Chapter 42

News Reached Home

The Crown Prince's personal guard told Taizao of what happened and how he last saw the Crown Prince escaped into the forest. After he regained consciousness from being knocked out in the fight with the assassins, he had gone inside the forest to look for the Crown Prince. It seems the assassins were also still looking through the forest for signs of the Crown Prince, so after a couple days of looking while avoiding the assassins, the personal guard gave up hope and rush back to the capital city to report and request for more aids.

Taizao had sent out more people to look for Yifan, however, no good news has been received. News of Yifan missing spread like wild fire within the imperial palace. Upon hearing the news, Luhan and Yixing immediately rush to Taizao, asking for permission to go out looking for their eldest brother. Taizao had refused their many requests to go, when it doesn't seem like they'll give up, he snapped at them. The two of them didn't give up because they were afraid of his anger. It was through his unusual anger that they understood his fear of losing another son.

Liufei was having tea with Yueyin when one of her maids rushes in and told her the news in a panic. She rushed off to find her royal father, leaving behind an equally shocked Yueyin. All the servants in Yueyin's palace assumes the worst and began to wonder what will happen to her and what will happen to them if the crown prince is not found.

Empress Ziyi fainted when Xiaoming brought her the news of her missing son. It was already night fall when she regained her consciousness. She immediately had Xiaoming help her disguised herself and sneak out of the imperial palace. Ziyi rush to Zhang Ziyuan's residence and knock in a secret code that only Ziyuan and a couple of his close guards knew. She was immediately granted access and led quietly to a secret room behind Ziyuan's study room. She paces back and forth, anxiously waiting for Ziyuan's arrival.

Once he arrived, she dived into his arms in tears. "You have to help me! Yifan is missing! You must help me find my son!"

Ziyuan rubs her back soothingly to calm her down, "My beautiful Ziyi, you need to calm yourself. Don't worry, I will find Yifan for you. Your son will return to you safe and sound." He wipes away her tears, "Don't cry. It's going to be alright."

Ziyi nodded but continues to beg him like a mantra as she cries in his arms. It was a good hour later that he finally manages to get her to stop crying. He had some of his guards send her back to the imperial palace. After Ziyi left, Ziyuan's right hand man appear from the shadows of the room.

"What do you intend to do now, Master?"

Ziyuan picks up a letter that was sent by Yueyin to him a couple days ago, "This letter is confirmation of Yueyin's support for me to become the clan's head. With this, the Zhang clan is now fully in my hands…" he paused, eyes glancing to the armor that his brother and nieces has gifted him, "… though the price for it was much too costly. I hadn't wanted to get the power in this way."

The subordinate hesitated but decide to speak up anyway, "Master, forgive my rudeness but it's too late for regrets. Also, you hadn't meant for it to happen, so Master Weimin's death was not your fault."

"… It does not mean it hurt any less to lose him. We had our differences, but he has always been a good elder brother to me."

"So, what do you plan to do next? Have we moved too fast? Won't the disappearance of the Crown Prince lessen the weight of Eldest Young Miss Zhang's support for you?"

Ziyuan shakes his head and place the letter back down on the desk. "No, her position as the future Empress has already solidify in everyone's eyes when she survived the imperial palace more than one month on her own. Those elders of the Zhang clan would not dare to bet against her abilities and usefulness as long as she stays with the royal family… Marrying into royalty?" he scoffs, "My nieces should have been royalties to begin with. They should have been Royal Princesses that live out their lives in luxuries. My brother should have been the Emperor. I would have been the Duke and the next one in line for the throne and my son would have been the Crown Prince of this Empire! The Zhang clan was supposed to be royalties. Not the Wu!" 

The subordinate nodded in agreement then commented on Ziyi, "It's unfortunate that Zhou Ziyi is a stupid woman, otherwise she could have been a good concubine for you."

Ziyuan laughs, "If she was stupid, she wouldn't have become the Empress and remain being one for so long."

"Then why would she be asking for the person that caused her son's disappearance to go find her son for her?"

"Don't underestimate women too much. They can become quite scary when they're determined. Ziyi rushes to me because I gained her heart and her trust. Pity that love has weaken such a woman. She's not stupid… just foolish."

---

A ten-year-old Liufei runs around playing with her brothers. After a while she managed to catch her Fan ge. She happily held tightly onto his hand with both of hers, yelling out "I caught you! I caught you!"

He smiles at her warmly like he always has, but then a second later he strongly shook off her hands and turn to run away. Liufei was shock and frowned for a second, thinking that this was not how it happened. She chases after Yifan and managed to caught him again only to have his hand slip through hers like air. Her eyes widen as she looks up at her disappearing brother. She reaches out repeatedly and desperately does everything she could to catch him and beg him not to leave, but he just fades away.

"Fan ge!!!" Liufei calls out loudly as she jolted up in her bed. Her eyes darted around the room before she's able to calm herself enough to recognized her own room. She looks towards the window to see that it's still quite dark out, possibly it has just passes midnight. She reaches up to wipe away the tears she had shed from her dream, then got off the bed. She pulled on a cloak and rushes outside, surprising her maids. She told them not to follow her and run towards Luhan's palace. His guards informed her that he hasn't return, so she run to Yixing's palace, only to receive the same answer. Liufei was out of energy at this point so she just walks listlessly through the palace, not sure where to head to.

She had hoped Luhan or Yixing could update her since she couldn't bother her Royal Father at this hour. She had hoped they'll be there to help calm her anxiety and chase away her fears. She had thought of going to her other brothers, but they weren't as close with Yifan so they wouldn't have made the efforts to look for the information that she needs. She fears this day would come. Whenever one of her brothers come back from a mission bruised or injured, her heart would ache and the fear of losing one of them would increase. It's irrational, she knows. It's inevitable, she's also aware of this as it's their duties as Princes of the empire. However, she can't help but be anxious each time they're out there and wondering if it'll be the last time she sees them.

She continues to blindly walk in the dark, eyes not really seeing or care where she was going. She hadn't expected to bump into anyone this late at night, but when she heard the familiar warm voice, she couldn't help but look up to the person with tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh Liufei… it'll be alright. He'll be alright… Shhh… don't cry…" Yueyin pull the crying Princess into a hug and pats her back gently as she whispers soothing words into her ears.

Ruyi stood to the side, holding tightly onto the candle holder - their only light source in this dark place. She accompanied Yueyin for a walk when she realized that Yueyin wasn't able to sleep. The two of them were just strolling slowly in silence towards the imperial garden when they heard footsteps heading towards them. They looked at each other, wondering why anyone would be out this late and not carry a light with them. Ruyi was about to ask who it is but Yueyin stops her. Seems Yueyin's eyes already made out who the person is, but the poor Princess doesn't seem to be seeing anything even when she walks right into Yueyin.

Ruyi continues to stand there as Yueyin comforts Liufei. She gently tab on Yueyin's shoulder when she felt the night chill picks up. Yueyin understood and slowly guided Liufei towards Yueyin's palace. Once they arrived, Ruyi brought them some hot towels to wipe their hands and faces, then she disappears into the kitchen to make them some ginger soup. Yueyin helped Liufei wipes her tearful face and hands before realizing that Liufei was barefoot. Seems Liufei was too upset and anxious to noticed how cold her feet must have been. Yueyin wonder how long she was out wandering on barefoot. She rushes out of the room intending to get some warm water for Liufei's feet, but half way to the kitchen, she saw Ruyi coming towards her room with a small basin of warm water. Seems Ruyi has already noticed Liufei's feet earlier, Yueyin smiles and thank Ruyi before taking the basin from her. Ruyi went back to the kitchen to fetch the ginger soup as Yueyin goes back to her room.

She placed the basin down next to Liufei's feet and the now calm Princess voluntarily places her own feet into it. Liufei mutter a thank you to Yueyin, truly grateful that a noble young miss like her was willing to serve Liufei like a maid would. Yueyin smiles reassuringly back at her before helping her dry her feet and remove the cloak she has on. Yueyin wraps a blanket snuggly around Liufei, giving her warmth and comfort. For a second, Liufei wonder if this is what having an older sister would feel like. She leans into Yueyin's warm embrace and was about to drift off.

"Liufei, you need to drink this ginger soup to warm up your body," Yueyin wakes the sleepy and tired Princess. She hands Liufei the small soup bowl and watches Liufei finish drinking it before downing her own bowl. The Princess immediately leans back into Yueyin, seeking the warmth and comfort she felt before. Ruyi help Yueyin lay the Princess down before covering them both with a blanket. She blew out the candles and left the room quietly, hoping the two of them would have a peaceful sleep without any nightmares of a missing brother or of an uncertain future due to a missing fiancé that she has never met.

---

The younger three Princes' mothers were extremely happy upon hearing the news of the Crown Prince's disappearance. Those three Consorts began praying days and nights for Yifan's disappearance to be permanent. The Fifth Prince, Jinhai and the Sixth Prince, Geming was overjoyed with the news and began plotting harder for their path to the throne. The Seventh Prince, Nianzu, finished up a mission and rushes back to the imperial palace upon receiving the news. Nianzu has eyes for the throne but he does not want to resort to dirty means like his fifth and sixth brothers. He often bickers with the two of them over the unnecessary deeds they've done for their own benefits. Nianzu truly respects his three elder brothers and always work hard to be seen as their equals. He wants to win the throne through his own efforts and not dirty tricks. Unfortunately, his mother does not think the same and often participates in the schemes of other Consorts.

While Consort Yang, Yixing's mother, prays for Yifan's safe return, the other three Consorts began fueling Empress Ziyi's fire. They know that Taizao is currently too busy finding Yifan to care about Yueyin's wellbeing, so now is the perfect chance to get rid of the girl who's in their way. Since Zhang Yueyin was announced to be the future empress, she became an obstacle they have to deal with either through marriage or murder. They have no choice but to choose the latter because they know Taizao will never agree to allow any of his other sons to become the next Crown Prince until he sees Yifan's body with his own eyes. Also, due to his debt to Zhang Weimin, Taizao will never allow for Zhang Yueyin's honor to be ruin by the death of his own son. A betrothed woman is often chained down by many things in society. She's to remain pure, dignify and loyal. She's to refrain from too many interactions with any man other than her family and her betrothed. Any damage to her virtues or reputation as a woman, no matter how small, can cause the break off of the betrothal and cause her to be shun by society, unable to marry, until the day she dies. One of the most damaging things that can happen to any betrothed women's reputation is the superstitious beliefs that she's born with an evil spirit that causes misfortune and/or death to any man she marries.

"Your Majesty, it must be all the fault of that girl! I hadn't wanted to believe it since she was chosen by the Emperor... but don't you think that the atmosphere in the imperial palace has become strange ever since she arrived?"

"We all know the true reason the Emperor chooses her. It clearly wasn't because she's qualified to become the Princess Consort."

"Maybe the death of her father was due to her being born with an evil spirit…"

"Oh my! If that's the case then the misfortune that befell our Crown Prince was also her fault?"

"Your Majesty, how can the future Empress of our Empire be someone with such a fate?! She'll be the cause for the Empire's downfall!"

Back and forth the three Consorts went, fueling into Ziyi's fire. The bigger that fire gets, the faster they'll be rid of their obstacle. Ziyi usually likes to appear calm and collected in front of the Consorts, but like any other mothers, she cannot hide the rage she has against anything that endanger her children. Ziyi did not say anything but just from the look on her face, the three Consorts know that with just a little more push, Zhang Yueyin is done for.

---

It was a few weeks later when Meiyin starts to get an unsettle feeling. She wasn't sure what it was at first and had choose to ignore it. She was busy working with Madame Lin to get the residence's businesses straighten out while learning to take over her father's and sister's role as the new temporary master of the residence. She was still exchanging letters regularly with her sister so she wasn't able to pinpoint the reason for the unsettle feeling she was having at the time.

Madame Lin and Xiaolan was very happy to see Meiyin becoming more like her usual cheerful self slowly overtime. Madame Lin is glad to see this change but she noticed that something seems to be bothering Meiyin in the last couple of days.

Most of the work for the day has been taken care of, so Madame Lin thinks now is a good time to asks, "Meiyin, is everything alright?"

Meiyin bite her lips, not wanting to make Madame Lin worry, but this unsettling feeling has not gone away. "I'm not sure..." she thought for a bit, "… has my request to visit my sister been approve yet?"

Madame Lin shakes her head. Meiyin was granted a pass to allow her access to the Imperial Palace anytime to visit her sister. However, ever since the disappearance of the Crown Prince, all the Palace's gates were seal tight and her entrance pass was denied. She was told to submit a formal request for entrance like everyone else for security purposes.

As she finishes letting out a disappointing sigh, Xiaolan rushes in with news of the subject in question. "Second Young Miss! Here's the reply for your entrance request!"

Meiyin takes the letter from Xiaolan and open it hastily. Her eyebrows knit together in anger as her eyes scan over the word DENEID on the paper. "I've submitted the formal request as told; how can they still deny my access to the inner court?!"

Before Meiyin could crumble the letter up in anger, Madame Lin takes it from her and scan through it for an explanation of the rejection. "Looks like there's no explanation for it either... but a request concerning members of the royal families will usually goes to the Empress for approval. Perhaps due to the disappearance of the Crown Prince, the Empress is not in the mood to welcome anyone into the inner court. Looks like we'll have to wait this out before we can meet Eldest Young Miss in person."

Meiyin clenches her fist as the uneasy feeling creeps up again. She wonders if she should write another letter to her sister, but she knew her sister would not tell her the truth if something did indeed happen. Meiyin was not the type to wait things out, especially when it might concern her sister. So off she ran, before Madame Lin or Xiaolan could register what's happening. She arrived at her family's staples, hop on a horse and ride her way towards Master Wong's cottage. It isn't her master that she was looking for, so as soon as she saw the figure of her senior brother, she calls out to him loudly.

"Meiyin?" Tao heard her voice before he actually saw her. By the time his brain registers her presence, she was already off the horse and in front of him.

She grabs hold of his hands tightly, "Tao dage, please help me! I must speak with Yixing. Can you help me get in contact with him?"

Noticing her frantic state, he quickly nodded and hop on the horse she had arrived with. He didn't question and simply told her to wait here before riding off towards the imperial palace. Accessing the inner court wasn't a problem for Tao, but getting to Yixing is currently an issue as the Third Royal Prince was with the Emperor. Luhan and Yixing has been helping the Emperor to resolve many issues that arises with the disappearance of Yifan. They were overwhelmingly busy running about in the palace that even Tao himself hasn't seen them. Tao inquires Dahai of when Yixing will return but the eunuch also has no idea and told him to just wait. Meiyin's frantic face flashes before his mind and he felt he couldn't just stay still. He was about to rush out of Yixing's palace but was stop by Dahai.

"If you're planning on causing trouble for His Highness then you better think again," Dahai stood in the doorway, blocking Tao's path.

"I…" Tao was about to refute, but it was true that it'll be trouble for Yixing if Tao goes straight to the Emperor's palace to demand Yixing's presence. After all, Tao was just a personal guard.

"Just what is it? You've never seemed this impatient. Maybe I can help?" Dahai asks.

Tao wasn't sure why Meiyin needed to meet with Yixing, but seeing how she was he could guess it might have to do with her sister. "Dahai, can I make a quick visit to Lady Zhang's palace?"

"Absolutely not!" Dahai exclaimed. "It's not even proper for His Highness to pay a visit to Lady Zhang's place, how can it be acceptable for you?"

Tao pace back and forth trying to think of something. "How about you? Can you make a quick visit to her place?"

Dahai eyes Tao suspiciously, "No, I cannot directly pay her a visit without order or being summoned. Why do you need to visit..." before Dahai can finish, the chain of relationships pop into his head and it became clear to him. He quickly pulls Tao into the nearest room and closed the door behind them. He turns to the surprised Tao, "Did something happened to His Highness' fiancé, the Second Young Miss Zhang?"

"No, she's fine. I just need to see Lady Zhang."

"Well... you won't be able to meet Lady Zhang, and if that's your main objective then His Highness can't help you with that either." Dahai thought about it and offered, "We can walk by the area and you can briefly see the gate. If it's open, maybe you can get a quick look at the courtyard from afar. If it's not open then all you'll see are the guards outside the gate. That's all I can offer."

Tao seems hesitant so Dahai added, "I can also help you pass a secret message to her through the maids if you prefer."

Tao doesn't want to return to Meiyin without any kind of news so he asks Dahai to help him with both. He quickly wrote a message asking for Yueyin to find a way to meet up with Meiyin. He folded the paper carefully and handed it off to Dahai. Then Dahai led Tao on a fake errand run to the area near Yueyin's palace. Afterwards, Tao exit the palace and make his way back to the anxiously waiting Meiyin.

Not seeing Yixing with Tao, Meiyin quickly questions him as soon as he got off the horse, "Were you not able to find Yixing? Was he not in the palace?"

Tao shakes his head, "Yixing was with the Emperor so I was not able to speak with him." Seeing her face fell in disappointment he quickly added, "I assumed it had to do with your sister so I tried to meet with her, but the palace's rules are too strict so I was only able to visit the area nearby and took a glimpse of her place from afar. The gates were closed but there were some maids exiting and entering like normal. Each time the gate open for them, I tried to look into the courtyard and everything seems normal inside as well. I asked Yixing's personal eunuch to help pass on a message to your sister, hopefully she'll be able to request the Empress to allow visitation with you soon."

The disappointment on her face was replaced with surprised. She wasn't sure how he was able to guessed her concerns but she was just so thankful for any piece of information on her sister. She's happy to know that her sister seems alright from what Tao has seen. No troubles, no chaos means peace. She dived in and hug him tightly in thanks. He was surprised but didn't push her away. Instead, he reaches up and give her some gentle pats on the back.

---

"Okaasan..." Kyungsoo calls out to his mother as he enters her tea room.

The Queen of Japan motion for him to sit down across from her, as she makes the tea she asks, "What brings you here?"

Kyungsoo chuckles, his mother is as direct as always. "Would you believe me if I say I'm just here to visit you?"

She replies as she pours water into the tea, "Child, I am your mother. I believe I understands you more than most." She finished up with the tea and hands it to him, "What is it that you need my help with this time?

Kyungsoo looks down at his tea cup, hesitant if he should ask her or not.

"Just tell me. You've already made up your mind before coming here, haven't you? Hesitance will hurt you. I thought I've already taught you that."

He wonders if all hime of the Ieyasu clan were made to be like this. He has yet seen another woman that could even be compare to his mother.

"I'm sure you're already aware of the existence of the Chinese Crown Prince in my castle." Though his mother seclude herself in her own castle, she's still very well informed of the ins and outs of the entire court. No doubt, it's part of the Ieyasu clan's teachings for Queens. It's no surprised that many great Queens from Japan's history all came from the Ieyasu clan. Perhaps, when he is King, he should look for an Ieyasu hime to be his Queen. 

She nodded, "What strange scheme has that advisor of yours came up with this time?"

All these years, he still can't tell if she likes Junmyeon or not. "I would like for your help in testifying and validating the Chinese Crown Prince as otosan's missing illegitimate child."

Her fingers clench tightly around the teacup. "The true illegitimate child is alive and easier to control. Why choose such a variable instead?"

"A variable is exactly what's needed. We've been stagnant and is in need of a tipping point. Also… I doubt you'd be any happier to validate the existence of the real illegitimate child than a fake one."

Kyungsoo know what's going through his mother's mind. If his father fights hard to reclaim the illegitimate Prince then it shows that his love was truly for the maid. After the maid disappear, the King sent out searches and eventually gave up, believing she's dead. After that, he hasn't take in any other lover and fully devote himself to the Kingdom, visiting the Queen from time to time as part of his duties. The King did guess that it was the Queen's doing, but because he owes her too much, he kept quiet and let it go. Both pretending the other doesn't know. She claimed to have just fired a maid that has caused trouble and he never claimed to have a relationship with the maid. If the illegitimate Prince is reclaimed by the King, it'll be a slap in the Queen's face for he has outright announce his betrayal and declare that he does not have her in his heart.

She let out a sigh, "What was I even hoping for… it's something I have to face eventually because I let you keep him alive on a whim. If it's what you need, I'll do what I can. However, I do not wish to see even a glimpse of that child until this is over."

Kyungsoo bow to his mother, "Thank you okaasan. Minseok is currently stationed in China, and will continue to be so for a while."

---

"San di, go back and have some rest. You've been running about with no sleep for over forty-eight hours already," Luhan tab on Yixing's shoulder.

Yixing rubs his face tiredly and stretches out. "You should too, Er ge. Most of the urgent work has already been taken care of. I'll send Dahai to check with the city gate's guards to see if there's any news from Ningzhou yet."

Luhan nodded, "Can you also check up on Liufei on your way back to your palace? We’ve been so busy and haven't check in on her. I heard Changan mentioned she was looking for us the other night. I need to have Royal Father look over this report right now so it might be too late to drop by her place later."

"Alright,” Yixing bid Luhan goodnight and left Taizao's private chamber behind the main court room. They've been utilizing it the last couple of days to help Taizao take care of reports and other things.

Luhan picks up the report he needed and head towards Taizao's palace. Once there, he saw Qiangshan was on his way to deliver wine to Taizao.

"Greetings Your Highness, it's good that you are here. Perhaps you can help advise His Majesty to stop. It's already his third round."

"I'll see what I can do," Luhan takes the wine tray from Qiangshan and make his way to Taizao's garden.

He found Taizao at the pavilion, "Greetings, Royal Father." He bows before placing the wine on the table. "I heard this is your third round. It isn't healthy to…"

Taizao just ignores him and chug another cup of wine down. Luhan let out a sigh then sits down in the chair across from his father. "Will drinking yourself to death help you alleviate the guilt you're feeling? Is this something an Emperor should be doing?"

Taizao laughs loudly then hand Luhan a cup of wine. "It's refreshing to be reprimanded. No one aside from Zhang Weimin has dared to question what I should be doing in a long time. Drink with me."

"Royal Father, I'm supposed to stop you not join you. There's also this report you need to look over."

Taizao takes the report and put it aside. He pours himself another cup of wine and down it in seconds. "I wonder… if he's alive… if I hadn't sent him on that mission… would he have been alive? As an Emperor, I've sent so many to their deaths. But as a father, I…"

Luhan look at his father pitifully. This man who has always been as strong and cold as steel, is breaking down in front of him. The reason Luhan and Yixing has been taking care of things at court is because Taizao has been wallowing up in guilt and sadness. He hasn't been taking care of his Emperor duties. Everyday is waiting for news and drinking himself to sleep. However, Luhan couldn't blame him. Even if he's the Emperor, he's still just a human, and every human is entitled to cry and wallow over the loss of their love ones. Luhan is just as anxious and worry about the safety of his elder brother, but he hasn't lost hope that Yifan is still alive out there. They just need to find him.

Luhan picks up the wine cup in front of him and drinks it, "It isn't your fault. We all knew our duties as Princes to the Empire. None of us would ever blame you for any of it."

Taizao looks over at his second child. He wondered when has Luhan grew so much. He has been so busy with his duty as Emperor, he wondered when was the last time he really took a good look at his children. He wonders if sentimentality is an after effect of losing love ones.  "You have a very similar demeanor to your mother. You always reminded me a lot of her."

Luhan looks at his father in surprised, he hasn't talked about her in a very long time. Taizao chuckles at his son's reaction, "I tried not to think of her because I was afraid I'll be spending most of my time missing her too much to get anything done."

Luhan looks away and pour himself another cup of wine. Seeing his reaction, Taizao let out a sigh. "Do you blame me all these years for acting like I've forgotten about her?"

Luhan was quiet for a moment before speaking up, "I'll be lying if I said I didn't."

Taizao nodded then down another cup. "Your mother was my first love and my first wife. I've never loved anyone as I did with her."

"So, you did love someone else. Perhaps, even many… does all Emperors' heart grow bigger once they sit on the throne?" Luhan asks sarcastically. Where did he found the courage to talk to his royal father this way? Has he drunk that much? Was this not only his second cup?

Taizao chuckles at his son, "You've been bottling it up huh?... I wonder if Yifan has too…"

Seeing his father mood sink again with thoughts of Yifan, Luhan quickly try to distract him. "So, tell me who else have you honestly loved, since I believe I have the right to know."

"My heart is big, so I've loved many," he joked, "… but if you ask me who else I've also missed dearly, then it is Consort Huang."

"Consort Huang?"

"You might be too young to remember her. She and Consort Yang were very good friends to your mother." Taizao let out a sigh before downing another cup, "Only when you lose someone do you realized how much you miss them. If only I had gone to her early that night, perhaps she wouldn't have died in that fire."

Author's Notes:

My sincerest apologies for the long hiatus. Life has been rough last couple of months for me. I hope everyone is doing well. Love you all. Stay safe.

Okaasan - mother in Japanes