Chapter 1:The Mask of Mourning

Amidst the cold chilly winds, servants of the Jinxiu family and their masters walked relentlessly on the snowy path on the foot of the Wuling Mountain in Xianzhou Prefecture. The servants heroically escorted the coffin of their honorable young master Jinxiu Shan who had been assassinated.

Both masters and servants were dressed in white mourning robes. Jinxiu Shan was the sixteen year old eldest and only son of Jinxiu Lan,the Minister of Personnel in the Southern Blossom Dynasty. A group of unknown assassins had been sent to kill Minister Jinxiu but since he wasn't around they ended up killing his son instead. The Jinxiu family had settled in Mingzhou Prefecture after Minister Jinxiu was appointed as a government official. Their ancestral land was in Xianzhou Prefecture that's why Jinxiu Shan was taken to be laid to rest there.

The expressions on their faces along with the bunches of white chrysanthemum and white iris flowers vividly expressed their grief and lamentation. They couldn't bear to open their mouths to sing a few elegies so they just sang them sorrowfully in their broken hearts.

In the Southern Blossom Dynasty,women were not allowed to participate too much in funeral activities so Jinxiu Shan's mother Sang Bingchen and his fourteen year old younger sister Jinxiu Zhi stayed back at Mingzhou Prefecture to continue mourning for their beloved one. In Heart Pavilion ,they sat on the floor wearing white mourning robes and white headgears on their head. Jinxiu Zhi was wearing the Mask of Mourning which covered the top of her face.In front of them,there was a memorial tablet bearing Jinxiu Shan's name on the table. The two burnt incense sticks to mourn Jinxiu Shan with Sang Bingchen's tears flowing uncontrollably like the water of the Jade River.

In the middle of their mourning ceremony, Crown Prince Wen Mingye walked in also wearing white mourning robes and the Mask of Mourning. He sat quietly beside them and picked a few incense sticks. Crown Prince Wen Mingye was around the same age as Jinxiu Shan and he was Jinxiu Shan's best friend and they treated each other like brothers .

The Mask of Mourning was crafted from white fine silk to symbolize purity and rebirth. It featured intricate embroidery of chrysanthemums ,a flower often associated with lamentation and grief. The petals were stitched with silver thread which shimmered against the white silk representing the preciousness of life and the solemnity of death. The mask covered the top half of the face, leaving the mouth and chin exposed. This design allowed performance of ritualistic mourning chants, respecting the cultural emphasis on the verbal articulation of grief.

Thin, willowy ribbons hanged from the sides representing tears of the bereaved. These ribbons were long enough to gently brush the shoulders , moving with the wearer's solemn nods of respect. In the center of the forehead,a single piece of polished black jade was set, signifying the depth of sorrow felt by the wearer. Black jade was a stone that represented protection and absorption of negative energy, providing comfort to the grieving.

This kind of mask was worn by family members during funeral processions to honor the deceased and guide their spirits towards peace. It served both as a veil of mourning and a sacred emblem of the cycle of life and death within the rich tapestry of the Southern Blossom Dynasty's rich culture.

In Southern Blossom Dynasty,royals were forbidden from wearing the Mask of Mourning and publicly displaying sorrow or grief,as they were expected to embody the eternal spring and prosperity of the dynasty. With the Minister of Rites Feihong Jiao and other powerful ministers who were biased against the Wen Mingye getting involved ,this matter caused a ruckus in the court.

People feared breaking such rules because they believed it would bring bad omen to the dynasty. After several discussions , Emperor Wen Jian finally reached the decision of stripping off Wen Mingye his Crown Prince title and demoting him to be a common Prince. The Ministers urged the emperor to not leave the Crown Prince title vacant reasoning Wen Mingye would try to usurp it again. The only candidate suitable for the title of new Crown Prince was the Second Prince Wen Hai hence he was promoted to be the new Crown Prince.

Wen Mingye sat on the floor hugging his knees in front of the table in the main room of Tianming Hall.Not long after losing his best friend he lost his title too. This was too much sorrow to bear especially for someone like him who kept everything to himself.

Tianming Hall was the residence of Wen Mingye.The external structure of Tianming Hall had a prominent central ridge with upturned eaves, covered in black glazed tiles. The facade was adorned with bas-reliefs depicting the constellations.It was on a raised platform, the hall overlooked a landscaped garden with pine trees symbolizing longevity and steadfastness.

In the inside the hall had a ceiling painted with a map of the stars as seen on the night of the Crown Prince's birth since he had been chosen as the Crown Prince since his birth and the ceiling was also edged with silver and lapis lazuli.Ebony wood furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl were arranged to reflect the prince's scholarly pursuits and future responsibilities . On the walls there were scrolls bearing the wisdom of sages and ancestors, alongside tapestries that tell the story of the dynasty's origins.The floor was made of checkerboard tiles of white jade and dark slate, representing the dual nature of governance: justice and mercy.