Episode 1: Taste of Freedon

"No, Mother. I'm afraid I can't." Yu Cheng said seriously, pushing the morning report card to a corner of his desk.

"Do you even have the right to say that?" Lui Yang, the Empress Dowager scoffed at his face as she approached him.

She was wearing long majestic robes of different colors, her hair was filled with gold, silver, and jade hairpins, aside from her fitted crown.

"This is what we want, and you must accept it." She urged him, having no respect even though he was the Emperor.

"But I already sent relief funds last month! If we keep doing this, the royal treasury will be empty." He complained, rubbing his forehead.

He sat on his throne, his table was filled with red report cards that had been submitted by ministers. Each of them had one complaint or the other which was his responsibility to deal with. His long black hair was gathered into a silver clip which held everything in and gave him a charming face, the beads that were fixed on the crown danced in his face.

"That is also why you must increase the tax!" She snapped him out of his thought.

"Mother, we can't keep doing this." He groaned in dissatisfaction.

The fact that his mother didn't give him the right to anything and always controlled him was slowly pissing him off.

Aside from the eunuch and the Dowager's personal servant, there was no one else in the meeting hall. It was very large with no chairs, since everyone was meant to stand throughout the morning meeting except the Emperor.

"Someone!" Her voice evaded the entire room and the eunuch approached the Emperor with his head bowed.

"Send the Emperor back to his chamber." She instructed the eunuch seriously, turning away from Yu Cheng.

"Mother!" He secretly squeezed a corner of the report card.

"Your Majesty…" The eunuch urged him courteously because he knew what would happen next if the Emperor didn't leave with him.

Seeing that his begging was meaningless, he sighed and stormed out of the meeting hall while the eunuch followed him from behind.

She flicked her hand in the air and her personal maid walked up to her with her head bowed.

"Have you heard from him?" She mumbled, advancing towards Yu Cheng's long wooden table.

"No news yet. The dove hasn't returned." The maid said.

She took a last look at the report card that her subordinate had earlier submitted, a cold smirk rested on her lips as she took the Emperor's stamp and pressed on it.

The Wen Dynasty was one of the most flourishing dynasties. They are known for farming and raising crops, though the corrupt ministers indulge in slavery and human trafficking. They had the best horses, porcelain, and warriors.

In the Rong Mansion, Hua rushed into the yard with her mother. She was finally allowed to step out of the family mansion after so many years. They fulfilled their promise by allowing her out as soon as she celebrated her eighteenth birthday. She didn't know why her parents restricted her movement but felt it was for her safety.

She had no close friend or cousins, she lived alone with her parents and servants but fancied none. News spread like wildfire about Hua, which made it "extremely" impossible to make friends.

During her birth, her father, who was the best warrior in the Wen Dynasty, lost a battle that caused them casualties but was compensated by the Emperor with a good title because of his good service, and a burning phoenix rested on the roof of the Rongs'. These signs made people feel she was an evil child and meant to bring doom to her family. All parents in the Wen Dynasty warned their children never to befriend Hua.

"Mother, thank you so much for bringing me out. I didn't know the city was so beautiful and full of life." Hua gasped happily.

"You don't need to be courteous. From now on, you can freely leave the mansion." Her mother patted her hair.

As they strolled into the street, people started closing their shops and running away. Hua and her mother thought something was wrong, so they had to turn around, but nothing was happening.

"What…?" Madam Rong didn't finish her statement when the seller closed his shop.

"Mum, what's happening?" Hua sadly tugged her mother's robe.

"It's fine dear." Her mother assured her with a warm smile.

They kept on moving from one shade to another.

"Go away! Do you want to bring bad luck to my business?" The bun seller yelled at their faces in disgust.

"Bad luck?" Madam Rong batted her dissatisfied lashes at him. He shooed her away.

"Mum, no one wants to sell something to us." She said dolefully.

"It's fine, I will send the servants to fetch us something." Madam Rong said.

"But…" Her eyes wandered the entire street as before it was bustling, but suddenly it turned to a graveyard. "Nothing is happening here. I wanted to have fun as other kids do and eat Osmanthus cake made by someone else." She mumbled sadly as her eyes started gathering tears.

"How about we do something?" Her mother faced her with a bright smile on her face.

"What's that?" She questioned with anxiety lancing in her eyes.

Her two plaited long hair rested on her chest, while the breeze controlled her light blue robe.

"This will make us not look different in their eyes." Her mother said while tying a weaved nose mask. It was somewhat transparent and covered some parts of her face.

"Thank you!" She kissed her mother happily on the cheek and jogged deeper into the street.

The other part of the city wasn't affected or had an idea that she was outside, thus they did their business freely while she enjoyed the activities and ate Osmanthus.

"Sugar figurines!" Someone would doubt she was an adult because of the way she behaved, but it was not her fault as she wanted to taste everything that she had missed all through her childhood.

The hot sun rested in the eastern part of the Palace, it was a very big landscaped duplex building with a few flowers around it. There was a nameplate at the front of the mansion which had "Emperor's Palace".

Every piece of furniture was made of smooth oak brown wood, there were several shelves with numerous scrolls, ink and stone, and golden and white fabrics used to demarcate the bedroom chamber and other parts.

Yu Cheng paced in the center of his room as he turned the tea from the small jade kettle into the small porcelain cup. He gulped it forcefully and exhaled sharply.

Soon Yuwen Yu, the Emperor's trusted bodyguard, rushed into the room and bowed.

"Your Majesty," Yuwen Yu began, and he didn't obstruct him.

"Our letter was hindered." Yuwen Yu announced to him bluntly and his jaw dropped.

"Again?" He almost gasped as he stared at Yuwen Yu, feeling hopeless.

"Your Majesty, what should we do next?" Yuwen Yu asked courteously after looking at him for a long time and getting no response.

"We have to keep them busy for a while." He rubbed his chin. "Let's lie low for now." He figured, not content with his decision though, and Yuwen Yu bowed.