Shifting Spring Cage: Difference between revisions
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The team was in reality run by a low-class [[Yichunkan boss|gang leader]] and his henchmen who had been hired by Yang to win the contest via unscrupulous means.<ref name="Dynasty 2">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 2|Chapter 2]]</ref> | The team was in reality run by a low-class [[Yichunkan boss|gang leader]] and his henchmen who had been hired by Yang to win the contest via unscrupulous means.<ref name="Dynasty 2">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 2|Chapter 2]]</ref> | ||
This was not a first for the chancellor, who had won the previous year by hiring a different gang. According to the poet [[Li Bai]], his annual streak of victories owed not only to his immense wealth but also to the reluctance of even those who had the means to contest him to do so.<ref name="Dynasty 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 1|Chapter 1]]</ref> At the time, the most famous and exquisite [[peony|peonies]] were cultivated by [[Duling village]], a community of farms which specialized in the flower trade.<ref name="Dynasty Special 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty Special 1|Special 1]]</ref> Unwilling to spend money on the expensive peonies, Yichunkan resorted to seizing them by force,<ref name="Dynasty 1" /> murdering seventeen of the villagers in the process.<ref name="Dynasty 4">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 4|Chapter 4]]</ref> Their boss dreamed of a triumphant entry into high society—to be as a {{wiki|Asian carp#In Chinese culture|"carp leaping over the dragon gate"}}—at any cost.<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> | This was not a first for the chancellor, who had won the previous year by hiring a different gang.<ref name="Dynasty 3">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 3|Chapter 3]]</ref> According to the poet [[Li Bai]], his annual streak of victories owed not only to his immense wealth but also to the reluctance of even those who had the means to contest him to do so.<ref name="Dynasty 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 1|Chapter 1]]</ref> At the time, the most famous and exquisite [[peony|peonies]] were cultivated by [[Duling village]], a community of farms which specialized in the flower trade.<ref name="Dynasty Special 1">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty Special 1|Special 1]]</ref> Unwilling to spend money on the expensive peonies, Yichunkan resorted to seizing them by force,<ref name="Dynasty 1" /> murdering seventeen of the villagers in the process.<ref name="Dynasty 4">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 4|Chapter 4]]</ref> Their boss dreamed of a triumphant entry into high society—to be as a {{wiki|Asian carp#In Chinese culture|"carp leaping over the dragon gate"}}—at any cost.<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> | ||
===The day of the Flower Festival=== | ===The day of the Flower Festival=== | ||
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The absence of this wagon at the meeting spot did not go unnoticed by the boss, but he brushed aside his men's concerns that trouble had befallen it, reasoning that those transporting it were only running late. His team had assembled a fantastical procession, complete with [[elephant]]s bearing baskets of overflowing flowers on their backs, exotic [[rhinocero]]s lavishly adorned with jewelled headdresses, and acrobatic performers who could gracefully dance through the air on parasols. With already the most astounding spectacle in the festival, one missing wagon of peonies was of little consequence to his team's chances of victory. True enough, when their elephants burst through the gates to glorious fanfare as the festival commenced and their masked dancers glided to the ground to perform illusions that transformed peonies to [[butterfly|butterflies]], the throngs of excited commoners were awestruck.<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> | The absence of this wagon at the meeting spot did not go unnoticed by the boss, but he brushed aside his men's concerns that trouble had befallen it, reasoning that those transporting it were only running late. His team had assembled a fantastical procession, complete with [[elephant]]s bearing baskets of overflowing flowers on their backs, exotic [[rhinocero]]s lavishly adorned with jewelled headdresses, and acrobatic performers who could gracefully dance through the air on parasols. With already the most astounding spectacle in the festival, one missing wagon of peonies was of little consequence to his team's chances of victory. True enough, when their elephants burst through the gates to glorious fanfare as the festival commenced and their masked dancers glided to the ground to perform illusions that transformed peonies to [[butterfly|butterflies]], the throngs of excited commoners were awestruck.<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> | ||
As though perfectly choreographed, the butterflies spiralled in flight towards the balcony of [[Hua'e Tower]] just as the host [[Yang Guifei]] appeared before the city. She redirected a butterfly towards the leader of Yichunkan as a signal to her announcer, who thereupon declared Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong victor.<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> The elated team was invited into Hua'e Tower to be honored and rewarded with the grand prize,<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> but this ultimately failed to come to fruition.<ref name="Dynasty | As though perfectly choreographed, the butterflies spiralled in flight towards the balcony of [[Hua'e Tower]] just as the host [[Yang Guifei]] appeared before the city. She redirected a butterfly towards the leader of Yichunkan as a signal to her announcer, who thereupon declared Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong victor.<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> The elated team was invited into Hua'e Tower to be honored and rewarded with the grand prize,<ref name="Dynasty 2" /> but this ultimately failed to come to fruition.<ref name="Dynasty 4">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 4|Chapter 4]]</ref><ref name="Dynasty 3" /> Instead, the boss and five of his men were kept waiting in a courtyard by [[Yang Guozhong's servant|one of Yang's servants]] while [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang|Emperor Xuanzong]] partied above with his court, having received his favorite ''[[jiedushi]]'' [[An Lushan]] instead. Chancellor Yang, himself fuming over the powers and accolades An Lushan had just been frivolously granted by the Emperor, did not bother to meet Yichunkan to discuss their own rewards.<ref name="Dynasty 3" /> | ||
===Celebrations cut short=== | ===Celebrations cut short=== | ||
Into the evening they waited until, at Chenxiang Pavilion, they encountered the lone Assassin Li E waiting for them. The stranger's threats and then allusion to the seventeen lives lost at Duling tipped off them off. At their boss's command, all five thugs drew their [[short blade|daggers]] and charged at Li E. When they were all swiftly slain, the boss fled in a panic but was intercepted and executed with a [[Hidden Blade]] before he could get even a few paces away.<ref name="Dynasty 4" /> | Into the evening they waited until, at [[Chenxiang Pavilion]], they encountered the lone Assassin Li E waiting for them. The stranger's threats and then allusion to the seventeen lives lost at Duling tipped off them off. At their boss's command, all five thugs drew their [[short blade|daggers]] and charged at Li E. When they were all swiftly slain, the boss fled in a panic but was intercepted and executed with a [[Hidden Blade]] before he could get even a few paces away.<ref name="Dynasty 4" /> | ||
Before the night was out, their corpses were discovered by Chancellor Yang's servant who had returned to check on them. The servant fearfully reported this to Chancellor Yang, who remained outwardly unperturbed, referring to the gang as nothing more than base ruffians of the city whose violent temperaments would naturally incur some individual's vengeance. Nonetheless, he ordered his servant to call upon the [[Yulin]] royal guards to secretly hunt for the killer, with express instructions not to raise the alarm or alert even the Emperor, lest they ruin the festivities.<ref name="Dynasty 5">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 5|Dynasty 5]]</ref> | Before the night was out, their corpses were discovered by Chancellor Yang's servant who had returned to check on them. The servant fearfully reported this to Chancellor Yang, who remained outwardly unperturbed, referring to the gang as nothing more than base ruffians of the city whose violent temperaments would naturally incur some individual's vengeance. Nonetheless, he ordered his servant to call upon the [[Yulin]] royal guards to secretly hunt for the killer, with express instructions not to raise the alarm or alert even the Emperor, lest they ruin the festivities.<ref name="Dynasty 5">''[[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Dynasty 5|Dynasty 5]]</ref> | ||
Revision as of 00:06, 8 December 2020
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Yichunkan (Chinese: 移春檻) was a team in the Tang Flower Festival of 754 who competed on behalf of Chancellor Yang Guozhong.
History
The team was in reality run by a low-class gang leader and his henchmen who had been hired by Yang to win the contest via unscrupulous means.[1]
This was not a first for the chancellor, who had won the previous year by hiring a different gang.[2] According to the poet Li Bai, his annual streak of victories owed not only to his immense wealth but also to the reluctance of even those who had the means to contest him to do so.[3] At the time, the most famous and exquisite peonies were cultivated by Duling village, a community of farms which specialized in the flower trade.[4] Unwilling to spend money on the expensive peonies, Yichunkan resorted to seizing them by force,[3] murdering seventeen of the villagers in the process.[5] Their boss dreamed of a triumphant entry into high society—to be as a "carp leaping over the dragon gate"—at any cost.[1]
The day of the Flower Festival
Unbeknownst to them on the morning of the festival, that cost would prove to include their lives. The massacre at Duling village incited the wrath of the Hidden One Li E, who ambushed the last wagon of peonies seized from Duling that was on the way through the streets of Chang'an to meet up with the rest of the team. Two of the three men transporting it were felled immediately while the last was interrogated for the whereabouts of his leader. Despite answering honestly that his boss had already entered the palace grounds, Li E refused to spare his life, pointing out that he and his colleagues had not spared those of Duling.[3]
The absence of this wagon at the meeting spot did not go unnoticed by the boss, but he brushed aside his men's concerns that trouble had befallen it, reasoning that those transporting it were only running late. His team had assembled a fantastical procession, complete with elephants bearing baskets of overflowing flowers on their backs, exotic rhinoceros lavishly adorned with jewelled headdresses, and acrobatic performers who could gracefully dance through the air on parasols. With already the most astounding spectacle in the festival, one missing wagon of peonies was of little consequence to his team's chances of victory. True enough, when their elephants burst through the gates to glorious fanfare as the festival commenced and their masked dancers glided to the ground to perform illusions that transformed peonies to butterflies, the throngs of excited commoners were awestruck.[1]
As though perfectly choreographed, the butterflies spiralled in flight towards the balcony of Hua'e Tower just as the host Yang Guifei appeared before the city. She redirected a butterfly towards the leader of Yichunkan as a signal to her announcer, who thereupon declared Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong victor.[1] The elated team was invited into Hua'e Tower to be honored and rewarded with the grand prize,[1] but this ultimately failed to come to fruition.[5][2] Instead, the boss and five of his men were kept waiting in a courtyard by one of Yang's servants while Emperor Xuanzong partied above with his court, having received his favorite jiedushi An Lushan instead. Chancellor Yang, himself fuming over the powers and accolades An Lushan had just been frivolously granted by the Emperor, did not bother to meet Yichunkan to discuss their own rewards.[2]
Celebrations cut short
Into the evening they waited until, at Chenxiang Pavilion, they encountered the lone Assassin Li E waiting for them. The stranger's threats and then allusion to the seventeen lives lost at Duling tipped off them off. At their boss's command, all five thugs drew their daggers and charged at Li E. When they were all swiftly slain, the boss fled in a panic but was intercepted and executed with a Hidden Blade before he could get even a few paces away.[5]
Before the night was out, their corpses were discovered by Chancellor Yang's servant who had returned to check on them. The servant fearfully reported this to Chancellor Yang, who remained outwardly unperturbed, referring to the gang as nothing more than base ruffians of the city whose violent temperaments would naturally incur some individual's vengeance. Nonetheless, he ordered his servant to call upon the Yulin royal guards to secretly hunt for the killer, with express instructions not to raise the alarm or alert even the Emperor, lest they ruin the festivities.[6]