LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

They"ve been back for a couple of weeks and the Emperor was telling her how the military officers want to go on a war campaign with their Empress leading them and it is an important topic everyday in their court and Xing just shook her head. These are all the things that she tried to avoid. Just because they are strong doesn"t mean they should go on expanding their kingdom.

First they have to strengthen their own economy and help their citizens who are too poor that they have to sell their children to traffickers and slavery, to have food on their table. Then they"ll have to look for those who break the laws and work against the interest of the nation both inside and outside the court to keep the kingdom safe in the long run. Afterall the worst enemies are the ones within the kingdom and not outside and one"s house must be in order first.

General Zhong Huojin asked for an audience and he politely bowed to Xing and the Emperor after submitting the memorial for the compensation and welfare fund of the soldiers who had died protecting the nation.

"Your Highness!", General Zhong bowed to Xing and Xing could see his face a bit swollen in one cheek and didn"t mind it much.

"My mother hit me...", he said rubbing his cheek, "My mother was informed of the words I told you when I thought my brother was dead and my mother hit me. She asked me to kneel in front of you to apologise for even suggesting..."

"No need! General Zhong Huojin", Xing stopped him from kneeling in front of her. She wasn"t that concerned with him for wanting him to apologise. Their relations.h.i.+p with each other was always not well and it won"t be mended by apology. So why bother, right? She thought nothing of him... So it won"t make a difference if he apologises or curses or praises her. She was always like that and she is not going to change for him. The people she ignored she ignored till the end. She always cut him some slack because he is that old man"s son but she doesn"t owe him anything now that his father is dead.

"Ah! I almost forgot!", she picked a box she had kept on the side not caring for the dumbfounded Huojin and the not so surprised Emperor who was in deep thoughts rubbing his chin.

"Here! Some medicines for MingXue. Check it with a proper physician before giving it to her. I don"t want to be blamed for sabotaging her health or something ",she gave that box to Huojin.

Whether she liked those couple who always blames her or not, no one should be deprived of their wish to have children. Xing felt bad the moment she heard MingXue miscarried and she wanted to help her. She loved the Oldman and her Uncle Feiye. They should have their next generation. So Xing went to the mountains to get some medicines for MingXue and luckily she found it.

Guess the G.o.ds are refusing medicines only for me! Xing felt sad but composed herself as Chenglei didn"t mind.

Zhong Huojin accepted the medicines with his hands trembling and his eyes clouded, "Your Highness, let me speak please...", he begged and knelt in front of her and Xing just let him.

"I was jealous... Jealous of you who captured my father"s heart that easily. What I didn"t realised is that he had pretty strong reasons for that... I didn"t see it and I didn"t listen when my brother tried to teach me too... I know you spare me each time only because you respect my father... Mother said you found those rare medicines for my father"s rare condition which significantly improved his life in his last days.... Thank you. And I"m sorry I didn"t see you for who you are and how much you"ve done for my family. Please forgive me... And thank you for the medicines you found for MingXue too. I already can picture our child thanks to you even though the physicians say it is right next to impossible.... "

General Zhong went in with his words as always. He doesn"t watch his words does he? Whether he is angry or emotional he just runs his mouth without filtering....

" Check the medicines if it will be compatible for your wife, general! ", Xing interrupted.

Seeing her not want to hold conversation with him, General Zhong left with the medicines box with a slight relief that he get to apologise to the one even his father respected as she deserves to be. He was blind to not realise her worth before. He decided to properly respect her in the future.

Xing saw the Emperor in deep thoughts supporting his cheeks with his hands on a doc.u.ment and naturally she disturbed him by pulling the doc.u.ment out and he lost his balance and his chin almost hit the desk.

"What are you thinking of?", she asked him who was glaring at her and Mo Chen who was peacefully sleeping by his side got awakened by the Emperor"s sudden movement.

" Do you think I"m too young to be an Emperor? All the ones I know are older and won"t old people seem more knowledgeable and command more respect?" , he asked her seriously. Usually these are the kind of talks he had with Rijun but he seemed to be too busy lately for their small talks.

" So? ", Xing asked that he haven"t finished his sentence and had more to say. She didn"t believe that all old people are knowledgeable and respectable. The Emperor is smart and respectable than most of the other men she knows. But she didn"t want to tell him all that and boast his ego.

And isn"t there a woman who is pretending to be a man and is the Emperor?

"I"m thinking of growing a moustache and beard to make me look older", he said rubbing his chin, "What do you think?", he asked gently tapping the table highly appreciating the awesome idea he came up by himself.

Xing looked at his face and he really looked his age. He is just twenty and he looked twenty. What is wrong with that.? And then she used her vivid imaginations to draw a beard and moustache in his face and she could not hold her laughter and tried hard to stop herself from laughing.

"That is a very good idea!", she gave her best smile that she gives before throwing a person down a cliff.

It is not my duty to tell him, is it? Someone else will tell him when he looks funny, right?

The poor Emperor believed her lie whole heartedly and decided to give that a try. Poor Xing didn"t realise that no one would dare to tell the Emperor that he looks funny. Only when Xing returned to the capital years later did the Emperor come to realise he had looked like a jester all those years... But that is another story to tell!

"Mingxia, what happened between you and my brother that day?", he asked his eyes focused on the slight remnant of the hickey on her neck from that day.

Xing looked at the Emperor who had only curiosity in his eyes and he looked a bit gossipy unlike the first time he asked her the same thing. She felt bad for him to be manipulated by the G.o.ds to this extent as he seemed to not care for her whenever she is inside the palace where the G.o.ds cannot enter.

"Chu Weiye will enter the palace tomorrow... make sure you share a bed", she said without her eyes wavering.

Only when this dude starts making babies will I be free! Xing thought.

"Tsk!", he clicked his tongue, "By the way, why are YOU giving her this much dowry?", he wasn"t pleased at all.

Why is she bringing that pretentious woman in, spending from her own pocket? Like I would get ten feet near her!

"I promised her father that I"ll give her the dowry depending on the place she is married into. She will need this much if she is to be respected in the inner palace", Xing spoke honestly. She is not someone who breaks promises when it does not suit her.

"She doesn"t know it? She thinks her father is giving her dowry?", he asked for clarification.

" Why would she know? The deal was between her father and I. She and her younger sister has nothing to do with it",Xing shrugged it off. She believes that only the one responsible should be punished and not the entire family in most cases.

" I"ve arranged the FengYi courtyard for her. Remember to spend the night there tommorow",Xing spoke in a commanding tone making the Emperor frown. He looked like a kid forced to drink medicine. He agreed because if he refuses, she will force him with her newfound blackmail equipment - The Phoenix Seal. She even threatened her father with that!
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"Yeah, yeah!", he spoke in a low, unimpressed tone when Rijun"s arrival was announced.

Rijun looked really mature these days that even when Mo Chen tried to tease him, he didn"t stick to his sister as he usually does. Guess marriage treats him well!

Hearing Rijun"s voice, Mo Chen looked at him lazily and then went back to his nap as he felt bored to tease him anymore. He is no fun! He has decided.

"Fine then, I"ll take these doc.u.ments home to review before..."

"Brother! I"m bored and I"ll take care of the doc.u.ments, so leave these here", Xing interrupted her brother with a smile.

The Emperor took a deep breath realising that she is stopping Rijun from taking any important doc.u.ments back home these days. Is it because she doesn"t trust his wife? Won"t it affect their relations.h.i.+p? He thought.

Rijun"s hands about to get the doc.u.ments paused hearing what his sister said and this is not the first time in the past few days she is saying this. He is no fool to not understand why she is saying this and he has no other way than to comply.

His sister supports love and helps lovers to be together but she gives a choice, right? In Huojin"s case he lost the t.i.tle of the Head of the Zhong family and in his case it seems like he is losing the out-and-out trust they had in him. He cannot blame her to be hypocritical as she lost a lot for her love but that doesn"t mean others must too, right..? And how come she trusts the other girl from the Sky Kingdom, when she cannot trust her own sister-in-law?

Rijun nodded and left with a dry smile. In the end it is the bed he made when he chose someone his sister didn"t trust to be his wife and even insisted on marrying her. Now he cannot complain that his sister is being careful around him.

Let"s prove her Takano is trustworthy! He left with a positive heart.

"Aren"t you a little harsh on him?", the Emperor felt bad on Rijun"s behalf. As long as he remembered Rijun has always helped him in this... To suddenly exclude him... He felt bad for his friend.

"You don"t know how he keeps his desk at home!", Xing stared at the back of her brother. These are important doc.u.ments that will seriously cause damage if leaked. She trusted her brother but that woman... Her brother won"t know if she read these doc.u.ments spread on his desk. It is always dangerous.

" Learn to do your work yourself! ", Xing told the Emperor and stood to leave.

"You are not going to help?", the Emperor whined seeing her leaving.

"What did I just say?", Xing shrugged and left.

The Emperor watched her leaving silhouette and had a feeling that she"d be leaving the palace soon. He had a feeling that his brother and her must have come up with a plan and that"s what he wanted to know but she is refusing to tell him.

Poor him didn"t realise that they had no time to discuss any future plans because they were occupied with more fun things for the most time that day.

And he felt like she is setting everything up for her departure from the inner palace. She had given each of the Concubines a task to take care of, splitting the responsibilities so that no one would feel excluded and do something regretful. The inner palace seems peaceful under her maintenence with everyone treated equally and with everyone engaged in tasks they had no free time for other plotting and funny businesses. He wondered if there is anyone who could handle the inner palace as good as her.

Well! Whatever... As long as she and his brother lives inside the city after sheeaces the palace, where he could meet them often, he"d be happy! They are his only family for now!