LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

On the day of the wedding of General Zhong and Huang MingXue, Xing was being dressed by her maids. Bai Li usually stands by the side choosing her clothes and jewellery while the other maids would be dressing her. Bai Li seemed to be enjoying his duties as the head maid of the Empress and did his duties diligently but Xing could not understand why the crown prince of the Fox clan would be willing to be humiliating himself to be a maid and that too for protecting her. She then realised that the Light Wind Courtyard she is staying is actually warded against G.o.ds and demons and Bai Li is allowed inside as an exception and as long as he was here, no one would be able to get to him. So is he hiding too? If so, from who?

Xing just stood there stretching her hands and before she knew it, she was dressed and they started doing her hair. She could never used to being treated like a lady but she had learned to get used to it.

By the time Xing and the Emperor reached the Zhong Manor, the wedding ceremony was already over and the wedding banquet was going on. Xing who was excited to be in the Zhong Manor after long, had a wide grin in her face and could not hide her enthusiasm to meet Lord and Lady Zhong, as she was about to get down from their carriage.

"Are you that glad that your cousin is getting married?", the Emperor asked and that wiped the grin out of Xing"s face completely.

Glad? Me? For MingXue? No way!

Xing knew that bitter feeling in her heart when thinking about her cousin.... It"s... Jealousy!

How could she get her happy ending this early when I am elder than her and my love is under trials... Literally!!! And to think I helped them even!

The Emperor just chuckled at her face green with jealousy and reminded her that she is now the Empress and she cannot show this much enthusiasm in attending her subject"s wedding and reduce her grin to a slight smile. "Also you are so green like Rijun"s bird!", he chuckled some more.

Party p.o.o.per! Killjoy! Spoilsport!

Xing cursed the Emperor in her heart but knew he was right as she had seen him being stonefaced during official ceremonies even though he is not like that privately.

What a sad life to live, hiding one"s feelings!

Xing followed the Emperor and alighted from the carriage and was greeted by the Zhong family. Xing who haven"t seen Lady Zhong for a long time wanted to give her a hug but obviously it is not permitted and so she reduced to holding her hands which created a huge buzz among the attendees of the wedding that the Empress favours the Zhong family.

The Emperor and Xing were brought to a separate dining room without all the clutter and noises of the others and food was served.

Xing looked at Seiren who was trying hard to not say anything to her and his face was actually red trying to control his urge to speak. After all, she is the empress now and he cannot run his mouth as usual at her.

Wow! Being an Empress has it"s own advantages.

Her family was also in the room and AoTian was lecturing her not to run around as before inside the palace as it is filled with vicious beasts meaning those perverted men.

Xing just politely nodded to her father without even listening to a single word he was saying as usual and she was happy that her favourite strong wine from the wine cellars of that Oldman was being served to her.

When there is wine, why worry about anything else? It"s a disservice to that amazing wine when you are not savouring it!

After dinner Xing just stood up and started making tea for everyone. It has been an unwritten rule for long that she"d be the one serving tea.

"Your highness... You..", Lord Zhong started to speak and paused halfway after meeting her angry glare.

How dare that Oldman calls me "Your Highness"!

Lord Zhong sighed after realising why she is glaring, "Look brat! Didn"t you get attacked by fire the last time you made me tea? Don"t hurt yourself", he looked at her and Xing grinned knowing that Oldman is being honest. He is worried for me!

"Don"t worry Oldman, that"s why I have Bai Li here", she pointed at Bai Li and he waved. "Do you know, he is a nine tailed fox who has fire attributes",she was excited to tell Lord Zhong, "Hey, Bai Li! Show him your true form", she looked at Bai Li, "Oldman, he really has nine tails", she grinned at Lord Zhong who was surprised.

Xing didn"t realise her father was now burning with jealousy that his daughter never tells him this kind of stuff and she easily tells that Lord Zhong everything.

"I"m not a jester for your amus.e.m.e.nt, la.s.s! And why don"t you ask your brother to get rid of that stinky charm. It spoils the taste of this good wine for me", he grumbled. He had gotten an entire jar of wine for himself.

"No way! You sister might come back. And I still remember you pus.h.i.+ng me away from the Heavenly Flowers Palace by colluding with s.h.i.+hong. I"m still not trusting you..."

" That was my sister!", Bai Li interjected Xing, " Helping s.h.i.+hong... I wasn"t aware... I have grounded her for a hundred years for that, so she won"t disturb you anymore... And as for your brother... He looks too much like Huang Tengfei... Maybe that"s why she couldn"t help herself"

"What"s with my ancestor who asked his descendants to not enter the court looking like my brother? And what is your sister has got to do with my family?", Xing walked over and grabbed the wine jar from Bai Li"s hands and everyone in the room were intrigued too.

Bai Li who was slightly intoxicated knew he screwed up and tried to change the subject but Xing persisted and poured him wine herself to make him more drunk. Turns out he is more talkative when he is drunk.

"My sister liked Huang Tengfei but he, the eternal bachelor he is, refused my sister. So she got mad and she was the one who framed him to his fall",he laughed awkwardly seeing Xing with her lips twitching in anger, "La.s.s! Don"t drop the wine jar", he grabbed it, "Don"t be mad... It is like the old saying... h.e.l.l hath no fury like a woman scorned... What kind of man refuses a woman, right? That awful Huang Tengfei... You understand right...", Bai Li tried to coax Xing, " And... Your brother, he looks too much like Huang Tengfei... And she was released only some years before...so she lost herself... "

Seeing Xing still not convinced and trying to pour the wine on the floor, he added ,"But I corrected everything,... I was the one who helped the Tians.h.i.+ Emperor exonerate Huang Tengfei and get the n.o.bility status back to the Huang family. I even imprisoned my sister for two hundred years" ,Bai Li was really worried for the wine and spilled all the truth.

"So... My ancestor was framed by your family? And you are saying you"ll protect me? ", Xing grinned but there was a dangerous glint in her eyes. AoTian who knew about the incidents at the Heavenly Flowers Palace too became skeptical of Bai Li.

"La.s.s, you think of Huangs as your ancestors?", Bai Li snorted mockingly but he immediately changed his att.i.tude and his eyes got a bit clearer as if he had said something that he is not supposed to .

What is he saying? Isn"t my name, Huang?

Xing wondered but didn"t pursue it as she had another important question to ask of him. She wanted to ask him immediately as he seemed to be getting sober a bit.

" So who is Master Yuan? ", she asked shaking the wine jar right in Bai Li" s face.

With that question, Bai Li was shaken out of his drunkeness entirely and he grabbed the jar from her hands forcefully and disappeared into thin air.

Coward!

Xing then explained everyone about her Master Yuan and they were wondering who that might be too. Even Lord Zhong could not remember anyone with the family name of Yuan and her father didn"t too. Also Xing"s inability to describe his facial features don"t help either.

Master Yuan sure is mysterious! And this BAI Li knows a lot more about him...