LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN TIGRESS

His father was taking non-stop, that brat this... , that brat that.... amazing... strong... Huojin felt like his ears would bleed. He didn"t remember a single time his father praised him at least half as much as he is praising her.

As long as he remember, he was always with the military men inside their compound. Every one treated him with respect but he felt detached somehow. For a long time Huojin was under the impression that AoTian was his brother but apparently he was not and as long as he lived in their Manor he was the favourite young master in their Manor.

Huojin was six when AoTian left the Manor and he thought from now on he"ll be pampered but Seiren was born that year and he became the next pampered young master and he was always the middle child no one cared about except his mother who always kept him close and would talk to him for hours. She would happily watch all the moves he learned from the men there and would make his favourite food for him each time he wins a training match. And so he became best in martial arts.

When he was twenty, he met Huang MingXue near the river in the outskirts of the city and he fell in love at first sight. She returned his feelings too and as she was only twelve that year, they decided to wait till she comes of age to express their wishes to get married to their families as an alliance between Huang and Zhong family is not unattainable since both families are of equal social standing. He"s been refusing all the marriage alliances that comes to him thinking of her all this time and she trusts him too.

Seiren started to leave their Manor more often in the past three years and his father started to give Huojin more responsibilities as the new Emperor was instated and he was put near the Emperor to guide him and protect him. The Emperor was impa.s.sive of him for a while but after sometime he warmed up to him and his father was happy about it too.

So Huojin would say his life was pretty good for the past couple of years until the frivolous b.a.s.t.a.r.d who had entered the city and captured everyone"s heart arrived. "Lord Táng ", he clenched his fists, what"s so good about her? She lied to the Emperor, got into the Huang Manor, got on the good side of his father, somehow seduced the cold and aloof Shengli all because she is good with her sword? His father even gave strict orders not to talk about her to anyone. What is so special about her?

She is a showoff who blabber all she wants and she even beat him in a match to boast about her skills and shame him in front of his peers. And in the last few days she stayed in his Manor even his mother didn"t have time for him and she was pampered like she was a Zhong daughter. How brazen of her!

Not only that, her cousin Huang Mingxia revealed his well kept secret of his intentions towards Huang MingXue known to his father in an abrupt way. That evening, MingXue was sad that her first uncle had forbidden her to meet her only friend WanRou and she was forced to stay home with her father. She also confided in him that her third uncle"s daughter was responsible for everything. So he stayed with her for a while and comforted her and she even gave him her scented handkerchief as gift but he was exposed by that Huang Mingxia who had the nose of a dog. Seems like Táng JiaXing and Huang Mingxia are birds of the same flock not considerate of others and manipulators who act well to gain the goodwill of others.

That night his father called him and lectured him about how MingXue is not suitable for the Zhong household and Huojin didn"t agree and that has caused friction in their father - son relations.h.i.+p. It must be that Táng person"s fault for saying false words about MingXue to his father for her cousin.

Huojin clenched his jaws and looked at Xing who was seriously explaining her points. How pretentious! Wait! Did she say a powerful Imperial Army? Isn"t she indirectly saying the Zhong army is a threat and the Emperor should have countermeasures?

Huojin looked at his father who was still looking at her with admirance. Father! Since when did you become this blind towards a person"s intent?

Huojin saw how she shamelessly talked about the Emperor taking concubines and his blood boiled when she said that her children won"t have any claim to the throne. Is this her true intention? To somehow end up in the royal family? She used Shengli"s aversion towards the throne as a means to get close to the highest powers that rule this nation? What is her end game? How did Shengli fall for such a vicious vixen who doesn"t even know who her father is? Even his brother warned him to not do anything against her when he complained about her to him! Just how could a single person charm this many people?

"How adorably flamboyant you are, Lord Táng! I should bow to you in reverence", Huojin stood in the centre and bowed in front of Xing.

Xing who was drinking tea after giving her long speech to the Emperor paused her actions and looked at Huojin and even she could say that he is being sarcastic.

Everyone was shocked by his sudden behaviour and wondered what has gotten to him. The Emperor noticing Shengli"s eyes going dark tried to ask Huojin to watch the door but he was a second late when Huojin continued,

"Just because you seduced a Prince and have the hopes of having the t.i.tle of the Princess Consort, doesn"t mean you can act like you own this kingdom! Remember you are just a Nameless b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!! A Namelss b.a.s.t.a.r.d!!! A chicken can never become a phoenix "

Xing froze for a moment trying to get a hold on what was going on. What made Huojin act like this suddenly? I didn"t offend him in anyway, did I? And did he call me nameless b.a.s.t.a.r.d right in front of my father?

Xing was used to be called that way in the west by those who call themselves n.o.bles because she never let her name known and the b.a.s.t.a.r.d part they a.s.sumed themselves. He must have gotten this detail while trying to get information about her.

Xing was confused and offended for the first time in her life by that name. Is this because I had accepted being part of the Huang family?

Xing was wondering and sensed the murderous aura from Shengli and before she stopped him a loud slap was heard.

Xing saw Huojin"s lips bleeding and he was disoriented and was trying to hold on to the wall for support. His ears should be ringing now! Xing thought. Seiren tried to hold his brother but Huojin pushed his hand away.

"How stupid are you?", Lord Zhong asked Huojin with his voice laced with concern at the same time his eyes were burning with rage. Rijun was holding AoTian back and the Emperor was perplexed and Shengli"s chest was heaving up and down in rage. Xing wondered why everytime she is with people it becomes chaos. Am I a jinx creating problems?

Huojin nodded his head, wiping the blood on his lips with a smirk, " Still, father? Even after she doubted our family for treason? Will you be happy if she ends our family? Why are you still supporting that nameless b.a.s.t.a.r.d?"

"Fool!", Lord Zhong coughed as he was infuriated to the extent of coughing blood.

"Huojin, enough! ", The Emperor shouted but to no avail.

"Are you talking nonsense because your head is still attached to your neck?", Lord Zhong shouted and unsheathed his sword from his waist, "Who are you calling a nameless b.a.s.t.a.r.d? She is a Princess by right!", Lord Zhong actually swung his sword at Huojin"s neck and he stood there unmoving when Seiren tried to stop his father but Lord Zhong pushed Seiren away and tried to swing his sword again.

" Run, brother! ", Seiren shouted but Huojin just stood there with a dry smile in his face. In the end his father is going to kill him for some other person who is not even related to him and whom he knows only for a couple of months!

"Lord Zhong, stop!", the Emperor shouted but was met with a mocking smile of Lord Zhong, "I"ll end this idiot before he ends my Zhong family", he swung his sword.

Xing looked around to see the Emperor in some deep thoughts, her father and brother not trying to stop Lord Zhong and Shengli who was ready to pounce any moment. Only Seiren was looking worried and Lord Zhong was in the same stance as she saw him years back when he killed the opposing General in the last battle.

How would a father try to kill a son and that too mentioning her? Xing got furious.

She walked towards Lord Zhong and held his arms,

"How dare you use your family sword to kill your firstborn right in front of me, Oldman?", Xing seethed surprising everyone.

Huojin snorted, " Dare? Oldman? Is he your family"s gardener? You .."

Huojin started to speak and Lord Zhong tried to shake off Xing"s hands. "Let go brat".

Xing mouthed, "mother" to Seiren and his eyes brightened as he got the idea.

"Let go of the Great General, Lord Táng! Let him kill his firstborn with his hands! But I bet, mommy won"t be pleased" ,Seiren said and that did the trick.

Xing could feel Lord Zhong freeze and his heavy breathing getting even and she signalled Seiren and Seiren used all his strength to pull Huojin out of the room but he refused to leave and both had a tugging match in the hallway.

Xing who sighed in relief was startled by the loud bang on the table,

"Táng JiaXing, you are a Huang daughter?", the Emperor asked leaning on the table with his hands with his expression solemn and not so surprised.

Xing was surprised how he arrived to this conclusion when the Emperor continued, " You are a Princess by right..? "

Oh! The Oldman said it! Is it because my grandmother"s t.i.tle can be inherited by me? So that"s how he figured out? Smart! Xing thought but was surprised by the pale look of Rijun and worried look of her father and the protective stance of Shengli with one foot forward and his body was covering half of hers with him standing in the front. Lord Zhong was standing there with his sword still unsheathed.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I am Huang Mingxia, Huang AoTian"s daughter", Xing bowed.

"What?", The Emperor shouted and Shengli held her hands and everyone were unmoving. Xing could see the Emperor"s lips trembling in anger and his eyebrows knitted and for the first time she saw his aura getting dark. As far as Xing had seen the Emperor always had the purest and brightest aura which can be equated to that of a child. So Xing was surprised by the dark aura of the Emperor and his rage.

"Every one of you lied to me!", he looked at all of them and his throat closed because of extreme rage and his fingers pointing at them were trembling in stress and Xing could see the guilt flas.h.i.+ng in the Emperor"s eyes when he looked at Shengli. OK! What was that about?

"So how must I punish you for lying to the Monarch?", the Emperor smirked evily making everyone perplexed and the atmosphere in there turned suffocating.

Meanwhile Huojin who was outside listening went pale when he heard it and looked at Seiren who was not at all surprised.

"She told you already?", he asked Seiren.

Seiren rolled his eyes, " She didn"t have to tell me. I found out by myself. You really are stupid! You have seen both of them and you could not see the resemblance? Since when did Huang AoTian become so altruistic to let strangers stay in his home? The truth was right in front of your eyes yet you didn"t realise it", he tried to pull him away from the room.

Huojin was flabbergasted by his own inability to not recognise a person if dressed differently . He knew the Emperor"s intention towards Huang Mingxia and he knew the Emperor would not have let it grow if he knew Huang Mingxia is actually Táng JiaXing. So now everything makes sense as to his father"s liking to her and also Huang AoTian"s over enthusiasm towards her.

Huojin felt like banging his head when he realised he had called a daughter "b.a.s.t.a.r.d" in front of her father. But it is not entirely his fault, is it? That vicious person must have expected this to happen to garner sympathy,he concluded.

"Father got angry not only because you called her b.a.s.t.a.r.d but also because of your stupidity to not realise a really obvious situation, right? Do you realise, brother.?" Seiren asked Huojin and he nodded. This time might be my fault but next time I will definitely expose her true colours! Huojin decided in his mind and left the restaurant.