It wasn’t long after Xinyue had bathed and got ready for the banquet that she was called by the servants to enter the Hall of Ceremonies, where the festivities would be held.
“I understand,” Xinyue spoke to the servant just outside of her room and tied the black cloth over the lower half of her face. The mirror in the room was made of gold, smooth and shiny, it reflected the candlelight and the well-made furniture of the bedroom.
The room was not heavily furnished, but with simple, strong furniture. The only adornments were paintings on the lanterns and screens that were in the room. Xinyue was pleased when she was first led to the room by Hongyi, it fit exactly what she liked. From the softness of the pillows to the large desk in the room, it was similar to her tent on the battlefield.
“General.” The servant’s voice called out again, more urgent this time, and Xinyue sighed and adjusted her armor.
She opened the door of her quarters to be greeted by a servant who stood with Haoran and Xiaobo. Neither of them carried their swords or any weaponry, the General was the same.
"Greetings General. Follow me.” The servant bowed and set off to lead the three soldiers to the banquet being held for the royal family.
Xinyue didn’t know why she was being included in the banquet; the only reason she could think of was because of her acquaintance with the Crown Prince. Hongyi had hinted earlier that her thoughts were on the right track, but he did say that the other escorts of the various families would also be present for dinner.
The Hall of Ceremonies was large and held up by large blue columns, gold dragons chasing each other painted on their surface. Stone dragons perched on the roof and on the staircase leading up to the door of the building. Two painted drums stood on either side of the doorway, along with a long line of eunuchs and guards. It was the most decorated building that Xinyue had ever seen, and she shoved down the hint of apprehension that stirred in her stomach.
“General Xinyue is to enter the banquet.” The servant told one of the eunuchs at the door, and they immediately traded positions, with the eunuch now leading the General further into the Hall. The eunuch walked past several empty tables and seats, leading Xinyue, Haoran, and Xiaobo.
Already, several people sat at their tables waiting to be served. At the far end of the hall, at the top of a platform, was the seat of the King of Long as well as that of the Crown Prince on the right side. Behind the King’s seat was a silk blue curtain with gold embroidery, the table was a large polished black oak with abalone shell depictions, and the steps leading up to the platform were large black stones that gleamed in the candlelight of the painted lanterns. Xinyue was led to a seat closer to the platform than she would have liked. The eunuch bowed and left Xinyue. Already the Princesses of Wu were seated across from her, their backs straight and regal. To their left, further from the platform, sat a woman in bright purple robes. Her servants, in deep mahogany brown with purple peaking out from their sleeves and collars, would be from the Mu Kingdom. There were also several people whom Xinyue didn’t recognize, but that was to be expected. She glanced at their robes and demeanor, trying to place who they might have been.
“General Xinyue.” Hongyi rose from where he sat on the left side facing the throne, just below the platform, to bow and salute. He smiled as he gestured for the General to sit just to his right, the space the eunuch had led her to as soon as she entered the hall. Xinyue saluted and sat, having no further choice in the matter. She cursed Hongyi silently as everyone in the hall stared at her and her position because it was so close to the throne. Xiaobo and Haoran made their way behind Xinyue, their backs against the wall and in the shadows. They stood at the ready in case of an attack or if their services were needed.
To her right sat the princesses and prince of the Feng Kingdom, their orange robes bright like the lantern light. Like their representative phoenix, the siblings shared the same sharp, hooked nose, but other than this feature, it was difficult to believe that they all were born of the same father. They glared daggers at her, but Xinyue ignored them, only staring down and slightly forward.
“Rise and Greet the Crown Prince of Long.” The eunuch called out from the platform, his voice echoed throughout the hall.
The doors whipped open and through them stepped the Crown Prince of Long. He looked almost the same as Xinyue had seen him the last time they had met, but his clothes and countenance were a lot different. When they had last met, they were fighting together as comrades, but now he was the Crown Prince of the most powerful kingdom. His black hair was half pulled up with a jade dragon pin, and his robes were deep silk with dragons embroidered on them. His inner robes were a mesmerizing blue that looked almost green in certain lights, like the ocean waves they changed and flowed around him.
All the people in the room got to their knees and bowed, “Greetings to His Highness.”
The Crown Prince’s footsteps were light and delicate; one second he was at the doors and the next he was by his seat on the platform.
“Rise.” His voice was melodic with a hint of amusement.
They all rose at once, “Thank you, Your Highness.”
A hush came over the crowd; they all waited for the Crown Prince to speak, they all expected a speech of some sort, or a reason as to why they had all gathered here in the Long Kingdom. But their expectations were waylaid by the Crown Prince.
“You can relax,” The Crown Prince waved his hand at the eunuchs. He sat lounging back into his seat, a smile on his face. “You all must have had a long journey here.”
“Oh, yes, Your Highness. Thank you for having us here in the Long Kingdom.” The Feng Princess spoke from beside the General, and Xinyue could feel the tension grow in her shoulders.
“You are very welcome.” A flash of teeth as he smiled. “Why don’t we start with the introductions?”
The eunuch from before stepped forward, a long scroll in his hand.
“From the Kingdom of Mu, Princess Lingyi.”
The woman in the purple robes with mahogany details stood up but tripped on her robes a bit as she walked to stand in front of the platform with her attendant at her side. Her fair skin turned a flushed pink, and she rubbed her palms on her dress. Princess Lingyi wasn’t used to being the center of attention and found the prying eyes that watched her from all angles unsettling.
“Princess Lingyi.” The attendant next to her whispered.
“Oh, um, Greetings to the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom.” Princess Lingyi went into a deep bow and stood up much more gracefully this time. “For a gift, His Majesty of the Mu Kingdom would have me present you with this jade vase from the Mu Dynasty two centuries ago.”
The servant stepped forward with the vase, painted red chrysanthemums coated its surface, and the jade looked almost translucent in the candlelight.
“I thank His Majesty, the King of Mu, for such a wonderful gift.”
Princess Lingyi bowed one more time before making her way back to her seat, sighing audibly with relief when she made it back without tripping on her robes. The attendant just to her left pursed her lips and clasped her hands together, her knuckles turning white.
The eunuch called out the next attendee, “From the Kingdom of Feng, Prince Jianhong, Princess Mengyao, and Princess Jingshu.”
The orange robes rustled as the three siblings came forward to greet and present their gifts to the Long Kingdom.
“Greetings to the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom.” Prince Jianhong took the central position between the two princesses. As one, they bowed and stood. “I am Prince Jianhong of the Feng Kingdom.”
The Princesses stepped forward at the same time, but the princess on his right spoke first before the one on his left.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Princess Mengyao of the Feng Kingdom.” She was dressed with more jewels and ornaments than the one on the right. Her face was round and her height petite; she looked like a doll.
The other princess stepped forward, wearing a smile, but her right eye twitched. “Greetings, Your Highness. I am Princess Jingshu of the Feng Kingdom.” While Princess Mengyao wore more jewelry, Princess Jingshu wore more makeup. Her thin lips were coated in red paint, and her thin face coated with a fine dusting of white powder. Long and slender, she looked the complete opposite of her sister.
Prince Jianhong resembled Princess Jingshu with his long frame, but unlike Princess Jingshu, he still had Princess Mengyao’s face structure with low cheekbones and a rounded jawline. They all stood with their backs straight, all of them born from different mothers but the same father.
“His Majesty, the King of the Feng Kingdom, asked us to gift you with this painting from the famous painter of Feng, Sunyang.” Prince Jianhong waved the attendants at their side forward to open up the painting of a phoenix and a dragon flying together in harmony. “May your Kingdom always fly high and prosper.”
The others in the hall all shifted in their seats and murmured to each other. To gift such a painting with an explicit meaning was shocking. Xinyue begrudgingly acknowledged that it was an excellent strategy to gift something with such a strong meaning as to declare the Kingdom of Feng aligned with the Kingdom of Long, the symbols of both countries at peace with each other.
The Princesses and Prince made their way back to their seats, but not before Princess Mengyao turned to look at Princess Yuyan and smirk.
Princess Yuyan gripped and balled up her robes with displeasure, her face twisted with anger before returning neutral once again.
The eunuch stepped forward, “From the Kingdom of Wu, Princess Yuyan and Princess Lihua.”
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The two princesses rose and walked to the platform. Princess Yuyan made sure that she was always just in front of Princess Lihua as they walked.
“Greetings to the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom.” After rising from their bow, Princess Yuyan, with her skirt gripped in her hands, rushed to speak.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Princess Yuyan of the Wu Kingdom.” Her words tripped over each other as she spoke, and her obsidian eyes flashed in the candlelight.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Princess Lihua of the Wu Kingdom.” Princess Lihua immediately spoke as soon as Princess Yuyan finished. The jade bracelets that hung from her wrists clanked, and her earrings swung wildly as she gestured to the attendant. “His Majesty, the King of Wu, instructed us to gift you with this ancient text full of wisdom from the library of the Kingdom of Wu from the scholar, Sihai.”
Both sisters glared at each other after they finished the introductions. The attendant rushed forward with the book, its cover covered in embroidered silver threads and black paper.
After their introductions, the princesses sat down. Princess Lihua’s held her head up in pride, a smirk on her face. She was able to stand out more than her sister and beat her to gifting His Highness the present from His Majesty.
“Now that introductions have passed-“ Prince Jianhong rose again and bowed at his waist, his hands cupped in greeting.
“But they are not done.” The rising pressure of cultivation crashed into the hall like a tidal wave, and Prince Jianhong glanced nervously up at the Crown Prince, who stared at him from where he perched. The Crown Prince’s eyes were icy blue, almost white, with tiny stripes of emerald green; their otherworldly appearance unsettled almost everyone who looked at them, and Prince Jianhong was no exception. Without a word, he plopped back down into his seat.
“Continue.” The pressure in the room eased, and the Crown Prince was once again relaxed and lounging on his seat. The servants in the room released the collective breath they were holding.
The eunuch holding the scroll with trembling hands began the last necessary introduction. “General Xinyue of the Wu Kingdom.”
Xinyue cursed the heavens and all the gods she could in that moment. As she rose, she looked to Hongyi, who sat with a tiny corner of his mouth uplifted and his eyes amused. She prayed that the man be attacked by a bear or swallowed by a shark, if not in this life, then in the next.
She kept a straight face, making sure not to show any of her inner turmoil, as she made the short walk to the platform. The bow came more naturally than it had in the Kingdom of Wu, and she was pleased with how strong her voice was when she spoke.
“Greetings to the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom.” She cupped her hands in front of her. “I am General Xinyue of the Wu Kingdom.”
“The God of War, the slayer of soldiers, and the wall of the Wu Kingdom. Protector of borders and the fearsome one.” The Crown Prince’s voice was amused, he was repeating word for word the gossip pamphlet’s description of her. “The devil who walks among us.”
“Yes, Your Highness, that is what they call me.” Xinyue nodded, her facial expression giving nothing away. “However, I believe the last one was used to describe yourself, Your Highness,” Xinyue emphasized his title, which sounded unnatural and stilted; normally, she referred to the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom by much more colorful names stuffed with endless adjectives.
“Really? I was sure that it was in reference to you, not me.”
“It is understandable that Your Highness would not have the time or inclination to memorize such gossip or their sources due to your lofty position.”
Xinyue heard the wild clinking of jade as Princess Lihua and Princess Yuyan’s earrings swung wildly as their heads turned from His Highness to the General.
“Ah, you are correct, my mistake.” The Crown Prince smiled; unlike before, a dimple in his right cheek appeared. “Forgive me”
Xinyue nodded, “There is no need, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince may seem relaxed, but Xinyue knew how dangerous the man truly was. A brilliant strategist and master at the spear, the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom deserved respect as well as some amount of fear. He was making a scene on purpose, although Xinyue didn’t know yet what his purpose was.
“Did you have any hardships on your journey? I heard there was a problem with your invitation.” His eyes flicked to his left at the Wu Princesses, causing Princess Yuyan to grip at her skirts while Princess Lihua flinched back. Although he sounded as if he was inquiring about a friend’s journey, in truth he was remarking on the Princesses and their lack of decorum. He was using his relationship with Xinyue to scold and reprimand the princesses in front of the other representatives.
“It was resolved thanks to your attentiveness, Your Highness.” Hollow and without thought, Xinyue gave her response.
“Anything for an old acquaintance.” The word practically oozed with sarcasm as he said it with his deep voice.
There was a moment of silence in the hall before Xinyue spoke again, deciding to ignore his antics.
“Your Highness, I request that my gift be given in private.” The General heard the restless murmurs and gasps of the others. The guests in the hall could not believe the audacity of the General to ask for a private audience with the Crown Prince.
“Granted. I am curious what gift you have for old acquaintances.” Again, he threw Xinyue’s words back at her from the other day, but she chose to ignore them.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Xinyue bowed and worked to control herself from glaring at the man who still remained seated to her left. Hongyi, that rat, told him about their conversation. Again, Xinyue cursed him and planned to offer alms to the temple in order for the wish to come true. While she couldn’t attack him directly, perhaps a god would listen to her prayer and hurl lightning to strike down the menace.
Xinyue turned and made her way back to her seat. Before she sat, she looked over at Hongyi, whose shoulders shook with amusement.
“I welcome everyone who has made the long journey to the Long Kingdom today.” The Crown Prince rose from his seat. “It is a pleasure to meet you all and I hope you enjoy all the rich delicacies that the Long Kingdom has to offer.” With a sweep of his hands and a smirk, the servants came forward with the dishes for the banquet. Most consisted of seafood, but there was a variety of other meats, vegetables, and fruits.
Even in the Wu palace, there were no such offerings and available foods. For a moment, Princess Yuyan forgot her manners and began to eat in earnest until she heard a snicker from across the banquet hall.
Princess Mengyao held her sleeve over her mouth, hiding her smile. “It is good to see that Princess Yuyan has such an appetite after her ordeal today and the Wu delegation’s long journey.”
“Yes, it is a relief that they were able to make it here to eat with us after such a misfortune with their invitation.” Princess Jingshu joined in, her slender neck craning forward to look at Princess Yuyan.
Princess Yuyan flushed a bright red and spluttered. She wasn’t sure what to say to such things; she had never been treated in such a way all her life. Grabbing an orange, she looked as if she was about to hurl the fruit as one of the princesses when she was interrupted.
“It’s with great fortune that we were able to make it, the gods must have blessed the Wu Kingdom to give us this great opportunity and to eat such food with such enjoyment as requested by the Crown Prince of the Long Kingdom.” Xinyue’s voice cut through the other conversations in the hall.
“Yes, of course, but even His Highness acknowledged the misfortune of your missing invitation.” Princess Jingshu added.
“Yes, it was addressed by His Highness. Are you implying that His Highness’ acknowledgment isn’t enough?”
“Of course not.” Princess Jingshu floundered for words, her lower lip trembled slightly.
“We acknowledge His Highness, and revel in your fortune to be able to attend here, that is all.” Prince Jianhong cut in before his sisters could continue. He got up and bowed to the Crown Prince, who sat on his platform looking amused at the spectacle before him. “We would never imply such a thing to His Highness.”
Princess Yuyan released the orange from her white knuckled hand, her breathing steady. Xinyue had stopped another incident between the kingdoms. She ate her food quietly, slipping bits under her cloth, so as not to cause a stir or attention.
“I heard the General is disfigured, that’s why she wears the veil.”
“I heard it’s because she’s far too ugly and doesn’t want to show her face. Her mother was supposedly a great beauty, but I heard the gods cursed her after having an affair with the King of Wu.” The servants murmured and gossiped from the back of the hall. Although they might have thought they were quiet, anyone could have heard them; the hall’s acoustics were quite good. Xinyue heard their speculations, but she dismissed it. It wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.
The Princesses and Prince of Feng looked smug, their faces lit up in delight that the General was being talked about in such a way.
“Servants who discuss the Crown Prince’s guests shouldn’t be able to serve.” Hongyi had turned a bright crimson from where he sat next to Xinyue. He started to get up from his seat.
“It’s not necessary, Lord Hongyi.” Xinyue sounded polite, but her words were more of an order than anything else.
Hongyi sat back down with his arms crossed over his chest and begrudgingly took a sip of his wine. Xinyue looked up at the platform to see the Crown Prince watching her, his eyes a white sheen as they hit the light.
The banquet lasted late into the night, with no further incidents, but the look in the Crown Prince’s eyes made the General’s palms sweat.
