The Spirit of the Plum Blossom Tree (TSPBT) - 13. Chapter 13

Word of the new Dragon Guard’s arrest seemed to have spread fairly quickly, for there were countless servants, eunuchs, nobles and guards idling around, watching him with matching expressions of disdain and malice. The eunuch didn’t bother to stop them, watching from the steps of the South Palace with a weirdly smug expression.

Hong Shen didn’t bother to mask his anger, glaring at all who dared make eye contact with him. His two escorts weren’t any nicer, dragging him along out of the South Palace and down a new path that branched off the paved one, this one leading towards the west.

The journey did not last long, and after curving around a cluster of bamboo, the path ended before the looming structure of what he presumed to be the West Palace. The colored tiles on the tiered roof gleamed in the early afternoon sun, small stone figures too small to make out perched on the slightly curved edges. The design did not seem as old or weathered as the South Palace, but Hong Shen brushed the thought off. It was most likely one of the later palaces constructed, if not the last.

As he was pulled up the stairs, movement from above drew his gaze, and he paused in shock. A white tiger stood upon the highest roof tier, almost as large as the roof itself, and he wondered how the palace didn’t cave in under its weight. Glowing red eyes the size of his head stared down at him, and as he watched it lay down, its tail hanging idly over the side and flicking back and forth.

Deep within his mind, he felt Suan Ni recoil suddenly, and Hong Shen flinched, causing the guards to notice his hesitation and jerk his chain, the manacles chafing painfully against his wrists. He managed to look up one last time, and found the white tiger had vanished, though a strange prickly feeling on the back of his neck proved he was still being watched by the unnatural creature.

Suan Ni you asshole! What was that all about?! Hong Shen thought furiously, momentarily forgetting his previous wrath at the dragon in favor of getting his question answered.

The dragon only laughed darkly, declining to respond, but his reaction served as enough of an explanation. Anything that could make an arrogant son of the Yellow Dragon Emperor recoil in fear was something to be avoided at all costs.

More spectators lingered around the West Palace, countless eyes trailing the two guards and Hong Shen as he was dragged through the stiff corridors and down a few sets of winding stairs to an underground chamber. Several cells consisting of crudely formed bars and metal doors similar to that of cages lined both sides along the rocky walls, the dim lighting leaving most in darkness. Dried blood marked the uneven ground, and a damp, rotting smell hovered in the air, though to their credit neither of the guards stopped, continuing on to an empty cell at the end of the row.

Steadfastly ignoring the moans and cries of the current prisoners, he focused on the backs of the guards, scowling as they unchained him and all but tossed him into the cage, slamming the rusted door and locking it. Then, after a silent exchange between the two, one stationed himself before the cell and the other left.

Hong Shen rubbed the raw skin of his wrists, scanning what he could see of his new residence. The ground was rough and packed, and the far left corner couldn’t be seen, so he seated himself beside a patch of long dried blood, avoiding the foul smelling puddle of what he assumed to be piss on the way. Whoever had been in here before had only recently vacated, it seemed.

Leaning back against the bars that dug into his back, he sighed in anger and slammed a fist on the ground, half-wondering if this was where his trial ended. Whatever Suan Ni had done during the ceremony had led to this, and he felt a fresh surge of fury at the dragon hiding in his mind. If he was executed because of this, he could never go back to his own time-

Oh, silence your whining. Most of this is your fault, imposter in Guan Hongye’s body.

At Suan Ni’s interruption, Hong Shen ground his teeth together. What bullshit are you saying?

He felt a wave of anger reflected back to him from the dragon, who growled in his mind. If you hadn’t taken Guan Hongye’s place, he would never have shared his heart with another, and we could have completed the contract fully. If you and I had merged as the ceremony intended, you could have used my powers to break out of this meager dungeon.

His words sent a shiver down Hong Shen’s spine, and he refused to imagine what merging with the dragon fully would have entailed. Instead, he hissed out loud, glaring at the opposite side of the cell. If I hadn’t taken Guan Hongye’s place, he would be DEAD! The Imperial family of bastards probably would have taken the torch to his body and held a celebration over his death, and you would never have crawled into the light of day.

His mind went silent, as the dragon likely realized the error in his assumptions. Hong Shen calmed, smirking in satisfaction, when something Suan Ni said clicked. Wait, what do you mean by using your powers? Was this what He Qing was talking about, when he said the Dragon Guards were granted abilities in exchange for giving the dragons physical forms?

Dead? Suan Ni suddenly whispered, though Hong Shen heard it clearly. He felt a slight twinge of annoyance at being ignored yet again, but it was overshadowed by the unexpected sadness emanating from the presence in his mind.

Impossible. Was the self-absorbed dick who prided himself as the ‘dragon of wisdom’ truly feeling sadness over the death of a shamed prince? He laughed mockingly, causing the guard at the door to twitch.

How-

A stinging pain branched from the back of his skull, and he jolted, turning around to find the source. The shirtless form of Guan Yesheng crouched in the adjacent cell, his hand filled with small rocks as he held still so as not to dirty his purple ku. Amber eyes shining with mischief in the faded light met his own as the man held a finger to his grinning lips, quieting the profanities Hong Shen was about to spit.

After checking to make sure the guard wasn’t watching, Guan Yesheng pointed at the left corner he hadn’t bothered to investigate, then used one of the rocks in his hand to draw something in the hard dirt. When he finished, he motioned for him to look, and Hong Shen leaned forward, barely making out the characters: 穴下上到牌坊

Hole. Down and up. Go to the arches.

He looked up at Guan Yesheng, studying him with a frown. Was this a trap? Why was he helping? How did he even get in there, anyways?

The man in question only winked, standing up and shaking out his legs. Picking out another of the rocks in his palm, he squinted, aiming it at the guard’s head, and threw it with frightening speed and precision. The guard immediately turned, staring into Hong Shen’s cell with a hand on his sword, but his attention changed to Guan Yesheng as the man began to wail, clutching the pendant on his chest and stumbling about.

“AAAA, MY HEART!” He began doing some sort of weird seizure thing, shaking uncontrollably. “I’VE BEEN POSSESSED! HELP ME!”

The guard glanced at Hong Shen to make sure he was still there, before stepping over to the other cell, a sigh audible from his helmet. “Stop the nonsense before I come in there.”

Guan Yesheng continued to keen and thrash, and Hong Shen tsked, pushing up from the ground and making his way to the left corner. He would rather go out and die in a trap outside then die rotting with the idiots in the dungeon.

Tripping a couple times over some unforeseen lumps in his path, he made it to the corner, stretching out his hands for any kind of hole. Feeling nothing, he knelt down, inching forward along the ground until his hand reached an open space. Checking over his shoulder, he saw the guard still distracted by Guan Yesheng’s dramatic display, and he wasted no time in scooting to the edge of the hole, taking a deep breath before dropping in.

He thought it would be a short fall, maybe a few inches or so. Instead, he fell about three feet, landing awkwardly on his ankle and twisting it slightly.

“Fuck,” he swore quietly, massaging his ankle until the throbbing returned to normal. Guan Yesheng did say it would go down and then up, likely towards the surface, but just how far underground was he? He had to be at least fifteen feet down by now.

Cursing whoever made this damned escape route, Hong Shen crawled forward into the pitch black tunnel. Gradually the path began to slope upwards, and after a few sharp turns and tight spaces, he saw a sliver of light up ahead. As he drew closer, the sunlight grew brighter, and he reached a small trapdoor, where the light shone from a decent sized hole in the center.

Pushing it loosened some dust that fell down, but it wasn’t budging. In a surge of irritation, Hong Shen put all of his weight behind the next push, and it reluctantly opened, allowing him to scramble out of the narrow tunnel.

He appeared to be in a small pavilion, located on the outskirts of a lotus pond. The pavilion was connected by an elegantly arching bridge to a larger one, which was in turn connected by another bridge to another small one. The largest pavilion appeared to be built upon the land, and the three seemed to form a C shape before the pond filled with green leaves but no flowers.

A frightened sound echoed from behind him, and he turned to see a noblewoman hiding behind a man dressed in violet robes. His face was tanned and stern, with dark eyes possessing sharp intellect and graying hair tied back in a simple knot. A scar crossed his mouth in a jagged line, and he radiated the mature and commanding aura of a general.

“I-isn’t that the Fourth Prince? Shouldn’t he be imprisoned?!” The noblewoman gasped, cowering behind her companion. “Did he just escape?! Quick, call the guards!”

The general, for that’s what Hong Shen assumed he was, observed him for a long moment, tilting his head as though contemplating something. Hong Shen glared at him, allowing the silence to continue for a few more seconds before breaking it. “Where are the arches?”

Straightening his head, the general seemed to weigh his current options, and after a minute passed he closed his eyes, turning to put an arm around the noblewoman. “What do you mean, Liu Anjing? I don’t see anyone.”

Liu Anjing stuttered in disbelief, attempting to look over his shoulder at Hong Shen as the general tried to turn her back to face the lotus pond, choosing to remain silent rather than alert the guards. “Perhaps later today we can go visit the arches. They are behind the South Palace, right?”

“Huh? I mean, yes,” Liu Anjing said, distracted by the general’s ‘oblivious’ question and allowing him to turn her around. Hong Shen stared at his back, utterly confused. By all means, he was prepared to fight the man if he let the guards know of his escape, but instead he was assisted yet again. First Guan Yesheng, now this general.

Shaking his head, he slowly backed away towards the bridge. When he was sure the general wouldn’t change his mind, he turned and ran across to the larger pavilion, ignoring the serene beauty of the architecture and the scenery as he stepped back onto land.

His sense of direction was off due to the twists and turns of the underground tunnel, but the tiered roofs of another palace could be seen ahead now that he was no longer in the restricting pavilion.

Hong Shen spotted a paved path leading in the direction of the palace, but he stayed off it, choosing to run alongside so he wouldn’t immediately be seen. The palace gradually got larger, and he recognized the tall trees and shrubbery on the left side of the entrance, the ones he had memorized whenever he stood on the steps of the South Palace before Guan Hongye’s birthday.

If the arches were behind it, then he needed to go around it. Without missing a step, Hong Shen ran around the left side of the South Palace, hidden in the shadow of the trees.

He knew the Diao Hua Yuan was over here, but this time he could care less. If the First Consort was there, and she tried to stop him, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t kill her outright in his quest for survival.

Unless, of course, this whole event was an elaborate trap set up by the Imperial family, and he was playing right into their hands.

Leaping over a small bush, he found himself out from beneath the shade, bathed in the late afternoon sunlight. Several varieties of flowers in all colors, shapes and sizes bloomed in a wide expanse before him, a small stream running over a rocky bed that curved in intricate swirls throughout the garden. A thin dirt path weaved in and out of sight, trodden by several dainty feet over the years, but now was occupied by servants that tended to the plants at various points within what Hong Shen saw to be the Diao Hua Yuan.

Slowing down, he paid no mind to the flowers being crushed beneath his feet, attempting to be quieter so the bustling servants would not notice him. Unfortunately, a young girl happened to turn just as he stepped, meeting his eyes as her own widened in shock and fear. Clutching the dirtied front of her working robes, she gave a shrill scream, drawing the immediate attention of the other few in the garden.

“Damn it all,” he snapped as he cast aside all pretense of silence, dashing through the exotic plants and pushing aside any servants who got in his way without mercy. With the girl’s ridiculous noise-making, any nearby guards would be after him soon, if they weren’t already.

Rounding a magnolia tree, Hong Shen reached the end of the Diao Hua Yuan, which also ended at the edge of the South Palace, it seemed. Up ahead, he saw two immense arches within the large outer wall surrounding the Imperial Complex, formed of elaborate carvings that grew clearer as he got closer.

Unfortunately, the shouts and yells of guards running behind him also grew louder as they caught up, barely ten feet away. Hong Shen sent a cursory glance over his shoulder, eyes widening as he panted, putting on a burst of speed. How were they so fast, they were in armor for hell’s sake!

“Close the gates! Don’t let the Fourth Prince escape!” The calls behind him were answered by the guards stationed ahead at the arches, and Hong Shen saw them spring into action. Two wrought iron gates began descending from the ivory structures before him, lowered by guards turning the levers on each side of the metal frames.

Now would be a great time for Suan Ni’s supposed powers, he thought bitterly, and in a moment of perfect clarity he realized he was not going to make it under the gates in time.

Something whistled past his ear, and a flash of white flew by, burying itself in the lower back of one of the guards turning the levers. Without a sound, he crumpled to the ground, halting the descent of the leftmost gate.

His pursuers suddenly cried out, and Hong Shen skid to a stop, breathing heavily as he looked to see what was happening. His gaze roamed around the scattering and pointing guards, before his focus caught on a figure standing upon the tiered roof of the South Palace, notching another arrow to her bow.

Guan Shuilian’s form was small, but her blue changpao identified her as she raised her weapon, taking aim. She looked like an avenging immortal, her arms steady as she let loose the next arrow, but its target wasn’t Hong Shen; it was the guards.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times like a dying fish, but no words escaped. Everything he thought he knew, all the information he thought he had presumed correctly just got burnt to ashes as he watched the oldest princess of the Empire protect the shamed little brother she should have hated. At that moment, he didn’t see Guan Shuilian on the roof.

He saw Wang Jin, aiming the pistol in her hand down at the scum on the street below, a fierce passion in her eyes as she shouted for Wang Lei and Hong Shen to run…

“GUAN HONGYE!” The hoarse shout dragged him out of his memories as someone tugged his arm. Slowly turning his head, Hong Shen looked blankly as Guan Yesheng pulled him towards the half-open gate, breaking them into a run as the guards attempted to shut it again. A strange wheezing sound came from the man’s mouth, blood dripping behind them as it gushed from wounds on his neck and on his back.

Hong Shen performed the motions without really paying attention, still in shock. Could it be this really wasn’t a trap, and Guan Hongye’s siblings were genuinely helping him escape?

At three feet away from the leftmost gate, Guan Yesheng shoved him towards it, grappling with the guard trying to turn the lever. “Go, gege!”

Standing still, Hong Shen didn’t move, until Suan Ni barked in his mind. Wake up, fool! Stop loitering like a broken doll and move!

Suan Ni’s deep voice jolted Hong Shen from his thoughts, and he dropped to his knees, scrambling under the iron gate right before the remaining guards in pursuit converged on the arch.

Once Guan Yesheng saw that he was on the other side, he pushed the guard he was wrestling with away and finished lowering the gate, preventing the guards from following him. Hong Shen finally managed to summon words, gripping the wrought iron. “You idiot! What…”

Guan Yesheng looked past Hong Shen as he was pulled away from the lever. “Shishi, sorry.” A small smile stretched his lips, revealing his bloody teeth. “Go on, get away.”

A rough grasp yanked him away from the gate, tugging him up to his feet. Guan Shixin, dressed in a dark cloak with his usual cold gaze, turned Hong Shen around and shoved him towards a saddled horse, where Zi Sheng Shou was lying on the back of the animal like a sack of potatoes, clearly unconscious.

“Get on it,” Guan Shixin said sharply, swinging onto his own steed next to it. Hong Shen barely managed to get onto his own, almost kicking the comatose doctor in the face in the process. The movement seemed familiar to his body, but he had never ridden horses in present times, meaning it must have been Guan Hongye’s muscle memory.

He only just managed to grab onto the saddle before Guan Shixin grabbed the reins of his horse, sending them off in a trot down the well trodden path outside the walls of the Imperial Complex.

Several questions hovered on the tip of his tongue, but he tactfully remained silent, waving away the hair that got in his face in the sudden breeze. Hong Shen glanced back only once, noticing Guan Shixin rubbing furiously at his eyes as the angry shouts of the imperial guards echoed through the arches behind them.