Chapter 6

Huaijiu Palace;

A place where the royal deceased are buried. White banners and pieces of cloths were hung over every door in the palace to signify that a death has occurred. The town was also grieving as they tied up white banners and cloths on their doors in respect of the deceased. The royal family of Zhao State gathered for 3 days and 3 nights to carry out funeral rituals, to both show respect for the dead and to strengthen the bonds of the kin group.

The Emperor himself, along with the Empress, concubines, consorts, Prince’s and Princess’s wore white garments with no accessories in their hair or on their bodies to show pureness and innocence, while more distant groups like the minsters, generals and servants (etc.) wore garments in different colors of black, blue and grey.

Family members and servants were crying not wanting to accept what has happened, happened.

A large metal bell was rung 3 times every day at noon for 3 days to help lead the lost soul on her way home. The deceased is dressed in a clean white funeral robe, in preparation for her departure from the world and journey into the afterlife. Her body, which will rest in the funereal hall of Huaijiu Palace, decorated with four character idioms, prior to the burial. Before the funeral procession, according to the rules of the royal rites, others will have to pay their respects to the deceased.

“Sorry for the loss of the crown princess your majesty,” The few Minsters bows after they each lit incenses for her and attaching it into the pit of rice sand. “Our condolences!”

The Emperor stood at the front near the coffin, nodding his head slowly, still not believing that he had lost his youngest daughter. All the Ministers take their leave one by one.

Weiting, following his father who had just returned home from a battle, walks up to the front to pay their respects as well. The maid lit up 3 incense each and gave it to Weiting and his father to bow their heads for the praying ritual. They bow 3 times and hands the incense back to the maid to place it on the pit of rice sand.

“My condolences!” his father bows his head towards the Emperor, “I’m sorry that I my unfilial son did not protect her well enough.” His voice was as strong as Weiting’s considering his age.

He was in his late 50’s, but still strong and wise as ever. He had a dark beard on his chin with engaging eyes that could out smart any enemy. Wrinkles that filled his forehead from stress and scars from the many battles he fought in the past. His loyalty could beat anyone in a game of trust! He was named, Chan Long.

The Emperor didn’t say a word. He looked pale and upsetting. He was hurt, injured emotionally and weak. Taiyang was his source of energy, just like the name he given her the day she was born. He found that now with her gone, life was going to be dark and sullen. He finally understood her world of darkness. That’s how much he loved her!

Weiting bit his teeth together strongly and stares into the Emperor’s eyes, “Sorry,” Was all he could say, for now.

“Sorry?” The Empress scrawls at him from the side suddenly. “You’re sorry for killing her?”

Chan Long peeks over to her while Weiting stood behind him.

“You killed her, and you have the guts to show up here?!” The Empress lowly growls in a high pitch tone.

She never cared for the crown princess, why would she now cry about it now? Something seems not right to Weiting.

“I didn’t,” Weiting glared in anger, standing up to the Empress as calm as he could.

His father pressed his hand onto his chest to stop him from arguing with the Empress, “Show some respect boy!” He lectured his son and faces the royal family again. “… Forgive my rude son, he is still young, please do show him mercy. I will lecture him once we return home.” He begged for pardon from the Emperor and Empress with a bow to his head.

Weiting felt like he didn't do anything wrong.

“… Enough,” The Emperor didn’t want to argue in front of Taiyang’s coffin as he sighs heavily, “This is a funeral, Not the palace halls…” He stated to them all. “Go on, take your leave.” He sighs and shuts his eyes.

Weiting and his father takes in a deep breath and turns around to leave the hall together. Other’s came up to pay their respects for the rest of the day.

Chan Resident;

“I didn’t do it!” Weiting told his father as he stood in the middle of his father’s study room. “I didn’t kill her,” His eyes became is only witness.

Chan Long sat in his seat rubbing his forehead, “Then tell me, why are all the evidence pointed towards you?”

“I don’t know, but I know that I’ve been framed.”

“Then… Are you telling me that Princess Ruyang and Princess Feiyang are lying?” His father stares his dark eyes over.

“I didn’t mean that.” Weiting said and looks to the ground. “Perhaps someone disguised as one of our servants and lied to them.”

“Perhaps,” His father paused.

Weiting noticed that his father didn’t look all too worried. He was just sitting there in silence and rubbing his forehead over and over. What was wrong with this picture? Weiting has been accused of murdering the crown princess and his father doesn’t even punish him?

“I…” He tried to break the awkward silence. “I will find the murder.”

“No… Not you,”

“Why?”

His father gave him a displeased look, “… Don’t you get it? If the Emperor wanted you to seek the murderer, he would have ordered it already! Because he has trust in you, he will assigned someone else to do the job.”

Weiting shook his head side to side, confused, “I don’t get it, if the Emperor trusts me, why not allow me to find the murder?” He argued.

His father stood from his seat and walks over to him, “Because the murder is someone within the palace,” He replied belligerently as he crossed his hands behind his back.

Weiting took a few steps back. “What?”

“I had already spoke to the Emperor prior before the prayer offerings today.” He explained as he paced around the room, “The Emperor will find out who killed the crown princess. He doesn’t want you to get involve. Stay out of the problem until then...”

“But,”

“Enough,” His father interrupted him, “I still need to punish you for giving out the family’s white berry powered! How dare you to use it on the crown princess.” He frowns.

Weiting frowns as well, “I had to! She was dying!”

“Giving her that powered would have killed her instantly, and her death would have been pinned on our family!”

Weiting’s eyes widen in surprise. Instantly?

His father sighs and he walks over to him patting his son's left shoulder with his right hand, “White berry powered is a detox for poison indeed, but only for white poison. For black poison, it will instantly kill you…” He explained, “Besides, it wasn't just any kind of black poison, it was black magic poison... Ke Chi didn’t know either, that it would have killed her instantly, that’s why he asked for it from you while I was away. So, I won’t blame him or you…”

Weiting stared into his father’s devoted eyes, “You knew, because you used it on the previous Emperor?” He asked, bringing up the situation 22 years ago. “That’s why the royal family banned the white berry powder. That's why we aren't allowed to give it to anyone else?”

His father nods, “Yes, I was in my prime, I allowed myself to be tricked and gave it to the previous emperor because I was in panic just like how you were, and it killed him instantly... The current Emperor was already kind enough not to punish our family because of our history of loyalty to Zhao State... But if the crown princess was to drink it that day, we would of been labled as traitor!"

Weiting nods slowly, understanding the situation now.

"... Honestly, I’ am to be blamed for the previous Emperor's death too.” He turned away for a moment with guilt.

“Father,” Weiting direct his hands on his father’s arm, “Sorry,”

“It’s not your fault, you’re still young, you have a lot to learn.”

A few moments later, Weiting exits his father’s study room and headed back to his chambers to change for the burial in a few hours. The 3-day funeral ritual was going to be over soon. He must be present to carry the coffin of his dead fiancé.

“Weiting!” Boran’s voice came rushing over.

“Boran?” He was surprised to see his friend. He should be in Muban, what was he doing back in Zhao Sate? “What are you doing here?” He asked, looking tired.

“I heard what happened… Sorry,” Boran apologized. “It must be hard on you…”

Boran came back for Taiyang’s funeral, and to check up on his friend of course!

“Enough,” He stops Boran. “I’m tired… I have to change and be back in the palace in a few hours.” He finished and turns to enter his chambers.

Later that evening, royal guards, including Weiting himself, carried Taiyang’s coffin out towards Huaijiu Hills, a place where all the royal members are to be buried after death. It is a scared ground that only royal members are allowed to enter. A holy priest was throwing joss paper along the way, chanting chants to help guide her lost soul. He held in his hands a small golden colored bell, ringing every second as the joss paper hit the ground.

The Emperor was seen sitting on a carriage pushed by a few horses, following the coffin of his daughter, up the hills. He hadn’t been sleeping for the last 3 days, as well as lack of appetite. It was strange, the sun was scorching hot, there was no wind, no birds and no insect’s crying as they approached the hill. It was dead silence.

The holy priest stops everyone and his bell became silenced, “We will bury the crown princess here.” He pointed to an open space that had no shade, to far to the left, “Because she was not married, she will be one with the sun, like her name reads.” He shook his bell a fwe more times.

There was already a hole digged for the coffin and they began lowering her into it. The Emperor watched as her daughter disappeared into the hole deeper and deeper. A large stone, made from the finest, was placed over the fixed hole that read:

‘Here lies the Crown Princess Zhao Taiyang, the one who quoted with the sun. The sun that cannot be hidden.’

After the burial ceremony and chanting’s from the holy priest to guide her to heaven, the Emperor ordered everyone back to the palace to rest for the next 7 days. Weiting, on the other hand, decided to stay to keep her company until sun down. He was afraid she would be lonely.

She lived a dark world all her life, and now that she is gone, he felt like she would she have to continue to live it. He wanted to make sure that she was happy somehow; a sign of somewhat he was waiting for. But nothing came to him.

He stood there, feeling the most guilt and pain ever. Reality was starting to hit him hard. Memories came flashing like lightening in his head. The happy moments he shared with her and the first time he met her up until that day, it all played like a projector through his eyes. Was this really reality? Is this not a dream? How he wished it was a dream! How he wished he could wake up from it and how he wished he never would have said those words.

‘Who are you?’ He remembered her voice for the first time. She was a child while he was almost a teen. ‘You are Chan Weiting?’ He closed his eyes to remember her smile. ‘I’m the crown princess! Zhao Taiyang!’

He clinched his fist.

‘There are 3 things that can never be hidden in this world…’ Her voice echoed into his head. ‘Do you know what they are?’

‘… No.’

‘First: The moon… Second: The Sun (she referred to herself because of her name) …’

He smirked in a happy way, as he remembered her giggle so clearly, like it happened yesterday.

‘… What’s the third?’

‘The third….. The truth,’

Her voice disappeared from his head suddenly. The truth? What was the truth?

Throughout the whole funeral process, he never shed a tear. Not because he wasn’t sad or hurt, but because he didn’t want to let Taiyang see him cry. When she was living, she couldn’t see it, now that she is gone, he wanted to keep it that way.

He tried so hard to hold it in, but at the end of the day, as the sun fell over the hills, he shed one tear and turns to go home.

His face became bleak and dark like the world she was born in. The world around him was subdued in a gloomy mist. Before he realized it, the evening soon fallen, as it turned into a sadden clarity sky. It was empty and far stretched for miles and miles; infinity. Silence like death.

He rode on a brown horse back home, slowly, galloping down the road. Suddenly he felt an eerie sensation coming over him as he noticed the sky turning dark. The hair on his back stood tall while he witnessed the clouds gathering and clumping into one big grey cotton ball.

He stopped his horse to take a clearer look at the evening sky.

Was it really going to rain? He then rushed back home before the storm began.

‘Sorry Taiyang… I let you down…’ His voice echoed through the hills.