The next morning Jia Xing woke up even before the sky brighten. She washed her face and went to the door seeing a jug of warm milk. The thought that Haru did not forget his daily routine put a smile on her face. She drank the milk and left half for her mother. She then changed to her usual crimson robes. She applied an oil that changes her hair colour to a darker hue of gold temporarily, braided her hair loosely and put on her usual makeup that makes her skin look a bit tanned. She then looked at the mirror thinking, good, now I look almost normal. She then pulled all her bangs to one side, which covered almost half her face.Ming Ling woke up just then and seeing Xing ready to go out, she asked " Leaving already? Let me prepare breakfast".
" Don"t need it Ming Ling. Today they are announcing the judgment on Ming Family"s case. I"ll take a look."
" Xing, get home early today. Mother needs to tell you something".
" Ok, Ming Ling, I"ll come back for lunch today. Don"t work hard. Just a bowl of rice and a vegetable dish is enough. I"m leaving", she kissed her mother"s cheek and left.
She came to the unsuspecting Ming mansion. She entered through their usual tree, jumping through the wall. She walked through the roof and came to the roof of the main hall. She noticed Haru"s brothers doing their usual searching-for-Haru-to curse - him routine. Their wives were bossing around the servants in the mansion and offering punishment for no reason.
Everything looks as usual here. Guess Haru is really black-bellied. He didn"t even gave a heads up. Wonder if he"s here too.
That"s when the soldiers arrived.
" Where is Young Master Ming Yushen?", the lieutenant asked.
" What did that useless b.a.s.t.a.r.d do?", the First brother asked.
The lieutenant didn"t care and waited. All the servants panicked,but the brothers were grinning thinking their brother is finished.
Haru came in his usual scholarly looks with a dark green silk robe and all his hair was pulled up with a simple hairpin.
The lieutenant motioned him to stand by his side and ordered the soldiers to arrest everyone in the mansion and take them to the village square. There was a lot of confusion and Xing left the way she came. She found a perfect place in a rooftop with shade and clear view to the village square. Soon all the villagers a.s.sembled and the people from the mansion were chained and brought to the village square and were made to kneel down. There was a temporary stage built overnight with shades. People were murmuring about why the Ming family is in chains and why their hero Yound Master Yu is standing near them? Is he the Young Master Ming?
Of the Ming family only Haru was standing which made the brothers and their wives shout curses. But Haru stood there unmoved and not caring. The lieutenant hit one of the brothers with a cane which made everyone shut their mouths.
Xing thought about how Haru"s brothers made his life miserable in the past. Haru"s mother was the legal wife but she didn"t have children so Lord Ming took two concubines. They got pregnant soon and one had a boy and a girl and the other two boys. But after a long time Haru was born which made him the legal heir. This made the others unhappy which they showed on Haru. Haru"s mother died when he was six. After that their abuse escalated. His father who was always away on business didn"t know the things happened to his own son in his home. To hide the fact of abuse, he was always dressed with good clothes. He was refused good food and other things. But he started behaving like a fool in home which reduced their abuse in the later years. He became a wallflower in his own home. But only Xing knew the clever and brave Haru. He"s better than her in maths and archery and no one in this kingdom can write business contracts like him. So seeing Haru standing with his chin up before his brothers made her happy.
Xing was sitting on the roof with her clothes blending with the roof tiles. That"s when she heard that voice, " Long time no see, my dear", she had gooseb.u.mps when she saw the man sitting near her with that mesmerising smile, with a shoulder length silver hair pulled to a loose ponytail, green s.h.i.+mmering eyes and wearing dark blue robes, the man she"s been waiting for ten years. He looked matured and had a manly scent on him. His shoulders had become broader, his voice is deep, he has gotten taller and looked majestic even while sitting on roof tiles. . His appearance changed this much in ten years. Yes, ten years! Ten long years of waiting!
Xing"s mind went rampant with happiness. Should I hug him? Should I kiss him? Should I ask how he had been? When did he get here? Did he come here to protect his brother?Or Is he really here for me? Xing"s heart started beating faster almost as if it would jump out of her chest. She hid her hands in her sleeves to conceal the shaking.
"h.e.l.lo!, back to earth", Chenglie waved his hand with the same smile she knew from ten years back. Xing hid all her excitement and said in a indifferent tone, " Eh! Have we met before? Stop acting familiar!". She could see his smile froze on his face.
Good! Mission Accomplished! You deserve this for leaving me for ten years without even a single word. Now reflect on it for a while,my sweet dear Prince!
"You…! Xing! I can understand you are angry, but don"t say you don"t remember me. Slap me hard instead! ", he said with a sad face.
" Mister, I don"t know why you are bothering me, but I came here to be alone. Now scram", she waved her hand.
" Come on dear, you"ve scared me enough. Look at me", he said pleadingly.
At that time an announcement was made,
"Silence! Everyone kneel for the Emperor "
Soon the entire village square with awestruck people because of the Emperor"s arrival got silent and everyone kneeled with their head to the ground.
Xing saw the emperor in black and gold embroidered robes with golden dragons. He had all his dark hair up and a gold crown with beads hanging was placed on his head. He was accompanied by Zhong Huojin in his armour and dark blue robes with his sword and jade pendants hanging in his waist. No one dared to move a muscle.
" Long live the Emperor. May he live a thousand years", everyone shouted in unison.
Whoa! He really looks like a Emperor. So this is the aura of an emperor huh.. Impressive.
"Hey, I"m…", he started talking
" Shut up, I"m watching", she scowled and turned, leaving the dejected Chenglie.
Zhong Huojin nodded to the official and he came with the imperial edict. But the Emperor waved his hand which made the official retreat. He then stepped forward to the front of the stage which made Zhong Huojin and Chenglie sigh in distress.
" Now what? He never followes etiquettes! ", Chenglie grunted with his eyebrows flinching.
" Interesting..! ", Xing said and bent forward resting her chin on her hand.
The Emperor started addressing the people.
" All rise"
Everyone fearfully raised their head and looked at the emperor. The emperor addressing the common people directly has never done before in history. So the people were scared witless. Not only the west province neglected by the government for more than a decade has the fortune of the Emperor"s presence, but a village can even hear the Emperor"s voice. What"s going on? Had the sun risen in the west today?
The Emperor spoke in a loud and clear voice.
" The Emperor of the great Wind Kingdom greets his loyal subjects. "
"Long live your majesty. May the nation prosper with your guidance", everyone greeted.
" Zhen knows the Western Province has been neglected for long. Zhen wishes to change that and want to a.s.sure my loyal subjects their loyalty and patience will be rewarded. All those who make my subjects be it n.o.bles or peasants will be punished accordingly. Zhen promise today that the West Province is under the protection of the Wind Emperor. May the G.o.ds help us all prosper and may we all make our Wind Kingdom great by working together. "
"We loyal subjects thank his majesty for his kindness. Long live your majesty. May he live a thousand years ", everyone said.
The emperor looked at the official with the edict and he ran an stood in the side and started reading the edict
" Hear and obey the Imperial Edict"
" We hear and obey" everyone said in chorus.
" In regards to the investigation of the Ming Family Sons by the Imperial Court, they were found guilty and the charges are as follows
Tax evasion, h.o.a.rding of goods, illegal means of business, bribing the officials, colluding with criminals.
The investigation has revealed the two sons, Ming Lushen and Ming Fengshen as the perpetrators with definite proof. Their punishment is as follows,
The aforementioned will be stripped of their t.i.tles as n.o.bles and their hair will be cut. The aforementioned along with their wives will serve the n.o.ble families in the Southern province as servants and will be treated as such.
The Head of the Ming family Ming Liuchen, for his inability to teach his sons properly will be stripped off his t.i.tle as the Head of the Ming Family. All the a.s.sets of the Ming family are seized as of today.
The legal son Ming Yushen greatly aided in the investigation and helped with the investigation for the sake of the subjects without demanding exemption from his brothers" crime. Ming Yushen also protected the Emperor from a.s.sa.s.sins. As a reward to his loyalty to the throne and the emperor, the Port Faling is awarded to him. Also he will be appointed as the new Head of the n.o.ble Ming household."
Xing sighed in relief. Good thing no one died. A smile grew in her face looking at the Emperor standing tall. He is fine and he kept his word.
" What are you smiling at?", Chenglie asked irritatingly. His woman is ignoring him and smiling at his brother like a mesmerised girl!
" You are still here? Don"t disturb, I"m watching", Xing said with a frown.
Chenglie retreated with a sulky expression.
The people thanked the Emperor for his wise decision. With this the Emperor left with his guards.
Another announcement was made of the formation of Ministry of Salt with Fa Donghai as the Minister. The edict also stated the wages for the workers will be ten percent more than the wages now and everything will be supervised by the government. Overall people were happy that the government has finally decided to act.
In the roof Xing was pleased by everything. She forgot about the sulky handsome man sitting beside her and watched the Ming brother"s hair being cut . In their nation only n.o.bles are allowed to have long hair. Cutting it would be an ultimate shame. But they deserved it and more.
Haru was taken to doc.u.ment the change of owners.h.i.+p and other government procedures . The brothers were cursing Haru that he betrayed them, but they were awarded twenty lashes each for slandering a n.o.ble. She was immersed in the drama happening below when she felt a warm breath by her ears and a deep, warm voice spoke in her ears, " My little moon! How long are you going to let me suffer? Or do you want me to beg?".
Xing gasped in surprise. She looked at the handsome face inches away from her and she can"t hold any longer. He did come back for her. Finally…. She touched his face by her hands, " My prince..", before she could continue, her lips were covered by his lips. Xing closed her eyes, while his hand was placed by the nape of her neck and he deepened the kiss. This kiss is different from all those times the girls kissed her. By the time he pulled his lips away from her, she was lying on his arms, while he was lying on his side, resting on his elbow and his other hand on her waist.
" I wanted to do this the day I met you ", he said smiling looking at her face flushed red.
"Really! Wasn"t I a little child when I met you?"
" Well, I wasn"t. But what happened to that little beauty mark just above your upper lip?", he asked tracing his index finger over her cheek.
" I paint makeup over it. For some reason everyone stare at it"
" Hmmm, that"s good. Everytime I look at it it was not easy to stop myself from kissing you in the past."
" You"ve gone weird and you say unusual things. Clearly time has made you a different person! ", she pushed him away and sat back.
"I was always like this regarding you. But you were so little back then. So I refrained myself", he said in a low whisper in her ears.
" That"s enough, pervert! Now tell me, have you finished what you had to do?
" Not really"
" Then why are you here? Are you here to protect your brother?Are you going back leaving me again?", she asked with her disappointment visible in her face.
"I"ve come to make you mine", he whispered in her ears which made her redden. "Also the thing I had to do is not going anywhere. I can take care of it later.",he said with a distant look.
There it is, the don"t ask me anything further tone,Xing pursed her lips.
" I met the Emperor yesterday"
" Hmm"
"Really! Is that all you say? Hmm? He seems like a good man"
"He is"
" He asked about you"
"Hmm"
"He wants to handover the throne to you", she said in a raised voice as she got mad by his indifference.
" I know", he replied nonchalantly.
" Ok, that"s it", she hit him hard in his arms, " What"s with you? What"s with this att.i.tude of yours? When will you say what"s in your heart to others? Don"t you love him? Why haven"t you even told him you are alive yet? You disappeared on me for ten years too. Speak your mind", she gave an angry stare.
" What would I tell him? It is better this way. He doesn"t have to know about me. Let"s go".
Really, this girl! When has he cared more about anybody else than her? She is the only person for him, others are just secondary.
" I"m not going anywhere with you. I"m angry at you" she pouted.
" Come on.. Please Don"t give me that face. Tell me what you want"
" You made me wait for ten years and then suddenly appear. What happened to you in the past? Why wouldn"t you tell me anything? What is that you needed to do?"
"I"m sorry. I"m sorry I left you for so long. I"m sorry I couldn"t even write you. I"ll do anything to make up for it. What would you want me do. I"ll do it.",he said holding her braided hair in his hand.
"Go meet your brother. I know you are hiding in plain sight and you"ll be protecting him from the shadows but he needs to know the truth. That guy cried in front of a stranger talking about you. You should take responsibility".
" Is he being a crybaby still?",he chuckled, "Fine I"ll tell him later. Now let"s go to your mother"
"No, go now and I"ll be watching", she said in a firm tone.
" Fine", he said, " I"ll go now" and he sighed. Why is she this interested in his brother?
Xing gave a victorious smile. She then searched for Haru and his bride. She found them under a tree.
"Are you coming to greet Haru?", she asked Chenglie.
He shook his head, "Later", he said,. He"d been in contact with Haru for years and she cannot know about it. It will hurt her for sure.
"OK, I"ll be right back", she said and jumped from the roof and walked towards Haru without knowing Chenglie"s eyes following her.
"So what"s the plan?", she asked Haru clapping his back.
"You look unusually happy", Haru pushed away her hand.
"Good things happened today, so why wouldn"t I, Lord Ming?"
"Ewww! Please never call me that. It is creepy when you do. Also he is back isn"t he?"
" How do you know? Have you already met him?"
"No, but I saw him. Also tonight is my wedding with Shurei. Since he"s here, bring him along and try to drag mother too. Also, from today on we both can enter through the main gate.",he laughed," Also, I"ll prepare female clothes for you today. "
" Congratulations Haru! You know, you deserve everything. I wish you all happiness. Also when will you stop clothing me? Shouldn"t you take care more care of your wife?"
" Her clothes are also prepared by me. Also I"ll never stop making clothes for you. I"m even going to open clothing stores soon"
Hua Shurei came to Xing and bowed, " I heard you talked to the Emperor for him. I can"t express my grat.i.tude enough for accepting me as his wife. Please accept this gift, although it is not valuable"
" No need, no need", Xing waved her hands, " We are brothers, we help each other. I"ll accept your gift. But don"t treat me like a mother in law. ",she then got the handkerchief Shurei personally embroidered. There were red peonies embroidered in a white silk cloth. The peonies looked alive. Xing said with amus.e.m.e.nt, "Haru look, she did this in a day. She"s so talented. I can"t do this even if I tried my entire life. You should ask her help for your business of making clothes too. Your business will really benefit from her."
"You are praising me too much", she said blus.h.i.+ng.
"Well she"s not exaggerating when she said she can"t do it her entire lifetime.", Haru laughed, "This one cannot even sew a straight line even if her life is dependent on it".
Xing who was mocked said, " Shurei, there is a rumour that the bride who kiss me before their wedding will have an heir in a year. Want to try?" and winked at her.
Haru immediately grabbed Shurei"s hand, "Let"s get away from this pervert", he said and dragged the blus.h.i.+ng Shurei away. Xing shook her head laughing.
Xing then looked for Chenglie and walked towards him. She told him to meet his brother in the mountains so she could watch. She then went and sat on a tall tree near the emperor"s camp where she saw the lonely figure of the emperor with his casual look leaning on a tree trunk.