"Huh so, it's the winter festival....I forgot about that..."
The Winter Festival announced the arrival of the cold season and was usually cause for celebration. Timed as it was to be held five days after the Chang'An Academy's graduation ceremony it was usually a platform to felicitate the elite of the academy.
However, today, a day that was meant to be a carnival of festivities had taken on a funerary vibe. Although all the people of Chang'An City had gathered on the main street that neatly divided the Capital City in two, there were no celebratory sounds, no fireworks, no cheering. Instead a somber silence hung over the crisp winter morning, the prison guards having handed Zang Xuang over to the Royal Guards had retreated back to the Prison, now Zang was flanked on either side by a row of soldiers. The Royal Guards, well armoured and bearing the gold dragon of the Emperor slapped iron chains on his wrists before allowing him any room. The Emperor glared at him, seated beside him on either side were Cao Mao Li and that old hideous bastard who had accused him on the day of his graduation.
The old bastard started first, singing high and low of how the talented Zang Xuang had abused his divine gift and taken advantage of his status as a talent of the Chang'an academy to force himself upon the poor girl, a Princess of the Imperial Sect at that. A heinous crime in the eyes of both Men and Gods. He railed on and on about the impious nature of the man that many considered as the next great hope of the Tang Empire. The people shifted uncomfortably in their places, unsure as to the truth to the accusations.
But it was Cao Mao Li who really ripped into Zang Xuang. Besides young Zang, Cao Mao Li was considered the next great talent in the academy. He was often known as the great Tiger of the West, hailing as he was from the western part of the Empire and seeing as his talent in qi cultivation was second only to Zang Xuang. But more than anything else, Cao Mao Li was the most gifted orator of his generation. They said he could sway gangs of marauders to give up their evil intentions with only a few couplets or so the stories went. Cao Mao Li was not content with simply reciting a few couplets this time.
"Those of you know me, know how close I considered junior brother Zang to me, look at me, even now when I know the full extent of his crimes I still call him junior brother. My formative years in the academy were spent in his brilliant shadow, his arrogance which made him an enemy of every other noble at the academy and even made him the sworn enemy of the Crown Prince of Silla seemed to me to be a by product of his unnatural talent. However I was a fool. Little did I know that this monster you see before you would take advantage of my desire to be a true friend and brother to him by violating my betrothed, that too under the pretext of wanting a night out into town before he graduated. What's worse is...what's worse is..."
He choked back a tear, oh this glorious actor, he had the audience eating out the palm of his hand.
"What's worse is after violating the poor innocent princess he stole the handkerchief she had lovingly crafted for me and then claimed he recalled nothing of the night when questioned. Can you imagine the shamelessness of the man? To bed a royal princess and not remember...is it even humanly possibl? Only a demon would act thus.
Hear me now People of Chang'An. This man, nay demon, for that would explain his supernatural talent at qi cultivation as well, is no man's kin, no man's brother. He considers himself superior to all humanity and one day he will turn on you just like he has turned on his senior brother and violated the sanctity that exists between man and his wife to be."
And that was that. The crowd erupted in angry curses and chaotic rambling. With just a few words Cao Mao Li had turned the people Chang'An against their destined hero. As the crowd's roar grew and grew, the Emperor held up his hand to silence them. Finally he spoke. His voice amplified by qi, booming out once more.
"SO YOU HAVE HEARD HIS CRIMES, BUT YOUR EMPEROR IS A BENEVOLENT EMPEROR AND SO HE IS WILLING TO FORGIVE THIS MOST TREACHEROUS OF SOULS, ZANG XUANG...
Zang Xuang...if you wish to live you must do as I say..."
Words began to form in Zang's mind, he was shocked for a moment but retained his composure. This was the ancient mind transfer technique, so the Emperor had rediscovered this lost technique as well.
"ALL HE MUST DO IS BOW DOWN THREE TIMES TO ME, TO THE GODS AND TO THE PRINCESS HE HAS INSULTED WITH HIS VULGAR ACTIONS...
All you must do is cripple your cultivation and swear to serve Cao Mao Li for your lifetime. It is not such a bad deal...
IF HE DOES SO, THEN HE SHALL BE FORGIVEN AND BE GRANTED A PLACE OF SERVICE IN THE IMPERIAL SECT...
If you do so, then you shall be forgiven. If you refuse however, your death will be exceedingly painful...
SO GIVE ME YOUR ANSWER NOW, ZANG XUANG, DO YOU CHOOSE TO SUBMIT TO MY AUTHORITY? OR DO YOU CHOOSE DEATH?"
The crowds were angry at the Emperor for showing such mercy to a scoundrel like Zang Xuang, it was funny to him considering how only a few moments ago the crowd had been on his side. Zang smiled despite the obvious hostilities. He turned to face the Princess who was seated a little away from the rest of the royal family, obviously stigmatised by the Imperial Sect, and bowed in a silent apology. The crowd were confused on seeing his actions and murmured among themselves, wondering who he was apologising to. He turned next to face the Emperor and finally let loose the qi he had been holding.
"You...FOOLS"
The word echoed out from his mouth like the boom of a cloudburst in full monsoon, split asunder by a white hot blade of lightning. A hushed silence spread over the people. The morning sun seemed to dim unnaturally and to those who had the eyes of a practitioner or a cultivator or a martial artist a remarkable change came upon Zang Xuang. A massive poisonous vortex of qi started to emanate from his upper dan'tian, spreading out until it encompassed all the skies of Chang'An. To any average cultivator it would seem like the gates of hell had been ripped open, but even the regular people felt the disturbance, and glanced uneasily at each other's faces, wondering if they ought to flee.
The royal guards were rooted in place with shock on their faces, the old guradian was cowering in his chair and Cao Mao Li looked like he was about to fall sick.
Only the Emperor held his composure, only the Emperor seemed unaffected by the noxious qi. Instead, he smiled at the resolve shown by Zang Xuang and spoke his next words softly, to no one in particular, yet the words fell as clear as silver bells on Zang Xuang's ears.
"So young Zang Xuang, you have chosen death."
Zang Xuang smiled ruefully on hearing those words and in response doubled down on the noxious qi. A maelstrom of poisonous qi began enveloping the entire Capital City, flooding out from the slender blue robed form of the prodigal smiling sage of Chang'An City.
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