by Fynn Chen
Scarlet Dandelions:
The Zither and the Sword
Fynn Chen
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is loosely inspired or coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 Fynn Chen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.
Book design by Naveed
ASIN: B08WK54R1V (eBook)
DEDICATION
To those lovely readers who have been on this writing journey with me and continue to be my greatest support
CONTENTS
1
Of Green Fields and Confined Quarters
2
The Wild and the Tamed
3
Dandelions and Condors
4
The Zither and the Sword
5
Impossibly Intertwined
6
Fragile Beauty and Fierce Warrior
7
A Dream of Wolves and Petals
8
Scarlet Promises and False Happiness
9
Farewells Like Falling Petals
10
Wishes of a Wilting Flower
11
A Star-filled Night Sky
12
The Sinful Arrow and the Cold Stream
13
Scattered Paths of the Vermillion Butterflies
14
Rising Rebellion and the Dance with Ribbons
15
The Might and Will of Women
16
A Story Untold
17
Bitter Medicine Yet Soft Lips
18
Wild Ambitions and a Charitable Heart
19
Accompaniment of the Bright Moon
20
Hidden Truths and Wandering Spirit
21
Of the Inevitable
Prologue
It was the year A.D 1410. Nearly three centuries ago, the first warrior-Emperor of the Pei Dynasty had conquered and unified four kingdoms in conflict, the kingdoms of De, Sh’llo, Odenka, and Tui’er. This marked the founding of the Pei dynasty and the uprising of its glorious culture.
A meritocracy system was adopted by the country, encouraging rewards to be disbursed according to one’s merits, and supporting the rise of social ranks through one’s capabilities. Scores of warriors, scholars, inventors, merchants, regardless of their backgrounds were produced in the kingdom of Pei. It was an era of great innovations and political progress. Scholars and inventors ushered in a wave of cultural advancement with their brilliant minds. The warriors protected the lands with their strategies and might. The merchants carved routes and enabled trade to flourish. Alas, with such a strong ruling family and ministers, the Pei people seemed to finally be enjoying a period of little wars, continuing peace, and prosperity.
Yet, as with all political peace, it was fragile, akin to hanging dangerously on a fine thread or traversing over a thin sheet of ice. As power were passed along to the heirs of the Peis, the subsequent Emperors who had rested on their laurels for far too long found their powers challenged.
Along their northern borders, the Peis began to come into frequent political conflicts with the people of the steppes. These strong horse lords of the vast plains were governed by the Mighty people of Bo’er. The Bo’er Empire was built and led by none other than the much-feared Khun’in Khan.
Khun’in Khan was a force to be reckoned with. A man who was rumoured to be able to subdue two tigers at once with his bare hands. A man who had reportedly crushed his enemies’ armies with just one tenth of their military numbers. A man who was by all accounts, a born conqueror, a charismatic leader, and the reincarnation of the god of war. Further blessed with a large brood of capable children, the Khan had inspired confidence amongst the people of the steppes, furthering securing his reign for a good long time to come.
Though the Pei had military strength that was several times larger than their Northern neighbour, the Bo’ers might was rapidly growing under Khun’in Khan’s leadership and continued success in warfare. Besides, what the Bo’ers lacked in military numbers, they made it up with their tenacity and ferocity. A threat that the Pei could not belittle. Eventually, the two countries had come to an agreement for these conflicts to be resolved over triennial peace treaties, various concessions, and frequent emissary trips.
Also, with accelerated economic progression in the country of Pei, many civilians were left behind, leading to dissatisfaction amongst a handful of the Pei people. Civilian dissatisfaction was further exacerbated by corruption breeding within the Pei court. As a result, several pockets of civilians organised themselves to form unregulated left-wing communities in their attempts to right the wrongs by the ruling royal family of Pei.
The stories between the two ruling families became further interweaved when a proposal was made to match-make their children, Prince Pei Zhongxian of the Pei and Princess Bo’er’ji’ji’te Zhenyan of the Bo’er. Inadvertently, this has also led to the impossible intertwining of fates between the other members in their families. Of which most implicated were Princess Bo’er’ji’ji’te Zhenwan, a free-spirited Bo’er princess, and Princess Pei Yexuan, the courtly princess of the Pei. A fate that was most unconventional, gut-wrenching, and loving awaits them.
1 Of Green Fields and Confined Quarters
Wanwan paid no heed to the shouts that came for her as she raced expertly on her horseback. Swooshing across the vast plains, Wanwan felt the wind whipping in her face and revelled in the sensations of becoming one with the wind.
At the tender age of ten, Wanwan was quite a master at horseback riding and was adept in the use of multiple hunting weapons, especially the hunter’s bow. Despite the roughness of her conduct, Wanwan was often praised for her pleasant looks; inheriting her mother’s strikingly canted eyes which hints at a certain quality of wittiness behind them, blessed with a lovely heart-shaped face, and a cape of dark beautiful hair which could make boys her age quarrel for the opportunity to race with her.
“Wanwan! Slow down!”
The warnings came again.
Peals of laughter escaped from Wanwan’s lips. Moments later, she slowed slightly for something that had caught her attention. Her ears wiggled, zeroing in on the sounds of it. Predatory birds.
Enticed by the cries of flying beasts circling in the skies atop them, Wanwan looked up and kept her eyes trained on her target. Letting out a steady breath, she drew her bow, and lifted her hips from the saddle. Wanwan could hear blood roar deafeningly in her ears and feel her heart pounding painfully against her ribs as she finally loosed her arrow.
The tension in Wanwan’s body never left her and she watched with great anticipation as the arrow shot skywards. An incredible shot. A frantic flutter of great wings. A bated breath. Finally, a sharp shriek greeted her ears. It was proof that her arrow had found its mark, and Wanwan’s lips slowly curved into a triumphant smile. She had finally managed to down a condor, all by herself. In her eagerness, Wanwan had pulled on her horse’s reigns too tightly. Her stead reared and Wanwan fell off the horse’s back.
“Wanwan!” A chorus of cries went up.
Her body made contact with the ground and Wanwan rolled in a poor attempt to break her fall. Yet, Wanwan would not let that fall hinder her. Ignoring her aches and bruises, she got up hastily and ran to where the condor was downed at but was soon met with resistance. Her brothers have finally caught up with her. Scowling, s
he was forced to face her elder brother, Prince Zhenxing. Zhenxing was several heads taller than her and very much stronger. With his thick brows furrowed, her brother regarded her with those intense eyes of his.
“Where are you hurt?!” Zhenxing asked in a panicked voice as he examined Wanwan hastily.
“I am not hurt!” Wanwan said wilfully and tried to tug free of her brother’s firm hold on her but failed.
The elder prince amongst them was joined by two other younger princes, Zhenyin and Zhenxun. Equal amounts of fretfulness were written across their faces as well. Like Zhenxing, Zhenyin and Zhenxun were a lot bigger than her but compared to Zhenxing, their body built was slighter and were far from embodying the full physique of a matured Bo’er warrior.
“Is she hurt?!” They asked in tandem.
Blowing out a gust of air, the young princess repeated in a louder voice, “I am not hurt!”
The princes winced and upon seeing their expressions, Wanwan could not help but let out a cheeky grin. Zhenxing finally relaxed his hold on her. Laughing, they agreed amongst themselves that their younger sister was as loud as ever and concluded that she was truly fine.
“Brothers, I want my condor,” Wanwan whined again, in a mellower tone.
Sighing in exasperation at their sister’s wilfulness, they yielded. The princes simply had a soft spot for the adorable ten-year old princess.
The sun was still high when they had returned home to pay greetings to their father Khan. All nine children born to the official wife of the great Khan of Bo’er bore the character ‘Zhen’, which meant precious, to their names. In birth order, they were Prince Zhenhong, Prince Zhenfang, Prince Zhente, Prince Zhenyuan, Prince Zhenxing, Princess Zhenyan, Prince Zhenyin, Prince Zhenxun, and Princess Zhenwan.
The two eldest princes, Zhenhong and Zhenfang already had families of their own and were regularly stationed at the borders to fend of raids from the other countries. Whilst Prince Zhente and Zhenyuan were learning the ropes of governance, specifically to establish structures and maintain ties between the tribes of the steppes. Meanwhile, the pearl of the brood, Princess Zhenyan, affectionately called Yanyan, was occupied with the study of accounting, languages, and music. She often busied herself with educating the families of the Bo’er tribes on simple calculation and management of their resources, practising languages with other scholars, and composing unique music to charm their guests. Prince Zhenxing and the three younger siblings were granted more freedom to live their lives in merriment owing to their elder siblings’ contribution to the glorifying of Bo’er tribes.
Once the Princes and Princesses were in the large yurt which served as a throne room for the royal family of Bo’er, Wanwan began zipping around the compound, showing off her kill to her other siblings who in turn showered their beloved youngest with abundant praises. At the same time, they threw looks of fierce disapproval to the three princes, Zhenxing, Zhenyin and Zhenxun, for bringing the princess out on a hunt. Yanyan was the most vocal about their hunting arrangements and gasped so loudly in shock when she had learnt about Wanwan tumbling from her horse.
“Zhenxing, that was simply too dangerous for our Wanwan! She is still so young!”
Prince Zhenxing merely puffed out his chest as he defended his decision against the rest of his disconcerted siblings. “Wanwan is old enough to come with us. Zhenyin and Zhenxun started hunting even younger; when they were only six. They have roughed it out like the rest of us, riding, and hunting. I do not see why our Wanwan cannot do the same.”
Prince Zhenyin and Zhenxun nodded their heads eagerly in support of their brother.
“That is different! Wanwan is a princess, she shouldn’t be riding out so much!” Yanyan argued.
Prince Zhenxing pressed his lips together as he contemplated his sister’s words.
“Sister, I am not just a princess. We are all children of this vast field, aren’t we allowed to run freely?”
“That is right, Yanyan, we are Bo’ers, we have it in our blood to roam over this expansive field to hunt and gather as we please,” Zhenyin said and gave a wink to Wanwan.
Some of the elder siblings continued to voice out their concerns for their younger sister and they debated fiercely.
Their father, the Great Khan had just entered the yurt then, wrinkling his huge beard at the commotion amongst his children. The princes and princess had quietened immediately in their father’s presence. Bo’er’ji’ji’te Khun’in was the most feared warrior across the steppes, capturing and conquering tribe after tribe over the course of the past few decades.
Shamans and seers across the land alike have foretold their prophecies of a great Khan that would eventually unify all tribes of the vast plains and rally them against greater causes. This great Khan was believed to be Khun’in Khan as he won campaigns without failure, forged strong relationships with other great Khans, and was the political representation of the steppes. With his success, the Bo’er Empire was established. With the number of strong and capable heirs produced by his late wife, Ma’ha’tuo Li’er, confidence was inspired amongst their tribesmen that this Empire would last for a good long time to come.
As the Khan took his seat at the throne stitched together with various animal skins, his children formed a bow before him, arranging themselves from the oldest to the youngest. The Great Khan acknowledged each of them with a slight shift of his eyes, his expression still severe. Yet, that severe expression immediately softened when he turned his eyes to the little princess, his heart throb.
It did not take the wisest minister to realise which child was the Khan’s favourite. The reasons for his favouritism could also be easily perceived. Not to mention that Princess Wanwan was the most adorable, she was also the cheeriest, hardiest, and brightest child amongst her siblings.
Besides, the Khan had always felt pity for his youngest who had witnessed the cruel death of her mother when she had only been six and had experienced little maternal love. What she had lost however, was made up with the love from her siblings as well as from her father.
“What trouble has our Wanwan gotten into this time round?” the Khan asked in a rough voice.
However, the Khan could not keep the gruffness out of his voice as soon as the young princess leapt into his embrace. Laughter from both the Khan and his children alike filled the throne room.
“I shot down a condor!” Wanwan exclaimed proudly.
“So, I have heard…” The Khan said with a contented sigh.
Then he regarded each of his children, his eyes lingering longer on Prince Zhenxing, Zhenyin and Zhenxun, his three youngest sons who had brought their youngest sister out for play. The three princes had held their breath out of fear of reproach. There was silence in the throne room. It felt as though the temperatures had plunged, and the world had also held its breath in anticipation of the disaster that was to follow.
“You’ve done well bringing her out for the hunt.”
The Great Khan’s praise was unanticipated and there was a collective release of breath amongst his princes and princesses.
“The rest of my children, listen. Each of you have your own talents and ambitions. We do well to hone them from a young age and not suppress them. As long as those talents and ambitions are not used to commit evil deeds, we should not discourage them,” the Khan lectured and was met with enlightened nods from his children.
The elder siblings then turned to the three young princes and gave them a pat on their shoulders as apologies for their earlier criticisms of the trio.
“So now, let me look, is this condor larger than the one your brother Zhenxun had shot down?”
“It isn’t,” Zhenxun responded smugly and earned more laughter from his siblings, all except from Wanwan who snapped her mouth fiercely at her brother.
**
Yexuan was so engrossed in the book she was reading that she had nearly forgotten that it was the time of the day again. The time for her to take the bitter concoction that was her medicine. Surprised by
the palace maid’s presence in her quarters, the princess broke out into a coughing fit. The flustered maid would have summoned for the imperial physician if Yexuan had not halted her in time.
Princess Yexuan was described to be a beautiful child with mesmerising almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose, and a dainty bowed lip. Ironically, there was also a sorrowful quality to Yexuan’s expression which made her beauty even more extreme. Despite her young age, her good looks had invited unbidden attention from other concubines and princesses. If not for the fact that she had once been fostered under the Empress, she would already have been the target of malice many times over.
“I’m feeling fine,” Yexuan said, her voice sounded softer than she had intended.
“It is time to take your medicine, my princess,” the maid urged gently.
Taking a brief glance at the dark liquid, the young and sickly princess replied in a firmer voice, “just leave it by the desk, I will take it shortly after.”
“Yes, my princess,” the maid said reverently.
“Leave me, Juanxin, I would like to be left alone to do my readings,” the princess said, suppressing another cough.
Once the maid whose name was Juanxin was gone, Princess Yexuan walked over to her desk, took the bowl of medicine, and tipped its contents into a vase of dandelions in a practiced motion. A sigh escaped from her lips as she committed this heinous act.
This vase had been personally painted by her late mother, Concubine Yue. A painting of dandelions. Her mother’s favourite flowers. Flowers which symbolises courage, pride, and family. Values and things which her mother hoped Yexuan would possess in the coming years. Ironically, Yexuan felt that she had none of it. The sickly princess then replaced the now empty bowl back onto the desk and climbed into her bed to continue reading her book.
