Legend of Fu Yao

“But then again, coming back to the topic.” Zhan Nancheng smiled. “During my youth, when I was studying, every time I chanced upon the legends of brave heroes, I would hungrily devour the scroll, imagining myself as the character in the stories, unswayed by gold, righteous and brave, sweeping up a storm in the world or sprinting thousands of miles in the desert, or even leading armies to fight against enemies. How unparalleled would that satisfaction and happiness be? Alas, the moment I became emperor, I became stuck in the dreary depths of the palace alone, my life as boring as can be.”

“Your Majesty, countless servants are willing to lead for you, how could anyone be compared to Your Majesty?” Meng Fuyao smiled, then sighed.

“The winds are in General Meng’s favor, yet why do you sigh?”

“Your Majesty, after listening to you, it jolted my thoughts.” Meng Fuyao sighed. “Since young, I’ve never been one to pursue books, I only enjoyed learning about military strategies and believed that it was everything that a man needed, to be learned in the art of war and serve the royal family loyally, offering my own head as a wine cup or my blood as nourishment if needed.” Meng Fuyao knelt down suddenly, exclaiming loudly, “Forgive my insolence!”

“General Meng, you must be kidding.” Zhan Nancheng laughed. “Aren’t you standing today among the top three ranks in Wuji, your achievements known to all, who would dare disrespect you?”

“This commoner would rather lose his rank and general’s robes in exchange for armor and war boots, head to the desert 3,000 miles from here and fight to the death, entering with a clean blade and leaving with a red blade, this is true satisfaction!”

Meng Fuyao laughed loudly, hiccupping halfway and hurriedly calming herself down and apologizing, “Forgive this commoner’s lack of respect.”

“No matter, I like frank and honest men like you.” Smiling, Zhan Nancheng helped her up. “How passionate, how earnest!”

After beating around the bush for a long time, he finally asked, “Looking at General Meng’s expression, it seems that something is troubling you, unless… did something unfortunate happen?”

“How could there be anything unfortunate? I merely feel wronged!” Meng Fuyao slapped her thigh and leaned forward as she said, “Your Majesty, honestly speaking, ever since this commoner had taken up the superficial post of whatever General, I still feel the happiest during the day when I was entering the camp and killing people. Now all I do every day is draw this and circle that, doing nothing and drinking and making merry with a bunch of officials, where is the meaning in this!”

“Prince Wuji dotes on General Meng, there is so much potential for promotion and your future is infinite, how can you give up?”

Meng Fuyao raised her eyebrows, not speaking. The question that Zhan Nancheng had asked stumped her. Stuttering, she replied, “The prince’s affection… makes me not want to perform my duties all the more…. It is extremely difficult to tolerate the rumors of others…. To think that I, an upright man, would….”

She spoke stutteringly as Zhan Nancheng listened, his eyes glinting; her words were just as he had heard. Not asking any further, he slowly began to laugh.

His tone became even more affectionate as he beckoned Meng Fuyao to sit closer and asked, “General Meng is skilled in the art of war, could you advise me on some military tactics?”

“Your Majesty is too kind, I only know one or two tactics.” Meng Fuyao sat down and began pointing fluently at the tactic board she had prepared earlier, “… work together, the foot soldiers should make use of the hills, forests, natural obstacles, and grasslands. If the terrain is unfavorable, they must dig trenches. Divide the calvary into reserve and combat teams and attack alternatingly. If the enemy strikes on both sides or surrounds us, go into a circle formation with the archers on the outermost side so that there will be no friendly fire and the rear soldiers can also strike back easily from inside…”

Half a period later, Meng Fuyao stumbled out of the inner palace with the Emperor of Tiansha himself alongside her. Zhan Nancheng’s face was full of smiles as he held onto Meng Fuyao’s hand, personally sending her to her seat.

Meng Fuyao ground her teeth and controlled herself, barely stopping herself from wanting to send him to see his grandmother with the hand that he was holding.

Since they had arrived, the banquet began. Since it was a banquet for the royal and noble families, it was extremely lavish, and Meng Fuyao buried her head and began to eat furiously, refusing to look across at the rotten lotus. Alas, ignoring her did not mean that she would be let off the look.

Halfway into the banquet, Princess Lotus tugged at Fourth Prince Feng’s sleeves, and with his accompaniment, they came over to offer a toast. Smiling, she said, “I have always respected the great hero, the True Martial Arts champion General Meng, this toast must be offered.”

Everyone’s gazes fell on them as they praised, “General Meng is so fortunate, Princess Lotus’ toast is not something just anybody can drink.”

‘Indeed, if anyone drinks it, their stomachs will rot.’ Meng Fuyao stood up and received the cup, her smile was even faker. “That’s right, Princess Lotus’ virtuous and upright reputation is known throughout the seven nations, how can a ruffian like myself be worthy of drinking the princess’ wine?”

She raised the cup, not drinking, swirling it in her hands as she turned to face the crowd and smiled. “Everyone believes that the princess admires martial arts and that’s why I am able to receive this toast, but the truth is that the princess and I had had a fateful encounter previously, and it’s entirely my honor to be part of this encounter.”

Once her words left her lips, everyone’s interest was piqued as they said, “Do you mean that General Meng and Princess Lotus have met before? Yet, when and where?”

“At Diecui Mountain in Tianquan.” Meng Fuyao smiled. “Back then the princess had run into a group of formidable foes, and coincidentally, I happened to pass by and lend a helping hand.” Meng Fuyao laughed modestly. “That was truly a memorable scene.”

“So it’s a case of the hero saving the damsel in distress.” Someone laughed and continued, “General Meng, don’t be selfish, everyone’s still waiting to hear it.”

“Actually it wasn’t much either, the princess’ guards are naturally brave and courageous, and bandits are naturally ruthless. All the damsels in distress have the same story, the only thing shocking was the behavior of the person during that time.” Meng Fuyao smiled slightly and continued, “The princess remained calm, praying faithfully to the Buddha throughout. Back then, blood was being shed everywhere, and the horse carriage had fallen, and the guards were all dying one after another. The princess sat within the horse carriage, her expression calm as she prayed for the fallen guards, praying for each one as they fell, one after another…”

When everyone heard her words, it was as though they never heard anything, but as they continued ruminating upon her words since they were all exceptional individuals, they wouldn’t not understand a single sentence. Slowly, they stopped laughing and Princess Lotus’ hand, which was holding onto the wine cup, trembled slightly.

Meng Fuyao continued ceaselessly, “The guards died quickly, but the princess’ prayers were even more timely, exorcizing their loyal souls into heaven before they could even step into the underworld. I’ll say, as the princess’ guards, for them to die in front of the princess was probably their highest fortune. At the very least, there was no need for any compensation.”

The entire palace was in shock, and not even the sound of chopsticks moving could be heard as everyone listened to Meng Fuyao sing her praises, greatly lauding Feng Jingfan for her virtue and elegance as she loyally prayed for her guards without a single flicker of fear in the face of death.

“Even rarer still was that, on that day, I finally witnessed true equality and universal love.”

Turning solemn, Meng Fuyao said, “I witnessed with my own eyes, just before a guard had died protecting the horse carriage, he was desperately trying to prevent the bandits from entering and harassing the princess, he was stabbed to death by one of the bandits. At that time, I saw the princess lose her composure and become agitated upon seeing blood, and she went up and sliced off the arm of the bandit, which then landed in front of the princess. The princess viewed everyone equally, and placed the arm with the guard’s corpse, and proceeded to pray for them together…”

“Pfft…”

Ya Lanzhu forcefully spat out the food in her mouth, and everyone turned to look at her as she frantically waved her hands about. “Continue, continue, spectacular, spectacular, truly worthy of emulating. I was just wondering how the poor guard would feel being exorcized together with that arm?”

Gripping her wine cup tightly, Princess Lotus stood there quietly, her eyes lowered as she remained silent. If one did not look closely, they would not be able to notice that her sleeves were trembling at all.

Fourth Prince Feng looked at her in surprise, then at Meng Fuyao, and opened his mouth and said angrily, “Meng Fuyao, what are you talking about!?”

“I’m saying that the princess is virtuous, holy and brave.” Meng Fuyao looked at him innocently, “Princess Lotus was born with a lotus, her reputation known throughout the seven nations. There should at least be some honest, personal encounters and honorable stories for people to spread so that ruffians like us can respect and worship her even more.”

“You…”

“Merely spreading the good name of the princess, I wouldn’t dare to do anything else.” Meng Fuyao smiled as she faced Fourth Prince Feng. “Your Majesty, could you be finding my words disagreeable?”

Without waiting for Fourth Prince Feng to reply, she turned around and gave Princess Lotus a long, hard look as she lamented and sighed, “With regards to such, I’ve suddenly realized that, compared to the princess, there are too many things that I’ve been flagrant about, may the princess forgive and advise me. I’ve finally understood the true meaning of holy compassion, there is no need for distinguishing between good or bad, no need to separate loyalty and betrayal, no need for distinguishing between right and wrong—just focus on praying.”

Meng Fuyao laughed and walked several steps forward, standing right in front of Princess Lotus, her posture straight and her voice clear.

“That day after returning, I had many mixed feelings, tossing and turning in my bed unable to fall asleep, so I woke up and put on my sleeping gown and wrote something of my own accord, would the princess be interested in listening? After all, it was also written for your guards.”

Princess Lotus remained silent, raising her eyes as she met Meng Fuyao’s fiery gaze and her own expression darkened, flecks of sinister light swirling in her eyes, its intention unclear, yet deeply calm like the weather before a storm. Her gaze carried the sharpness of a needle and the intensity of a flame, piercing into Meng Fuyao’s eyes.

Meng Fuyao did not avoid her glare and met her gaze with a smile. If Princess Lotus; expression was a poison needle, hers would be a vicious knife. Both of their gazes met with a brilliant fiery blaze.

She did not reply, but Meng Fuyao simply didn’t wait for her reply as she raised her wine cup. With a crisp and clear voice, she intonated each word, “Acknowledging your selflessness, I pray for all, regardless of whether friend or foe, ascending to heaven equally.

“Second line, a virtuous and holy lotus.”

“Good! Good! Truly encapsulating the truth of the whole process, each word filled with compassion, truly wonderful!” The only person applauding was Ya Lanzhu, smiling widely as her braids flew around her, the crisp sound of her applause even more striking in the silence as it reverberated around the palace, “General Meng is truly a rare genius, the princess is even more so a rare genius!”

Everyone lowered their eyes, staring desperately at the banquet in front of them—heaven knew when those two people bore this grudge. Meng Fuyao actually dared to humiliate Princess Lotus in front of everyone during such a setting, was she not afraid of the Xuanji nation seeking revenge?

They watched Princess Lotus’ back, unable to see her expression. How would the princess, famed for her magnanimity and kindness throughout the seven nations, react to this sudden bout of humiliation?