Have you ever been to the shangyuan festival, Fen? 7 year old Ziteng was curious about the outside world as her world only included the palace where she was born.”Your Imperial Highness, Fen has only once gone to Shangyuan with the Late Empress”."

Please, do not concern yourself with it, Your Highness”

Ziteng, the 6th Grand Imperial Princess of the Yong Dynasty was the only princess out of the 7 siblings. She possessed great spiritual energy and could summon the greatest spirits: the twin dragon, the phoenix, and the fox. She was known as the “Gongzhu zhianshi” during the war while in the palace she was the “Princess of Virtue”.

Year 235 of the Mighty Yong Dynasty

A feast was celebrated in honor of the victorious soldiers who came back from the border; victorious. Princess Ziteng, now 18 year old was invited for the first time in a public event as the Grand Imperial princess. No one knew she was the Gongzhu Zhianshi and she had successfully hidden her identity as Ziteng. Except the general public,a few who knew her, were the Emperor and Fen, Crown Princess of the Yong Dynasty.

“Oh, isn’t she our little princess” "she has grown to be quite a beauty, right 4th brother?”

“Greetings, your Excellency”

“Prince Chen, I think we should hurry since father is in a good mood. It would be better if we don’t keep him waiting. Since our dear princess is already late.” (Underestimates)

Itch...why I had to run towards them when I’m in a bad mood. Being invited was enough courtesy but to attend it…I’m already feeling sick.

“Then, Ziteng will be on her way to the banquet”. (Polite bow)

She was wearing a bright purple silk pien fu with a beautiful headdress with amethyst embedded. The embroidery on her soft silk pien fu was so mesmerizing that the all the palace guards and nobles whom she came across were amazed. The unique color was still unknown to the palace and the state.

She rushed towards the banquet hall with her two trusted maids, Yi and Xi’ai.

“I might get scolded by my father again”

“My lady, it’s better to hurry fast”.

They reached the Banquet hall.

The banquet was noisy and loud. The bands were playing music and the court dancers were dancing gracefully. The emperor was sitting on his dragon throne, the Grand Empress Dowager beside him. The Ministers, Generals, soldiers and the princes along with their wives were present.

(Inside the Banquet hall)

"Your Majesty, it was all thanks to the Gongzhu Zhianshi, if she wasn't there, we would've lost."

"Is it so? I'm impressed"

Her Highness, the Grand Imperial Princess of Virtue of the Yong Dynasty!

Here she comes!

The eunuch cried out!

Everyone was curious to know the princess. She was known to be a beauty and was almost the talk of the town. She entered the hall

" No way, she is the Gongzhu Zhianshi."

Everyone was shocked to know the real identity of the princess.

“Greetings to His majesty, Long live the emperor”

“Please forgive me as I was late to the banquet”.

“Today is an auspicious day, be seated and enjoy”.

“Thank you, your majesty”.

The audience was awestruck to see the princess.

Ziteng saying no word decides to ignore all the people in the hall and sits down.

“Everyone’s enjoying the banquet, it seems.”

”My presence was not even needed”

“My Lady…Don’t say that… Yi say something...hurry!”

“Well, my lady, you do have your presence, you will be the talk of town and the women will be copying your style”

“You’re right”

(chuckles).

I can’t wait to see for myself. It’s going to be wonderful (dark aura engulfs the hall)

The guests couldn't see her dark aura. Even so if it becomes uncontrollable, they might get caught in and get consumed by her enourmous dark powers.

“Your Highness, please control yourself, there are many eyes and ears in the hall”

Ziteng regains consciousness.

“Ah I must have been out of my mind”.

"Thank you, Yi, Xi'an."

Let’s leave.

“Your majesty, Ziteng would like to excuse as she is not feeling well”.

The emperor noticed her aura and lets her leave.

“Very well then! Call a physician if required”

“Yes, your majesty. Thank you.” (Bows Politely and leaves)

"The Emperor noticed it too"

"Yes, milady."

( Sighs)

"While at that, Xi'an could you send a message to father about the reports of the war? He might want to hear directly from me."

"Yes, Your Higness. After all, The Emperor has sent you to the war to observe but yet you used your powers there"

"If i hadn't use, we might have lost the war."

Unbeknownst, the onset of changes started taking place…

Shortly, after the banquet, some events started taking place. The emperor became sick and was on his sickbed. The Crown Prince soon took charges but the imperial harem was in turmoil.

(Inside the palace)

“I CANNOT ACCEPT THIS! MY LORD”

”The Crown Princess is no one but a mere person with a noble title. She was a child of a tribe which is now extinct, thus giving her the Phoenix seal is an insult to the noble consorts”.

The Crown Prince couldn’t protect her consort and had to take away the seal from her hands.

“Right now, if status matters then the person above the Crown Princess would be the Grand Imperial Princess”

”I shall give the seal to her. No one shall defy my order”

News does travel fast and shortly after the Crown Prince’s orders, Ziteng was informed.

“What do you say, My Lady?”

“It is very interesting to see that my brother would give me the phoenix seal, knowing about my powers.”

“What….The Crown Prince knows?”

“It is just a guess; everyone in the palace would ignore me for being quiet and weak. They would normally stay away from me”

(Sighs)

“But I like it this way; I have you two, Fen and my familiars”

Ziteng, the eighteen year old princess was given the charge of handling the palace.

Under her rule the palace was much more peaceful as she was the highest ranking noble in the harem.

Concubines dare not say anything to upset her as they were informed that she was the Gongzhu Zhianshi. No one would even dare to oppose her.

At first they were startled for the Crown Prince to give her such a privilege position.

But as the days pass, they began to accept her as the head of the harem.

"Isn't Her Highness a capable person?"

"Yes, it seems like that. I heard that she was educated equally like her brothers, even sword fighting"

"If she was so capable then why did she had to hide it from her brothers.."

"It must be probably about the succession of the throne"

"Hushh we are not allowed to talk about that"

(On the rooftop) A disguise man was eavesdropping on them.

"A battle for the throne..huh?"

(laughs rudely)

YEAR 236 of the Yong Calendar

 The beginning of spring and news circulated that the Emperor passed away.

The palace was decorated with white ribbons for mourning. A mourning procession was held in the kingdom.

“His Majesty, The Emperor was a wise ruler!” shouted by a villager and then was followed by the crowd. The agony cries could be even heard in the palace.

Though the palace was in a state of mourning, there lay huge responsibility on the current Crown Prince. A general meeting was held on the sudden rebels taking place in isolated villages along the borders.

“Your Excellency, I suggest that before your coronation, you must go for an expedition. Right now, it is high time to earn the people’s trust. ” One minister spoke. He was a trusted noble too during the Emperor’s rule.

“I was thinking of visiting and I entrust the palace affairs to my siblings.”

 The cavalry and the Crown Prince set off on the expedition after a week.

Ziteng took charge of internal affairs of the court.

Soon after some few days,

“I should go visit Fen, it’s been days since the last time I visited her. The last time I saw her was at the banquet” saying shyly to her maids.

She reached the palace of Tranquility. The palace looks so dark, it seems like no one visits here.

“Yi, Xi’ai…stay here and guard the entrance”

“YES!”

Ziteng enters the palace and looks for Fen,

“Fen? Where are you?”

She sees Fen’s shadow and goes towards the balcony.

“There you are, I was looking for you the whole ti…”

Ziteng suddenly met with horror. She saw Fen standing on the rails of the Balcony.

"NOOOOOOOOOO! FEN, Get down!"

“You came at a bad time. It was today I dismissed all my maids to have some alone time.”

“Princess…please live freely…and when the time comes, go with him…this is my only wish”

And then she departed from this world.

Ziteng was shocked and couldn’t move at all. She fell down to her knees and tears started rolling down to her cheeks.

A few minutes later, the maids gathered around the Crown Princess’s body.

Ziteng, still traumatized, calls out to her familiar.

 “Phoenix! I need you. You can heal Fen’s body, right” Her voice wasn’t even clear and her continuous weeping made her throat dry out.

“Your highness, your mind is not in a state of calmness, you won’t be able to control me and you shouldn’t use your powers here”

 “THEN TELL ME! AREN’T YOU ARE MY GUARDIAN! WHAT I SHOULD DO?”

The Phoenix said nothing and made her put to sleep.

 A week has passed after the death of the Crown Princess.

Ziteng, still depressed, tried to find out the cause of her death. She had to find it but how?

She fabricated it as an attempt of murder by a jealous concubine of the Crown Prince. The concubine was a lover of the current Prince. If the Crown Prince were to be crowned, she would’ve become the Empress. So, she decided to poison the concubine as the Head of the Harem should do.

 Secretly she sent the message to the Crown Prince that the concubine had been dealt with and the Crown Princess passed away as a result.