Xing was carried by the Elephant "Littly" while the Emperor was beside her in a horse with the Earth Emperor and his Guard leading them.Xing saw everyone moving aside giving them way. "Well, which Emperor could get such a regal welcome in a foreign country when they are undercover?" Xing had a smug look in her face thinking how amazing she is when the Emperor just was in deep thoughts. He felt like the Earth Emperor is having some hidden thoughts that might be not all good so he felt the need to be more vigilant unlike the one riding the elephant who is just sightseeing with a smug face!
The Earth Emperor advised his guards to pay for the damages caused by the Royal Elephant to those shopkeepers from his personal accounts and also asked the handler of the elephant who had absconded at the sign of trouble from the elephant to be found and punished accordingly.
Xing who was watching all that found that Earth Emperor to be a just person. As an Emperor he need not go this far as to spend his own money to pay for the damages his pet made. Usually they use the public fund for that... Or leave it to the people to figure it out themselves...
The Earth Kingdom was warmer than their Wind kingdom and so their clothing style suited their warm climate and they mostly wore thin, light clothes in vibrant colours and the entire place looked colourful and vibrant that would make anyone"s spirit lifted.
As they entered the Imperial Palace as extravagant and almost with the same architecture as their Imperial Palace, they were brought straight to the Imperial Study.
The Elephant left only after the Earth Emperor promised him that he"ll definitely be take good care of the guests.
Just as he was talking to the elephant, the Empress came to greet the Emperor with the Crown Prince who was currently carried by a maid and the Emperor went to her side to greet her.
Somehow the Empress looked like she had a lot against the Emperor..!
Xing looked at the little boy who looked somewhat alike to the Emperor with his red hair and green eyes and bit her lips to keep herself from blabbering the biggest secret she had found out about their kingdom.
How could this be? This is a secret enough to overthrow this Empire! What made them take the choices they had made..?
But! This is great in a way, she thought. If nothing else works, I have found the right material for blackmailing.
Xing looked closely at the Earth Emperor again with a scrutinising look a.n.a.lysing each and everything about him and found out about the biggest, greatest secret he is hiding and what she found odd about him... A secret of this magnitude...! Wow!
Xing could not hide the smirk in her face and the Emperor who noted it wondered what she had found out just by a glance at the Empress and the Crown Prince together with the Earth Emperor.
He worried for a moment what that smirk of her would bring about but soon his heart calmed as he knew what she does always ends up helping them!
The Crown Prince trotted toward Xing who was standing close to the elephant suddenly and pulled her cape that she was still wearing. He just turned one and he wasn"t that good at walking but he refused anyone"s help to hold him and tried to walk in his own.
What a proud Prince! Xing"s lips curled up.
"What is it, your highness? ", Xing squatted down in front of that little Prince with the gentlest smile she had. She was always weak against little kids.
The crown Prince who could not speak well, just pulled the hood of her cape down, revealing the beautiful golden locks of her.
" Dada ", he said pointing her hair and fell on the ground on his knees making Xing surprised.
Is this little Prince trying to kneel in front of me?
She picked that little Prince up and showed him to the Emperor who was in deep discomfort seeing the Emperor and the Empress of the Earth Kingdom being polite but not polite with each other.
"See Kouki, kids are cute, aren"t they? Make some of your own"
The Emperor looked at the child and went to deep thoughts and Xing could not understand what was going through his mind neither did she try to understand.
Xing held that child close to her and the sweet scent of the little child mixed with the smell of milk made her senses go numb.
Oh, how wonderful it would be to have one of these little ones in your home... With the one you love...! How wonderful it will be!
But I can"t!
Xing pa.s.sed the little Prince to the maid and the Earth Emperor and the Empress got to them and the Empress gave a polite bow to Xing and the Emperor and she was really short and very beautifully cute.
Such a beautiful girl inside and out! She really has her reasons to hate her Emperor, doesn"t she? But what is that known smile in her face? Does she know me? By the way why did the maids let some unknown person touch the crown prince? Well...
Xing who was in deep thoughts was invited in the study by the Earth Emperor
Xing found it odd for the Earth Emperor leading her inside the inner room of the study and keep the Emperor outside in the reception area with that burly guard.
But he seemed like he had something important to say and Xing turned at the burly guard, "Do. Not. Lay. A. Finger. On. Him".
We do not want the Emperor hurt!
The Emperor was against the idea of her going inside with the Emperor but Xing wasn"t scared and a.s.sured him with a gesture. She was pretty sure she can overcome the Earth Emperor even without a sword if the situation goes south.
The burly guard wasn"t that convinced of letting his Emperor alone with another, "Your Majesty... I...", he tried to talk to the Emperor ignoring what Xing said.
"Oh, cut it out, Yi Kwan! I"ll scream if I need help!", the Earth Emperor said and lead the way for Xing and she followed.
The moment Xing entered in, the Earth Emperor"s face went cold and Xing took a deep breath to face the music.
OK! What is this about!
"You are not Ming Yushen. I met him a week ago and he definitely didn"t have golden hair. But... "
Before he finished, Xing snorted right in his face, "You are right I am not Ming Yushen.. I"m.."
"You are Lord Táng, his friend... Am I right?"
"Pfft!", Xing could not hold her laughter. She was about to tell the truth but if that"s what he thinks, then so be it... It is not wrong!
"Am I wrong? Ming Yushen said that with the turbulence in your Wind Kingdom, you"ll definitely come here for asking the support of our Kingdom. Is that why you are here?", he had a "I got you" face.
Stupid Haru! How did he know? Am I that predictable? Xing cussed Haru in her mind.
"If that"s why I"m here, are you willing to hear me then?", Xing asked the one with his back straight and his green eyes fixed on her with confidence.
"No... Why should I involve my people in your war?"
"Because they will come for you too... Some of the lands in the other side of the Quingze River belongs to the tribes too"
"We cannot spare our military.."
"We don"t need your military.."
"What do you need then.."
"Trade Agreements..."
"Ha ha ha", the Earth Emperor laughed. "But first, let"s talk about you... Are those rumours about you true?"
"What rumours?", Xing pursed her lips. There are plenty of rumours about her.
"That you are a playboy... You kiss really well... ". The atmosphere turned ambiguous in a moment as the Emperor removed his outer coat and hanged it on the chair nearby.
"Oookaaay! Stop right there your majesty!", Xing waved her hand, "Can I tell you something first...? The similarity between the both of us...?"
The Earth Emperor is under the impression that I am a male, right? Let"s break that bubble!
"How are we two similar?", the Emperor took a step forward, "I"m an Emperor, you are a good swordsman, a playboy, a good gambler, an avid fan of wine,.."
"The best ... I"m not just good... I"m the best", Xing smirked and took a step forward.