Legend of Fu Yao

“I think you’re the stubborn one.” Meng Fuyao smirked as she shook her head. “Okay, even if the Crown Prince used the Ethereal Moonlight Embroidery that your father gifted, the Ministry of Rites and the Royal Historical Records will have detailed accounts of the gifts exchanged between nations. Shall we go and check? If Xuanji is not willing to provide those accounts, we are more than happy to do so.”

Without waiting for Princess Lotus to answer, she said, “Transporting the records back and forth can be pretty troublesome, let’s not waste so many resources and settle this right away. Princess Lotus, according to you, you are the most well-versed with the map. So let me ask you, how many ways can you interpret it?”

Princess Lotus immediately answered, “Four sections and 115 sentences.” Smirking, she added, “If you can interpret it in one more way, I’ll admit my defeat to you.”

“I don’t need you to, but it seems like you must.” Meng Fuyao smiled as she flicked the map in her palm. “Unfortunately, it’s 116 sentences.”

“Not possible! I’ve spent a decade investigating it, and there is no other way. You’re lying again, do you really not respect all the knowledgeable scholars…”

“There you go again,” interrupted Meng Fuyao, feeling the formation of a headache. “You’re just trying to turn all the scholars into my enemy this time round, aren’t you tired of doing so? Anyway, that was not said by me.”

“Then who?” the tone of her voice changed.

“Who do you think?” Meng Fuyao drawled as she glanced at Princess Lotus from the corner of her eye.

Instantly, Princess Lotus’ pale complexion turned as red as blood, and the flush even traveled to the bottom of her eyes. With those bloodshot eyes, she shot icy and venomous stares at Meng Fuyao.

Oblivious to her expression, Meng Fuyao showed the picture towards the audience and said, “The 116th sentence – reading diagonally from the first word of the first sentence to the eighth word of the eighth sentence, this line has eight words which do not form a military strategy but the timing of someone’s birth!”

Beaming, she asked, “May I dare to ask, Princess Lotus, what’s the timing of your birth?

“According to your age, it seems like you do not fit what’s stated on the picture?

“You have been scrutinizing this for a decade. What a pity, why did you not spot the most important sentence?”

An awkward silence fell upon the room, and one could even hear the sound of wax slowly dripping down a candle. The front of the mob released their clenched fists, while some gradually stepped back. There was also a portion of them who looked at Meng Fuyao in fear, and then at Princess Lotus.

From the moment that Meng Fuyao announced the birth details, this Princess suddenly lost all her calmness, composure, gentleness, and pure demeanor as though they were being swept away by a tornado. So did her facial expression and energy, as she stood rooted to the ground and color drained from her face.

She was still that Princess Lotus, but she resembled a dead, stiff, frozen, emotionless, and zombie-like one.

If she was still that beautiful, graceful, and flawless princess minutes ago, she was now just a lowly being who wore a royal crown.

Then, she suddenly collapsed.

Meng Fuyao immediately barked, “Faint for what!”

The “what” word was so shrilling, resembling the sound of a bomb ringing in everyone’s ears. Wind swept past the room, causing the lanterns to all fall, and the flickering candle lights to extinguish. There was hence a moment of darkness before the hidden curtains started to flutter gently in the wind, as though there were countless shadows of ghosts squirming in the room.

Such a thundering voice caused everyone to cover their ears instinctively, and Princess Lotus was no exception – she could no longer faint.

She had yet to do so when a person, who suddenly appeared by her side, smiled innocently and said, “Lotus, I was cornered by you for such a long period of time, and I did not even faint. Why are you in such a hurry to pass out? You’ve got to at least wait until the matter is settled. A human must be considerate, and you have lived up to your fans’ expectations. Look, if you faint just like that, how awkward will that be for your supporters?”

Princess Lotus put down her hands at an extremely slow speed, and she stared deadly at Meng Fuyao as though venomous snakes were popping out of the eyes to strangle her. After looking at her from head to toe with that toxic expression, Princess Lotus suddenly let out a miserable laugh. “It’s just this way. Whoever loves, loses.”

A few moments later, Meng Fuyao spoke. “Do you still think that what you’re doing is considered love? You’re just being obsessed. Honestly, Princess Lotus, if you were a bit more normal, who would have the energy to be hostile towards you? We’d rather destroy 10 temples than break apart a couple, and let the Crown Prince have a good wife. Unfortunately, you’re simply unbearable.”

With a swing of her sleeves, she resolutely walked away from Princess Lotus. It was at that moment when Zhan Nancheng finally asked, “I’d like to ask, how did General Meng have the original copy of the map of Xuanji?”

“Your Majesty,” Meng Fuyao bowed and responded. “All the officials of the Wuji court knew that the Crown Prince of our nation had canceled his marriage with Princess Lotus and had taken back the map of Xuanji, and despite the fact that a certain Princess chose to conceal this fact. The day before the Crown Prince left Heaven Demon, he once told me that back when the marriage was canceled, he had acceded to Xuanji’s request to announce the news only after the princess was of age. However, we did not expect that the Princess would still position herself as the fiancée. This not only put our Crown Prince in a tough spot, but it also harms her reputation. That day, I had already volunteered to persuade the Princess, but I held back because my status was not high enough to convince everyone. Hence, the Crown Prince gave me this map and instructed me to never show it unless the Princess brings the matter up in front of the royal family… Your Majesty, I lost my temper only because I was angered that she said ‘master and servant in the same palace’. I ask for your forgiveness.”

Zhan Nancheng sighed and contemplated for a moment. “It is because of her deep love that the Princess is as such… attendants, send the Princess back to-”

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a loud shrill.

“Zhangsun Wuji, you’re so cruel! I will never ever forgive you, even after my death!”

Princess Lotus had yet to complete her sentence, and there was already a gleam of a sword that brightened the palace like a rainbow. Exclamations of shock rang through the bystanders and her brother immediately shouted “sister!” while others cried “Princess you must not kill yourself!”.

Someone glided forward and snatched away the sword. In the midst of the chaotic shouts and cries, the sword fell onto the ground.

The clatter made when the steel sword hit the golden-tiled floor was loud and clear and made everyone shiver. With her back facing Princess Lotus, Meng Fuyao did not even bother to look back, and a smirk formed on her lips.

If someone really wanted to die, would they try to commit suicide in a crowd?

The royal Princess, indeed, never forgot to put up a pretense.

Princess Lotus fell into her brother’s arms and sobbed miserably. “Why did you not tell me? Why did you not tell me!”

Hugging her, the prince was also full of tears. He said, “I also didn’t know, our parents must have been afraid that you wouldn’t be able to accept the news, and wanted to wait until you recovered… Who knew that this would happen…”

Suddenly snapping his head backward, he stared angrily at Meng Fuyao and demanded an explanation. “General Meng, are you satisfied now? Are you happy to make Lotus so depressed that she could only seek for death?”

“What’s there to be happy or unhappy about?” Meng Fuyao folded her arms and surveyed the empathetic expressions of the people around her. She slowly said, “When I see that all of you are being pitiful of the liar, I feel that life is f*cking unfair. Just now, when I was forced to commit suicide, why did no one pity me? If I really did that and did not take out the map of Xuanji, everyone would probably clap and cheer, right? So these are the royals of the seven nations, and this is true justice – the honest ones are universally condemned, while the liars are being cared for?”

As she swept her gaze past each person, they hung their heads in embarrassment. One of them tried to whisper, “Well, the Princess didn’t know of the truth. Who told the Crown Prince of Wuji to keep this a secret?”

“Bullshit!” Meng Fuyao boiled with anger. “Is your brain full of cement or pig feces? You dare put the blame on the Crown Prince? If it wasn’t because of your country’s ruler who begged the Crown Prince to delay the announcement until after the impossible recovery of Princess Lotus, would he have to keep it a secret? The Crown Prince was indeed wrong, but his only mistake was being too soft-hearted to the hypocritical nation of Xuanji!”

Meng Fuyao grinned like a Cheshire cat and took big strides forward, causing that person from Xuanji to step back in fear. Ignoring him, Meng Fuyao picked up the same sword that Princess Lotus used, and gently placed it on her throat, pretending to make a swiping motion.

“Ah! I’m about to kill myself okay!”

Immediately, Ya Lanzhu pounced on her and screamed, “General Meng, do not kill yourself!”, while snatching away the sword in her hand.

Meng Fuyao promptly released her grip and hugged Ya Lanzhu as she pretended to cry. “Why did you not tell me? Why did you not tell me!”

Caressing her back solemnly, she replied, “If I told you, you would cry to the moon, and vomit blood on the flowers…”

Both of them roared with laughter, and Ya Lanzhu staggered towards the wall in fits of laughter as she clutched her stomach. “Oh my god, I can’t anymore…”

Meng Fuyao threw the sword on the ground and crushed it with her feet while speaking in a belittling tone. “See, I also know how to kill myself in a crowd!”

The crowd of royals stared with their jaws agape, but Meng Fuyao merely bowed towards Zhan Nancheng and grabbed Ya Lanzhu by the arm. The two of them strolled past the high threshold, and their silhouettes eventually faded into the distance. Only the hearty banters could be clearly heard.

…

“Zhangsun Wuji, I will never ever forgive you, even after my death-”

“General Meng, you must not kill yourself!”

“Aish, why did you snatch my sword. Let me die, let me die-”

“Weren’t you the one who passed it to me?”

“Please, my appetite is not good, and it just becomes worse listening to this over supper,” said Zong Yue, and he picked up his bowl of rice and resolutely walked away.