The Emperor looked at Xing who was sitting beside him leaning on the heavy mahogany table sitting in a short stool hiding from the sight of whoever coming to him for an audience. Mo Chen was sitting on his other side sulking because she drove him away from her because he kept licking her."Stop licking me... You"ll peel all my skin off you nasty cat! ", she pushed him aside and Mo Chen"s been sulking ever since, with his back facing her.
I just wanted to show her my affection and being pushed aside! I lick myself and my skin isn"t peeling off! Liar!
Xing could hear his rumble and just rolled her eyes gently wiping her reddened skin. Poor Mo Chen didn"t realise that her delicate skin cannot be compared to his skin and his grittier tongue actually is too rough for a human to handle.
The Emperor felt a bit stunned by her treating an actual hunter like a little pet when he was still skeptical about having this predator around him but he got over it remembering about the grey wolves she knows.
The Emperor remembered how his brother woke him up in the middle of the night as usual, without any consideration for his rest that night he left and told him to have an eye on Mingxia as she is not feeling well. But to him she seemed fine as usual and no difference.
Brother sure forgets that she is an entirely different person around him and others! The Emperor thought.
Xing on the other hand was reading like a maniac, the memorials from the past two months she had missed. As much as she complained her brother dumping his work on her, she had always enjoyed it. These memorials are worth more than their weight in gold for the informations they contain. It says the character of the writer and also the mood he wants to convey and comparing memorials will give an rough estimate of the happenings around the entire kingdom.
"Mingxia", the Emperor had to call her a few times before she responded as she was deeply immersed in reading, "Will you teach me swordplay?"
Xing looked at him surprised with her eyebrows raised, " I thought there is a strict rule forbidding anyone inside the Harem to use any weapons even for training" ,she asked.
Xing knew their country forbids women to carry weapons as it would represent the inabilities of the men of the kingdom to protect them and the Emperor"s women, even more so.
"Does rules apply to you?", the Emperor smirked at her raising his eyebrows. His brother specifically asked him to let her touch and use swords. "Being trapped in this wretched place is too much for a free spirit like her, making her lose herself. Sword has been always a part of her. She cannot lose that part of her too" he said although the Emperor didn"t understand about the part of herself she had lost. She seemed pretty normal to him!
"Whatever!", Xing shrugged it off. The thought of swords made her remember her Master Yuan and the fact that he might be hiding a lot from her.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her brother entered and his voice gave her an involuntary shudder. He had been in a silent war with her for not giving him a wolfcub to raise and refused to talk to her since the coronation.
"Is she here? My sister... I could smell her cheap perfume from outside... ", he spoke with his expressions like he had accidentally bitten a cardamon and even made a vomiting gesture.
Xing signalled the Emperor not to out her to her brother but it was too late when her brother knocked her head standing beside her.
" Spoony Xia! How dare you hide from me, your intelligent big brother..! ", he knocked her head hard as usual but this time... A hairpin p.r.i.c.ked his hand and his skin peeled a little.
"Ah!", he screamed. He was not used to his sister wearing a hundred pins in her head. She did that on purpose didn"t she?
Xing proved his point when she faked concern and asked, "My intelligent big brother, does it hurt too much?", her eyes didn"t hide her mirth and Rijun got more furious.
"Spoony loony Xia! Why are you happy I got hurt?" he stopped blowing in his peeled finger and raised his hand to hit her again but stopped this time fearing his skin will be peeled some more.
"I will never forgive you!", he pointed at the Emperor, "You people are partial towards me! "
*Grrr*
Mo Chen walked towards Rijun growling and Rijun who had noticed the mighty black panther only now hid behind his sister shamelessly like he wasn"t cursing her a moment ago.
"Mingxia! Tell that tiger to back off! I don"t like cats", he grabbed her shoulders hiding behind her and screamed at her ears making her ear go numb.
"It"s not a tiger. It"s a panther and you are hurting poor Mo Chen"s feelings", the Emperor corrected Rijun only to be met with his glare.
When you die, does it make a difference if you were killed by a tiger or a panther? And was this Mo Chen a rival of mine in my previous life? Why is he glaring at me like that?
Xing pushed Rijun away and walked towards the window and whistled and a beautiful green bird entered the Study with his long green tail flowing in the wind like ribbons. Its chest was red like it was wearing a coat over its green body and it looked really cute.
"Is this the Resplendent Quetzal?", the Emperor was surprised. He had read in some journal of a traveller that he had come across this bird in a far away land. But why is it here in their kingdom? Well.... Right! No need to ask these kind of questions when she is involved!
" A bird? ", Although Rijun knew of this exotic bird, he really wanted a wolf, not a bird and so he wasn"t that convinced.
"Don"t worry he won"t p.o.o.p on you", Xing grinned and gave that bird to him and Rijun was holding it in his hand and gently petted its head.
The Emperor got to them and he had a good look at that beautiful little bird whose feathers s.h.i.+ned in various other colours too.
"The bird is so beautiful....", the Emperor said, "And so green, like my friend here", he chuckled.
Rijun who was mocked for his jealousy towards the Emperor let it pa.s.s because he kind of liked this bird too. Truly for a scholar like him a bird would be a better companion than some wild beast. Truly the Emperor will compliment a black panther and Shengli would compliment a grey wolf but with his build and demeanour.... Truly an exotic bird would be a better fit.
Xing looked at her brother with his gentle smile accepting her gift and felt happy. If she were an artist, her brother who looked like a scholar slipped out from a painting and this truly pretty bird would have been immortalised on a paper. But that can be arranged too right?
"Do you know brother, This bird is considered the "G.o.d of air" by the tribals from its natural habitat. It is also known as a symbol for liberty since it is known to kill itself soon after it is captured or caged...", she paused for a moment. "Oh! How I wish I could do that!"
" And so, you"d be the only person who will have this bird as a pet for a long time", she patted his back.
"Really?", Rijun was overjoyed. His sister truly is amazing! She did give him a gift better than the Emperor"s.
Seeing the bird in the room Mo Chen tried to catch him waving his paws at him and Rijun had a haughty expression, "Try and get it you dumbo cat! My sister will punish you! "
"Mo Chen, sit", the Emperor ordered and the panther just lied on the floor.
I"m not allowed to even eat a bird! Mean People!
"You here to tell me something..?", the Emperor reminded Rijun who was grinning at the bird in his hand.
"Ah, yes!", Rijun got serious, "Lord Zhong suddenly is talking about retirement and he wants to resign as the Minister of Defence too"
The Emperor was surprised by this news. Although Lord Zhong was old he wasn"t that old to be resigning and he is not attending the court these days saying he is sick too. Why is this happening right when there is a possibility of war? He is a veteran and there is no one more experienced in this other than him in the three kingdoms. How could he do this now?
Xing knew very well what"s happening with the Oldman. He is dying!
Why is that I have to lose everyone I like and everyone who likes me?
Xing was worried even though she knew this would happen eventually and she was preparing her heart for this a long time.
"Kouki, can I go to the wedding of General Huojin in three days?", she asked the Emperor.
The Emperor was stunned for a moment when she called him "Kouki" since she never called him that ever since she entered the inner palace and he ran his mouth with her on that night.
" I don"t see a problem. It is a wedding in the Zhong household and the bride is your cousin. We both can go", he replied. He won"t need the court"s permission for that.
"Are you going to convince Lord Zhong to not retire?", Rijun asked.
"What? No..", Xing shook her head, "That Oldman is sick for a long time. He had served this kingdom loyally for decades. It is time for him to rest", she sighed.
"No way! Not now!", the Emperor paced to and fro in the study. He very well understood what she meant. Why? Lord Zhong is someone he would trust with his eyes closed... Why now? Why is this happening now?
"What happened to the investigations on Uncle Little bun?", Xing asked Rijun. Aren"t they investigating for a little too long?
"It"s still going on.. Which is good because they wouldn"t have found anything yet . Also the court is not functioning using this issue to make father resign"
"Really?", Xing thought for a while. "Mo Chen, let"s go to the court tomorrow and see how your master is doing, okay?", she patted the panther"s head and he looked excited too.
The Emperor and Rijun smiled at each other wondering what Xing had planned for those in the court.