LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

This Empress! This golden-spooned, privileged daughter of Huang AoTian...! Does she know what war does to the Treasury? WAR COSTS Money!!! A LOT OF IT!!! We are barely getting by lately and now a war..? How wasteful!

Minister Sheng as the finance minister worried about the finances and mumbled under his breath and left shaking his sleeves in anger. Minister Zai who had his wish for a war granted left the place with complicated emotions. He was wondering what made the Great General to call him personally the day before he pa.s.sed away to tell him to look after the Empress particularly along with other things like to believe in his second son. He thought how good could a Huang Lady be? But this Empress doesn"t seem like an ordinary lady and he decided to observe her closely to find out what made the Great General to ask of him that as a promise.

"Father, drink the soup... Wait... Don"t! It has gone cold. I"ll take it back and make something else for you another day. Bye", Xing gave an awkward grin and turned to leave.

"Your Highness!", AoTian gritted his teeth.

Xing shuddered, "Oh, Father! Only you can address someone respectfully yet make them shudder in fright!"

"Lord Zhong! Accompany me to the Imperial Study... His Majesty wanted to meet you", Xing just lied through her teeth. In fact she wanted to talk to Seiren and escape her father"s lecture, of course.

"Sure, your highness!", Seiren played along.

"Take that pet of yours with you... Tsk... I have to clean my office now... The troubles you bring...", AoTian grumbled looking at Mo Chen who was cleaning his blood-stained paws with his tongue.

Is she sure having this beast around is not dangerous? AoTian wondered but he could not hide his proud grin seeing her walking along the predator as if it was some imported house cat.

My daughter is the most amazing one!

He turned at Rijun, "You couldn"t keep your sister away?"

"You know her, father! She never listens..", Rijun scratched the back of his head.

AoTian sighed knowing that the entire court is going to blame his daughter for starting the war. No one is going to realise that they won"t be sending Envoys for peace with their soldiers in position, except the military officials, of course! Oh, Uncle Yingjie! Why did you leave me alone in such a tough situation..? You even told me that the kids will take care of it! Aren"t they just bringing more trouble?

Xing got out of her father"s office with complicated emotions. If everything had went the way she wanted, she wouldn"t have been bothered with this war at all and went and be happy with "her prince" where the war didn"t reach. But now she had to be in the eye of the storm but she has to get through it. After everything is over, after the storm pa.s.ses, a peaceful life with her man will be waiting for her. Xing be strong!

Xing took a deep breath and watched Seiren walking in front of her and joined him, "My condolences for your loss and I"m sorry I did 0 not attend the funeral.. "

" You should be... You used my father"s word for it just because it suit your needs ... Hmpf! To think my father loved you more than his own sons..", Seiren sighed hearing the voice of his idiotic brother who is bitter because he didn"t get to become the Head of their family.

Zhong Huojin didn"t stop there, " Look how you are! The moment you hear Shengli is dead, you married his brother and played your cards to become the Empress... No one believed me before when I said you are a vile woman and here you are... proving my point... And still everyone trusts you. I know you were the one who made my father reject me as the head of out family! ", he snorted and looked at his brother accusingly.

Xing took a deep breath and didn"t know what to do with this special kind of idiot who can not keep his mouth close to hide his smartness! She knew couples who love each other deeply start to share each other"s characteristics over time. But isn"t he getting too much like a woman in his verbal insults?

"General Zhong", Xing grinned at him stopping Mo Chen who was about to "speak" his mind and stopped Seiren from speaking at the same time,

" Are you that bothered that your wife won"t be the next Lady Zhong or is that you are too s.e.xually frustrated within days of mourning?", she smirked.

Seiren clicked his tongue at his brother"s stupidity! Will he ever learn?

"You...!", Huojin tried to retort when Xing"s expression got menacing and her eyes got cold and her expression angry,

"Who"s there..? Get General Zhong to the punishment chamber and give him twenty las.h.i.+ngs for disrespecting the Empress!", she spoke in a loud clear voice that made two soldiers come and grab him.

Xing was surprised by Huojin. She knew that Oldman had asked him to choose between his choice of woman as his wife or the position of the head of Zhong family and Huojin chose MingXue. So how could he blame her for coercing that Oldman? She also didn"t like to be constantly being bashed by everyone. She is not a pushover! With the Oldman gone, he would have no face left with her. Her policy is always the same... Be good to me, I"ll good to you, or else....

Huojin got petrified by the one standing in front of him. She never has minded what he spoke to her before and why is she doing this now? It"s not the las.h.i.+ngs that will be bad but if the information is spread, his reputation as the n.o.ble elder son of the Great General would be ruined to dust.

Huojin looked at his brother for his support but Seiren just shook his head and left making Huojin lost for words.

Seiren was still angry at the fuzz his big brother created at their home for not giving them the newest courtyard in their Manor which his father prepared for Seiren exclusively, making their mother faint of anger.

That sister-in-law is terrible! And brother listens to her too much!

Xing who didn"t know the family issues they had was surprised to see Seiren leave too, "Seiren, you are supposed to threaten me and save your brother, for the sake of your family", she advised him.

Xing just wanted to scare Huojin so that he knows her position now and not mess with her again and to not actually punish him. She cannot ruin the Old man"s reputation by saying he didn"t raise his son right!

Seiren only realised that after she mentioned and turned to her and bowed, "Your highness, he won"t be much useful being hurt with war approaching"

The guards didn"t know what to do with everything happening in front of them.

"Are you threatening me , Lord Zhong?", Xing faked her anger and waved the guards to let Huojin go and walked in larger strides and Seiren followed her after the guards disappeared from their side and his brother went away with his face red with anger and embarra.s.sment.

"He died peacefully... My father... He even had a smile in his face when we found him. He seemed to have had a heart attack suddenly", Seiren told Xing. He knew she"d be wondering about that. He in fact had no qualms in her not attending his father"s funeral as he knew his father must have had a reason to ask that of her and she"d have attended the funeral otherwise.

"Oh, good then..", Xing sank into deep thoughts, "Was anything weird..?", she asked because she was curious, "Never mind! ", she dismissed the idea of asking him immediately as she knew it would only hurt the grieving family more.

" Our Physician said father might have taken medicine to induse heart failure...", he paused seeing her perplexed," But there was no one else in the room,... Although.. Nothing... ",he was about to tell her something but decided against it.

"Although what...? Seiren... Tell me", she stopped and pulled his sleeves.

"Father"s sword... It was placed in front of him on the table... But..."

"But..?"

"The hilt of the sword was to his left. It looked weird and I was the only one who noticed it too..."

Xing was surprised. She knew everyone places the hilt near to their dominant hand so it would be easy to unsheath the sword under emergencies. So why was the hilt to his left unless... Someone placed it that way in front of him... But if Seiren can say for sure that no one else was in his study, then... Someone who could disappear...? Master Yuan, maybe?

"Milord, it is fine! He"d have tough days if he lived any longer anyway! You know my father, he is so prideful he"d die on his own terms rather than living miserably", Seiren a.s.sured her seeing her in deep thoughts. He believed everyrhunf is for the better too.

Xing nodded in agreement. That seems more like the Oldman! That prideful Oldman! Rest well, Oldman!

"He is not dead, right...? Huang Shengli...?", Seiren asked her making Xing surprised.

"What made you think so?" she asked Seiren who looked like a pure flower in those white robes.

"Well, for one... You are still alive! And another.... You are still inside the inner palace! Both won"t happen if something had really happened to him", Seiren smiled slightly at her and Xing didn"t know what to think of him and how well he knows her. Why isn"t his brother that dumb while he is this smart?

Seeing her being silent confirmed Seiren"s speculation, " So this commotion you created... It is obviously deliberate... Making sure to offend the Envoys making them hate you and start the war... So what have you planned?"

Xing smirked knowing how well Seiren knows her. He truly is worthy to be called her enemy...

" You are thinking too highly of me Seiren... But I will need your help in one thing... So.. "

" What ", Seiren asked. It is odd for her to ask him for help.

When Xing told Seiren of her plans, his eyes widened with surprise, "You sure are crazy!", he covered his mouth with his hands.

"So can you do it?", Xing raised her eyebrows in antic.i.p.ation.

"I"ll try", Seiren replied and both Xing and Seiren went back on their way with Xing followed by Mo Chen.