📖 Cold Moon Flower Chronicle

The news of Xiao Yanshao's death reached the Liao Dynasty, and mourning stretched for miles in the capital. When this message entered the palace, my situation felt as if it had suddenly reverted to thirty years ago everyone was waiting for me to plunge the sharpest blade into the princess' heart. Back then, I did not respect her; I despised traitors and considered her a disgrace to Liao. But today is different. Anyone who has spent thirty years in the company of the Golden Blade Princess, whose beauty is unparalleled and whose heart is kind, would harbor no malice towards her. At this moment, I cannot help but feel sorrow. Xiao Yanshao or Ah-Yan, as the princess called him, and thus I do too was a child I watched grow up, and the princess' sole support in the Liao Palace for over thirty years. Over the years, for many reasons, the princess became increasingly silent, like a slow, silent death. I do not know if she can bear the pain of losing her son. Thus, I finally decided to record all of this, as a burial tribute for Ah-Yan, the princess, or perhaps myself.

It happened more than thirty years ago, but it still plays vividly in my mind. Snow blanketed the capital that day. The palace glittered like glazed glass under the frost, while carriage wheels churned the road into thick mud. Beyond the many courtyard walls, the chief eunuch looked out, his voice sharp and nasal like all eunuchs: "When the Golden Blade Princess returns, you'll be the one to serve her. She's not like the others stay sharp. Report anything unusual right away." I lowered my head and listened, though I had no desire to take the task. No one wants to serve a traitor. The eunuch turned back, his eyes pausing on me like he could read my thoughts. "The last maids who served her were careless. After she ran off with the Golden Blade, they were all flogged to death. Think of them before you act." Ten years ago, the Golden Blade Princess left without permission and ran off with a Han man. It was a shame that disgraced our entire Liao tribe. His Majesty flew into a rage and had all her servants beaten to death their cries echoing, their blood staining the stone. Remembering that, I could only bow and accept. Her return wasn't exactly a cause for celebration. First, she not only eloped with a Han man but had two sons. The eldest is missing, but she brought the younger one back. Second, the honor of the Golden Blade Royal family is in tatters she returned with only the blade; the sheath and her eldest are lost in Song territory. I saw her in the hall. She really was as beautiful as the rumors claimed, though grief for her lost husband and son had dulled her glow. Holding her younger child, she looked more like a fragile Han woman. But when she turned to face me, her gaze was icy and sharp not just at me, but at the whole palace. I didn't mind. I gave her a faint, cool smile and said softly, "When you fled before, all the palace servants were put to death for failing their duties. From now on, I'll be the one to serve you." She must have already sensed that this palace holds no less hatred for her.

Ever since the Golden Blade Princess returned, the once-quiet Liao Palace turned restless overnight. Whispers spread like wildfire, retelling how she ran off and how she was brought back, always with scorn and contempt. The rumors were twisted, but I managed to piece together the truth. Still, a disgrace like that is best buried forever. Over ten years ago, the princess was deeply favored. The Golden Blade royals were never allowed beyond our borders, but she kept visiting the Song-Liao frontier. His Majesty let her be, never reprimanding her. Then she met a Han swordsman at Moon Bay, and everything spiraled she left the palace more often, and finally fled with the Golden Blade. Maybe she was spoiled growing up, too naive to fear the throne's wrath. Or maybe she trusted her martial skills too much but history has always proven that while soldiers may be endless, no general lasts forever. She was found near the Song-Liao border. The swordsman fought hard but fell to our army. She had her youngest son with her and couldn't escape. Her eldest son, carrying the sheath, slipped away and vanished. I shut the palace doors. In front of me, the princess held Ah-Yan close, her eyes soft for once. Behind me, the palace roared with gossip. "Seriously? A Liao princess, doing something like that..." "She even brought a bastard child back. What a joke." "Sure, she's beautiful. But what's beauty worth, if she eloped with a Han and had his kid? If I were her " The words cut off, smothered by a sharp, icy voice. "If you were who?" The steward was smiling, but his voice chilled the air. He stretched out the words, "Criticizing the royals, bold of you. You'll serve as a warning maybe the gossip will stop. Take them away." Royal scandal must never be spoken of. The steward was surely acting on orders to quiet things down. Otherwise, the Liao would be shamed again. Then he looked at me, that same unreadable look. "His Majesty calls. Come with me."

The cold moon hung like a hook. Ah-Yan must have fallen asleep. At this hour, the princess always gazes silently out the window, her breath shallow. Moonlight drapes over her like water-veiled silk, yet for a fleeting moment, I mistook it for the white mourning garments Han people wear to honor the dead. I pondered the Emperor's decree; she dwelled on her departed husband. "Your Highness," I called softly, unsurprised when she remained motionless. "His Majesty decrees: a worthy match in Shangjing awaits Your Highness, with swift matrimony urged. Pray receive this command." Golden Blade Princess turned her abyssal-dark eyes upon me. "I've had but one husband in this life," she enunciated. "Yet he was Han." "What of Han blood?" Her voice sharpened, eyes blazing like ignited flames grief and restraint combusting into brilliance. "My husband was Han, but we'd have died for each other, as he proved. My own kin slew him, destroyed my child, and now demand remarriage?" Her laughter trembled as candlelight caught what might've been tears. "I'll wed none, even unto death." I watched her, the Emperor's icy words echoing: With that bastard child in the palace, she'll comply. You understand. Lifting Ah-Yan's toy from the table, I murmured, "A mother should value her child's life, no?" After prolonged silence came unexpected resolve: "Tell His Majesty I refuse. My life should've ended that day. Should harm befall Ah-Yan, I'll follow our family reunited in death." No persuasion remained. Retreating, I reported to the Chief Eunuch, who clicked his tongue. "This old servant dares not relay such words. Inform His Majesty yourself." I met his gaze, then obeyed directly. The Emperor's rage erupted sword cleaving the table, wrath unsated. Thrice he nearly ordered their deaths, yet blood ties stayed his tongue. But imperial fury demanded punishment: Ah-Yan was seized for royal upbringing. You crave reunion? Then savor life's cruel severance.

The day they took Ah-Yan away, Golden Blade Princess stood by the gate, silently watching her youngest son disappear into the distance. In fairness, the child remained blameless. Having cared for him these past days, I too felt the sting of separation. Noticing her strained expression, I offered measured comfort: "Though His Majesty removed Ah-Yan, court attendants will nurture him. With renowned tutors, wouldn't this surpass life at your side?" "He's reached riding-and-archery age," she remarked abruptly before retreating into silence. "All Liao men must master mounted warfare." My words hung awkwardly - Ah-Yan's Han father complicated this assertion. The Princess merely glanced at me, offering no rebuttal. After Ah-Yan's departure, the palace lost its last vitality. We moved through empty days like ghosts, our silence broken only by necessary tasks. Time deepened my understanding of why they called her Liao's foremost beauty. Hardship had chiseled resilience into her striking features, the coldness she cultivated never fully masking inherent gentleness. Had she not eloped with that Han man, humiliating our nation... None could resist her grace. Days later, she handed me knitted kneepads. Examining them, I noticed fresh needle marks on her fingers - clumsy efforts from untrained hands. Her lips twitched faintly. "As my request... Since the Emperor bars me from Ah-Yan, will you deliver these?" Riding indeed strains knees. Having no grounds for refusal, I inexplicably added: "Any messages to send?" She blinked, then smiled like dawn breaking stormclouds. "Tell him... His mother loves him beyond measure, and never wished this separation."

I often found myself shuttling between the two palaces thereafter. My name being Xiao Zhe, Ah-Yan addressed me as "Aunt Zhe." From my perspective, the child displayed unsettling maturity beyond his years - heartbreaking rather than admirable. At first he'd ask about his mother's whereabouts, questioning why he couldn't see her. Eventually he stopped raising the subject, learning to interpret my silence. Instead he'd ask solemnly whether exemplary conduct might earn him reunion. Words failed me. Though unwilling to explain the intricate web of grievances binding this situation, I nodded when meeting his earnest gaze. Ah-Yan's talents proved extraordinary. His tutors hailed him as a once-in-a-century military prodigy, mastering everything from archery to battlefield strategy. After personal examination, the Emperor bestowed the imperial surname Xiao, naming him Xiao Yanshao. As his star rose, whispers about his origins resurfaced. Some covertly mocked his bastard status. When Princess entrusted me to console him, I entered his chamber mid-"guidance" from his mentor - the Emperor's confidant and Golden Blade Royal family's pillar. "The Princess acted rashly in her youth," the statesman declared. "Though violating the Royal Family's edict against leaving Liao territory, she found peace with your father at Moon Bay. Song bandits destroyed that peace. Your father died shielding you both. Your elder brother vanished, likely slain. The Princess fought to bring you home, though the ordeal hardened her spirit. Aunt Zhe here witnessed everything." Both turned to me - the boy seeking truth, the mentor with those falcon-sharp eyes we Liao prize. This was the Empire's answer. Therefore mine. I nodded and affirmed with a sigh

Xiao Yanshao's future is bright, evident at a glance. The princess can finally breathe a sigh of relief, no longer worrying about his safety. Perhaps this is the day the dark clouds finally part to reveal blooming flowers. The Emperor has offered the princess marriage several times, but each time it ends in discord. One night, under the cold moonlight reflecting on the flowers, I accompanied her for a few drinks. Taking advantage of the wine's influence, I asked her why she wouldn't let go of the past and look forward to the future. The princess took a sip of wine, a faint blush on her face, her gaze cold and clear. "Ever since I lost my true love, every day feels like I'm barely surviving, a walking corpse. How can there be talk of... the future?" Her fingers unconsciously caressed the wine glass. "Even though my beloved is gone, my heart remains unchanged. If you're here as the Emperor's spokesperson, then stop right there." "I don't understand." I spread my palm, a petal resting on it. "What is so special about that Han man?" She remained silent for a long time, closing her eyes. Just when I thought she was about to fall asleep, I heard her say, "No one compares to him. Blade and sword together, love in life and death... If it weren't for unfinished matters, I should have gone to join him long ago." "I wonder if, in my lifetime, I will see the Golden Blade return to its sheath." At eight or nine years old, alone and wandering the Song-Liao border... I don't believe her eldest son has such good fortune. Even if he truly survives in this world, with Heaven and Earth so vast and the Liao palace so heavily guarded, how could he possibly meet her? I think she understands this too, yet stubbornly clings to that sliver of hope.

Xiao Yanshao went to the battlefield at fifteen and won a decisive victory over the Song army in his first battle. His Majesty asked him what he desired, offering any reward, and Xiao Yanshao bowed deeply, simply wishing to always be near his mother. The Emperor laughed and granted it. His frequent visits allowed the princess to smile every so often. I saw him out of the palace for the princess. Before the red gates, he stopped, his face serious. "Aunt Zhe, why is Mother always troubled? If there's something on her mind, please tell me, and I'll make sure to ease her worries." "How could you not know what the princess wants? She simply wishes the Golden Blade to be sheathed." "Swears by the golden blade. When the golden blade returns to its sheath, birds shall return to the forest, and heaven's waters shall pour beneath the moon..." Xiao Yanshao murmured softly, suddenly angered, "If not for those Han people, my brother wouldn't have gone missing. Why must my mother and I suffer this? I will surely avenge this. Please tell Mother that I'll find the sheath and bring back her smile." After he left, I realized that behind the wall, the Golden Blade Princess had overheard the entire conversation, her face as white as paper. "Why does he hate the Han people so much? He has half Han blood in him." I had never seen the princess in such distress, her fingers trembling, unable to cry or laugh, "What have you taught Ah-Yan?" I wasn't the slightest bit guilty about my answer, meeting her gaze directly. "We taught him the honor of the Golden Blade Royal family. Yes, he has Han blood, but he's a general of the Liao. How can those Han people compare to him?" "That's because he doesn't know his origins! I have to tell him everything, he won't..." "What are you going to tell him?" I stepped in front of the princess, and whether for the sake of the Liao or personal reasons, I wouldn't let her ruin Ah-Yan, "Are you going to tell him the Liao court that raised him is the one who killed his father? The Liao has shown him immense kindness, his Majesty named him, chose his teachers, and gave him the royal surname! Do you want him to avenge his father, to kill his own flesh and blood, or do you want him to live a life full of resentment like you?" "Your Highness, wake up! Ah-Yan now carries the hopes of many. If he lets his origins sway him and betrays the Liao court, he'll surely die. Do you really want to kill your own son?" She hesitated, then after a moment, lowered her hand. After that day, the princess fell seriously ill and began to truly decline.

Ah-Yan had always been the princess's pride, while Xiao Yanshao belonged to the Liao like a star born for glory. His aim never missed, his bow stunned the world. He fought countless battles without a single loss. Everyone praised his feats everyone but the princess. Whenever he offered news of a crushing victory over the Song, she would go quiet for a second, force a faint smile, and only ask if he was hurt. I never agreed with how she acted, but I couldn't change her mind. All I could do was tell Xiao Yanshao she was only weighed down by sorrow, but still proud of him deep inside. When he was appointed as military commissioner and set out for Yanmen Pass, he came to say goodbye to the princess and left a few words with me. "This campaign is to take Yanmen. The Song forces are weak and timid, they're nothing to worry about," he said, like Yanmen was already his. "Once I take it, I'll lead our troops south and capture the Central Plains. The Song is finished. The Liao will rise, and I'm sure Mother will be proud." Then he added, "Aunt Zhe, please take care of her while I'm gone. And I'll be bringing back the Golden Blade's sheath for her." He smiled, full of confidence and fire. I bowed, feeling lifted by his spirit. "When you return in victory, the princess will surely smile." Later, I passed his words to her, but she only leaned her head against her hand, without a hint of joy. "Back when I was young, I took pride in the Golden Blade, never knowing it was a fate I couldn't escape. It brought me nothing but ruin. With the way Ah-Yan is now, if Ah-Chen were still alive, I don't know if I'd want him to find the sheath at all." She gave a tired, bitter smile and let out a long sigh. "It's a chain and a curse. Better lost forever than found again."