War Prisoner

Chapter 77 - 79

It was already high noon. Wanyan Xia stared at the dishes of exquisite food laid out on the table for his mid-day repast but he did not feel even the slightest desire to employ his chopsticks and partake of the meal. Instead, his gaze drifted over to the window, and he saw that that person was still kneeling in the snow. A thick layer of snow had already accumulated over his body, but he still kept his waist ram-rod straight as he balanced upon his knees, just as if he was giving expression to his determination to never give up.

"Just what kind of person is that Empress? What kind of person could inspire him to make such sacrifices?" Wanyan Xia gave a light sigh. He, who had craved for the warmth of familial love ever since his childhood but had ultimately been unable to obtain even a scrap of it, could not understand how this older brother, who had always appeared to be as dominant and proud as the suzerains [1] of yore, would be willing to kneel down in front of him for the sake of his beloved. Did he forget his own status as the Emperor, and at the same time, had he also forgotten that Wanyan Xia was the greatest shame of the Jin Liao Royal Family, whose very origins had to be kept a secret from the populace for all eternity?

His servant girl approached timidly. Although she knew that her Master's current mood was extremely agitated, she could not contain herself and said: "Your Highness should stop engaging the Emperor in a battle of wills; he is the Emperor after all."

Wanyan Xia only glared at her and said: "What's there to be scared of? He now has a favour to ask of me, even if he hates me so much that his teeth itch at the mere thought of me, at the very least, he has to wait until I have cured that fortunate Empress of his before he can kill me." His eyes were drawn to the scene outside the window again and the feeling of upset in his heart grew stronger. Unable to help himself, he gave a cold "humph" and said: "That Empress has already obtained a love that transcends boundaries. What then, is death?"

Lifting up the cup of wine on the table, he downed it in one gulp. The man who had been as cold as ice and frost in front of Wanyan Xu now had tears clinging to his eyelashes. Waving a hand to dismiss his servant girl, he finally allowed himself to lean over the table and have a good cry. "All of you are only concerned with getting me to save someone, but in these twenty-odd years has the thought ever occurred to any of you whether there was anybody who would come and save me? All of you only know that I am highly skilled in the medical arts, but do any of you know how I came by my skills? The palace maids that looked after me during my childhood were only concerned with making sure that I got enough to eat and drink but they took no notice of me otherwise. It's been so many years that I spent without any companionship. The only means I had of allaying my loneliness was to study the houseful of medical texts that my Mother Concubine left behind. Do you know that the very sight of medical texts makes me retch now? Do you know that when I get bored now, I will practice my acupuncture techniques on myself, and to test my medicines I came close to losing my life several times? Do any of you know this?"

Since his emotions were already hopelessly in flux, he decided that he might as well indulge himself. Lifting up the jug of wine on the table, he emptied its contents in large gulps before standing up and dashing outside. He shouted: "Wanyan Xu, since you are willing to kneel, then continue kneeling. It's a rare wind that brings you here to see me today, so let this little brother have a chance to take a few more looks at his older brother lest I don't recognise you if we should meet again in future."

Having knelt in the snow for such a long time, Wanyan Xu had already lost most of the sensation in his legs, but he still stubbornly refused to give up. At Wanyan Xia's sudden shout, he couldn't but to exchange a look of surprise with Zi Nan --- Wanyan Xia's voice had sounded teary. A flame of hope was ignited in his heart and he strained his ears to listen intently for any further development but within that wooden hut, all had returned to silence. The little flame of hope also died out completely, as if it had been submerged in water and he couldn't help but to reveal his disappointment by the expression he wore.

Zi Nan really couldn't stand to watch this scene any longer. With her hand, she touched her Master's leg, to find that it had already become as cold as a block of ice. Wanyan Xu was afraid of infuriating Wanyan Xia and thus, had refused the use of a mat as a means of cushioning his knees. In his haste to come here, he had neglected to put on heavier clothing. At this time, the weather was cold, and the ground was frozen. Although Zi Nan had on a warm cloak, he had nothing to ward off the chill, hoping that the saying 'sincerity splits open gold and stone' would come true. Perhaps Wanyan Xia would be touched by his sincerity and demonstrate great mercy by going to save Su Yi. Even if it meant that he would have to endure even more bitter suffering, what did it matter?

"Master, don't kneel any longer, if you keep on kneeling, both of your legs would surely become disabled." Zi Nan was so distressed that she was crying --- Wanyan Xu was the ruler of the nine-five [2], if his legs were really to become crippled, it would be a calamity akin to Heaven collapsing and Earth caving in. Feeling increasingly desperate, she threw caution to the wind and was about to pull Wanyan Xu to his feet, only for Wanyan Xu to throw her a glare and say in a stern voice: "Let go, I [3] order you to let go of me."

Zi Nan was both anxious and afraid, not daring to defy his orders, her tears began to flow even faster. Like beads on a broken string, they poured down her face. Wanyan Xu gave her a glance and in a softer tone, he said: "This is nothing to cry over, ZI Nan, do you still remember Su Su's leg? I was the one who gave the orders for his flogging, his leg was broken because of me. Every time I see him walking with that limping gait, my heart would be consumed with pain that is so severe that I cannot describe it with language. Every day, I have prayed to Heaven, asking that I be allowed to bear part of his suffering. If the ruin of my two legs could exchange for Su Su's life, could exchange for him not to have to endure any more torment for the rest of his life, then I will pay that price with no hesitation or regrets." He looked at his favoured servant again and said clearly: "I am doing this willingly."

Zi Nan choked back her sobs and nodded, the feeling in her heart growing more uncomfortable by the second, as if there was an obstruction in one of the arteries. Suddenly, she burst through the wooden doors, knelt down and cried out: "Second Prince, please have mercy. If His Majesty continues to kneel, his legs will really become crippled. I beg of you, please have mercy." So saying, she began to knock her head on the ground, kowtowing as if she had gone mad. Wanyan Xu shouted at her to stop, but she ignored him.

Suddenly, Wanyan Xia walked out, with a voice that had regained its original coldness, he said: "Get up, if you carry on wailing, I will immediately decide against going to treat your Empress." So saying, he looked at Wanyan Xu and while wearing a chilling smile, he said: "Let me see how deep your affection for that Empress really is." With that said, he watched as Zi Nan got up with an air of grievance before he re-entered the house. He mused to himself: "His legs are about to become crippled? Seems like he can't keep up this perseverance for much longer. Big Brother Wanyan, I'm waiting to see when you would give up."

The snow grew heavier as time wore on. Wanyan Xia looked on, seemingly unfeeling, as Wanyan Xu --- still kneeling at the same spot --- became a snowman. His face could be faintly seen only when he gave the occasional tremble, shaking some of the snow off. Wanyan Xia desperately clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth so hard that a grinding sound could be heard, but these measures could not prevent the glacier that his heart had become from slowly melting. That... after all, that was his elder brother, if only in name. Even if he did not acknowledge him as his younger brother, even if they were not related by blood, for someone who had always desired familial affection like himself, he could not help but give in to the impulse of taking Wanyan Xu to be his own kin and elder brother.

"Your Majesty, the sun is about to set, the Second Prince's heart will not soften. He will not save Young Master." Zi Nan had cried so much that her tears were running dry, but no matter what she said, Wanyan Xu stubbornly refused to get up. As if his life depended on it, he struggled to keep his body upright. There was only one thought in his heart: This is... Su Su's last hope. No matter what, I can't give up.

Finally, the wooden doors opened again to reveal Wanyan Xia, who had been fully restored to his usual aloof and arrogant appearance. Holding a small box in his hands, he walked to Wanyan Xu and said in a cold voice: "I don't know where your Empress lives. If you can still stand up and walk, then lead the way."

End of Chapter 77

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[1]: The term Wanyan Xia uses is "霸主 (bà zhǔ)" which was used during times when instead of a large Empire ruled by an Emperor, the Chinese lands were splintered into different states that were ruled by Kings/Princes. Like the Spring and Autumn period (approximately 771 until 476 BC), Warring States Era (476–221 BCE), and The Eighteen Kingdoms (206 BCE–202 BCE). The 霸主 is an overlord among the various Princes/Kings of a faction who is acknowledged as the most powerful and the some of the other Princes/Kings consider themselves as his vassals.

[2]: 九五之尊 (jiǔ wǔ zhī zūn): a reference to the Emperor. This is based on I-Ching divination system. 'Qian' is the first of the 64 hexagrams in the I-Ching and reflected the strongest yang energy among the 64. Hence it is used to symbolise heaven and the emperor. As the Nine-Five line is the most auspicious line in the Qian hexagram, the emperor is referred to as the Lord of the Nine-Five.

[3]: Wanyan Xu uses the royal "I/Me/my" throughout this chapter when he is speaking.

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