Xing went to the Jin Manor only after she had a her lunch and what awaited her was an angry Chenglei standing by the entrance of his Manor with his face red and he was pacing to and fro."I was waiting for you", he grumbled impatiently as he held her hand when she got down from the carriage.
"Did I ask you to?", Xing asked back in the same tone he spoke and he stared at her for five seconds
before he composed himself.
She was rather peeved by his att.i.tude. Sure she would give concessions to him since she loved him but he cannot act overbearing with her and force her. That is not the man she fell in love with.
She felt the distance between them widened each pa.s.sing day. They were physically closer than before free to do whatever they wanted but why does the heart feels so distant? Xing felt like she was in a distant plane from him. He felt much closer when he was with s.h.i.+hong than he is now. At least she knew what his thoughts were back then. But now...
"Of course this woman is like the wind who blows where ever she wishes, whenever she wishes to and no one can order her around!", Chenglei realised his blunder. He just got too excited because he prepared an sumptuous meal with his own hands for her since she enjoyed the food the last time he prepared for her and waited for her arrival all this while.
He was disappointed but he should have used other methods to get her here rather than forcing her. He knew how everyone around her only use pleading and discussing voice around her and never raise their voice around her.
Such a headstrong woman! Like how his wife must be!
She did say last night that she"d be here only in the evening and she is right to refuse me. She might have been here if I wrote a polite note or if I went there personally or even if I feigned illness.
He decided to be more tactful the next time.
Guess it is not easy to woo a woman, especially someone like her!
Xing unknowingly missed a meal made by Chenglei himself and walked towards the seash.o.r.e along with Chenglei. He told her that only the Water Emperor and Empress would be arriving first as the Earth Emperor is delayed a bit.
The cool sea breeze blew as they stood in the beach in a secluded area when a boat lead by another boat sailed towards them.
"Yukiko!", Xing waved her hand the moment she could see Yukiko and she waved back.
Seeing her jumping into the sea in waist deep water and running towards her, Xing got in the water too and both of them meet in the knee deep water.
"Mingxia... ! It really is you! Thank goodness! Thank goodness", Yukiko hugged her tightly with Xing returned her hug, "Yeah! Not dead yet!", she chuckled.
Chenglei frowned seeing Xing wetting her clothes and so did the Water Emperor and when both of them met each others eyes, both were deeply surprised by the resemblance in their appearances.
Guess she was right!
Both men felt awkward looking at each other. It"s like they are twins but they had no close relations at all.
"Get to the sh.o.r.e, Yukiko. Don"t stay in the water too long. It"s cold", the Water Emperor reminded Yukiko in a concerned voice and so Xing and Yukiko got back to the sh.o.r.e.
The sand got stuck to their clothes and even their shoes were covered with sand making both of them shake their legs.
"Go take a bath if you want. I have some sets of new clothes for you", Chenglei wrapped his coat around Xing and asked her with tenderness dripping in his tone.
He had long bought some clothes that were her size and stocked them in his Manor to give it to her later after they get married.
Guess it would be useful this soon!
"Your Highness!", the Water Emperor bowed to Xing and Xing nodded back. He looked peeved but took a deep breath before wrapping his wife with his coat.
Chenglei had a sharp pain in his heart when he first saw the Water Emperor"s appearance and he wondered if he might be the one in her heart but judging by their interactions, that woman seemed to be more closer with the Empress and is not in good terms with the Emperor.
She looked at him like he was a lesser human being and that surprised him a bit. He was surprised that she has the liberty to act this way with an Emperor and the Emperor was silently accepting her behaviour towards him too.
Guess it is not just Junjie who acts subservient to her, its everyone!
He saw Yukiko and Xing holding their hands and walking with heavy steps as their feet sank into the sand and with half of their clothes covered in sand, they looked like they were troubled to even walk but they were insistent on walking by themselves.
The Water Emperor saw Xing walking in the front and he remembered the last time she accused him for not taking care of his wife properly. Their court still is not under his control and his wife is most likely still suffering in the inner palace. She is not talking to him like she used to before and keeps a distance from him. The first time he saw a genuine smile in her face in the past year was when he informed her that Mingxia is still alive. So using that as an excuse, he brought her here to meet her and on the way she looked like the one she used to be - bright and cheerful.
Was it because she was happy she found out her friend isn"t dead or was it because she was out of the inner palace, he didn"t know. But he was sure, this Mingxia will definitely blame him for not taking care of his wife.
"I don"t know if I should be happy or sad she"s still alive!", the water Emperor mumbled and Chenglei caught it.
How dare he wished her dead!
Chenglei frowned and was about to retort but his frown deepened seeing that ignorant one walking towards him.
"Why are you here, Ying Ryuga?", Chenglei tried to stop him but he just smirked and pa.s.sed him.
"We"ll be staying in tents in the forests. So Lord Li doesn"t have to bother", he spoke in a condescending tone angering Chenglei.
"And I bet Miss Táng would like to stay with her friends tonight", he added making Chenglei"s face red with anger, "Why would she stay in tents when she has a comfortable bed to sleep?", he gritted his teeth.
And so Chenglei who always kept his cool around Ryuga in the past knowing Xing has no interest towards him, now felt the need to try and belittle him since he thought he might have a chance with him since he forgot everything about her.
Xing brought Yukiko to the courtyard where she stayed in previously. In the past month, there were more guest courtyards built and furnished making Xing wonder why Chenglei is hurriedly preparing this Manor.
Both of them got into the big tub that was added recently and Xing was amazed to see how it resembled the tub in her Heavenly Flowers Palace building.
How did he get the same tub? Xing wondered but she was really pleased by his willingness to be extravagant to be comfortable.
"This feels nice!", Yukiko got in the tub and Xing and Yukiko talked about the past three years and they didn"t realise the sky has darkened already while they were still soaking.
"How many times, Yukiko?", Xing asked with her eyes fixed on her. Yukiko seemed cheerful and she was happy to see Xing but Xing could see the deep rooted sorrow in her heart and the weakness in her body was apparent too. Xing knew the one thing that could hurt both her mind and body is and her question did stir up her.
"Leave it, Mingxia. Why talk about it?", she tried to avoid it and her eyes were already glistening with tears and she got out from the tub and Xing followed.
As they were wiping themselves, "How many in the past three years, Yukiko?", Xing repeated and this time her voice was filled with the slight anger that ran along the care she had for her.
"Three", she said wrapping herself in a robe. "Two miscarriages and one still birth", her throat closed.
Xing wanted to kill the water Emperor. How could someone do this to their wife? Even though he did not directly hurt her, he is letting the ones hurt her free that enables them to hurt her more. What a sc.u.m!
Then it struck to Xing that Chenglie won"t be any different from that man since he had forgotten her and she felt her heart break in pain.
No! I will not let Chenglei become that man and I will not let myself to be abused for the sake of love like Yukiko! I love him but I love myself too!
The two women silently got dressed. "It was a girl, the last time. She looked like him. I carried her for nine months... Nine months, Mingxia... Just one month more... I"d have had her in my hands.... Alive... But... then.. I had an accident and the baby died in my belly"
Xing made Yukiko sit in a chair and she stood beside her patting her back as Yukiko hugged Xing"s waist and cried.
"Is this really good? This love?", Xing asked, " The one that hurts this much... The one that drains you physically and mentally... Must you put yourself through this...?", she asked that question for herself too.
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Her love has only brought troubles too. Either to him or her, it was always trouble. Is it worth it to cling on to it knowing it only brought trouble and pain? When the future is unknown?
All she had as answer was the painful weeping of the woman hugging her heart out. Xing could feel her pain. She"s having the same pain in her heart that makes her cry at nights too.
What they didn"t realise was the water Emperor, who felt awkward to be in the presence of another man who looked awfully similar to himself, was silently listening to their conversation from outside as he came here to get them for dinner.
"I tried to stay away....", Yukiko said between sobs, "I tried to... But I couldn"t ... I can"t..."
"Tell me about it!", Xing said sarcastically. Who is she to ask someone else to stay away from her love? Can she do it herself?
" I"m telling you time and time again... Stop sleeping with him...", Xing patted Yukiko"s head and before she continued, she heard a loud shout by the door,
"You really want to put ideas in my wife"s head? You might be the divine ruler and you have authority over our lands but even you cannot come between a married couple. So...", The Water Emperor"s loud and angry voice was thrown at Xing and he came beside Yukiko and tried to grab her.
" Let"s go Back, Yuki! You wanted to see her and you did and she is really fine. Now let"s go back! ", he tried to grab her arms and Yukiko refused to get up from the chair.
" Hmpf! ", Xing snorted, "Some husband you are! Unable to protect your wife even in your own home....", she smirked as she grabbed his hands away from Yukiko"s arms. Not willing to be touched by Xing and noticing Yukiko in pain, the water Emperor let go of his grip and his face was filled with grief and guilt as she hit the nail in the head about his incompetence in protecting his wife.
"And.... You don"t have a home...You wanted power and to be the highest authority of the land... You have a Harem! You say you love your wife and threw her with another hundred women who are notorious and what use is your love to her when it only adds her trouble?"
"How dare you?", he raised his voice and Xing chuckled.
"How dare I? I am the divine ruler by your own words and that"s why I dare. It won"t take much for me to dethrone you and place Ying Ryuga on it. At least then Yukiko will be free... Me too!"
"You... You know?" he widened his eyes. How does she knew when the previous emperor sent his son to be raised as a commoner, he sent not one but two? One was sent to a village to be raised as a carpenter"s son and another one was sent to the Ying family to be raised as a young master and that one is Ying Ryuga.
Ying Ryuga is a Lu Prince?
Chenglei who followed the Water Emperor to get his woman was shocked by that truth.
She knows? And could he be "her Prince" ? Is he here to get her back? Is that why he is too arrogant? Is she refusing him because he had hurt her previously? They are close in age too!
While he sank into his thoughts, he failed to notice another one crossing in front of him to enter the room.
"Mingxia! Let"s not get too fired up now! Let"s be merry... Ah! I"m glad... It really is you! ", the voice, familiar but was in Xing"s distant memory was heard as Xing was staring angrily at the Water Emperor and Yukiko was pulling her sleeves to calm her down.
As Xing turned to look at the person who wrapped their hands around her waist, she could feel the cold wet lips that kissed hers with fierce pa.s.sion and it almost made Xing numb as she was perplexed.
Chenglei saw the person casually wrapping his arms around his woman and kissing his woman and she looks too stunned to move..?
Who is he?