Xing and the Emperor were sitting in the roof of the Imperial study in the shade of a tree on the roof tiles. Mo Chen was lying in the branch of the tree nearby with his eyes closed. His wound have healed well and Xing told him that Weiye won"t hurt him anymore and he just gave an indifferent growl and went back to sleep. Apparently its mating season for him and he is trying to find a mate these days and it made him grumpy."I"ll take you somewhere awesome", the Emperor said and sneaked some wine jars in his sleeves and stuffed her with some jars too and brought her here after Chenglei left somewhere. Xing looked around and she could see the garden where the women from the banquet were strolling as it was a "Flower Viewing Banquet".
Weiye had composed herself pretty soon and was acting like the Empress she is, with a bunch of women trying to fawn around her. Xing saw Kei Takano and Huang MingXue together chatting carelessly and strolling along the pavements of the garden.
Ah! Why can"t I have my friends with me too! Wonder how Ayane and Yukiko are doing! Maybe I should meet them...
And as both Xing and the Emperor were silently sipping wine, the Emperor leaned on her shoulders,
"Mingxia!", he spoke in a pouty manner like a little boy.
"What?", Xing looked at him already half-drunk.
These Lu men are no fun to drink alcohol with! Xing thought. If I feel like drinking, I should only ask Seiren... He is more fun!
"The s.h.i.+ps are leaving in a couple of days....", he mumbled.
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Xing knew the s.h.i.+ps he mentions are the ones that are planned to be sent to capture the pirates terrorising the Western Sea. Chenglei already told her about it.
"So?", she took a gulp of wine and asked.
"Go with them...", he spoke in a commanding tone as he"s used to order everyone around in the past three years. But sensing Xing pausing her action, he got to his senses and turned his tone to whiny, "Pleeese.... Pleeeeeeese...."
He knew this one won"t bow for commands.
"Come on! Kouki...!", Xing pushed him away from her shoulder, "I won"t be working for the Empire anymore...I already told you, didn"t I?", she got irritated. If not for the awfully sweet wine she"s being served, she"d have left that place immediately.
This wine was too good to pa.s.s on!
The Emperor harrumped dissatisfied, " You are mean! ", he then leaned back on her shoulders. And Xing curled her lips and pushed him away from her shoulders and everytime she pushed back, he landed back on her shoulder and Xing stopped struggling.
"I"m not powerful like before, Kouki! I won"t be of much use there", Xing said gulping more wine. "You are drunk", she said and collected the jars he brought for herself. This wine is the best.
"Liar!", he held in to the jar he was holding as she tried to get that jar and took a sip.
"True... That day when I killed Old Rong, my duties were finished and I lost all my abilities... You won"t be seeing me in midair anymore!", Xing said looking at the Distance with a solemn expression in her eyes.
"You liar!", the Emperor pushed her slightly sitting straight, "My brother might have forgotten you and believed that awful "I"m the twin sister of Mingxia" c.r.a.p. I"m not stupid! You losing your powers...? Impossible! You just now said you are the Divine ruler... Don"t mess with me", he rubbed his eyes and looked at her focused and he was peeved.
Xing took a deep breath looking at the Emperor with his eyebrows knitted and he looked displeased at her, "Kouki!", she placed her hand in his shoulder,
"Are you angry at me for treating Weiye that way?"
Xing knew she only mentioned as herself at the Divine ruler only when she was talking to her. And she also knew the Emperor only held back because he didn"t want to criticise her in front of Weiye but he really wasn"t pleased with her either.
The Emperor looked at Xing for a while minute before answering, "No... Not angry!".
How could he ever be angry at her? She was the one who gave her everything he has now! If not for her, he"d be dead by now. He knew who she is and how important she is! He is no fool or an ingrate to throw her out of his life or belittle her for anything or anyone!
Seeing him silent Xing held his arms, "Are you in love with her, Kouki?", she asked even though she highly doubted it. Which man would love a woman who threatens to kill his children?
"She is my children"s mother, Mingxia!", he took a deep breath and place his forehead on her shoulders.
"I know", Xing patted his head. "But she cannot treat you this way. And Kouki, she won"t hurt herself or the children. She just wants you to fear her and trying to be manipulative. So don"t care much about her. If there is was a dowager in the Harem, she"d have never allowed such behaviours.... "
" Dowager? ", the Emperor interrupted her, " So are you going to take the role of a dowager? ", he laughed, " I don"t mind calling you "mother" though! ", he could not hold his laughter and was shaking burying his face in her shoulder.
" I"ll be your mother if you want me to be... I don"t mind! ", Xing smiled patting his head. She felt him getting stiff and she somehow felt her shoulders getting wet.
Could he be crying?
" You did well, Kouki!", she spoke in a gentle tone caressing his hair as he rested on her shoulder hiding his face to her, "The past three years, you really held on, didn"t you? I know because I heard what the common people say about you. "The people"s Emperor", " The Formidable Panther", "Emperor TongTian the Magnificent" and many more... I was really proud and happy hearing all that. I know how much work you"d be putting on for every reform you pa.s.sed... Especially opening schools and hospitals in each provinces... I know how much the officials in the court would have opposed before they let you pa.s.s that bill. You did it, Kouki! You held on and you did a lot of good for the Wind Kingdom... I know... I know how many sleepless nights you"d have spent in the Study to perfect those bills so that those officials will agree to it... I know it all! "
She meant what she said. She could see how much he worked these days and how hard it must have been for doing everything alone. He is someone who always liked people around him but he must have lacked a friend he could open up to!
If he had a good wife, he"d have lied on her lap after a tiresome day and would have gotten refreshed. But he didn"t have that chance too.
True he had Chenglei, Rijun, Seiren, her father and others but he won"t be able to open up to anyone this much and they all might have had their own troubles to look after and their own families and Affairs to take care of.
He must have been awfully lonely!
Xing could feel the Emperor crying for sometime and sat there silently letting him lean on her. If her shoulders are the ones he needs, she could lend it for him.
"Weiye...", she continued after she felt like the Emperor had composed himself, "I did hit her but I will never hurt her for now since she is carrying my niece and nephew. You should know me! I"ll wait for her till she births the twins. If she still doesn"t chafe her ways... ", she wanted to clarify. The children in her belly are the ones who saved her life today!
"Niece AND nephew?", the Emperor straightened his back and looked at Xing surprised. Xing could see the excitement in his reddened eyes and his mouth opened with surprise.
"Didn"t the doctors tell you she is carrying twins? It must be pretty easy to detect by now", Xing could not help but smile by looking at that excited face.
Seriously! Who could hurt this man!
"No... No... I knew there were twins.... But there is a girl and a boy? I don"t know that! See... You are always amazing...It"s awesome... ", he was pretty excited.
"Yeah!", Xing stared at the distance. She noticed Kei Takano sneaking out of the banquet and meeting Rijun. She even sneaked some dishes from the banquet and was feeding it to him with him reluctantly eating.
"He got mad at me for not building you, his sister, a tomb after everyone started thinking you were dead... It was weird that one day everyone believed you were dead with only me remembering you and...later... Our relations.h.i.+p got broken when I expressed my doubts about his wife...", the Emperor noticed Rijun too and spoke drinking some more wine.
" Hmm! ", Xing sat wrapping her hands around her knees. Surely everything is weird!
She knew this is how her brother would react. He won"t speak his mind clearly and keep the one he has misunderstandings with at a distance. That fool of a brother thought her father didn"t love him for years.! He never tried to find out why their uncle let him go either! If only she didn"t interfere, he"d have kept everything in his heart and resented everyone! That"s how he is! So now he is misunderstanding the Emperor, his friend? What a fool!
He didn"t build a tomb for me because I"m not dead and your wife is not a good person!
She saw after feeding Rijun, Takano started complaining. Xing knew she must be sharing the happenings of that morning with him. Their interactions seemed so intimate as if they had a good understanding between them and it didn"t look like she is faking it. Takano genuinely cared for her husband.
Takano! So you love my brother but hurt my father? What should I do with you?
"The water kingdom is sending Kei Takans.h.i.+ on an expedition to find the Ouyang Navy in the Western Sea... They are already in the sea", the Emperor looked at Xing to see her reaction.
"Wait...Takanas.h.i.+? I thought Ying Ryuga was the one going to find the pirates... Where is the Ouyang Navy coming from?", Xing asked with her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Yeah! Apparently Kei Takans.h.i.+ convinced the court for this expedition and it went over the Water Emperor"s control"
"Or the Water Emperor wants the Ouyang Navy. I don"t have much hope about him in maintaining the peace between our two nations. To keep his throne, he will do anything", Xing interrupted.
With them trying to poach Haru to their kingdom and now trying to get the Ouyang Navy, there must be something going on! But going as far as to trust Takanas.h.i.+... Isn"t it too much? That dowager killed his child in the womb for the sake of Takano. Guess the water Emperor doesn"t care...
"You...", the Emperor smiled. She never changes and she is sharp on these issues as always. "You might be right. It was the Water Empress who sent me a letter asking us to be careful. She was the one who warned Lord Ming too"
"Hmm", Xing just gulped down the entire jar entirely.
What are you planning Takanas.h.i.+ and how are you sure you could find the Ouyang Navy no one could find for centuries?
"Mingxia! Did you really lose all your powers?", the Emperor asked with his expressions serious.
"I sealed my powers myself!", she replied.
"Unseal!", the Emperor asked. How could she reject such power?
Xing looked at the Emperor and sighed. She had promised herself she won"t be using her powers anymore for any purposes. In the past three years, no matter what danger she was in or how much she wanted to use her powers, she held back keeping her promise to herself.
I will keep my promise to myself! I just want a simple life like a normal human!
"If only that day your brother didn"t recklessly made a deal with that G.o.d who hates me, I"d have ended it all", she rubbed her hand on her face.
"You were dead, Mingxia! How do you think he would accept that?", the Emperor sighed.
"But I was not dead!", Xing told the Emperor that perplexed him. " I was in the Heavenly Audience Hall in my spirit form... That G.o.d tricked him and he fell for it and caused all these mess...",Xing"s throat closed.
Everything would have ended that day but it is dragging on still because Chenglei was impulsive.
"Do you hate him for it?", the Emperor saw the resentment in her face and asked.
"I can never hate him, Kouki...! He literally stabbed me in the heart and I couldn"t hate him. I didn"t hate him then... I don"t hate him now.... I really cannot hate him. I love him and I want him to return to me", she took a deep breath and stood up, "I"ll look into that sea expedition. That Takanas.h.i.+ won"t be upto any good. If the legends about the Ouuang Navy is true and they are still out there, they should belong to our wind kingdom" ,she gave her hand to help the Emperor up.
"What"s the hurry?", the Emperor asked as he felt a bit dizzy because of the alcohol.
" See, my brother is coming on this direction. Maybe he"s going to confront me for hitting his wife!", Xing smirked.
"You hit his wife too?", the Emperor chuckled. "I thought you don"t hit women!"
"Oh, come on! That"s not true..."
While those two were chatting happily and getting down from the roof, a dejected figure left that place unnoticed.
So she is in love with a brother of mine? Who is he? As I thought, he was the one who gave her that Scar and still she loves him? A prince? Who is he? I thought all my brothers are dead...Which brother is she still waiting for to return? Is that why she knows everything about me? Is that why she tries to be nice to me? Is that brother of mine who has her heart, resembles me? Is that why she kisses me confusing me with him?
And why isn"t Junjie telling me about that brother either? Is he afraid that I"ll kill that b.a.s.t.a.r.d?
Chenglei who got up the roof to give her the cloak as the temperature dipped a bit, heard what she said and arrived to the wrong conclusion.
Soon his doubts turned his sorrow into anger and it started eating him away as he got filled with rage.
How dare she play with me!