LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

He picked up the hairpin he prepared for her from his pockets. He designed that himself inspired by the signature he used while painting.

The plum blossom and flute.

He chose an exquisite white jade from the collections of the Huang jewellers. He chose white because she reminded him of a moon - serene and bright.

He handed over the design and the best carver Master Tong greatly appreciated the design but he stupidly implied that he might have carved the same design before although he wasn"t too sure and Chenglei just rolled his eyes.

How could anyone else have the exact same idea as me? Old people are unreliable.

Of course he didn"t say that to his face fearing he"d screw the jewellery but kept it all in his mind.

Xing saw Chenglei walking towards her and she saw the exact same hairpin in his hands, except the flower was white this time. The golden hairpin had a beautifully carved plum blossom and in the centre there was a beautiful pearl fixed.

He got me exactly the same hairpin once again?

How?

Xing whose brain was working overtime trying to figure out what was going on was approached by Chenglei. She was staring at Chenglei and was blinking her eyes to confirm if she was actually dreaming or not.

Chenglei stood in front of her with the hairpin, " This hairpin, Will you accept this?", he asked but he knew she is entirely out of focus.

This woman!

This dumb woman!

What is she thinking now?

Xing knew she should answer him. She could see his mouths move and she could hear the words coming out of his mouth but she still couldn"t move.

Come on, Xing!

"I.. Accept", her voice was hoa.r.s.e and she immediately started coughing and she cleared her throat as Chenglei patted her back.

She agreed! She agreed in front of the entire court and the Emperor!

She agreed to marry me!

"Calm down!", he said his voice gentle like the first rain with a calming effect yet only heavens knew how much happiness he was hiding and the entire court filled with officials gasped.

Lord Li... No, Prince Jin could talk this gently?

Chenglei spared a cold glare at those people who were staring and they all bowed their head not daring to look at the scary wolf in front of them.

Chenglei saw Xing foolishly staring at the hairpin without getting it. He sighed yet a smile crept up in his cold face turning it to look gentle, like the warm rays of sun.

Chenglei fixed the hairpin on her hair and the startled Xing stared at him with his hands wrapped above her head as he fixed the hairpin and his sleeves fell on her shoulder hiding her blus.h.i.+ng face from the others around her.

Chenglei paused looking at the the woman with her little face blushed and her big beautiful eyes fixed on him. For a moment both of them forgot where they were and looked at each other in the eyes and both of them liked what they saw.

He wants to be married to me!

She wants to be married to me!

*Cough*

AoTian who saw the both of them in their own world forgetting their surroundings and tried to get them back to reality.

Chenglei was the one who snapped from his thoughts first and with his sleeves covering her still, he bent and kissed her forehead.

"Wait for me", he hissed in her ears and she nodded.

Chenglei could not help his lips from grinning seeing her face red as a tomato trying to control her emotions.

The officials who only saw Chenglei"s head above his sleeves knew what he did when he bent even though his sleeves obstructed the view. The woman"s blus.h.i.+ng face said it all.

"What an unbelievable beauty!"

They all thought but no one even dared to say a word since they knew whose woman she is. Unless they want to court death it would be the best for them to stay away from that woman.

Xing was standing there for some time and there were somethings said and then she was in a carriage and then she was in a familiar room. The scenes in her view changed but she was just staring blankly.

Am I really going to get married to Chenglei?

Xing patted her hair and found the hairpin fixed in her head. She placed it in her palms and stared at it for a good long while.

It is true! I"m really going to get married.

Then she looked around.

Wait! Why am I in my old room in the Prime Minister"s Manor?

"Xiao Mei!", she called for her and she ran to her and she had a silk cloth in her hand with an embroidery needle.

"Why are we here?", Xing asked her maid who was humming a song and even her feet could not help tapping.

"Milady, didn"t you listen?", she started but then took a deep breath.

Of course my quirky Lady wouldn"t have. She would have been in her own world.

"Milady! You are getting married in a week and as..."

"A week?", Xing screamed. How can one pull off a wedding in a week?

"A week?", Xing could feel her hands trembling.

"What were they thinking? Those stupid Imperial brothers... What am I supposed to wear?",Xing walked straight and almost banged her head in the wooden part.i.tion when Xiao Mei stopped her.

"Look, Xiao Mei! I"m not going to wear some store bought wedding dress", she pointed her finger at her and then proceeded to walk towards the wall, "And.... Dowry! I don"t even know what I"m supposed to give and I should ask Chenglei...."

Xiao Mei sighed seeing her lady Lady running around like a headless chicken and pulled Xing and made her sit in the bed and poured her some tea.

Too bad her smart Lady would turn extremely stupid at times and the brave woman who could handle a bunch of bandits cannot handle some simple wedding preparations. No wonder Lord Li has to prepare for everything!

"Well, Milady! Listen to me...", Xiao Mei carefully explained once she knew she got Xing"s attention. " First of all, the wedding dress is already prepared by Lord Ming. Secondly, the dowry is already arranged by Prime Minister since he is your father and he is the one who is supposed to marry you off and thirdly, you cannot meet Prince Jin until you get married. And you should go see the betrothal gifts sent from Prince Jin. They were sent a week ago. We are currently in the Prime Minister"s Manor because this is your home and will serve as the Bridal Home"

"Oh... Okay!",Xing scratched her head realising what Xiao Mei meant made sense. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"Just sleep and slather mud or something on your face to look at least a least bit presentable, stupid!", Haru entered her room with a bright smile in his face and Xiao Mei stood up and after bowing to him left the room.

"Haru! The veil... The one mother made for me...."

"I got it!", Haru patted her head, "I knew this would happen. Good thing I started making your wedding dress the moment you met him again", he took a deep breath, "I"m glad for you stupid Xing! I really wish you"d get the happiness you deserve. Do you want to take a look at your dress? It"s in the other room. And the jewellery to go with it... It was all provided by the Huang Family, of course. And another... ", Haru bit his lips to stop saying further.
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Ooof! I almost ruined the surprise brother Lei prepared for her birthday!

" What another thing? ", Xing asked him.

" You are going to get married. Stop being stupid! ", he said with all seriousness making Xing pinch him hard in his arms and he screamed.

Xing saw the wedding dress all red and gold. It looked pretty with the golden phoenix embroidery and the pearls fixed in it. It looked really heavy with all the beautiful embroidery and the veil really suited with the dress.

There was a big phoenix headdress with all sorts of precious gems and jade along with necklaces and earrings coupled with bracelets and rings.

Perfect!

Mother! I"m getting married to Chenglei!

She said in her heart. And mother, for the first time in my life I don"t hate wearing red and the phoenix because it is going to be Chenglei by my side.

Xing had a pleased smile in her face.

"Your father requested me to pay for your dress and I couldn"t refuse him and I allowed him to pay half the amount", Haru added.

That made Xing wonder about her accounts and she enquired him and Haru just shrugged. Xing knew no one touched her money.

Sigh! What"s the use of me saving that much money if I can"t even spend for my wedding? These people spend for me and spoil me. She was a little sad.

Xing wanted to meet her father but her father who was more excited than her was running around all around the city collecting everything that caught his eyes for his daughter.

Seiren came to meet her and he seemed busy arranging the security measures for the Millennium Celebrations. He informed her that Maya would be staying in the Manor until the wedding. When Xing complained about her father, he smiled and told her that he did the same for Maya too even though he was grieving at that time.

"Remember that bet Milord?", he raised his eyebrows.

Xing remembered that bet he mentioned. It was back when she was still in the palace when she gave Marvan Arsalan"s sword to Maya.

"Milord", he sat beside her that day, "I bet thousand gold coins that you will never end up marrying the one in your heart"

That day Xing almost killed him. But he continued, " Knowing my track record with you... I know I"d lose. I wish I"d lose. This would be the bet I"d be willing to lose", he said.

"You won like always", he gave a banknote to her and Xing got it with a smile in her lips.

At that time she thought it won"t be that hard to marry Chenglei and she could marry him immediately after s.h.i.+hong is finished.

But a lot happened and still...

I can finally marry Chenglei!

She was ecstatic.

That day Maya came to their Manor with her son and Xing asked Rijun to stay with them too and he came with his wife and daughter.

Although Xing didn"t care for Takano, she could see her brother cared for her and she didn"t oppose.

Rijun and Xing had a nice chat that day and he felt sorry for bringing Takano in and he was heart broken about what she"d done and he blamed himself for unable to hate her still.

"I know what she did to father and to you, Mingxia. But still... Still I cannot hate her. And I hate myself for it" ,he sobbed.

Xing comforted him and sighed thinking of the fate of the Huang sons. Everyone had their own struggle with their love except her cousins.

Xing could understand her brother. If Chenglei betrayed her, she would forgive him, won"t she?

Lady Shaoyao had sent her a letter and some gifts for her wedding. She was always like a mother to her and Xing felt bad that she haven"t met her for a long time. She wrote a letter thanking her and promised her to meet her soon.

There were gifts sent to her from the Sima Tribe since they were living in her lands and also Huang WanRou was her cousin.

How come everyone knows about it even before I did?

Xing wondered.

Baobei and Little Xin - Seiren"s son, ran around the Manor and they became good friends soon. Xing was pleased to see Little Xin who looked exactly like the Oldman.

He"d grow up fine, she thought.

Even though it was seven days, she felt a bit empty not meeting Chenglei. She was surprised that Chenglei is not even sneaking up in the middle of the night.

And even though she was joyous, there was still a little fear, itching her heart.

She had come closer to happiness a lot of times to lose it suddenly. And that really made her a bit pessimistic.

A week pa.s.sed quickly and the night before her wedding day, she sat by the windowsill wondering if everything will go fine.

She could hear little noises and she knew it was Lin Mubai and Xiao Mei doing their routine thing of smooching.

I should arrange for her marriage next, Xing thought.

Xing went to sleep and Chenglei who was watching her the past days from a distance, entered her room through the window.

He was told he was not supposed to meet her before the wedding as it would cause bad omens. But he couldn"t help it and was stalking her.

Stalking is different from meeting, right?

He got near her and her face was bright even though she was sleeping.

JiaXing! I love you!

He mumbled and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he cut a little of her hair and put it safely in a pouch he brought. Apparently getting your lovers hair and keeping it sneakily is a tradition among men in the fire Kingdom. They believed it would help their love succeed.

I"ll do whatever to make you only mine, JiaXing! Even stupid superst.i.tions!

Chenglei said and left through the window even though her sweet smell made him want to stay with her.

Just a day more!