Chapter 16
Gin Fei said his good byes to Fa Fa and Ga Wai when they came to see him off. He
was returning to the kingdom. "Behave yourself, Siu Si Mui. Don't get into
trouble." She mimicked his fatherly tone of voice.
"I know, I know. Im a big girl and I need to act like one right? Blah blah blah..." He shook his head. 'I hope she acts her age one day'.
He walked over to Yu Lin, who was standing by a tree watching Gin Fei. "Fei Gor, be careful on your ride back."
He smiled at her concern. "You be careful too." His face suddenly saddened "I don't want anything to happen to you. Working with sick people everyday, Im not sure if its a good idea." He held her hands to his heart.
"I promise you, I'll be really careful." She said what he wanted to hear. "Its getting late, you need to start leaving." He nodded, still holding onto her hands, he kissed them lightly. His gaze still lingered back to her as he hopped on the horse and took off. He had a bad feeling about all this, but didn't know why.
She turned back to Fa Fa and Ga Wai, "Lets go." They walked back to the village and was surprised to see the Prince there. He was holding an infant child that was infected with the poison. Yu Lin looked at him while he gently rocked the baby. "You would be a great father one day." she said interrupting him.
He looked up and smiled "I hope to be one day." He turned back to the sick baby "Its such a shame that this boy won't become a father." Yu Lin walked over and took the baby from the Prince.
"Not if I can help it." She smiled as the baby tried to reach for her nose.
"Yu Lin Jei! Come over here!" Fa Fa yelled from a few yards away. She seemed to have found something. As Yu Lin got closer she saw Fa Fa holding a tiny white bottle with blue flowers on it. The same one they found at the temple where the Queen was poisoned. Yu Lin pulled out an identical bottle from her bag that she carried with her.
"Where did you get that from?" It was the first time Fa Fa saw it.
"This is the same bottle I found at the temple where the Queen was first poisoned." They looked too much alike. "Im sure if was the same person that poisoned this village." She smiled suddenly and turned to the Prince "There's definitely a cure then. But it looks like we're going to have to work pretty fast." She glanced at Fa Fa, knowing that she would have to help out because she knew where the pressure points are.
"No, Im not holding any needles! You know how I feel about them." She shook her head profusely.
"Fa Fa, there are about a hundred people in this village. There's no way to find out who's been poisoned the longest. We just have to do it one by one. I can't do it on my own, they need your help too."
Fa Fa looked down trying to decide on what she should do. "Maybe I can help you." Ga Wai put his hand on her shoulder "Just tell me what to do, you don't have to touch the needles." Fa Fa looked up still undecided. "There are alot of lives that needs to be saved." The girls looked at each other wondering 'Why the sudden change of heart? He wasn't exactly jumping up and down for joy when Yu Lin decided to stay back.' "Im human too, I have feelings. These people need help, so why not do it?"
"Okay." Fa Fa reluctantly agreed. Yu Lin grinned at her, she nodded at Ga Wai thanking him.
"Lets get to work." She began to divide the young from the old and the infants were the first to be saved.
China Palace.
It was a great day of joy for the King, his 35th birthday was being celebrated by everyone in the Palace. He was dressed in gold and red for this special ocassion, his wives standing together talking and laughing. One by one, each General came in to present their share of gifts for the King. Some gave special jaded swords and most gave other rare decorations for the King's room. None of which he was very interested in. He glanced around looking for his sister. Everyone arrived and she was still no where in sight.
"Are you done yet, Ching Ching? The King is waiting!" Siu Lung rushed as she did some final touches on the glass vase.
"Don't rush me, Lung Gor. Patience is a virtue not everyone has." She said calmly.
"Im sure the King doesn't have it right now. Its getting noisier out there, Im sure everyone is here by now. It looks beautiful, so lets just go!" He said impatiently, glancing outside to see more people come in.
"All done!" She held it up to look at it more clearly. Siu Lung stopped and stared at the vase, the pictures of the two ladies were magnificent.
"You are so talented." He gushed, she smiled proudly.
"I know." he looked at her as she giggled. "Lets go." She quickly returned the vases to the box as Siu Lung held onto it for her while they rushed out to the ceremony.
"Your majesty, the Princess is here!" The King's eunich exclaimed when he saw Siu Lung and the Princess rush in.
His face stern, he turned to face Ching Ching "My, aren't we a little late?"
"Im sorry, Wong Gor, I was preparing your gift. I wish you a happy birthday! May you stay young forever." She said quickly.
He grinned "Thank you. Now let me see." Siu Lung handed the box to the eunich, the King opened it to find two beautiful glass vases with an identical picture of two girls on it. "Its absolutely amazing! Where did you get this at?"
"The Princess painted it herself!" Siu Lung said proudly, as if he did it.
"You did?" The King raised his eye brow, shocked that he didn't know his sister had such a gift.
"Ive been working on it for a few months now. Im glad you liked it." It was her turn to smile proudly.
They were interupted by General Hui. "Your Majesty, your wives want to give you a present too." He pointed for the King to take his seat on the thrown, which was placed in the inner center of the room.
They all took their seats as they watched 10 of the queens walked in with fans covering their faces. The music of the harpsicord played slowly as one by one they danced into their places and uncovered their faces. The King was smiling as he named each of his queen. They all were very elegant when they danced, swaying their colorful but matching dresses as they moved. They danced into a circle and when the ten queens knelt down, in the middle appeared Lee Yan. She was dressed all in white with her matching fuzzy fan. She smiled at the King, everyone gasped at the beautiful transformation of the dance sequence. She looked so mesmerizing, like the picture the Princess drew on the vase. The King gazed at her as they danced never looking at the other queens. She looked like an angel.
When it was finished, everyone clapped and commented on the great work. The servants brought in the food and drinks as everyone picked up their cup of wine ready to cheers. Lee Yan stood in her place and held up the cup "To your Majesty and may your health be forever as great as your ruling!"
They all yelled out in unison. "Cheers!"
"Thank you for everyone's great gifts. For the Princess's hand painted vases and my beloved queens dancing performance. Also for Yan Fee's beautiful surprise." He drank as he stared at Lee Yan. She returned his gaze but at the same time thinking 'To your health alright.'
After the party, everyone returned to their rooms and rested while the King was drunk. He held onto his head and walked over to the Princess and Siu Lung. "Come on, lets have another drink!" He waved his hand at the servants to get more drinks.
Lee Yan walked over to catch the King who was about to stumble over. She shook her head at the servants when they looked at each other not knowing if they should get more wine. "Your majesty, you're really drunk. Let me get you some tea." He mumbled some words that they couldn't understand.
"I'll help you take him back, Yan Fee." The Princess was holding up the King on the other side.
"No, no, its getting too late, you should go back and rest. I can take care of him." She nodded to the eunich and he came over to support the King.
"Okay." Ching Ching said as she watched them take the King back to his room. She had a queesy feeling inside her stomach. But she shook it off quickly thinking it was probably the wine. She usually never drinks, but because it was a happy occasion she decided to.
"Are you okay?" Siu Lung asked, he saw her holding her stomach. She nodded.
"Im fine. Lets go." They walked out of the room and returned to their bedrooms. "Why didn't you drink tonight?"
"Im allergic to wine." She looked at him in awe, all these years, she had no idea. "No one really knows, shh..don't tell." He winked at her as she nodded. They stopped in front of her room "Well, good night"
"Good night." She smiled as she opened her room door. He waited for her to go inside and eventually left. Smiling to himself, it was a nice night.
"Just leave the King with me." Lee Yan commanded the servants. They obediently left. She walked over to the King's tea pot and poured him a cup, at the same time dropped some powdered poison into the cup. The King was lying on the bed semi-conscious. She walked over and fed him the tea. That was the 52nd cup of tea that she gave to him that year. 'The poison should be taken in effect soon'. Without any further notice, she left him there as she smiled to herself.
The next day, Suet Fee (The King's most precious wife) came to see the King. She wasn't feeling good the night before so she didn't attend the party. So she decided to come early and visit the king. When she opened the door, she found him unconcious on the floor. It looked like he tried to get off the bed but failed. She quickly ran over "Your majesty! Are you okay?" She pulled his head onto her lap to look at him. He was completely pale, his face was cold. "Call for the doctor!!" She yelled it over and over and there was no one around. She began to worry, so she put his head softly on the ground and ran out to get help. When she got outside, there was no one in sight.
Po Po was walking by with a pail of water when she saw the queen. "Seut Fee, whats wrong?" The young queen looked frantic.
"The King...he's...." She pointed into the room. Po Po ran inside and saw the King on the ground unconscious.
"Well, well, I didn't expect you two to find him. I was hoping the Princess would be here." Lee Yan entered with a confident stride.
"Yan Mui, what are you talking about? Where are all the servants? And why is the King like this?"
"Tsk tsk tsk...aw, are you worried for the King?" She said coldly as she bent down to where the King layed. "Don't worry, you'll be going with him."
"You poisoned him!!" Po Po figured it out. "How dare you, guards!!" She yelled out.
It made Lee Yan laugh "No one can hear you old lady! They're all poisoned too!"
"But why, he never did anything but love you!" Seut Fee yelled.
"Shut up! He doesn't know what love means." She got up and turned around angrily. She walked out the door "Guards, lock them inside!" Out of nowhere, the sound of chains rustled as they locked the three inside.
"Po Po, what are we going to do?"
"I don't know, but I hope the Princess and Siu Lung can get away." They turned their gaze back to the King.
Gin Fei arrived in Ging Sing, he stopped to rest. He noticed that it was quieter than usual. He saw two people whispering as they passed him. "Mister, why is the city so calm today? Should it be more busy?"
"I guess you haven't heard. The King is really sick. He might be replaced soon. Who know's what's going to happen." they walked off still whispering.
'What's going on?' he was suspicious
about the situation. The last time he saw the King, he was quite healthy. And
his birthday was just last night. 'I should investigate it before I jump to
conclusions.' He decided to sneak into the Palace and find Siu Lung and the
Princess.
Chapter 17
The whole Palace was guarded by General Hui's men. They guarded every room with
the officials still unconscious from the poison. Siu Lung had left early that
morning to find some medicine leaves that were in the forest. He was heading
back to the Palace when he found the General and Lee Yan talking in the rose
garden.
"Did you find that Wah kid?" The General was refering to Siu Lung.
"No. Ive asked the guards and they haven't seem him either." Lee Yan smiled wickedly "He'll be back if he knows the Princess is in our hands.
General Hui nodded. "Im sure Ga Wai is doing his part. By the time they get back, this will be perfect. The King will be gone and I can take over!" He laughed a wicked laugh.
Siu Lung's heart was racing, 'They poisoned everyone? I have to get to the Princess' He ran to her room, looking around to see if anyone was following him. He carefully opened her side window and hopped inside. The room was quiet and the bed was empty. Suddenly a sword grazed his neck. He turned around and was about to strike when the person's hand covered his mouth "Its me, Gin Fei."
"You scared me!" But he was glad to see his friend. "Where's the Princess?"
"They already got her." Gin Fei said quietly. "Im sure she's fine for now. How did this happened?"
"I don't know, but I saw General Hui and Lee Yan talking in the rose garden. They apparently poisoned everyone last night at the King's party. The wine was contaminated, but I didn't drink any. The Princess had a cup."
Gin Fei put up his finger indicating Siu Lung not to talk. The footsteps of the guards passed by. "I know they took her to the dungeon. I want to follow the General and see if I can stop him."
"Its too dangerous! You can't fight him alone." Siu Lung said, "The General has too much men."
Gin Fei assured him "I'll be okay." he opened the window and jumped out quickly. Going towards the rose garden, he flew over the walls like a bird.
"Po Po, he's not waking up. What are we going to do?" Seut Fee was worried.
"I have a plan, Im going to look for Siu Lung. You watch the King." The queen nodded as tears began to fill her eyes.
"Open, quickly!!" Po Po banged on the door.
"What is it?" The guard asked.
"His Majesty is dying!" They frantically opened the chained door.
"He can't die! We have to let Yan Fee know." The other guard said.
"Let me look for Siu Lung, he can save the King." Po Po suggested.
Stupidly they nodded at each other. "She's just an old lady, what harm can she do. Yan Fee will kill us if the King dies!" They motioned her away, Po Po took her chance to escape and ran off towards Siu Lung's room.
She was walking quickly down the corridor when an arm pulled her into another corridor. "Po Po, are you okay?"
"Siu Lung, you're here! Where's the Princess?" She was glad to see that he was okay.
"They locked her up. Gin Fei is back and he's trying to stop the General."
"So you know what happened?" Siu Lung nodded "How dare they!" She turned her attention back to the situation. "What are we going to do now?"
"I want to see how the King is doing." Po Po quickly explained his condition. "Sounds like the poison has been in his system for a long time now. Its just finally spreading."
"If you don't mind changing, I can take you to see him." Siu Lung looked at her suspiciously.
"Change into what?" Po Po grinned widely and pulled him into a servant's room. She quickly threw him a pink servant dress. "I can't look like a girl!!"
"Sure you can, I'll help you." She helped him change. She fixed his hair and put on some makeup. He looked like an ugly girl. "I hope this works." They walked back to the King room and saw the guards look up suspicously. Siu Lung quickly bowed his head so they didn't see him.
"I couldn't find him, but I found the King's servant. She knows how to take care of him." Po Po explained when they eyed the female-like Siu Lung.
"Oh, just let them in." said one guard. They waved them by. Inside the room the Queen was still by the King's side.
"Po Po, you're back. Who's this?" she eyed him up and down wondering 'what an ugly maid'.
"Its me, Siu Lung!" he whispered. She covered her mouth from yelling.
"Oh my, what happened to you?"
"Nevermind that. Look at the King, Siu Lung" Po Po rushed him over to the King's side.
He felt the King's pulse "Its really slow. Looks like the poison is quickly spreading. I have to stop it." he pulled out his acupunture needles and began to placed them on the King's chest. "Thats just going to hold him up for a couple of days. He needs medicine too."
"How are we going to get you out?" Suddenly, the queen started to yell. The guards quickly ran inside to see what was wrong. Seut Fee held up a vase and hit them over the head with it. The other guard saw this and pulled out his sword about to strike the queen. Then Gin Fei appeared and stopped the guard. With one swift move, he killed the guard.
"Gin Fei!" Siu Lung ran over to him "The King is really sick, we need to get medicine for him."
"I'll take you out of the Palace." He grabbed his arm about to pull him out.
"No, let Po Po get the medicine." He ran over and told Po Po what to buy. "Make sure you get all this." He turned to Gin Fei "Its better if she goes, I want to find the Princess." He nodded understandingly. "They won't harm the King or the Queen just yet. You will stay around and keep them safe right?"
"Yeah, I will." He motioned for Po Po to follow him. He carefully watched over her as he took her out of the Palace. When she was safe, he turned back to look for the General and Yan Fee. He wondered who she was and why would she want to harm the King.
Mongolia.
The four worked day and night trying to cure everyone in the village. Its been a week now and they've cured about 15 people already. Counting 5 babies and a few young kids. Yu Lin was loosing sleep and she didn't eat much. She was working on an elder man when the Prince came by with a basket of food. "Wah Siu Jei, come over and eat something." She ignored him and continued with her acupunture. He walked over holding some steam buns. "You're going to get sick if you don't eat..." She held up her hand for him to stop. She was almost done with this person, one final needle and he'll be okay. After a few minutes she pulled out the needles and got up.
"Im okay, I just wanted to finish up on him. My concentration cannot be disturbed, Im sorry." She smiled apologetically at the Prince. She took a few steps and felt faint, her knees gave way and she felt herself falling when the Prince caught her.
"Wah Siu Jei! Are you okay?" He tapped her face. Fa Fa and Ga Wai wasn't far when they heard someone yelling. They ran over to find Yu Lin faint in the Prince's arms.
"Yu Lin Jei! What happened?" Fa Fa asked with concern.
"I think she's too tired. Get her some water." he pointed to the basket that he brought for the group. Fa Fa poured a cup and brought it over to Yu Lin as she fed it to her.
After a moment, Yu Lin opened her eyes and noticed they were looking at her. The Prince helped her sit up on a chair. "Im okay." she said when they looked at her with concern.
"You're working too hard. Maybe you should rest for a day." She was about to refuse when Fa Fa interrupted.
"Yes, I can take care of it. Ga Wai is helping me." She smiled at Yu Lin.
"Ga Wai? Since when did you get so personal?" she teased Fa Fa.
"Well, we work together everyday, I don't want to call him...you know what." She winked at Yu Lin. The girls giggled at their joke.
"What are you two talking about? I don't get it." Ga Wai looked at the girls nervously, he knew it was about him. Yu Lin looked at him and stopped giggling, he looked kind of pale.
"Let me see your hand." confused, he did what she told. She felt his pulse.
"You've been poisoned too. I just noticed that your face is paler than usual." Fa Fa looked at him with concern.
"Help him Yu Lin Jei." She said it so quickly that everyone turned to her with surprise. She really cared for him. He was grateful inside but he didn't show it on his face.
"She's too weak right now." The Prince said defensively. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? I want her to rest." It was so obvious the Prince cared a great deal for Yu Lin, but they all knew she was in love with Gin Fei. It was almost an unspoken knowledge between the two.
"But how do you expect him to save people if he's poisoned too?" Fa Fa replied with defiance.
"Okay, don't argue." Yu Lin stepped in when the quarrel was getting out of hand. "Fa Fa, his poison isn't too deep yet, actually you can save him since you know what to do now." Before Fa Fa reminded them of her fear of needles, Yu Lin continued "You have to get over your fear somehow. I know you can, given the chance now, I think you should take it. Use him as a guinea pig." she smiled.
"But I..." Fa Fa started to complain again.
"Its okay, I'll just die thats all. You don't have to save me." Ga Wai said nochanlantly, waving his hand as if it was no big deal.
Fa Fa looked at Ga Wai, she didn't want him to die, and it looks like Yu Lin wasn't well enough to save him. There were still alot more people waiting to be saved. "okay, okay, let me try."
"Good, I'll take you back to the palace to rest first." The Prince helped Yu Lin get up. While the other two stayed back.
Ga Wai began to take off his shirt. "Wait! What do you think you're doing?" Fa Fa put up her hand to stop him.
"How are you going to save me if my clothes are still on?" Fa Fa gave him a funny face. "Are you changing your mind? Well, I don't like to force anyone." He began to pull back his shirt.
"Wait. Fine, we don't talk about this to anyone, you hear me?!" She pointed a warning finger at him. He nodded as he continued to take his shirt off and lied on a bed. She looked at the needles beside the bed. She reached for it and pulled her hand back. Trying to shake off the trembling hands away, she reached for it again but never picked it up. "I can't do this!" she finally cried out.
He turned his head and looked up at her. "Sure you can, look at them, their harmless. Its not going to bite you, why are you so afraid of them?"
"I don't know, its been a childhood fear of mine. Im not afraid of anything but needles." She shivered as she looked at them again.
"My life is in your hands. Don't worry, even if I die, I won't be mad at you. I'll just haunt you everyday." He teased.
"How could you still make a joke out of this? This is your life we're talking about." It was the first time she was serious talking to him.
He stopped smiling "Look, fear is something thats all in your mind. Once you face it and take charge of it. You will never be afraid again. You never know until you try."
She looked at him thoughtfully, "Really?" He nodded his head confidently. "Okay, let me try one more time." He turned to his position and she looked at the needles this time with newfound courage. With a deep breathe she picked up the needles and placed it on his back. He yelled out in pain. "Did I hurt you?" she asked in concern.
"No, I was just kidding." He lied, she did hurt him. He braced himself for another needle. Then another needle, she was really hurting him. He finally yelled "Ow!! Okay, no more, oh my gosh, my back is hurting." He got up from the bed. "Get them off me!!" Yu Lin and the Prince barged through the doors.
Yu Lin was laughing as she helped him take off the needles. Fa Fa looked at them in confusion. "What's going on?" She eyed them suspiciously.
Ga Wai touched his back in pain. "There, she got over that fear. Oh, what a price to pay." He smiled when Yu Lin and the Prince tried to cover their giggles.
"You guys tricked me!!" She seem really upset. The three stoped laughing and looked at her.
"Fa Fa, we didn't mean to. But it was taking too long to save these people and with your extra hand we can do it twice as fast. I knew that you had to overcome your fear somehow, so we all came up with this plan."
"Also, we knew that you would want to save Ga Wai or Yu Lin. We chose Ga Wai to do this because we thought he would have a bigger effect. I guess we were right huh?" The Prince smiled.
"You're not mad right? Fa Fa?" Ga Wai asked her.
She pouted "Put your shirt back on. What is this? A meat show?" She eventually smiled. "Thank you everyone." They all laughed as they continued their work. She walked over to Ga Wai and whispered "Did I really hurt you?"
He was about to tease her but instead
he said "No, you were very gentle, I was just kidding with you." She
smiled and it made him glad that he lied to her.
Chapter 18
Siu Lung carefully crossed the rose garden and passed by the servants' room. A
few yards down was the dungeon where they keep prisoners. He saw two guards
standing by the entrance, 'How am I going to pass them?' He looked around and
picked up a rock, he threw it to the guards' left side. One of them panicked and
looked over. "Im going to go see." He saw one run off in the direction
of the noise. He used another rock and did the same for the other side. The
guard fell for it. When it was clear he ran to the door and quietly slipped in
without anyone noticing. Inside he walked down the cold stone stairs to where
the metal bars rooms locked in the prisoners. Most were old and skinny, they
were probably in there for a long time now.
He passed by them until the last jail room, the Princess was curled up in the corner as she held onto her legs with her head held down. "Ching Ching!" he whispered loudly.
She blankly looked up and when she realized it was Siu Lung, she got up in a flash. "Lung Gor, you're okay!" relieved crossed her face as she held onto his hands.
"I'll get you out." She shook her head.
"No, just leave. I don't want you to get caught too."
"I can't leave you here!" He looked at the tiny room, it wasn't a place for any human being. "I'll be back." He let go of her hands as he got up to leave. He turned back to see her fearful face. He pulled out little hair clip that he saved for a long now, he always wanted to give it to her but never dared. He walked over and placed it in her hair. "I've been wanting to give this to you." She smiled through tears.
"I'll always wear it. Please be careful." Tears running down her face. He nodded and quickly left.
Gin Fei followed the General and the young queen. He still couldn't see her face. They walked briskly into a nearby forest. Gin Fei didn't even noticed that he's been following them for the longest time, the place they stopped was very unfamiliar.
"When are we going to kill the King, so I could take his place." General Hui said greedily.
"According to our plan, its not time yet." She said calmly, she something else in mind for him. She turned around to face the General and Gin Fei saw her face for the first time 'Yan Yan!! How could it be her? She lied to me?' His anger rose as he felt deceited by a person he trusted.
"I know what you're waiting for. You want Chan Gin Fei to come back first right?! Hmph! Lee Yan, I told you he was bad news. The last thing you need to do is fall in love with this guy."
She looked him in the eye "What I do is none of your business!" The General seemed to back down.
"Well, fine. But I want to get the royal stamp first. With that I can easily control the officials. Not to mention that they are all poisoned right now. Even the Princess is in our hands."
"We'll just wait for Ga Wai to return, he should be done soon. After he kills those two girls, we will have nothing to worry about."
"You mean YOU don't have nothing to worry about. Without that Wah girl in the way, Chan Gin Fei will come to you for support, right?" He was getting annoyed with Lee Yan and her love for this guy. Love just ruins everything, he thought.
"It'll be easy to get him by my side then." She smiled wickedly.
Gin Fei couldn't hold it in anymore. "How could you do this?!" He stepped out from behind a tree where he was hiding. "I trusted you, Yan Yan. Or should I say Yan Fee!" Her face turned pale.
"Fei Gor, what are you doing here?!" She was trying to cover up the situation.
"You sent me away so you could poison the Kingdom. But you didn't know that Iam a man to my words, I told the King I was returning and I did. Now, I find this. Iam so disappointed." He glared at her as she looked away in shame. She didn't want him to find out this way.
"Ha Ha! Now that you know, how about you join our team? I'll make it worth your while." The General was trying to bribe him.
"Shut up, you scum! The King has respected you all these years and now you do this?" Before he could go on the General attacked him, Lee Yan was about to stop them but they were already deep into the fight.
"If you don't help, then you must die!" General Hui said as he striked at Gin Fei. They fought for a long time until Gin Fei finally defeated him. He wasn't planning to kill him yet.
'Yu Lin', his sudden worry came as he thought of her. 'Si Mui..they're in danger. I have to save them.' His attention was paused by a second and it was enough for the General to attack him once again. This time he kicked his legs causing him to fall, he bumped his head on a large boulder and immediately fainted. Lee Yan rushed over to his side, she picked his head up and saw that he was bleeding. "I have to take him back."
"No, let me kill him before he wakes up and ruin our plans!""
"NO! I said we have to save him" She gritted her teeth as she gave the General her evil eye. He eventually nodded. She pulled his arm around her shoulders and picked him up as they walked back to the Palace.
Mongolia.
The four were working hard in the village when suddenly a messenger on a horse came up. It was one of the General's men, he ran up to Ga Wai and whispered something. His face turned to worry as he rushed to the girls and the Prince. "The Kingdom has some problems. The King, Princess and officials were all poisoned the night of the King's birthday banquet."
"Dai Gor!" Yu Lin whispered to herself.
"We should go." Fa Fa said when she heard the news.
"But we haven't finished our duty here." Yu Lin still had unfinished business. The Prince shook his head.
"Don't worry, after these many weeks, I have learned alot from you. I think I can do it on my own. Just leave me the medicine prescription and I will have my doctors get it." He placed his hand on Yu Lin's shoulder "You need to go." She knew it too. "But first, I want to give you something."
He took her into the hut that was set up for him. Fa Fa and Ga Wai stood outside waiting. "What do you suppose he's giving her?" Ga Wai asked curiously.
"Maybe a love charm." She teased. She looked at him micheviously, knowing that he's thinking the same thing. They sneaked up at the hut.
Inside the hut, the Prince opened a gold long box. Inside was a rolled up material with some sort of writing. He rolled open the material that read: "We, Mongolia, would like to present this peace treaty in agreement that China is now our neighbor. We shall not attack nor take over their land." It was stamped and dated by the King.
Yu Lin smiled as she read this "Thank you. On behalf of the King of China and his people, please except our gratitude." She knelt down and bowed respectfully.
"No need to be so proper, afterall we're friends now." The Prince helped her up. "Thank you for all your help. We shall never forget what you have done for this country. Now, you must be on your way."
She nodded. They walked outside to find Fa Fa and Ga Wai sneaking away. "Fa Fa!" she jumped at Yu Lin's angry voice. "How dare you evesdrop!"
"Im sorry, I didn't mean to." She saw that Yu Lin was still angry. "I won't do it again, I promise." She held up three promise fingers.
"It was harmless. I didn't mean to leave both of you out of the conversation." The Prince tried to be a mediator seeing that Yu Lin was upset. "Let me lend you some horses so your trip will be faster." He waved to a soldier nearby and he went to fetch the horses.
When they came, Yu Lin turned to the Prince "Thank you for your hospitality."
"Thank you for being such a great host too." Fa Fa added.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Ga Wai asked.
Fa Fa wrinkled her face thoughtfully. "I think so." The three laughed at her response. They carefully got on their horses and began to take off.
"Have a safe trip!" The Prince yelled out as he waved goodbye to his new friends. 'Be safe, Wah Yu Lin'
China Palace.
Back in Lee Yan's room, she sat beside the bed holding onto Gin Fei's hand. He was still unconscious. She had called the guards to hunt down Siu Lung to help him, but there was no sign of him yet.
Outside, a few corridors by the guest area, Po Po was sneaking through the tiny garden. There was no one around for some reason. She was holding onto the medicine really tight when a hand touched her shoulder. She yelled in surprise, it was Siu Lung. "Po Po, I didn't mean to scare you." She breathed a sigh of relief. "You got the medicine?"
"Yes, its right here. How's the Princess?"
"She's scared, but I think she'll be safe for now. Im trying to find Gin Fei, have you seen him?" She shook her head. "Well, take that medicine to the King first."
"I will. You be careful!" she said with concern as she walked back to the King's room.
Siu Lung watched Po Po walk safely down the hall when he heard footsteps. He quickly hid behind a corridor. There were a few soldiers running by. 'I wonder who they're looking for?' He shook off the question and continued on his way. "Well, there you are. Ive had people look everywhere for you." He spinned around and saw Yan Fee smiling slyly at him. "I guess if you want something done, you have to do it yourself." He was about to run when she jumped in front of him. He was no match for her, she was much more experienced in martial arts.
"What do you want?!" he cried out when she grabbed his hand and pulled it behind him.
"I need you to save someone." She pushed him in the direction of her room.
Siu Lung was suprised to see Gin Fei lying on the bed unconscious. "What did you do to him?"
"Never mind, just see if you can wake him up!" She said anxiously.
He walked over to feel Gin Fei's pulse. It seem normal, he poured him a cup of water and Lee Yan rushed over "I'll do it." She grabbed the cup from Siu Lung and gently fed it to Gin Fei.
Siu Lung looked at her curiously 'How did she know him? And why is she so nice to him?'
They sat there for a while in silence when Siu Lung heard pain grumbling noises. "My head." Gin Fei was beginning to come back. The two rushed to his side.
"Fei Gor, are you okay?" Lee Yan asked.
He stared blankly at her and Siu Lung. "Who are you two?"
The three were travelling on their way when they stopped to rest at a deserted little food stand. The girls rushed over to sit and have drink while Ga Wai ordered the food. Fa Fa noticed that Yu Lin was distracted "Yu Lin Jei, don't worry, Si Hing is there, everything should be okay."
"Thats what Im afraid of. If the everyone is poisoned, how is he going to fight those people? And Dai Gor, he doesn't know that much kung fu. He can't defend himself. The Princess is completely defenseless." Her worries was getting bigger as she thought about her loved ones.
"Well, we'll just have to eat fast and be on our way." Ga Wai poured the tea for the girls.
"Since when did you start to be so nice? I never saw a transition." Fa Fa teased him. He's completely changed from the person she met a few months ago.
"There's a lot you don't know about me." He replied.
Yu Lin smiled at the two. They notice her gaze and stared at her "What are you smiling at?" Fa Fa asked.
"Nothing." She turned away as she sipped her hot tea and ate the food.
Soon they continued on their way. That night they stopped by a deserted temple to rest. There was no time to look for a hotel. The girls set up a place by the corner while Ga Wai sat on the opposite end. Yu Lin leaned back on the wall and Fa Fa used her leg as a pillow. The girls slept for a few hours. Ga Wai was still awake, thinking of his duty. He was to kill them on they way back, this would be the perfect time. He knew it was part of the plan, but how could he have the heart to kill Fa Fa. He decided to just kill Yu Lin and explain to Fa Fa later.
Ga Wai slowly got up and pulled out his dagger. He pulled his arm back ready to stab Yu Lin when Fa Fa opened her eyes. She quickly got up "What are you doing?" she whispered loudly. She turned back to see if Yu Lin was still sleeping, seeing that she was Fa Fa quietly pulled Ga Wai outside. "Would you like to explain?" she put her hands on her waist.
He turned away so he didn't have to look into her eyes, "You wouldn't understand."
"Of course I can't, you're not telling me anything."
"Its a long story and I don't think its time for you to know yet." He still dodged her gaze.
"Well, when is it a good time? When you kill Yu Lin Jei and then me too?!" She was getting angry, 'how could he betray her like that?' "Hui Ga Wai, I trusted you."
He finally looked up "Its my father. He and Yan Fee have been scheming for years, they finally found their chance and now..." He told her the whole story. She began to understand more, yet she was still puzzled about one thing.
"Well, if it was your father's command to kill us. Why didn't do it? You had plenty of chances in Mongolia." her tone was calmer now.
"That was part of my father's idea, after he becomes King, he doesn't want to have to worry about Mongolia. So he and Yan Fee had a plan to have Wah Yu Lin help them, then we could get the peace treaty. It worked like a charm." His eyes softened "I couldn't bring myself to kill you. At first, I thought it would be so easy. But the more I got to know you, it got harder. Now, I...I just can't do it."
She smiled "If I were in your shoes, I won't be able to kill you either." She looked behind her to see if Yu Lin woke up or not. "What are you going to do to her?"
"I don't know."
"You know if you kill her, you might as well kill me too. I won't let you harm her." She said threatening him. She was serious too, there was no way he could kill Yu Lin without Fa Fa stopping him.
Instead of getting upset, he smiled at her courage. "I know." he sighed, "I guess I'll just convince my father to spare her life a little longer until Chan Gin Fei can save her."
Chapter 19
'Oh no, he lost his memory.' Siu Lung thought, he remembered looking at the
bruise on Gin Fei's head, it was pretty deep.
"Im Yan Yan, remember?" Lee Yan looked at him with earnest eyes as he continued to stare at her blankly. "What's wrong with him?!" she asked to Siu Lung.
"Amnesia." He said shortly.
"But how? Will he remember me?" She suddenly thought of something, she turned back to Gin Fei. "Im your wife."
Seeing her evil plan, Siu Lung knew he couldn't let it happen "No, she's not! She's a wicked queen, you're in love with my sister Wah Yu Lin!!" Siu Lung quickly answered, not wanting him to be brainwashed.
Gin Fei glanced from Lee Yan to Siu Lung, not knowing who to believe. He suddenly grabbed his head in pain, "No, I don't know who you people are. Just leave me alone!" He cried out in pain.
"Trust me!! She's a liar, don't believe anything she says."
"Guards! Take him away!!" The guards quickly rushed in and took him away. She turned back to Gin Fei who was wide eyed at the cruelty of what he just saw.
"Who is he? And what did he do? You're really my wife?"
She nodded as her eyes softened, her voice was sweet "Yes dear, we were walking in the garden and then someone tried to attack me. You bravely tried to save me but instead you got hurt. You've been unconscious for hours now." He listened intently, still wondering who that young man was and what was he talking about Wah Yu Lin.
She sensed his questioning gaze "That guy was a doctor, I had him come to help you. But he's a bit crazy in the head. He's the best this kingdom's got." His puzzled look stopped her.
"This is a Palace?! What am I?" He was getting too confused.
"You're a General and Im your wife." She looked him in the eye to assure him that she wasn't lying.
"Can you tell me some more about us? Maybe I'll remember." She smiled happily and continued to make up her tale.
The three finally made it to Ging Sing, everyone seemed more gloomy. Yu Lin looked around supsiciously, the last time she was there, it was very festive. What happened, she thought. As if reading her mind Fa Fa said "Its like a graveyard here."
"They probably know more than we do." Ga Wai said as a mother and her child rushed passed them to go home. They continued on their way. As it got darker, everyone seem to have disappeared. Even the hotels closed early.
"This is getting scary. What are we going to do?" Fa Fa asked as she looked around at the deserted town.
"Lets look for a place to stay and then we'll go into the Palace. It might be a little dangerous right now." The other two agreed. They passed by a hotel that seemed to be opened, but as they walked up the manager was about to close the door.
"Wait, can we get two rooms first?" Fa Fa called out, the old man looked up at them.
"Let me look, come on in." They happily obliged. "Yes, looks like we have room. You know its dangerous at night. Thats when the General takes his men out to look at the town. He's killed some people that was in his way." he looked at the girls "You girls need to be careful too, he was taking some girls around your age with him. To do what? That I have no idea."
The girls looked at each other, wondering what would he want with girls? Fa Fa glanced at Ga Wai to see his reaction.
"Don't look at me. I have no idea what my father is thinking." He wasn't lying either.
They walked up to their rooms and they quickly fell asleep except for Yu Lin. She got up and dressed all in black included a black hankerchief tied around her face. She glanced back to see if Fa Fa was still sleeping. She left a little note on the table saying that she's gone to look for Gin Fei.
It was dark outside and very cold. She swiftly moved across the roof top of the Palace and looked around. There were gaurds every, probably searching for burglars? She wasn't too sure. Eventually, she made it throught without being noticed. There were footsteps nearby as she hid behind a fountain in the rose garden. They were just soldiers. She headed towards the royal wing, where the King was. His room was kind of lighted. There seems to be people inside, muffled voices came when she got closer to the room. She pulled up a shingle on the roof as she carefully listened. She saw the King on his bed, he looked pale. Po Po, Suet Fee and another woman she didn't recognize. Although she seemed to be in charge.
"Hmph, you scumbag! You're lucky I let you live this long!" She walked over to the King angrily and slapped him. Suet Fee yelled out in horror.
"Don't hit him!" She said as she walked over to the King touching his cheek.
"I'll hit you too if I want" Lee Yan put her hand up ready to slap the Queen, when the King put up his hand.
"No! Don't you dare hurt her." He tried to get up but he was too weak. He coughed really hard. Lee Yan smirked as she watched the defenseless King. She threw Suet Fee to the side.
"Why must you do this? What did the King ever do to you?" Po Po asked. Yu Lin saw her, her heart instantly ached, 'she's still alive!'
"Ask the King, he knows exactly why!" The King shook his head.
"I don't know why. Whatever I did, its not worth all this trouble is it, Lee Yan?" She glared at him.
"The hell it is!!" She walked over the window and looked out at the moon. "5 years ago, I lived in a peaceful little village about 30 miles from the Kingdom. I was so happy, with my father as a judge of the city, my mother taking care of me. My one and only love by my side. We were about to get married you know." she turned back to the King "You remember?" he slowly nodded, expressionless "Little did I know that the next day would change my life forever. You, the King were disguised as a distinguish gentlemen travelling China to find great martial art leaders to help 'the King' tame Mongolia. Instead you met me, you said you fell in love with me at first glance. Hmph! So you planned to frame my fiance. You did that on purpose, so I would marry you! But I promised him the night he was about to be exiled from the country that I would avenge this cruel punishment to split up a happy couple." Tears began to fall from her cold face as she stared at him with anger. Although her voice never faltered. The King looked down in shame as he remembered this.
"I was young then, still immature. It took me awhile to forget my beloved wife that died ten years ago. I travelled the country to forget my problems. Instead I caused new ones. For what its worth, Im very sorry for giving you so much grief." He said sincerely.
"Grief. More like eternal pain. Wasn't it bad enough you exiled him? But you had to have your men secretly kill him the minute he left the Kingdom?" The King gave her a puzzled look. "Don't pretend like you didn't know! I had my people follow him so he would be safe. I didn't think you would be so sneaky!"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I never sent anyone to kill him."
"Don't lie! Its too late now." She spit out the words harshly. "It wouldn't have turned out like this if you changed your heart so quickly. After Siu Suet became one of your many concubines, she suddenly became the main queen!"
Suet Fee looked at the King lovingly "I told him not to make me queen. His love was enough."
"That made me want to make you queen. You never asked for anything." He touched her face affectionately.
"So why did you marry me?! You never loved me!" She yelled out angrily.
"Your beauty struck me, Ive never seen anyone so beautiful before. Like I said, I was immature and acted upon lust. But when I found Siu Suet, that all changed."
"Its a little too late for that. You're going to pay for the past five years!" She stormed out angrily, closing the door behind her.
Yu Lin heard the whole thing. 'So thats what this is all about. I have to find Fei Gor'. She watched as Lee Yan walked towards the General's room. Yu Lin jumped down quietly and froze the guards with her fingers touching their freeze point.
"Po Po!" She called out as she opened the door as she pulled off the cloth covering her face.
"Yu Lin! Thank goodness you're okay!" the elder lady came over to embrace her.
"Your majesty." Yu Lin knelt down "Im sorry. I came late to help you."
He held out his hand for her to get up. "No no, I brought this upon myself. You have done more for me than most of my officials have done in the past 10 years." He smiled gratefully.
"Its my duty." She turned to Po Po "Where's Dai Gor?"
"I think he's been caught, the Princess should be with him. I haven't seen Gin Fei for over a week now."
"I hope he's okay." Yu Lin looked concerned.
"Im sure he is my dear. What are you going to do now?"
"I want to look for him, I have a feeling he's in the Palace still." She trusted her instincts.
"Well, be careful." She nodded as she pulled up her mask and left.
In the rose garden, Gin Fei was sitting on a bench looking at the moon. The past few days has been like a dream. Everyone seems to be looking for someone, they treated him with respect. Although he still had a queesy feeling when Lee Yan told him about their past. Something didn't seem right. 'Wah Yu Lin', why did this name sound so familiar?
"Who is it?!" he called out as he heard something in the wind. His hearing was always better than a normal person. It was instantly silent, he closed his eyes and sense someone moving nearby. He opened them and headed towards the direction of the noise. It was a masked person, he attacked the person.
"Fei Gor, its me!" He
stopped and looked at the girl puzzled. She pulled down her mask, "Yu
Lin!" he stared at her face blankly.
Chapter 20
In the dungeon, the guards were having fun with Siu Lung. They hung him on a
cross-shaped wooden stake. Eating and drinking as they whipped away at his weak
body. Blood seeping through his clothes.
"Stop!! I command you to stop this instant. You're going to kill him!!" Ching Ching cried out as she witnessed this horrifying punishment.
"Aww, is the Princess sad? How about I come and take care of you?" The guard dropped the whip and approached her cell with crazy eyes, ready to rape her.
"No!! Don't you lay a hand on her. I'll kill you myself!!" Siu Lung shooked at his chained hands with his remaining strength.
The guard ignored him and continued on his way, he slowly opened the door of the cell and walked towards the scared Princess. "What do you want?! Go away." She held onto her knees as she curled up in the corner.
"Ive been dreaming about this my whole life." The guard licked his lips hungrily and reached out to pull her closer.
"Let me go!!" She yelled on the top of her lungs over and over.
"You know if anything happens to her, Yan Fee will have your head!! She has a plan in mind and if the Princess commits suicide because your stupid partner can't control his hormones, she'll kill you too." The guard's face turned to fear as he knew what Siu Lung was talking about. He quickly ran over and pulled his partner away.
"Are you crazy? We'll die for this you know!! And that guy over there will die too if we don't stop." Siu Lung sighed with relief hearing the guard say that.
The Princess curled up again in the corner, pulling herself together as she wiped away her tears. She put up a good fight, but if he would have continued she wouldn't be able to stop him.
"Fine. Take him back in the cell." The two guards walked backed to Siu Lung and unchained him. They violently threw him in the cell with the Princess.
She quickly crawled to him. "Lung Gor, are you alright?" Her eyes still wet from tears.
He smiled "Im fine as long as I know you're okay." touching her hot face, he knew she must have been scared. "Im sorry. I should be able to protect you."
She helped him sit up as she shook her head, new tears forming at the look of his bruised body "No, you've done all you can. Thats more than what I asked for. Oh God, what did they do to you." she looked at his scars for the first time.
"Just a few whips." He said nochalantly "It'll be a great story to tell the kids and grandkids one day."
"How could you joke at a time like this?" She shook her head but still smiled at the thought of having kids with him.
"Because it made you smile." He tapped her nose lightly. "All the pain in the world is worth it." He pulled her close to his chest. "I promise you, this will be over soon and we'll be free."
She nodded through tears as she hugged him carefully not to injure him any further. She believed him. He stroked her hair, thinking if they were ever going to get out alive.
He stepped away from her with puzzled look on his face "Wah Yu Lin?" he remember that name from that crazy guy.
"Yes, Fei Gor, what's wrong?" he was acting very strange.
"I don't know you, but you know me?" Her face was familiar yet he didn't know her. He was a little suspicious of what Yan Yan told him, it didn't make any sense and his memory never triggered back anything.
'He's got amnesia, I have to help him.' she thought.
Just when she was going to explain further, they heard a guard yell "Burglar!!" They looked at each other, he was confused 'should I call the guards? But she doesn't look like she would harm anyone.' He glanced at the ground thinking of what he should do.
"Fei Gor, come with me. I'll take you to your Si Fu, he can tell you about your past." His eyes quickly jumped up from the ground.
"I can't....what about my wife?" The footsteps of the guards were getting closer. 'she has to leave now.'
She winced at the word he said. Someone was trying to brainwash him. "You have to go now. They will catch you."
She smiled at his open sincerity towards her "You still care about me, if not, you wouldn't tell me to leave instead of turning me in." She stepped closer to him. "I will return." With that she flew away over the roof top.
The guards came and knelt down at Gin Fei's presence. "Captain, did you see a black shadow cross by here?"
"No." He lied "Maybe you should look around some more." The obeyed and left him alone again.
He sat down on the bench trying to absorb what just happened. 'Who is she?' he wondered over and over. He suddenly grasp his head in pain, the headaches were back for the first time since he lost his memory. "Honey? What are you doing out here." He turned back to see Lee Yan looking at him with concern.
"Nothing, I just wanted to have some peace and quiet. I'll be fine, why don't you go to sleep first?" She smiled warmly and walked over to join him on the marble bench.
"I'll keep you company." Without giving him the chance to refuse, she leaned her head onto his chest. He sighed quietly as he looked at the moon wondering if he should trust that girl.
The next morning, Fa Fa opened here eyes slowly at the bright glow of the sun through the motel room window. She jumped up at the sight of Yu Lin's empty bed. "Where did she go?" she asked herself out loud. The folded note caught her attention, she picked it up and read it. "Oh no." She quickly ran over to Ga Wai's room. "Ga Wai!!!" She banged on his door with such force that it opened up. Inside he was changing his shirt. "Ahh!!" She yelled out as she turned her head.
"Aiya! Couldn't you wait til I change?" He kidded.
"Im sorry! Hurry up, are you done yet?"
"Yes. Now what is it." She slowly turned her head to make sure he was decent. When it was obvious that he was, she held out the note in her hand. He glanced at it. "She's in danger." he said calmly.
"Well?!" he looked at her expressionless. "Aren't we going to do something?" she asked with an exasperated tone.
"What can we do? She might even be dead." She glared at him shocked by his hearless answer. He noticed her look and quickly explained "Look, she went into the Kingdom when the King is being held hostage. Thats already dangerous enough. Now that Chan Gin Fei lost his memory, there's no...."
"What?! Si Hing lost his memory? What's going on? How do you know all this?!" She was shaking, there was too much stuff going on.
He grabbed her shoulders to calm her down. "Fa Fa, my father has been keeping in touch with me all this time. I know what's going on as we speak. Its really too late to do anything about it. The best thing for you is to stay here and after I finish my duty, we can...be together."
Her heart softened at the sound of them being 'together'. Her smiled faded when she thought of Yu Lin. "No, I have to help them. My father would want that." She pushed his hands off her shoulder and began to leave. Fa Fa stood by the door, without turning around she said "If you really care about me, you will help. Im not letting any of my loved ones dying without a fight."
He stared out even after she left 'Im sorry, Ive never disobeyed my father before. I can't start now, he's done so much for me.' If only she knew why he had to do this. After a few minutes he decided to go after her. He couldn't let anything happen to her.
Yu Lin stayed inside the Palace. She hid herself very carefully each time a soldier thought they saw something. Tears covered her eyes as she thought about her encounter with Gin Fei. 'How could he forget me?' She suddenly thought of the King, he's in danger of dying if he doesn't get the proper curing. She tapped the bag she carries with her, it had her needles and simple medicine. There was no time to worry about Gin Fei, she had to save the King.
It was daylight now so the guards can easily see her. She decided to change into a maid's outfit for easy access around the Palace. She stepped out from the maid's room carefully. When the corridor looked clear she moved out with a dish carrying hot tea. She headed towards the King's room. As she walked by a garden she noticed two figures sitting on a bench. When she realized it was Gin Fei and Yan Fee, she couldn't help but stare at them. As if he knew she was nearby, he turned his head to see her staring back at him. 'Why is she still here?' he thought.
Lee Yan finally looked up when she noticed he moved. "What is it?" She saw the maid he was looking at. "What are you doing here?" her voice was commanding as she glared at the girl. "Ive never seen you here" she looked at Yu Lin suspiciously.
"Im new here." Lee Yan didn't seem convinced.
"Actually, I have seen her a few times before. She's a maid." Gin Fei said when he saw that she was in trouble. Lee Yan looked at him not too sure. He smiled at her "Come now, you're not going to punish her because there are so many maids that you can't recognize one, are you?"
She eventually smiled back "Thats true." She turned back glaring at Yu Lin. "Where are you taking that tea?"
Yu Lin thought quickly "Oh, one of the guards said Suet Fee wanted some tea, She ran out of it."
A devious grin crossed Lee Yan's face, she pulled out a tiny white bottle with blue flowers on it and poured it into the tea. "Now go."
"Yes." She curtsied as she glanced at Gin Fei. He dodged her gaze when Lee Yan turned around to face him.
Walking briskly towards the King's room, Yu Lin was still wondering whether or not he knew her real identity or did he see someone that looked like her? She put aside the question as she came upon the guards. "I brought tea for the queen." The guards looked at each other in suspicion "You don't want them to die of thirst do you?"
"Just let her in, what harm can she do?" The other guard nodded and waved her in.
Yu Lin walked inside and poured the tea into a nearby plant. It sizzled at the contact with a live plant. "Poisoned" she wispered.
"Who are you?" Po Po demanded.
"Po Po!" She turned around to show herself.
"Yu..." She covered her mouth quickly. "What are you doing here? What's that you just poured away."
"Its poison. Yan Fee put it in the tea when she saw me in the garden." She noticed the King was opening his eyes at the sound of her voice. Yu Lin came by his side and knelt down. "Im sorry, your majesty. Did I wake you?" Suet Fee was sitting beside the bed, still asleep.
"No, I couldn't sleep anyways. This poison is killing me slowly." Suet Fee opened her eyes at the sound of the King's voice.
"Your majesty, you're awake." She was concerned about him when he didn't sleep the night before.
"Don't worry, this time I came here prepared." She pulled out her needles and layed them out carefully. "Po Po, can you stay guard to see if anyone's coming?"
"Of course" the elder lady walked by the door to listen for any other footsteps.
"I need you to lay on your back." The King did as he was told with the help of his queen. She began her magical work and it continued on for hours. She pulled out her last needle and they heard heavy footsteps outside with a deep voice talking to the guards.
"Its the General!" Po Po whispered.
Yu Lin quickly hid her needles inside her shirt and stood to the side as the General barged through the doors. "Who are you?!" he asked rudely at the young girl.
"She's my maid!" Suet Fee stood up and spoke out strongly when he approached Yu Lin, who knelt down pretending to be afraid of the General.
He ignored Seut Fee and walked over to the King who was exhausted from the acupuncture. "Well, well, well looks like our King is resting for his big day."
"What big day?" Suet Fee asked not wanting to know but knew she had to distract him.
"His death day of course."
She gasp at his response. "How dare you!"
He laughed at the weakness in her voice "Its also the day that you have to hand over the throne." When the King didn't open his eyes, he shook him. "Tell me where the jade royal stamp is!!"
"Stop, he's weak. You'll kill him!!" Suet Fee tried to pull his hand away from the tight grasp he had on the King. He laughed and pushed her to the floor. She cried out in pain as Po Po ran over to help her up.
"I'll kill you next if you don't get out of my way!!" He pulled up his hand ready to hurt her when Ga Wai appeared.
"Father!" The General turned around.
"Ga Wai." His voice was cool, "You've done your job?"
"Thats what I want to talk to you about." The General knew that it must be important so he decided to leave.
"When I come back, you better have the stamp ready! Out of my way!" He yelled at Yu Lin who was still at the same position when he first saw her. Ga Wai glanced at her and looked back again when he recognized her. She looked at him with big eyes, thinking he was going to give her away. Instead he glanced back at the King and shook his head, hinting for her to leave.
In the garden, Fa Fa sneaked her way through the guards and saw that Gin Fei was alone. She decided to try and talk to him. "Who is that?" he asked out when he heard some noise.
"Si Hing, its me! Fa Fa!" She ran over to him smiling broadly.
He stepped back with his guard up. "Who are you. I don't know you."
"Im your Si Mui, how could you forget me? We grew up together with my father, your Si Fu." She looked at his confused look, he didn't look convinced. "Even if you can't remember me, don't you remember Yu Lin Jei?"
There was that name again. Everyone knew her except for him. "What is she to me?" He put his guard down and walked over to the girl. She seemed harmless.
"She's your girlfriend. The girl that you love." she said patiently. She would make him remember if it was the last thing she does.
"How could that be? Im married."
Puzzled, Fa Fa asked "Who's your wife?"
"Her name is Lee Yan." He sounded surprise because if she was his Si Mui, wouldn't she know?
"You're not married, Si Hing. You are in love with Wah Yu Lin. If you don't believe me, ask her brother Siu Lung or the Princess." His face was getting more confused.
"Who are they? I didn't know there was a Princess here."
"Thats because there isn't!" Lee Yan appeared angrily. "How did you get in here!" She pulled Gin Fei away. "Guards get her!" Out of no where appeared about 20 guards as they attacked the defenseless girl. She couldn't fight them by herself. One finally tamed her and she was held back. "Kill her." Lee Yan said wickedly.
"No, who is she and why must she die?" Gin Fei stopped the guards when they were about to obey Lee Yan's command.
"She's lying to you sweetheart. This Wah Yu Lin girl is the person that killed your parents. Her brother and this girl were all involved. They are just trying to brainwash you because they know you have amnesia." Her voice softened as she told him this.
"Si Hing, don't believe her. Ive never seen her in my life!" Fa Fa tried to explain but it seem useless, it was too late.
"Kill her."
"Stop!" Ga Wai appeared with the General. "You can't kill her!" He walked over and pushed the guards away. "You dare touch her, I'll kill you all!"
"Ga Wai, thats enough!" The General walked up and shook his head at his son "Didn't I teach you that women will only bring you trouble? You let love control your life?"
As if his father was correct, Ga Wai held his head down in shame "Im sorry, father. I know I have failed you."
"Well, you know what you must do right?" the General meant to kill her, Ga Wai turned to Fa Fa looking in her eyes.
"If you let him run your life now, you will never be happy." She said quietly trying to change his mind.
"Im sorry, Fa Fa. Guards take her away! She will be punished as those that are in jail!" He turned his back when they took her toward the dungeon.
"Thats a good boy." The
General smiled victoriously as he patted his son on the back. Ga Wai forced a
smile as he watched her being taken away. Gin Fei looked around confused at
everything he just witnessed. Who will ever tell him the truth?
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