In the middle of a vast garden full of vibrant flowers, plants that all looked the same to the untrained eye and trees of different kinds, littered with rocks huge and small, paths paved with cobbled stones was a wide lake. Bowed over the lake in a perfect arc were 2 trees with a swing tied to its branches. And sitting on the wooden plank, gently swinging with her bare feet dangling over the water was the lithe figure of Ruan Daiyu, the Empress of Ryuu Empire, dressed in her signature royal blue dress.
Standing on the banks to her either side were her loyal personal maids, Yuan Na whose gentle looks hid her sharp edges and Yang Bi, a petite little active volcano.
"Why is it so noisy outside?" the empress asked, stroking a small auburn kitten that lay on her lap.
The maids who were standing several feet away heard her and raised their brows at each other.
This is because the phoenix palace, only second in size to the dragon palace, has always been a quiet place, more so this back garden. And it was quiet now to the ears of the maids. However, Daiyu had better hearing than normal people. Currently, she was hearing loud chatters from outside the palace walls.
"Niangniang," Yang Bi spoke with her head bowed, "General Ha Jin, son of Commander Ha Yuan, has successfully gained the loyalty of the barbarians in the South and is returning today. The people are eagerly looking forward to seeing him."
Yuan Na continued after Yang Bi, "His Majesty has called for a celebration of General Ha Jin's return tomorrow night and My Lady is required to make attendance."
Daiyu merely hummed in reply.
...
Meanwhile, outside the palace, in a certain village, General Ha Jin was ahead of his troops. His brown speckled with white horse was walking through the streets with him sitting rigidly on its back. Some of the chatter on the street reached his ear, especially that of two young men.
"Look, look, that's General Ha Jin! He's back from the south!"
"I heard there'll be a banquet at the palace celebrating the general's return. Commander Yuan must be so proud."
"A banquet? I wonder if the Empress will be there."
"Oh, doesn't the Empress have poor health? Maybe she won't be there. I hear because the Empress often falls ill, the Emperor doesn't allow anyone to visit lest they disturb her rest."
Hearing this, the general frowned, 'A sickly queen?'
Shortly after the Emperor married the current Empress, Lady Ruan Daiyu, formerly the Princess of Genbu Country, Ha Jin left for the southern lands. So he doesn't know much about the Empress.
As Ha Jin continued on forward, noises from a small shop attracted his attention.
He got off his horse and got nearer to see what the commotion was about, which was when the owner of the small medicine shop dragged out a woman and threw her in the street.
The ragged looking woman put aside the bundle in her arms and got on her knees, begging the owner to help just this once. "Please, I will definitely earn the money, please trust me, please help my daughter! I'm begging you! Please! Please I'm begging you!"
That was when everyone realized the bundle was in fact a child, one who looked unwell.
The shop owner flung his sleeves and looked at the woman, disgust obvious in his face, "Bring the money first and then I'll help you. If you don't have money, get out and stop blocking my shop!"
The woman wailed loudly, banging her hands on the ground, when someone said, "If only the vagrant doctor was here."
And a low murmur went around the crowd, with many nodding their heads in agreement.
The mother heard the woman and she immediately clung to her arms, "Can the vagrant doctor help me? Where can I find them? Please, please tell me, I'll be very grateful to you!"
The woman looked at the mother with her eyes full of pity, "I'm sorry lady, nobody knows when or where the vagrant doctor appears."
The mother collapsed on the ground silently, like she had no more tears to shed.
'A vagrant doctor?' Ha Jin raised his brows but thought nothing much of it.
He stepped forward to help the mother when someone else beat him to it.
A young man with the lean body build of an athlete gently pulled the mother up. The General silently watched the young man. He had long hair that was pulled up in a ponytail held together by a string with bells on its ends. His movements seemed as light as air and most importantly, he exuded the air of an outsider. Ha Jin narrowed his eyes.
The young man then tossed a bag of coins to the owner and said, "Here's the money you want then, give this lady the medicine she needs."
The mother nearly fell to her knees again but the man caught her. "Thank you, thank you. May you live well for thousands of years, thank you, thank you so much," she continuously said as her tears streamed down her cheeks.
The mysterious stranger chuckled and walked away just as mysteriously.
The mother received her medicine, the crowd dispersed but Ha Jin stood where he was for a long time.
He was returning home for the first time in almost a year and he's already seen and heard so many questionable things.