The first day of summer, the year 580 BCE

Chang'an, China

The eunuch knocked on the door; this was his favourite of all the duties laden upon him. Unlike the heir to the throne, Second Prince Wen Junhui, known affectionately as Wenhui, always awoke easily from his slumber. Sometimes, the door would open to the manservant, the prince's oval face haloed by rays of sunlight.

"Is the bath ready?" tendrils of inky hair had slipped from the ribbon the youth slept with, and stirred in the soft breeze of his lilting voice.

"Of course, Majesty," Zi Shao broke away from the spell the Prince cast on all of his subjects. "I knew that this day was one of great import."

"Thank you so much," the silk-smooth voice was just as mesmerising; but it was the appreciation conveyed that had earned undying loyalty to Wenhui. Today was indeed a special day.

Junhui smirked as he thought of Sakura, the princess of Nihon, and his betrothed. The Land of the Rising Sun must have seen a solar eclipse on the day of her birth; her slender face and body belying the meaning of her name ('good, virtuous, respectable'). He liked a maiden with duality- the Princess looked innocent but she had a cunning nature, and had succeeding in wheedling her father to arrange and bless the union. Her family's motto is centred around honesty and punishing the wicked. She was the perfect complement to his gentle nature. 

Well, I will try to be gentle tomorrow night, I snickered as I stepped into the pool of steaming water buck-naked, my night robes on the floor. The faces of the nude concubines painted on the walls watched as I rubbed the oil-scented water all over my body, the rose petals drifting away from the epicentre of movement. As I attended to my ablutions, my skin shone iridescent. The palatial guards, when certain that they were not observed, mocked the routine of the Princes enhancing our features. They said it was unnatural but I begged to differ- the males of all species performed mating rites to attract the females. If anything, humans were unnatural.

I put on my most regal raiment and preened as my hair flowed in waves. It hung over my shoulders and onto the front of my chest, looking like polished jet sewn onto the silk. I placed a circlet onto my forehead, the plainness of the gems drawing out the glow of my face. The powders and paints were the only job I left to the handmaidens; I was curious but uncertain as how to apply these administrations.

I waited a few minutes for my older brother, Wen Yang Jian, at the outer door of the Jade Room, the venue of today's meeting. The Crown Prince rubbed his eyes blearily, the scent of a servant he ordered to his bed cloying to the skin of his fingers.

"Is that contempt I see in your eyes, brother?" the overpowering scent of star anise masked the fumes of whichever alcohol he had imbibed the previous night.

"Concern, rather," I shook my head. "Beware of the well you dip your pail into. The sweet water may end up tasting bitter in your belly."

"The way you verbalise your thoughts in making an argument or conveying your feelings has me envious. You should be heir to the throne, not me," he sighed.

"An emperor needs ambition. I just want to retire to a rural borough where Sakura and I can raise eight children," I spotted the door opening as a halcyon-robed secretary announced our entrance.

Yang Jian's trauma began during a prolonged battle, by our father's side while I had been an archer in small skirmishes. The Wen Dynasty planned on territorial expansion. My brother, when sober, was a conniving leader, managing to bring home most of the troops. I was more like a mother hen, placing the welfare of people above goals.

The excitement of the evening kept me awake despite the perfume of the incense clock, lotus, overwhelming the room with its sleep-inducing ability.

Han Lushu, the Palatial Meteorologist, reported that the amount of rainfall for the past year was three-quarter of the average we expected every year in the past century. Meanwhile, the Adam's apple of the Astrologist bobbed nervously.

As expected, the gentry rejected the suggestion that their elaborate water features be stopped until the skies released the normal amount of expected rainfall.

"Would you rather that the serfs walk around unbathed, falling ill and assaulting your olfactory senses?" my calm eyes narrowed with venom, sparkling maliciously.

"Forgive me, Majesty, I spoke rashly-" I waved away the rest of his apology before turning to the Astrologist.

"What does the night firmament portend?" I looked to the Astrologer once more.

"The canopy of Heaven frowns upon us," Tao Zhi unfurled a scroll as he explained the recent movements of the lunar mansions.

"What do the students of Aryabhata and Muhammad have to say?" I kept my gaze pinned on the white stars chalked into the blue paper.

"They haven't replied to my falcons yet but it has only been a few days," he sat down, rivulets of sweat coursing down his temple.

"Lower the taxes on the serfs and start funnelling more produce toward the granaries for the next year or so. Continue to observe and inform us of any developments," I concluded.

Discussion then turned to war, the Crown Prince's domain. I kept mum, taking down notes studiously and analysing my brother's strategy. The quill tickled my cheek as I brushed away the calligraphy, keeping me awake until lunch time.

I marched to the courtyard, spotting the Queen Mother.

"Good day," I bowed and kissed her hand. "Is my bride arrived yet?"

"No, I am concerned. What if Princess Sakura took the Untraveled Road?" she had advised against it in the letter but sometimes, advice goes unheeded.

"Fetch travelling supplies for a day while my horse is saddled," I ordered of one of my mother's waiting maidens. She moved with haste as I nervously worried my bottom lip with my teeth.