A Heartrending History

ZI YIN AND FU TAI walked hand in hand, giggling as they ran through the palace gardens. The cherry blossom trees were in full bloom, their pink petals falling like snowflakes. The air was perfumed with the sweet fragrance of the flowers, and the distant sound of a flowing stream could be heard. The sun was shining, casting a warm glow on the two children as they explored the winding paths and hidden alcoves of the garden. The colorful koi fish in the pond darted back and forth, occasionally jumping out of the water to catch a fly. Behind them, a few eunuchs followed, keeping a watchful eye on the children.

"Zi-gongzi, please don't run," Fu Tai tittered, but he too was running.

"Why not? There's nobody around." Zi Yin took off further into the garden with Fu Tai following closely behind them. "Let's play immortal heroes! I'll be the great Zi Yijun!"

"Yeah right, you're nothing more than dog meat!" Fu Tai shoved Zi Yin playfully. "If you're Zi Yijun then I'll be Zhan Feng from the Burning Fire sect, he's much more powerful than stupid Zi Yijun."

"You're dog meat! Fu clan can't even help themselves much less anyone else. What makes you think you're better?"

Fu Tai looked as if he'd been slapped. "You—" he sputtered. "Zi Yijun is just a stupid nobody and he's probably dead somewhere rotting like stinky cow meat!"

"No." Zi Yin stamped his foot and cross his arms. "He's a million times better. Zhan Feng is s-s-stupid."

Fu Tai's expression darkened and he shoved Zi Yin onto the ground. "You think your damn sect is better than everyone else."

Zi Yin was suddenly overcome by fear.

He felt like a tiny bird being circled by a predator as Fu Tai approached him with a fierce scowl, his eyes cold and unfeeling. The alpha's scent began to sour making Zi Yin's stomach turn, he wasn't sure why Fu Tai was suddenly treating him that way, but he didn't like it. Fu Tai was about to move when they heard a commotion from the other side of the gardens.

They ran towards the sound, hiding in the dense foliage as they watched Gong Feiyan grab Gong Yijun by his hair and drag him forward. "Useless child!" she screeched and slapped him across the face. "Good for nothing!"

Zi Yin's heart raced as he listened to Gong Feiyan's cruel words toward Gong Yijun. It was like a sharp blade slicing through his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He could see the pain etched on Gong Yijun's face, his stuttering worse than ever as he tried to reply.

"You're a worthless burden on this family," Gong Feiyan continued, her voice like venomous snakes hissing in the air. "Your mother died for nothing, giving birth to a stuttering fool like you. You'll never be a real prince."

He could see that Gong Yijun was not only physically malnourished but emotionally as well. Zi Yin hasn't been in the palace long, but he could tell Gong Yijun was extremely soft-hearted, the alpha was self-conscious of his stuttering and the way he flinched at every blow and cowered before Gong Feiyan broke Zi Yin's heart. He looked over at Fu Tai and saw the same expression of sadness and disgust mirrored on his face. This needed to be stopped.

Zi Yin clenched his tiny fist and sprang up, walking towards them determined to put a stop to it before he was grabbed by one of the eunuchs close by.

"Zi-gongzi, you can't interfere with palace matters," the eunuch said sternly. "Think of your father."

There was a rule in the palace that if one person makes a mistake, then the entire family is punished. Zi Yin didn't want to shame his father and so he allowed the eunuch to guide them away, his eyes straying back to Gong Yijun who didn't make a sound as even the servants began beating him.

Zi Yin's lip trembled and his eyes stung. Why was Gong Feiyan treating him like that? Zi Yin didn't understand. His mother had always been very kind and loving, her sweet omega scent oftentimes lulling him to sleep, but Gong Feiyan was the exact opposite.

"Why does she do that?" Zi Yin asked the eunuch as he was led back to his room. "I don't understand."

"Some people are motivated by greed," the eunuch replied. "Here, rest easy young master. You will be tutoring Wangye tomorrow."

Zi Yin knew the eunuch was right, but it didn't make the situation any less painful to witness. Fu Tai and Zi Yin were beside themselves, not sure what to do or say. Fu Tai boiled some tea for them and they sat quietly in the room for several moments. Fu Tai's attitude had changed drastically, his alpha scent much calmer than ever before. Watching Gong Yijun get beaten, reminded Zi Yin of times he's seen Fu Tai being treated the same way.

Zi Yin cared deeply for Fu Tai, his little heart moved and he grabbed Fu Tai's hands. "Don't worry. That will never happen to you. I'll protect you."

Fu Tai's lips tugged into a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "As you say, Zi-gongzi."

●

ZIN YIN WALKED DOWN the halls of the palace, with several eunuchs walking behind him. Gong Yijun hasn't shown up for classes in several days and Zi Yin had grown increasingly concerned, especially after he saw concubine Gong Feiyan treat her stepson so badly. So, he mustered up all his courage and asked one of the eunuchs to get him an audience with the prince.

Zi Yin's blood pulsed as they brought him to the prince's room and knocked on the door. A servant opened the door and led them inside. The palace bedroom was opulent, with silk drapes and ornate furniture. Gong Yijun looked up weakly as Zi Yin entered the room. His eyes were sunken and sweat beaded on his forehead. Gong Yijun was sobbing uncontrollably on his bed, his face full of cuts and bruises. Zi Yin ran as fast as his little legs could carry him and rushed to Gong Yijun's side, his heart aching at the sight of Gong Yijun's suffering.

"What's wrong, Wangye?" Zi Yin asked.

Gong Yijun looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. "I-I-I w-w-want to d-d-d-die," he said between sobs.

Zi Yin was taken aback. "What are you talking about? Why would you say that?"

Gong Yijun stuttered through his tears, "C-C-C-Concubine Gong Feiyan m-m-m-makes my life miserable. S-S-S-She tells me I'm u-u-useless and she w-w-w-w-wishes I was d-d-d-dead."

Zi Yin's felt a wave of grief wash over him, he knew Gong Yijun had a tough life, but he didn't realize it was this bad. "Gong Yijun, you can't talk like that. Your life is valuable, and you have so much potential."

"B-B-B-But it's so hard," Gong Yijun cried. "A-A-A-All I w-w-w-want to do is be a salted fish, just -s-s-s-s-sit and be left a-a-a-alone. And raise my G-G-G-Gu worms."

"Gu worms? What type of Gu worms?" Zi Yin lit up immediately, he's never known anyone that wanted to raise Gu worms. They were a part of the forbidden arts, just because they only responded to one master and could be used to kill and massacre people without being detected by normal cultivators.

Gong Yijun looked around anxiously before he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small case filled with vials and handed it to Zi Yin. "T-T-T-Take a look at these," he said.

Zi Yin peered inside and saw that each vial contained a tiny, insect-like creature. "What were these?" he asked, feeling uneasy.

"T-T-T-They're my Gu worms," Gong Yijun replied. "I h-h-h-h-have been raising them for a while."

"Really? Aren't they a part of the forbidden arts? How can you keep them?"

"B-B-B-Because they weren't all bad," Gong Yijun said. "Some Gu, like these ones, could be used for good purposes. T-T-T-Take this one, for example." He pointed to a vial filled with a jade-colored creature. "That w-w-w-was a Jade Gu. It was said to have healing properties and could protect its owner."

Zi Yin eyed the vial warily. "But what about the others? What was in the other vials?"

Gong Yijun pulled out another vial, this one containing a dark, shadowy creature. "This was a Shadow Gu. It could blend into its surroundings and become invisible. I-I-I-It was often used by assassins and spies to gather information."

Zi Yin shook his head. "Still...they look dangerous."

Gong Yijun looked at him seriously, there were big black circles around his eyes and his expression was bleak. "I understand your concerns, but I believed that these Gu could be a force for good in the world. It was all about how they were used. I would never use them for evil purposes."

Zi Yin's stomach knotted, but who was he to challenge the future prince? "Okay, I trust you. But you have to be careful, alright?"

Gong Yijun's mouth tugged into a rueful smile. "I will. And who knows, maybe one day you would even be interested in raising your own Gu."

Zi Yin didn't want Gong Yijun to have hate in his heart, so he sat down next to him and put his arm around his shoulder. "Wangye, I know your life is difficult, but you can't give up. You're a prince, and you have a responsibility to your people. You have to keep going, no matter how hard it gets."

Gong Yijun wiped his tears and looked at Zi Yin, "B-B-B-B-But how do I k-k-k-k-keep going when I can't e-e-e-e-even speak properly?"

Zi Yin thought for a moment before remembering a poem by Du Fu, "Lament of the Disabled Man." He recited it to Gong Yijun, hoping it would help.

"'A broken branch withered and old, a poor man's life is sad and cold. The morning light no longer brings the joy that once made my heart sing,'" Zi Yin recited, hoping to impart some wisdom.

Gong Yijun listened intently, still sniffling. "W-W-W-What does it mean?" he asked.

"It means that even if your life is hard, you have to keep going. You have to find joy in the small things and keep moving forward, even if it's difficult. Don't give up, Gong Yijun. You're stronger than you realize," Zi Yin explained.

Gong Yijun looked at him with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "T-T-T-Thank you, Zi Yin. I'll try to be stronger."

"My father calls me Yin'er."

"Y-Y-Y-Yin'er," Gong Yijun said but his face flushed, and something in his eyes brightened like a ship adrift at sea finally spotting land. Gong Yijun took Zi Yin's hand in his and together they continued studying.