Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 280

The next day in court, the Yongle Emperor asked me ‘the hardest question ever asked’. “What is the secret
of life?” he asked, chuckling silently. “If you answer this, you will be named the treasure of my court.”
I glanced around the court. There was a glow around my face, as I knew the answer. “Your Majesty,” I
began, courtiers eagerly awaiting the secret they had desired their whole lives, that would change their lives
forever. I took a deep breath.
It was time for the final voyage. This time, it was not to trade spices from India, silver goods from Iran,
Turkic slaves, Byzantine clothes or Afro-Arabian ceramics. Instead, it was to spread this new secret. This
would be my final voyage, my mission. Finally, my spirits were high, my chin was up, a calm and content
smile on my face, and one on every soldier who joined the voyage. My jar was filled with nectar.
“To share happiness”, I told myself. “That is the treasure I have been searching for”.