Chapter 87

An Unknown Future

The jade dew withers the maple forest,

The Wu Mountains and Wu Gorges are desolate with autumn air.

The waves between the rivers surge to the sky,

The wind and clouds on the borderlands cover the earth in darkness.

The chrysanthemums bloom twice, bringing tears of past days,

A solitary boat is tied, thinking of the old garden.

The sound of making winter clothes is heard everywhere,

The urgent sound of evening mallets echoes from the high White Emperor City.

The maple forest withers with the jade dew,

The Wu Mountains and Wu Gorges are desolate with autumn air.

The waves between the rivers surge to the sky,

The wind and clouds on the borderlands cover the earth in darkness.

The chrysanthemums bloom twice, bringing tears of past days,

A solitary boat is tied, thinking of the old garden.

The sound of making winter clothes is heard everywhere,

The urgent sound of evening mallets echoes from the high White Emperor City.

A melancholy zither sound and a sorrowful song echo through the night sky. "Autumn Reflections" is one of the masterpieces by Du Fu, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty. However, despite his outstanding talent, Du Fu was an unfortunate poet who wandered from place to place, chased by war, and eventually died away from home. Therefore, his poems often contain sad content about missing his hometown.

After finishing the song, Meiying gently removed her hands from the zither and looked up at the autumn night sky. A sigh escaped her cherry lips, which were filled with sorrow. Was Du Fu's heart the same as hers when he wrote this poem? Du Fu, though chased by war and wandered, still had freedom. But she had none. A bird trapped in a cage. Perhaps this was the fate of women born in difficult times.

Even if they promised to send her back after a year, it was hard to believe. When she first fell into the hands of the demon sect as a hostage, she believed she could return within a year. But now, she could believe nothing. Because she was a martial artist before being a woman.

"Why are you like this?"

"It's nothing, sister."

"It seems you're thinking of home again. Ma Hua said she would send you back after a year. A year will pass quickly. Just bear with it a little longer."

Yueyang Xiaoxiao gently hugged Meiying, who seemed to be pouting, and patted her back. But it was hard to calm Meiying's heart, which had already started to waver.

"Do you believe her? Do you still believe her after coming here? I can feel the tension, as if something is about to happen. If a war breaks out between the demon sect and the righteous sect, what use will we be to them? Even if we are useful, it will surely harm our family."

"Don't think in such a negative way. In the worst case..."

Yueyang Xiaoxiao gently but firmly gripped the hilt of the sword still hanging from her waist.

"You are a proud disciple of Wuying Sect. Have patience and wait."

At that moment, a knock was heard at the door.

Knock knock...

"Come in."

Yueyang Xiaoxiao spoke as politely as possible, but her voice lacked vitality. Not because she couldn't predict their future, but because their future was all too clear.

The door opened, and Ma Hua entered with a smile.

"I've been busy lately and couldn't visit often. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, sister."

Ma Hua looked at Meiying's face, which was rapidly losing its vitality, with a sympathetic gaze. Ma Hua, being no fool, knew they were deeply worried about their future. But even she couldn't predict what would happen. In the past, when she didn't know much about the nature of martial artists, specifically the demon sect, she could have given a clear answer. But recently, she had gradually lost confidence. Still, she spoke with a confident tone.

"It will be fine. Don't worry too much."

"Thank you, sister."

"By the way, since we haven't seen each other in a while, why don't we have a drink together?"

"Yes."

They drank and chatted cheerfully to dispel their worries about the uncertain future. They talked about a bright future and fun times from the past, but avoided any realistic conversations. Perhaps it was a natural reaction. Ma Hua didn't notice, but Meiying and Yueyang Xiaoxiao didn't unfasten the scabbards from their waists even during the lively drinking session.

There was another woman in a similar situation. Princess Zhen Ying, who had once tried to scold Mo Xiang but ended up being beaten instead.

"Tell me, what is going on here?"

Despite her urging, the general who had been guarding her for a long time only bowed his head and couldn't answer.

"Is there a rebellion? Or is it a family dispute?"

"..."

"Unless you answer clearly, why am I confined in this palace, and why are these soldiers surrounding it? Speak up."

The general, urged by the princess, reluctantly spoke.

"Your Highness, I am ashamed to report... the second prince plotted a rebellion. As soon as the emperor passed away, he harbored treacherous intentions and assassinated the first, third, and fourth princes. However, Minister Yan Sheng caught and protected the fifth prince, who alone survived."

The princess, shocked by the general's words, staggered. But she quickly leaned on the nearby table and tried to maintain a composed appearance, though her face was filled with deep doubt.

"The second prince plotted a rebellion?"

The princess's trembling voice made the general feel guilty for saying too much, but it was too late. He had no choice but to continue.

"Yes, and because of that, Minister Yan Sheng is sending letters to all the generals to punish the rebels supporting the second prince."

"No, that can't be... The second prince would never plot a rebellion. Are you mistaken?"

"No, Your Highness. Unfortunately, the second prince, after his failed rebellion, went into hiding. I suspect..."

The general paused, and the princess urged him to continue.

"I suspect?"

"I suspect he is colluding with military generals to plot a rebellion."

"Then he will be punished soon..."

The princess muttered weakly, and the general answered her honestly.

"No, Your Highness. Currently, all the military forces are engaged in suppressing the rebellion led by Zhen Tianwang. It would be difficult to form a punitive force immediately. If not, the second prince's rebellion might succeed. Therefore, Minister Yan Sheng is sending letters to the generals to form a punitive force and is recruiting additional troops from various regions. Perhaps we might have to move the capital..."

The princess raised her voice slightly at the general's words.

"Move the capital? Did you say move the capital? Is the situation that serious?"

"Yes."

The general's reluctant answer made the princess slowly walk to the window and look up at the night sky to calm her troubled mind. The night sky, so different from her inner turmoil, shone beautifully. When her heart was troubled, she wished the sky would frown with her, but the sky seemed to ignore the trivial human affairs and flowed on its own.

Princess Zhen Ying, gazing at the night sky, suddenly thought it resembled the bizarre martial arts expert. A person who feared nothing, compromised with no one, and lived as he pleased. She knew little about him except that he was a martial arts expert of the demon sect, but she still remembered how he calmly dealt with threats to the group, even the last time he was beaten like a dog.

"Annoying..."

The princess's muttering made the guard quickly listen and ask, as he couldn't hear her clearly.

"Your Highness?"

"It's nothing. You may leave."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The princess watched the guard leave and then observed the soldiers surrounding the palace through the window. She tried to infer the current situation from their expressions. The soldiers were not protecting her from external intruders but were guarding to prevent her from escaping. This alone revealed the nature of the situation.

"At that time, my body was tired, but my heart was at peace, and I had a place to return to. Now, it's the opposite. Why is there no one I can rely on?"

Before her lamentation ended, a confident voice answered.

"Ha ha ha, when the people of the Great Song are abundant, why do you complain about a lack of people?"

The voice was clear and melodious, unlike a man's. The princess, startled by an outsider in her quarters, quickly hid and then scanned outside the window, worried that the guards might have noticed the loud voice.

"Who are you?"

The princess's cautious voice prompted the unknown intruder to quickly reveal himself. A handsome man in bright blue clothing, suitable for night travel, slowly bowed before the princess.

"I greet Your Highness. Thousand years, thousand years, and a thousand thousand years!"

Seeing his handsome appearance, attire, and respectful manners, the princess, instead of screaming, cautiously asked,

"Who are you?"

"I am Wang Ji, the Right Guardian of the Royal Protection League."

Wang Ji, introducing himself, took out a small jade plaque intricately carved with a dragon pattern from his pocket. The plaque, with the bold character "守 (Protect)" in the center, was a beautiful object. He presented it to the princess with both hands, bowing.

The princess, recognizing the similarity to the secret symbol of the Royal Protection League, which was passed down orally in the palace, was inwardly shocked and asked again,

"Royal Protection League?"

"Yes."

Looking at Wang Ji, who was deeply bowing, the princess had to consider whether to trust him. The Royal Protection League was a secret organization established by the founding emperor to protect the royal family. However, its activities were minimal, and it had disappeared from the public eye for about a hundred years.

She wondered why a member of the Royal Protection League would appear before her now. Even if he had the plaque, anyone could make a fake if they knew its appearance, and no one had seen the plaque for a hundred years after the league disappeared.

"Your Highness's suspicion is not unreasonable. The Royal Protection League exists to protect the royal family. Recently, due to the peaceful times, there was no need to reveal ourselves. However, given the current situation, we have decided that we cannot remain silent."

"Then, I have a question for you."

"Yes."

"I am confined in the palace and do not know what is happening. Answer me clearly."

Wang Ji, knowing that hesitation would make the princess suspicious, answered immediately.

"Yes, the treacherous Yan Sheng assassinated most of the princes to place his bloodline on the throne. During this time, a third force, which we did not detect, helped the second prince escape, leading to a potential conflict among the royal family."

The princess was shocked to hear the exact scenario she had been speculating about.

"Is what you say true?"

"There is not a single lie. The founding emperor's intention was the prosperity of the Great Song and the flourishing of the royal family. We have decided that we cannot remain silent and have taken action."

The princess, looking at Wang Ji's back, felt a mix of annoyance and tears. She had already suspected the situation in the palace, but there was a huge difference between suspecting and hearing it confirmed.

The princess clenched her fists, determined to face the reality. She knew this was the only way to prevent herself from falling into a more miserable situation.

"Then, what do you want from me?"

"Yes, the second prince will likely engage in a full-scale battle with Yan Sheng. For him to fight without worry, he must not have any hostages in Yan Sheng's hands. Other members have already agreed, and I hope Your Highness will also..."

Wang Ji intentionally left his statement vague, calculating that it would be more persuasive and that the princess was not stupid enough to misunderstand.

"Where will I go?"

"Yes, ideally, I should take you to the second prince, but his whereabouts are unknown. Until his location is clear, we must protect you. Time is short, so please hurry..."

"Wait a moment."

The princess turned to call a maid out of habit but quickly suppressed the urge, realizing that maintaining secrecy was better in such situations.

Instead of calling a maid, she packed her belongings herself. However, she could only take a limited amount since she was going alone. She carefully selected a few cherished items from her collection.

Wang Ji, watching her pack a small bag with items bestowed by the emperor, slowly stood up and began to carefully observe outside the window. The organization he belonged to did not tolerate failure, so he had to be extra cautious to ensure success.

To observe the dark outside, Wang Ji gathered his qi to enhance his vision, and a subtle aura briefly emanated from his eyes. He could faintly see the figures of his subordinates waiting for his signal.

The disappearance of several royal family members was handled secretly by Yan Sheng, as revealing such information would not benefit him. The palace, being a place of high nobility, easily kept secrets. Even high-ranking officials could be dismissed with a simple statement like, "Her Majesty the Empress is so grief-stricken after the emperor's passing that she cannot meet anyone."

The officials who spread such statements were Yan Sheng's subordinates, so it was natural for some to be suspicious. However, no one dared to verify the information, as it was difficult for outsiders to meet high-ranking ladies, let alone royal family members who refused to see them.

The high officials were preoccupied with deciding which side to support, and Yan Sheng, who had almost usurped the throne, was fully focused on using the secret police, the Jin Yi Wei, to eliminate opposition, leaving no time for other matters. This is why the martial arts community, a group of highly skilled and dangerous individuals, was not closely monitored as it usually was.