Phoenix Rising

035

"The queen is hosting an opera appreciation session at the south end of the imperial gardens. Shall we head over to take a look?" Prince Ru-an said, looking towards the crown prince for an answer.

"I never knew you were interested in the opera, Ru-an," Ru-quan replied.

"I'm not, but I thought you might be."

"And why is that so?"

Ru-an gave his brother a crooked smile, saying, "We all know the real purpose of this gathering. The queen is trying to help you find a bride, else she wouldn't have specifically invited only certain young ladies to attend. Don't tell me you're not the least bit curious about who the queen has in mind?"

Ru-quan returned his comment with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders. "Mother has her own ideas, and I have mine."

After having met with the king for a discussion about the southern tribes situation, the two princes were strolling down the path back towards the crown prince's quarters at the eastern wing of the palace. The Hua envoys had gifted the crown prince with a rare brew of tea whose leaves could only be found near the southern shores of their kingdom and Ru-quan had though to invite his brothers to try it. Unfortunately, Ru-wen had excused himself saying there were matters he needed to settle, leaving only Ru-an to join him.

"Don't tell me you're still set on making Minister Han's daughter your consort?" Ru-an asked.

The smile across Ru-quan's face widened. "Did you think I was joking before?"

"No... but the queen?"

"Mother still has her sights set on Minister Ouyang's daughter, and not without good reason. If she insists, then I can always marry both, although I would prefer if the title of princess consort goes to Han Zi-ning. That is as much compromise as I am willing to make."

Ru-an fell silent, studying his brother's determined expression carefully. It seems that Ru-quan is far more fixated on the Han girl than anticipated... That could be something useful in future.

Ouyang Sangya was related to the queen, which made it unlikely for them to be able to make use of her and turn her against the crown prince. Han Zi-ning however, was a different story. Minister Han was a pragmatic person who often sat on the fence, unwilling to commit to any one faction in fear of the repercussions should another faction win through. If he could get Han Zi-ning on his side, then she could perhaps be a useful chess piece to help him defeat Ru-quan in future.

Just as the path curved to the left, a young lady dressed in silks of dark blue came into view. She was reaching up towards the branch of a tree, trying to pull down a white handkerchief that had been caught on the branch. As she balanced on the tips of her toes and stretched her fingers up even further, she suddenly lost her balance and looked as if she was about to fall backwards.

The crown prince immediately stepped forward, catching the girl in his arms before she could hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" Ru-quan asked, his brows furrowed.

"Your Highness!" Zi-ning tried to straighten herself up, but the prince wasn't letting go of her waist. She stared up into his eyes for a moment, and when he finally let her go, she immediately dropped to a curtsey, lowering her gaze. "I apologise for the disturbance. I was just—"

Ru-quan reached up and easily retrieved the silk handkerchief from the branch. He looked down at the character "Han" that had been embroidered in red thread at one corner, accompanied by a small peony flower.

Zi-ning held out her hand, wanting to take it back from him. "Thank you, Your Highness."

Instead of returning the handkerchief back to her, Ru-quan withdrew his hand, clutching the white piece of silk firmly. Smiling, he said, "Since I picked it up, I suppose this belongs to me now."

"Your Highness! That handkerchief is mine. It was blown up onto the branch earlier because of the wind."

"Perhaps you should have held on to it more carefully then," Ru-quan laughed, slipping the handkerchief up his sleeve. He watched in amusement as Zi-ning stared at him incredulously, his smile widening when he saw how her expression once again regained its tranquillity.

Zi-ning bobbed her head in a quick curtsey. "In that case, I should be heading back. If you'll excuse me, Your Highnesses." Without waiting for their response, she turned on her heels and headed back down the path.

While he watched her leave, Ru-quan pulled out the silk handkerchief once more, running his fingers across the embroidery. "You know what," he said to Ru-an, "I think I've changed my mind. Maybe we should pay Mother a visit after all. It might be... entertaining."

#

Standing at the other end of the lake with a full view of everything that had taken place on the opposite bank were two men, one dressed entirely in black and the other dressed in the maroon-coloured royal robes of a prince of Duan. They watched silently as the crown prince and the fifth prince strode down the path towards the stage area that the queen had set up at the south of the gardens.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhenghuan could see the eighth prince clenching his fists tightly, so tightly that the whites of his knuckles were beginning to show. It was only for the briefest of moments, then the latter relaxed his hands once more.

"The crown prince seems to have taken an interest in that young lady," Zhenghuan remarked.

"He intends to make her his chief consort," Ru-wen replied. "It has been a while since Ru-quan has been so determined about something. His interests usually don't last very long."

Zhenghuan arched an eyebrow. "His chief consort? And the queen hasn't said anything about it?"

"The queen has signalled her intentions—she favours Minister Ouyang's daughter, Ouyang Sangya. However, Ru-quan can be quite stubborn when he wants to. I expect he will not take no for an answer."

"The choice of crown princess has great implications for the kingdom's future. I expect the queen will insist that on having her way. Perhaps the crown prince could marry the other girl as a concubine instead."

"No."

"No?" Zhenghuan turned to look at Ru-wen, intrigued by the determination in his tone of voice.

"Ru-quan once said that he would never relegate Han Zi-ning to the position of a mere concubine. She is like a phoenix and she is destined to have the world at her feet," he said.

"And you agree with that?"

The eighth prince didn't respond, although his silence was answer enough. Turning around, he headed for the archway leading out of the gardens. "Regarding what you spoke about earlier—the implications are extremely serious. It would be best if you proceeded cautiously, in case your suspicions turn out to be incorrect. I will get my men to investigate and see what they can find out."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Zhenghuan bowed respectfully, watching as the eighth prince walked away and disappeared through the archway. Turning back around, he stood there for a while, watching as a tiny blue figure wound her way quickly along the side of the lake until she re-joined the group of women gathered at the south quarter.

The eighth prince had joined him later, so he had had missed the earlier half of the rather interesting show that Zhenghuan had fortunately been able to catch in its entirety. He had seen Han Zi-ning hiding behind the tree when she noticed the two princes approaching, and then she fished out a white handkerchief from her waist and tossed it up onto the tree until it rested comfortably on the branch above.

The corners of his lips tilted upwards in a bemused smile.