Once upon a time, the Miao lived in the fertile
valley of the Yellow River. Although
majestic and grand, the river often flooded during the rainy season and swallowed
many lives. For some, the catastrophic circumstance
was so intolerable that they were prompted to follow Txiv Yawg—Chiyou, to the northern land where they
established the magnificent, technologically-advanced Kuj Cuab Cuaj Lig Ntuj—Juili Kingdom. It was only after Txiv Yawg was defeated and lost
his life at Lima Pass to the Yellow Emperor—Huangdi,
that the Juili Miao crossed the river once more and returned south to reunite
with their Miao relatives.
The Juili Miao soon discovered
that their southern counterparts were scattered everywhere, dwelling a poor and
backward lifestyle that lacked structure, leadership, and unity as a
people. They knew that in order to lead
a life of comfort and prosperity, the Miao people must be organized into a
civilization. Thus, the Juili Miao became
the leaders and applied Txiv Yawg’s innovative and profound principles of governorship,
development, and solidarity to change the future of the Miao. But the Miao homeland was impressive. To reduce the daunting task of governing such
an enormous country where some citizens may not even be aware of the existence
of a monarch, the Miao leaders decided that it was wisest to divide the land into
three kingdoms to better facilitate the process of ruling a people. The western kingdom became known as Cuaj Zag—Nine Dragons; the middle kingdom was
known as Lig Xia—Blue Li; and the
eastern kingdom was termed Ntuj Kag—Clear Heavens. So for a period of time this notion of
governance flourished, and the three kingdoms existed peacefully and
harmonically—prospering together.
But civilization and progress
often lured attention, jealousy, and lust from neighbors. Lingering in the northern land was the old
nemesis of the Juili Miao—the Suav, descendants of the Yellow Emperor and his
people. Their population was booming but
land became scarce. When they heard of
the prolific soil in the south, they gradually embarked on the journey south like
large groups of infesting locusts and began to intrude and rob land away from
the native inhabitants until they finally approached the northern border of the
three kingdoms.
Fearful of Juili history
repeating itself, the wise Miao elders’ prophesized that if the three Miao
kingdoms continued as individual polity, the Miao would be consumed by the Suav
into slavery and then eventually, vanished from the face of the world. However, if the three kingdoms merged and
united as one nation whose people proudly claimed themselves as the same kind,
then the Miao would garner enough power and strength to stand tall and strong
like a range of majestic mountains. When
that day arrived, no matter how much the wind howled the mountains would not bow.
So, not only did the three
kingdoms have to fend off the Suav at their border, but the prophecy provoked the
three kings to engage in an internal struggle for dominion over the other
two. With two wars occurring
simultaneously and dragging for many long years, the people became the victims
and suffered gravely. No longer able to
withstand their poverty-stricken lives or witness another dead soldier, the people
decided to call the heavens for help.
One day, the three kings finally lost their duel to a young general
named Cheej Looj. A charming and
charismatic man, the Miao believed that he was heaven’s answer to their long
years of prayers.
After uniting the three kingdoms,
the people crowned Cheej Looj as emperor and he became the sole ruler of the
new nation, Kuj Cuab Peb Hmoob—San Miao Kingdom. A person of good character and profound
knowledge, Emperor Cheej Looj understood that ruling a combined nation like San
Miao would be a challenge. In order to
better rule and protect the country, Emperor Cheej Looj must restructure the
old fiefdom system into something that would allow the people to prosper
without being indebted to anyone. To
achieve his plan, the emperor degraded the status of the previous three kings
to prime minister and ordered them to help him govern their respective
state. The laws of the emperor would
reign supreme in all states, but each prime minister was endowed with the power
to dictate laws that were appropriate to the needs of their constituents. Each state was further divided into provinces
ruled by a governor, who like the prime minister, made rules fitting for his
residents. And so under the reign of
Emperor Cheej Looj, San Miao reached its pinnacle of prosperity and
stability.
Although San Miao flourished
as a society, Emperor Cheej Looj’s mind was often overwhelmed with many
concerns. He knew that although he
carried the title of ruler, he was still human being after all and a time would
come when he would have to follow his ancestors to another world. He feared of bloodshed for the throne, but
also that his descendants would dwell in poverty after he was gone. To resolve the issues, Emperor Cheej Looj
drafted a law that proclaimed the throne to be passed on as only an inheritance
right to the eldest-living son of the emperor.
In this way, no one would dare to compete for the throne and he would
also secure his descendants’ future for the time being. To popularize and ensure approval from
high-ranked officials for his edict, Emperor Cheej Looj molded the law to be
such that all ruling positions, including the prime minister and governor, were
to be passed on as an inheritance right to the eldest-living son while
officials who acted as military protectors and representatives of the people were
to be chosen based on test performance that displayed qualifications and
abilities. The latter clause was a means
to give rank and status to the wise and visionary citizen so that he may become
an influential character in shaping the future of San Miao Kingdom.
So not long after he resolved
the problems of his time, Emperor Cheej Looj ’s ancestors called for him and he
abdicated the throne to his eldest son—Prince Zeej Kim, who helped his father win
many battles in the process of forming San Miao. Emperor Zeej Kim was a magnanimous sovereign
like his father, and maintained peace and wealth in the land. But when his time came to an end, he defied
the late emperor’s imperial edict and proclaimed his youngest son—Prince Theej
Yim as emperor instead of the eldest son, Prince Theej Laj. The decision enraged the short-tempered
prince, who could not understand why his father picked his adroit and kind
younger brother over him to sit on the throne.
In the end, Prince Theej Laj risked everything including his youngest
brother’s life to seize the throne.
Prince Theej Yim, however, was a fortunate person. When his eldest brother tried to murder him,
his second brother—Prince Theej Lis became his shield and scapegoat. Devastated and furious at the death of his
beloved second brother, Prince Theej Yim willingly gave up the throne to Prince
Theej Laj to stop further brother-bloodshed.
Although his subjects often
wished him longevity, an emperor must go when his time was over. Emperor Theej Laj embraced his grandfather’s
decree and passed the throne to his doted elder son, Prince Luj Xyib. After the birth of his two sons, Emperor
Theej Laj never really cared for the younger son, Prince Tsheej Swm, because of
his rancor and bitter feelings toward his late father’s action. So when Emperor Theej Laj passed, he made
prior arrangements to ensure that his eldest son sat on the throne smoothly.
Even though he inherited the throne, in the
back of his mind Emperor Luj Xyib was plagued with fear that one day Prince
Theej Yim’s son, Prince Choj Xeeb would return to take his rightful seat as
heir to the throne. Therefore, Emperor
Luj Xyib did everything in his power to eliminate Prince Choj Xeeb and his
family so that his uncle prince would have no more descendants to threaten his
crown. But heaven really did have eyes,
and on that inauspicious day when Prince Choj Xeeb’s family was murdered—his only
child survived the horse-carriage crash.
***
Dej Ntsuab—Green River, was a small province that sat
at the foot of Lig Xia and bordered the state of Ntuj Kag. Its capital was at Paj Tawg Qaim Hli—Moonlight Blooming Flowers, a valley
town bordered by mountain karst that were shrouded in mist day and night. A waterfall flowed from the karst hills into Dej
Tag—Big River, from where a stream branched
off and meandered its way into town. In
the spring time, Paj Tawg Qaim Hli was painted with the colors of the rainbow, and
its warm air was filled with sweet intoxicating fragrances. In the cool fall, the town changed into the
shades of the earthen ground and its natural beauty glowed for many miles. But compared to the imperial city, Thoov
Teev—Dong Ting, Paj Taw Qaim Hli was
a minuscule town that housed roughly 300 families, most of whom were
farmers. They used concrete to build the
base of their homes, and wood to finish.
Although most of the inhabitants were poor, they lived comfortable and carefree
lives.
Most
importantly, though, was the town’s name.
Legends told of a kind of magical flowers that bloom only in this
town. Once every cool autumn after the
leaves have fallen, the beams from the new year’s first full moon would awaken
the flowers from nowhere. If the time arrived
without a full moon, the flowers would not come to life. Nonetheless, rumor said that the flowers only
appear to the sight of the kind-hearted person who had to endure
hardships. When the person sees the
flowers, he or she could pluck one and be granted with anything his or her
heart desired for. Perhaps there had
been a few lucky people who have stumbled upon the wish-granting flowers that
the story was spread and changed into a legend, and the flowers’ fame attracted
many visitors who hope to be the lucky one.
It was the visitors who gave the town its name—Paj Tawg Qaim Hli.
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