[Shi Han Jun]
In a dim corner of the imperial palace, a young man knelt. His head was bowed. He wore a white robe with long black hair flowing down his back. Around him, was overturned furniture of wooden tables, chairs, and dusty cabinets. Cobwebs clung onto the furniture accompanied with layers of dust. Curtains fell forlorn and faded in the room. The wind howled ferociously. The room creaked as gusts of wind battered it. Indeed, the cracks in the room allowed wind to pass through, and allowed spiles of snow to make their homes in the room.

The figure didn't seem to notice. His eyes were drawn to a piece of wood that stood vertically. On it, a vertical name was written: 岳阳. The figure had a tin basin in front of him. At the present, he put a piece of paper in it and let the paper catch fire. "Huang Hou Yue Yang, it's been 24 years since you passed away. Except for me, everyone has moved on, but I will never forget your kindness. You tried to stand up for me when no one would. Rest assured. I will find your son, and I will restore him to his rightful place." He slipped another piece of paper into the metal basin. He sat a while longer before he stood up and headed out.

By now the worst of the snow storm had passed and was replaced by soft falling of snow. He carefully made his way back to his quarters, careful to not let anyone see him. When he reached his quarters, he quickly opened the doors and slipped in. The warmth comforted him. Before he could move further into his room, he heard footsteps and glanced up. It was his loyal servant, Wei Mian Feng.

Upon seeing him, Wei Mian Feng frowned. "You went to see her again, didn't you?"

The man merely replied, "Mmm."

"You know that your father would punish you severely if he found out you still went to see her and remember her."

"And so what? She saved me when I was younger. This is the least I can do. If it weren't for me..." his voice trailed off. After a minute, he said, "Anyway, why are you here?"

"I have found news of a boy who has a lotus petal on his arm. But..."

"But what?"

"It seems as if he accidently burned himself."

"What do you mean?"

"The reports say that there was a scar on top of the lotus petal, so it looks deformed."

"Hmmm," Han Jun said. "Do you know where he was spotted?"

"He was spotted in the small town at the other side of the mountain range. In the small town where a lot of refugees are coming through."

"I know, take your leave," Han Jun said as he was taking off his coat. Seeing that Mian Feng didn't do as ordered, he asked, "You have anything else you want to say?"

"Oh, Third Prince, the Emperor wants to meet you," Wei Mian Feng said as he held up his arms, made his fingertips touch, and bowed again.

It's so late already. What urgent matter has caused Father to summon me? Han Jun wondered. "Did Fu Huang say anything else?"

"Nothing, Third Prince. But I'm guessing it was really important because he met with Bai Li just now."

Han Jun sighed. "If that's the case, I had better get ready. Tell him I'm on my way," he said as he stood up.

"Yes Third Prince," Wei Mian Feng said as he exited the room.

Father wants to see me? What important matter does he have that he must meet me now? Han Jun wondered. Quickly changing to other clothing, he put on an extra black fur coat and strode to the mirror. He patted his sleeves. I should be warm enough. It was winter all year round and especially at night, the temperatures would drop below freezing.

Standing in front of the two doors that led him to the outside world, he took a deep breath and breathe out slowly. Then bracing himself for the cold, he slid the two doors apart. A wall of chilly night air hit his face and immediately snatched all the warmth from his face. After sliding the doors closed, he set out.

Flurries were still falling gently. After a few minutes, however, the snow stopped and the stormy clouds had moved on, allowing the moon to shine its face on the huge spacious courtyard. The landscape was basked in an endless sea of white. The moon's light bounced off the snow, making it appear as bright as day. Han Jun carefully made his way through the courtyard, careful to not walk into very deep snow, though it was an impossible task. As he made his way across the courtyard, the wind once again picked up, howling in the night. Han Jun tightly wrapped his fur coat around himself.

Having crossed the enormous courtyard, he navigated his way through an intricate web of routes the palace had. After a bit, he finally arrived at the front of his father's study room. He peered through the crack of the slightly ajar door. His father was hunched over the table as he wrote diligently on a piece of paper. Though his father was only in his early forties, to Han Jun, Father suddenly looked very old and seemed to be carrying some great burden which weighed on his body and mind. The candle light showed a stern and determined face as he wrote eloquently with a brush. For a moment, Han Jun just stood there admiring Father. Rarely was he ever able to see this side of Father. To everyone else, his father was a stern, strong emperor who ruled the nation justly. No one would have ever guessed that the emperor had his weak moments because in their eyes, the emperor was ordained by God, so how could he be imperfect?

Suddenly, a gust of wind swung open the door and banged it against the wall. Han Jun found himself fully exposed.

Startled by the loud bang, the Emperor glanced up and upon seeing Han Jun, he beckoned him in, "Hello my son. How long have you been standing there?"

Han Jun coughed uncomfortably then walked into the room. Stopping in front of his father, he brought his hands to his chest, made his fingers touch, and bowed. " Jiàn Fu Huang. Greetings Father. I had just arrived and was about to knock when the wind suddenly blew open the door. Forgive me for startling you."

"Oh. I see. Miǎn lǐ." Drop the formalities.

Han Jun straightened. The Emperor's personal eunuch closed the door.

"You are wet, my son," he commented.

"Oh, well, I just walked over here from my quarters."

"Walked? Why would you do that? Have they been mistreating you, my son?" The Emperor asked, concerned in his eyes.

"Oh, no, no. I just wanted to enjoy this lovely evening at night."

"Well, Zhen heard that it was snowing earlier today. You didn't get too awfully wet did you? You won't get sick will you?" Han Jun noticed the Emperor eyeing his coat suspiciously.

"Oh, thank you for your concern, but Er Chen will be fine. It's just a bit of dampness," Han Jun patted his coat.

"That's good to hear," the Emperor strode over to a shorter marble table to Han Jun's left. He knelt on the ground and then sat on the back of his legs. "Come, join me," he said as he spread his hand across a chess board. Han Jun obeyed and walked to the cushion placed near the table. He brushed his palm across the cushion as if to dust it off. After he was seated, the Emperor asked, "Would you like to go first, my son?"

Han Jun took out a white piece of silk cloth and wiped the black container. He then placed the cloth flat on his open palm and took a piece out from the container and rubbed it on the cloth. Afterwards, he smiled and placed his piece in the middle of the board.

"Ahhh, Han Jun, you always start with the same move. Perhaps try changing it up a bit? Your habits might give you away someday," the Emperor said as he used two fingers to pick up a round white piece. He placed it delicately on the board diagonal from Shi Han Jun's piece.

"Hmmm," Han Jun said as he picked up his next piece, put it on the cloth, and thought about his next move. He placed it right across from the Emperor's piece.

"Ha! That was a good move, but not good enough," the Emperor said as he placed the piece to the left of where Han Jun had placed his last piece. And just like that, they put piece after piece as they tried to outdo each other. Soon, the board was filled with black and white pieces.

It was the Emperor's turn.

"Well? Aren't you going to put down a piece?" Han Jun asked as the Emperor fidgeted with the white piece in his hand.

After a moment, he threw the piece into its container and exclaimed, "Good! Very good! You were indeed taught by me! You used a predictable pattern of putting pieces down to make Zhen think he knew what you were going to do. Then you started to put the pieces down randomly and confused Zhen. Very well played, Han Jun!"

"Fu Huang! We both know you just let me win."

"That's not true. Zhen was doing his best to beat you!"

They cleared the board and the Emperor took a jade cup and poured himself a cup of tea. "Drink tea," he said as he placed one cup in front of Han Jun. Using the white piece of silk cloth, Shi Han Jun wiped the rim of the cup. Then he wiped the handle of the teapot and then the whole surface of the teapot. Finally satisfied, he poured some tea into the jade cup. He lifted the cup to his lips, and took a sip. Setting the cup down, Han Jun broke the silence, "Why did you call me tonight? Is Jing Chun alright?"

The Emperor set his cup down and chuckled. "Han Jun, you are always worried about your brother. Don't worry, he's fine."

There was a confused look on Han Jun's face.

The emperor sighed. "Zhen has a very important task Zhen needs you to do."

Han Jun stood up and bowed, replying, "It is my honor to accept any command you have for me. I will do whatever you order, Fu Huang."

"That is my good son. Han Jun, I want you to know that the task Zhen is about to give you is really important." There was a slight pause as the Emperor waited for a response. When none was given, he continued. "As you know, your oldest brother is in the south, quelling a rebellion and Wen Yi is sickly and can't go out of the palace often. I can only trust you with this task."

There was another pause. Then he said, "I am sure you've heard rumors of the reappearance of Yan Gu. It is said that a mysterious sect that goes by the name Huang Feng, has the Yan Gu and is searching for the other pieces. My son, I want you to investigate this mysterious sect and the rumors, and if they are true, I want you to find a way to take the Yan Gu."

"Fu Huang, I have never known you to be someone who cared about rumors such as these. Why is it so important to investigate this rumor? What exactly is the Yan Gu and why does this mysterious sect want it and the other pieces so badly?"

"My son, it's about time you know. The Yan Gu is part of a bigger treasure known as the Wu Bian Wu Ji. If one opens it, it will enable a person to rule the world. However, in order to open the Wu Bian Wu Ji, you need to have four pieces: Sui Shou, Dan Wen, Xue Lu, and Yan Gu."

"Fu Huang, if opening up the Wu Bian Wu Ji is as simple as finding all four pieces, then why didn't someone try to open it earlier?"

"Many have and as a result, Jiang Hu was thrown into chaos as different sects fought each other for the pieces. The bloodshed would have continued if the Yan Gu didn't suddenly disappear."

"Ahhhh, I see what you're worried about. You're worried that with the resurfacing of the Yan Gu, Jiang Hu will once again be thrown into turmoil and bloodshed."

The Emperor nodded. "That is one of the reasons. The other reason is, many only know that the Wu Bian Wu Ji is a great treasure, but they don't know that if they open up the Wu Bian Wu Ji, they also release a beast that could wreak more havoc in Jiang Hu and destroy the world as we know it."

"So you want me to find out if the rumor is true and take the Yan Gu. Fu Huang, are you hoping if we take it, we can avoid the chaos that it may lead to?"

"Yes, my son."

"But what about the other pieces? What if someone has all three pieces and is just waiting for us to find the last one?"

"This is why the mission is so important. As long as we get the Yan Gu first, no one will be able to open the treasure at all. As long as one of the pieces is missing, they can't open it."

Han Jun sat back and crossed his arms as his brows furrowed. "I understand."

"Indeed. My son, if you complete this mission well, I will reward you well."

"Fu Huang, I don't need a reward, I only wish for peace on earth," Han Jun bowed.

The emperor chuckled. "You have a big heart. If you complete this mission, you will ensure that peace will reign."

"Er Chen míng bái. I will make sure to complete the task you've given me," Han Jun said as he straightened and let his arms drop to his side.

There was a brief pause.

"Well, it's getting late, Fu Huang, and I have to set out tomorrow. Er Chen xiān gào tuì. I will take my leave," Han Jun said as he got up, stuck his arms out, and made his finger tips touch. He bowed one last time.

"Alright, Zhen is tired too. If you have any news, remember to update me by using a messenger pigeon. Wei Mian Feng knows where the royal pigeon stations are located. You can also take a couple of pigeons for your trip just in case. Stay safe, my son. Jiang Hu is very dangerous, so be careful," the Emperor said as he leaned against the table, his right arm supporting his head, and closed his eyes.

"Yes, Fu Huang. Er Chen gào tuì," Shi Han Jun said as he backed out of the room and returned to his own.

Finally, I can get out of this palace and search for Empress Yue Yang's child. He thought as he drifted off to sleep.

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Miǎn lǐ (免礼）：this is used by superiors to tell people below them to forgo fomalities

jiàn(见）:to meet, a polite way to acknowledge and greet someone and is not tied to societal position

Fu Huang (父皇）: it's how a Prince addresses the emperor by acknowledging the king is both is father (父) and emperor (皇）

Míng bái(明白）：to understand

Er Chen (儿臣）:prince's way to address himself while also acknowledging he is the son of the emperor as he speaks to the emperor

xiān (先）:will first

Gào tuì (告退）:take his leave