Book One: The Fist Of Domination (權傾天下)
Chapter Twenty-Four:
Cast of Appearing Characters:
Yeung Ming Hung – Kenneth Ma Kwok Ming
Yiu So Sum – Tavia Yeung Yi
Cheung Wan Sheung – Nancy Wu Ding Yan
Inside the main office of the Eunuch Administrative Bureau, the eunuchs were busy at work. From a distance, Yiu So Sum peeked through an open window and saw the eunuchs diligently sorting through the official petitions. Official petitions were the classified documents sent from government officials all around the nation to keep the Emperor informed of events that were happening in different parts of the empire. These petitions were sent daily in great numbers into the Imperial Palace for the Emperor to inspect. But first, the Eunuch Administrative Bureau had to separate the petitions into different categories, such as criticisms, suggestions, commendations, military, literary, geographic origin and also levels of urgency. Each day at crack of dawn, a selection of educated eunuchs had to start classifying the documents that were then carried into the Lau Gan’s private study and stacked neatly in their category.
Lau Gan was a meticulous and thorough person and insisted on inspecting each and every one of these petition with his own eyes. That way, he would know everything that was going on around the country and the attitudes of all government officials towards him. Each day after attending Imperial Court, he would hurry back to his private study to examine the mass of official petitions and mark with his red brush whether they were authorized or barred. Once inside, he would not emerge for many hours until the moon was high in the sky.
Yiu So Sum, Cheung Wan Sheung and Yeung Ming Hung had been lingering outside Lau Gan’s private study for many hours, waiting for the right moment to take action. They were all disguised as eunuchs, ready to mingle with the real ones to enter the building, hoping to avoid confrontation with the armed guards that were patrolling the grounds. Yiu So Sum anxiously wiped the sweat from her brow with her sleeve when Cheung Wan Sheung patted her excitedly at the approaching eunuchs.
A long line of eunuchs were carrying trays piled high with petitions, making their way from the main offices to the study. They had been at it all morning and some tired eunuchs were not keeping up in step with the others. Seizing the moment, as the group turned around the corner of the building, Yeung Ming Hung quickly despatched consecutive swift blows to the back of the neck of the three unfortunate eunuchs and rendered them unconscious without a whimper. The trays flew high in the air as their bearers collapsed but Cheung Wan Sheung quickly swivelled left and right with agility to collect them so that no one piece of petition left the trays. The three quickly concealed the bodies of the three eunuchs behind a wall before hurrying up to catch up with the rest of the group.
Not one of the other eunuchs noticed that their companions had been replaced as they were all concentrated on the ten armed eunuchs stationed at the entrance that were scanning the arrivals for any amiss . The eunuch guards were standing still like statues without any emotion on their faces, but yet their hand was on the hilt of their weapons, ready for any unexpected movements. The three all lowered their heads and lifted the tray they were carrying to conceal their faces as they walked pass the door that has been replaced.
Yiu So Sum counted a further ten guards from the reflection off the polished tiled floor, hidden silently out of sight amongst the beams of the building and watching all their movements. She dared not make any signals to her friends lest the guards were alerted. But from her acquaintance with them, she knew that they would have also noticed the same.
As the others were busily emptying their tray of petitions onto the neat stacks along the wall, Yiu So Sum purposely dropped her tray and spilt her documents everywhere to stall her stay.
Turning to her two friends, she called out, “How clumsy I am! Come and help me pick up the petitions!” Cheung Wan Sheung and Yeung Ming Hung got down on the knees to help her as the others left the room, shaking their heads at her clumsiness. As soon as the other eunuchs had left the room, Yiu So Sum swiped her hand against the hill of petitions that flew up towards the roof and struck the concealed guards.
Immediately, the ten guards armed with silver hooks descended from their hiding places and lunged themselves at the three intruders. The two girls exchanged blows with guards as Yeung Ming Hung quickly ran outside to dispose of the guards at the door before they alerted anyone else.
The ten guards of the Eastern Faction were trained assassins but these young girls had accumulated combat experience when helping Yeung Yat Ching defend the Northern Frontier. Yiu So Sum did not bring her retractable spear as it was impossible to hide under her clothes in broad daylight. Instead, she took on five of the eunuchs with a pair of sharp daggers. There was only one advantage when fighting against numerous opponents – the more fighters there are, the more confusion between the attackers. Yiu So Sum used the body of other attackers to shield her from blows as she spun around and slipped between her attackers to deliver fast but accurate stabs to the vulnerable places.
Cheung Wan Sheung handled her attackers bare-handed as they charged at her with their silver hooks. She playfully evaded all their blows, bouncing off the walls and leaping over the furniture to their frustration. Then all of a sudden, Cheung Wan Sheung turned around and shot out her weapon from right sleeve. The flexible body of the whip wrapped itself around the necks of two eunuchs, while two eunuchs seeing what happened to their dead colleagues, managed to dodge the attack. However, the last eunuch was not so lucky. He had managed to avoid the body of the whip but the tip of the whip was affixed with a small needle, which lodged itself in his throat. One of the remaining eunuch guards pinned down her whip with his silver hook, leaving Cheung Wan Sheung unarmed against his accomplice.
Cheung Wan Sheung ducked just in time as the eunuch swiped his hook just where her head had been seconds ago. Her hat was knocked off as her long hair descended over her shoulders. “A girl?” he exclaimed in surprise as Cheung Wan Sheung spun around and flicked him with her hair. He clutched his throat painfully as blood poured down the front of his uniform. His knees gave way as he spend the last moments of his life focused on the small needle that was hidden in the length of her long black hair.
Yiu So Sum finished off the last eunuch with a quick swing of her daggers just as Yeung Ming Hung ran back into the room. “What?” he cried looking around the room, “I have battled against ten eunuchs, disposed of all their bodies in a nearby pond and ran all the way back here and you two have only just finished in here?”
“Shut up!” yelled the girls as they ran towards the shelves where they had seen Law Cheung retrieve the wooden box from.
Their eyes scanned the three levels of the shelving for the hidden compartment. But where was it? There were various decorative ornaments placed into the shelves. Yiu So Sum looked from one to the other; unable to recall which one was the correct one.
“Let us try every one of them! We will certainly find it that way!” suggested Yeung Ming Hung who was as equally pondered, and he shot out a hand to lift a bronze horse from its standing.
“No!” cried Yiu So Sum, knocking his hand just in time before he touched the bronze horse. “What if there are traps? We must be meticulous and only touch the right ornament!”
Cheung Wan Sheung voice called out to them from behind. “Hey you two, have a look in here!” They spun around but she was not behind them. They quickly searched for her and found her to have ventured into the inner chamber, separated from the study by only a thin folding screen embroidered elegantly with a single sprig of plum blossom.
Even though it was noon, not a single ray of sunlight shone into the room as all the windows were shut. The room was so dark that they would not have seen anything beyond three feet of them had Cheung Wan Sheung not lit a candle.
“What are you doing here?” scolded Yiu So Sum, grabbing her friend roughly by the arm, “We have to find that roster!”
“So this where that old eunuch sleeps!” exclaimed Cheung Wan Sheung in amazement, “Look at the place! With all the gold and silver that he steals from the people, I would have thought that this pace would be filled with gold and silver! But this place is empty!”
Yiu So Sum took a look around the room as she had to agree. Apart from a large bed, a study desk and a wooden chair, there was no other furniture within the room. Whilst the study was adorned with decorative ornaments, the walls of the inner chamber only had a few paintings amongst the haunting black drapes that hid most of its bareness. There was a large yellow brocaded box on the table which contained the Imperial Seal – Yiu So Sum had opened the lid slightly and peeked through a gap. But what had caught her eye was the inkstone next to the Imperial Seal.
It was a medium-size dark green inkstone that would be easily mistaking for jade of the dark-green variety. Yiu So Sum and Cheung Wan Sheung leaned over it as if mesmerized but its translucent smoky appearance. The inkstone has been delicately carved and polished into a fabulous masterpiece of a lonely graceful crane bending over and drinking from a small pond. The small pond was the cavity which held the ground ink. As Cheung Wan Cheung held the candle over the, the dark green inkstone seemed to absorb the candlelight and gleamed back mysteriously at the girls.
Yiu So Sum was just about to reach out and touch the cool surface when Yeung Ming Hung cried out in triumph from outside the room. “I have found it! Come and look!”
The girls ran back outside to find Yeung Ming Hung laughing triumphantly with the roster in hand. An exquisite jade vase was placed on the desk along with an open wooden box.
Waving the papers excitedly at Yiu So Sum, Yeung Ming Hung goaded, “I found it! I couldn’t decide which ornament it was so I just picked one randomly and I got it on the first go!”
“You fool!” yelled Yiu So Sum, “What if you picked the wrong one up and darts flew out at you?”
“Stop being so wary!” defended Yeung Ming Hung, “I got the right one!”
But Cheung Wan Sheung pushed pass and shoved her candle at the papers. “Let me burn the roster! Move your fingers!”
“My fingers!” Yeung Ming Hung cried out in pain as the flames licked his fingers and he let go of the roster. Involuntarily, he waved his hand around in pain as accidentally knocked over the whole top shelf. A loud clang erupted from the room as the ornaments shattered upon the hard tiled surface, notifying all the guards in the area to the commotion.
“Look out! Darts!” yelled Yiu So Sum, pushing Yeung Ming Hung aside, as a multitude of deadly darts flew out at them from the second shelf.
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Author's Note:
:ninja: :ninja: :ninja: :ninja: The action begins! :ninja: :ninja: :ninja: :ninja:
Let's talk about weapons.
The golden spear is a strong and sturdy weapon. Its handle is solid unlike the traditional flexible bamboo spear handles, making it even more suitable to withstand strong blows from large weapons such as hammers and sabres and. As it is large and heavy to manoeuvre, the user has to compensate with speed and agility. When used effectively, it can act as both a weapon and a shield due to its indestructability. Compared to other weapons, the spear techniques are very open and it is hard to carry out dirty tricks or sneak attacks while using a spear because it is so large, unless you shoot out projectiles from a hidden compartment.
The retractable silver spear though had a strong metal handle, is hollow inside to allow the segment to extend and retract at the will of the use. It is less sturdy than the solid golden spear, but it allows a flexible range to suit the user, especially if it is a weaker martial artist who would benefit from keeping large numbers of opponents at a safe distance.
Twin daggers have a much shorter attacking range but because of their size and weight, can be easily hidden and quick to attack. The user would need to be small, alert and agile so they can attack and move away before the opponent returns the blow. It is certainly more dangerous to use a shorter weapon as one is closer within the opponent's attacking range, but it also allows for increased accuraacy and certainty that the opponent is wounded.
Soft leather whips provide a lot of unpredicatability and confusion for the opponent as it can suddenly change direction and formation. It is much harder to control a soft weapon compared to a solid weapon, and extra time and stength is needed for the force to travel along its body without dissipating. So the user must be imaginative and think quick to cope with the unlimited possible transformations during a fight.
Many different weapons will be introduced later in the story.
Book One: The Fist Of Domination (權傾天下)
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Cast of Appearing Characters:
Yeung Ming Hung – Kenneth Ma Kwok Ming
Yiu So Sum – Tavia Yeung Yi
Cheung Wan Sheung – Nancy Wu Ding Yan
Kuk Yuen Yau – Lelia Tong Ling
Suen Nga Yin – Natalie Tong See Wing
So Yee Ha – Sharon Chan Man Chi
Siu Kei Chi – Sammul Chan Kin Fung
Lady Fung – Queenie Chu Wai Mun
Emperor Ching Dak/Chu Hau Chiu – Matt Yeung Ming
One after another, a spray of darts emitted from the secret opening at the base of the second shelf in quick succession. The trio manoeuvred nimbly away from the shelf to dodge the dangerous projectiles which shot at different directions with each spray. There was no way to predict where the next spray was aimed at – they could only either evade or deflect the darts when they got close.
“See! I told you there were darts!” yelled Yiu So Sum angrily as she swivelled left to safety.
“Well I am sorry!” cried Yeung Ming Hung with frustrating as he deflected some oncoming darts with his sleeve. “Let us get out of here!” And he somersaulted towards the safety of the door.
“Wait! The roster!” shouted Yiu So Sum, trying to turn back but was blocked by the projectiles that were ejecting just above where the roster lay. Cheung Wan Sheung swung her whip as she quickly bent over backwards to let the spray of darts pass over her head, and skilfully retrieved the roster with her trusty whip. And the trio escaped from the dangerous room.
As soon as they left the study, Yeung Ming Hung said quickly, “Set fire to the roster now!”
But it was too late. Eunuch guards had been alerted to the racket and were now pouring into the Eunuch Administrative Bureau in great numbers. Even if they had managed to set fire to the roster, there was no guarantee that it would be completely destroyed. They could not take the chance.
Yeung Ming Hung yelled at the girls, “Let us split up and lose the guards. We will meet back at the old place!” The girls nodded in agreement as they escaped using different routes to confuse the eunuch guards.
Meanwhile, two scantily dressed figures chased each other wildly around the Imperial Gardens with a troop of anxious eunuchs and maids pursuing after them, unable to keep up with their pace. But the two seemed to not care and continued running around with their ecstatic laughter as they entered the grounds of the Palace of Abundant Longevity.
Both Kuk Yuen Yau and So Yee Ha jumped with fright as the two dishevelled people entered the pavilion where they were seated. The two ladies leaned forward instinctively on the stone table while the two maniacs did not notice them and continued their frenzied chase around the circular pavilion.
With the sweaty dishevelled hair covering their faces, it was impossible to tell who they were, only that one was a male and one was a female.
Waiting for the right moment, So Yee Ha grabbed her friend and darted out, but the pursuer suddenly reached out and took hold of Kuk Yuen Yau’s forearm, and snatched her back into the pavilion. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” cried the man in a thrilled tone, ‘I got you now!” and he whipped his arm across her throat to choke her.
So Yee Ha quickly ran back into the pavilion and attacked the man with a series slaps and blows. His female companion has stopped running and had bent over laughing madly at the scenario.
“Let go of her, you maniac!” shouted So Yee Ha as she helplessly attacked the man who did not relent his grip on Kuk Yuen Yau.
Kuk Yuen Yau’s face was reddening as she struggled to breathe and her hands in an unsuccessful attempt to loosen the grasp of her attacker. Her bloodshot eyes pulsated painfully, slowly rolling upwards to show the white of her eyes. If she was released straight away, she would die. So Yee Ha had no choice. She removed one of her gold hairpins and took a wild stab at the lunatic’s back.
“Don’t do it!” yelled Siu Kei Chi who had just entered the garden, and now leapt into the pavilion to impede the action. But it was too late. The man gave a scream of pain and he immediately let go of Kuk Yuen Yau to remove the hairpin impaled in his back. So Yee Ha quickly grabbed Kuk Yuen Yau to safety while the man was distracted but both tripped over each other’s feet in the confusion and fell onto the ground.
The injured man now sat down on the stone seat screaming in pain where as his female companion hugged him intimately whilst laughing crazily, totally unaware that he had been stabbed.
Immediately, the entourage of eunuchs and maids came running towards the pavilion. In horror, the two ladies realised the identity of the madman when they saw the old eunuch running towards them at the head of the entourage.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” The old eunuch cried out in panic, “Are you all right?” and he quickly leaned the Emperor forward to check the wound on his back. A group of maids ran hurriedly to the madwoman and covered her with a long robe. Now that her maids had brushed her hair back from her face, So Yee Ha recognised her immediately as Lady Fung.
The Emperor was screaming in pain and pointed to So Yee Ha in anger. “How dare you injure me, you tramp? Men, take this woman and beheaded her immediately!”
The eunuchs took hold of her arms and So Yee Ha screamed and kicked to no avail. With tears in her eyes, Kuk Yuen Yau quickly dropped onto her knees, and pleaded in choked voice, “Please spare Lady So, Your Majesty! She did not recognise you and she was only trying to save me! Furthermore, she is with child, Your Majesty! Please spare her life!”
But the Emperor was unmoved. “Behead her at once! If I can get one child, I can get another child! She is not the only concubine who can bear my children! Behead her at once!”
So Yee Ha could not believe her ears. Her own husband was about to order the death of her and her unborn child without any emotion at all. What sort of monster did she marry? Her heart sank at the very moment and she stopped struggling against the eunuchs to let them take her away.
In the Maid’s Quarters, Suen Nga Yin was searching the wooden plaques before each room for the one which belonged to her maid. She had not seen her since early morning and neither did the other maids and eunuchs that she had asked along the way. Finally, she found the right one and pushed the doors open to enter, expecting to find Yiu So Sum inside.
But to her fright, there was a totally naked man looking equally shocked, staring blankly at her. Both gawked awkwardly at each other in silence, neither of them knowing how to react to this bombshell.
Yeung Ming Hung was the first out of the three to return to the room after leading the guards on an exhilarating three-hour chase around the Imperial Palace . He had just stripped out of his eunuch uniform to change into his black outfit when the doors opened.
As soon as he recovered from the surprise, he quickly grabbed some bed sheets to shield his nakedness and clapped his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming.
Suen Nga Yin froze as the naked man bounded over to her and dragged her inside the room. He quickly tapped her on the shoulders to seal her movement acupressure points and closed the doors. Suen Nga Yin could not lift a finger when the man carried her over to the table and left her there.
There could only be one complete man within the Enclosed Palace and this man was certainly not the Emperor. Who was this man and what did he want? What was he doing naked inside the Maid’s Quarters?
Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Yeung Ming Hung continued to dress himself hurriedly behind So Yee Ha’s back. Suen Nga Yin was unable to move but her eyes and eyelids could function properly. She blushed as she realised she was placed directly before a mirror that reflected all that was going on behind her back. She closed her eyes in embarrassment as she tried to forget what she just saw. She had seen the Emperor naked before in the dim lights but never did she see a man naked this clearly.
Yeung Ming Hung tapped her gently on the shoulder to gain her attention and she opened her eyes. He apologised in a low voice, “Sorry to frighten you, my Lady! I can assure you that I mean no harm to you. I am no pervert. I just have some errands to do within the Imperial Palace. I will leave immediately and we will never meet again!” Suen Nga Yin focussed her gaze at the man’s eyes. They were kind and warm.
The doors open burst open again to their fright as Yiu So Sum and Cheung Wan Sheung jumped in through the door. “What is going on here?” asked Yiu So Sum as she shifted her gaze between the frozen Suen Nga Yin and the red-faced Yeung Ming Hung.
“Lady Suen!” cried Cheung Wan Sheung in astonishment, “What are you doing here?”
“Let us talk about that later!” interrupted Yeung Ming Hung impatiently, “Where is the roster?”
“Here!” cried Yiu So Sum, holding the singed papers in one hand, “We tried destroying them on the way back here but those dreaded eunuchs were following too close. They would be here any minute soon so we can’t burn it here lest they find the ashes.”
And clasping the papers in to his hands, Yiu So Sum looked into his eyes and pleaded, “Big Brother, you must take the roster away with you immediately from the Imperial Palace! Lau Gan will most likely take action against Godfather right away! You must hurry back to warn him and the other generals! ”
“Take care, Big Brother! We will see each other soon!” said Cheung Wan Sheung emotionally as the cries of guards could be heard coming closer and closer. And she held out his spear for him.
Taking his weapon, Yeung Ming Hung nodded at the girls and turned to leave. Suddenly he turned back towards Suen Nga Yin. “Farewell, Lady Suen! May we never see each other again!” stated Yeung Ming Hung with that he ran out of the room.
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Author's Note:
Emperor Ching Dak (Zhengde) was a frivolous man who only cared about his own enjoyment. He indulged in luxuries and beautiful women. He built these Panther Houses to house exotic panthers, exotic women and beautiful men for sexual relations.
You may know this Emperor from the famous story of how he escaped out of the palace in commoner's clothing and seduced the wineseller Lee Fung Jie. He then dumped her after a brief tryst and forgot about her while she waited for him to return. She gave birth to his child and was ridiculed by the town for being a harlot. Someday he suddenly remembered she existed and sent for her and their son but her health had deteriorated from all the heartbreak that she died before she could arrive at the palace.
How many percent of that is the truth, no one knows. But I seriously hate this guy!
:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: