LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

This world is so partial, Feiye thought, I am the one who got hit and he is the one being treated.

AoTian was sitting in the chair and was trying to put his brain around everything that happened that day.

It was an usual day with him dealing with the court officials in the morning and supervising the Emperor if he had done his work and later he had to delegate duties for the "Imperial Spring Banquet". Even though the Emperor wanted a simple banquet with the officials, AoTian planned for the grander banquet with all the n.o.ble families attending. The last time this banquet was conducted was before the previous Emperor became sick. Usually this banquet was a means to expand the inner palace and n.o.ble families used this banquet to get marriage alliances for their daughters. Ever since the news spread about the banquet , the n.o.bles were happy and the crisis that was about to happen was diverted as everyone wanted to prepare their daughters to enter the inner palace.

The Emperor"s approval! Well! Rijun has to take care of it!

So overall today was a great day and AoTian was happy and he picked up Rijun on his way back home.

I have a good life, he thought, my son is diligent in everything he does and is not frivolous like other young master"s and bring me no troubles although I don"t mind if he was a bit open. He used to be a sunny child but because he listened to all those rumours around him, he had become gloomy and meticulous. The only one he opens up is to that Emperor as both are peas in a pod. If only he gets a kind girl for him to marry, my worries would lessen. I and tried hard to a.s.sure him but he is still not accepting me completely. Well! As long as he is happy, I will be happy too. And that other one too, he got serious about being the Emperor now for some reason and if only he takes women, he will be settled too.

Then he suddenly thought of his second brother whom he haven"t met for a while, even though they were neighbours.So he came to his Manor along with his son and that"s when he saw that girl.

He had never spared a second glance at any woman other than Mingling and that girl was different. In the light of the setting sun, her hair looked spectacular like a rising sun itself. She seemed to be holding something and she was too close with Shengli..? I"ve never seen him with a woman before!

He was shocked to see that familiar magpies embroidered on her clothes. He still has those silk handkerchiefs Mingling would give him all embroidered with magpies saying they are a symbol of good fortune and he could identify his Mingling"s unique embroidery anywhere. As he stepped closer, he realised the clothes were the same ones he gave MingLing years back. It was the first expensive gift MingLing accepted from him and he had searched high and low to choose this dress. But why is she wearing it? Also the thing she was holding, is it really the same phoenix hairpin he gave MingLing? And she is in my brother"s house? Brother is acting weird, he knows something.. Wait.. She told him she was his daughter right? Right? And why do I have no doubts in what she is saying? I"ve always known something was not right when Ming Ling disappeared that year, just before I wrote the imperial court exams. I searched high and low for her but to no avail and all this time, she was hiding from me? She even hid our child from me? Oh MingLing! Why did you do that?

AoTian looked down at the girl crouching beside him and gently applying medicine to his hands. Her thick eyelashes was covering her eyes and he could see that she was very beautiful and serene. How could I"d have made such a beautiful person? Then realisation hit him and he felt bad about the way he previously acted.

I acted like a hooligan! She would have thought I am a bad man! Oh No! What should I do? I appeared to only care about her mother and didn"t even say a word to her. And she is calling my brother Uncle but calls me Lord Huang.Shouldn"t I be called "father"? She must have gotten scared of me seeing me act that way. She even said she hated me! After all women are gentle right? I should let her know she shouldn"t be scared of me or hate me...

Without knowing he was patting her head.

Xing looked at her father with her eyes as dark as obsidian and it had gentleness in it, "Lord Huang! Does it hurt too much?", she asked.

Her father"s hands had no calluses like Shengli"s or Haru"s or her hand. Guess he does not practice any martial arts.

"Father", he said and Xing looked at him surprised, "You should call me father", he continued and Xing could see the tenderness in his eyes and she felt her heart squeeze in happiness.

This feeling is good!

"Yes, Father", she said beaming and AoTian smiled in content. Rijun who was seeing everything showed no expression in his face as if it does not concern him.

AoTian asked Feiye who just finished applying medicine with the help of his servant, " So, second brother! Care to explain? "

Feiye sent all the servants out and took a deep breath.

"I found Jia Xing the day she was born with her mother and I knew she was your child", Feiye paused sensing AoTian"s glare.

" Still, you told me she was dead seventeen years back?... Why? I trusted you.. ", AoTian spoke gritting his teeth holding back his urge to punch him.

Feiye was surprised to see his brother holding back his anger and explained his meeting with MingLing that day.

" So just because she asked, you lied to me? You thought I couldn"t handle both family and politics too?", AoTian asked.

Feiye sighed and contemplated if he should tell everything to everyone and decided for it.

"AoTian you didn"t attend the banquet that year since you were home sick", he then explained everything that happened in that banquet that day - that Elder Shu"s words and the Emperor"s reaction.

"So you decided by yourself..", before AoTian finished, Feiye cut him off, "If I told you, you would have gone straight to the Emperor and would have told the truth and would have ended up killing.."

"I have no idea why you all think of this way of the previous Emperor. He was misunderstood. He really had a good heart. He never would have hurt me or my child!", AoTian interrupted and said in a firm tone.

Shengli snorted,

How foolish of you!

Feiye shook his head in disbelief as he had personally received the previous Emperor"s decree to eliminate all children who were born that day and everyone who knew about it. If the Emperor had known that day, the child was from the Huang family and if it was someone else who found MingLing and her daughter that day and decided to inform the Emperor, he would have exterminated the entire Huang family.

How naive you are little brother!

Xing was listening to everyone and she couldn"t understand everything, "So just because an old man rambled something, an Emperor sent an army to kill a child and my mother had to hide? Wow! This really is a weird place!". No wonder mother was against me meeting people from this place!

Rijun was surprised to hear all the stories too. He had heard the previous Emperor was ruthless but he didn"t know to what extent. He only knew the Emperor never had any good opinion about his Imperial father and never talked about him.

Also she is the one who was supposed to be raised in his place? Everything he received was supposed to be received by her? She is his father"s blood and the young miss of his Manor.. Then what is his place? Rijun"s expression fell but he pretended to be fine as always.

Xing noticed the odd expression of Rijun and wondered what he might be feeling. Looking at him, she kind of missed Haru.

"What"s the use in talking about the past? What are you going to do?", Shengli asked AoTian.

"What"s there to talk about? Of course my daughter will be living with me. I mean, all of this is sudden and we don"t even have maids in our Manor and other preparations to be made which would require some time,probably a week or.. ", AoTian spoke in a panicked way making Rijun surprised. The Prime Minister of this kingdom who easily pacifies greater problems, panics to arrange for a girl"s stay in his Manor. He felt unfathomable emotions. I know I should be happy father had found his daughter, but why am I feeling this way? Father had never treated me badly, in fact I would probably be the best treated son in this entire kingdom, still...

"Xiao Tian, calm down! She will stay here for a couple of weeks and you make all the arrangements in your Manor. She is my niece and I will take care of her properly", Feiye spoke a.s.suredly as he knew his brother had been dumped too many truths this day and it will take some time for his brain to register.

"With him?", AoTian pointed at Shengli. He had always found him an eyesore.

Xing could see the strong feelings her father had towards Shengli and wondered why.

"Father, I"ve known Shengli for long and with him here I feel safe. Also he is an important person in my life. I hope father understands", Xing spoke her heart making AoTian dumbstruck.

With him you feel safe? Important person? Do you know what kind of person he is?

"Also one more thing, father", Xing continued after AoTian nodded in approval,

"Mother asked me to find you and I am happy I was able to find you this soon. And I don"t want Táng Jia Xing to be known as the Prime Minister"s daughter", she looked at her father who was surprised.

"Why?", he asked. Is she ashamed to join our family?

"It"s just that, Father, I had lived a complicated and fulfilling life back there and I cannot leave everything to suddenly become a n.o.ble lady trapped inside a courtyard", Xing said firmly with no reservations surprising everyone around her except Shengli. His girl has already made her plans it seems!

" Complicated life?", AoTian asked confused. His thoughts went to the moon and back.

" Father, I don"t know how much you know, but back in my village, I was called Lord Táng and..."

" Lord Táng? You... Lord Táng?", it was Rijun who shouted in surprise. He"s been hearing earful about this Lord Táng from the Emperor these days and it is supposed to be his sister?

Feiye was shocked and looked at Shengli who was calm and only then he believed. But how did no one know anything about the Crimson Jade Brothers till now in the capital? Of course they must have offended many trying to help the common people and caught some dangerous and curious eyes. Just how could someone control the gossips in the city this much?

AoTian remembered what Huojin had talked about Lord Táng previously and wondered how such a beautiful girl can be described as such and also the Emperor who directly spoke with Lord Táng is no fool to differentiate genders. Did he misunderstand something?

" You.. But Lord Táng is a male with many women and good sword skill and... "

"Rijun!", AoTian stopped Rijun who cannot hide his shock , "So... You are saying you were the one who met with the Emperor and spoke about the Ming family also one of the vigilantes who stopped the a.s.sault on the Emperor?"

"Yes, it"s true. I"m surprised the Emperor still remembers that", Xing said indifferently. And that guy asked me to write the exams too! Will he remember that too! Hope I never have to meet him again.

"Remember... ? You are all he talks about", Rijun mumbled and gave an awkward look at his surprised father. AoTian also remembered how the Emperor always teased him to give him his daughter and felt uneasy. What kind of situation is this?

Oh heck! Guess that guy has no friends or work. Why is he still remembering me? Should I go back to the village?