The Last Queen of Zuansha pt 1

Unlike what Sun Yin planned, they did not manage to sleep the time before dinner. The ship happened to have a theater cast onboard. As a part of celebrating the re-opening cruise of the old route to Haiyang, they wished to perform for the night. Since Sun Yin and Lu Bang were considered guests of honors, they were invited.

Sun Yin had never seen a play for a long while, and so she hated to miss the chance. Lu Bang was not into plays and theater, but since he let himself get dragged, he might as well watch the show. The show was on a stage in front of the dining hall. All the guests, who were allowed to watch, sat around tables so the ship would be able to serve dinner in the middle of the performance.

Like the children Sun Yin once watched in the streets, the theater's main theme was about the Bride of Corpses. Moreover, instead of ending it with the battle she won, it was the start. Sun Yin twitched for a moment. She looked down at her pamphlet. It was entitled 'The Last Queen of Zuansha', and not 'The Bride of Corpses'. She lifted her eyes and continued to watch a tale she had no idea was told to anyone.

The opening scene was her battle against the First Society. It was her introduction. She was the infamous Bride of Corpses, the woman in a red hanfu and a bird mask. She danced with her hand seals, the props crew giving life to the ten bodies of Buyue. The representatives of the five major sects were not introduced; rather did they have faces or lines. They danced with the Bride in believable scenes of fighting. The people were curious, and so they kept on watching.

The Bride defeated the five sects, and instead of villainous laughter, it ended with her standing in the middle. A sad yet relieving music played. She sat on the floor and extended her arms. Cables connected to her dress ripped it away from her, leaving her in a thin white inner dress. Even her sword was dragged away by the cables. She moved to take off her mask, revealing a beautiful woman with her hair worn long. She tossed the mask away, taken away by another cable.

She rested in the middle. The background of a painting of a battlefield was flipped into a painting of a bedroom. The music had also changed into chirping birds. The woman seemed to have woken up from her sleep. She stretched and stayed in her bed.

"One day, for sure..." The woman murmured into her mike.

Soon, another woman entered the scene. The newcomer looked like the head of the handmaidens. She marched in the room with five more handmaidens. They bore clothes for the woman in bed. The head maiden greeted the woman with a gesture reserved for royals.

"Good morning, Concubine Wu. His Excellency had returned from his trip. He wished to see you at the dining hall for breakfast." The head maiden kept her head low.

"I see. I shall be ready then." The woman called Concubine Wu rose from her bed and had the handmaiden guise her with an elegant purple hanfu with a crest depicting sand dunes, the crest of Zuansha. She walked to the end of the stage along with the handmaidens.

As they left the center stage, the background changed into the dining hall, and men pushed a table and chair with a rather fat man. He looked old as well. He had golden accessories and pieces of jade on his skin. His clothes were made of the best silk, and his rings had different stones on it. He then started eating messily as Concubine Wu entered the now-dining hall.

"Your Excellency, Wang Feizi, the king of the Zuansha and all of the west." Concubine Wu bowed down to him with her hands clasped as if she had seen nothing of his unruly behavior. "I have come as you called."

"Ah, Wu Ming! Wu Ming! Come to me!" He dropped the formalities and hurled his hand as if calling the maiden. "Sit on my lap like you had always done!" He patted his fat thigh which wiggled under the pants of silk.

Wu Ming, as she was named, came to the king.

At this point, the audience was still confused. However, Sun Yin watched intently. She knew that the world had forgotten her name, replacing it with 'the Bride' every time she came around. It was new to her to hear that someone would bother to give her a name; ironically, it meant 'nameless'.

Lu Bang was silent, learning something new. He glanced at the maiden next to him and brought his hand to her shoulder. He fully knew that her story was about revenge and pain; he thought she might be reliving those thoughts as the play continued.

The king asked to be fed by the woman. Soon enough, he asked to be fed by her body. The concubine could only do what the king said. It earned a reaction from the audience and from Sun Yin as well. She was surprised they knew of the king's atrocity. Lu Bang's hand flew to her hand; it was only then that she noticed that she clawed the tablecloth.

"Indulge yourself, my king. For tomorrow, you will be gone." Wu Ming petted the man who ate the food on her chest.

"I will be gone?" The king angrily raised his head, showing how messy his face had become.

"Yes, my king. We will be one, remember?" The smile on Wu Ming's face did not fade. "Tomorrow, we shall be living the life you had always envisioned."

"Ahahaha, yes, yes!" The king laughed out, sputtering sauce and saliva at the woman on his lap. "Nine men tried to lay their hands on you. Look at them now. Six feet underground!"

"Kings, your Excellency. Nine kings who failed to outshine your grace." Wu Ming corrected him.

"Right, right."

Men came from the door side of the stage. They looked like imperial guards, and the centermost spoke as he raised his clasped hands. "My king! The enemy army is marching from the east of our kingdom! They came from—"

"Doesn't matter. Kill them all. Offer their blood and soul to my goddess." Wang Feizi moved his hand. He then realized how messy the table was. He spat to the side and urged Wu Ming to get off of him. "Argh, the food suddenly tastes bitter. Tell the maidens to dispose of this. You, I want to see your wedding dress."

"It is yet to be finished, my king."

"Call the seamstress. I need that dress made before tomorrow!" He used his hand to shoo her away.

Lu Bang whispered to Sun Yin, "what a moody king." The maiden only giggled.

Wu Ming walked to the center of the room as the king exited the stage. The lights went dim, shining a spotlight on the maiden on the stage. Within the shadows, the props men moved the table and chairs away. However, most eyes of the audience were on Wu Ming.

"Oh, Whimsical One, did you hear that?" She giggled, bringing her sleeve to her mouth like she was copying Sun Yin. She then faced the audience with a maniacal smile. "Oh, Whimsical One, answer me! The kingdom will soon be filled with the cheers of the people! The palace will be filled with my cries! My tenth husband is coming, and soon, the world shall bow down to me!"

She calmed down, and the lights went back on. The place was now the waiting area. The way they change the setting impressed the audience. The actress then turned to the side as if she was hoping someone would come in.

"I swear I heard someone walking outside."

She went to the door side before getting showered with boxes. Those were empty boxes that were wrapped as if gifts. She fell to the floor, and a young boy of fourteen came to help her. He was suited in a clean robe and seemed to be well-kept by the palace.

"Forgive me, Concubine Wu. All those guards asked me to send you their gifts. They looked forward to your marriage to the king!" The man panicked as he helped her to her feet. He also gathered the gifts.

"Qin Feng, why are you here? Are you not supposed to be taking care of your ill mother?" Wu Ming dusted her clothes.

"Mama had already passed away last night, Concubine Wu." The boy faced her with a rather defeated smile. "Her family would take care of the funeral. As for me, I was called by the king. He said I had to help out in the marriage."

The audience reacted to what he said. They seemed to know what he would be used for. Sun Yin only looked down, refusing to accept what she was seeing right now. Lu Bang could only ask her if she wanted to leave. She refused to do so as well.

Wu Ming walked to the boy and held his face with both of her hands. "Thank you, Qin Feng. You shouldn't have done this. No matter what happens tonight, please be brave for me."

"I will be brave, Concubine Wu." Qin Feng smiled the brightest smile at the woman who gave him the grimmest look of all.