Concubine

“The king is dead!” People are screaming the same thing to each other. Yet some whisper it, “The king is dead”, wondering what will happen now. They are in disbelief and who can blame them? The king is dead.

Li Yu was pulled along by her mother. She was completely envolved in her head, trying to make sense of what is happening.

She never knew they had a king. And if they are truly that special, why do they die? Seems not very economical. Maybe as well for others ‘son of the heavens’, doesn’t seem to do a lot for them.

Maybe the king had angered the gods in heaven? Maybe that’s why it’s the second king to die in a short space.

Li Yu couldn’t really imagine it being the case, bur many people around her were thinking about it at least a version of that storyline.

That should be it.

Death is something strange to comprehend for small children. They play and they live. Dying is not for them.

And playing was something Li Yu likes to do. A bowl of mooncakes caught her attention. Her salive glands went into overdrive. Carefully she stretched out an arm. Almost, almost did she get one, and then her parents decided to walk on. Her fingertips missed the mooncakes by a hair.

Dropping her shoulders in disappointment, there was no a lot more she could do, than to cooperatively follow her mom’s hand that was holding hers.

She had one last option, screaming on the top of her lungs; “Moon cakes!!!” Her mother froze in her steps. Realizing what Li Yu’s sudden change in attitude was all about.

Her mother sqautted down and held Li Yu on her upper arms, looking her in the eye, already signaling that something important was going to be said. “Li, we explained this. When we come to the market it’s because we really need something. If you want moon cakes I’ll make you cakes. We just do not have the money to buy everything we want.”

Li Yu hadn’t even heard that last bit. The idea that moon cakes were coming up later today -fresh ones even- was even better than the ones at the stall. Who knows how long they’ve been up. Freshly made is better.

People were moving around each other in such small spaces, it felt like looking at an ant’s nest you disturb by accident, like when you lift something up outisde that you hadn’t moved in months.

People moving around each other as if they are ants.

Li Yu’s dark brown eyes were looking at the adult world happening just above her head.

A little later she notices how the mass was no longer moving without direction. Everyone was walking the same route, crowding together in front of a wall. More and more people came, and soon all Li Yu could see were the back of people’s legs.

“Mama! What’s happening?”.

“Shush they are reading us something!”

Being silenced wasn’t really she planned on doing. Not in a place like this, in a moment like this. Way too much was happening. In the distance she heard stuff rattle. She couldn’t call out what exactly. Dense fabric maybe, when you shake out saddlecloths. Li Yu was wrong. Soldiers coated in full armour consisting of leather plates and strips were marching into the crowd’s direction. Feathers on their helmets danced on the cadance of their march. They floated above the crowd’s heads, demanding to be seen, announcing that this is the army coming.

Soldier Important unroled a bamboo scroll. He held one end in his hand, the other hand supported the scroll. Li had seen scrolls in rolled up form, but she never knew they were for writing or reading -out loud- texts. The text itself must be important as well. Why else send soldiers for people to read it?

“People of the Kingdom of Qin! Our king had died last night!”

Sighs of disbelief raised from the crowd. Sighs of confirmation followed. At least it’s official. The fear of what may happen after the death of the king was taken away.

“His thirteen year old son (Li attempted to count to thirteen), heir to the throne Ying Zheng of Qin will succeed him!

Let us all praise our new king! We know jow successful he will be! Hail the king!”

The people were unsure on how to react. Are they supposed to he happy? The Seven Warring States period has lasted for twohundred years already. The people are sick of it. A new king (again!) which was destined to defend the honor of his kingdom on the battlefield. Honor it by wasting everyday-people’s lifes.

People like to see heroes, someone to look up to, someone with good values. Of course they luke to see it. But in order to win, you need to lose first. And evergone was losing.

Li Yu jumped up in an attempt to see something, without letting go of her mom’s hand. All her attempts failed, too many people wanted to see something as well and tried to get closer to the scroll-holding soldier as possible. All with the idea of trying to see what is happening.

“Long live the king!” one soldier -not scroll-holding soldiet- screamed.

"Hail! Hail! Hail!” echoed the mass answering the call to longevity.

“Do we have a new king now?” Li Yu asked. She understood nothing about the forced excitement of the crowd. A king more or less. What’s the difference?

The feathers marched on. A white flag with a dark blue border appeared from somewhere and was held aloft by a large wooden T-frame. The serrated lower end of the flag was caught in the wind and joined the feather’s marvhing dance. A character was written on the flag in the same color as the border. Li had writing lessons, she wasn’t actively studying and only wanted to confess to herself that she had no clue about what is written on the cloth. Excuse her, flag, or banner. But not cloth.

Her parents liberated themselves out of the mass and made their way to some place else, dazed by the news they just got.

"Barely thirteen years old..."

Her father pretty much replicated the entire speech. Li Yu didn't mind because she wasn't paying attention for about half the original speech.

"Thirteen is enough to be king" he concluded his repetition. "The queen dowager will take the reins. That's how it always goes. And than the young king will rebel against mama and than we will not just have war on our fields but also in the palace walls."

"I am sure the king will take his place soon and swiftly" Li's father concluded. "That is what I feel too, and it worries me. Something about this king worries me" and she turned her head the other way just in time, "Li Yu hands off those cakes!"

——

How to pronounce Chinese names:

Q = TSJ like "CHeers".

X = SJ like "SHow"

Zh = DJ like "Journey"