Chapter Text
Correspondence from General Officer Zhang Bajir to the Emperor
Your humble servant respectfully reports our army has exhibited great strength in these past battles. Before our decisive victory, two golden tigers were spotted on the horizon. The men took it as a sign of heaven’s favor. We will be returning to the palace shortly upon your instruction.
~~
Long ago, demons roamed freely over the earth. They lived peacefully among humans for hundreds of years until one day, the empress was outed as a tiger demon. Although the two races had been coexisting, intermarriage was strictly forbidden. Yet, the demon empress had already given birth to the beloved first prince. It is said that although the emperor was appalled to learn that his wife was a demon, his love for his son was too great to kill both of them. A royal decree was enacted that day that banished all demons from the earthly plane, including the empress and her son. A great war soon broke out that lasted for centuries, until the humans prevailed over the demon race, and they were spiritually banished.
Since then, they have lived in the Demon Realm, caged to their prison for eternity. It is rumored that there are grand palaces and kingdoms within this realm, but no human has ever traveled to the realm and lived to tell the tale. Now, demons are a thing of the past, antagonists in childhood stories. There are very few who still believe in their existence, but some claim to see them walking the city streets at night or roaming in their animal forms in ancient forests. Most assume they are rumors started by mothers to scare their children, and some even laugh at the word “demon”.
~~
The sun rose slowly over the city walls, filling its corridors with a watery light. Hundreds of people were already gathered outside the grand palace walls, talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers that filled the air with a nervous drone. Among the crowd was Liu Xiang and his twin sister Liu Jianfeng, both dressed in the same modest clothes tied back in red ribbons. Both had their heads lowered, waiting patiently for the palace official to start the ceremony. They had waited for weeks in the capital for the Imperial Examination results. Xiang had passed the qualifying exams with flying colors and had quickly moved on to the next level- the metropolitan exams.
The pair had worked diligently for months to ensure his success. They spent countless nights going over hundreds of documents and analects to the point where Xiang couldn’t stand the sight of paper. Although his interest was solely in medicine, he had to be well versed in poems, legal codes, ethics, history, and much more. To study under the house of the royal physician, he had to at least pass the metropolitan exams, with the palace exams being the natural next step if he wanted to get anywhere within the royal court. The burden had been weighing heavily on his mind for weeks, if not years. Test after test, each waiting period felt like an eternity of agony, and didn’t seem to be getting any easier.
After the results were announced, he would have to return home and begin studying for the next round of testing, buy more books, paper, study materials, and- A hand softly brushed against Xiang’s. He glanced over to see his sister looking back at him with a calm expression. She lowered her gaze to his hands, which were tapping rapidly against one another. He hadn’t realized he was fidgeting so noticeably.
“Sorry,” He whispered, shoving his hands back into his sleeves.
Jianfeng smiled softly and whispered back, “Remember what Mother told you.”
He nodded curtly, lowering his gaze back down. He began softly tapping his index finger against his arm and counting each tap, allowing himself to be fully immersed in the count. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six- The gates opened, and people began flooding in. Parents chided after their adult children, reminding them to remain formal and proper, but many were too eager to receive their results to remember their etiquette. The twins allowed the crowd to pass by them, only entering the main plaza when the majority of the swarm had passed. Neither had expected there to be so many possible candidates for the exam, but it was said that the current exam had the highest number of participants in history. The packed plaza was a definite reminder of it, with most people having to stand shoulder to shoulder.
The sun kept climbing as the Minister of Rites finally appeared from the main hall. The sudden quiet made Xiang’s ears ring as the crowd immediately fell silent at the minister’s arrival. Behind him were two servants whose arms were full of stacks of paper. The minister scanned the crowd and nodded. He began the formalities in a shrill voice that cut through the heavy silence. Once the formalities were through he motioned to his servants to present him with the papers. Xiang felt his breath hitch, and he glanced over at his sister, who was already looking at him with anxious eyes.
The minister cleared his throat, “I would like to personally thank the countless young men who have taken the exam. Your hard work has been recognized. However, despite there being the largest number of candidates we have ever received, the number of Gongshi will remain the same. Let the announcements begin.”
Xiang’s heart dropped at the news. A cap on the number of accepted officials? If someone did even slightly better than him on any of the sections, it would mean he wouldn’t pass, despite him meeting the actual standards. The bar had just been raised exponentially. All of his hard work and countless hours spent studying would be for naught.
“Shi Hu, Yin Xun, Zou Bao Lin…”
Each name that was read off was like a knife in his chest. Jianfeng whispered affirmations between each name, but her voice was drowned out by the pounding of Xiang’s heart in his ears. He had to pass. There was no other feasible option. Everything was riding on this moment. His success determined his sister’s future success as well; he couldn’t face her if he failed. He knew that she wouldn’t hold it against him, but he could never live with himself. Xiang tightly shut his eyes, his soft tapping on his arm becoming more rapid as each second passed.
“Qiao Chao, Liu Xiang, Zhen Ning…”
Xiang was practically hyperventilating. He no longer could keep track of his counting, and the pounding in his head made him feel as if his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. The minister was on one of the last papers, and he still hadn’t called his name. What would he do if the minister didn’t call his name at all? Xiang was violently jerked out of his thoughts by his sister tugging at his arm with a wide grin on her face. He looked back at her in surprise.
“W-what is it?” He asked, trying to pry her off of him.
“You did it!”
“What?”
“He called your name, Gege!”
“What…?”
“For Heaven’s sake, can’t you say anything else? You passed, Xiang, he called your name.”
Xiang slowly blinked at her. He stifled the urge to ask ‘what’ again, but he couldn’t believe what she was saying. He didn’t hear his name called, but he was so worried about his future that he didn’t think he could have heard anything. He would check the written record after the ceremony, but for now, he would have to take his sister’s word. He passed. That was it. He passed. All his hard work was for something! He passed. It was done.
The realization slowly kicked in, and a huge grin spread across his face. He roped Jianfeng into a tight hug, slightly picking her up off her feet in the excitement. The two sighed heavily and began laughing as if it were a joke between them. If the other families were looking at them with disdain for their obnoxious display of joy, they didn’t notice. As the ceremony drew to a close, they were still both standing in the courtyard in pure joy and disbelief.
“I’m so proud of you, Gege,” Jianfeng said softly.
Xiang only nodded in response, afraid that if he were to speak, he would burst into tears.
“I know Mother would be too,” She added, looking off at the pale sun.
“I think so too,” Xiang replied, his voice small and wavering.
The pair collected Xiang’s copy of the official documents, the paper weighing heavily in his hands as if it were made of pure gold. The walk back to their home was mostly spent in a daze, both thinking of their future plans and still shocked by the news. It was nearly impossible to fully grasp the number of new opportunities open to them now.
Xiang looked over at his sister and smirked, “Your turn now.”
“Don’t remind me,” She sighed.
Now that Xiang had passed the metropolitan exams, Jianfeng had a better chance at being chosen to be a part of the royal harem. It was the next step in their plan for survival. They would enter the Forbidden City at any cost. Their lives depended on it.