Ice Island Palace Chapter 25

However, Siangkoan Lee truly never expected that his meticulously planned and perfectly executed scheme would run into the obstacle of a ten-year-old girl whom he had no idea had witnessed all his actions! He didn't even know that when they arrived at the camp in the dark night, Maya had already infiltrated the perimeter. Maya was confused. How should she convey the danger to Commander Khu? Which one was the Commander and where was his tent? She had no choice; she had to brave the danger. With long strides, she approached several soldiers who were guarding. The three soldiers were astonished when suddenly, from the darkness, appeared a girl so beautiful, acting so steadfast and brave.

"Eh, who are you?"

"I am the niece of Khu-ciangkun. I hope you are willing to escort me to Khu-ciangkun; later I will ask Uncle Khu for a reward for you."

The three members of the Yucen army exchanged glances. They were astonished and hesitant.

Commander Khu was one of the valiant Yucen commanders trusted by the King. Indeed, everyone knew that the commander was of Han blood, but his actions had proven his loyalty to the Yucen Kingdom. Now, suddenly, a girl appeared claiming to be his niece! If they refused and chased the child away, what if it turned out later that this child truly was the niece of the valiant commander? They would surely be in trouble! However, if they brought the child to Commander Khu, and the child was lying, the child would certainly be whipped! They did not believe that in the mountain forest, a niece of Commander Khu would suddenly appear, but they quickly said,

"Very well, little Miss. But if you are lying, do not ask about sin again. You will be sentenced to death!"

She had no choice, Maya thought. She had good intentions, helping Commander Khu. It was impossible for a good deed to be repaid with a death sentence!

"Good, take me to Khu-ciangkun!"

The three soldiers took Maya to a large tent where two guards were stationed. They explained that this child claimed to be Khu-ciangkun's niece and asked to be escorted to him.

"Hmm, you are looking for trouble," said the two guards. "However, enter. The Ciangkun is sitting alone. If you are scolded, do not complain to us."

Maya was led inside, and when Maya saw a man dressed as a commander, in his forties, with a very imposing demeanor, she no longer doubted that this was Commander Khu. She then ran forward, dropped to her knees, and said, "Uncle Khu... I request to speak with Uncle privately regarding the letter in the yellow envelope and the man in the wide-brimmed hat!"

Initially, the commander was surprised and frowned upon seeing three soldiers enter his tent bringing a beautiful young girl, but when he heard the girl's words, his attitude changed.

"Go!" he said to the three soldiers while tossing some coins toward them. "And thank you for escorting my niece here!"

Maya secretly admired the speed of the commander's thought process. After the three delighted soldiers accepted the reward and left, Maya stood up and approached the commander, asking, "You are Khu-ciangkun, right?"

"Good child, who are you and what do your words mean? Sit down. I am indeed Khu-ciangkun." The officer held Maya's hand and pulled her to sit on a stool near him, examining her beautiful face closely. *Not an ordinary child*, he thought.

"Know this, if you were truly a Yucen Commander, I would not be willing to help you; I would rather see you die! But because you are a fake commander and surely an enemy of Yucen, I am willing to help you."

The commander's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" he whispered, glancing outside the tent. "Speak softly."

Maya was also clever and knew that their conversation absolutely could not be heard by anyone else, so she said, "I am Princess Maya, the daughter of the Khitan King and Queen, who were destroyed by the Yucen people! And you are a fake commander; your messenger, the man in the wide-brimmed hat carrying the yellow envelope, has been killed. His head and the letter envelope were taken by a man named Siangkoan Lee. You are about to be reported...."

"Quick! We must leave here, right now!" The commander, with a swift and powerful movement, snatched up Maya's body and carried her.

"You go, I... let me run alone!"

"No, Your Highness (*Paduka*). I must save you! I must!" The commander said with a heart full of emotion and tension. Truly, he never dreamed he would meet the princess of the Khitan King like this! The Khitan King was his master's half-brother, so this girl was his own master's niece whom he had to save! His secret was already known, somehow, because he did not know who this Siangkoan Lee was. However, it would be even worse if they knew that this girl was the princess of the Khitan Kingdom! It would surely be disastrous. At that moment, suddenly the sound of a horn trumpet blared intensely. Hearing this, the commander's face changed.

"Too late...! Your Highness (*Paduka*)... do not admit to being the Khitan Princess, continue to claim to be my niece... the niece of a Khitan woman I took as a concubine. Understand?"

Maya widened her eyes but nodded. Secretly, she was impressed and grateful. Her decision to help this commander was not in vain! This commander was a valiant man who, in this dangerous moment, prioritized her safety over his own!

With calm steps, holding Maya's hand, Commander Khu walked out and headed toward the main encampment where all the commanders were already present to face the Yucen King, because the sound of the horn trumpet was a sudden call from the King to the princes, commanders, and officers. Out of the corner of his eye, Khu-ciangkun saw how the area was surrounded by a large force ready with their weapons, including his own troops, so he secretly understood that the situation was extremely dangerous and that the King, having apparently learned his secret, was ready to arrest him. He was willing to sacrifice his life for the country, but when he thought of Maya whom he was holding, he became confused! The commanders were all ready, gathered in front of His Majesty's tent, awaiting the King's exit. They looked curiously at Khu-ciangkun, who arrived holding a beautiful girl.

"My niece... my concubine's!" the commander replied briefly when his colleagues asked, causing laughter here and there. However, they all fell silent and adopted a respectful posture when the sound of a trumpet came from inside the tent, a sign that the King would emerge and the emergency session would begin. The area in front of the tent was brightly lit by torches carried by the guard soldiers. The King emerged from the tent on... horseback! Indeed, the Yucen King preferred to sit atop a horse when facing his commanders, as the Yucen people were the most skilled at fighting on horseback. Behind the King, a horse-faced man was visible, carrying a bundle.

"Khu-ciangkun...!" The King suddenly shouted loudly, calling him.

"Your servant is ready!" Khu-ciangkun stepped forward and knelt on one knee with a valiant and respectful posture. He was forced to leave Maya behind, and the child watched with a tense heart.

"Khu-ciangkun! All this time I have trusted you as a loyal commander. Who would have thought that you are actually a spy from the Sung Kingdom!"

All the commanders exchanged glances, and their voices buzzed loudly, because this accusation was truly tremendous!

"Pardon me, Your Majesty, but an accusation without proof is a vile slander!" Khu-ciangkun replied with a calm voice.

"Slander, is it?" The King roared and signaled the horse-faced youth, who immediately opened the sack and threw an object onto the ground. The object was a human head! Everyone looked on with changed expressions and tense hearts, and the King spoke again,

"Man surnamed Khu! You surely know this person, the courier who connected you with your master in the Sung Kingdom! You are a disciple of Minister Kam Liong. Confess now!"

Khu-ciangkun remained calm. "The important thing is proof, Your Majesty. It can be shown that the person whose head this is was my messenger, but what is the proof, Your Majesty?"

"Proof again? Look at this! The letter from Minister Kam Liong to you, scoundrel!" The King pulled a yellow envelope from his pocket, raising it high so everyone could see it.

However, in that extremely tense atmosphere, suddenly the sound of galloping horses was heard, and a Yucen troop appeared, led by four valiant commanders on horseback, and they were dragging the struggling bodies of two children! What had happened? Who were these two children captured by the Yucen troops? They were none other than Can Ji Kun and Ok Yan Hwa, the two disciples of Black Pearl and her husband. How were they captured by the Yucen troops? As recounted in the previous section, Black Pearl Kam Kwi Lan and her husband, White Steel Blade Tang Hauw Lam, along with their two disciples, after hearing about the destruction of Khitan and the deaths of the king and queen, intended to pursue the troops who had taken Maya to Go-bi-san.

Because the pursuit was intended to protect the safety of Princess Maya, and because they did not know which route the troops who had left more than a month earlier had taken, they traveled slowly while asking about their tracks. Can Ji Kun and Ok Yan Hwa were impatient watching the slow journey of their two masters, so often these two disciples would precede their masters, who were conducting investigations, after informing them that the two of them would go ahead to the hill or the grassland in front. That afternoon, the two children once again preceded their masters, running across the vast grassland. Suddenly, Yucen troops appeared, surrounding them while laughing. The two children were dressed like Han people, and naturally, the Yucen people, who secretly harbored enmity toward the people of the south, wanted to play tricks on these two children.