As they went closer to the southern borders there was heavy rain and the roads he"d all become mushy and they had to switch to a simple carriage to travel.When they reached the battlefield a thick stench of medicines and blood entered Xing"s nose despite the muddy smell from the constant rain. The dry lands that hadn"t seen rain for years that used to be cracked now looked like a mushy swamp.
The Emperor"s carriage went in the front and he was received by the military officials and the generals who were present.
When Xing stepped foot on the ground she was creeped out by the irky voice she had almost forgotten for a long time... The one person she used to hate a lot. .. Turns out she still hates him!
"Your Highness! May you live a thousand years",Lord Chu bowed in front of her.
Xing who was covered with a veil rolled her eyes freely and sighed. Isn"t the entire Chu family supposed to die? Why is he still alive?
"Your Highness! May you live a thousand years" another sweet voice like wind chimes distracted her from the murderous thoughts Xing had at the moment.
Xing turned to look at the source of that voice to see a maiden so fair as snow with eyes like a doe and cheeks bushed pink of embarra.s.sment like a pomegranate and her dark brown hair was done in an unmarried girl"s hairdo fixed with gold hairpins that added to her beauty and she was wearing a peach coloured Hanfu that complimented her snow white skin tone.
"He... He ... Your highness! This is my elder daughter Chu Weiye... I brought her here to help your highness in your stay here...", Lord Chu said bowing and Xing wanted to hit hard in that bald head that was facing her.
How could he bring such a beautiful flower to this b.l.o.o.d.y warfield? Does he not care that the ones with Chu blood are getting sick and dying?
Then Xing realised what this lowly filth of a father is planning. He knew that the Emperor would be here and to get his daughter get good exposure to the Emperor, he is trying to fix her with the Empress.
r.e.t.a.r.ded filth! To further his agenda, he is putting his daughter"s life at risk! But how could he had made such a beautiful daughter?
Lord Chu is at a bind too. He had lost everything to a brat in one day. Not only that his reputation among his peers was also ruined by that Lord Táng and no one in the East is respecting him. He has to be constantly fearing that if the truth about his loss of all his properties will be outed. So now he is in a dire need to find good alliances for his daughters to have a good life and also to elevate his status. Who is better for that purpose than the son of Heavens himself?
"Your Highness, Lord Chu has helped our military by sending food supplies", one of the generals there on her protection squad, sang his praise.
Xing looked at Lord Chu through the thin white veil if he refuses that general but was disappointed. He kept his silence.
Xing got furious... this tactless, lying b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Not only did he bring his adorable daughter here to pimp her out, he has to lie too. Filth!
Seeing Xing talking to Lord Chu, the Emperor walked towards them.
"We heard the food supplies were sent by the Lord of NanCheng! Are we wrong? ", Xing asked in an accusing tone and could see Lord Chu"s face turn paler than her veil.
The Emperor seconded her and Lord Chu fell on his knees on behalf of the general who didn"t know better and ran his mouth.
While this was happening, Xing looked at the Emperor from the corner of her eye as he was staring at Chu Weiye for a good minute before averting his gaze.
This is good, right? Xing thought. I have always thought that Chu Weiye would be a good match for the Emperor. What are the odds that she is here right when I need her, especially after the incident in the carriage the other day? She was happy!
What the Emperor was thinking looking at Chu Weiye was more different and accurate than Xing who thinks nothing worse of beautiful soft-spoken women. She always is a sucker for those types of women and overlook their real characteristics.
What the Emperor saw was a woman who is smarter than she let others believe she is, who had deep desires of advancing in the society by all means. At one look he could figure her inside out. Those desires of advancing may be taught by her father but still, she is hiding her true feelings under the mask of naivety... A characteristic he doesn"t agree with much!
Xing brought Chu Weiye with her to the tent that they had built especially for the stay of the Emperor and waited for him to arrive. Xing had decided to make love bloom between the Emperor and Chu Weiye using this opportunity so that when she leaves, she will become the actual Empress of the Wind Kingdom.
The Emperor went to visit the commander"s tent the first thing and had a look at the strategies and tactics they are using and to gather newer information about the tribes.
When he returned to his tent, he saw Chu Weiye with Xing and he didn"t have to be a mindreader to know her thoughts.
She wants to set me up with this girl!
Chu Weiye helped serve the refreshments prepared for them and Xing purposely let some tea spill on her and left the tent with Bai Li to give the Emperor and Weiye some privacy.
"Chu Weiye, I brought you with me not to Serve me but to accompany me. Since I cannot entertain the Emperor, I"d appreciate if you would do so in my stead", Xing said with a gentle smile.
The Emperor could understand her statement filled with deep meaning. She really wants to push this girl to be the Empress.
Chu Weiye refused at first and reluctantly agreed since Xing insisted and her watery eyes focused on the Emperor for his approval. Since there was no refusal from him, Chu Weiye considered his silence as acceptance and stayed and Xing left with a victorious smile.
Xing was no fool. Although she really liked the innocent look of Chu Weiye, she could sense she is ambitious too. She did notice the small curve in her lips when she suggested her to entertain the Emperor. But being ambitious is not a very bad thing... She was also quick-witted and smart to understand the cues and act accordingly. She"d definitely make a good empress.
Also Xing had never seen the Emperor sparing a glance at any woman for more than a second till now. He must have some attraction towards her to look at her for that long, right?
In the tent, the Emperor was watching Chu Weiye carefully preparing tea and she served him along with some pastries she claimed to have made herself.
Through out the whole time, he saw that girl sparing a glance at him and blus.h.i.+ng red each time she did making the Emperor wonder if it is even humanly possible to change the colour of a face this much!
She can be considered a beauty! He thought. But being in the presence of Mingxia for long would make anyone immune to beauty and anyone would pale in comparison with her.
He saw her immersed in preparing tea and wanted to know how far Chu Weiye would go to try to seduce him. He extended his hand towards her cheek that were now blushed red by the sudden arrival of his hands near her face.
She flinched a bit when he tried to touch her as if she is not comfortable with him touching her.
The Emperor retreated his hands with a slight snort, "She knows what she wants and at least she has limits unlike those other women in the palace who are just like dolls!"
"You can accompany the Empress now", he pointed at the door and Chu Weiye left after giving the Emperor a curtsey.
The Emperor leaned on the back of the chair in deep thoughts.
Compared to other women he knows this one does seem better. But is it possible for me to fall in love with her?
Although he could not hate weiye"s character much, he doesn"t love it either. But for someone like him who could compromise a bit, she does seem like a better option.
So should I try to accept her?
The Emperor kind of understood why Xing is pus.h.i.+ng Weiye towards him. She doesn"t want to take any chance with the relations.h.i.+p between them and she wants him to take a woman and start a family to put her mind at ease.
Also her father doesn"t have much influence in the court and outside too, so giving her the t.i.tle of the Empress won"t be bad and won"t cause much future conflict. All in all her selection is always feasible, isn"t it?
I should find a way to accept her. I don"t like her but I don"t hate her either. That"s good, right? Yes, That would be better for everyone!