Blood In The Flood

...Cangwu Village - Li Chengjue's Hut...

...SHEN MO: (Enters with Ruoyun)...

...LI CHENGJUE: (Stares) I'm sorry for how I reacted the last time we met......

...RUOYUN: (Confused) I saw you collapsed... Are you any better now?...

...LI CHENGJUE: (Nods to Shen Mo who begins to search Ruoyun from up till down)...

...RUOYUN: Huh! What're you doing! You son of a...! (Struggles to get out of Shen Mo's grip) Get your hands off me! Get off!...

...SHEN MO: (Nods negatively to Li Chengjue)...

...LI CHENGJUE: (Sighs loudly uneasy) She's useless! Useless!...

...RUOYUN: Huh? You illiterates have no manners! Do you know who I am?...

...LI CHENGJUE: Get her out......

...SHEN MO: It is midnight and that is the most dangerous time to wander around in Cangwu. Perhaps we could give her a little hut to stay for tonight and set out early tomorrow....

...LI CHENGJUE: (Suddenly grunts in pain) Argh! Aargh! It burns!...

...SHEN MO: (Gasps) it's starting... (Turns to Ruoyun) Can you help!...

...RUOYUN: Ugh......

...SHEN MO: Do something! Please......

...RUOYUN: (Rushes to Li Chengjue and wraps her arms around him) It's... It's alright......

...LI CHENGJUE: (calms a little) Ugh... H-hot (Embraces Ruoyun's arms) Cold... Cold... (Doses off)...

...Li Chengjue sleeps off with Ruoyun's hand wrapped around him as soon she slept off....

...The Next Morning......

...Dayu - Mo Xuanye's Hut...

...Mo Xuanye ties his robes ready to go to the royal palace as a knock comes on his door......

...MO XUANYE: Come in...!...

...It's Jin Fuyao...

...JIN FUYAO: (Bows)...

...MO XUANYE: Minister Jin... You didn't say you were coming...

...JIN FUYAO: You left me sleepless last night...

...MO XUANYE: Aye, doesn't that sound a bit harsh?...

...JIN FUYAO: We're all members of the Royal Council Mo Xuanye. We have taken charge of the Empire so why act like the top superior! (Voice rises a little)...

...MO XUANYE: Top superior (chuckles) Jin Fuyao... I did not seize power and sure you can do whatever comes to your mind. And I'll bring along the ledgers......

...JIN FUYAO: You threaten me? You plan to blackmail me?...

...MO XUANYE: Definitely not minister... We are one family and that is why our ancestors made that deal 600 years ago......

...JIN FUYAO: (Pained)...

...MO XUANYE: Make a right choice. See you in the palace Minister......

...The Royal Palace...

...Council Chamber...

...The long rosewood table. There was no throne. At the head sits Mo Xuanye, to his left, Shen Wenyuan, Gu Yuan, Xiao Zhan and to his right, Jin Fuyao and the Minister of Rites, Lord Wen. Clerks kneel with brushes and scrolls.. Guards at every door....

...MO XUANYE: We begin... The Southern Flood...

...SHEN WENYUAN: The dikes at Jiangzhou broke three days ago. 40,000 households displaced. We need grain and labourers immediately....

...XIAO ZHAN: (Less concerned) My troops can be mobilised tomorrow....

...MO XUANYE: Good. Minister Jin, release 300,000 taels from the emergency reserve...

...JIN FUYAO: (Glances down with a thin voice) The... The reserve is low, Commander...

...MO XUANYE: (Turns to Jin) Then relocate it. From the Imperial Gardens renovation, from the palace banquets Anything! The people come first....

...XIAO ZHAN: Mo Xuanye you're going to far! (Bangs table) We should be discussing this with the main heir and emperor of this empire and not making decisions like we built this!... Mind you, this is His Majesty's inheritance...

...MO XUANYE: Marshal, now is not a time to wait! The people are suffering trying to cope and they might not survive much longer till we make basic amends... Xiao.. this is urgent and needs to be attended to......

...XIAO ZHAN: If we cannot bring this to the emperor... then we should forget about it...

...MO XUANYE: (Slams Table) Marshal Xiao Zhan! No more questions! No more objections! The people come first....

...The atmosphere was tense...

...JIN FUYAO: (Bows) As you command....

...Shen Wenyuan and Gu Yuan exchange a look. That wasn't the answer they expected....

...MO XUANYE: Second matter... The lockdown......

...Longwei enters, armour wet as he bows...

...LONGWEI: Commander, the gate's sealed. Every district searched. No intruder found. The Kōngké's body is in the ice vault....

...MO XUANYE: How did it enter?...

...LONGWEI: We don't know yet. The barriers around the capital were not breached from outside....

...LORD WEN: Then it was already inside... Someone let it in....

...The room goes cold......

...MO XUANYE: (Stands) Which means there is a traitor in Dayu. One who wants to see this empire burn while the emperor is ill......

...Each council member looks at each other......

...MO XUANYE: From today, all memorials to the emperor will be reviewed by this council first. All military movements will be reported to Marshal Xiao and to me. All treasury movements will be countersigned by Minister Jin and by me....

...GU YUAN: Commander, this is... Unprecedented...

...MO XUANYE: These are unprecedented times, Left Minister. Unless you would prefer we wait 7 days while the south drowns and the provinces rebel?...

...Silence Dawns...

...SHEN WENYUAN: Record the decree...

...Clerks write .......

...MO XUANYE: Final matter... The Jades...

...All heads lift...

...MO XUANYE: The old records speak of two sacred Jades. Gold Dragon and White Phoenix... When the empire bleeds, they must return to the palace. I propose we send envoys to every province. Search every noble house, every temple. Find them! Before our enemies do......

...JIN FUYAO: (Immediately) I agree! The Jades must return!...

...MO XUANYE: They come here... To the Council.. for the safety of Dayu....

...SHEN WENYUAN: (In mind) So this is not about saving Dayu. This is about owning it... (Aloud) And if His Majesty recovers and disagrees?...

...MO XUANYE: (Smiles faintly) Then we will present him with a saved Empire, Grand Chancellor... A saved Empire. Council dismissed. Begin the searches at dawn....

...Everyone bows as they file out. Mo Xuanye stops Gu Yuan with a look....

...MO XUANYE: Left Minister. A word......

...Gu Yuan stays as the doors close...

...GU YUAN: What is it?...

...MO XUANYE: You gave in too easily today......

...GU YUAN: I chose the lesser disaster...

...MO XUANYE: And what if I told you the Emperor is not ill? What if I told you he left on his own?...

...GU YUAN: (Dumbfounded)...

...MO XUANYE: Find out where he went. For me or for Dayu. It doesn't matter. (Turns to leave) Because if I find the Jades before you find him... This Council won't need an emperor anymore....

...He walks out leaving Gu Yuan alone in thoughts...

...Cangwu Village - Li Chengjue's Hut...

...LI CHENGJUE: (Calm) I'm... No longer hot......

...RUOYUN: (Unwraps her arms around him slowly)...

...LI CHENGJUE: (Looks at Ruoyun who gets up nervously)...

...RUOYUN: Good. You should rest...

...SHEN MO: You're not that bad after all......

...RUOYUN: My debts just made me a little frustrated... (Chuckles) I'll be leaving now. (Stands but held by Li Chengjue)...

...LI CHENGJUE: I was wrong. You're not useless after all. This pain it just made me... Not myself. Live with me....

...RUOYUN: (Dumbfounded) Uh... I'd rather not add to the inconveniences...

...LI CHENGJUE: You're not an addition.. I'm Li Chengjue...

...RUOYUN: Sounds familiar... I'm Ruoyun...

...LI CHENGJUE: I insist. Ruoyun, stay with me.....

...RUOYUN: (Turns back... As she sits beside him)...

...Dayu - Eastern Depot...

...Midnight...

...LONGWEI: (Enters soaked from rain) Commander, the army has searched the whole of Jing and Liang provinces, yet no sign of the Jades......

...MO XUANYE: What about Jiang Province?...

...LONGWEI: Commander, there is a flood. We can't manoeuvre, let alone search tonight....

...MO XUANYE: (Slams the table) Search Jiang! It is one of the 9 provinces of Dayu. The jades must've been carried by the flood, find them.......

...LONGWEI: But the soldi......

...MO XUANYE: (Cuts in) Do you now stand against my order, Captain?...

...LONGWEI: (Pauses) No Commander (Bows and leaves)...

...MO XUANYE: (Turns to the map as he marked two provinces. He stares into the darkness) Li Chengjue.. where are you keeping those stones?...

...Dayu - Jiang Province...

...Flooded Village... Midnight...

...Rain poured heavily. The river has swallowed the roads. Only the roofs of the houses are visible....

...Captain Longwei leads 20 soldiers through waist-deep water. Everyone's cold and tired....

...SOLDIER 1: Captain! we've checked 3 villages. Nothing. Just farmers and children....

...The rain became heavier and noisy...

...LONGWEI: Keep moving! The Commander said the Jades could have been carried by the flood....

...Silence dawned but the rain fell even heavier... Thunder roared......

..."TWANG"...

...An arrow slices through a lantern. It goes out.....

...SOLDIER 2: Contact!...

..."TWANG TWANG TWANG!"...

...Arrows come from the rooftops. Men cry out. Two soldiers drop......

...LONGWEI: (Drawing his sword) Shields up! Circle!...

...Figures appear on the rooftops. Not in imperial armor, there were cloaked men. Bowmen. Their faces were covered....

...SOLDIER 3: They're not Imperials!...

...BANDIT LEADER: (Shouts from a roof) This is our land! Get out of Jiang!...

...LONGWEI: We come for a fugitive! One of our own! Stand down!...

...BANDIT LEADER: The only fugitive here is you! (Points from a roof) Fire!...

...It rained arrows as soldiers scramble, slipping in the water. Longwei fights back to back with his men but they're outnumbered and the water slows them....

...LONGWEI: (To himself) Mo Xuanye... What have you done?...

...One of the cloaked men locks eyes with Longwei for a second. There's a mark on his wrist......

...MAN 1: (From a roof... Low) Phoenix... He's one of us... (Hears horn from a distance) And he chose them (Shakes head) Fall back (retreats)...

...ARCHER 2: (Sees Longwei. Nods)...

...The bandits retreat into the mist. The horns became louder. More soldiers were coming... Mo Xuanye's reinforcement....

...LONGWEI: (Shouts) Fall back! To the high road!...

...They retreat through the flood, barely dragging the wounded, grunting and panting through the rain......

...LIGHTS FADES...

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