as us. Ah, you missed much of the palace education since you left us so early…”

“I’m sorry for my ignorance.”

“It’s not your fault, child. But maybe I will have to come up with a scheme to have you at the palace more often to remedy that. For now we will have to go to the south to confirm our suspicion. Fox magic leaves unique traces that are unmistakable. If it is indeed them, we can formulate a specific response and hit them before they’re ready to hit us.”

“I have never encountered fox magic. What would these traces look like?”

“Give me your hand.”

Queen Zhu puts her hand on mine and I can feel her qi flow towards me. But I don’t feel just that… even though it’s merely a trickle, there’s a reservoir behind it that frightens me. It’s not still like Dai Qian’s, it's a raging storm which seems calm on the surface and can draw you under like a whirlpool. By now I’ve used my own cultivation enough to know what kind of awesome effort it takes to keep so much power under control. I count myself lucky to be her ally.

“When you do this, traces of magic will flare up…”

She pushes energy through my hand and it coalesces into a glowing ball in my palm. Another small push and it starts vibrating, dispersing in rings like ripples on water. They flow outwards, feeling cold when they travel over my skin. In their wake, the whole room sparkles. Clouds of frozen snow hang motionless for a few long moments before they fade from view again.

“Those are the traces of my own qi, since I use it here a lot. White fox magic then, let me think. It’s like sparks of fire, but it’s green and blue.”

“Like fireworks?”

“Exactly! Like frozen fireworks! You’ll see if there are any traces and if you find them, report back immediately. I will coordinate the response and wait for your return.”

So, a mission directly from the queen. Well, as if Murong Zhiyu hasn’t been on one her whole life already.

“I assume I won’t go alone?”

“Of course not, that’s much too dangerous. I’m hesitant to let you go at all… I will have Chun’er and the royal guard accompany you. Together you should be able to take action should it be required.”

I nod. That’s good. The royal guard are an elite troop. Still…

“I have one more question… Well, a plea, to be precise.”

“Yes?”

“Could you order Liu Renqing and Feng Yu to join too?”

The queen raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“They should do great as bodyguards if I exhaust myself again while searching. You don’t have to give an explanation for your decisions, do you? You could just order them.”

“Why do I feel like there’s a hidden agenda?”

Because there is. For one, I need to get Liu Renqing away from his mother and then I need them both together as much as possible. But she doesn’t need to know that.

“Nothing escapes the queen,” I say and bow. “Since I will have to choose between them, I need opportunities to evaluate them further.”

“Fine. I will grant your wish. They’re both capable fighters in their own right and would do well to protect you if they value their life.”

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

The queen raises her hand and somewhere a bell rings. An attendant enters the room immediately and kneels in front of the table.

“Send for the commander of the royal guard immediately. She is to join us as quickly as possible.”

The attendant slips out again and Queen Zhu reaches for a plate of cut fruit. She eats a few pieces while observing me thoughtfully.

“So, do you have a favourite yet?” she asks and I almost choke on my mouthful of water. “Come on, you’ve known them for years. That Liu boy even longer.”

“I’ve never seen them that way, so it’s hard for me to change my point of view…”

“I still prefer the Feng one. The other is like his mother. Way too serious.”

“Wouldn’t it be better for the royal family to be aligned with the general than a merchant family?”

Queen Zhu chews another piece of fruit and shrugs. “If you marry him as Murong Zhiyu, he has no connection to the royal family at all. Besides, I have two daughters and especially a son, who I can make sure to receive favourable marriage offers. You have another duty and are allowed some freedom in that regard. Besides, being in an alliance with the most influential merchant family of the north isn’t a bad thing. Their goodwill can change the course of wars. Without them, Xiyang wouldn’t be as wealthy.”

I want to respond, but in that moment the door opens and Zhu Chun waltzes in. She is wearing a flowy robe with intricate stitchings, blue on white. With silver accessories, an elaborate updo and a beautiful long coat, she looks every part the princess exactly like you’d imagine it. There’s not a trace of a commander to be seen, but she was competent in the drama and the way Queen Zhu treats her, I have no reason to assume she is any less capable here. Zhu Chun bows as a greeting.

“You called for me, mother?”

“Not even a few minutes ago. I didn’t expect you to respond so quickly.”

“I was still awake and close by,” Zhu Chun explains. “Your attendant caught me while I was walking from the training grounds to the baths.”

The queen explains the situation to Zhu Chun, who grows increasingly concerned, glancing at me from time to time. When she’s told about the explosives, her eyes first grow wide, then her expression turns determined.

“We’re blessed to have someone looking out for Xiyang from the shadows,” Zhu Chun says and bows to me once Queen Zhu is done talking.

“Indeed we are,” the queen confirms. “I am fortunate to have three daughters, who care so much for Xiyang, and Xiyang is fortunate to have us.”

Zhu Chun smiles at me and after a nod from the queen sits down next to me… or rather falls into my lap in the process, hugging me. I hug her back, because who wouldn’t want to hold a beautiful girl like her?

“Er-jie, it’s so good to see you again. I wish the circumstances were better, but I’m happy nonetheless.”

“I’m always happy to see you too, San-mei. How have you been?”

The queen pours us tea while Zhu Chun regales me with the happenings of the palace, all while lying in my arms. I’m an only child in my actual life, so I’m not used to this kind of interaction at all, but I find it rather nice to have such a cute little sister, who likes me so much. I hold her as she talks animatedly. For a moment, all thoughts of the threat are forgotten as we talk… Well, I mostly listen, since I don’t know as much about this world as them. Still, I can contribute stories about Dai Qian and her daughter, but when they ask me about Feng Yu and Liu Renqing I fall silent.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” Zhu Chun says when she senses my hesitation.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… ah, it’s complicated. I like them both very much.”

“You know you can always take both as your husband,” Queen Zhu says. “Just because I only have one husband, doesn’t mean you have to do the same.”

“Mother, stop it,” Zhu Chun intervenes on my behalf.

“What? I’m just stating the facts. If the queen allows you to do it, then you need no other permission.”

I shake my head. It’s not that the possibility doesn’t entice me (it does!), but it’s not the mission I was sent on. And yet. And yet. What is the goal of the mission? To save Xiyang and the artefact, surely? If we work together as a team, this could also be achieved, couldn’t it? But then again what about their mothers? Will they work together then?

“You gave me a year.”

“That I did, and I will keep my promise. But after that… I’m not disinclined to make such an arrangement. You will just have to decide which of the two, or both, will be your husband.”

Zhu Chun sighs. “That’s so nice. I envy you,” she says, which earns her an elbow to the stomach from the queen.