Shao Jun

"I have traveled a long time, followed many roads and suffered much grief to find him. To learn his secrets before our enemies find us."

- Shao Jun regarding her search for Ezio Auditore, 1524.

Shao Jun (1505 – unknown) was a member of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins. A former concubine of the Zhengde Emperor, she was rescued by the Assassins after the emperor's death, and devoted her life to the Order as a result.

During the interregnum following Zhengde's death, Zhang Yong - the leader of the Eight Tigers, a Templar faction - ordered a purge of all those who opposed him, which included the Assassins. Jun and her Mentor, Zhu Jiuyuan, fled west to seek out the retired Italian Assassin Mentor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Two years later, Shao Jun returned to China to take her revenge on those who previously destroyed the Brotherhood. Over the course of six years, together with a Master Assassin named Wang Yangming, she successfully eliminated all of the Tigers, prevented a Mongolian invasion and, despite Wang's death, rebuilt the Chinese Brotherhood and spearheaded it as its new Mentor. By 1567, Jun devised a plan to poison the Jiajing Emperor by using the elixir of life, which eventually claimed the life of the cruel monarch.

Early life
"I was born a concubine, but my Mentor freed me when I was young."

- Shao Jun, 1524.

Jun was born into imperial captivity and was raised to become a concubine in the Forbidden City during China's Ming dynasty, under the lackluster rule of Emperor Zhengde.

At first she was one of the lower ranking concubines and was one of many girls who hoped to become a wife of the Emperor. To this effect, Jun was taught the traditional arts displayed by the ladies of the imperial court, such as embroidery, singing and reading, but showed exceptional talent for dance and music early on.

As a child, Jun witnessed Liu Jin's execution and torture with the Ling Chi technique ("slow slicing", or death by a thousand cuts), a punishment for betraying the Emperor, which she would never forget.

Zhengde, known for his juvenile nature and lack of interest in the urgent matters that concerned his country, regarded Jun highly among his concubines after she had reached her teenage years, for her agility and cat-like discretion fascinated him. Living a decade of her life under Zhengde, he often used her as his spy or thief and to stage jokes against eunuchs and ministers.

By the age of thirteen, Shao Jun had risen to the rank of Imperial Concubine through her talents and Zhengde's affection. She was poised to become Imperial Consort or even Empress, along with her best friend Zhang. Even then, Jun had never visited her Emperor's bed since he preferred the intimate company of prostitutes and other ladies he invited in.

When Zhengde fancied himself as a warlord and went to fight the Mongols in the north, Shao Jun was one of the concubines he took with him. Jun traveled with him to his expeditions in various places and met many foreigners; to serve mostly as his spy, and finally, for his personal leisure.

However, after Zhengde's death in April 1521, when Shao Jun was sixteen, the royal ministers fell into disarray and bickered over who should succeed the heir-less Zhengde. It was during this chaotic time that Jun realized that her Imperial Consort opportunities would be lost, unless the new ruler would take a liking to her. She used her spying talents, hoping to find a way to maintain her privileges as Imperial Concubine, and discovered a secret war between the Tigers which were working for the Templar Order and a Brotherhood of Assassins. Soon, Jun realized that the Tigers were plotting to control China in the shadows and they had enough power to place their puppet on the throne. Since they already controlled the most influential people in the court, she decided to contact the Assassin Order through Wang Yangming and joined them. Shao Jun was rescued along with several other concubines after the Assassins broke into the royal palace.

Loyal immediately to those who rescued her, Jun dedicated her first years of freedom to serving the Brotherhood. Wang trained her in he Assassin ways until she was an Initiate, and was rewarded with a hidden blade. However, Wang had to disappear to escape the "Great Rites Controversy", and Jun was trained by another Mentor, Zhu Jiuyuan, and reached the full rank of an Assassin and took a leap of faith.

Decline of her Order
Years after her rescue, Jun and her Mentor decided to save the remaining concubines whom she had grown up with. After breaking into the Imperial Palace, Jun discovered that most of her friends had been tortured and killed through the use of Ling Chi, by order of Zhengde's nephew and successor, Jiajing. Jun and her Mentor then fled the palace.

Before leaving, Shao Jun visited her friend Zhang, and took the incredible risk of infiltrating the Forbidden City. She knew the place by heart, but would have been slaughtered by the eunuch guards if she'd been caught. Fortunately, Jiajing did not fancy living inside the Forbidden City and was often outside it, leaving the level of security lower than usual. Jun found Zhang and was astonished to hear that she wanted to stay, even if the Emperor was a brutal man. Zhang was lucky enough to please him and was now the Imperial Consort. She told her old friend to leave in peace, and did not want to hear about the Templars controlling the Tigers, even less the man she'd expect to become her husband. Jun accepted Zhang's decision and remembered how important her career as a concubine was. She left the Forbidden City for the last time, or so she thought.

Jiajing sought to detain and execute any opposition or possible threats against his rule. The Assassins were some of the purge's most high-profile targets, and on Jiajing's orders, a majority of the Assassins in China were killed. The few who survived either went into hiding or fled westward.

isolated, Shao Jun and her Zhu Jiuyuan despaired and finally decided to leave the country in order to seek help of other Assassins. Zhu suggested going to Master Assassin Ezio Auditore in Italy, whose reputation had spread all over the world. It was a long journey, and neither of them spoke Italian, but it was their only hope. They traveled secretly to Macau, where transportation was easiest towards Europe. During their trip, they witnessed the state of the Brotherhood's network in the country. Most safe houses had been raided, no Assassin worthy of the name was left alive. They really were alone, unless Wang Yangming was still alive, somewhere, trying to recruit and train new followers for what seemed a futile war.

Time in Italy
By 1524, Jun and her Mentor Zhu Jiuyuan were able to travel as far as Venice, traveling in a Portuguese vessel transporting porcelain and silk. Once in Italy, they thought they were safe from the Tigers, but they were followed by Templar agents. Ambushed by elite soldiers armed with muskets, Zhu sacrificed himself so that Jun could escape alive.

Continuing onward, Jun arrived at Ezio Auditore's Tuscan villa, where she encountered Ezio's young daughter Flavia and began speaking with her. Though Ezio initially saw Jun as a threat and fervently restrained her to protect his child, he released her after recognizing the Assassin insignia on the necklace she wore.

Later that day, Ezio and his wife Sofia confronted Jun, who asked for aid in restoring her Order. Ezio, who had retired from his life as an Assassin, refused to associate himself with the Order again, and asked her to leave. However, Sofia, knowing that Jun had come a long way to meet Ezio, asked her to stay for the night. Jun thanked Sofia, and accepted her offer.

The next day, Jun came across Ezio's study and looked through some of the writings he had left on his desk. When Ezio discovered her, he furiously told her to leave, which Jun hastily obeyed. He then demanded that Jun depart Italy entirely, stating that she had wasted her time looking for him. Jun, reciting a portion of Ezio's writing, responded that all she wanted was to understand the Order as he did.

Ezio finally admitted why he was so reluctant to help her, and invited her to accompany him to Florence, where she could assist him with the harvesting of his vineyard. There, Jun observed the crowd as Ezio attended to his business. He then took her to the Palazzo della Signoria, where half of his family had been hung in 1476. Ezio taught Jun how the Assassins lived their lives: through pain, in order to end pain.

After the brief discussion, Ezio and Jun prepared to return to the villa. On the way back however, the two were intercepted by an Imperial soldier in an alleyway. Jun managed to kill the soldier, and quickly fled the city with Ezio.

On the way to Ezio's villa, Jun explained her plight, and informed him about those who were after her. Ezio told Sofia to bring their children to Niccolò Machiavelli's home, as he suspected that the soldiers would pursue Jun to the villa.

That night, Ezio told Jun the story of how he had defeated the Borgia family through fraternity and love, and how he had reformed the Brotherhood in both Rome and Constantinople. Jun then rested for the night while Ezio kept watch from the living room.

Soon enough, the villa was invaded by Imperial soldiers. The two Assassins fended off most of the attackers, with Ezio saving Jun from the shot of a hand cannon held by a brutish soldier. Fleeing outside to avoid the devastating weapon, both Jun and Ezio worked together to deal with the last foe. Though the soldier charged Ezio and pinned him to a tree, the elder Assassin managed to stab his enemy with an iron poker that he wielded as a sword. Jun then helped Ezio recuperate from the unexpected exertion.

Return to China
The following morning, Jun, with a renewed resolve, looked on to the horizon as Ezio approached her. Ezio stated that the trip back to China would be long, but Jun replied that it would be worthwhile, with so much to see along the way.

Before Jun left, Ezio gave her a small chest that contained something which could aid her in the future, stating that she should only open it if she were to lose her way. As government guards came into view on horseback, Ezio bade Jun to leave and gave her his blessing before they arrived. Jun then departed Ezio's villa to return home to China.

Shao Jun returned to China in 1526, and using a network of old abandoned Brotherhood safe houses, sought out Wang Yangming. She finally found him and told him about her travels, the death of her Mentor, and Ezio Auditore. The Chinese master was impressed by the accomplishments of the former Concubine; he had not seen her since he helped her escape the Forbidden City and the young dancer had become a skilled killer, not only trained by Zhu Jiuyuan, but now also by the Italian legend. Shao Jun created an invention of her own, fitting to her cat-like agility, the Shéng Biāo, or rope dart.

Jun passed on the precursor box to her new Master Wang Yangming, to his astonishment. She told Wang what Ezio had told her, to open the box if she lost her way. She confessed being torn between the sacred mission to rebuild the Brotherhood and the burning desire to find and kill the Tigers who had murdered her friends. Thinking that the box would help her, she opened it, with Wang as witness, but found out that it was empty. Wang told her that the empty box was a message from an experienced man and it was merely a tool she needed to fill herself, to fulfill her destiny.

But there was anger and rage in Shao Jun's heart. To recreate the Brotherhood, she would take the path of blood. The Tigers would have to perish by her hand and on their very corpses, a new China would flourish, free from the scheme of the Templar order. She accepted Wang Yangming's instructions to use the precursor box as bait to lure the Tigers out. Together with Wang, they planned the Assassins' revenge against the Templars to restore their fallen Brotherhood.

Quest for vengeance
In 1526, Jun used the box given to her by Ezio – recognizing it to be of Precursor origin – as bait and allowed herself to be imprisoned by Gao Feng, one of the Eight Tigers, in an old Assassin stronghold turned Templar secret prison, the Maijishan Grottoes. Jun remained silent when Feng questioned her about the origins and purpose of the box and only replied that she was exactly where she wanted to be, to Feng's irritation. After escaping her cell, she freed the Assassin informant Hong Liwei and retrieved the remaining Assassin scrolls. Jun eventually killed Gao Feng and fled from the prison to meet her Mentor, Wang Yangming, who had also eliminated one of the Tigers, the torturer and Butcher Ma Yongcheng. Though Jun was not able to retrieve the box in time, Wang told her not to worry for they will find it in time.

Wang located the stolen box in Macau, in the hand of the third Tiger, Yu Dayong. Shao Jun infiltrated the city stronghold through the docks and quickly heard about three merchants who suddenly became rich and important after helping the Tigers and killing her allies. She assassinated them along with their master, Yu, freed his personal slaves, reclaimed the box, and escaped the fire set in retaliation by Qiu Ju, the fourth Tiger. The fire had killed many innocents, much to Jun's dismay and blamed her desire for revenge. Wang warned her about the vengeance she seeks, although in line with the Assassin cause, is an endeavor that cannot be put in her heart, just as Ezio had told her before.

Three years later, to get to the leader of the Tigers, Zhang Yong, Shao Jun traveled to Nan'an to kill the fifth Tiger, Wei Bin, who had led the slaughter of the Chinese Brotherhood. The words of Wang still echoed in her mind and hatred was too strong in her heart. To leave room for peace, she decided to pay her respects in the shrines for her brothers who were murdered by the Snake. After crossing the guarded bridge of Nan'an, Jun killed three of Wei's bodyguards before assassinating him. As Wei Bin died, he told Shao Jun that Zhang was hunting Wang Yangming, who was also in the city to meet a contact able to study the box. Shao Jun immediately left to save her Mentor but arrived too late, seeing Zhang killing Wang and claiming the box again. After killing the rest of Zhang Yong's soldiers, Jun apologized to her deceased Mentor and realized that there was no good in taking revenge if she kept losing those she cared for.

Now the last Chinese Assassin, Jun was contacted in 1530 by Empress Zhang, Shao Jun's former concubine friend, who had a lead on Zhang Yong's location. To meet her, Shao Jun infiltrated the Forbidden City and saved Zhang's concubines who helped her pass the information. Jun was horrified to find that Zhang Yong and Qiu Ju had threatened the Empress to set a trap, she forgave her friend and understood the risk Zhang had to take if she refused. The Templars mocked her, saying that the Assassins were too trusting, and that was how they had destroyed the Brotherhood and killed her Mentor. As Shao Jun dueled Qiu while Zhang Yong fled, lanterns dropped during the fight spread fire across the city. After killing Qiu, Jun was forced to escape with a leap of faith to a nearby river.

In 1532, Shao Jun pursued Zhang Yong, the last Tiger, to the Great Wall of China, where she learned his plans to let the Mongols of Altan Khan invade China, in return for a seat in power after the outcome. She killed the Mongol scouts and closed the Wall's gates to prevent the barbarians from entering her home. When Jun finally reached Zhang Yong, she learned that he had already sent the precursor box to other Templars outside China. She told him that retrieving the box was another Assassin's destiny, and hers was to eliminate him. Among the chaos of bombardment from the infuriated Mongols, caused by Jun closing of the Great Wall's gates, she eventually reached Zhang and assassinated him, eliminating the last Tiger and Templar influence in China. As Zhang Yong died, Jun realized that pursuing vengeance is pointless, and that she had found a better goal: the future. Shao Jun vowed to rebuild the Chinese Assassin Brotherhood and bring a new tomorrow for China and freedom for its people.

Mentor of the Chinese Assassins
Shao Jun eventually succeeded in her reconstruction of the Chinese Assassins, recruiting new members and obtaining the title of Mentor. By 1567, she was a wise elder who shared her knowledge with the younger members of the Brotherhood while tasking others to accomplish various missions. As such, she planned the death of the Jiajing Emperor, sending Assassins to offer him the elixir of life, while in fact it was a lethal dose of mercury that brought about the opposite effect.

Legacy
"A Sheng Biao - or rope dart, if you prefer. One of the many plans given to us by Shao Jun."

- Achilles Davenport introducing the rope dart to his student, Ratonhnhaké:ton, 1773.

Some time following her encounter with Ezio Auditore, Shao Jun introduced her rope dart to the Assassin Order, a weapon that allowed its user to hang foes from horizontal objects such as tree branches, as well as to yank those caught by it from their feet. Rope darts would eventually be used by Assassins during the 18th century, most notably by Edward Kenway, Adéwalé, Shay Cormac, and Ratonhnhaké:ton.

Personality and characteristics
"I want to understand, like you do. To help my people."

- Jun speaking with Ezio, 1524.

Shao Jun had a strong desire for knowledge, specifically in learning about how the Assassin Order functioned and its members lived their lives. She would search for information when none was given to her, even going against the wishes of others for her own clarity, as evidenced by her invasion of Ezio's study. Despite this, Jun was sincere about her interest to understand her Order, and took Ezio's lessons and lectures to heart.

She remained on-guard at all times, keeping a close eye on her surroundings for any possible threats. Because of this, she was somewhat restless, often staying up at night and preparing for an attack instead of sleeping.

She also loved to experience and learn from new cultures and societies, and was often excited about the opportunity to understand people of different nationalities than her own.

Even in training, Shao Jun seemed incapable of staying her hand when a Templar is in sight. During her quest of revenge against the Chinese Templars, she appeared colder and more vengeful, sometimes stabbing her targets multiple times when assassinating them.

Equipment and skills
With maturity, Shao Jun adapted her techniques to her physical strengths and weaknesses. Unhappy with the wrist blade of the Assassins, she designed a lighter and more versatile one, better suited to the martial arts. Hidden under her left boot, the Shoe Blade allowed her to perform deadly kicks in the midst of a close combat. Jun wielded a Chinese as her primary weapon, and her sword skills were perfected in the dark alleys of the city, fighting off Templar agents. While she had no ordinary Hidden Blade, she did have a total of six throwing needles tucked under her bracers as secondary weapons. She developed the rope dart after her journey in Italy, using it to swing across gaps or climb up to ceilings, and also employed firecrackers, throwing knives and noise-creating darts to distract guards.

Jun was born with a gift of stealth and agility that made her stand out from all the other Concubines. Her talent for killing was as graceful as it was efficient, and the Master used to refer to her style as a "dance of death". She was extensively trained in combat by the Order, and was an adept and agile fighter. Her fighting style was heavily reminiscent of the Chinese martial art of, which involves ample flexibility and knowledge in both unarmed and sword combat. She also had the Eagle Vision and used it to detect guards, dogs, birds and wind chimes.

Shao Jun's arsenal of weapons were fitted for her style of combat, as they were light yet deadly. To lower suspicion in public areas, she concealed her weapons in her attire, save for the jian, which she kept sheathed across her back.

Trivia

 * The Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia stated that Shao Jun met Ezio in Florence. However, in Assassin's Creed: Embers, Ezio's villa was located in the Tuscan countryside.
 * Shao Jun had at least a basic grasp of Italian, being able to say "grazie" to Sofia after she was allowed to stay at the villa, and was also able to understand Ezio even if he spoke in the language.
 * Jun was saved from being foot-bound by Zhengde so that she would not lose her dancing abilities, although the act was a Chinese tradition and was considered a key asset in becoming an attractive woman.
 * The "Jun" in Shao Jun's name is mispronounced as "yoon" by Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed: Embers. The name, which is romanized via the system, would roughly be pronounced in Mandarin as "joon". The mistake was rectified in Assassin's Creed III, where Achilles Davenport pronounced the name correctly with an English "j" sound rather than a "y" sound.
 * In the Mandarin version of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, her name is given as Shao Yun "少芸" meaning "young herb-of-grace". For this particular example, it would mean that Ezio had pronounced her name correctly in Embers, but then the romanization "Shao Jun" would be incorrect.
 * Shao Jun's clothing was anachronistic during the Ming dynasty period, as the style worn by Shao first appeared during the.
 * In the database of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, it is stated that Shao Jun's Shoe Blade was hidden underneath her left boot unlike in Assassin's Creed: Embers, where the blade was hidden under her right.
 * A replica of Shao Jun's necklace could be bought from Ubiworkshop for 24.99 US dollars. Some time after its release, red and black versions were added for purchase.
 * Jun has an entry in the Animus database featured in Assassin's Creed III. Her concept art was used as her database image.
 * "Shao" when written in Chinese as 少 means "lacking or owing somebody a debt" and also "young master" while the name "Jun" written as 君 means "ruler, supreme", 俊 as "talented" and 洵 for "truth". "Jun" can also mean "falcon" if written as 隼 in Japanese kanji. Shao is possibly her surname, which in Chinese precedes the given name. “邵” Shao is a reasonably common last name and 俊 as "talented" would be the most likely character to use for a girl's name. Because she was a concubine, it is possible she goes by a title, such as "稍俊", meaning "small and talented".