ARC 1: MET YOU IN GUANGZHOU
CHAPTER 1
TAIPING DYNASTY: YEAR OF THE YELLOW TOPAZ
EMPEROR ZHONGZONG'S REIGN
GUANGZHOU CITY
It was the heart of winter, but Guangzhou city was still bustling with activity. The heat emanating from the city was enough to melt the snow before it touched the ground, but it was still freaking cold. As the winter solstice approached, the bustling docks of Nanhai and Huangpu remained busy as merchant ships from around the world crowded the harbor. Guangzhou's subtropical climate ensured the city remained a hub of activity throughout the winter. The upper class was also extremely busy preparing offerings to send to temples in honor of the seasonal occasion coming through. However, among the lower-class people—I mean, the lowest dregs of society, the gangs, the ruffians, and the no-good buddies of the alleys and docks—it was busy for a whole other reason. Their self-acclaimed boss, Xiao Gumei, was being challenged to a martial art contest by the little scion of Guangzhou; the leader of the city's noble-born boys, the only son of the city owner, Jian Nanfeng!
Oho! This made for a very tense situation. Jian Nanfeng had always been at odds with Gumei—although the latter didn't care—ever since he was pummeled to the ground when they were both five years old. Because of that incident, Jian Nanfeng threw his heart and soul into martial arts, practicing with reckless abandon in a bid to get revenge. But the lady boy; Gumei, had never given him the time of day since then. Every one of his challenges was met with a fierce or lazy rebuttal!!
Speaking of Gumei, he was the physical embodiment of a gentleman, completely unlike the roughness of Jian Nanfeng. A smile here, a wink there, and his little actions made girls of every age and social status swoon at the mere sight of his face. He would strut around the city in elegant peach clothing, but don't let his so-called scholarly demeanor fool you. He was a ruffian through and through. All the gangsters in the city feared him. Why was this so when they even dared to ridicule the phoenix, Jian Nanfeng, to his face? Gumei's parents were physicians of no small renown in Guangzhou city, and by virtue of being their son, Gumei inherited their skill as well.
When Gumei was ten years old, the Water Lily Gang that controlled business at Nanhai Dock destroyed almost a quarter of the medicinal shipments of the Xiao Clinic. Gumei poisoned their drinking water, and they suffered from diarrhea for weeks. All other clinics refused to treat them, saying it was divine retribution for being a nuisance to the residents of Guangzhou, until Xiao Clinic opened its doors to them.
When Gumei turned 12, the son of a Nouvea riche, in a bid to please Jian Nanfeng, went to find trouble with Gumei. He returned with a rash that was then transferred to everyone he came into contact with. Of course, it was the Xiao clinic that offered the treatment.
At fifteen, Gumei caused an entire gang in control of the Huangpu dock to descend into turmoil with a muscle relaxant. The city's physicians were definitely not pleased with this decision, and yes, the Xiao clinic obediently cleaned up Gumei's messes. Everyone wondered how the child of the well-mannered and kind owners of the Xiao clinic could be so wickedly mischievous; even the phoenix son of the city lord had turned into a shitting duck numerous times because of him. Seeing that Gumei did not bear even the slightest resemblance to his parents, people suspected he truly wasn't their child.
At this very moment, the phoenix son, having not learned his lesson, was once again challenging Gumei to a duel.
"If you are a true man, you will accept my challenge!" Jian Nanfeng roared, feeling quite good about himself. Gumei, who was draped on a low chair, turned to the guy next to him and said,.
"Look at him all excited and spreading his tails; one would think there are female peacocks in this place."
Jian Nanfeng was red in the face. "Y-you—you scoundrel!'
"Every time it's either 'you' or 'you scoundrel', don't you have any other word in your vocabulary? If one doesn't know you, one would think I am the highborn here." Gumei mocked.
A follower of Jian Nafeng stepped forward and flipped his sleeve. "Stop the nonsense; do you agree to the duel or not?"
"What duel? I thought you guys were here to spread your tails for us to admire."
The little noble-born followers of Jian Nafeng descended into chaos. One shouted, 'I'll beat you to death!' and charged towards Gumei before Jian Nanfeng successfully held them back. Alas, before he reached Gumei he was slapped down by an able-bodied gangster who stood to the left of Gumei.
Gumei stretched like a cat on the chair and slowly savored the lychees he had brought with him. "Xiaofeng, Xiaofeng. The amount of medicine you have consumed must have made you dense. Why will someone who doesn't know martial arts accept a martial arts duel? Are you stupid, or do you think I am stupid? I leave you alone for a while, and you become audacious. Do you want people to keep packing your shit off the street? Don't you feel sorry for them?"
At this point Jian Nanfeng stopped holding the others back; he himself joined in the fray, targeting Gumei; however, under the cover of the chaos, he escaped since who knew when?
Gumei returned to the Xiao clinic after gallivanting around the city. Nafeng had caught up to him and pestered him into agreeing to a duel of sorts. The contents of the duel would be decided at a later date, but Gumei still felt ill at ease. He hated being pressured into doing things he didn't want to do. Why was it so hard to leave in peace? A towering tree truly attracted the wind.
CHANG'AN CITY
The Royal Capital was quite similar to Guangzhou in the winter. The streets were awash with people preparing for Dongzhi and Yuanxiao. (Dongzhi is the winter solstice, and Yuanxiao is the lantern festival.) The people, bundled in thick clothes and hats, braved the weather to worship at temples and shrines. Incense wafted through the air, carrying hopes for a prosperous new year.
The markets were full of merchants who were signing huge deals, and hawking their wares. Beautiful trinkets from Persia, were found in the best stores, and the young ladies went crazy for them. However, the imperial palace stood in stark contrast to the vibrancy of the streets and markets beyond its walls. The imperial gardens, once green and lush, were frozen and covered in snow, creating stunning ice sculptures. The air was crisp and cool, carrying the scent of wood smoke and medicinal incense.
In the inner palace, Empress Shunqing (Loulan Mei) and her daughter, Princess Li Rouxue, huddled around a brazier, sipping warm tea and mulling over the gossips of the inner palace. Despite living in such a harsh environment, Loulan Mei retained her innocence and looked at the world with such vibrancy and joy. Her daughter was quite the opposite. After being thoroughly misled by her maternal family, the illustrious Loulan clan; head of the royal capital's noble families, she had grown to see everyone as a threat. She was always plotting and scheming. Of course, this was how the majority of the occupants of the palace were.
Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Emperor Zhongzong did not have it so leisurely. Despite the blistering warmth in the courtroom, sounds of shivering silk and the soft rustle of fur-lined robes filled the halls as the officials and ministers pressured him to appoint a crown prince.
At the head of this development was his uncle, the current head of the Loulan clan, Loulan Yulei. Of course, his proposition was to crown the eldest prince, Li Guangda, who was away at the border, Crown Prince by proxy. The audacity!
But Emperor Zhongzong had no energy to deal with these people; he halfheartedly promised to look into the matter and adjourned the session for another day. As the officials trouped out of the halls, his eyes fell on the third prince, Li Xin, who stood at a corner in his unadorned silk clothes. This was the boy his favorite concubine, Lady Song, had for him. His straight nose, sword-like eyebrows, and comely appearance were a testament to Lady Song's beauty. Otherwise, he, Empeor Zhongzong, would not have taken her out of the Sweltering Jade Pavilion, promoted her to a concubine, and bestowed on her the title of Mei Ren.
*Mei Ren, Lady of Beauty, is a secondary concubine of low rank.
Emperor Zhongzong quietly watched Li Xin send a withering look in the direction of the second prince, Li Qing, who was leaving in the company of some officials before leaving by himself. Li Qing was born to Consort Fang; a female general from the Fang family that had guarded the borders since the beginning of the Taiping dynasty, securing an era of peace for the citizens. The prestige of his family alone greatly boosted his standing among officials and ministers of humble birth and the people. One could say he was a fan favorite to become the Crown Prince. Consort Fang also had another son, fourth prince Li Jun, whom she claimed was too young, at thirteen years old, to involve himself in politics. He was sent to live with the Fang family in the north of the royal capital. These were his sons, who were vying for the position of crown prince.
The rivalry was especially strong between the second prince and the third prince. Li Qing had the backing of his family, and the support of the army. By right, his only competitor should be the eldest prince, Gunagda, who was away at the border making achievements. When was it the turn of the son of a lowly concubine, with no backing to compete with him?
Li Xin had to compete, though. Everyone from the palace down to the streets knew his mother; Lady Song, had fallen out of favor with the emperor. Lady Song was chosen for her beauty so when the beauty faded, why would she not fall out of favor? He had to struggle to find his footing. The crown prince's position, not automatically falling to the eldest prince meant that he had a chance, but did he truly? It seemed to everyone that he was delusional.
Emperor Zhongzong patted the armrest of the throne, and the Head Eunuch signaled for everyone else to leave. He then helped the emperor change out of his clothes into comfortable ones.
"At tomorrow's court session, announce my retreat for recuperation and stress the fact that under no circumstances should they disturb my rest," Emperor Zhongzong instructed.
The head eunuch bowed, "Yes, your royal majesty.'
"If there are any issues, tell them to go to Empress Shunqing," Emperor Zhongzong added. Although the empress knew nothing of politics, his uncle, Loulan Yulei, was eager to play king. But on second thought, he called the head eunuch back and told him to send matters to the second prince instead of the empress. What uproar would this cause the noble families? He almost couldn't wait to see.