温故而知新 (wēn gùér zhī xīn) - review the past, learn something new; i.e. reflect on history to understand the present.

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“Do you have something to say, Shu Kui?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Really? I was so certain you wanted to say something/ Perhaps my ability to judge people is worse than I thought.”

“Not at all, Your Majesty. I am simply very skilled at the art of misdirection.”

“Is that so?”

“It is so, Your Majesty.”

“Shu Kui. What if I order you to tell me what it is that you're thinking about?”

“... Why are you doing this, Your Majesty?”

“Just tell me you think I'm crazy.”

“You're not crazy, Your Majesty.”

“That's not what your expression is saying.”

“Why don't you just tell me what I'm thinking?” Shu Kui said tartly, making Zéyì laugh.

“There it is! Yes, I'm crazy, Shu Kui. Will you assist me in my madness?”

“Your Majesty, you have only just taken the throne. You need to consolidate your power before running away into the wilderness with Lady Gong.”

Zéyì collapsed into uncontrollable giggles.

“Your Majesty, your eyes are turning very white.”

“Ah, thanks for warning me.” Zéyì breathed deep, letting her energy calm and circulate through her dantian.

They were sat in the anteroom off the throne room now, waiting for for Cheng Guk Lung. He soon appeared at the door, behind Gong Lau Yan, who gave Zéyì a small smile.

“Good, we're all here. Let's begin. Cheng Guk Lung?”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“How would you like to be Regent of Chun for a bit?”

Careless of etiquette, Cheng Guk Lung stared at Zéyì. She smiled back.

“... Your Majesty, have you lost your sanity?”

“See, Shu Kui, that is the correct response.”

“I'll keep that in mind for next time, Your Majesty” Shu Kui said drily.

“I'm thinking of accompanying Lady Gong on a diplomatic mission, so I need someone to manage matters while I'm gone.”

“So why me, Your Majesty?”

“Because Shu Kui won't do it.”

“... Is that the only reason?”

“I need someone intelligent, with a good but uncertain ancestry. I believe you fit these requirements perfectly.”

“Cheng... You must be related to the Sage Star.”

“She was my great-aunt.”

“There is no information on the generations before the Sage Star,” Shu Kui mused. “The Sage Star and her brother... your grandfather? … were believed to be orphans.”

“That's correct, Head of Intelligence.”

“There were some Chengs in the Chun and Shisuan Kingdoms, I believe...” Shu Kui frowned, digging deep into her stored knowledge. “Most changed their names to Zheng with the fall of Zhu. I take it you're proposing to act as though Sir Cheng is a distant relative of yours, Your Majesty?”

“Exactly.”

“I will do some investigation to see what information there is. If there is a suggestion that Sir Cheng's heritage lies elsewhere, this will not work.”

“I'm relying on the assumption that there is no information.”

“It's more than an assumption,” Gong Lau Yan interjected. “Cheng Baak-hap searched for her family for a long time, but none of the Chengs ever claimed her and Baak Gat. Her younger brother, I mean.”

“Did you know grandfather... no, great-aunt?” Cheng Guk Lung asked wonderingly.

“I had the pleasure of working with her a few times,” Gong Lau Yan said softly, a small smile creasing her mouth. “You have the same speckling of moles on your face as she did. That's where the 'star' part of her title came from; people used to say the beauty marks on her face were like a constellation of stars.”

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“So the Sage Star herself investigated, and found no information?” Shu Kui was deep in thought. “Then this may work, given that so much time has passed, it makes it even more unlikely that someone could find information on the genealogy of this branch of the Zheng family... Very well. I'll do what I can, Your Majesty. Lady Gong, if you have any other information that could help us...?”

“Only that Li- Baak-hap remembers travelling east as a small child until she reached the schools of Mount Hua. She had no clear memories from before then.”

“Mount Hua, the cultivation school in Shisuan Kingdom?”

“That's right. Perhaps...”

“Yes?”

Gong Lau Yan looked troubled, but she said, “I guess you would dig it out anyway... Perhaps you should talk to G- Yuan Mu. He worked more closely with Baak-hap after all. But don't be surprised if he is reluctant to say anything.”

“Does this relate to the Great Demon War?” Zéyì asked.

“It was a harsh time for everyone involved. He was a good friend of Cheng Baak-hap, so it will likely be a sensitive subject for him.”

“Lady Gong,” Cheng Guk Lung asked curiously, “What sort of people were my grandfather and great-aunt? Mother never met great-aunt, and grandfather was a very distant sort of man. And he disappeared soon after she married.”

Gong Lau Yan carefully retrieved her hip flask of water and drank. She seemed to be stalling.

“Cheng Baak-hap was a very intelligent person,” she said at last. “But on top of that, she had good morals. She was... very loyal, decisive... a good and caring girl.” She drew a deep breath and cleared her throat. “I only met Cheng Baak Gat once. He was considerably younger than Baak-hap. Also very smart, but quite a meek and timid child.”

“I see. Thank you, Lady Gong.”

“Let us determine our approach to this investigation.” Shu Kui began pulling papers, ink and brush towards her. “We need to consolidate the information we have on hand here and in the archives of Mount Hua, speak with Master Yuan Mu...”

Zéyì and Gong Lau Yan left the two tacticians to plan, retreating to a balcony that overlooked the verdant rolling valleys of Chun. True to the kingdom's name, spring was the season that most brought out the countryside's beauty.

“You could have just sent a delegation to come with me, Your Majesty.”

“Yes.”

Gong Lau Yan laughed. “I'm glad you're joining me for this adventure. I feel like our last one was too short.”

“Well, we'll see. It depends on what the investigations find, both the one into Cheng Guk Lung's ancestry, and into the whereabouts of Dzue Yi-sang.”

“Nothing so far?”

“I'm afraid not.”

“Is it really...?” The loong sighed. “I had hoped I would never have to enter the demon realm again.”

“Is that where you think she is?”

“It's highly possible. Prince Fan Bi'an was at the auction, after all, and the demons have always had an attachment to Dzue.”

“What happened, Gong Dze?” Zéyì asked curiously. “The Great Demon War... You were there, and it seems that the history we understand now is not the truth.”

“So tell me, what were you taught?”

“The country of Dzue had been prosperous for hundreds of years. The reason for its immense success was the pacts that the royal family made with demons. One day, their greed got the better of them, and it resulted in the destruction of Dzue at the hands of the demons. As a result, the country was shunned as an evil place, and the Dzue language was replaced with Xiang, which we speak today.

“And I already know one part of that is wrong. It wasn't demons that brought down Dzue... it was my mother. Unless...”

“The woman she met who taught her those cultivation techniques? If it's who I think it was, then no. That woman was not a demon... she was... I can't even say evil. And yet I can't think of any other way to describe her.”

“Who was she?”

“Someone who wanted to see the world burn. We never did know who she really was or what she wanted. And the Dzue language just casually being replaced by Xiang? Cheng Baak-hap helped construct Xiang over painstaking years to create a common language to communicate with the demons.”

“The Sage Star did?”

“The Demon Realm is a different plane of existence from ours. The demons spoke a language very different from Dzue, so a compromise was reached by drawing elements of Dzue and elements of the demonic language together to form Xiang. Many demons have different body structures, especially in regards to tongues and vocal chords or other sound-producing organs. Xiang is easier for the vast majority of them to pronounce, compared to Dzue.”

“So where did this idea come from that Xiang was this completely standalone language that just appeared one day to topple the tongue of the 'evil' kingdom?”

Gong Lau Yan shrugged. “I'm sure it was one of the many human factions that we were up against during the war. In truth, we were all so exhausted by the end, we didn't look into it. So long as the language that Little Cheng had worked so hard to build was being used, and we could converse with the demon race, that was all we cared about, at that stage. We just wanted it to be over.”

The smell of fresh grass reached them even at the height of the balcony on which they stood. Gong Lau Yan leaned on the stone railing.

“Why did you stay, Gong Dze?”

“In the mortal realm? It was tempting to leave for the Heavenly Realm... All Five Guardians, the Wu Xiang, including my mother and grandmother, left. And two of the disciples, the Jade Exorcist and the Fire Star. Gaam Yuk Ying and Chan Bik, those children... I would like to seem them again. But the Heavenly Realm is vast, and even though I visit sometimes, I might search for eternity and never see them...”

She rubbed her dark-ringed eyes. “I didn't think I could leave Yuan Mu here all by himself. He was already taking on the job of finding the last two disciples when he should have been allowed to rest. I had just enough energy to stay... although Mun Gong made that difficult with what she did to Dzue.”

“Your mother, you said?”

“Queen Meng Zhang, the Azure Dragon of Wood who rules over the East.”

“Oh, that's right. Sometimes I forget that you're royalty.”

“You cheeky little-”

“What will you do if we have to go to the Demon Realm?”

“Suck it up, I suppose. The memories I have of that place are... mixed. I'll manage.”

“Will you?”

“Are you questioning my abilities?”

“No, Gong Dze.” Zéyì's hand, resting on the balustrade next to Gong Lau Yan's elbow, twitched. “I'm just concerned about you, that's all. You're already unwell, to have your emotions prodded as well...”

“I'll reflect on it before we go and see how I feel.” Gong Lau Yan stood up, grinning down at Zéyì. “Besides, you'll be coming with me.”

“Considering my own problems, do you really think I'm in a position to keep anyone balanced?”

“I'm not asking you to do anything, Your Majesty. Just your presence is enough. I'll do the rest.” Gong Lau Yan bent gracefully, with one hand behind her back, taking one of Zéyì's hands and planting light kiss on it.

Zéyì flushed more red than the jaspers in her hairpins. “Gong-!”

“It's a sign of respect to nobles in some countries west of here,” Gong Lau Yan said glibly.

“I see.” Zéyì retrieved her hand. “Well, I'm sure you're very busy, Lady Gong. I certainly am. We will speak again when the investigations have progressed further.”

Without waiting for Gong Lau Yan's response, she swept imperiously away from the balcony. But having regained the privacy of her own quarters, she sank to the ground in a whisper of silks, clutching her hand to her thumping heart.

“Don't...” she murmured to herself. “It's dangerous. Stay strong, Zéyì.”