Phoenix Rising

085

CW: Physical abuse

Zhenghuan stepped back, putting a clear berth between himself and the distraught princess. If she weren't a woman, he would already have sent her flying with one good kick. Glancing down at the creases in his black robes from where she had clung on, he scowled. Now he would need to have a bath and a change of clothes before the royal banquet.

"Your Majesty," he said, his tone taking on a hard edge, "Please control yourself. You are soon to be officially crowned as queen of Hua, and your actions and words have direct impact on the diplomatic relations between our kingdoms. Have you forgotten why you're here in the first place?"

"I never wanted to come! I didn't ask to be used as a tool for these so-called diplomatic relations!" Queen Xuan shouted, her eyes reddening with anger and frustration. She lifted the sleeves of her silk robes, revealing a patchwork of ugly purplish bruises that lined both her arms. "Do you know what I've been through here? Situ Zhiren is a monster! Every time something doesn't go his way in court, he comes here and takes it out on me. I can't stay here anymore!"

Zhenghuan frowned at the sight of the princess's wounds. He had always known that Situ Zhiren had a cruel streak in him, but he had not expected that the new king of Hua would dare lay such a heavy hand upon a princess sent in a political marriage. Was he not the least bit concerned that word of this would reach their king's ears?

"Have you told anyone else about this?" he asked.

The young queen shook her head. She let her sleeves slide back down, before collapsing onto an empty chair. "Who could I possibly tell? Situ Zhiren monitors all communication between our kingdoms, so any letters that I write back home are scrutinised before they're allowed to leave the palace."

"You should speak with the crown prince. He might be able to help," Zhenghuan said.

This was a prickly situation. Princess Xuan was soon to be crowned queen, the highest honour that could be bestowed upon a woman from a foreign kingdom. If they were to raise this issue now, it could easily be misconstrued as an attempt to disrupt the coronation and lead to a worsening of ties between the two kingdoms. Zhenghuan did not care much for the kingdom of Hua nor Situ Zhiren, but he did care about the potential outbreak of war. If they gave Situ Zhiren an excuse to launch an attack upon their borders, then it would undoubtedly bring immense suffering upon thousands of ordinary civilians.

Maybe that's what he wants. An excuse for war.

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

This was the Hua palace, and it was only too easy for Situ Zhiren to conceal the truth behind the princess's suffering if he wanted to. This meeting was too coincidental for it not to be intentional.

"Ru-quan?" Xuan scoffed. "He won't help me. He won't risk offending Situ Zhiren and damaging diplomatic ties, because he has his own crown to think of." She turned to him with pleading eyes. "Zhenghuan, you are the only one who can save me."

"I'm sorry, but this is not a decision that I have the authority to make, but rest assured I will raise the matter with the crown prince and we shall discuss the best way forward, to ensure your safety." Zhenghuan turned and headed for the doors. There was no point in lingering further, now that he was clear what the objective of today's meeting was all about.

He stepped across the threshold, ignoring the persistent calls of the princess trailing after him.

Gods be damned. Can't you just let a man finish his mission peacefully and go home to be married?

#

Zhenghuan had been meaning to bring up the matter pertaining to Princess Xuan immediately, in case any new complications arose, but the crown prince seemed determined to evade him. First, the prince was asleep because he was tired and unwell from the long journey, then, it was time to get ready for the banquet and it would not do to have any distractions lest he was late and that would be a stain on the kingdom's reputation.