Many years ago.
He seldom visits the library. Had he not been sure that Xu Zhi will be here today, he would not have come. Scanning the room, he spots where she is and walks over.
She has dozed off in front of a pile of scrolls and he uses the opportunity to admire her profile. With a curtain of silky black hair framing an unusually fair face, she looks beautiful. But in a palace full of beautiful woman, there is nothing outstanding in that although he appreciates the visual prettiness. “Da Gu Niang.”
She makes a sound without opening her eyes, and he gets a little impatient. “Da Gu Niang? Are you very tired?”
Roused from sleep, she looks at the person in front of her and her expression takes on the same impatient look as his. “Where is Zai Lin? Has His Majesty changed people again?” At his stunned silence, she continues. “What is your name? Here, please help me make a copy this so that I can take it away.” and she pa.s.ses a scroll to him.
It takes several moments for Zhou Wen Wu to get from confusion, to anger, to forced laughter. “Da Gu Niang, are you pretending? Or are you like many others who only has the Crown Prince in your eyes and has forgotten that there is a Second Highness called Zhou Wen Wu?”
Zhou Wen Wu? The teenager in front of her has gentle, angelic features, and if he should decide to cross-dress, he would have made a pretty stunning ‘woman’. Rising, she makes a formal curtsy. “I beg your pardon. Your humble subject Xu Zhi pays her respect to Your Second Highness.”
Zhou Wen Wu brightens and helps her up. “Da Gu Niang need not stand on ceremony. I have long heard of your name and now that I finally meet you in person, I must agree that you are indeed a phoenix among woman. Like what Master Yuan Tu has predicted, Da Gu Niang is going to be someone who will bring great honor to Xi Xuan.”
At her non-committal shrug, he tries to carry on the conversation. “Who is Zai Lin? Which lazy eunuch dares to leave you to your own devices?” His underlying threat to beat up the servant is clear.
“Zai Lin is my a.s.sistant. He is a former n.o.bleman and is someone of no importance, unlike your Highness. According to Master Yuen Tu, he has predicted that first half of your life is going to be wild and glorious while the second half of your life is going to be tragic. Buried in an unnamed hill at death, without the means to afford your own grave.”
Zhou Wen Wu’s eyes turned red as his features twists into a feral snarl. While he knows that everyone has heard of the prophesy by now, she is the first person who dares to repeat it in his face. How dare she! Had she been anybody else, he would have ordered her to be dragged out and beaten to death. But she is Xi Xuan Xu Zhi, the woman who can get away with being rude to his father’s favorite concubine without incurring his wrath, when he cannot do so. Unlike what the servants think, he knows that the b.i.t.c.h murdered his gentle mother but he is forced to act ignorant and this pretense is slowly driving him crazy.
He remembers a time not too long ago when his mother has praised him for being an adorable sweetheart. Where has that thoughtful little boy gone? Since when has became someone whose most common emotion is rage?
At his angry silence, Xu Zhi continues. “Does Second Highness believe in the prophecy?”
Just when he is going to light up like a firecracker, he spots a jade box with exquisite carvings in front of her. Shocked, he recognizes it as the “Top Secret” box that contains all the prophesies of the Princes made by Master Yuan Tu.. “You….”
“Shh, Your Highness.” Xu Zhi places a finger to her lips. “I am merely trying to validate one of my theories. I have known about the prophecies a long time ago if you must know. I was Master Yuan Tu’s a.s.sistant that day when he made his predictions, thanks to special permission from His Majesty. But despite observing him from start to finish, I still do not understand how he can tell someone’s fortune from his or her bones. Are there words or marking on our bones? But from the bones I have seen, I have not seen any….”
“Wait a minute, you mean you have seen the bones of dead people?” The thought is pretty gross but he does not want to appear weak in front of her. He does not know her exact age – they should be around the same age – but she is half a head taller than him and dislikes the feeling of looking up at her. To compensate for feeling inferior, he glowers at her.
She continues as if he has not spoken. “I was the one who recorded Master Yuan Tu’s predictions before placing them inside this box, so you can say that I am fully aware of the box and its contents. His Majesty has sealed the box after reading its contents and allowed no one to open the box thereafter. But when Master Yuan Tu pa.s.sed away 2 years ago, only your prophecy leaked while all the other princes; prophecies remained secret. What a mystery, is it not?”
Zhou Wen Wu’s face is alternating between green and white and he forces himself to smile – ominous as it may be – as he takes a deep breath. “So Da Gu Niang is already aware of what Master Yuan Tu has predicted for all the princes?”
Xu Zhi’s eyes gleam in unholy sparkle. “Zhou Wen Cheng. A blessing to mankind with his sense of justice and high morals.”
That finally sparks him off although he reminds himself that he cannot afford to antagonize Xi Zhi at this point. “What gentleman with high morals!? Is he even fit to talk about morals?”
“Your Second Highness, are you unhappy?”
“Why the h.e.l.l should I be!?”
“Oh, seems that Your Second Highness cannot see beyond the present.” Her expression implies that she is playing music to a cow, with him being the 4-legged animal in question. Although Zhou Wen Wu acknowledges that he has no idea what she is talking about, it does not mean that he has to take it lying down and he challenges her. “Does Da Gu Niang believe in the prophecies?”
“I have no idea.” She smiles impishly. “But I am observing, and will continue to observe till the day I die. Time will tell whether Master Yuan Tu is indeed a divine fortune teller or just a fraudster.”
Why does she keep taking about death when she is so young? Zhou Wen Wu is getting more and more uncomfortable in her company and tries to look for some other topic of conversation. Seeing a drawing beneath the jade box, he gives a start. “Xu Zhi, are you designing a tomb? Who is it for?”
“Mine of course. Whose else could it be?”
In the dead stillness of night, a soft sound alerted a sleeping Zhou Wen Wu to the presence of another person in his room. He is a light sleeper and it is disturbing that he can let a person come this close to him when he is sleeping. His eyes quickly accustom to the dim light and he spots a slender woman near the window. Her face looks distorted – is she wearing his mask? – and it takes him 2 seconds to place her. “Xu Zhi?”
She turns to face him, totally elegant, with nary a hair out of place. How does she manage to look so well groomed in the middle of the night? She calls out a greeting to him and moves to his bed as if she has every right to be there. Is this person really Xu Zhi?
“Ah Wu, do you always sleep while sitting up? When did this habit start? Is it before or after you have started wearing the mask?”
Zhou Wen Wu recalls the last time he saw her that evening which is when Jiang Jiu appeared and piggyback her out of the Yuan Bao Lou, vomit and all.
“Ah Wu?”
“Can you take off that b.l.o.o.d.y mask before you talk?!”
She removes the mask obediently and points to her face. “See, I am really Xu Zhi. You suspicion genes is really overactive. Can you answer my questions now? Did you form this habit only after you have worn this mask?”
“Do you have a habit of appearing in a man’s bedroom in the middle of the night? I take it that the t.i.tle of a “harem’s man” is not just an insult and that you mean it quite literally? Do you really think I am going to sleep with you just because you ordered me to do so? Let me tell you: Stop. Dreaming!”
“Huh? Oh I get it, you are sitting up because you are injured. No wonder I smelt blood. Where are you hurt? Let me get someone to tend to you. You probably have no idea how very important you are to me and you cannot die just yet.”
He grabs her hand as she turns to go. “What do you mean by ‘very important’ to you? Wait, why is your hand so cold?”
“My head hurts but I’m fine.”
He a.s.sumes that she has a fright that evening and dismisses her headache. “Yes, I was injured at Yuan Bao Lou. In the past, I would have a team of Imperials Doctors attending to me if I was injured but now, you expect to get some wretched servant tend to me? Listen up, I got wounded because of you and I want….” Thinking quickly, he hits upon an idea to anger her. “Xi Xuan Xu Zhi to bandage them!”
Xu Zhi spots some medical supplies besides him and marvels at this crazy man who would rather bleed than tend to his wounds himself. She has never bothered to remember people beyond their first name, but she swears that he is one of the few whom she remembers his full name. Full name with adjective. Crazy Zhou Wen Wu.
After a stare-down, Xu Zhi lights a lamp, reaches for a bottle of medical powder, and starts bandaging his wounds, much to his surprise. Just when Zhou Wen Wu is asking himself if the woman in front of him is an imposter, he hears her speak. “I see that you are not really crazy and at least have the sense to sprinkle some medicine on your cuts to stop the bleeding.” She spreads her fingers wide on a wounded spot on his chest which causes him to tense. “Looks like you do not have fever. Has anyone brewed some medicine for you?”
“No.” His reply is a little hoa.r.s.e. “How do you know that people may become feverish after being injured? Usually, this only happens to people with weak const.i.tutions.”
“Hmm? Sometimes, we study knives and other weapons at the School so it is not uncommon to see injuries. But I must say that there really is a big difference when a man gets injured and when a woman gets injured.”
Zhou Wen Wu catches on that she is referring to herself and his face turns as black as the soot-covered bottom of a kitchen wok. Thinking of all the resources that has gone into her protection, he silently fumes at the wasted effort when she goes around happily injuring herself when all the wretched people around her worry for her safety. And it irks him that he is one of those wretched people when he remembers how he has rushed to her when the fight started at Yuan Bao Lou.
He noticed the beads of perspiration on her forehead and wonders what has caused them when she continues. “I am unable to sleep and is thinking of looking for that Yun… somebody.”
“You have slept with that musician?”
Frowning, she tries to understand his question but after running through some possibilities in her head, she concludes that it is not possible to understand the going-ons of a Crazy mind. “I want to ask Yun-somebody something, but then I pa.s.sed by your room and thought to check….” on the mask.
“You want to ask him something? In the middle of the night? Ha! Ha!” She thinks he is a 3-year old? More likely she is lonely and is seeking company. Just when he is about to laugh at her, he registers her honest expression and his anger is slowly replaced with doubt. “Erm, what are you planning to ask him?”
“I want him to sing a Xi Xuan courtship song for me.”
“What?”
She lapses into her thinking mode. “How did he manage to differentiate the emotions in a song? I have been singing to myself the entire evening but I seem to be lacking something. Or someone? Can I try singing a courtship song to you?”
“What?!”
Seeing that he is not resisting, she grasps his hand and starts singing clearly. “My shoulders are broad and st.u.r.dy, my gentleman, are you willing to lean on me? My b.r.e.a.s.t.s are full and rounded, my gentleman, are you willing to touch? My legs are strong as we ride on waves of pleasure, never to part.” Despite the provocative lyrics, her voice is devoid of emotions and is flat like a pancake. “Ah Wu, how is my singing?”
When he only stares at her, she frowns and gets a little impatient. “You also find it strange right?”
“I don’t think that there is anything wrong.” He moistens his dry throat. “Xu Zhi, if you want to sing me a courtship song, why…. why did you not do it before I tried to usurp the throne? If only…..”
“I have not thought about it then you see. This relationship between emotions and songs only hit to me recently. Ah Wu, can you feel the emotions when I sing?”
Zhou Wen Wu can almost feel chill of the imaginary ice water being poured over his head. “So, you are only experimenting with me? For a moment, I thought you have fallen for me!”
She shoots him a queer look. “Zhou Wen Wu, do you think that I’m stupid? Why would I fall for a man who l.u.s.ted after my own sister?”
A bit of wind flew through the gap in the window, causing the lamp to flicker and cast ominous shadows on the floor. After a pregnant pause, he grabs her by the shoulders in a quick movement, and flips her on his bed. Pressing down on her, he kisses her roughly as he reaches a hand to untie the belt at her waist. After a while, he lifts his head and jeers at her. “See, Xu Zhi may be a useless fool, but at least her body is ripe for ravishing. If I can force myself to imagine that you are Xu Da, that is. d.a.m.n you! Why are you the one who is in Xi Xuan?” At her stillness, he bites out. “What is it with you now? Trying to play dead?”
When she was thrown onto the bed, she has raised her hand around her head and she has not changed her position since. At her stillness, the crazed flame in his eyes slowly fades as sanity returns. Pushing himself away, he warns her not to provoke him again when he realize that something is really wrong. “Xu Zhi?”
After a long time, she finally unwraps her hand from her head and pushes herself up. “Nothing, I just had a dizzy spell. Look, I must say that I am quite impressed with your imagination to confuse me with Xu Da but I am not like you. The person I sleep with will be exactly the person I have inside my head. I do not see anything wrong with s.e.x as it is a normal activity between man and woman. If you really want to have s.e.x with me, just tell me straight and I’ll give you the chance. Just take care not to hurt my head in the process because if my head is injured, even 10 of you will not be able to compensate for the loss.”
He laughs at the ludicrousy of her statement and spits out. “I will curse you day and night, day after day. Who are you to make the second half of my life h.e.l.l? To be unable to even afford my own grave? How I wish you were the one who left Xi Xuan all those years ago! Why did you not leave? Why are you the pride of Xi Xuan? Why will your name be honored after your death and not mine!?”
Zhou Wen Wu is surprised that she is not angry – in fact she seems downright happy at his declaration. To make him even more lost in twilight zone, Xu Zhi speaks again. “Ah Wu, I have felt your bone-deep hatred. If I can promise you that you will live to witness my death, will that appease you?” She stares intently at him, her voice cordial. “You hated Zhou Wen Cheng and me so much, that you will do whatever it takes to witness our sorry end right?”
“Yes!”
“I really like your hatred. In fact, if I promise you that you will never even see me in your next life, will that make you even happier?”
“Xu Zhi, I think you are sick. Shall I call a doctor for you?”
She continues as if he has not spoken. “But you must promise me that you will live on. You must witness Zhou Wen Cheng’s ending before you die and then try to find a way to put this information in my tomb. You do not look like the sort who will die young, so long as you don’t suddenly go crazy and do something that will get yourself killed. I like to think that you have a high chance of outliving Zhou Wen Cheng.”
Zhou Wen Wu has given up trying to follow her thought process. In fact, the only question in his mind is: where did this imposter come from? “Xu Zhi, why are you not seeing his ending for yourself?”
Before she can reply, Jiang Jiu appears at the door. “Da Gu Niang?”
Seeing the 2, Jiang Jiu walks in and addresses her gently. “I just pa.s.sed your room and when I saw the half-opened door, I know that you must have gone for a stroll again. Why are you here instead of strolling by your favorite lake? If Da Gu Niang does not wish to return to your room yet, let me accompany you.”
Xu Zhi seems to think that this is a good idea and stands to go. Before she has taken a step, Zhou Wen Wu grabs her hand again. Looking down at him, she sees his chest wound and the loose bandage around him. It is a pretty deep wound, very near the chest, and she is reminded once more that Zhou Wen Wu is truly the # 1 Crazy man in the country.
Before she has a chance to reach for the bandage, Jiang Jiu has stepped forward and taken over. As he deftly wraps up Zhou Wen Wu, he mentally calculates the danger of the crazy man in front of him. According to the constables investigating the fight at Yuan Bao Lou, that there were several badly mutilated bodies found near Xu Zhi and it does not require a genius to guess who is the culprit. This man, Jiang Jiu thinks, is a time bomb and maybe, just maybe he will find a way make him disappear for good just to keep everyone safe.
When he is done, Jiang Jiu starts to lead Xu Zhi away and tells her about the arrival of a famous Wei doctor in town whom he has arranged for her to see the next day. That catches Zhou Wen Wu’s curiosity and he asks Xu Zhi if she is injured.
Thinking that the truth may make him happy and a happy Zhou Wen Wu will continue to hate her pa.s.sionately, Xu Zhi decides to tell him. “It is not an injury, it is more like an incurable disease.” Pointing to her head, she elaborates. “The pain is getting more intense and frequent. Who knows how much longer I can endure this pain? Maybe I will just decide to end my life if it gets too bad. Do you remember the way I protected my head just now? It is because I can no longer afford any more knocks on my head. The headaches are also the reason that I cannot sleep at night.”
The moonlight is not bright enough for her to decipher his expression – not that she is very good about reading people in the first place – but she thinks that he does not look very happy. Perhaps more good news is needed? “I have lost count of the number of Wei doctors who told me that mine is an incurable disease, which is why I am so confidant that you will witness my ending in your lifetime. Perhaps like Yuan Tu, you also have the ability to tell the future since you are so sure that you will witness my ending? Zhou Wen Wu, I am destined to die before you. Does this knowledge makes you a tiny bit happier?”