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 |  A journal I probably won't complete on a regular basis about my journey through writing. |
I'm currently using this blog mainly for novel writing challenges, like:
But, I originally set up this blog essentially only because I was pestered into joining this particular poetic challenge:
And then I was coerced into joining this one too! 
Since apparently it's the "done thing", here are some of my spurious and random thoughts about the craft of writing. Just don't expect any epiphanies to jump off the screen atcha!  My weird but wonderful blogging adventure began with my first ever blog here: "Invalid Entry"  If you're curious, the image I used for the blog is Saint George and the Dragon painted by Paolo Uccello around 1470, which inspired UA Fanthorpe's wonderful poem Not My Best Side. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon_(Uccello) http://english.emory.edu/classes/paintings&poems/uccello.html Plugged in: "Contests & Activities Newsletter (March 29, 2017)" If you're interested in novel writing, you might want to check out this: "2017 Prep Calendar" |
Guardsman Jiang Shentong stomped his feet on the snow-dusted cobblestones and leaned his spear against his shoulder while he rubbed his numb hands together. His exposed face stung, but at least the side pieces of his helmet kept off the worst of the bitter breeze. In all his sixteen years of life, he'd never seen snow before. It rarely snowed in his home province of Ju Zhou, far to the south. Tonight, bright lanterns hung outside every building inside the outer court of the palace in celebration of the Winter Solstice, yet the falling snow reduced visibility so much that he couldn't even see Prosperity Hall on the other side of Wealth Square. It was reputed to be the largest building in the Tang Empire if not the whole world. The structure he currently guarded was far humbler—the public latrines to the south side of the outer court. With its intricate screens and glazed tile roof, this communal facility was still more ornate than the magistrate's mansion back home. Toilets wouldn't usually merit this level of security. However, the Foreign Minister had invited several important foreign diplomats to tonight's Winter Solstice banquet, and some came from nations that were not too friendly with one another. Captain Wang had decided a strong presence of the Imperial Guard in the outer court might deter any tragic “accidents” from occurring. The breeze stilled, though Jiang wasn't grateful for the respite. Now the stench of feces and stale urine wafted out of the latrines and made him want to gag. “Stop slouching,” bellowed a familiar voice. Jiang straightened as Shangguan Ming strutted into sight. The chubby squad-leader wore identical brown leather armor to Jiang but with a red scarf tied around his neck that marked him out as a non-commissioned officer. Though not tall for a Han, he loomed over Jiang. The lantern hanging over the latrine door illuminated his prominent nose and permanent sneer. “Hold your spear straight,” ordered Shangguan. “This is the Palace of Great Brilliance, not one of your Miao mud huts.” He bristled at the insulting term, Miao. His people were Hmong and proud of it, but he wasn't stupid enough to let his emotions show on his face. Bullies like Shangguan thrived on the pain they caused others. The squad-leader caressed his sword hilt. “Tell me, boy, do all Miao have such dark skin as you, or are you a particularly dirty example of your race?” “My skin tone is normal among Hmong, Squad-leader.” Shangguan cocked his head. “What did you say, barbarian?” Jiang bit back a sarcastic retort. The other guardsmen often claimed that they couldn't understand his accent. He repeated his words, enunciating every syllable as clearly as he could. Shangguan should be careful about pushing Jiang too far. The last time he'd really lost his temper, a man had died. “If all Miao are as grotesque as you, it's amazing your breed never died out. What woman would ever want a pug-nosed bastard like you?” When he offered no reply, the squad-leader snorted and made to move on, presumably to check to next guard post. Boot steps echoed across Wealth Square, and Shangguan paused mid-step. Two silhouettes became visible through the snowfall. These morphed into Captain Wang and his stout adjutant, Lieutenant Feng. Both carried red lanterns to light the way, but Wang also held a wickerwork tray filled with crescent-shaped dumplings from which steam billowed. Judging by their formal silk robes and fancy swords, they'd come directly from the Winter Solstice banquet. Thinking about the solstice, Jiang shivered, and not because of the cold. Unlike the Han, who celebrated this annual event, the Hmong feared the winter solstice. They believed the longest night of the year was when demons escaped from Hell to walk the Earth. But he had faith in Saub and believed that He would protect Jiang against the dark shadows that moved in the darkness. “Good evening, lads,” said Captain Wang. With his laughter lines and gray in his triangular beard, he looked like a doting father. Shangguan snapped to attention. “Is this a surprise inspection, sir?” Wang handed his lantern to Lieutenant Feng and proffered the tray with both hands. “No. I just thought it unfair that everybody else gets to eat these delicious dumplings but you lads miss out.” Shangguan grabbed three dumplings, shoving one immediately into his mouth and holding an extra in each of his hands. Feng stretched out a hand to help himself, too. Wang slapped away Feng's fingers; presumably the lieutenant had already eaten more than his fare share. Jiang held back, unsure whether this kindness really extended to the Hmong outsider. Wang stepped closer, placing the tray so it almost touched his chest. “Eat, lad.” The delicious aroma of steamed pork and spring onions elicited audible protests from his stomach. He cautiously selected the smallest dumpling he could find on the tray, his mouth watering. He didn't take a bite, though, not wanting to appear rude in front of the officers. While Wang had his back to the lieutenant, Feng reached around and pilfered a dumpling from the tray, popped it into his mouth, then winked at Jiang. Nobody else appeared to have noticed his move; he would have made a great pickpocket. The captain smiled. “So, Guardsman Jiang, how are you finding life in the palace?” “Overwhelming, sir.” “Different to your Hmong village, I'm sure.” Jiang blinked, a little taken aback that Wang hadn't referred to his people as Miao. “Yes, Captain.” “The sword master informs me that you're making good progress.” Jiang's cheeks warmed, and he touched the place on his belt where every other guardsman already wore a scabbard. “I hope to earn my blade soon.” “You're young yet. I bet you haven't yet seen twenty winters.” “Come the Spring Festival, I'll be seventeen, sir.” “Ha!” He rubbed his beard. “You hardly need shave. Give it time, lad.” Shangguan edged closer to the group and pointed at Jiang. “How can you comprehend his gibberish, Captain? He speaks Han like a drunkard.” Wang raised an eyebrow at the squad-leader's comment but didn't raise any objection. Shangguan's uncle was a high official in the government who frequently was called upon to address the Emperor himself. Such connections intimidated many men far more powerful than the captain. “I'm accustomed to the Hmong accent,” he calmly replied. “Fought them often enough during the so-called Miao Uprising.” “Filthy heathens. Guarding the jakes is a suitable task for Miao scum.” Wang glared at him. “The ones I fought were good soldiers and hard men, every last one of 'em.” Feng rolled his eyes at the exchange, then gobbled another dumpling—one even Jiang hadn't spotted him appropriating. He made a mental note to never play Go with the lieutenant. Not for money, at least. Wang returned his attention to Jiang and raised the tray. “Would you like another?” His gaze flicked down to the uneaten dumpling. “Why, you haven't touched it. Don't be shy, lad. Bite the thing.” He bit into the juicy pastry and delighted in the savory taste of ground pork. Though his stomach threatened its own Miao Uprising, he only ate half the dumpling lest the captain forced more on him. Hmong considered it ill manners to leave food uneaten, but Han were strange folks who always left some to prove they were full. The crescent-shaped dumplings were delicious, but he missed the sweet rice balls he would be eating if he were back home in Ju Zhou province. Right now, his mother and little sister were likely sharing a large bowl. His eyes welled. He silently prayed to Saub that He might keep them safe on this evil night. A distant yet loud gong somewhere to the north sounded once… twice… silence. Jiang was sure that it wasn't one he'd heard before, and it wasn't at all like the curfew bell that was struck continuously three hundred times at dusk every day. Perhaps it was a Han custom to mark midnight on the longest night. Wang dropped the tray and gripped his sword hilt, turning north. Feng mirrored him like a shadow. “Doesn't that sound like the Emperor's Gate,” asked the lieutenant. “Your ears were always better than mine,” mumbled Wang. Shangguang swallowed. “Fire, perhaps?” That was a reasonable suggestion. With so many wooden buildings heated by open flames, fire was a common problem everywhere in the City of Peace. “No,” stated the captain. “Gate alarms are only sounded for an attack.” The squad-leader shook his head in denial. “No army could come within a hundred li without being spotted by one of the outlaying forts.” “Who said anything about an army? Lately, rumors have abounded about a darkness haunting the inner court.” Shangguan paled. “Superstitious twaddle, Captain. Just eunuchs and chamberpot girls seeing shadows and shouting sprite.” “I've served a damned sight longer than you, boy, and I've seen plenty of inexplicable things.” He cocked his ear. “Do you hear that, Lieutenant?” “Fighting,” said Feng, his expression hardening. The breeze picked up again, an evil wind from the north, and the faint sounds of metal striking metal and screams reached Jiang's own ears. “Lieutenant,” said Wang, “hurry back to Prosperity Hall and gather every guardsman on duty. Take them all through Harmony Gate and then meet up with me beside the treasury.” He turned to Shangguan and Jiang. “You two, come with me.” The captain set off trotting across Wealth Square, angling toward the east of Prosperity Hall. Jiang gripped his spear tight and followed. A moment later, Shangguan caught up. “B-B-But, sir,” puffed Shangguan, “surely, the inner court is Colonel Ma's jurisdiction.” “Then we shall offer our services to the good colonel. I won't leave good men guarding toilets when the Emperor's life might be in danger.” The slick cobblestones slid under Jiang's boots, but he managed to match the captain's fast pace. Soon, the towering bulk of Prosperity Hall became visible through the snowfall. A thousand lanterns burned pinpricks in the darkness. Hundreds of gentlemen in formal court attire poured down the broad, central steps onto the square, apparently intent on heading wherever the fighting wasn't. Wang led his small band onward, skirting this confused crowd. An elderly nobleman in green silk moved to intercept. “Captain, what's—” Wang brushed past without pause, and Jiang suspected the captain would pay for that someday… if he survived the night. Shangguan, however, took the opportunity to halt beside the aristocrat and answer his inquiry. Jiang kept up with his commanding officer. When they reached the wall dividing the outer and central courts, they discovered Harmony Gate closed. A row of lanterns above this entrance to the more restricted area of the palace illuminated three of those square shapes that Han called characters. Jiang had failed to figure out how these symbols were transformed into sounds, so he had no idea what they might say. Where fifty guardsmen were usually assigned to protect this important gate, only six men in blue jackets blocked their passage. |
| SPIRIT WARRIOR Guardsman Jiang Shentong stomped his feet on the snow-dusted cobblestones and leaned his spear against his shoulder while he rubbed his numb hands together. His exposed face stung, but at least the side pieces of his helmet kept off the worst of the bitter breeze. In all his sixteen years of life, he'd never seen snow before. It rarely snowed in his home province of Ju Zhou, far to the south. Tonight, bright lanterns hung outside every building inside the outer court of the palace, yet the falling snow reduced visibility so much that he couldn't even see Prosperity Hall on the other side of Wealth Square. It was reputed to be the largest building in the Tang Empire if not the whole world. The structure he currently guarded was far humbler—the public latrines to the south side of the outer court. With its intricate screens and glazed tile roof, this communal facility was still more ornate than the magistrate's mansion back home. Toilets wouldn't usually merit this level of security. However, the Foreign Minister had invited several important foreign diplomats to tonight's Midwinter Festival Banquet, and some came from nations that were not too friendly with one another. Captain Wang had decided a strong presence of the Imperial Guard in the outer court might deter any tragic “accidents” from occurring. “Stop slouching,” bellowed a familiar voice. Jiang snapped to attention as Shangguan Ming stepped into sight. The chubby squad-leader wore identical brown leather armor to Jiang but with a red scarf tied around his neck that marked him out as a non-commissioned officer. Though not tall for a Han, he loomed over Jiang. The lantern hanging over the latrine door illuminated his prominent nose and permanent sneer. “Hold your spear straight,” ordered Shangguan. “This is the Palace of Great Brilliance, not one of your Miao mud huts.” He bristled at the insulting term, Miao. His people were Hmong and proud of it, but he wasn't stupid enough to let his emotions show on his face. Bullies like Shangguan thrived on the pain they caused others. The squad-leader caressed his sword hilt. “Tell me, boy, do all Miao have such dark skin as you, or are you a particularly dirty example of your race?” “My skin tone is normal among Hmong, Squad-leader.” Shangguan cocked his head. “What did you say, barbarian?” Jiang bit back a sarcastic retort. The other guardsmen often claimed that they couldn't understand his accent. He repeated his words, enunciating every syllable as clearly as he could. “If all Miao are as grotesque as you, it's amazing your breed never died out. What woman would ever want a pug-nosed bastard like you?” When he offered no reply, the squad-leader snorted and moved on, presumably to check to next guard post. The breeze stilled, though Jiang wasn't grateful for the respite. Now the stench of feces and stale urine wafted out of the latrines and made him want to gag. |
| SPIRIT WARRIOR - PLOT OUTLINE #5 OPENING SCENE DURING MIDWINTER FESTIVAL - 24th December 653 Gregorian Calendar CHAPTER ONE Jiang Shentong viewpoint. Snow, blizzard. Colder than Jiang Shentong has ever been because he's from the south. Foreshadow Father Xuan Zang with mention of his pagoda newly built to hold scriptures he brought from the west. Opening hook about somebody dying the last time he lost control of his anger. Jiang Shentong is a Hmong boy aged seventeen. He entered a provincial level archery tournament and performed best, qualifying him to join the Imperial Guard of the Tang Empire. However, corruption meant that he wouldn't have got his chance if it were not for the actions of Captain Wang, who observed him competing and then extended an invitation for him to join the guards. The story begins as Jiang's squad of rookies is guarding the public latrines outside the central court of the Imperial City. They're guarding toilets because lots of important people have been invited to tonight's feast at Linde Hall (Bountiful Forest Hall). Don't want anything to happen to them if they get caught on their way back home, and they might stop here to shit. Captain Wang arrives with Lieutenant Feng. They've come over from the barracks with traditional dumplings for the squad. http://www.chaz.org/Arch/China/City/City.html in the outer courtyard of the palace, Wealth Square. An alarm goes in the inner courtyard. Not the single bell of an escaped prisoner or the triple bell of a suspected thief or assassin, but the continuous bell that signals a full-scale military attack. Captain Wang orders Jiang's squad to accompany him to the inner courtyard to help the imperial family. Wang foreshadows possibility of magic with a warning to be ready for anything and a comment about things he's seen. There, he tells Jiang to act as a messenger, because he's swift, but Shang-Guan claims that job to escape the battle. So Jiang must fight the enemy. Jiang then worries about losing control, as he has before, foreshadowing his Bull Spirit. They pick up some blue-coats wearing blue robes over their armor at the gateway into the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. They arrive in the inner court and are shocked by what they see. CHAPTER TWO Jiang Shentong viewpoint The enemy turns out to be their own soldiers turned into jiang-shi (cuong-thi in Hmong, ie. Zombies) by a Daoist necromancer, Guo Xing Zhen, dressed in bright red robes rather than the traditional dark blue. They are relatively slow, but still deadly because of their vast number. The Bountiful Forrest Hall (Linde Hall) is located to the west of the lake. It served as a place for banquets, performances, and religious rites.[25] It consisted of three halls—a front, middle, and rear hall—adjacent to each other. Wang checks there first, but the Hundred, wearing yellow shirts over their armor, are obviously still there, and the jiangshi don't appear to be attacking there in any great number - just pinning down the elite troops. Wang realizes they are targeting the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility (Women's Quarters - harem) where the young princes and princesses are. They send Feng with most of the troops to engage the zombies who are attacking the front of the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility from the rear, while they proceed to enter a secret tunnel. Wang reveals that he served as a guardsman here when he was a rookie. Wang takes Jiang with him because he suspects Jiang was a poacher, hence his archery skills, and he's fought against Hmong and knows that they're sneaky. On the way they encounter a group of jiangshi, and Jiang kills one. Wang is shocked that he's killed Colonel Lin, who was the best swordsman in the imperial guards. At the secret door to the harem, they are met by Major Quan, an old friend of Wang's, his lieutenant when he served as a rookie. After gaining entry to the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility, they meet Yang Li Hua, a servant girl. Because of Jiang's skill with the bow and his speed, Captain Wang orders him to help Yang Li Hua to carry the infant prince to safety. Jiang is given a bow and runs alongside Yang, who carries Prince Li Hong on a baby carrier attached to her back. CHAPTER THREE Jiang Shentong viewpoint On the way to safety, they are ambushed by a group of twenty jiang-shi. Jiang Shentong is able to kill six of them, but then it looks like all is lost. Plot Twist! Then Yang hands him the baby, picks up two fallen swords from the Jiangshi, and proves that she can use them like a ninja! After killing the remaining jiangshi, Yang Li Hua swears Jiang to secrecy. He agrees. CHAPTER FOUR Yang Lihua viewpoint NEW YEAR'S DAY - 25th December 653 Gregorian Calendar Yang is commended by Concubine Wu, who is nice to everybody. She is raised from chamber maid to nursery maid, entrusted with caring for Prince Li Hong. Then called to see Emperor. On way to throne room, Yang sees painted scroll of Chi You, ancestor of the Miao. This scroll painting depicts the death of Chiyou at the Battle of Zhuolu. Yang notes his bull's horns, four eyes, and six arms. He's butt ugly. Compares him favorably to Jiang, but notes that if Jiang had really done what they thought he'd done, then he would need to have been as capable as Chi You. As they arrive, 11-year-old Crown Prince Li Zhong is brought into the throne room to be criticised for his lack of security in the palace because he is technically the prefect of this prefecture even though he's only a kid. Have his advisors warned that they must do more to serve the prince. Yang feels sorry for this eleven year old getting blamed for adult stuff. Yang Lihong is raised to a lady. Shangguan Yi suggests that his nephew, Squad Leader Shang Guan, should marry Yang. This will gain them a higher title and Yang's family land. Yang begs the Emperor to allow her to remain on as a lady in waiting to Prince Li Hong. This is allowed as a temporary measure. The imperial court is shocked to learn that one rookie guardsman has apparently killed twenty jiangshi singlehanded and saved the prince's life. When the Emperor interviews Jiang, he cannot understand what Jiang Shentong says. Father Xuan Zang steps in and translates for him, revealing his knowledge of Miao language and culture. He offers to teach Jiang better Han. Have Jiang Shentong look suitably awed by the presence of this famous man. We'll follow Yang Lihua's viewpoint at the beginning of Jiang Shentong's entry but then swap to Jiang's own viewpoint to get his own feelings about what's going on. CHAPTER FOUR B Jiang Shentong viewpoint. Jiang Shentong, Wang and Shangguan Ming arrive, and all are promoted into the northern bureau company, as are Captain Wang and his lieutenant. Sadly, Shang Guan is also promoted because his uncle inflates the importance of the message he took to the barracks. Shangguan Yi takes this opportunity to propose an alliance between his nephew and Yang Lihong. Captain Wang is instructed to bring Jiang's military skills up to the required level for him to guard the inner courtyard. CHAPTER FOUR C Yang Lihua viewpoint Back at Concubine Wu's chambers, Yang Lihua manages to persuade Concubine Wu to allow her to take residence in the small maid's room adjoining Prince Li Hong's room in spite of the fact that she's now a lady and it's too humble. She has to be persuasive. As she checks out her new room, she worries about how she will perform her duties well when she must wear confining court robes. She particularly frets about having Jiang in close proximity. Though he hasn't betrayed her secret yet, he's a Miao. How much can you really trust a Miao? CHAPTER FIVE Jiang Shentong viewpoint THIRD DAY OF SOLAR NEW YEAR - 27th December 653 Gregorian Calendar Have Jiang Shentong walk along unfamiliar paths to monk's room. Have him shocked at how simple the room is, even more humble than his own. When Jiang Shentong and Father Xuan Zang meet in private, Father Xuan Zang reveals to Jiang that his three companions on his famous journey to the West – Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing – were actually Hmong jitong (shamen) capable of utilizing the spirits of animal deities to give them superhuman strength and skills. Sun Wukong uses a Monkey Spirit, Zhu Bajie uses a Pig Spirit, while Sha Wujing uses a Water Buffalo Spirit. Father Xuan Zang explains that Jiang Shentong is also a jitong, capable of channeling an animal spirit. The priest recognizes the ability in him. His ancestor, Chi You, used a Bull Spirit, which the priest believes is the same spirit Jiang is capable of channeling. Jiang is a descendant of Chiyou, while Father Xuan Zang's companions were descendants of Chi You's 81 "brothers". Father Xuan offers to teach Jiang how to use his gift using qigong meditation. SKIP TO SPRING EQUINOX FOR NEW SERIES OF SCENES. PART TWO? - 16th February 654 Gregorian Calendar CHAPTER SIX Jiang Shentong viewpoint Open with Spring Festival celebrations, firecrackers, dumplings etc. Jiang has heard of fireworks but never seen them before. He is amazed by the experience. However, because the first attack on the Imperial Family occurred during the Midwinter Feast in Wealth Hall, so he is on guard duty outside the prince's room as he watches. Yang is also there, in her adjoining room to the prince. Both stand and watch the fireworks together awhile before Yang suddenly realizes she's standing next to Jiang, and then she beats a sudden retreat to her room. People visiting their families for Spring Festival, but Jiang feeling isolated because he's no family in Changan, and also Yang similarly feeling isolated and alone. Jiang considers going to visit her but thinks it's a stupid idea because… Some kind of reason why she wouldn't want to see him, like because he's a Hmong. Yang considers going to visit him, then decides it's a stupid idea because… some kind of reason why he wouldn't like to see her, like she's been rude to him so much, so why should he be nice to her now? CHAPTER SEVEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint Over a period of time, Jiang Shentong learns both gongfu from Captain Wang and qigong from Father Xuan. He struggles with both. He can't develop a high enough level with the sword and cannot control his spirit adequately with qigong. Need scene where Wang teaches him sword, but he's slow, and Lieutenant Feng is laughing. Have Yan Lihua pass by and smile and shake her head. Have Jiang Shentong feel shame that Yang Lihua saw him make a fool of himself. CHAPTER EIGHT Jiang Shentong viewpoint FOCUS There's a scene where Father Xuan Zang uses Focus potion to enable Jiang to fully transform for the first time. Focus is made from water, willow bark (to ease the pain of transition), opium, thunder god vine, and ginseng. Father Xuan Zang explains that Jiang Shentong will eventually be able to transform without focus, but for the moment it's better for him to use the potion. Once transformed, Jiang loses his mind, but Father Xuan Zang brings him back to earth with the headache chant - headache spell. CHAPTER NINE LANTERN FESTIVAL - 2nd March 654 Gregorian Calendar Jiang Shentong viewpoint. Flowers all around the inner courtyard. Jiang Shentong is impressed by the hard work of the gardeners. Stops to watch them prune bushes and make them into the shape of animals. Smells of flowers. Impressive walks through cherry blossom trees. The lantern festival is only fifteen days after the Spring Festival. They eat tangyuan sweets (sweet balls) and see the lion dance. Jiang is amazed at the number of festivals these people celebrate and how much effort they put into them. Then he hears scrams and goes running. Concubine Wu has screamed, and Yang is standing there looking concerned. A poisonous snake was left in Concubine Wu's bedchamber. CHAPTER TEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Concubine Wu complains to the Emperor that all these attacks are all aimed at her and her children and demands that he desposes the Empress, blaming her for the attack. The Emperor denies her request, supporting the Empress, but he does make one concession. He will triple the guard on Prince Li Hong. The Emperor calls Jiang Shentong and Captain Wang to the throne and orders Jiang to stay in the prince's bedchamber. Wang says that Jiang isn't ready, but the Emperor is adamant. If Jiang can defeat twenty jiangshi, he doesn't need training, he needs to work. CHAPTER ELEVEN Yang LiHua viewpoint Yang keeps seeing Jiang Shentong around the palace, and obviously sees him when he's guarding the prince. Because Jiang is supposed to have killed twenty jiangshi, he is actually posted inside Prince Li Hong's bedchamber. Yang has the adjoining chamber, so she can wait on the prince. She tries to ignore Jiang, hating that he's a Hmong. But, she can't help but like him and find his attempts to use a sword amusing. BLUE DRAGON FESTIVAL - 15 days later - 17th March 654 Gregorian Calendar CHAPTER TWELVE Yang Lihua viewpoint Getting warmer now, but not too hot. Yang, wearing a perfume bag (custom on Dragon Festival) invites Jiang to eat pancakes with her. CHAPTER THIRTEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint The following night, Jiang is guarding the prince. There's an attack by Wudang Daoist monks, who appear from nowhere like ninjas. They kill all the external guards, then enter the bedchamber to kill Jiang and the prince. Jiang dares not call upon his spirit to fight in case he cannot control it, and is unable to fight off the monks using his sword, but shouts for Yang Li Hua, who inhabits the room next door to the prince. She enters, kills all the monks, then returns to her room when the other guards appear. Again, Jiang looks like a super soldier because of something that Yang has done. CHAPTER FOURTEEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Yang Li Hua decides to teach Jiang her gong fu. She spends time with him, and he makes her laugh. Shang Guan sees this. Shang Guan confronts Yang about her hanging around with the Miao. Shang Guan still has hopes that she'll marry him and then he'll get her land. CHAPTER FIFTEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint Father Xuan Zang teaches him about red posters to either side of door. These will keep out evil spirits. Sadly, they also keep out good spirits. The spells written out on them by Daoist monks are powerful wards. However, a strong Spirit Warrior can pull the good spirit through by focusing. To be able to focus so well, you really need FOCUS. Father Xuan Zang gives Jiang Shengtong a vial of Focus and asks him to carry it with him when on duty. He can take it if needed. Says that he now trusts him to only use his Warrior Spirit in a huge emergency. Warns him that he still might fall out of control. CHAPTER SIXTEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint TOMB SWEEPING DAY - 5th April 654 Jiang Shentong sees everybody caring for their relatives graves, and reflects on the fact that he doesn't even know where his father lays dead. Probably some mass grave somewhere in the mountains of Ju Zhou province. His feelings make him sour a little toward all Han. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Yang leaves the Palace of Great Brilliance and walks through Changan to the old palace The Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. The old palace is still in use and referred to by some now as the Western Appartments. Lower members of the aristocracy and high ranking officials have their homes there. most of her ancestors are buried in Sunny City, the old capital city of the Qin Empire and only a few li west of Peace City, and her mother and father's graves are far away in Ju Zhou province, where she was born and where her father served as governor at the time of his death, where she was born. Reflects on her birth in the same province as Jiang Shentong here. Seeing the place where her distant relatives had lived for many years rekindles her anger against the Miao, which puts her a little against Jiang. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Have Yang Lihua attending Concubine Wu when Father Xuan Zang enters to beg permission to leave the court and attend to the funeral of his old friend. The abbot of the Shaolin Temple mysteriously dies, and Father Xuan Zang is called to the funeral and to choose a successor. He must leave the palace and travel east for several weeks, possibly months. The Emperor sends Captain Wang with him as a guard because Father Zang is like an uncle to him, his own father's oath brother. CHAPTER NINETEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint Create a scene where Father Xuan Zang gives Jiang a large container full of Focus potion. Father Xuan Zang tells Jiang Shentong that he has faith in him to use his abilities when necessary and show restraint. Offers him some last minute sage advice, "May the Force be with you" kinda thing. CHAPTER TWENTY Yang Lihua viewpoint The absence of Captain Wang makes Yang more wary of attacks against the prince so she decides she must work together with Jiang no matter how she feels about the Miao. In the absence of his two mentors, Jiang relies more upon Yang and the lessons she is teaching him in gong fu. He realizes that what she's teaching and what Father Xuan taught are actually closely related. DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL - 18th June 654 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Jiang Shentong viewpoint Hot sunshine. Jiang Shentong notes that though it's north of Ju Zhou, it's hotter here. Perhaps that's due to Ju Zhou being high in the mountains, though he can't understand how being closer to the sun could make you colder. He misses Father Xuan Zang. Father Xuan Zang could always explain such things. Blue skies. Yang takes Jiang out to the river to see the people racing boats. Explains it celebrates the life of a famous poet, Qu Yuan. Jiang shakes his head. He can't understand why people would make so much fuss of a poet. He wonders if in a hundred years time people will be celebrating Shang-Guan in the same way. He hopes not! Have Crown Prince Li Zhong checking on his younger brother from time to time and being kind toward him. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Jiang Shentong viewpoint Jiang Shentong is guarding Li Hong when he hears a disturbance down the corridor. Investigating, he finds the guards outside dead. He then discovers Guo, just as the monk has finished smothering Princess Si. Jiang morphs into his Bull form so that he can protect the prince. The monk disappears in a flash of gunpowder, but other guards burst into the room and discover Jiang in his Bull form inside the room with the dead princess. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Yang Lihua viewpoint The Emperor decides to place Jiang in a cell until Xuan Zang returns. Jiang thinks he could escape using his Bull Spirit, but he is afraid that he won't be able to control it. So, he remains locked up. The Empress complains that the Emperor is too easily swayed by Father Xuan Zang. The Emperor explains that Father Xuan Zang said Jiang Shentong was the best person to guard the prince, and he'd saved his life before, so he's going to wait. Concubine Wu avoids the meeting but cries (wails, mourning her daughter) in front of Yang about Jiang's betrayal, making Yang feel so sorry for her losing her daughter. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Yang Lihua viewpoint MAGPIE FESTIVAL - 17th August 654 The weather has grown unbelievably hot for Yang. She sees the decorations go up for the Magpie Festival and reflects on her lack of a suitable suitor. Squad Leader Shang-Guan has sent her a gift of flowers, but she doesn't trust him. The short time that she's known him, she's come to distrust his "truth" and suspect his intentions, believing he takes pleasure in cruelty. Seeing him being rude to servants, the kind she was very recently. She goes to the Daoist temple inside the inner courtyard and burns a patterned paper offering to the Weaver Girl, praying for wisdom in her choices ahead. She laughs off the traditional prayer to be skilled at needlework and instead prays her gong fu improves. She does, however, make the traditional wish that she will marry someone who would be a good and loving husband https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival She thinks about Jiang, then brushes off the thought. He's a traitor. Jiang has accepted the fact that Jiang is a traitor. She can't understand why the Emperor wished to wait for Xuan Zang to return before executing Jiang. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Yang Lihua viewpoint Captain Feng comes to visit her when she's training in the private meditation room attached to the Heaven Sent Wisdom Pavilion. Captain Feng tries to persuade her that Jiang Shentong isn't what she thinks, but she ignores him. Captain Feng is a clever man who sees things that others don't. They wind up arguing, and Yang Lihua is very angry when he leaves. After he storms out, she has a moment of self-reflection. Why had she become so angry? She realizes it's because a large part of her wishes she could believe what Captain Feng says. She still wishes that Jiang Shentong was a good man. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Yang Lihua viewpoint She is alone with Prince Li Hong as they play beside the shore of Imortal's Lake. Crown Prince Li Zhong visits, is friendly toward his little brother, but goes after a while. Li Hong asks her why she doesn't carry a sword. He's seen her fight to save him, but when the monsters disappear, she changes. She explains that she stays hidden to protect him. He says that he understands because that's what his friend Jiang does. She's confused and asks him to explain. He tells her about how the bad man came to kill him (Guo) but Jiang changed into a "monster" and protected him from the bad man. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Discovering the truth, Yang Lihua goes to find Captain Feng. She understands that if Captain Feng couldn't persuade her of the truth, it's unlikely that anybody else will listen. However, it turns out that Feng has been sent to Liang Prefecture with a detachment of guards to guard an official who is doing an inspection. He'll be gone for a week. (That's where Prince Li Zhong is about to be exiled). Left alone to rescue Jiang Shentong, she changes into her dark-blue monk's outfit and uses stealth to approach the prison cell using the rooftops. However, Shang-Guan has had soldiers watching her rooms. When she drops down in front of the prison doors, she's taken prisoner. She's taken before the Emperor. Empress Wu notes that Yang is Concubine Wu's servant/lady in waiting. She uses this as evidence that Concubine Wu and not she is behind the attacks on Wu's kids. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Yang Lihua viewpoint In throne room. Shang-Guan Yi, supporting Empress Wang, insists that Yang should be executed (of courses, he hates the lady who rejected his nephew) and suggests that her land and titles held in trust should be passed to his nephew. Since Xuan Zang isn't here, Concubine Wu is keeping silent, and both Empress Wang and Concubine Liu petition the Emperor to execute Yang, the Emperor is disturbed because he knows that Yang previously helped rescue his son Prince Hong, but he agrees that Yang will be confined to her room for six days to contemplate and pray, then on the seventh day, she'll be executed at dawn. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Jiang Shentong viewpoint GHOST FESTIVAL - 25th August 654 Jiang Shentong is sweating inside his cell. He notes it's a full moon outside his window. Lieutenant (Captain) Feng returns from Liang Prefecture and uses his contacts to get him in to see Jiang. He tells Jiang that it's the Ghost Festival when the gates of Hell are thrown wide open and demons walk the Earth. People will pray to the ancestors they have dishonored for forgiveness. He reluctantly informs Jiang that Yang is going to be strangled at dawn tomorrow, thinking that Jiang might wish to pray for her. The Emperor has no need to wait for father Xuan to return to make a decision on Yang. Jiang decides to draw on his Bull Spirit and escape the cell. Once he's made that decision, Feng produces a vial from his cloak. "A potion for my headaches" He winks. Jiang Shentong downs the familiar smelling liquid, and it's Focus. CHAPTER THIRTY Jiang Shentong viewpoint Jiang Shentong locates Yang, rescues her, and together they use the hidden tunnels to escape the palace. On their way, they spot Guo Xing Zhen also using the tunnels. In spite of all that's happened, they follow him into the kitchen where they see him placing poison into some food held by a serving girl in a trance. Jiang and Yang are able to capture the renegade Daoist. Yang beats his gong fu, and then Jiang turns into his Bull form to defeat the necromancer's magic. Having captured the necromancer, they take him to Lieutenant Feng, who takes them all to the Emperor. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Yang Lihua viewpoint http://www.chaz.org/Arch/China/City/City.html In the rooms of Bountiful Forest Hall, the Emperor arrives with several of his Hundred guardsmen. Jiang and Yang are able to produce Guo Xing Zhen to show him. He tells them to come to throne room. There, calls for his councelors and wife. The Emperor calls a meeting. At the meeting, he questions Guo Xing Zhen. Guo tells the Emperor that he's working for the Empress. Why should he lie when he's going to die anyway? Persuaded by this testimony, the Emperor deposes the Empress. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO Yang Lihua viewpoint Yang is at the ceremony as Wu is raised to Empress. Six days after Empress Wang's removal, Consort Wu was created empress. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were put under arrest inside the palace, at a building that had its doors and windows tightly sealed, with only a hole on the wall to deliver food. Not sent to prison because too many have escaped from there in the past few days. Prince Li Zhong is demoted from Crown Prince to Prince of Liang. As they leave the ceremony, Jiang hears an alarm bell ringing. When she reaches the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility, she's pleased to find the prince unharmed. Questioning Jiang, she discovers that Guo has escaped from the prison. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Jiang Shentong viewpoint Have a scene in throne room like the beginning of this novel. The Emperor has the captain in charge of the prison executed and places Shang-Guang in charge there. At least Shang-Guan has managed to prevent one prison breakout. Yang is in attendance as Captain Feng is promoted to Major and entrusted with training Jiang, who is promoted to Lieutenant. Have a conversation between Captain Feng and the Emperor where the Emperor states that he's heard Feng helped Jiang, and he asks him why. Feng attests to Jiang's fine qualities as a gentleman. Emperor says it's a pity he's illiterate since he'd make a good officer. Feng then assures the Emperor that Jiang is now fully capable of reading and writing. So, Jiang gets promoted to lieutenant and placed in charge of Red Phoenix Gate. Because Prince Li Zhong has been demoted from Crown Prince to Prince of Liang. Major Feng is sent along with him to Liang Prefecture where the prince has been appointed prefect. Jiang leaves the throne room and has a second scene in the evening atop Red Phoenix Gate, overlooking the square in front of the palace. Yang Lihua joins him, and together they look across the busy square, where members of the public are strolling in the late evening sunlight and buying snacks from street vendors. They both look to the east and have a conversation about when Xuan Zang might return. Maybe she takes his hand as the sunsets - the public will clear the square to return home before the curfew bell tolls. Xuan Zang has yet to return at the end of the novel, and we leave Jiang wishing for his swift and safe return. The execution of Empress Wang and Concubine Liu will be the opening action of the second book, if there is one. Probably, the final scene will be Jiang and Yang standing on the balcony above Red Phoenix Gate watching the road at sunset. There Jiang will express his concern for Father Xuan Zang, and Yang will thread her arm through his and remind him that he's speaking of the famous monk who traveled to India. Jiang thinks about how he had three Spirit Warriors to guard him then, but he decides not to mention this to Yang. That's a secret for Father Xuan Zang to tell, not Lieutenant Jiang, commander of the southern gate. THE END!!! |
| EXTRA PREP DAY #1 After reading in the October NaNoWriMo Prep Forum about James Patterson's chapter by chapter outlines, I decided to give this a go with my own outline. SPIRIT WARRIOR - PLOT OUTLINE #4 OPENING SCENE DURING MIDWINTER FESTIVAL - 24th December 653 Gregorian Calendar CHAPTER ONE Jiang Shentong viewpoint. Snow, blizzard. Colder than Jiang Shentong has ever been because he's from the south. Foreshadow Father Xuan Zang with mention of his pagoda newly built to hold scriptures he brought from the west. Opening hook about somebody dying the last time he lost control of his anger. Jiang Shentong is a Hmong boy aged seventeen. He entered a provincial level archery tournament and performed best, qualifying him to join the Imperial Guard of the Tang Empire. However, corruption meant that he wouldn't have got his chance if it were not for the actions of Captain Wang, who observed him competing and then extended an invitation for him to join the guards. The story begins as Jiang's squad of rookies is guarding the public latrines outside the central court of the Imperial City. They're guarding toilets because lots of important people have been invited to tonight's feast at Linde Hall (Bountiful Forest Hall). Don't want anything to happen to them if they get caught on their way back home, and they might stop here to shit. Captain Wang arrives with Lieutenant Feng. They've come over from the barracks with traditional dumplings for the squad. http://www.chaz.org/Arch/China/City/City.html in the outer courtyard of the palace, Wealth Square. An alarm goes in the inner courtyard. Not the single bell of an escaped prisoner or the triple bell of a suspected thief or assassin, but the continuous bell that signals a full-scale military attack. Captain Wang orders Jiang's squad to accompany him to the inner courtyard to help the imperial family. Wang foreshadows possibility of magic with a warning to be ready for anything and a comment about things he's seen. There, he tells Jiang to act as a messenger, because he's swift, but Shang-Guan claims that job to escape the battle. So Jiang must fight the enemy. Jiang then worries about losing control, as he has before, foreshadowing his Bull Spirit. They pick up some blue-coats wearing blue robes over their armor at the gateway into the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. They arrive in the inner court and are shocked by what they see. CHAPTER TWO Jiang Shentong viewpoint The enemy turns out to be their own soldiers turned into jiang-shi (cuong-thi in Hmong, ie. Zombies) by a Daoist necromancer, Guo Xing Zhen, dressed in bright red robes rather than the traditional dark blue. They are relatively slow, but still deadly because of their vast number. The Bountiful Forrest Hall (Linde Hall) is located to the west of the lake. It served as a place for banquets, performances, and religious rites.[25] It consisted of three halls—a front, middle, and rear hall—adjacent to each other. Wang checks there first, but the Hundred, wearing yellow shirts over their armor, are obviously still there, and the jiangshi don't appear to be attacking there in any great number - just pinning down the elite troops. Wang realizes they are targeting the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility (Women's Quarters - harem) where the young princes and princesses are. They send Feng with most of the troops to engage the zombies who are attacking the front of the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility from the rear, while they proceed to enter a secret tunnel. Wang reveals that he served as a guardsman here when he was a rookie. Wang takes Jiang with him because he suspects Jiang was a poacher, hence his archery skills, and he's fought against Hmong and knows that they're sneaky. On the way they encounter a group of jiangshi, and Jiang kills one. Wang is shocked that he's killed Colonel Lin, who was the best swordsman in the imperial guards. At the secret door to the harem, they are met by Major Quan, an old friend of Wang's, his lieutenant when he served as a rookie. After gaining entry to the Pavilion of Earthly Tranquility, they meet Yang Li Hua, a servant girl. Because of Jiang's skill with the bow and his speed, Captain Wang orders him to help Yang Li Hua to carry the infant prince to safety. Jiang is given a bow and runs alongside Yang, who carries Prince Li Hong on a baby carrier attached to her back. CHAPTER THREE Jiang Shentong viewpoint On the way to safety, they are ambushed by a group of twenty jiang-shi. Jiang Shentong is able to kill six of them, but then it looks like all is lost. Plot Twist! Then Yang hands him the baby, picks up two fallen swords from the Jiangshi, and proves that she can use them like a ninja! After killing the remaining jiangshi, Yang Li Hua swears Jiang to secrecy. He agrees. CHAPTER FOUR Yang Lihua viewpoint NEW YEAR'S DAY - 25th December 653 Gregorian Calendar Yang is commended by Concubine Wu, who is nice to everybody. She is raised from chamber maid to nursery maid, entrusted with caring for Prince Li Hong. Then called to see Emperor. On way to throne room, Yang sees painted scroll of Chi You, ancestor of the Miao. This scroll painting depicts the death of Chiyou at the Battle of Zhuolu. Yang notes his bull's horns, four eyes, and six arms. He's butt ugly. Compares him favorably to Jiang, but notes that if Jiang had really done what they thought he'd done, then he would need to have been as capable as Chi You. As they arrive, 11-year-old Crown Prince Li Zhong is brought into the throne room to be criticised for his lack of security in the palace because he is technically the prefect of this prefecture even though he's only a kid. Have his advisors warned that they must do more to serve the prince. Yang feels sorry for this eleven year old getting blamed for adult stuff. Yang Lihong is raised to a lady. Shangguan Yi suggests that his nephew, Squad Leader Shang Guan, should marry Yang. This will gain them a higher title and Yang's family land. Yang begs the Emperor to allow her to remain on as a lady in waiting to Prince Li Hong. This is allowed as a temporary measure. The imperial court is shocked to learn that one rookie guardsman has apparently killed twenty jiangshi singlehanded and saved the prince's life. When the Emperor interviews Jiang, he cannot understand what Jiang Shentong says. Father Xuan Zang steps in and translates for him, revealing his knowledge of Miao language and culture. He offers to teach Jiang better Han. Have Jiang Shentong look suitably awed by the presence of this famous man. Jiang Shentong, Wang and Shangguan Ming arrive, and all are promoted into the northern bureau company, as are Captain Wang and his lieutenant. Sadly, Shang Guan is also promoted because his uncle inflates the importance of the message he took to the barracks. Shangguan Yi takes this opportunity to propose an alliance between his nephew and Yang Lihong. Captain Wang is instructed to bring Jiang's military skills up to the required level for him to guard the inner courtyard. CHAPTER FOUR B Yang Lihua viewpoint Back at Concubine Wu's chambers, Yang Lihua manages to persuade Concubine Wu to allow her to take residence in the small maid's room adjoining Prince Li Hong's room in spite of the fact that she's now a lady and it's too humble. She has to be persuasive. As she checks out her new room, she worries about how she will perform her duties well when she must wear confining court robes. She particularly frets about having Jiang in close proximity. Though he hasn't betrayed her secret yet, he's a Miao. How much can you really trust a Miao? CHAPTER FIVE Jiang Shentong viewpoint THIRD DAY OF SOLAR NEW YEAR - 27th December 653 Gregorian Calendar Have Jiang Shentong walk along unfamiliar paths to monk's room. Have him shocked at how simple the room is, even more humble than his own. When Jiang Shentong and Father Xuan Zang meet in private, Father Xuan Zang reveals to Jiang that his three companions on his famous journey to the West – Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing – were actually Hmong jitong (shamen) capable of utilizing the spirits of animal deities to give them superhuman strength and skills. Sun Wukong uses a Monkey Spirit, Zhu Bajie uses a Pig Spirit, while Sha Wujing uses a Water Buffalo Spirit. Father Xuan Zang explains that Jiang Shentong is also a jitong, capable of channeling an animal spirit. The priest recognizes the ability in him. His ancestor, Chi You, used a Bull Spirit, which the priest believes is the same spirit Jiang is capable of channeling. Jiang is a descendant of Chiyou, while Father Xuan Zang's companions were descendants of Chi You's 81 "brothers". Father Xuan offers to teach Jiang how to use his gift using qigong meditation. SKIP TO SPRING EQUINOX FOR NEW SERIES OF SCENES. PART TWO? - 16th February 654 Gregorian Calendar CHAPTER SIX Jiang Shentong viewpoint Open with Spring Festival celebrations, firecrackers, dumplings etc. Jiang has heard of fireworks but never seen them before. He is amazed by the experience. However, because the first attack on the Imperial Family occurred during the Midwinter Feast in Wealth Hall, so he is on guard duty outside the prince's room as he watches. Yang is also there, in her adjoining room to the prince. Both stand and watch the fireworks together awhile before Yang suddenly realizes she's standing next to Jiang, and then she beats a sudden retreat to her room. People visiting their families for Spring Festival, but Jiang feeling isolated because he's no family in Changan, and also Yang similarly feeling isolated and alone. Jiang considers going to visit her but thinks it's a stupid idea because… Some kind of reason why she wouldn't want to see him, like because he's a Hmong. Yang considers going to visit him, then decides it's a stupid idea because… some kind of reason why he wouldn't like to see her, like she's been rude to him so much, so why should he be nice to her now? CHAPTER SEVEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint Over a period of time, Jiang Shentong learns both gongfu from Captain Wang and qigong from Father Xuan. He struggles with both. He can't develop a high enough level with the sword and cannot control his spirit adequately with qigong. Need scene where Wang teaches him sword, but he's slow, and Lieutenant Feng is laughing. Have Yan Lihua pass by and smile and shake her head. Have Jiang Shentong feel shame that Yang Lihua saw him make a fool of himself. CHAPTER EIGHT Jiang Shentong viewpoint FOCUS There's a scene where Father Xuan Zang uses Focus potion to enable Jiang to fully transform for the first time. Focus is made from water, willow bark (to ease the pain of transition), opium, thunder god vine, and ginseng. Father Xuan Zang explains that Jiang Shentong will eventually be able to transform without focus, but for the moment it's better for him to use the potion. Once transformed, Jiang loses his mind, but Father Xuan Zang brings him back to earth with the headache chant - headache spell. CHAPTER NINE LANTERN FESTIVAL - 2nd March 654 Gregorian Calendar Jiang Shentong viewpoint. Flowers all around the inner courtyard. Jiang Shentong is impressed by the hard work of the gardeners. Stops to watch them prune bushes and make them into the shape of animals. Smells of flowers. Impressive walks through cherry blossom trees. The lantern festival is only fifteen days after the Spring Festival. They eat tangyuan sweets (sweet balls) and see the lion dance. Jiang is amazed at the number of festivals these people celebrate and how much effort they put into them. Then he hears scrams and goes running. Concubine Wu has screamed, and Yang is standing there looking concerned. A poisonous snake was left in Concubine Wu's bedchamber. CHAPTER TEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Concubine Wu complains to the Emperor that all these attacks are all aimed at her and her children and demands that he desposes the Empress, blaming her for the attack. The Emperor denies her request, supporting the Empress, but he does make one concession. He will triple the guard on Prince Li Hong. The Emperor calls Jiang Shentong and Captain Wang to the throne and orders Jiang to stay in the prince's bedchamber. Wang says that Jiang isn't ready, but the Emperor is adamant. If Jiang can defeat twenty jiangshi, he doesn't need training, he needs to work. CHAPTER ELEVEN Yang LiHua viewpoint Yang keeps seeing Jiang Shentong around the palace, and obviously sees him when he's guarding the prince. Because Jiang is supposed to have killed twenty jiangshi, he is actually posted inside Prince Li Hong's bedchamber. Yang has the adjoining chamber, so she can wait on the prince. She tries to ignore Jiang, hating that he's a Hmong. But, she can't help but like him and find his attempts to use a sword amusing. BLUE DRAGON FESTIVAL - 15 days later - 17th March 654 Gregorian Calendar CHAPTER TWELVE Yang Lihua viewpoint Getting warmer now, but not too hot. Yang, wearing a perfume bag (custom on Dragon Festival) invites Jiang to eat pancakes with her. CHAPTER THIRTEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint The following night, Jiang is guarding the prince. There's an attack by Wudang Daoist monks, who appear from nowhere like ninjas. They kill all the external guards, then enter the bedchamber to kill Jiang and the prince. Jiang dares not call upon his spirit to fight in case he cannot control it, and is unable to fight off the monks using his sword, but shouts for Yang Li Hua, who inhabits the room next door to the prince. She enters, kills all the monks, then returns to her room when the other guards appear. Again, Jiang looks like a super soldier because of something that Yang has done. CHAPTER FOURTEEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Yang Li Hua decides to teach Jiang her gong fu. She spends time with him, and he makes her laugh. Shang Guan sees this. Shang Guan confronts Yang about her hanging around with the Miao. Shang Guan still has hopes that she'll marry him and then he'll get her land. CHAPTER FIFTEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint Father Xuan Zang teaches him about red posters to either side of door. These will keep out evil spirits. Sadly, they also keep out good spirits. The spells written out on them by Daoist monks are powerful wards. However, a strong Spirit Warrior can pull the good spirit through by focusing. To be able to focus so well, you really need FOCUS. Father Xuan Zang gives Jiang Shengtong a vial of Focus and asks him to carry it with him when on duty. He can take it if needed. Says that he now trusts him to only use his Warrior Spirit in a huge emergency. Warns him that he still might fall out of control. CHAPTER SIXTEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint TOMB SWEEPING DAY - 5th April 654 Jiang Shentong sees everybody caring for their relatives graves, and reflects on the fact that he doesn't even know where his father lays dead. Probably some mass grave somewhere in the mountains of Ju Zhou province. His feelings make him sour a little toward all Han. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Yang leaves the Palace of Great Brilliance and walks through Changan to the old palace The Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. The old palace is still in use and referred to by some now as the Western Appartments. Lower members of the aristocracy and high ranking officials have their homes there. most of her ancestors are buried in Sunny City, the old capital city of the Qin Empire and only a few li west of Peace City, and her mother and father's graves are far away in Ju Zhou province, where she was born and where her father served as governor at the time of his death, where she was born. Reflects on her birth in the same province as Jiang Shentong here. Seeing the place where her distant relatives had lived for many years rekindles her anger against the Miao, which puts her a little against Jiang. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Have Yang Lihua attending Concubine Wu when Father Xuan Zang enters to beg permission to leave the court and attend to the funeral of his old friend. The abbot of the Shaolin Temple mysteriously dies, and Father Xuan Zang is called to the funeral and to choose a successor. He must leave the palace and travel east for several weeks, possibly months. The Emperor sends Captain Wang with him as a guard because Father Zang is like an uncle to him, his own father's oath brother. CHAPTER NINETEEN Jiang Shentong viewpoint Create a scene where Father Xuan Zang gives Jiang a large container full of Focus potion. Father Xuan Zang tells Jiang Shentong that he has faith in him to use his abilities when necessary and show restraint. Offers him some last minute sage advice, "May the Force be with you" kinda thing. CHAPTER TWENTY Yang Lihua viewpoint The absence of Captain Wang makes Yang more wary of attacks against the prince so she decides she must work together with Jiang no matter how she feels about the Miao. In the absence of his two mentors, Jiang relies more upon Yang and the lessons she is teaching him in gong fu. He realizes that what she's teaching and what Father Xuan taught are actually closely related. DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL - 18th June 654 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE Jiang Shentong viewpoint Hot sunshine. Jiang Shentong notes that though it's north of Ju Zhou, it's hotter here. Perhaps that's due to Ju Zhou being high in the mountains, though he can't understand how being closer to the sun could make you colder. He misses Father Xuan Zang. Father Xuan Zang could always explain such things. Blue skies. Yang takes Jiang out to the river to see the people racing boats. Explains it celebrates the life of a famous poet, Qu Yuan. Jiang shakes his head. He can't understand why people would make so much fuss of a poet. He wonders if in a hundred years time people will be celebrating Shang-Guan in the same way. He hopes not! Have Crown Prince Li Zhong checking on his younger brother from time to time and being kind toward him. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO Jiang Shentong viewpoint Jiang Shentong is guarding Li Hong when he hears a disturbance down the corridor. Investigating, he finds the guards outside dead. He then discovers Guo, just as the monk has finished smothering Princess Si. Jiang morphs into his Bull form so that he can protect the prince. The monk disappears in a flash of gunpowder, but other guards burst into the room and discover Jiang in his Bull form inside the room with the dead princess. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE Yang Lihua viewpoint The Emperor decides to place Jiang in a cell until Xuan Zang returns. Jiang thinks he could escape using his Bull Spirit, but he is afraid that he won't be able to control it. So, he remains locked up. The Empress complains that the Emperor is too easily swayed by Father Xuan Zang. The Emperor explains that Father Xuan Zang said Jiang Shentong was the best person to guard the prince, and he'd saved his life before, so he's going to wait. Concubine Wu avoids the meeting but cries (wails, mourning her daughter) in front of Yang about Jiang's betrayal, making Yang feel so sorry for her losing her daughter. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Yang Lihua viewpoint MAGPIE FESTIVAL - 17th August 654 The weather has grown unbelievably hot for Yang. She sees the decorations go up for the Magpie Festival and reflects on her lack of a suitable suitor. Squad Leader Shang-Guan has sent her a gift of flowers, but she doesn't trust him. The short time that she's known him, she's come to distrust his "truth" and suspect his intentions, believing he takes pleasure in cruelty. Seeing him being rude to servants, the kind she was very recently. She goes to the Daoist temple inside the inner courtyard and burns a patterned paper offering to the Weaver Girl, praying for wisdom in her choices ahead. She laughs off the traditional prayer to be skilled at needlework and instead prays her gong fu improves. She does, however, make the traditional wish that she will marry someone who would be a good and loving husband https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival She thinks about Jiang, then brushes off the thought. He's a traitor. Jiang has accepted the fact that Jiang is a traitor. She can't understand why the Emperor wished to wait for Xuan Zang to return before executing Jiang. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE Yang Lihua viewpoint Lieutenant (Captain) Feng comes to her and tries to persuade her that Jiang isn't what she thinks, but she ignores him. Captain Feng is a clever man who sees things that others don't. They wind up arguing, and Yang Lihua is very angry when he leaves. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Yang Lihua viewpoint She is alone with Prince Li Hong. Crown Prince Li Zhong visits, is friendly toward his little brother, but goes after a while. Li Hong asks her why she doesn't carry a sword. He's seen her fight to save him, but when the monsters disappear, she changes. She explains that she stays hidden to protect him. He says that he understands because that's what his friend Jiang does. She's confused and asks him to explain. He tells her about how the bad man came to kill him (Guo) but Jiang changed into a "monster" and protected him from the bad man. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Yang Lihua viewpoint Discovering the truth, Yang Lihua goes to find Captain Feng. She understands that if Captain Feng couldn't persuade her of the truth, it's unlikely that anybody else will listen. However, it turns out that Feng has been sent to Liang Prefecture with a detachment of guards to guard an official who is doing an inspection. He'll be gone for a week. (That's where Prince Li Zhong is about to be exiled). Left alone to rescue Jiang Shentong, she changes into her dark-blue monk's outfit and uses stealth to approach the prison cell using the rooftops. However, Shang-Guan has had soldiers watching her rooms. When she drops down in front of the prison doors, she's taken prisoner. She's taken before the Emperor. Empress Wu notes that Yang is Concubine Wu's servant/lady in waiting. She uses this as evidence that Concubine Wu and not she is behind the attacks on Wu's kids. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Yang Lihua viewpoint Shang-Guan Yi, supporting Empress Wang, insists that Yang should be executed (of courses, he hates the lady who rejected his nephew) and suggests that her land and titles held in trust should be passed to his nephew. Since Xuan Zang isn't here, Concubine Wu is keeping silent, and both Empress Wang and Concubine Liu petition the Emperor to execute Yang, the Emperor agrees that Yang will be confined to her room for six days to contemplate and pray, then on the seventh day, she'll be executed at dawn. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Jiang Shentong viewpoint GHOST FESTIVAL - 25th August 654 Jiang Shentong is sweating inside his cell. He notes it's a full moon outside his window. Lieutenant (Captain) Feng returns from Liang Prefecture and uses his contacts to get him in to see Jiang. He tells Jiang that it's the Ghost Festival when the gates of Hell are thrown wide open and demons walk the Earth. People will pray to the ancestors they have dishonored for forgiveness. He reluctantly informs Jiang that Yang is going to be strangled at dawn tomorrow, thinking that Jiang might wish to pray for her. The Emperor has no need to wait for father Xuan to return to make a decision on Yang. Jiang decides to draw on his Bull Spirit and escape the cell. Once he's made that decision, Feng produces a vial from his cloak. "A potion for my headaches" He winks. Jiang Shentong downs the familiar smelling liquid, and it's Focus. CHAPTER THIRTY Jiang Shentong viewpoint Jiang Shentong locates Yang, rescues her, and together they use the hidden tunnels to escape the palace. On their way, they spot Guo Xing Zhen also using the tunnels. In spite of all that's happened, they follow him into the kitchen where they see him placing poison into some food held by a serving girl in a trance. Jiang and Yang are able to capture the renegade Daoist. Yang beats his gong fu, and then Jiang turns into his Bull form to defeat the necromancer's magic. Having captured the necromancer, they take him to Lieutenant Feng, who takes them all to the Emperor. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Yang Lihua viewpoint The Emperor calls a meeting. At the meeting, he questions Guo Xing Zhen. Guo tells the Emperor that he's working for the Empress. Why should he lie when he's going to die anyway? Persuaded by this testimony, the Emperor deposes the Empress. Emperor then thanks Jiang. He'd put Jiang in prison, but Jiang still saved his life. He raises Jiang to rank of a lord, gives him title to land in Ju Zhou province, and makes him a Lieutenant in the Imperial Guard. Yang Li Hua comments that he's now the same rank as her, then winks. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO Yang Lihua viewpoint Yang is at the ceremony as Wu is raised to Empress. The next day, Guo escapes from the prison. The Emperor has the captain in charge of the prison executed and places Shang-Guang in charge there. At least Shang-Guan has managed to prevent one prison breakout. Six days after Empress Wang's removal, Consort Wu was created empress. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were put under arrest inside the palace, at a building that had its doors and windows tightly sealed, with only a hole on the wall to deliver food. Not sent to prison because too many have escaped from there in the past few days. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Jiang Shentong viewpoint Lieutenant (Captain) Feng is promoted to Major. Prince Li Zhong is demoted from Crown Prince to Prince of Liang. Major Feng is sent along with him to Liang Prefecture where the prince has been appointed prefect. Xuan Zang has yet to return at the end of the novel, and we leave Jiang wishing for his swift and safe return. The execution of Empress Wang and Concubine Liu will be the opening action of the second book, if there is one. Probably, the final scene will be Jiang and Yang standing on the balcony above Red Phoenix Gate watching the road at sunset. There Jiang will express his concern for Father Xuan Zang, and Yang will thread her arm through his and remind him that he's speaking of the famous monk who traveled to India. Jiang thinks about how he had three Spirit Warriors to guard him then, but he decides not to mention this to Yang. That's a secret for Father Xuan Zang to tell, not Lieutenant Jiang, commander of the southern gate. THE END!!! |
| PREMISE REVISION Now that you have spent a month planning your novel, revise your initial premise. Identify the following: (1) Protagonist(s). Who is(are) your main character(s)? (2) Flaw(s). What is(are) the protagonist's major flaw(s)? (3) Goal(s). What does the protagonist want? (4) Conflict(s). What is keeping them from their goal? (5) Antagonist(s). Who(what) is creating the conflict? (6) Premise. Write a provocative one-sentence description of your story. (7) Theme: What is the theme or moral of the story? RESPONSE (1) The two main protagonists and viewpoint characters are Jiang Shentong, a rookie guardsman in the imperial guards who is a Hmong ethnic minority, and Yang Lihua, a royal bodyguard from aristocratic stock who is pretending to be a servant. (2) Jiang Shentong has a temper that he cannot control and a hatred of the Han and all they represent. He's also unskilled in the martial arts, unable to read or write, and speaks poor Han. Yang Lihua is proud and hates Hmong. Having spent much of her life in Ganye Temple's convent and in the royal harem, she isn't very good at understanding or dealing with men. (3) Jiang Shentong initially just wishes to make enough money to send back to his mom and little sister. As the story develops, he wants to prove himself worthy of the trust placed in him by the emperor. Yang Lihua simply wants to follow her vows and keep Prince Li Hong safe from harm, though late in the story she'll want to be loved and want to protect/save the man she loves. (4) Jiang Shentong is kept from making money by people's prejudice against him and his own lack of general skill. Yang Lihua is kept from her goal by antagonists constantly attacking Li Hong. (5) Guo Xingzhen is the main antagonist in this book. He has made a deal with Concubine Wu to help her rise in power within the imperial court As a necromancer, he has the ability to imbue corpses with demon souls, mix poisons, and use deadly wushu strengthened by a demon's spirit. (6) A rookie in the imperial guards is appointed bodyguard for a prince and then finds himself in the thick of the action as an evil necromancer sets his sights on the royal family. (7) Equality of people of different sexes and ethnic backgrounds. |
| FREESTYLE BRAINSTORM: RESEARCH OR WORLD BUILDING (1) Spend at least fifteen minutes clarifying things. (2) Update your characters, definitions and settings lists as needed. RESPONSE CHARACTERS, SETTING, & DEFINITIONS UPDATED CHARACTER LIST Main Protagonist  Jiang Shen Tong 17 Palace guardsman - fresh recruit He is the main protagonist He is shorter than the average soldier and darker skinned, because he's a Hmong ethnic minority not Han majority. He speaks with a slurred accent because Chinese isn't his first languageJiang is short, dark-skinned, and not traditionally handsome. He's not feeble, but he's no Hercules in the muscle department. He's strong enough to pull the bowstring, which is his main strength. He won the regional martial contest for archery. He is from Qian Nan Prefecture in Ju Zhou province (modern day Kaili and Guizhou) The new Emperor has begun holding annual series of tournaments to select new recruits for his army. Traditionally, palace guards are hereditary. However, after the downfall of the Sui Dynasty and rise of his grandfather, he sees the weakness of that system, especially as advised by the famous scholar and monk, Xuan Zang. Jiang entered the local tournament in his county, where the Tang Governor has encouraged the Hmong to join in the Empire rather than fight it, and after winning that qualified to enter the Provincial Tournament, and so was able to successfully compete to serve in the guards. As a Hmong ethnic minority (called by the derogatory term Miao by the majority Han people) he comes from the mountainous southern regions of the expanding empire, a backward province called Ju Zhou, where his family are farmers in a flyspeck village in Qian Nan Prefecture. Because his father died in the previous rebellion against the Han, he is the oldest man in his family, which comprises his mom, two younger sisters and Jiang. Jiang's ambition is to become a career guardsman and so be in a position to send back more money to his family, since it's difficult for them to survive just from farming. The Hmong are Animists by religion, ie. they believe objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence, and they have Shamen. Of particular importance is the fact that Jiang is a remote descendant of Chi You, a near-mythical emperor who fought against the Han in ancient times. It was the defeat of Chi You's army that led to the foundation of the first Han empire. However, Chi You was supposed to have been some kind of demigod, with bull's horns and hands on his feet that held bows. The truth is that Chi You was an animist who could admit the spirit of a bull into himself and use that to power his martial skills. This is the spiritual force at the center of Qi Gong and the Boxer Rebellion. Jiang doesn't accept this, but he has the unique ability passed through his family line to channel the bull's spirit. This means that at moments of crisis, he sometimes loses his head and becomes like an animal. He hasn't learned the qi gong meditation necessary to control his spiritual, inner strength. He hides this, along with the knowledge of his ancestry, from the Han around him. He considered changing his name, since some people may be aware that Jiang was the family name of Chi You. However, it's a common surname, and Chi You died three thousand years ago, so it's unlikely any would make the connection. Jiang has no formal education. He cannot read and write. He is bilingual, speaking Hmong and Chinese. His weakness is with sword fighting, spear fighting, and hand-to-hand, though he can fight very well hand-to-hand if he lets his spirit out. His strength is in archery, speed of running and action, and he's a quick thinker, too. Learning how to read and write, taught by Xuan Zang, Jiang will be forced to carefully read poetry, which will lead to his language and command of Han increasing throughout the story. He likes the doufu and noodles that these northerners cook, though he misses the simple rice meals of the south. He misses his mom and sisters, and hates that he has no friends here. He hates his squad leader, Shang-guan, and his cronies. Secondary Protagonist Yang Li Hua 17 secret bodyguard to the imperial family and low-ranking serving girl in the inner palace as her cover, former nun at Ganye Temple. In the beginning, she's a stranger to the main character, but introduced during first action scene. They become close as the story develops. short, slim female. Looks unthreatening. Hides her lethal abilities. Yang's mom died in childbirth. Her father was a captain in the Imperial Army and died during the last Hmong Rebellion. After that, as an aristocrat but an orphan, she was placed in the Gan-Ye temple for training to be a wife. Theoretically, with the death of her father and no other offspring, her family's land is held in trust by the throne and will be presented to her husband should she ever marry. The nuns noted her graceful movements and unusual strength, and so coopted her into the special training unit, preparing her for life as a bodyguard in the women's quarter of the Imperial Palace. Her father's family were related to the Yangs who were emperors before the Tang Dynasty, in the Sui Dynasty. She is actually a distant relative of Concubine Wu Mei, whose mother was the Lady Yang, but not that close for marriage conditions etc. Yang is very skilled in the martial arts. She is fast, strong, and capable. However, growing up in a nunnery and then living in the women's quarter, the only men she has ever really got to know are eunuchs. So, she isn't very good with men, or interpersonal relationships in general. She's very devoted to Prince Li Hong, whose bedchambers she tidies and whose linnens she changes, etc. She is aware she is unlikely to have her own children, due to her oath to the nunnery, and since Li Hong is a relative of sorts, and she's been with him from birth, she would happily die for him. She particularly hates all Hmong and foreigners, because her father was killed by a Hmong. She believes that the Han are the only truly civilized people in the world, and that the Palace of Imperial Brilliance is the cultural center of the universe. She adores the Emperor as the symbol of unity and wholeness in the Empire. She is exceedingly loyal to the point of placing the Emperor and Empire above any of her own desires or wishes. Main Antagonist Guo Xing Zhen 60 Warlock antagonist An elderly man in the ankle-length robes of a Daoist monk—but black rather than the usual blue or grey.Guo Xing Zhen began his career as an acolyte in the Shaolin Buddhist Temple in Henan. He was the brightest and best acolyte, tipped to become a great scholar and then maybe abbot in his later life. Then along came young Xuan Zang, the great genius with a calligraphic memory. Xuan Zang quickly displaced Guo Xing Zhen in everybody's mind to become the great hope of the Buddhist faith. This was justified later when he took his famous seventeen-year journey to India and back to obtain copies of the original Buddhist scriptures from where Buddha actually lived. Guo Xing Zhen became jealous, angry, and bitter. He began to look into the archives at ancient, pre-Buddhist teachings and came across mention of the Yellow Emperor and the foundation of Daoist thought. He decided to travel to Five Dragons Temple in the Wudang Mountains of Hubei, where he had heard that the most ancient scriptures of Daoism were stored - the archives of the Yellow Emperor. The Yellow Emperor was a necromancer, and Guo Xing Zeng discovered his grimoire. Using this grimoire, Guo Xing Zeng is able to recover the lost magic that the Yellow Emperor used to defeat the "immortal" Chi You (Jiang's ancestor) three thousand years earlier. There are two schools of Wushu (Kung Fu): Shaolin (Buddhist) and Wu Dang Quan (Daoist). Wu Dang Quan from Five Dragons Temple in Wudang Mountains (fictional/mythical origin). For the purposes of the novel, I shall place Father Xuan Zang in the Shaolin Temple (right province, right time, wrong temple  ) so that I can set off the two religions, one against another.Guo Xing Zhen hates Father Xuan Zang so much that he comes to Changan to get revenge. The power of the Yellow Emperor is the kind that overthrows empires. His aim, though, is to aid Concubine Wu so that eventually the Emperor can be deposed from the throne and replaced with her. He thinks that he can use her like a puppet to get rid of first Xuan Zang and then the new form of Zen Buddhism he has brought into the empire and replace it with traditional Daoist thought from the original, founding Yellow Emperor. (Most of this mythology is based on true mythology but with distorted facts, eg. the Wudang Temple was actually founded by the emperor in this story, so it wasn't opposed to him, and the rivalry between the Shaolin and Wudang temples is only probably around two hundred years or so old, though legend has it that Shaolin style Kung Fu DID originate before this story and also that the Yellow Emperor did practice magic that was later forbidden and was a part of Daoist lore. In real history, Guo Xing Zhen was a Daoist priest who practiced witchcraft. He was employed to do so by Concubine Wu when she was already empress. However, I'm twisting the facts a lot to bring events closer together - for fun. In history, the Emperor removed his wife, Empress Wang, and the mother of the heir apparent, Consort Xiao, and raised Consort Wu to the level of Empress and first wife BECAUSE they were accused of practicing the same kind of witchcraft that it was later proved Empress Wu did use. A little later, the two rivals were murdered on the orders of Empress Wu.Minor Protagonists Captain Wang 40 He is Jiang's commander and later mentor with respect to weapons training tall and broad-shouldered. He is a scared veteran of many battlesWang is captain of the company guarding Wealth Square, the outer court of the Palace of Imperial Brilliance. He first met Jiang in Ju Zhou province at the provincial level tournament. He spotted a crooked official trying to ignore Jiang's winning archery shots and personally offered Jiang a place in the Imperial Guard. He is the second best swordsman in the imperial guards, the best being the guy who is turned into a zombie near the beginning of the book. He served in the war against the Hmong, so he speaks a little Hmong very badly and knows Ju Zhou and how people live down there in the savage south. He's more fair-minded than most officers, though he does believe in the Mandate of Heaven and that the Han should basically rule the Earth. But, he's more of the opinion that the best Hmong can "become" Han than thinking they should be cast out of positions of responsibility. Father Xuan Zang 52 famous monk and priest - (Monkey's boss) Religious mentor feminine features, small, beautiful, angelic face Father Xuan Zang was originally trained in the Shalin Temple (he wasn't, but that's cool) and learned qi gong there before his journey to India. On the way to India, he made friends with three Hmong guys and used his Qi Gong to help them take care of their troublesome Spirits. They became Monkey, Pigsy, and Sandy. He knew Guo Xing Zhen at the Shaolin Temple before Guo departed to study Daoism at the Wudang Temple. Lieutenant Feng 35 Wang's assistant and Jiang's superior. He's there to provide comic relief. Jiang's superior short and squad but unexpectedly quick. Round, cheeky face. Trickster. Feng will become more important in the second part of the novel because he will approach Yang for help and then later help Jiang to free Yang. He will have observed lots of secret things and be aware of things that the others aren't. For example, he'll know that Yang loves Jiang and challenge her about it when he's in prison, and he'll know that Jiang is a Spirit Warrior. Major Quan 40 commander of guards to women's quarters in the inner palace. new commanding officer after promotion stringy. gap-toothed. serious expression. Emperor Gao Zong (Li Zhi ) 26 Emperor He's like God to everybody else in the story plump but muscular, hard face Prince Li Hong 2 Prince of Dai, Wu's son ward - Jiang protects him jade-colored eyes Princess Si of Anding 654 0 Concubine Wu Mei's baby murdered within a few days of birth ward of Jiang and Yang cute, fat baby Consort Xiao - most beautiful before Consort Wu came on scene - to simplfy story, may ignore this concubine and her son and just focus on Consort Liu and make Consort Liu the one executed with Empress Wu. 25?? gave Emperor three kids: Prince Li Sujie and the Princesses Yiyang and Gao'an In real life, executed in 655 Prince Li Sujie - ignore in story. Simpler to just have Li Zhong and Li Hong 8 years old at time of story was son of favored Concubine Xiao got executed/assassinated by Empress Wu very late on in 690 out of favor at time of story Crown Prince Li Zhong 11 at time of story - oldest son of Emperor mother was Consort Liu, who was low ranking because of common birth, not a lady before marriage ordered to commit suicide much later after events of this story in 665 aged 22 Consort Liu 30 born a commoner, so lowest of concubines Empress Wang helped Empress Wang 27 barren. Couldn't have kids. Persuaded hubby to make Li Zhong the Crown Prince very persuasive. Persuaded hubby to make Li Zhong the crown prince In real life, executed in 655Empress Wang was described as being unable or unwilling to make friends among Emperor Gaozong's other concubines, ladies in waiting, and servants, a situation aggravated by the fact that her mother Lady Liu and uncle Liu Shi were disrespectful to the other concubines. By contrast, Consort Wu cultivated relationships with other concubines, ladies in waiting, and servants, particularly those that Empress Wang had offended, and she further distributed the rewards she received with them. Minor Antagonists Doctor Shang-Guan Yi 50 high-ranking official and famous poet minor antagonist short, fat, uggly, stuck up nose Consort Wu Mei 30 low ranking imperial consort of the emperor, concubine, puppet master in this story so high above him, she's like a demi-god young looking, slim, curvy, Marylyn Monroe type, gorgeous (she's had two emperors one after the other, so you get the idea) Consort Wu cultivated relationships with other concubines, ladies in waiting, and servants, particularly those that Empress Wang had offended, and she further distributed the rewards she received with them. Basically, Wu was charismatic and got everybody on her side until it came time to kill 'em. Sneaky!She spent time in Ganye Temple with her head shaved and learning how to be a servant/assassin. She's also studied a little necromancy from Guo. Interesting stuff about the plot here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Wang_(Gaozong) UPDATED SETTING Physical Setting The climate is more extreme than Jiang is used to - much colder in the winter but much hotter in the summer, like an oven. The crops are different too, since the northern lands are more wheat based while the south, where Jiang comes from, are rice. In the north they eat brown noodles made from wheat and other different stuff, like the horn-shaped dumplings. The land around the city is divided into farmland and parkland. The farmland is mainly orchards, kiwi fruit (I'll call 'em Han gooseberries since both kiwi fruit and Chinse gooseberry have cultural connotations dating to much later than this story. The parkland is a mixture of grazing land and woodland stocked for horseback hunting by the aristocracy and royal family. The city itself stinks because of the open sewers running alongside all the main thoroughfares. There are small markets run by peasants outside each of the three public entrances to the city, East, West, and South, but not outside the north because that parkland is the Forbidden Park only used by the Emperor and his family or guests. When entering any of the city gates, or the palace main entrance, there are five gateways. The middle gateway is for the Emperor only. The left hand gateway is for general traffic and the second left doorway for official traffic (military, beurocrats, diplomats, aristocrats etc). The righthand doorways are exits, farthest right for general traffic exit and second right for official exit. Inside the city are approximately five hundred temples, mainly Buddhist and Daoist in roughly even numbers BUT the Buddhists are starting to push ahead, and the new Wild Goose Pagoda is the tallest building in the City of Eternal Peace outside of the palaces. There are two large markets inside the city, the East Market, and the West Market. The East Market is close to the Palace of Great Brilliance, so it attracts the more valuable produce and merchandice. Lots of silk, jade, fine clothes, art, wine and expensive delecacies, and furnature at the East Market, while the West Market is more meat, fruit, vegetables, etc etc Measurements around the palace and other buildings are counted out in bu. From city to city in li. Most of the action in the story takes place inside two courtyards of the Daming Palace in Chang'an, ie. the old Tang Dynasty Palace now inside Xi'an. An English translation for Chang'an is Long Peace, so I call it Peace city. And English translation for Daming Palace is Palace of Great Brilliance, so I go with that title. In real history, the Daming Palace was used from 663 onward, so they would have been in the Taiji Palace at the time of the story. However, the Daming Palace makes for a better setting, so… The first level of the palace complex is the Imperial City, where lots of government offices stand. In latest version, Jiang will be a guardsman in the central court of the Imperial City, not in the Daming Palace itself. Between that and the Palace of Great Brilliance is the Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_palace Better information on palaces and Chang'an: http://wiki.china.org.cn/wiki/index.php/Chang'an The outer court (southern court really since they simply flow from outer to middle to inner as you travel north out of Xi'an city) also called Wealth Square is where the opening action will occur. Between Wealth Square and the city itself is Red Phoenix Gate. The protagonist will pass Prosperity Hall (possibly the largest building in the world at the time of this story) go through the central court and then end up in the inner court. Wealth Hall is the place where foreigners and important people could meet the Emperor. The middle court contains Government Square. At the opposite end of Government Square is Leadership Hall, which is where the government work, the officials who run the entire empire: the Three Departments and Six Ministeries. Also inside the middle court is the Night Garrison. The elite soldiers in the inner court are called The Northern Bureau, and the elite of the elite are called The Hundred Riders. The inner court is laid out like a park, dominated by Penglai Lake (Immortal Island Lake), which forms its center. There are lots of monuments, stone tablets and such and statues, scattered around the parkland. The inner court contains the Sanqing Daoist Temple, ie. The Tree Divine Teachers Temple. This is the private temple of the imperial family. Linde Hall is where the Emperor entertained, held parties etc. Zichen Hall held the central government offices. The Pavilion of Earthly Tranquillity is the quarters of the women of the Imperial family and their young children. Two stories high, it was less ornate than nearby pagodas and halls. A broad veranda projected from the front of the pavilion and wooden pillars supported its upper floor and green tile roof. A little of the story will take place outside of the Palace of Great Brilliance, inside the old Sui Dynasty palace called the Taiji Palace or "The Palace of the Supreme Ultimate") and sometimes called the Western Apartments. The Wild Goose Pagoda is a newly built pagoda inside Chang'an city. It's the tallest building in Chang'an, so its top is just visible over the palace wall from Jiang's perspective. Maybe not. Thinking about it, this should be out of Jiang's viewpoint if he's inside Wealth Square. Detailed article about the palace, plus significance, plus reconstruction of what the buildings looked like. http://www.chaz.org/Arch/China/City/City.html Other references: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263512000118 https://www.chinatravel.com/xian-attraction/the-ruins-of-daming-palace/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daming_Palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_palace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Guards_(Tang_dynasty) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Departments_and_Six_Ministries The location of the Daming Palace within modern Xi'an is given in this Google Earth location for the Daming Palace National Heritage Park: https://earth.google.com/web/search/Daming+Palace+National+Heritage+Park,+Xi%27a... Minor notes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Sanqing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Pure_Ones Cultural Setting (1) Complex. There are three bases of philosophy and religious thought: Confucist, Daoist, and Buddhist. People often believe segments of all three. They will happily celebrate a Daoist festival one month and then a Buddhist the next. Confucist thought is mainly concerned with etiquette, but the other two major religions vie with one another for dominance. The Emperor has endowed both Buddhist and Daoist temples. The main temple in the Palace of Great Brilliance is Daoist, but the famous Buddhist monk Father Xuan Xang is the Emperor's father's oath-brother and so, in effect, treated as the Emperor's uncle. He is the most powerful religious figure in the Tang Empire. (2) Religious practices involve monasteries and convents, temples where incense is burned to please the gods, and very regular observance of festivals. They follow a lunar calendar, and all the festivals occur along points in the lunar calendar. Economic practices are agricultural but feudal, with Han overlords controlling farms which may be farmed by either Han peasants or ethnic minority groups descended from people that the Han defeated in the past and took over their land, such as the Hmong. In the south, rice is the dominant staple food, and can be eaten as rice or made into white noodles. In the north, wheat is used to make noodles and dumplings (jiaozi shaped like bull's horns and called "horn dumplings" by the Han) and doufu are more common. Doufu is particularly important to Buddhists because they tend to be vegetarian. (3) The Emperor makes the law. However, he has Three Departments and Six Ministries to help him do this. Because of the large variety of faiths, the law is actually relatively liberal on many points. However, in the City of Peace there is a strict curfew where people are not allowed to leave their district within the city after an evening bell is toled at dusk - 300 beats to a gong. The city is divided into nine square-shaped districts each separated from the others by walls, and further into 108 wards, 12 wards per district, also separated by walls. The ward gates were closed at sunset and opened at dawn. It was a crime to be found on the streets during the night. Approximately a million people live in Chang'an, so it's probably the largest city in the world, or at least rivals Rome or Constantinople. An intricate network of underground passages connected the imperial harem with other palaces and the city. These passages were controlled by underground gatehouses and their existence was unknown. Although witchcraft and alchemy are practiced by Daoist priests, witchcraft is forbidden by law. To become an official, one must pass the imperial exams. To become a soldier in the Imperial Guards, one must either be a hereditary soldier OR win a special tournament. (4) The law is enforced by local magistrates throughout the empire supported by Imperial Guards and local militias. The Emperor, of course, can act as a magistrate. The Empire at this time is very secure. There will be later rebellions, but right now it's doing well. (5) This is the year 654, so the technology reflects that. This is the most advanced society in the world at this time, so they have bathhouses, complex architecture, a massive city, advanced academic studies for wealthy people, libraries and temples etc. The guards use spears, swords or bows. They have horses and carriages. They have sewers, though they are open sewers. There are secret tunnels under the city connecting some key places. Lighting is by torch or candle. (6) Jiang is from one of the oppressed, beaten nations, the Hmong. As a Hmong, he is looked down upon. In the later Tang, laws were made to prevent Hmong marrying Han, but at the time of this story, it's allowed. Hmong is from the peasant classes, so very low status compared to the others in the City of Peace. (7) The Palace of Great Brilliance is the setting for almost everything in my story. It's secret passageways, grand buildings, prison block etc. will be important to the plot. The plot will have to work around the layout of the palace. The rivalry between the two main religions, Daoist and Buddhist, will provide the conflict for Father Xuan Zang and Guo Xing Zhen, ie. Guo Xing Zhen wishes to attack Father Xuan Zang and remove him from his position of influence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27an http://www.pitt.edu/~asian/week-10/week-10.html DEFINITIONS - MAGIC SYSTEM There are two kinds of magic in this world: good spirit-based magic and necromancy. Spirit-Based — Spirit Warriors There's an old idea in Chinese traditions that a shaman called a jitong can invoke the spirit of a deity to possess them. In ancient folklore, the founder of the Hmong people was an emperor called Chi You who had bulls horns, four eyes, six arms, supernatural strength and speed and magical powers. He had 81 "brothers". My idea is a combination of these. Some special individuals can evoke animal spirits, like bulls or monkeys. Jiang is one of these, and he can evoke the bull spirit like his ancestor Chi You. Chi You's 81 brothers were other Hmong who could channel animal spirits. Xuan Zang's companions, Pigsy and Monkey, were Hmong who could channel specific animal spirits. In his broad travels, Xuan Zang came across Monkey and Pigsy. With their help, he was able to complete his famous Journey to the West. When he sees Jiang, he recognizes that he has the ability. Addressing him in Hmong, he informs Jiang that Monkey shared with him the history of the Hmong and their beliefs, and he knows that Jiang is descended from Chi You. He becomes Jiang's mentor and teaches him how to focus his qi and remain in control. Jiang can use qigong meditation to summon and control his animal spirit. The advantages of spirit possession are: extra speed extra strength increased agility increased accuracy ferocity each spirit warrior has a specific magical ability. Chi You could call on fog, Monkey (Sun Wukong) could create the illusion that he was in multiple places at the same time to confuse his opponents, Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) had massive strength, Sandy (Sha Wujing) had the ability to breathe underwater. The disadvantages are: loss of control, like the Hulk physical changes, like shapeshifting toward the animal you are becoming when possessed a necromancer can prevent the shift to possession by specific chants or totems. Reciting a specific Daoist prayer causes a Spirit Warrior to have a splitting headache and immediately transform back to their human form. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_spirit_possession https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiyou https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xuanzang Necromancy Scholars who study the dark arts can summon up demons to possess the dead and do their bidding. The possessed dead become jiang-shi (zombie vampires). They can also create totems or hexes to curse people or sap their strength. Their dark arts also make them accomplished poisoners. The obvious antagonist, Guo Xing Zhen, is a Buddhist monk who had turned his back on the light and now practices necromancy. |
| CONTEST ROUND: PLOT BACKGROUND STORY Write a story that sets up your plot. EXAMPLE: The Lord of the Rings story revolves around the One Ring, its significance, and how it's destroyed. But how did Frodo get the One Ring in the first place? We learn that in The Hobbit. You obviously can't write a full-scale novel in 15 minutes, but you could write the scene where Bilbo encounters Gollum and stumbles across the ring. That would be a background story that sets up the plot in Lord of the Rings. *Contest Round entries may be any rating. Submit your ITEM or ENTRY number by 1200 noon WDC time on Sunday, Oct. 29 to compete. WDC time is New York City time and can be found at the top of the IM Console. If you miss this deadline or choose not to compete, you must still log the assignment complete (without linking your work) for the grand prize, per the standard Prep guidelines. RESPONSE The Seeds of Treason With a straight back and her chin in the air as if she had no care in the world, Concubine Wu Mei marched along the path beside the shore of Immortal Lake, the centerpiece of the Royal Garden inside the Palace of Great Brilliance. A bitter autumnal breeze tugged at a loose strand of black hair that had torn loose from her otherwise neat bun. She barely registered the artfully sculptured bushes or strutting peacocks. Only two months since she'd endured nine agonizing hours of labor to provide the emperor with a healthy baby boy, she felt insulted by this morning's royal proclamation. As she entered the Temple of Three Divine Teachers, the private Daoist temple of the royal family, Wu attempted to keep her face straight, but she couldn't prevent one warm tear trickling down her cheek. Thankfully, nobody was there to witness her lapse of decorum. She made her way to her favorite alcove and knelt in front of the statue representing Lingbao Tianzun. The idol sat happily upon his jade throne, wearing flowing scarlet robes and a golden crown as he blessed the air above her head. The sweet scent of sandalwood incense somewhat calmed her troubled mind. Using the provided taper, she lit a candle and closed her eyes while she prayed for her son's future. “Why are you so upset?” whispered an elderly sounding man behind her. Her heart leaped. How had someone else entered the sanctum without her noticing? She turned to regard the man who had intruded on her sorrow. A short man with wrinkled skin and a long, gray beard smiled down at her benevolently. He wore the typical square cap and simple robes of a Daoist priest, but red-colored rather than the usual dark blue. She narrowed her eyes. “Where is Father Ma, and who the hell are you?” He raised a gnarled hand to his forehead and chanted an unfamiliar mantra. Warmth flooded into her mind, and fuzzy memories of her childhood uncles and her favorite grandfather flashed through her head. She could trust this man. He was no threat. He was a priest, for Heaven's sake. There was nothing wrong with confiding her fears to him. Wu licked her lips. “Th-The emperor has raised Prince Li Zhong to the rank of crown prince, officially designating him as heir to the throne.” The old priest nodded. “That's good, isn't it?” “Good?” shrieked Wu. “Li Zhong is Concubine Liu's son. Liu is a nobody — a commoner. Her father was a merchant and her mother a whore.” “But Prince Li Zhong is the emperor's oldest son.” She rose to her feet and scowled. “Emperor Gaozong was the third oldest son, but his father recognized his ability and so named him crown prince.” “Do you believe that there is another more qualified to follow in Emperor Gaozong's footsteps?” “Of course. Naturally, my son Prince Li Hong is the best qualified to become crown prince. Royal blood flows through my veins on both sides. My maternal great-grandfather was an emperor of the Sui and my paternal great-great-grandfather was an emperor of the Zhou.” “And what about you?” “Me? What do you mean?” The priest chuckled. “If you are descended from two royal lines, why can't you be emperor?” Wu blinked in confusion. “B-But I'm a woman.” The priest paced the alcove, apparently lost in concentration, then he pointed toward the yin and yang symbol on the wall behind Lingbao Tianzun's statue. “Did the Divine Teacher not teach that yin and yang are equal? Each has their strengths and weaknesses, but within the supreme unity that the emperor represents, both are equally matched.” She found herself nodding. “There is no legal or spiritual reason that a woman could not be an emperor. But, Emperor Gaozong commands great armies and the respect of his people. The Sui and Zhou emperors are but memories in today's Tang Empire.” He stopped pacing. “What if I told you that I possessed the power to bring down an emperor?” Wu's head swiveled from side to side. Was somebody watching and listening? Perhaps this was a clever trick to get her to speak treason. “Why would you tell me if you did?” she demanded. He smirked and stretched out his hands in a gesture of resignation. “I am but a poor priest. I cannot claim royal blood and take the throne. But you could.” “What's in it for you?” The priest clenched his fists, and his eyes turned dark. “How do you feel about the Buddhist faith?” Wu shivered, recalling her time spent in Ganye Temple following the death of her first husband. Every morning she'd been woken to shave her head before performing menial chores. Every noon she'd eaten slops. Every evening she'd studied the sutras until she thought she would go blind. They'd forced her to wear coarse woolen robes and sleep in a room with eleven other women while reminding her every minute of every day that she was worthless. “I detest Buddhists,” she truthfully answered. “Me, too. And I hate Father Xuan Zang in particular.” “Emperor Gaozong's oath-brother?” “The very same. He is responsible for the increasing influence of Buddhism in our nation.” “And you think that's a bad thing?” He nodded. “Daoism is the true faith of the Han people, many of its principles founded by the Yellow Emperor. This foreign religion should not be allowed to continue corrupting the Han. I dream that one day soon the Buddhist temples shall be torn down and their heathen practices forbidden.” Wu imagined a company of imperial guardsmen trampling through Ganye Temple, ripping the scrolls and smashing the idols. She grinned. “If I ruled the Tang Empire, your dreams would come true.” The priest bowed his head. “Others approach, so I must go. I shall contact you again soon. Please think carefully through what I have said and consider if you would like to form an alliance with me.” A flash of light blinded Wu for a moment. When she could see again, the priest had disappeared. A group of well-dressed women entered the temple, giggling — Concubine Liu and three of her ladies in waiting. Liu nodded politely, but she couldn't hide her victorious sneer. She might as well be laughing aloud and shouting out, “My son will be the next emperor of the Tang Dynasty.” Wu nodded in return and calmly walked through the door into the cool air outside. Did that priest really have the power to challenge the emperor? He was obviously some kind of sorcerer. She imagined what she would do to Liu if she sat upon the Dragon Throne, and then she smiled. WORD COUNT: 1110 |
| MARKET DEFINITION AND NARRATIVE VOICE SYNOPSIS (1) Identify your story type from this list of story types or define it with your own nomenclature. (2) Describe your target audience. Identify a demographic profile of your ideal reader (try using your character profile template!) Explain in detail what aspects of your novel will appeal to this particular audience and why. Please read this blog post to understand the importance of marketing, and why targeting "mass appeal" or "all readers" isn't good enough: "Building Your Brand" (3) Write a synopsis of your novel using the same narrative voice you will use to tell the story. RESPONSE (1) Guardsman Jiang is a historical fantasy, ie. a fantasy where the two heroes fight necromancers and monsters BUT set in an actual historical setting rather than a fantasy world. (2) This novel is aimed at anybody who enjoys both historical fiction and fantasy fiction. It might appeal more to the 15-35 age range because the main protagonists will be in their teens, but the other major players will mainly be aged around 25-30, like the 27-year-old emperor and 25-year-old Empress etc. (3) At seventeen-years-old, Jiang Shen Tong is resigned to a life guarding the latrines in the outer court of the Palace of Great Brilliance in the City of Eternal Peace. However, an evil necromancer called Guo Xing Zhen arrives with an army of zombies, and Jiang is launched into the adventure of his lifetime. When the alarm bells ring, Jiang's squad is ordered into the inner court, the home of the royal family, where they discover that a large proportion of the elite guards there have been transformed into murdering zombies. Jiang is assigned to infant prince Li Hong with orders to take him to safety along with servant girl Yang Li Hua. Jiang battles the zombies while Yang carries the royal child on her back, but there are too many for one man. Then, in a shock move, Yang hands him the prince and then grabs swords from two fallen zombies. She proceeds to hack down the attacking horde but then swears Jiang to secrecy over what he's seen. She's a secret royal bodyguard. The next day, the imperial court is shocked to learn that one rookie guardsman has apparently killed twenty zombies singlehanded and saved the prince's life. Jiang is promoted into the elite Northern Bureau of the imperial guards. His military training is handed over to Major Wang while his spiritual needs are to be guided by the famous Buddhist monk, Father Xuan Zang. The Offical Shangguan Yi investigates Yang Li Hua and discovers that she's a distant cousin of Concubine Wu, a descendant of an imperial line of the Sui Dynasty. For her part in saving the prince's life, Yang is raised to her rightful title, much to her disgust. Shangguan Yi wishes to marry her off to his idiot nephew in the imperial guards, Shangguan Er, but she manages to persuade the Emperor to allow her to stay in the palace hareem in order to "take care of" Prince Hong. When Jiang and Father Xuan Zang meet in private, Father Xuan Zang reveals to Jiang that his three companions on his famous journey to the West – Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing – were actually Hmong jitong (shamen) capable of utilizing the spirits of animal deities to give them superhuman strength and skills. Sun Wukong uses a Monkey Spirit, Zhu Bajie uses a Pig Spirit, while Sha Wujing uses a Water Buffalo Spirit. Father Xuan Zang explains that Jiang is also a jitong, capable of channeling an animal spirit. The priest recognizes the ability in him. His ancestor, Chi You, used a Bull Spirit, which the priest believes is the same spirit Jiang is capable of channeling. Jiang is a descendant of Chiyou, while Father Xuan Zang's companions were descendants of Chi You's 81 "brothers". Father Xuan offers to teach Jiang how to use his gift using qigong meditation. Over a period of time, Jiang learns both swordplay and spear from Captain Wang and qigong from Father Xuan. He struggles with both. He can't develop a high enough level with the sword and cannot control his spirit adequately with qigong. However, while he is training, there is a threat against Concubine Wu, and the Emperor calls Jiang and Captain Wang to the throne and orders Jiang to stay in the prince's bedchamber. Wang says that Jiang isn't ready, but the Emperor is adamant. If Jiang can defeat twenty jiangshi, he doesn't need training, he needs to work. Yang keeps seeing Jiang around the palace, and obviously sees him when he's guarding the prince. Because Jiang is supposed to have killed twenty jiangshi, he is actually posted inside Prince Li Hong's bedchamber. Yang has the adjoining chamber, so she can wait on the prince. She tries to ignore Jiang, hating that he's a Hmong. But, she can't help but like him and find his attempts to use a sword amusing. Then, when Jiang is guarding the prince, there's an attack by Wudang Daoist monks, who appear from nowhere like ninjas. They kill all the external guards, then enter the bedchamber to kill Jiang and the prince. Jiang dares not call upon his spirit to fight in case he cannot control it, and is unable to fight off the monks using his sword, but shouts for Yang Li Hua, who inhabits the room next door to the prince. She enters, kills all the monks, then returns to her room when the other guards appear. Again, Jiang looks like a super soldier because of something that Yang has done. Yang Li Hua decides to teach Jiang her wushu. She spends time with him, and he makes her laugh. Shang Guan sees this. Shang Guan confronts Yang about her hanging around with the Miao. Shang Guan still has hopes that she'll marry him and then he'll get her land. The abbot of the Shaolin Temple mysteriously dies, and Father Xuan Zang is called to the funeral and to choose a successor. He must leave the palace and travel east for several weeks, possibly months. The Emperor sends Captain Wang with him as a guard because Father Zang is like an uncle to him, his own father's oath brother. Left alone to guard the prince, there is a time when he's guarding the prince and Yang isn't there. Guo Xing Zhen appears in person and kills newborn Princess Si. The necromancer turns out to be a master of Wudang Fist, so Jiang cannot defeat him. In frustration, and fearing for the prince's life, he calls on his Bull Spirit. He is filled with power and able to fight off the priest, but then Shang Guan arrives with a squad. Guo Xing Zhen disappears, and the squad all see Jiang in his bull spirit form. Jiang is arrested for being a necromancer and placed in a cell. Jiang thinks he could escape using his Bull Spirit, but he is afraid that he won't be able to control it. So, he remains locked up. At first, Yang Li Hua believes Jiang is a traitor, there to kill the prince. However, the prince tells her how Jiang saved his life and chased away the evil prince. Knowing that nobody will listen to her and the prince, Yang decides to help Jiang escape. However, on her way into the prison, Yang is arrested by Shang Guan, who has kept an eye on her and arranged to have her followed. Jiang learns that Yang is going to be executed. The Emperor has no need to wait for father Xuan to return to make a decision on Yang. Jiang decides to draw on his Bull Spirit and escape the cell. He locates Yang, rescues her, and together they use the hidden tunnels to escape the palace. On their way, they discover that Guo Xing Zhen is in the kitchen. He's used his necromancy to slip poison into the food. Jiang and Yang are able to capture the renegade Daoist. Yang beats his wushu, and then Jiang turns into his Bull form to defeat the necromancer's magic. The Emperor calls a meeting. At the meeting, he questions Guo Xing Zhen. Guo tells the Emperor that he's working for the Empress. Persuaded by this testimony, the Emperor deposes the Empress. The Emperor then thanks Jiang. He'd put Jiang in prison, but Jiang still saved his life. He makes Jiang a lieutenant in the imperial guards. |
| PROTAGONIST INTERVIEW You are a journalist. The story of your novel is complete. Interview your protagonist and ask the following questions: (1) How is life for you now, compared to life prior to these events? (2) How did the events of your story change you? RESPONSE So, Jiang, any changes to your life over the past year? You bet, friend! Last summer I was a green recruit to the Imperial guards lucky enough to be assigned to the Palace of Great Brilliance itself. But, as a Hmong ethnic minority, my fellow recruits and squad members looked down on me… literally, since I'm a fifth of a bu shorter than the next shortest soldier in the palace. My squad had the worst duty in the palace, assigned to the outer court to guard the area next to the public latrines. I had no great expectations in the imperial guards and had resigned myself to a boring life standing next to the latrines until I grew too old to hold a spear. I was illiterate and unskilled with the sword and spear, though excellent with the bow. Also, I had no friends in the City of Eternal Peace. Because I was an outsider, a commoner, and a Hmong, nobody was interested in talking to me except for giving orders or instructions. Oh, well, except for Captain Wang and Lieutenant Feng. Wang had fought against the Hmong, so he respected my people and knew something of our language and culture. And Feng is just a weird guy. There was no way I was ever going to get a girlfriend. If it were not for my mom and sister needing the money back in Ju Zhou province, I wouldn't have stayed here. My own heritage I kept completely to myself. I thought that it might be dangerous if anybody learned that my distant ancestor had been the last great emperor of the Hmong people before the Han stole away our lands. And I had no idea what to do about my strange temper issues - how I sometimes lost control during a fight. I didn't understand the heat coursing through my veins. Now, a year later, my life is much more comfortable and I'm a lot happier. Not only am I a guardsman in the inner court, but I have also received an officer's commission and become a lieutenant. Now I look down, not literally of course, on some of those guardsmen who once looked down on me. My duty is to guard Crown Prince Li Hong and his retinue, so I command a force of five squads. I now have friends. Wang and Feng have become more than superior officers to me. Wang, in particular, is a father figure. And Father Xuan Zang is another friend and teacher. And though I can't say she's my girlfriend, the Lady Yang is now a friend and growing closer. Father Xuan Zang has helped me to learn about my powers and control my anger. He even taught me to read and write! He and Wang also know the truth of my heritage. Also, Captain Wang has tutored me in the sword and spear and Yang has taught me Shaolin Fist Wushu. I am now considered one of the most proficient guardsmen in the palace, even without using my secret magical powers - which are known to the Emperor and several guardsmen and high officials but kept secret from anybody outside the inner court. My much higher rank now means that I have a lot of spare cash to send back to my mom and sisters. I can even write them letters now, though I have to send them to the local magistrate and ask him to read the letters to them. Because I guard the Crown Prince, the magistrate in KaiLi has begun to treat my mom and sisters with great respect. They've left the farm and now live in the town in a specious villa the magistrate leases to them on a very low rent, because he wants to keep a good relationship with somebody so close to a future emperor. |
| OUTLINE REVISION #3 (1) Review your plot elements thus far and organize them into your outline. (2) Fill in any gaps in your outline template and/or flesh out more details. RESPONSE GUARDSMAN JIANG - PLOT OUTLINE - Linear Narrative OPENING SCENE DURING MIDWINTER FESTIVAL - 24th December 653 Gregorian Calendar Snow, blizzard. Colder than Jiang has ever been because he's from the south. Foreshadow Father Xuan Zang with mention of his pagoda newly built to hold scriptures he brought from the west. Opening hook about somebody dying the last time he lost control of his anger. Jiang is a Hmong boy aged seventeen. He entered a provincial level archery tournament and performed best, qualifying him to join the Imperial Guard of the Tang Empire. However, corruption meant that he wouldn't have got his chance if it were not for the actions of Captain Wang, who observed him competing and then extended an invitation for him to join the guards. The story begins as Jiang's squad of rookies is guarding the latrines in the outer courtyard of the palace, Wealth Square. An alarm goes in the inner courtyard. Not the single bell of an escaped prisoner or the triple bell of a suspected thief or assassin, but the continuous bell that signals a full-scale military attack. Captain Wang orders Jiang's squad to accompany him to the inner courtyard to help the imperial family. Wang foreshadows possibility of magic with a warning to be ready for anything and a comment about things he's seen. There, he tells Jiang to act as a messenger, because he's swift, but Shang-Guan claims that job to escape the battle. So Jiang must fight the enemy. Jiang then worries about losing control, as he has before, foreshadowing his Bull Spirit. The enemy turns out to be their own soldiers turned into jiang-shi (cuong-thi in Hmong, ie. Zombies) by a Daoist necromancer, Guo Xing Zhen, dressed in bright red robes rather than the traditional dark blue. They are relatively slow, but still deadly because of their vast number. The Linde Hall is located to the west of the lake. It served as a place for banquets, performances, and religious rites.[25] It consisted of three halls—a front, middle, and rear hall—adjacent to each other. Wang checks there first, but the Hundred are obviously still there, and the jiangshi don't appear to be attacking there in any great number - just pinning down the elite troops. Wang realizes they are targeting the Women's Quarters, where the young princes and princesses are. After gaining entry to the Women's Quarter, they meet Yang Li Hua, a servant girl. Because of Jiang's skill with the bow and his speed, Captain Wang orders him to help Yang Li Hua to carry the infant prince to safety. Jiang is given a bow and runs alongside Yang, who carries Prince Li Hong on a baby carrier attached to her back. On the way to safety, they are ambushed by a group of twenty jiang-shi. Jiang is able to kill six of them, but then it looks like all is lost. Plot Twist! Then Yang hands him the baby, picks up two fallen swords from the Jiangshi, and proves that she can use them like a ninja! After killing the remaining jiangshi, Yang Li Hua swears Jiang to secrecy. He agrees. NEW YEAR'S DAY - 25th December 653 Gregorian Calendar The next day, the imperial court is shocked to learn that one rookie guardsman has apparently killed twenty jiangshi singlehanded and saved the prince's life. Jiang is promoted into the elite inner court company, as are Captain Wang and his lieutenant. Sadly, Shang Guan is also promoted because his uncle inflates the importance of the message he took to the barracks. On way to throne room, Yang sees painted scroll of Chi You, ancestor of the Miao. This scroll painting depicts the death of Chiyou at the Battle of Zhuolu. Yang notes his bull's horns, four eyes, and six arms. He's butt ugly. Compares him favorably to Jiang, but notes that if Jiang had really done what they thought he'd done, then he would need to have been as capable as Chi You. In the throne room, Jiang meets Father Xuan Zang for the first time and is awed. Xuan Zang is famous and legendary. Father Xuan Zang comments that Jiang is a Hmong and requires spiritual guidance if he is to enter the elite force. He offers his services. Captain Wang is instructed to bring Jiang's military skills up to the required level for him to guard the inner courtyard. Have Crown Prince Li Zhong brought into the throne room to be criticised for his lack of security in the palace because he is technically the prefect of this prefecture even though he's only a kid. Have his advisors warned that they must do more to serve the prince. Yang Li Hong is raised to a lady. Shang Guan Yi suggests that his nephew, Squad Leader Shang Guan, should marry Yang. This will gain them a higher title and Yang's family land. Yang begs the Emperor to allow her to remain on as a lady in waiting to Prince Li Hong. This is allowed as a temporary measure. THIRD DAY OF SOLAR NEW YEAR - 27th December 653 Gregorian Calendar When Jiang and Father Xuan Zang meet in private, Father Xuan Zang reveals to Jiang that his three companions on his famous journey to the West – Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing – were actually Hmong jitong (shamen) capable of utilizing the spirits of animal deities to give them superhuman strength and skills. Sun Wukong uses a Monkey Spirit, Zhu Bajie uses a Pig Spirit, while Sha Wujing uses a Water Buffalo Spirit. Father Xuan Zang explains that Jiang is also a jitong, capable of channeling an animal spirit. The priest recognizes the ability in him. His ancestor, Chi You, used a Bull Spirit, which the priest believes is the same spirit Jiang is capable of channeling. Jiang is a descendant of Chiyou, while Father Xuan Zang's companions were descendants of Chi You's 81 "brothers". Father Xuan offers to teach Jiang how to use his gift using qigong meditation. SKIP TO SPRING EQUINOX FOR NEW SERIES OF SCENES. PART TWO? - 16th February 654 Gregorian Calendar Open with Spring Festival celebrations, firecrackers, dumplings etc. Jiang has heard of fireworks but never seen them before. He is amazed by the experience. However, because the first attack on the Imperial Family occurred during the Midwinter Feast in Wealth Hall, so he is on guard duty outside the prince's room as he watches. Yang is also there, in her adjoining room to the prince. Both stand and watch the fireworks together awhile before Yang suddenly realises she's standing next to Jiang, and then she beats a sudden retreat to her room. People visiting their families for Spring Festival, but Jiang feeling isolated because he's no family in Changan, and also Yang similarly feeling isolated and alone. Jiang considers going to visit her but thinks it's a stupid idea because… Some kind of reason why she wouldn't want to see him, like because he's a Hmong. Yang considers going to visit him, then decides it's a stupid idea because… some kind of reason why he wouldn't like to see her, like she's been rude to him so much, so why should he be nice to her now? Over a period of time, Jiang learns both gongfu from Captain Wang and qigong from Father Xuan. He struggles with both. He can't develop a high enough level with the sword and cannot control his spirit adequately with qigong. LANTERN FESTIVAL - 2nd March 654 Gregorian Calendar Flowers all around the inner courtyard. Jiang is impressed by the hard work of the gardeners. Stops to watch them prune bushes and make them into the shape of animals. Smells of flower. Impressive walks through cherry blossom trees. The lantern festival is only fifteen days after the Spring Festival. They eat tangyuan sweets (sweet balls) and see the lion dance. Jiang is amazed at the number of festivals these people celebrate and how much effort they put into them. Masked by the noise and chaos of the celebrations, there is another attack on the imperial family. Change this section somehow. Not death of Princess Si here. She now will be born later. Have some threat to Concubine Wu, like a poisonous snake left in her bedchamber. Concubine Wu complains to the Emperor that all these attacks are all aimed at her and her children and demands that he desposes the Empress, blaming her for the attack. The Emperor denies her request, supporting the Empress, but he does make one concession. He will triple the guard on Prince Li Hong. The Emperor calls Jiang and Captain Wang to the throne and orders Jiang to stay in the prince's bedchamber. Wang says that Jiang isn't ready, but the Emperor is adamant. If Jiang can defeat twenty jiangshi, he doesn't need training, he needs to work. Yang keeps seeing Jiang around the palace, and obviously sees him when he's guarding the prince. Because Jiang is supposed to have killed twenty jiangshi, he is actually posted inside Prince Li Hong's bedchamber. Yang has the adjoining chamber, so she can wait on the prince. She tries to ignore Jiang, hating that he's a Hmong. But, she can't help but like him and find his attempts to use a sword amusing. BLUE DRAGON FESTIVAL - 15 days later - 17th March 654 Gregorian Calendar Getting warmer now, but not too hot. Yang, wearing a perfume bag (custom on Dragon Festival) invites Jiang to eat pancakes with her. The following night, Jiang is guarding the prince. There's an attack by Wudang Daoist monks, who appear from nowhere like ninjas. They kill all the external guards, then enter the bedchamber to kill Jiang and the prince. Jiang dares not call upon his spirit to fight in case he cannot control it, and is unable to fight off the monks using his sword, but shouts for Yang Li Hua, who inhabits the room next door to the prince. She enters, kills all the monks, then returns to her room when the other guards appear. Again, Jiang looks like a super soldier because of something that Yang has done. Yang Li Hua decides to teach Jiang her gong fu. She spends time with him, and he makes her laugh. Shang Guan sees this. Shang Guan confronts Yang about her hanging around with the Miao. Shang Guan still has hopes that she'll marry him and then he'll get her land. TOMB SWEEPING DAY - 5th April 654 Jiang sees everybody caring for their relatives graves, and reflects on the fact that he doesn't even know where his father lays dead. Probably some mass grave somewhere in the mountains of Ju Zhou province. His feelings make him sour a little toward all Han. Yang leaves the Palace of Great Brilliance and walks through Changan to the old palace The Palace of the Supreme Ultimate. The old palace is still in use and referred to by some now as the Western Appartments. Lower members of the aristocracy and high ranking officials have their homes there. most of her ancestors are buried in Sunny City, the old capital city of the Qin Empire and only a few li west of Peace City, and her mother and father's graves are far away in Ju Zhou province, where she was born and where her father served as governor at the time of his death, where she was born. Reflects on her birth in the same province as Jiang here. Seeing the place where her distant relatives had lived for many years rekindles her anger against the Miao, which puts her a little against Jiang. The abbot of the Shaolin Temple mysteriously dies, and Father Xuan Zang is called to the funeral and to choose a successor. He must leave the palace and travel east for several weeks, possibly months. The Emperor sends Captain Wang with him as a guard because Father Zang is like an uncle to him, his own father's oath brother. The absence of Captain Wang makes Yang more wary of attacks against the prince so she decides she must work together with Jiang no matter how she feels about the Miao. In the absence of his two mentors, Jiang relies more upon Yang and the lessons she is teaching him in gong fu. He realizes that what she's teaching and what Father Xuan taught are actually closely related. DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL - 18th June 654 Hot sunshine. Jiang notes that though it's north of Ju Zhou, it's hotter here. Perhaps that's due to Ju Zhou being high in the mountains, though he can't understand how being closer to the sun could make you colder. Blue skies. Yang takes Jiang out to the river to see the people racing boats. Explains it celebrates the life of a famous poet, Qu Yuan. Jiang shakes his head. He can't understand why people would make so much fuss of a poet. He wonders if in a hundred years time people will be celebrating Shang-Guan in the same way. He hopes not! Have Crown Prince Li Zhong checking on his younger brother from time to time and being kind toward him. Jiang is guarding Li Hong when he hears a disturbance down the corridor. Investigating, he finds the guards outside dead. He then discovers Guo, just as the monk has finished smothering Princess Si. Jiang morphs into his Bull form so that he can protect the prince. The monk disappears in a flash of gunpowder, but other guards burst into the room and discover Jiang in his Bull form inside the room with the dead princess. The Emperor decides to place Jiang in a cell until Xuan Zang returns. Jiang thinks he could escape using his Bull Spirit, but he is afraid that he won't be able to control it. So, he remains locked up. The Empress complains that the Emperor is too easily swayed by Father Xuan Zang. The Emperor explains that Father Xuan Zang said Jiang was the best person to guard the prince, and he'd saved his life before, so he's going to wait. Concubine Wu avoids the meeting but cries (wails, mourning her daughter) in front of Yang about Jiang's betrayal, making Yang feel so sorry for her losing her daughter. MAGPIE FESTIVAL - 17th August 654 The weather has grown unbelievably hot for Yang. She sees the decorations go up for the Magpie Festival and reflects on her lack of a suitable suitor. Squad Leader Shang-Guan has sent her a gift of flowers, but she doesn't trust him. The short time that she's known him, she's come to distrust his "truth" and suspect his intentions, believing he takes pleasure in cruelty. Seeing him being rude to servants, the kind she was very recently. She goes to the Daoist temple inside the inner courtyard and burns a patterned paper offering to the Weaver Girl, praying for wisdom in her choices ahead. She laughs off the traditional prayer to be skilled at needlework and instead prays her gong fu improves. She does, however, make the traditional wish that she will marry someone who would be a good and loving husband https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival She thinks about Jiang, then brushes off the thought. He's a traitor. Jiang has accepted the fact that Jiang is a traitor. She can't understand why the Emperor wished to wait for Xuan Zang to return before executing Jiang. Lieutenant (Captain) Feng comes to her and tries to persuade her that Jiang isn't what she thinks, but she ignores him. Captain Feng is a clever man who sees things that others don't She is alone with Prince Li Hong. Crown Prince Li Zhong visits, is friendly toward his little brother, but goes after awhile. Li Hong asks her why she doesn't carry a sword. He's seen her fight to save him, but when the monsters disappear, she changes. She explains that she stays hidden to protect him. He says that he understands because that's what his friend Jiang does. She's confused and asks him to explain. He tells her about how the bad man came to kill him (Guo) but Jiang changed into a "monster" and protected him from the bad man. Discovering the truth, Jiang goes to find Captain Feng. She understands that if Captain Feng couldn't persuade her of the truth, it's unlikely that anybody else will listen. However, it turns out that Feng has been sent to Liang Prefecture with a detachment of guards to guard an official who is doing an inspection. He'll be gone for a week. (That's where Prince Li Zhong is about to be exiled). Left alone to rescue Jiang, she changes into her dark-blue monk's outfit and uses stealth to approach the prison cell using the rooftops. However, Shang-Guan has had soldiers watching her rooms. When she drops down in front of the prison doors, she's taken prisoner. She's taken before the Emperor. Empress Wu notes that Yang is Concubine Wu's servant/lady in waiting. She uses this as evidence that Concubine Wu and not she is behind the attacks on Wu's kids. Shang-Guan Yi, supporting Empress Wang, insists that Yang should be executed (of courses, he hates the lady who rejected his nephew) and suggests that her land and titles held in trust should be passed to his nephew. Since Xuan Zang isn't here, Concubine Wu is keeping silent, and both Empress Wang and Concubine Liu petition the Emperor to execute Yang, the Emperor agrees that Yang will be confined to her room for six days to contemplate and pray, then on the seventh day she'll be executed at dawn. GHOST FESTIVAL - 25th August 654 Jiang is sweating inside his cell. He notes it's a full moon outside his window. Lieutenant (Captain) Feng returns from Liang Prefecture and uses his contacts to get him in to see Jiang. He tells Jiang that it's the Ghost Festival when the gates of Hell are thrown wide open and demons walk the Earth. People will pray to the ancestors they have dishonored for forgiveness. He reluctantly informs Jiang that Yang is going to be strangled at dawn tomorrow, thinking that Jiang might wish to pray for her. The Emperor has no need to wait for father Xuan to return to make a decision on Yang. Jiang decides to draw on his Bull Spirit and escape the cell. He locates Yang, rescues her, and together they use the hidden tunnels to escape the palace. On their way, they spot Guo Xing Zhen also using the tunnels. In spite of all that's happened, they follow him into the kitchen where they see him placing poison into some food held by a serving girl in a trance. Jiang and Yang are able to capture the renegade Daoist. Yang beats his gong fu, and then Jiang turns into his Bull form to defeat the necromancer's magic. Having captured the necromancer, they take him to Lieutenant Feng, who takes them all to the Emperor. The Emperor calls a meeting. At the meeting, he questions Guo Xing Zhen. Guo tells the Emperor that he's working for the Empress. Why should he lie when he's going to die anyway? Persuaded by this testimony, the Emperor deposes the Empress. Emperor then thanks Jiang. He'd put Jiang in prison, but Jiang still saved his life. He raises Jiang to rank of a lord, gives him title to land in Ju Zhou province, and makes him a Lieutenant in the Imperial Guard. Yang Li Hua comments that he's now the same rank as her, then winks. (2) The next day, Guo escapes from the prison. The Emperor has the captain in charge of the prison executed and places Shang-Guang in charge there. At least Shang-Guan has managed to prevent one prison breakout. Six days after Empress Wang's removal, Consort Wu was created empress. Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were put under arrest inside the palace, at a building that had its doors and windows tightly sealed, with only a hole on the wall to deliver food. Not sent to prison because too many have escaped from there in the past few days. Lieutenant (Captain) Feng is promoted to Major. Prince Li Zhong is demoted from Crown Prince to Prince of Liang. Major Feng is sent along with him to Liang Prefecture where the prince has been appointed prefect. Xuan Zang has yet to return at the end of the novel, and we leave Jiang wishing for his swift and safe return. The execution of Empress Wang and Concubine Liu will be the opening action of the second book, if there is one. Probably, the final scene will be Jiang and Yang standing on the balcony above Red Phoenix Gate watching the road at sunset. There Jiang will express his concern for Father Xuan Zang, and Yang will thread her arm through his and remind him that he's speaking of the famous monk who traveled to India. Jiang thinks about how he had three Spirit Warriors to guard him then, but he decides not to mention this to Yang. That's a secret for Father Xuan Zang to tell, not Lieutenant Jiang, commander of the southern gate. THE END!!! |
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