"Move inside", Xing told and he immediately moved inside and Xing sat leaning on the headboard. He was still holding her sleeves and Xing could not pry it away from his grip and so she let him be. He even scared her today as he narrowly escaped death."Mingxia, Tell me stories", he asked after a short while.
"Aren"t you tired? Just shut up and sleep", Xing was irritated.
Just like Haru!
"Tell me one story and I"ll sleep. I promise", the Emperor pleaded.
"Please...just one story. Please...just one story. Please...."
"Fine!", Xing shouted rubbing her throbing temples .
Correction! He is more annoying than Haru!
"Shall I tell you the story of the war between the G.o.ds five centuries back that devastated the human realm?", she asked.
"Hmm... No... It"s boring...", he scratched his head, " I know! Tell me how you met my brother"
Well that lifted Xing"s mood thinking about Shengli and she told him how she met him in that snow when she was six and there were a.s.sa.s.sins and how he fought all of them and won.
"I know! My brother is awesome! He could handle even fifty a.s.sa.s.sins easy peasy...", the Emperor giggled.
"I hate you... You stole my brother... If not for you, my brother will be with me, protecting me... Why did he choose you?", he frowned pointing at her.
Xing rolled her eyes. Lu Chenglie! He is like a cool big brother to all these men. Even Haru admires him so much and Lin Mubai and Ye Min and many others... they"d give up their life for him without second thoughts. Just what kind of charm does he have for younger boys to consider him a lovely big brother? He doesn"t even smile at them.
"He chose me...Probably because I can do everything you can do and he can do some "extra fun" things with me... ?", Xing smirked. She knows she"ll win if he was asked to choose!
"Hmpf", the Emperor snorted, " You are shameless! Winning just because you are a woman! "
"But I am telling the truth, loser!", She snorted. Just when did this become a compet.i.tion?
"Ha ha", the Emperor laughed dryly.
"Go to sleep!", she knocked his head.
"Tell me about your mother. I never had one", he had no intention of sleeping. This is the first time after a long time he had someone accompanying him to sleep. Before it would be Rijun and him talking for a long time about a lot of things.
Seeing his twinkling eyes, Xing could not refuse and told him how her mother used to scold her each time she broke the rules and also how lovely her mother was and how good her mother"s cooking was.
Xing felt a bit sleepy after sometime and she urged the Emperor to sleep. He noted her being tired and kept silent for sometime.
"Mingxia!", he called suddenly making Xing who was half asleep gasp, "What?", she thought he had another episode of allergy or something.
"The lack of rainfall, people are trying to.."
"Shut up!", Xing gritted her teeth and tried to get up. Stupid guy! Can"t he just sleep? Does he have to think about the kingdom even now? Haru is hundred times better than him!
"Don"t go... Don"t go... I"ll sleep", the Emperor conceded.
There was silence for some time and Xing could even hear the Emperor"s eyelids blinking.
"What?", she asked.
"I knew you"d listen!", he grinned. "The people are trying to give sacrifice to the G.o.d of rain", he got to the point before she changed her mind.
"What kind?"
"The kind where they send a bride into the Quingze River. I"ve put a pause on their requests but they are not pleased and trying to force my hand "
Xing sighed. The stupidity of the people!
"Didn"t I tell you about the war five centuries back? Everything in the heavens changed after that. Till then only the male G.o.ds held the highest positions and were considered more powerful. But during the war, many female G.o.ddesses fought valiantly and got to higher positions. It is said there are G.o.ddesses among the great four too"
"So? You say the G.o.d of rain might be female and she might not want a bride?", the Emperor was surprised. Good thing he clarified it with her.
Xing nodded even though she knew the G.o.d of rain is male and she had seen him briefly. But they need not be indulged by little human girls! They have to do their job by themselves.
"Also the river has a separate G.o.d. And G.o.ds don"t take human women even as servants. All the sacrifices they had sent till now, just drowned in the river. May be they get a good next life, but humans aren"t accepted in the realm of G.o.ds, as a rule", Xing was sure of that.
"But you were accepted?", the Emperor asked curiously.
Xing realised it only after he questioned. Why did they accept me? I even stayed days in there and no one asked me why or treated me badly. How was I special? Apparently the Tians.h.i.+ Emperor was accepted too.
"Just sleep", she pretended to read a book.
"That little boy who was beside me...", the Emperor asked.
Xing remembered the boy who looked like him beside that lake, "Was he your son?", she asked.
"What?", the Emperor panicked, " How can I...?", he sighed, "It was said that I had a little brother with dark hair like me and he drowned accidentally in that lake. So is he following me still?", the Emperor could not sleep well ever since she mentioned that spirit and he asked to clarify.
"He is attached to that lake and he can"t leave far, so you are safe. Accidents do happen here! A lot! ", Xing smiled dryly.
Someone killed that little boy and that"s why he is still here waiting for retribution. But who? Xing knew the Emperor was the last Prince and he had no younger siblings. Did someone make sure of that?
Xing saw the Emperor"s breathing got even and he was still holding her sleeves tightly and her attempts to get free was futile. So she just leaned on the headboard and nodded off. She couldn"t sleep deeply and soon the morning light came.
The Emperor woke up as usual and got dressed for court by his group of servants and Xing just waited for the moment he"ll leave so that she could have a good rest.
Xing sneaked him some medicines to take until his symptoms are gone completely.
Before leaving, the Emperor leaned towards her and whispered in her ears, "I meant to say this early but you stopped me. Only my third brother knew about my buckwheat allergy"
Hearing that Xing broke out in a smile and she could not control it. This is the first time she had definite proof that Shengli is with s.h.i.+hong.
Lord Ran must have heard it from s.h.i.+hong and s.h.i.+hong knew only because of Shengli. If that is the case, Shengli is out of trouble since he is seemingly Co-operating with s.h.i.+hong. He knew Xing could find any kind of medicines and so the Emperor"s life was not in real danger. Still his credibility there would be questioned since they hid the fact that the Emperor got sick but he"ll find a way!
He sent me a message! Xing was overjoyed, My Prince is actually fine!
The message is that he is cooperating with s.h.i.+hong and s.h.i.+hong and Lord Ran are still collaborating. Xing already knew that but now there is confirmation.
Xing"s face got red with excitement and she could not control her grinning, so she closed her mouth with her hands.
The Emperor was happy seeing her that excited and nodded at her and left for court with a smile.
Their interaction seemed pretty intimate for the onlookers,
"The Emperor whispering sweet nothings and the Consort blus.h.i.+ng"
And another round of gossips circulated among the inner palace and the outer court about the night the Emperor spent in the n.o.ble Consort"s courtyard and also their intimate interactions the next morning.