Zhiruo

Zhiruo’s heart pounded in her chest as she gazed at Yiwei from on top of her horse. It was all she could do to keep control over the strong stallion’s strength, but she straightened her back and tried to mimic her husband as much as possible. Her gaze met Yiwei’s directly, and she watched as his eyes widened in surprise at the white clothed figure he saw. Even from a distance, Zhiruo knew she had him caught off guard, and the distance worked in her favor. She raised one gloved hand and crooked a finger at him.

Come here.

The challenge was clear, and there was no way that Yiwei would not take it. Zhiruo waved a hand to make the men behind her move back, then began moving her own horse back. To her satisfaction, she saw Yiwei begin to lead his men forward as well.

“Men!” Zhiruo heard him call, “The Prince of Lanling seems to have issued a challenge to us! Let us defeat him, and then take the city for ours!” The men roared in agreement, and Zhiruo smirked from under the mask. It was just like Yiwei to jump to conclusions. If it had been Yixing facing the same situation, he would have been skeptical of the situation that seemed so far from what he had expected. Yixing would have hesitated to chase after the bait, but Yiwei was far too eager to win to think about all that. His men were similarly far too eager to win.

There is a reason why Yixing is the god of war, and Yiwei is not.

Zhiruo turned her army towards the trees and plunged into its depths as planned, and heard Yiwei’s army following behind as she had expected. Turning her head briefly, Zhiruo noted quickly that Yiwei did not send any of his army away, but had lead the entire force with him instead. Zhiruo had left some men behind to guard the city to buy time for her to turn around just in case Yiwei tried to attack while she tried to distract him, but it seemed like that would be unnecessary. Deeper into the forest Zhiruo led the enemy army, headed straight for the beehive where Yiwei would meet his demise. As they neared the right spot, Zhiruo pulled her horse to a stop and turned to face Yiwei as the rest of her army continued ahead. Yiwei stopped in front of her, and for a long moment they gazed at each other. A brief breeze blew through the forest, and then, Yiwei smirked.

“Shangguan Zhiruo, what are you doing here?” He asked. Zhiruo smiled dryly from under the mask. It seemed like the gig was up, as she had half expected and half feared. It did not matter much now though; there would be little time for Yiwei to escape after he realized what she had been doing. Slowly, Zhiruo reached up and pulled the mask from her face.

“Greetings, Brother in Law.” She said coldly, “I’ve come to defend my people.” Yiwei scoffed.

“You are a woman, Zhiruo.” He said, “Not only that, you are a woman who just gave birth. You should be resting in bed inside the palace instead of standing out here.” Zhiruo smirked.

“I may be a woman, but I am princess consort to the country’s best warrior and the woman who will take the queen’s throne.” She replied, “How can I hide behind weak palace walls and simply watch as a delusional man destroys the capital?” Yiwei’s eyes narrowed.

“Delusional?” He growled. Zhiruo scoffed.

“Correst, delusional.” She said, “You, Zhang Yiwei, are completely delusional. You think that you can defeat Yixing and take the throne for yourself, but you consistently fail to realize your limits. You may be  man and a prince just like Yixing, but you are far from being fit for the throne. No one will ever submit to your control, even if you poison your own father.” Yiwei laughed.

“That is not for a royal physician to decide.” He replied, “Shangguan Zhiruo, I thought I would leave you alive once I took over the capital city, and perhaps I would have made you my queen, but it seems that I must remove you from my path to the throne. If you will not take my hand, then do forgive me for sending you ahead of your husband to the underworld.” Zhiruo’s gaze narrowed as Yiwei drew his sword from its sheath, and then urged his horse forward into a gallop. His intention was clear: today, he fully intended to kill Zhiruo once and for all. Carefully, Zhiruo counted each of his horse’s hoofbeats, her hand rising into the air with a firecracker gripped tightly in her fingers. As Yiwei drew closer, Zhiruo pulled the string at the bottom of the firecracker, sending the green flame firing into the air. Yiwei slowed his horse as he watched the flame crackle into the air, then smirked.

“No one will be able to save you now, Shangguan Zhiruo.” He said, “Any men will be too far away.” Zhiruo only smiled calmly and did not respond, her ears already picking up the sound she wanted to hear. It started as a faint vibrating noise from behind Zhiruo, then quickly grew into a buzzing sound that increased in volume with each passing second. The firecracker had been her signal to the men to disturb the beehive from where they were hidden nearby, sending the bees to the closest dark colored enemies within sight. Zhiruo closed her eyes as the sound drew closer, waiting for the arrival of her ultimate weapon. Seconds later, the bees rushed forward from behind her, some brushing so close to Zhiruo that she could feel their tiny wings flapping against her cheeks. Then, they were beyond her, leaving Zhiruo untouched. The absence of their touch was followed quickly by the sound of men screaming, and Zhiruo knew that her plan had worked. When the sound of bees finally faded into the distance, Zhiruo opened her eyes and gazed at the scene in front of her. Yiwei’s army lay dead in front of her, stung to death by the bees’ venom. As for Yiwei himself, he lay barely alive where he had stopped close to Zhiruo, his eyes wide in shock as he gazed up at her.

“Shangguan...Zhiruo…” He rasped, reaching a hand out towards her. “Save me…” The man in front of her was covered from head to toe in venomous bee stings, but Zhiruo felt her heart grow cold as she gazed at the dying man in front of her, and pointedly refused to move.

“You are...a physician…” Yiwei gasped. Zhiruo took a deep breath and sighed.

“That’s right, I am a physician, a healer.” She replied, “So today, I will do my job as this country’s royal healer and heal our world of the scars that you have ravaged up on it, and prevent you from damaging it any further. Zhang Yiwei, you are the most poisonous illness ever found in this world, and today, I will purge our world of it forever.” Yiwei’s eyes went wide at her declaration. His lips moved futilely as he tried to say something else, but the sound refused to leave his swollen throat. Then, he gasped his last rasping breath before his body went limp, his life finished. Zhiruo waited for a few seconds before slipping off her horse and stepping over to the still body. Carefully checking each possible location for Yiwei’s pulse, Zhiruo was satisfied to feel that there was not one. The sound of hoofbeats sounded from behind her, and Zhiruo turned as her army returned.

“Your Highness.” One of the generals said, “Is the enemy…?” Zhiruo smiled and nodded.

“The rebel Zhang Yiwei is dead.” She declared. The men let out roars of triumph, and Zhiruo raised her eyes to the sky as the morning sun rose high enough to shine its bright rays across her face. Finally, the tightness in her chest eased, and she allowed her smile to broaden. Zhang Yiwei was finally truly out of her life forever, and would never harm her people again.

Mother, Father, this time, I have truly gotten revenge for you. Now, please watch over my husband and bring him home safely.

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Yixing

As the morning sun rose over the city of Jinyong, the light illuminated a figure standing in the middle of the battlefield. The warrior’s long hair blew in the wind around him, having long been pulled free from its original topknot. His body was streaked with sweat and blood, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. His eyes blazed from the heat of the battle, the gaze searching around for one person in particular as he scanned the enemy soldiers lying dead around him.

“Over there!” Yifan’s voice drew Yixing’s attention towards a figure attempting to flee from the battlefield, the sole survivor of the Northern Zhou army. Yixing smirked and quickly leapt onto a horse to chase after the figure. He caught up to the man before long, and a quick swipe of his sword at the man’s feet sent him tumbling to the ground.

“General Hou, I believe we have unfinished business.” Yixing growled. The man’s eyes were wide as he stared up at Yixing.

“Our numbers were far higher than yours.” He gasped, “How?” Yixing slipped off his horse and stamped one foot on the enemy general’s chest to keep him from moving. He smirked as he gazed down at his fallen enemy.

“Simple.” He replied, “I have someone very important waiting for me, and I cannot afford to disappoint her.” Yixing raised his sword in the air, the silver blade glittering in the morning sun.

“Goodbye, General Hou.”

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As the sounds of battle faded outside Jinyong, the city gates were thrown open abruptly, and the frightened city residents stared at the gates, certain that they were about to meet their demise in Northern Zhou’s hands. On the contrary though, the early morning light illuminated a tall majestic figure standing with his men behind him, one hand gripping his sword tightly. The morning sun glittered off the silver mask covering his face, the sight causing hopeful expressions to begin spreading through the crowd. Then, a tall familiar flag was held high up from behind the young man, and a cheer went up from the gathered people as they realized who had rescued them.

“Long live the Prince of Lanling!”

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Two weeks later

The large Northern Qi army was visible from miles away, and Yixing’s heart pounded in his chest as the capital city began to come into view. He had only allowed his army one day to rest, and had urged them to begin traveling home as soon as physically possible. Yixing wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see. Was he expecting the capital city to be burned down to ashes? Were his fears going to come true? The possibilities were endless, and Yixing was afraid to know which would become reality. As the capital came into view however, it was as if nothing had ever happened. The capital sat peacefully in its usual position, the Northern Qi flags waving in the wind. There was no damage, no burning, nothing. It was as if it was any other day in the Northern Qi kingdom. Yixing felt hope begin to swirl in his chest, and he quickly urged his horse into a gallop. The city residents cheered as the Northern Qi army sailed victoriously in, but Yixing had only one goal in mind as he rushed straight for the royal palace. On and on Yixing rode, until the royal palace came into view. Yixing’s heart leapt as he spotted a familiar lithe figure standing in front of the palace gates, and he barely allowed his horse to stop before slipped off and rushing forward to envelope Zhiruo into his arms. His princess laughed as she was thrown slightly off balance by the force of his embrace, her small hands grasping onto his shoulders to keep herself from falling.

“Welcome home, my love.” She murmured softly in his ear. Yixing took a deep breath and blew it out slowly in relief as he gripped his wife tightly in his arms. Without holding her tightly, Yixing was afraid that he’d find it difficult to convince himself that Zhiruo was here, that she really was in his arms.

“You’re alive.” He murmured, “You’re safe! Oh Ruo’er, you’re safe!” Zhiruo laughed softly and patted him gently on the shoulder.

“Yes, I’m alright. The city is safe, and so am I.” She replied. Yixing pulled away slightly and cupped her cheeks in his hands.

“How is this possible?” He asked in amazement, “Yiwei was headed straight for the capital, but it is as if nothing ever happened!” Zhiruo grinned.

“That is because nothing happened inside the city.” She replied, “I took care of it outside.” Yixing’s eyes widened.

“How did you do that?” He asked curiously. Zhiruo patted his hand lightly.

“I will tell you on the way in.” She replied, “But right now, you have to go see your uncle first.” Yixing frowned as he looked around his wife.

“That’s right, why is my uncle not out here?” He mused, “My mother is not here either.” Zhiruo’s expression was grim.

“The king is on his deathbed.” She replied.

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On the day the Crown Prince of Northern Qi returned victorious from battle, the king passed away in the early morning hours of the day. To the people outside of the palace, they were told the king had been ill and had died from the illness. For those inside the palace though, they knew the true reason the king had died was because of his own son, who had cruelly poisoned the father who had raised him. Although Yiwei was now dead, Yixing gave the order that his body was not to be given a funeral worthy of a former prince, and instead was left out in the forest with the rest of the rebel army. Yixing unofficially took over the duties of a king, and ordered half a year of mourning where no one was allowed to get married or hold celebrations of any type. After a long few days of settling matters, Yixing finally found the chance to be alone with Zhiruo. The royal couple lay in bed together that night, simply enjoying each other’s company. Yixing blew out his breath slowly as he held Zhiruo in his arms and ran a hand gently through her hair.

“Ruo’er, I missed this so much.” He murmured softly, “I’ve been so busy I barely got a chance to see your face!” Zhiruo smiled and rested her head against his chest.

“I understand.” She replied softly, “I have been sending you nourishing soup every day, haven’t I?” Yixing made a face at her reminder.

“That soup tasted awful, even though you made it.” He grumbled. Zhiruo tilted her head up as he tilted his head down and kissed him lightly. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he tightened his grip around her waist and cupped a hand under Zhiruo’s chin to deepen the kiss. Zhiruo swallowed hard and pushed him away after a few moments.

“Don’t get carried away.” She warned, “You have many things waiting for you to do, heir apparent to the throne.” Yixing sighed and pouted as he pulled away reluctantly.

“I hope these six months go by quickly.” He grumbled, “By the time I take the throne, I hope that the court will be settled down and things will be less chaotic.” Zhiruo smiled and kissed the corner of her husband’s lips.

“I’m sure they will.” She replied soothingly. Yixing tucked a loose strand of her behind Zhiruo’s ear and cupped a hand to her cheek.

“Ruo’er, the road to the throne and the life of a ruler is long and tedious.” He said softly, “Promise me, stay by my side for the entire time.” Zhiruo smiled warmly and linked her fingers tightly with his.

“I swear, I will never leave your side until the moment I take my last breath.” She swore. Yixing pressed a finger quickly against her lips.

“Don’t mention that part.” He protested. Zhiruo raised an eyebrow.

“It is inevitable, Yixing.” She replied, “But I certainly will never leave your side until that moment comes.” Yixing’s gaze was gentle and loving as he pulled her into another kiss, and Zhiruo closed her eyes to let herself enjoy the warmth of Yixing’s love for just a little while. With Northern Zhou beaten back and Yiwei gone for good, their world was finally going to be at peace.

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Six months later

On a bright sunny day in early spring, Yixing and Zhiruo were crowned king and queen in an elaborate ceremony on the outer steps of the Northern Qi palace. Both were dressed in red and gold robes, each decoration delicately sewn into the silky fabric. Contradictory to tradition, the royal couple decided to hold the coronation ceremony in the open, where the people they would rule could freely see their new rulers.  As the crowns were placed on their heads, cheers of delight rose from the crowd, and Yixing extended a hand to Zhiruo as they turned to gaze at each other.

“My queen.” He said softly, his voice barely audible over the cheers of the watching people. Zhiruo smiled and clasped his hand tightly in hers.

“My king.” She replied warmly. They turned to look at their people, their hands raised triumphantly into the air. Yixing and Zhiruo laughed as they turned to look at each other. Just what felt like a little while ago, neither would have ever imagined that they would end up king and queen of Northern Qi. If anyone had told them it would happen, both would have laughed and scoffed at how incredulous it sounded. But here they were, and now there was no going back. Zhiruo felt her chest grow warm as she gazed at her husband, the newest king of Northern Qi. There was no one who would rule their people better than Yixing, and she would willingly spend the rest of her days by his side through whatever storms this new chapter of their lives would bring.

Zhang Yixing, I love you so much.

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Later that night

After a long day of festivities and celebrations, the newly crowned king and queen finally were allowed to retire to their chambers to rest. As Zhiruo helped a slightly drunk Yixing to the bed and turned to fetch some hot water to pat at his cheeks, he reached out from behind and pulled her straight into his lap instead, eliciting a soft squeak of surprise from Zhiruo.

“What are you doing?” She laughed softly, hitting on lightly on the arm. Yixing sighed and rested his head against her shoulder.

“I’m tired.” He murmured, “Just let me hold you like this for a little while.”

“I’m not a pillow.” Zhiruo protested, smiling in amusement. Yixing shook his head.

“You are my personal pillow.” He replied. Zhiruo smiled and patted him lightly on the head.

“If you say so, my king.” She replied. For a few moments, the two sat in peaceful silence before Yixing spoke again.

“Ruo’er.” He murmured, “I just realized something. You never told me why you changed your name to Zhiruo. There were many names you could have chosen. Why did it have to be that one?” Zhiruo thought for a moment before smiling thoughtfully.

“Yixing, have you ever heard of the pollia plant?” She asked. Yixing tilted his head curiously.

“The blue colored fruit?” He asked. Zhiruo nodded.

“In reality, the pollia plant’s flowers are not really as luminously blue as it appears.” She said, “Books say that it is really just a result of the sun reflecting off the fruit’s skin.” Yixing hummed softly in reply.

“It does make for a very beautiful flower.” He replied. Zhiruo nodded.

“The pollia plant is deceptively blue.” She replied, “After my family was massacred, I decided I also had to play a game of deception. I had to deceive everyone into believing I was someone else. And so, I decided to name myself after the pollia plant, to remind myself every moment what I had to do.” Yixing opened his eyes slowly and reached down to squeeze Zhiruo’s hand.

“From now on, you will never have to deceive anyone again.” He promised, “You only need to be my wife, the woman I love and who sits on her throne by my side. That is all you need to do from now on.” Zhiruo smiled and leaned down to kiss Yixing sweetly.

“Thank you, my love.”

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Author's note: Peace at last! I hope you all enjoyed this story, the epilogue will be next!