It has been six and a half days already. The Royal Palace could now be seen from the hill where Ying Yue and her men were. Ying Yues wound has finally stopped hurting and stopped bleeding. Although the doctor stitched the wound, Ying Yue knew it would leave a scar on her. Instead of going home right away, Ying Yue tells her men to head to the royal palace.
"Head for the royal palace, I need to inform his majesty of something."
The two soldiers looked at each other unaware of what was going on. They promised Bolin to take Ying Yue home safely, but since Ying Yue was the general, they took her to the palace as she requested. They arrived at the palace and Ying Yue was able to get an audience with the emperor. Ying Yue walks into the hall where the emperor was, she noticed the ministers and advisors were all there. Ying Yue gets on one knee and clasps her hands into a fist and greets the emperor.
"Ying Yue Yang, greets his majesty."
"You may rise, Ying Yue."
"Thank you, your majesty."
Ying Yue trying to calm her racing heart after remembering what Hong Chen told her on the battlefield. Wiping her sweaty palms on her sweaty and dirtied clothes. She was finally able to muster up the courage and speak.
"Your majesty, I am aware that Bolin got in touch with you during the time I was wounded."
"That's correct, I heard you faced the nomads general Hong Chen. I am proud of you Ying Yue, for standing your grounds against a formidable opponent. You will be rewarded for your deeds on the battlefield."
The moment the emperor spoke of Hong Chen, the silent hall was now filled with small chatter between the advisors and ministers. Everyone knew who he was and how scary he was. With eyes all locked onto Ying Yue now, she finally interrupts the ministers.
"Thank you, your majesty. Although I am thankful for your praise, I come bearing bad news."
The emperor silences the whole meeting hall. Ying Yue swallowing her own saliva at this point looks back up at the emperor and his ministers. The emperor hand motions for Ying Yue to speak.
"While I was fighting Hong Chen on the battlefield, he spoke of a legend. The five-hundred-year-old legend he said. I wanted to see if his majesty knew what he was referring to."
With widen eyes the emperor stood up. Ying Yue saw the emperor's hands slightly shaking. Seeing the emperor's reaction, Ying Yue knew it was true. Whatever Hong Chen told Ying Yue on the battlefield is really coming. Before Ying Yue could speak, someone interrupts her. Duke Dong, was notorious for being a realist. He tries to make a joke of Ying Yues message.
"Hah surely she is lying your majesty. You don't really believe in such a thing, do you?"
Ying Yue snapped back at duke Dongs remark. Annoyed and irritated, Ying Yue wasn't about to let this be taken lightly.
"Watch what you say Duke Dong. Your majesty! The nomads are known to be into dark magic and spiritual crafts. I believe Hong Chen was not lying."
"You Majesty, general Ying Yue is wounded and probably hallucinating. It's been over five hundred years since the legend. Why would it come back now of all times?"
Ying Yue wasn't going to just stand there and be made a joke of. She stood firm on her claims and made sure to put the duke in his place. Glaring at each other at this point. The emperor finally steps in and allowed Ying Yue to continue.
"Ying Yue, continue what you were saying. I'm sure there's more to the story."
"Yes, your majesty. Hong Chen mentioned something about how two of the three conditions have been met already, and that Xin sits on the entrance. I wanted to ask you, your majesty. If you know what he is referring to."
The emperor bites his lower lips; turns around and goes back to sit on his throne. In silence, with his right hand supporting his head. Lost in thought the emperor finally breaks the silence.
"Looks like this isn't something to be taken lightly. I will be summoning the high priest to the palace tonight. Today's meeting is over, you may all leave. Ying Yue, I'm sure your mother misses you; you may retire for the day."
"Very well your majesty, if you say so."
Ying Yue clasps her hands into a fist, lightly bending her waist; she salutes the emperor farewell. Ying Yue turns around and exits the palace. She returns to her two men and carriage.
"You two may return home for the day. Take one of the horses with you and get rid for the carriage. I will ride this one home. If I need you guys, I will summon you. If not, don't do anything rash."
The two men bids Ying Yue farewell and leaves the palace grounds. Ying Yue hops on her horse and rides it back home. She made sure not reopen her wound. Taking her time, Ying Yue finally reaches her father's mansion. Ying Yue is then greeted by her father. Ying Yue hops of her horse gently and as she was about to speak, her father cut her off.
"Why have you returned already? The Yang family don't take failures!"
"The emperor ordered my return, otherwise I wouldn't return to this home given the chance!"
"You!"
Ready to slap Ying Yue, her father barely holding himself back. Knowing that Ying Yue is injured he tells her to get lost and return to the side building where her mother was.
"Sigh, I can't deal with you right now. Your mother is waiting for you."
"You don't need to tell me that, I was going to visit mother anyways."
Ying Yue stomps off with her horse in hand and walks to the side building. She sees her mother with Chunhua about to eat lunch.
"Mother!"
Ying Yue bursts into tears and runs to her mother. Crying on her mother's bosom, Ying Yue couldn't hold back her tears, with so much happening and with everything lately Ying Yue was finally home. These were tears of happiness. Ying Yues mother had no idea she was returning. Placing her hand on Ying Yues back, she tries to comfort her daughter.
"Oh, my poor daughter, let me look at you."
Clasping Ying Yues face in her hands, her mother kisses Ying Yue on the forehead, and wipes away her tears. Ying Yues mother then notices the wound Ying Yue sustained from battle.
"Ying Yue! You're wounded!"
"Ah, mother this is nothing, I'm alright now, I'm just happy I could return home to you."
"Chunhua prepare a bath for Ying Yue, we need to dress her wound again."
Ying Yue was finally able to wash up. It felt so good to be able to be clean again. After bathing Ying Yues mother cleaned her wound and bandaged it with new cloth. It was getting late and after lunch Ying Yue finally got alone time with her mother.
"Chunhua, you may leave us."
"Yes, my lady."
After Chunhua was out of sight, Ying Yue holds her mothers hand and tells her of the same thing she told the emperor. Ying Yue saw her mothers face twist in fear.
"That's not possible."
"Mother, I need you to tell me about that legend again. I remember you telling me the story when I was a kid."
"Sigh...I feared this day would come. Ying Yue this legend goes back five hundred years ago. During the time the Humans and the dragon clan lived together in peace. The dragon clans were all blessed with unmatched beauty. Beautiful golde hair and green jade eyes. It was a trait that only the dragon clan people had. The dragon clans were blessed with the gods blessing and wherever they lived the lands were blessed. Beautiful nature, crops, bountiful food. There was no poverty, no starvation. However, everything changed when the human emperor at the time became greedy and wanted more, he wanted humans to be superior. Emperor Cheng at the time, kidnapped a little prince of the dragon clan and held him hostage. They wanted the dragon emperor to kneel down to the humans, and make the dragon clan people slaves. The dragon emperor refused to sacrifice his people and therefore wanted to trade his head in exchange for his son, but it was too late. In a fit of anger the human emperor killed the little prince. When news reached the dragon emperor, he went mad with anger."
"Mother....this all happened, because of the humans? We caused this!"
"No, Ying Yue it wasn't us. If you want to blame anyone. Blame our ancestors and the emperor. The dragon emperor went mad, stormed into the human's palace where he was captured after killing more than fifty people in the palace. Before he was beheaded, the dragon emperor cursed the humans. In his exact words, this is what he said."
"Your lands will no longer grow, your animals will die, and your sky will no longer rain. You humans do not deserve the blessings of the heavens."
Ying Yue looks at her mother in awe, she wanted to know how her mother even knew these things. There was a book written about it, but it's in the royal library and not just anyone could access it. Ying Yue only happened to stumble upon it by accident when the emperor was reading it in his studies one day.
"Mother, how do you know these things?"
"Ying Yue, one of your ancestors witnessed the whole thing. He was a minister of the emperor at the time. The only reason he lived was, because the dragon emperor knew him and decided to let him live. You see, your ancestor Kai was a kind man. He treated everyone like equal, and often time was the messenger between the dragon emperor and the human emperor at the time."
"How come you never mentioned this before mother? Does the emperor know?"
"Of course not, why would I tell that man anything? God forbids what he would do to us if he knew. Not even your father knows of this."
"I see.... what else happened mother?"
"Well, after cursing the humans the dragon emperor opened up a portal and sent his people to a different land. No one knows the entrance to that world or where the dragon clan people are to this day. The dragon clan cried and cried for their ruler and begged the heavens to punish the humans. So, the heavens did. Their crops died, their animals died to a plague, it no longer rained and soon the land became barren in just five years. The humans revolted and blamed the human emperor. The emperor had a high priest with him at the time, the priest determined that human girls must be sacrificed. A life for a life."
"Mother, how can a human life compare to a dragon emperor and prince?"
"Listen Ying Yue, it wasn't just one girl that was sacrificed. It took ten noble girls, and no commoner was holy enough. The priest created an entrance on top of mount Tai, the noble girls were all thrown in there. Oddly enough, after three days nine girls emerged from the mountain. They all couldn't remember what happened to them down there. The last noble girl that never returned was called Biyu. She was the human princess of the emperor at the time."
"What? You mean to say the human emperor threw his own child into the mountain pit?"
"Well, a life for a life Ying Yue. The humans killed a dragon prince, so in return they took the human princess. After the mountain spat out the other nine girls, the portal closed. No one really knows what happened to the human princess. Everyone just knew that the rain returned and the land could grow once again after her sacrifice."
"Mother, how are the sacrifice chosen in the first place?"
"I'm not sure Ying Yue. I was never told how it was done in the past."
"I see, of course you wouldn't know."
"Why are you so interested in it Ying Yue?"
Deep in thought once again, Ying Yue could only think of what Hong Chen said. Now after knowing this story as well Ying Yue had just confirmed her fears.
"Ying Yue?"
"Ah! Sorry mother. I was lost in thought for a moment. Its late now, let's get some rest, shall we?'"
Ying Yue spent the night over at her mother's room, hence why she has yet to find out about what Jia Li has done.