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Thread: The Forbidden City The City Of Disillusionment (幻滅紫禁城)

  1. #141
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Why any man would find this sexually stimulating is still a mystery to me!

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  2. #142
    Senior Member Melanie's Avatar
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    That's just cruel, inhumane torture of women, just to satisfy the whims of men. I have a feeling ancient men found women with bound feet sexy, not because of the grotesque appearance of the feet themselves, but because women with bound feet had unstable gaits and were largely reliant on the men for support when going from A to point B. This female reliance probably satisfied the men's twisted sense of male superiority.

    Interestingly, I think the high heel shoe for women is a modern twist on the ancient custom of feet binding. If you think about it, a lot of men regard women who wear high heels (especially 3-4 inch slinky heels) exceedingly sexy and desirable, because the high heel shoe not only gives the illusion of a longer, more slender leg, but also forces women to be slightly unstable on their feet, hence making it necessary for them to hang onto their male escorts for support.

  3. #143
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Melanie View Post
    That's just cruel, inhumane torture of women, just to satisfy the whims of men. I have a feeling ancient men found women with bound feet sexy, not because of the grotesque appearance of the feet themselves, but because women with bound feet had unstable gaits and were largely reliant on the men for support when going from A to point B. This female reliance probably satisfied the men's twisted sense of male superiority.
    Ah! Females were no allowed to hang onto men when walking. Traditionally if a man and woman (even if married walk along the street), the man has to walk first and the woman follows. However, the female can hang onto a maid if she can afford one. Physical touching in public was a taboo, even for married couples.

    Quote Originally Posted by Melanie View Post
    Interestingly, I think the high heel shoe for women is a modern twist on the ancient custom of feet binding. If you think about it, a lot of men regard women who wear high heels (especially 3-4 inch slinky heels) exceedingly sexy and desirable, because the high heel shoe not only gives the illusion of a longer, more slender leg, but also forces women to be slightly unstable on their feet, hence making it necessary for them to hang onto their male escorts for support.
    Hey! I need no man for support! I can kick high in high heels without falling over!
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  4. #144
    Senior Member Melanie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charbydis View Post
    Ah! Females were no allowed to hang onto men when walking. Traditionally if a man and woman (even if married walk along the street), the man has to walk first and the woman follows. However, the female can hang onto a maid if she can afford one. Physical touching in public was a taboo, even for married couples.
    Walk behind the dude? I think I would be really angry if I lived in ancient times. The only reason a guy would rush in front of me is to open the door for me. Otherwise, he either walks beside me or behind me.



    Hey! I need no man for support! I can kick high in high heels without falling over!
    I'm not very fond of slinky high heels, because they hurt my feet and I'm not as agile in high heels as I am in flats. I'll only wear them with evening gowns. However, I'll wear wedges to give me an extra boost of height. (I'm not very tall.) Plus, wedges are pretty fancy these days.

  5. #145
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    I only wear thin stiletto heels at a black tie event when I need the shoes to match my dress. I balance well but I feel insecure at times. Once I had a function on a boat and my heel got stuck in the gaps between the jetty planks. Lucky it didn't break or I didn't trip over.

    I am required to wear shoes with heels so I prefer wedges. In my own time, I run around in sneakers and slip ons flat shoes!

    Seriously, if I was born in the old times, I would either be a man-hating nun or a cross-dresser. The only time a man would let a woman walk first would if the woman was his mother or senior, or if she was a high status than him. They can do whatever they want inside their house but outside, such was the society's rules. But now, I don;t mind where a man walks as long as he doesn't intentionally attempt to demean me by walking before me. I don't wait for a man to push open a door or open my car's door for me. I open if I get there first but if he walks first and let the door slam before me, then

    The ancient poets used to hold a courtesan's bound foot in their hand to fondle as they get inspiration for their composition.
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  6. #146
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    I serious don;t know who had it worse: Ancient Chinese Women vs Victorian Era women?

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    Senior Member Melanie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charbydis View Post
    I only wear thin stiletto heels at a black tie event when I need the shoes to match my dress. I balance well but I feel insecure at times. Once I had a function on a boat and my heel got stuck in the gaps between the jetty planks. Lucky it didn't break or I didn't trip over.

    I am required to wear shoes with heels so I prefer wedges. In my own time, I run around in sneakers and slip ons flat shoes!

    Seriously, if I was born in the old times, I would either be a man-hating nun or a cross-dresser. The only time a man would let a woman walk first would if the woman was his mother or senior, or if she was a high status than him. They can do whatever they want inside their house but outside, such was the society's rules. But now, I don;t mind where a man walks as long as he doesn't intentionally attempt to demean me by walking before me. I don't wait for a man to push open a door or open my car's door for me. I open if I get there first but if he walks first and let the door slam before me, then

    The ancient poets used to hold a courtesan's bound foot in their hand to fondle as they get inspiration for their composition.
    Why are you required to wear heels at work, charby? Nowadays, there are very glamorous flats that can take the place of heels for the working woman.

    That thing about the ancient poets fondling a courtesan's bound foot is just plain gross. Don't the feet get stinky being bound all day and night? I guess what is consdiered erotic is all psychological. ancient Chinese bound feet = modern day women's breasts


    If you must choose between having your feet broken repeatedly and bound or wearing a corset, which would you pick?

  8. #148
    Senior Member Melanie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by charbydis View Post
    Seriously, if I was born in the old times, I would either be a man-hating nun or a cross-dresser.
    You could be like Mie Jue Shi Tai in Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber.

  9. #149
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    Quote Originally Posted by Melanie View Post
    Why are you required to wear heels at work, charby? Nowadays, there are very glamorous flats that can take the place of heels for the working woman.

    That thing about the ancient poets fondling a courtesan's bound foot is just plain gross. Don't the feet get stinky being bound all day and night? I guess what is consdiered erotic is all psychological. ancient Chinese bound feet = modern day women's breasts


    If you must choose between having your feet broken repeatedly and bound or wearing a corset, which would you pick?
    Because i am short and they put everything on the high shelves. I guess it also makes me look more presentable to the patients when they walk in and I look taller.

    I think between feet and corset, I would choose feet. Corset does more damage by compressing your internal organs and it hurts whether you move or not, sit or stand. Imagine being pregnant in that body!

    Bound feet is very painful, but if you are rich, then you can spend all day sitting and cutting your toenails and washing it free of germs.

    I would rather be Mei Jue Shi Tai than any of the two! :P
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  10. #150
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    Default 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.

    -----------------------------------------------
    Author's Note:

    The action begins!

    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.
    Last edited by charbydis; 09-04-11 at 12:22 AM.
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  11. #151
    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Spears:
    Look at the different spear tips available. Some can be used to drill into the opponents flesh and some even have extra pointy bits to add to the injury. For the ones used by the Yeungs in my story, I have chosen for them to be the simple spear tip which is in the middle of five as they rely on skill and power to overcome opponents rather than extra features of their weaponary.

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    Last edited by charbydis; 09-04-11 at 10:07 AM.
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  12. #152
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    Twin Daggers:
    Their short but straight solid bodies can allow them to be easily hidden up sleeves or down boots as a hidden weapon. Not much strength is needed to utilise these light-weight weapons so very suitable for females with less upper body muscles.

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    Last edited by charbydis; 09-04-11 at 10:06 AM.
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  13. #153
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    Whips:
    Whips are made by tightly plaiting together longstrands of dried animal hide to enhance its durability. Being made of leather, it is slightly elastic and can grip onto objects which is handy if you want to grab something and hurl it at your opponent or if you want to swing off a tree. It also hurts like no tomorrow if you get hit with it across your bare skin because the leather is rough and tough.

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    Senior Member charbydis's Avatar
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    Default 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.
    -----------------------------------------------
    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!
    Last edited by charbydis; 09-13-11 at 08:59 AM.
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    HAPPY AUTUMN MOON FESTIVAL!

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    Quote Originally Posted by charbydis View Post
    [
    Author's Note:

    Emperor Ching Dak (Zhengde) was a frivolous man who only cared about hie 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.

    How many percent of that is the truth, no one knows. But I seriously hate this guy!
    Why? Zhengde was by no means a good emperor, but at least he was a decent human being. Zhengde did shirk his duties as emperor and was more interested in enjoying life and playing, but he was only 15 when he ascended the throne and died young. Zhengde was playful and indulgent, but I never had the impression that he was cruel or sadistic, unlike his successor, JiaJing.

    I always felt that if Zhengde wasn't an emperor, he would have become a formidable/famous general. He did lead a successful campaign against the Mongolians (Little Emperor). (I believe he was outnumbered and personally directed the campaign - but I can be wrong.) He enjoyed the fast life, and indulged in women, wine, and anything exotics. But isn't that the carpe diem mode of lifestyle for generals and warlords, you indulge because you don't know which day is your last.

    On another note, nice story and kudos for the effort. But I have some difficulty buying Zhengde beheading a consort with child, especially before the child is born. Zhengde died without an heir, and I don't think he ever had a crown prince. I always saw Zhengde as the recklessly playful type and not cruel. ie he will lock the consort in the panther room because he thinks it will be fun/amusing, and the consort gets killed by the panther; but not the type to kill when slighted. But that is just my rudimentary interpretation of Zhengde.

    Luv the pandas. I always thought they only like bamboo - didn't know that they have a taste for mooncake too.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Suzaku View Post
    Why? Zhengde was by no means a good emperor, but at least he was a decent human being. Zhengde did shirk his duties as emperor and was more interested in enjoying life and playing, but he was only 15 when he ascended the throne and died young. Zhengde was playful and indulgent, but I never had the impression that he was cruel or sadistic, unlike his successor, JiaJing.
    I just hate that type of men. I hate Jia Jing and I hate Tian Qi even more. When someone ascends the throne, I believe whether they have the ability or not, they must try their best to do good for the common people because it is their duty and obligation. You can fail but at least you tried. But Zhengde did not even try. Another reason why I hate him is because both his parents were decent and responsible people, but he turned out such a

    Quote Originally Posted by Suzaku View Post
    I always felt that if Zhengde wasn't an emperor, he would have become a formidable/famous general. He did lead a successful campaign against the Mongolians (Little Emperor). (I believe he was outnumbered and personally directed the campaign - but I can be wrong.) He enjoyed the fast life, and indulged in women, wine, and anything exotics. But isn't that the carpe diem mode of lifestyle for generals and warlords, you indulge because you don't know which day is your last.
    He has illusions of being a great general Zhu Shou but with his brattish personality, how can he? Sure he is friendly and boosts army morale. But he is also over-trusting and easily emotional. I really have doubts about him winning that battle with only his own ability.

    There is a rumour he only won that Yingzhou Campaign because his generals secretly went before him to weaken the Mongolians and then drove them towards Zhengde to be captured. They could not dissuade him from leading the campaign himself so they could only guarantee his safety and appease him by making it look like he had a great victory.

    Quote Originally Posted by Suzaku View Post
    On another note, nice story and kudos for the effort. But I have some difficulty buying Zhengde beheading a consort with child, especially before the child is born. Zhengde died without an heir, and I don't think he ever had a crown prince. I always saw Zhengde as the recklessly playful type and not cruel. ie he will lock the consort in the panther room because he thinks it will be fun/amusing, and the consort gets killed by the panther; but not the type to kill when slighted. But that is just my rudimentary interpretation of Zhengde.
    Not sure if you realised, but Zheng De was hyped on stimulants at the time so he did not behave normally. People on drugs often get aggressive and do things out of the norm. Plus when one is 16 or 17, you do not think that you would have trouble having kids in your later life due to too much sex and die hierless. I thought it would be interesting to include such a scene would be like a karmic punishment for him to have no heir when he readily ordered for his own baby to be killed. The Zheng De that I have placed in the story will be a lost and misguided youth whose only role model was a cruel and cold eunuch who he looked up to. The role of Liu Jin in this story is to guide the young Zheng De to destruction by removing all restaints on his urges and poison his innocent mind with false truths like it is alright to take lives with the wave of a hand.

    How I make these historical figures appear in this story is only how I need them to be. It is not necessarily how I perceived them to be in real life. I don't think Zheng De is necessary a cruel and heartless man in real life but I need such an exaggerated character to make the story flow and branch out to the real plot. There will probably about 30% truth and 70% fiction. You do remember that after the downfall of Liu Jin, he watched and laughed as people died trying to save one of his palaces that caught on fire from his gunpowder supplies. He starved concubines to death in the Panther House as well. He is playful but he also has a cruel side to him where he disregards all consequences.

    BTW, this is only the early stage of Zheng De. As a character, he will develop and grow as he realises what situation he is in. You then will see the Zheng De that you most commonly know surface.

    If you think what I have done to Zheng De is unacceptable, wait till you read what i will do to other historical figures appearing in my story, like: Emperor Chenghua, Lady Wan, Emperor Hong Zhi, Empress Zhang, Prince of Ning Zhu Chenhao ( ), Prince of Anhua, Yang Yiqing and most importantly, Liu Jin. All are so butchered but within certain constraints so it does not defy logic, age or noted historical events. After alll, this is just a wuxia fanfiction based loosely on Ming history.

    Of these historical characters, I would probably stick to the name, status, and brief facts/events but everything else like motive, thoughts, personality is fictional and up to me. I just like adding in some facts every now and then to make the lies feel more real. I have totally changed the relationship between the Eight Tigers and increased the personality of Liu Jin (he cried in open court and asked for forgiveness but no way this is ever happening in this story as long as I am alive).

    I am also going to set Beijing on fire as well.

    If you can handle my alterations of history, then I look forward to hearing more of your comments.

    Quote Originally Posted by Suzaku View Post
    Luv the pandas. I always thought they only like bamboo - didn't know that they have a taste for mooncake too.
    I think they will eat anything given to them but bamboo is best for a long term diet due to their digestive system.
    Last edited by charbydis; 09-13-11 at 09:59 AM.
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    I never care too much for historical accuracy in fiction. I love it when writers weave history together with fiction that gives a different plausible perspective as to what and why something happen.

    I just have a soft spot for Zhengde as a historical character. Zhengde was very interesting and multi-faceted. He was a frivolous emperor, but in a whimsical way. You would think that he was just another debauch emperor, but he defied all his minister and led the military campaign and won. (I do believe he led it.) For an emperor to decide to take another name, Zhu Shou, in itself is crazy but also whimsical. This is an element of Zhengde that makes him interesting and fun to read or write about.

    I believe that Zhengde has some leadership and military skills in him. The "Little Emperor" caused havoc for years, and he was undefeated by the Ming generals. There was one time that the Little Emperor invaded the Ming borders, camped out, and pillaged where they want, and the Ming dynasty can't stop them. So it is not a small feat to win a campaign against the Little Emperor, which Zhengde did. Another telling point, the Little Emperor never returned after this battle with Zhengde. And there wasn't really any other general at the time that could have helped Zhengde behind the scenes.

    This was his first military campaign and instead of cowering at the sight of the Mongolian horde, he led his army against them. He was leading in the front ranks, not sitting in the background, and he raised army morale by charging back and forth through the ranks. This defies the brattish and debauch view that is typically associated with him, and shows bravery, leadership, and budding military talent.

    This is also why he is interesting the read about. With his panther room, you would think he is debauch but he has notes of brilliance.

    As for starving woman in the panther room, in our eyes it is cruel. To Zhengde, he probably just had a new toy, lost interest in it, and forgot about it. I don't think Zhengde intentionally starved his concubines, he merely forgot about them. As in war, to Zhengde war was a game that he played with his new playmate, the Little Emperor. He is not cruel in the sense that his motives are not to cause death or pain, but he does not care that death results from his actions.

    As you can see I do have a bias towards Zhengde because he is so much more interesting than the stereotypical debauch emperor.

    I look forward to reading what you do with Lady Wan. She has one of the most tender love story. She would have been a very nice lady, only if her lover wasn't the emperor.
    Last edited by Suzaku; 09-15-11 at 09:02 AM.

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