Disclaimer: Mulan, Shang and all the other characters from the Disney movies belong to Disney. All other characters belong to me.

Summary: Sequel to Homecomings. Picks up about a month after that story left off.

A/N: Not sure exactly where I'm going with this story yet, but here's the beginning. Please R&R!

xxxxxxx

The Next Emperor by lightbird

Chapter 1: A Short Time of Peace

Mulan took Chen to school in town as she did every morning, then went to do her errands. Today was Jie-Lin's day off and she would be cooking. She went to the market and bought what she needed for the dishes she would be making for dinner that night.

"Good morning, Wu Yi-Ning," she greeted one of the women that she'd become familiar with in the town.

Wu Yi-Ning greeted her with obvious discomfort, then hurried past her.

Mulan sighed. She was used to this reaction from many of the women in town, not just Wu Yi-Ning, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

She had only been living in this town for about four months, the time that she and Shang had been married. But everyone already knew all about the woman warrior. It didn't matter that she'd saved the Emperor, twice now, or that she had his respect and trust. In their eyes, especially those of the elder women, she had not fulfilled her duties as a woman; in fact, to them, she was a disgrace because she had crossed the line of what was considered proper for a woman.

She could tell that many of the younger women admired her. They may have even wanted to approach her and talk to her. She knew that they wouldn't, however, fearing the repercussions.

'I might rub off on them,' she muttered to herself, somewhat bitterly.

She didn't know why it ought to have mattered to her. Shang was her best friend as well as her husband. And Chen was a little brother now and also a friend. Those friendships meant more than anything.

"Do not let her bother you, Fa Mulan. She is just a rude old hag."

Mulan turned to the voice and found herself looking at a girl who was the same height and build as her.

"Excuse me. I mean Li Mulan," the girl corrected herself.

"That's okay. Who are you?"

"My name is Liu Mi-Ying. I'm eleven."

Mulan was shocked that she was only eleven. She was tall for a child and it made her seem mature. Mulan had thought she was the same age as her. She took a closer look at her face, though, and saw that the girl had a very young face.

"It's nice to meet you, Mi-Ying."

The girl hesitated for a minute, then suddenly blurted out, "Would you teach me how to do Kung-Fu?"

Mulan was speechless for a moment, noticing how the girl blushed with embarrassment. Then she began, "Uh, sure…"

Mi-Ying interrupted, speaking nervously. "I know girls aren't supposed to…but I would really like to learn. I could find a way to pay you."

Mulan was stunned. "Well, I'd be happy to teach you. You don't have to pay me, though."

"Well, I would want to do something."

"I work on Kung-Fu with my little brother Chen everyday after he finishes school. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure. Can I start tomorrow?"

"You can start today if you want."

"I can't today."

"Okay, Mi-Ying. Tomorrow then. Do you know where I live?"

Mi-Ying nodded. "Everyone knows General Li's house."

Mulan parted from Mi-Ying and returned to the school to meet Chen.

"Hi, Mulan."

Chen looked unhappy.

"What's the matter, Chen?"

"You'll find out," he muttered.

"Did something happen at school today, Chen?" she asked when they had arrived home.

"I hate it there."

"I know you do. But did something happen?"

"No. Nothing different."

She gazed at him, waiting for more. But he remained silent.

"Okay, Chen. We'll talk about it more later when Shang gets home."

Chen looked up at her, scared. "Do we have to?"

"You don't want to talk about it with Shang?"

"He'll get mad."

"Probably. But he cares about you, Chen. He only wants the best for you."

"I didn't do anything. I just always get in trouble."

"Yeah, I know how that is."

"Mulan, can we practice today?" he asked after a moment.

She smiled at him, amused.

"Yes. But I'm still going to have to tell Shang what happened, Chen. Changing the subject will not make me forget."

Chen frowned.

"Oh, by the way, Chen, tomorrow we're going to have a student joining us at our practice."

"Who?"

"Her name is Mi-Ying. She's eleven. She wants to learn Kung-Fu, too."

xxxxxxx

Mulan and Chen finished their Kung-Fu practice and bowed to one another, then Mulan put her arm around him and they walked toward the house.

"What are we going to do now, Mulan?"

"Well, I'm going to cook dinner since it is Jie-Lin's day off. And you are going to do your school work, Chen."

He scuffed his feet on the ground and grumbled in disappointment.

"You promised Shang that you would work to improve, Chen. And I promised him that I would help you. You can sit in the kitchen with me while I cook dinner and I'll help you if you need it."

"Okay. Mulan?"

"What?"

"Where is Mushu?"

"I haven't seen him. He's probably back in the temple, Chen. He only needs to come around when I'm on a mission or in trouble, and I need a guardian to watch over me."

Chen got his schoolwork and sat in the kitchen while Mulan prepared dinner. She glanced over his shoulder from time to time to see how he was doing, and noticed that he actually knew the material very well.

"You know all of this, Chen."

Chen nodded.

"But you don't do well in school."

Chen shrugged. "I don't like it there."

"I know. Do you have problems with the work because of everything else that goes on?"

"I don't know."

"I know how upsetting it is for you, not getting along with the other kids."

"They think I'm weird."

Mulan stroked his hair, tenderly. "Well, if you can, try to forget them and concentrate on the work. You're very smart, Chen. You should be doing well in school. When you grow up, those kids aren't going to matter. Your accomplishments will. Always remember how gifted you are, Chen. I think you're going to do great things one day."

She went back to her cooking. He turned to her and spoke suddenly.

"Mulan, if I know something bad is going to happen…shouldn't I try to stop it from happening?"

"Of course. I would do the same thing."

"But kids always make fun of me and get mad when I do that, and then I get in fights with them."

She frowned.

"I know, Chen."

"So, what do I do?"

She didn't know how to answer him. "I'm not sure what the best thing is, Chen. Maybe we can figure it out together."

Mulan was still cooking dinner when Shang walked in. He stared at her in surprise. He didn't know that she had been cooking on Jie-Lin's day off.

"Hi, Shang!" Chen greeted him excitedly.

"Hello, Chen," Shang answered, rubbing his head affectionately.

Then he moved to Mulan, eyeing her amorously. They embraced and kissed passionately.

"You're cooking tonight?" he murmured, astonished.

"I cook every week on Jie-Lin's day off."

"What? That's been you?"

"Who did you think cooked all those times?"

"I thought Jie-Lin left food prepared and you just heated it."

"You didn't think I could cook?" she asked, with a challenge in her voice.

"I…I think I had better not answer."

"Chicken," she teased him.

Shang kissed her again.

"Well, you're a very good cook, Mulan," he told her. Then he leaned into her ear and added softly, so only she could hear, "In more ways than one."

"Ohh!" Chen groaned, watching them. "Does this mean I have to go to bed early again tonight?"

Shang looked up surprised, then fixed his little brother with an amused look.

"You're a very smart kid, Chen," he commented.

Chen muttered in disappointment.

"Did you do your schoolwork, Chen?"

"Yes," he grumbled. "I did it while Mulan was cooking."

"Good."

Grandfather came in to greet Shang. "Good evening, Li Shang. How are things in the Imperial City?"

"Peaceful. Hopefully things will stay this way. I'm busy training the troops still, and my new officers."

"How are those guys doing?" Mulan asked.

"Well, when Ling and Yao can keep from acting up and fighting with each other, everything is fine," Shang said with a sigh. "I can't believe those two are captains now."

Mulan laughed. "Well, at least Chien-Po's there to make peace."

"Yes, but still. They're officers now. They should know to behave themselves."

"Not everyone is like you, Shang," Mulan told him, winking at him.

She served dinner and the four of them gathered around the table to eat. She poured tea for everyone then took her place at the table.

"Shang, have you seen Su-Tan?" Chen asked while they were eating.

"No, Chen."

"Will I be able to visit her soon?"

Shang sighed. "I don't know."

"You said if the Emperor said it was okay I could."

"I haven't spoken to the Emperor about it. I will if there is an opportunity."

Chen looked down at his plate, dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, Chen. There are other things going on."

"You're too young for girls anyway, Li Chen," Grandfather reprimanded him.

"Su is my friend," Chen insisted. "I want to see her again."

"Just like his father," Grandfather muttered, rolling his eyes. "And you, Li Shang. All of you Li men – helpless over a pretty face."

Mulan couldn't help but giggle.

"What about you, Grandfather?" Chen asked.

"Chen!" Shang exclaimed, shocked.

Mulan put her hand to her mouth, stifling the hysterical laughter that threatened to come. She had asked Shang about his grandfather once; whether he was as guilty as the other Li men of being helpless over a pretty face, as he accused them. Shang had told her that he wouldn't dare ask him. But Chen would dare.

Grandfather wasn't angry, though. He winked at Chen and Chen smiled.

xxxxxxx

"How are things during the day?" Shang asked her as they walked in the garden after dinner.

"Good. I'm practicing Kung-Fu with Chen everyday. He's really good; very intense. He's like a little tiger when he's fighting."

"How has he been in school?"

"Okay. I've been helping him with his schoolwork, but he doesn't actually need help. He knows it really well."

Shang sighed. "I know he does. But when he gets to school…he just has problems when he's there."

"He doesn't like it there."

"I know."

"The other kids don't understand when he's warning them. He feels that if he knows that something bad is going to happen, he should stop it. And he's right. But it brings about the wrong result with the other kids."

"I know. I don't know what the solution is."

"Neither do I. But maybe the three of us can think of one together."

They sat down by the pond together. He put his arm around her and she snuggled against him.

"Are you very bored being at home?" he asked.

"No, it's not too bad."

He laughed, then she felt him pulling at the tie that she had used to bind her hair into a ponytail.

"What?"

"I'm taking this out. I love the way you look with your hair down. Especially now that it has grown long again. When I met you it was short."

"Of course it was short. I had to cut it off so I could pass myself off as Ping."

"Hmm," he answered, absently, running his hands through her hair. "It's beautiful like this."

She turned her face to his and she felt his hand on the back of her head, pulling her toward him. He began to kiss her passionately, his other hand sliding down the curve of her body to her waist. He embraced her and she brought her arms up around his neck as she kissed him back.

"Should we go inside?" she whispered when they had pulled apart for a moment to catch their breath.

"No. I don't want to wait that long."

xxxxxxx

A week had past. Mi-Ying had been coming everyday to learn Kung-Fu with Chen.

One day while they were practicing, Mulan heard the trot of Shang's stallion coming through the gate. She told Chen to show Mi-Ying some of the easier moves and went out to see Shang, excited that he was home already.

"Shang! You're home early!"

Shang looked grim and she felt her heart sink as she saw his expression.

"Shang, what's wrong?"

He dismounted and approached her, taking her hands in his. "Mulan, the Emperor is dead."

"What? How?"

"It appears to be natural causes. But there are suspicions, of course. His eldest son Prince Ying will become the new Emperor."

Mulan was in shock.

"There will be a funeral in a few days. Then after another few days there will be a ceremony for the installation of Ying. Jiang Shen-Li has requested that I bring you to him this evening. I'm not sure what it is about, but something is not right."

"We just saved his life," she whispered. She was deeply grieved to hear of the death of the wise old Emperor that had treated her with so much kindness and respect.

"I hope it was natural causes," Shang said softly. "But there is a good chance it wasn't. It could have even been his own son that did it. I think that is what Jiang Shen-Li suspects. That is probably why he wants to see you. Both of us."

Mulan shuddered at that. "How could anyone kill their own father?"

"I guess if they want power badly enough or if they're greedy enough…but we don't know yet." Shang sighed. "Grandfather will have to take care of Chen on his own again."

"When do we leave?"

"Whenever you are packed and ready to go. I will talk to Grandfather while you are getting ready."

Shang's eyebrow suddenly went up as he looked past her. "Who is that girl with Chen?"

Mulan turned to look at what he was seeing. Chen and Mi-Ying had come out of the garden and were approaching.

"That is Liu Mi-Ying. She wanted to learn Kung-Fu, so I invited her to come learn with Chen. Mi-Ying, this is Li Shang."

"Hello, General Li," said Mi-Ying, bowing.

Shang smiled. "Nice to meet you, Mi-Ying. Are you Liu Fang's daughter?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hi, Shang!"

"Chen. Mulan and I have to go to the Imperial City. You will be staying here with Grandfather."

Chen looked upset. "How long will you be away?"

"I'm not sure, Chen. But I want you to behave yourself and not make things hard on Grandfather."

"Will Grandfather be able to take him to school?" Mulan asked Shang.

"No, Jie-Lin took him when I was away before. She'll have to do it."

"Mulan, can I help?" Mi-Ying asked. "I could take Chen to and from school if his grandfather cannot."

Mulan looked at her then at Shang.

"You wouldn't mind doing that, Mi-Ying?" he asked.

"Not at all. Mulan has been willing to teach me and has not asked for payment. I want to do something."

"Thank you. That is very kind of you, Mi-Ying."

Mulan packed her things while Shang spoke to Grandfather. Shang waited while she saddled Khan with her things. Grandfather and Chen came out to see them off.

She could see how upset Chen was that she and Shang were going to be gone for an unknown amount of time. She went over and knelt down in front of him, hugging him.

"Don't worry. I will be fine, Chen. And so will Shang."

"I know," Chen said, sadly.

She stood up and moved aside, letting Shang say goodbye to his little brother.