LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

After her breakdown and Bai Li"s explanations, Xing had come to a rather clear mind as to how she must consider her role here.

I am not the Empress, the wife of the Emperor... I am the Empress only by name while in fact, I will be the official working for the Emperor and the Empire as I had promised.

Xing didn"t feel much self-loathing and guilty as before after she reached to this conclusion and she took large strides towards the main door of the Audience Hall for her entrance, ignoring the calls of all her maids. Only Bai Li had a smile in his face and followed her closely.

As she was reaching there she saw the group of protestors led by Minister Sheng still kneeling in front of the Audience Hall. Xing had to walk past them to reach the entrance and Bai Li wondered what she might do . She did not feel anger or hatred towards them as she herself didn"t want to be the Empress!

Xing just paused her steps right in front of them and everyone in there were petrified seeing the beauty in front of them.

Is she even human? Is she really Huang AoTian"s daughter?

Xing smiled at them and they had already stopped their chanting, "Thank you for caring about the Empire", she bowed her head in front of those who were still kneeling in front of her.

True! They don"t hate her... They don"t even know her...They just don"t want a single person holding all the power in the court as it is not beneficial for the kingdom.

Seeing that heaven defying beauty with a smile that could make buds bloom, bowing in front of them with out any hate in her eyes and even thanking them, made those protesters bow their head in shame. They knew they had nothing against her in person and only opposing her because her father is Huang AoTian.

Xing then walked towards the entrance followed by Bai Li. Everyone were expecting the Empress to walk in through the door in the back of the Audience Hall and join the Emperor but the Eunuch who had to announce the arrival of the Empress was too surprised seeing the Empress entering from the door for the officials and momentarily forgot to announce her.

But as she entered the Hall, there was a gentle breeze that brought in the fragrance of the plum blossoms from outside the hall soothing everyone in there.

Everyone looked with awe at the one entering in the bright red Palace robes embroidered with phoenix with her steps as graceful as a Swan and her countenance as bright as a sun. Her hair was something those in the Hall have never seen before, golden like the rays of the autumn sun as it glowed and the ornaments fixed in her hair made a soft tinkle in that hall that was silenced by her earth shattering beauty, and with each step she took echoing in the hearts of the young and old in the Hall making them feel guilty for being able to be in the same room as her and breath the same air as her.

The pear blossom forehead chain hanging over her perfect crescent shaped forehead swayed slightly with each step he took and her perfect curved eyelashes almost touched her willow arched eyebrows. Her red lined eyes were focused right ahead and her dainty nose accentuated her side profile as her red rouge painted lips with a perfect smile dripped honey in the hearts of the onlookers.

As everyone became a poet in their own imagination seeing the bewitching beauty, whose eyes were focusing on the highest authority of the land, their ruler.

"Is this the rumoured ugly daughter of Huang AoTian?"

"She was said to be hidden because she was sickly, right?"

"No wonder she was hidden.. She is too beautiful for this world!"

"Who could bear to see this heavenly beauty and not get ideas!"

"No wonder the Emperor insisted on having her as the Empress! Who can deny looking at this face forever?"

"Look at the way she is looking at the Emperor!"

"A million can be killed to see this smile!"

Everyone were in their own thoughts trying not to reveal their disappointment in their face.

Because this ethereal specimen of a woman is taken!

"d.a.m.n you AoTian for hiding her this long!"

But not caring of the opinions of those by her side, that maiden"s obsidian eyes were focused on the handsome man who was now clad in an eunuch"s uniform, who was looking at her with the same smile he always had for her. The holder of her heart, body and soul, her lover, husband and friend... And she didn"t even know she was beaming right now making everyone around her hold their breath with that smile she returned for him.

Bai Li was following her closely behind and he could hear the thoughts of every man in that room and some of them weren"t of good morals. He sighed sending a wave of cold air around making those who were having perverted expressions shudder in cold.

Xing reached the higher platform and her outfit was heavy and her head was much more heavier and as she had nothing to eat the entire say she felt a bit tired even before the ceremony started. Shengli could see the slight tiredness in her face and he could not help it and reached out his hands as she was reaching the stairs making others mumble among themselves.

"Why is an Eunuch holding her hand when the Emperor stands still?"

"If I become an Eunuch could I hold her hands too?"

Xing didn"t care about what others are thinking while AoTian who recognised Shengli sighed deeply.

"Are they deliberately trying to cause commotion?"

Xing was happy she get it see Shengli at last and only after Shengli reminded her did she give the cursory bow to the Emperor and stood to his left.

It was customary in their kingdom for the women to always stand to the left of their man. But Shengli never let her stand to his left as he"d always hold her with his right hand and so she would always be in his right side as she was standing today too. She didn"t care about the man to her right because her man was to her left as usual.

As they were about to start the ceremony of exchanging gifts, someone opposed to her being the Empress as she hadn"t completed the wedding ceremony as per tradition and some other officials seconded him.

"How dare you overthrow the G.o.ds" signs"

It was the Priestess who first gave the opposition to the nay sayers. She then explained the blazing sign on the sky on the final day of the Martial Arts Tournament that said Mingxia will be the phoenix.

As she finished her explanation a swirly wind blowed that made the petals of Magnolia flower descend on Xing surprising everyone. The entire Hall of officials watched the petals of the "Divine Flower" showering on the Empress and shut their mouth as they didn"t know what to say. Not all of them shut their mouth as some of them were opening their mouth widely as these extraordinary things transpire in front of them.

The G.o.ds are approving Huang Ming is as the Empress?

Shengli noticed Xing"s eyes turned amber and he knew this was her work. G.o.ds cannot enter in the throne room and so she is doing this herself..? Amazing plan to shut those who are opposing her!

Xing pursed her lips seeing Shengli smile at her. She cannot show her emotions candidly here as it would be inappropriate. But these Magnolia flowers were hard to stuff in the rafters... She had to get those flowers from the mountains and had to stuff them over the rafters to help her with this trick...

How tedious!

Just as one show was finished another started. A translucent white dragon appeared out of thin air and started circling above her head making everyone kneel.

A G.o.d is here!

The dragon roared at the one who proposed not to announce Xing as the Empress and as he was kowtowing, it left through the front door displacing a gust of wind inside the hall that made the ones on their knees shudder.

Even the ones outside protesting saw the dragon and where flabbergasted.

Shengli looked around to see Bai Li missing. So is that dragon, Bai Li?

Shengli knew foxes can take the form of a dragon after thousand years. So it must be Bai Li, right?

"See! Huang Mingxia is the Empress the heavens chose! The Empress the G.o.ds love!" the Priestess gave her piece of mimd that settled everyone.

Just what is going on? How could we see this many G.o.ds today? Is this all a dream?

That was the thoughts of everyone around them.