Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Epilogue 3: The One Behind It All

It's been nine years since the conclusion of the war between the Wei and the Song, and Shang ye is the happiest he had ever been in his life.

In his arms was a sleeping, red-faced bundle of life, swaddled in silks that flowed like rivers and furs as soft as the clouds. His first child with an empress he loved in a flourishing kingdom he raised. The table next to him was piled sky high with tributes and gifts from all the nobles that wished to curry favor with him, but he had taken great care to separate the ones that he cared about from the ones he didn't.

A fresh, spring-time breeze brought the sweet fragrance of flowers into his office as he sat down at the table to open the gifts for the infant's first month alive in this world.

The first package was a small, wooden box intricately carved with snowflakes to represent the time when his child was born. The empress had gone into labor during a snowstorm, the winds howling like fearsome wolves at night that sang in chorus to the painful screams of a woman giving birth. As if the gods had been watching down on the Empress, the snowstorm stopped just as the newborn took their first breath, and Shang ye could have sworn that the flower next to his desk bloomed as they cried for life. He smiled at the memory, and opened the box.
Inside was a small, jade pendant carved in the shape of a flower. Xue Hua and her husband, Long Yin, were well established aristocrats in the city after striking out on a rich jewel deposit in the earth. Only they would have the resources to create such a beautiful gift.

The shape of the gift laid next to the box did very little to hide what it was. Although many people found it a little strange to gift a sword to an infant, Shang ye recognized it immediately. Although Hai Lin had been promoted quickly after the war to his bravery and merit, he had initial declined the offer to become a general on the basis that he felt unfairly favored because of his connection to the Xue Xian. But after years of hard work, he'd finally accepted that mantle with pride.
So of course he'd be the one to send his child a sword. Not just any sword either. Her sword. The sword that the Xue Xian left behind in her room when she disappeared. It was a beautiful blade, recently restored and sharpened to its original state. Even so, Shang ye couldn't help but wonder-- what kind of person would gift an infant a sword? Only a solider would think of such things.

Even the emperor of the Song had sent him a gift. He and the emperor of the Song had been in constant correspondence ever since the war's end in hopes to maintain an amicable relationship between the two countries, and the Song emperor's recent letter mourned that he hadn't been personally told about the birth of his first child, and only found out through diplomatic terms.
Shang ye will answer him later, but he was too busy holding up the little trinkets of toys, clothing, and jewelry that he had sent to his child. Perhaps he had overestimated his child's age, because they'll have to wait a year or two at least before even considering putting them on.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Your majesty?"

Shang ye put the trinkets down. "Yu Qi! Come in. Did something happen?"

Yu Qi, who had taken up post as his personal guard, walked in with a few more boxes in her hands. "Bai Yan and Ye Bing had sent food to you and her majesty the empress. Her majesty had already sent people over to pick up her food, but I'd thought I'll come and deliver yours."

"Oh! Good, good. I was just starting to get hungry. Set the food down. Was their restaurant busy today?"

Yu Qi set the lunch box down and began plating the table with an assortment of good food. "Busy as usual, but the crowd dispersed quite quickly with Nian Zhen and her brother's help."

"Her brother is back from the countryside?"

"For now, yes. I heard he was only stopping by because he was running errands for that eldest son of the elderly couple. Hong Hui, I believe his name was."

Shang ye nodded. He hadn't heard from that eldest son very often ever since the death of his parents a few years ago. Aside from sending him money and supplies so he could return and repair the countryside home they had left behind to come to the capital, the only occasional updates he got was from Xiao Wen, who had followed him back to help on the farm.

"They're doing well then, I assume."

"Very. His wife even given birth to twins last year."

Shang ye smiled. Everyone was settling down and getting married now. Even Xue Hua and Long Yin has an little adorable son of their own, named after Xue Hua's brother who had died in the war. Ping An. Safety.

"Any plans on settling down, just like the rest of them?" Shang ye asked jokingly.

"No."

"Jin qing asked me to take care of those she loved. She would want you to be happy."

Yu Qi was done setting up the table by now, and was packing up and getting ready to leave. "I am happy the way that my life is going now," she answered curtly. "besides, I have a bet with Bai yan to win. If I get married before she does, I have have to triple the amount of dowry she gives me at her wedding."

Shang ye thought about the restaurant Bai Yan and Ye Bing were running, and how happy they looked just by doing what they were doing now. "I think you might lose that bet."

"Only time will tell, but I don't intend on losing." Yu Qi bowed, and began walking away. "I saw that you were enjoying spending time with your daughter, so I'll leave you alone."

"Are you going back to the empress?"

"No. Your brother had requested for some of the food from the restaurant, so I'll be on my way to deliver his share. Why?"

"Tell the empress that I've decided on a name for her."

Yu Qi smiled. "She would be very happy to hear that."

Shang ye stood up again. He'll look through more of the presents later. His daughter had just awoken from her nap, and was looking up at him with wide eyes. While most infants would wake up crying and screaming for their mother, she never did. She always looked up at him with calm, inquisitive eyes. Eyes that looked like her mother's but gaze reminded him so much of a certain someone he hadn't heard from in nearly a decade.

"Jing Si," He whispered to himself. "To contemplate in peace."

He wondered if Jin qing would approve of the name, or if she could think of something even better.
But this was his daughter. Surely he would be the one who knew her best?

Something outside the window caught her attention. Her eyes moved to stare at something outside, and Shang ye followed her gaze to a little bird tweeting on a tree branch.

Life was peaceful.

Shang ye kissed the top of his daughter's head. She looked like her mother the Empress. His Empress. A woman he never knew could exist.

He was happy.

You'll be just fine without me.

How did she know? Was she secretly watching everything, subtly guiding their every move? Although it would be nice to believe that Jin Qing never actually left the Wei, he knew better than that. She would have kept her word.

Though... it was a comforting thing to think about.

He couldn't help but laugh. Even after so many years, she still couldn't leave his mind. Her name has long left the lips of the council and many of the aristocrats, but he could still see traces of her in the way soldiers and the common folk carried themselves.

Maybe she hadn't left after all. Physically, sure. But her legacy continues on. It would be her name that would be said with reverence in a few generations when their descendants tell stories about the events of this lifetime. She would be the character of a cunning mastermind behind every plot and every trick, a clever maiden who defied the odds at every turn. She would be the shadow behind the screen, the figure in the shadows.

She would be the one behind it all.

She always has.

— END —