Chapter 8: 7. Journey to Heping

A couple weeks later, Tang Daiyu was summoned to the Front Hall. There, she bowed before Emperor Jianyuan.

"Greetings to Your Majesty."

"You leave today, don't you, Tang Daiyu?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"You will have the send-off procession befitting a true Princess of Chang."

"That just burns you, doesn't it? That you have to treat me like this?"

"Insolent girl! Watch your place!"

"My place? You've given me my place. But don't worry, Your Majesty, once I get to Heping, everything will be fine."

Emperor Jianyuan sighed and waved his hand. She stood, bowed, and left. On her way out, she came across an unhappy Prince Han.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

He looked up at her, hurt in his eyes.

His voice was strained when he asked, "Qiao Yue, are you really leaving?"

She nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, Your Highness. I know I made you a promise, and I'm saddened that I have to break it, but this is for Chang and for Princess Ling."

"I don't understand. You've had a good life here."

I'm sorry, Liu Jin, but you don't know the struggles I face everyday, she thought.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I really wish I didn't have to break my promise to you."

"Then don't. Stay here, Qiao Yue. I can persuade my father to choose someone else."

Tang Daiyu shook her head sadly. "No, I... I want to do this. For my home, for Princess Ling, for everyone here."

And for my family.

He turned a little bit away from her. "We're never going to see each other again, are we, Qiao Yue?"

"You don't know that for certain. Maybe the intermarriage won't work, and then, I'll come home."

"Or Emperor Taio will kill you!"

If any Emperor is going to kill me, it's your father, Tang Daiyu thought darkly.

"Not everyone from Heping are bad people."

"How can you defend them?"

Because I knew someone from Heping once, long ago.

"Because, Your Highness, they deserve respect. Everyone does. Liu Jin, you're letting your emotions and ingrained beliefs blind you to the truth."

"Excuse me? Qiao Yue, don’t be too much! You know I could punish you for that, don't you?"

"Then do so."

She raised an eyebrow, challenging him. Finally, he sighed.

"Just go, Qiao Yue."

"Liu Jin," she murmured.

"Just go!"

Tang Daiyu flinched and excused herself.

At the North Sima Gate, a carriage procession awaited her. Gao Zhen, held out his hand to her, and she took it. He helped her up into the carriage, and she sat down.

"Good luck, Princess Fangzi."

"Thank you, Gao Zhen."

"My Lady! My Lady!"

Tang Daiyu's eyebrows furrowed. She leaned out the carriage window and saw An Mei running towards them.

"An Mei? What are you doing?"

"Princess Ling is letting me go with you. She said it was her thanks."

Tang Daiyu sighed and nodded. "Get in."

An Mei beamed and climbed into the carriage. Then, Tang Daiyu saw Sixth Concubine Luli walking towards them.

"Sixth Concubine."

"Princess Fangzi, serve Chang well. Remember your duties as the emissary of our country."

Tang Daiyu nodded solemnly. "I will. Thank you for everything, Sixth Concubine."

Her mentor nodded. Then, the coachman flicked the reins, and the coach lurched to a roll. Soon, they took the road into Chang'an and drove through the streets.

~~~

The journey south was long and arduous. Near the border, they stopped at a small Buddhist temple set off in the middle of a bamboo forest.

Tang Daiyu stepped out and went inside the temple. She knelt down and lit incense. Her lips murmured a few prayers. When she was done, Tang Daiyu stood and left. As she was walking out of the temple, her instincts made her stomach curl. She came to a halt.

A group of masked assassins flew down from their perched hiding spots in the bamboo trees. They surrounded her. Fearful, Tang Daiyu stood still. One assassin walked forward and unsheathed his sword. Swiping it at her, she gracefully dodged out of the way. More came at her, but she used her qinggong to outmaneuvered them. Taking off, Tang Daiyu ran for the woods, not wanting to endanger those in the procession.

The assassins followed her. Her legs burned as she weaved around the trees and roots. Her arms pumped back and forth. Soon, she came to a clearing, but was quickly encircled by the assassins once again.

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"What do you want?" she called out.

I don’t want to have to use my martial arts if I don’t have to. It’d also be a waste of my hidden weapons. I might need them later on.

They didn't answer. Instead, a few drew the bows from their backs. Fury filled Tang Daiyu's eyes. She took a couple steps back to give herself some space but was stopped by the men behind her.

Thinking quickly, she blurted out, "I'm not a Liu!"

All of a sudden, every weapon was gone. One of the assassins stepped forward.

"If you're not a Liu, guniang, then why do you ride in the royal carriage?"

"Because I've been given the honorary title Princess Fangzi. I'm to marry Prince Shandong of Heping in an intermarriage for peace between Chang and Heping."

"Then who are you, really?"

Tang Daiyu swallowed. If I tell them my false name, they may not know who I am. Or they will know that I'm close with the Royal family. But if I tell them my real name, I'm risking the plan, everything, not just my life.

She sighed, made her decision, and said, "Tang Daiyu, daughter of the late Chancellor Ru and the last surviving member of the Tang family."

The assassins remained still for a moment. Tang Daiyu feared that she had made the wrong decision. But then, the masks came off.

"We're exiles of Chang. We live in Heping, but when we heard about the royal procession, we decided to do something about it."

Another man stepped forward. "I heard about what happened with your family, Tang Daiyu. I'm terribly sorry for your loss. Chancellor Ru and Bi Mingyu were good and loyal people. I don't believe the Emperor for a moment that they had plotted something against Chang; it just isn’t fathomable."

"Thank you."

"If you are ever in need of us, then come seek us out."

Tang Daiyu bowed in gratitude, and the assassins melted back into the shadows. She let out a sigh of relief and headed back to the procession. There, An Mei jumped out.

"My Lady! Are you okay? Did something happen? You

didn't return for a long time!"

"I'm fine, An Mei. There's no need to worry. Let us go."

They got back into the carriage and soon crossed the border into Heping. Tang Daiyu's eyes saddened as she fondly recalled a memory.

~~~

"You can't catch me!" a young, six-year old Tang Daiyu cried tauntingly.

She went running through the Tang residence, laughing joyously. A young boy, about the same age, chased after her.

"Let me try!"

Eventually, Tang Daiyu was caught by her father. The boy came up close behind.

"What are you two doing?" Chancellor Ru asked, chuckling heartily.

"Rong-ge and I were just playing a game, Baba."

"I see that. Well, children, just behave. Go on."

They ran off, chuckling.

~~~

"My Lady?"

"Hmm?"

Tang Daiyu's eyes opened.

"Is everything okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, just remembering something."

Feng Rong was the son of an ambassador from Heping. They had come to Chang'an and visited my father. We had such fun that day.

Tang Daiyu smiled and looked down at her hands in her lap. They journeyed the rest of the way to Nanning in a comfortable silence.

~~~

As the procession pulled into Nanning, Heping's capital city, people came out to see her. She leaned out the window and waved kindly.

At the palace, An Mei stepped out first and helped her out.

A eunuch came forward and bowed. "Welcome, Princess Fangzi. Please, follow me."

She nodded and walked along behind the eunuch. An Mei was just a step behind her, and the rest of the Chang procession followed accordingly. Tang Daiyu was led into the palace where she stood before Emperor Taio of Heping. She bowed, and everyone behind her followed suit.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Princess Fangzi."

"Rise, Princess."

Daiyu straightened up.

"This is your fiancé, Prince Shandong."

A man stepped forward, and her eyes widened in shock. The man who stood before her had barely changed in terms of looks. She swallowed nervously.

Feng Rong?! How? Unless... Prince Yelang was the ambassador to Chang all those years ago?

Not unsurprisingly, he looked as equally shocked as she did. After shaking himself from his stupor, Prince Shandong stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Princess Fangzi."

She returned the gesture. "Greetings, Prince Shandong."

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