The Divorcee Is A Wicked Black Belly

They rode on trucks that cleaved the darkness with their powerful beaming headlights. The sight so staggered the enemy that they watched stunned as the headlights picked them out one by one as they sat alert on their horses. What made the whole situation even more terrifying was that all of them were exposed under the unerring ray of the beams while their opponents watched them from the darkness beyond.

Xiang Yu and five men of his men got off one of the trucks and walked forward, revealing themselves with the lights streaming behind them. They didn"t speak merely waited in silence. After a while, five men, headed by a white bearded man wearing the long white robe of a Taoist master, slowly walked towards them.

Without a word, Xiang Yu took the burlap bag he held in one hand and threw it on the ground. The bag thudded then teetered on the gra.s.s and was still.

Under the powerful beam of the headlights, Xiang Yu watched impa.s.sively as the sect master stared riveted on the burlap bag. He wasn"t the only one. Everyone"s eyes had followed the movement of the bag with barely concealed dread. After a while, the sect master motioned to one of the young men by his side. The young man retrieved the bag, walked to his master"s side then opened the flap.

The sect master"s cry was heartbreaking in its utter surprise. Panicked by the sound of sorrow in that single sound, the young men surrounding the sect master gathered round the burlap bag and peered at its content. Their gasp and howls of cries were anguished, like wolves abandoned by their dead wives.

Without a thought and disregarding the sect master"s command to halt, the young men charged forward, their swords aiming straight for Xiang Yu"s throat. Before they could reach him, however, four shots rang out and the four young men who charged at Xiang Yu with bitter, resentful eyes lay very much dead and unmoving on the ground.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"We know what you planned to do. We already put a stop it to. All your men are dead. If you want to add more to their number, then we will be more than happy to oblige you," Xiang Yu articulated the words clearly. He wanted to let them know that there were no more moves for them to make other than complete surrender. The empress dowager had been clear on that. When it came to the security of the capital, all bets were off. Death or surrender. There was no middle ground at all.

The sect master stared at the four dead bodies on the ground with unseeing eyes. Two of them were his own nephews. The other two were sons of dear friends who had been with him for nearly their entire lives. And even his daughter...His shocked eyes stared uncomprehendingly at the unfamiliar contraptions the men were riding on, hiding behind the darkness while they menaced them with those powerful beams of light.

Had the world changed the last time he visited the capital? He remembered in his youth when he had fallen in love with Yuqui and marveled at its beauty. The capital was the center of great power in this beautiful land of theirs, founded by a simple man armed with nothing more than his indomitable will and the strength of a vision that started an empire. It had never known famine nor defeat, the reason why it was coveted and desired.

The last decade, however, Yuqui had teetered on uncertainty. Emperor Gu Fang although popular with the ma.s.ses was disliked by his own court. Intrigue and gossip ruled the day, which could be the reason why the monarch was so insistent on going outside and waging war against anybody foolish enough to meet him on his way.

Not long after that, he was back, bringing with him a little girl as his intended bride, a young girl old enough to be his child.

The rumors of unrest even within his own army intensified. Then the emperor died, followed by his equally famous mother, then his foreign-born wife. The only one left was his son, fifteen year old Gu Sheng who was not strong enough to ride even the dumbest horse in his stable. And then the surprising news of his stepmother waking from the dead followed by the shocking news of the rebellion from the maternal side of his own family.

What made the news intriguing to him was that in all of this, the army under General Chen Lou was never recalled to the capital. Even at the height of the scare of the impending invasion, the army never stirred, as if the capital had suddenly forgotten about it or separated itself from it. And the news that followed which indicated that only a handful of elite palace guards and the civilian population were called in to defend the palace walls...

The sect master had a sudden thought, an idea he had tentatively ran by his close confidants. The possibility made all of them drank with giddiness. The capital, the glorious pearl of the Yuqui empire, open for the plucking to anyone strong and ruthless enough to take it.

The whole idea seemed insane when he first thought about it but then he and all of them fell into endless covetousness, such pa.s.sionate delirium that the idea seemed not only possible but fated. Then the announcement for the start of the next Battle of Talents. The fated had become reality. And reality turned out to be a nightmare.

The sect master blinked the salt from his eyes. Death or surrender.

Without another word, he hefted the burlap bag in his hand and held it tightly then motioned for his men to retrieve the bodies lying motionless on the ground. The sect master then jumped on his horse and whirled it around, riding back in ignominious defeat. The sound of galloping horses followed him after a while.

The powerful beams guided their departure in silence until their silhouettes disappeared from sight and vanished into the darkness beyond. The silence that followed was tinged with relief yet strange sadness.

Yi Hai and his men disappeared into their truck. After a while, the beams turned around and drove back to the capital. The river and the plains reclaimed the night, the silence broken only by the light croaking of frogs by the banks.

An Ning went back to the banquet just after everyone had eaten their dinner and were now walking off its effects by strolling comfortably in and around the pavilion grounds. The empress" sudden arrival surprised everyone, especially the emperor.

She had changed her dress into a long black sheathe that pooled around her ankles like dark water. A gray light shawl covered her back and shoulders, the fringes reaching just below her waist. Her hair was unadorned, falling behind her back in a straight, silky line. She wasn"t wearing any makeup, just a light dusting of powder on her cheeks and red tint on her lips. She looked beautiful but somewhat unapproachable, her expression detached and cold.

"What happened?" Gu Sheng asked, as he approached and stopped before her. Yi Hai followed behind him, his expression grim yet worried.

"The Laniang prisoners just foiled an attack," An Ning said without preamble.

"What?" Gu Sheng was stunned, looking at his stepmother like she suddenly turned into a horned-monster spouting nonsense.

"I sent out some men. I"m waiting for them to come back."

"Are you alright, your grace?" Yi Hai asked. "Your arm..."

Gu Sheng looked at where he was pointing. The wound inflicted by Chang Chang"s sword had been covered with some kind of gauze plastered on her skin. An Ning had remembered the medical kit in Enxuo"s supply and pulled out alcohol, cotton, cream medication and bindings. She had cleaned the wound after washing to get rid of the smell of blood. She had done her best but couldn"t hide the proof of this night"s activities.

"You were hurt?" Gu Sheng was shocked. "Why didn"t you tell me?"

"Because I was alright and it"s more important that nothing else goes wrong during the banquet. Besides, I had it under tight control. All I"m doing now is waiting for those men to arrive."

"But..."

"Shhhh. We"ll talk later after the party ends."

The party ended close to midnight. It was about the longest banquet celebration everyone could remember having attended. The emperor and empress stayed the whole night as well, smiling and talking to guests, strolling around the pavilion grounds like normal people would. The empress also invited a group of street musicians, who played their instruments and filled the night with music. There was dancing and singing and lots of friendly bragging and boasting between intoxicated game partic.i.p.ants. The food kept coming. The wine kept flowing. It was a magical night. But in the end, the party had to stop, the music to end, and the night to turn into morning.

When the guests left, the servants handed them little bags which when opened contained a sampling of the little mouth-watering pastries made by Sweet Nothings. It was a touching coda to end a great party and everyone left content and happily smiling.

Xiang Yu who had been watching the party on sh.o.r.e this whole time finally made his way to the pavilion where the emperor and empress and the guard commander sat waiting around a small table.

Xiang Yu stood at attention but was dumbfounded when the empress motioned him to a chair. Xiang Yu gingerly sat down, his face flaming with combined agitation and embarra.s.sment. An Ning motioned to a hovering servant.

"Bring food and wine and those pastries. Four plates as well. Can you ask the kitchen to also boil some tea for us? That would be all. Thank you."

They waited until the servants arrayed the food on the table and the tea to arrive. Surprisingly, the empress poured the tea for them, saying as she did so, "Come on, dig in. I didn"t have a bite to eat the whole night and I"m hungry."

The four of them started eating in companionable silence. It was like a feast to Xiang Yu. He never realized how hungry he was until now, when the young empress served him the tea and the scent of it started warming him up inside.

The empress was a good hostess. She carried on a light conversation about the dishes and the pastries which she said took Sweet Nothings a whole day to make. The emperor it seemed also had a sweet tooth because he had quite an array of them arranged on his plate. Then they all leaned back, satisfied. Another pot of tea was served. This time, it was the servant who poured the warm tea on their cups. Then the servants were dismissed. The pavilion was finally quiet and Xiang Yu began his report.

"Do you think he"ll be back to avenge his daughter"s death?" the emperor asked.

He, of course, was the sect master.

"He was terrified of those trucks we rode in, your majesty. And the shots which killed those four young people. He didn"t know and perhaps didn"t understand how the capital could have such ability to kill so easily. He perhaps thought he could just come in, cower people with their mighty martial arts skills and that would be it. Fight over and he wins. But it was not as he expected it to be. So, no, I don"t think he"ll be able to do anything except stay as far away as he can from Yuqui."

"What in h.e.l.l was he thinking?" Yi Hai frowned. "To attack the capital practically in a spur-of-the-moment move. Was he delusional or something?"

"Greed, my dear Yi Hai. Greed." An Ning smiled, sipping at her tea.

"What happens now?" the emperor asked.

"The games will continue. The winners announced. But afterwards, the "what happens next" is now on your ball court, your grace," An Ning said and smiled mischievously.

"What do you mean?" the emperor frowned.

"Think about it, the capital is saved once again from another disaster by the skin of its teeth. And the savior this time is none other than the band of insurgents who attacked it the first time. Even you must admit that is quite ironic."

The emperor stared at her stunned then threw back his head and laughed.

An Ning watched him, amused. Yi Hai was looking at An Ning as if she was some kind of a devil sent to torment him. Xiang Yu was embarra.s.sed, his head hanging down in shame.

The emperor went on laughing, his shoulders shaking with his mirth.

"You"re right," he said, turning to the empress, eyes still dancing with amus.e.m.e.nt. "That"s as ironic as h.e.l.l. But what do you want me to do, reward these men? Wouldn"t that be contrary to what the laws expect of treason? Reward the guilty after committing a grievous crime? And rebellion is a great offense, as you know."

"Oh, I have something more egregious than that in mind," An Ning said, smiling wickedly. "You wouldn"t like it."

"What is it? What do you have in mind?"

Xiang Yu looked at the empress and blanched, expecting the worst.

"I"m thinking of officially making the ministry of public works a sub-division of the military."

The words dropped like a bombsh.e.l.l that stunned the three men.

"A military sub-division?" the emperor was the first to recover from his shock. "You want to put rebels in a military position? Arm them so they can plot against us again? Are you crazy? This is not only a bad idea but a worst idea, An Ning," the emperor"s words were becoming heated as he looked at his stepmother. "Have you gone soft or something?"

Yi Hai and Xiang Yu tensed, expecting the empress to get angry and for the two of them to start arguing in front of them. But the empress surprised them. She laughed and threw the emperor another mischievous glance.

"You didn"t hear what I said. I said "sub-division". There"s a difference."

"Semantics," the emperor flung up a hand as if dismissing the empress" words.

"Because you don"t understand what I meant and you"re starting to pout."

"I am not pouting!" the emperor cried resentfully, starting to sound like a child.

"Anyway, here"s what"s a sub-division means. It"s a branch of the military but not entirely part of it. It trains and works like the military does but it"s not armed. It"s main purpose, in fact, is to act as a reserve for the military but only when needed. But it"s main function remains the same, to build and protect. Build and fortify when needed. Protect when the citizenry experiences a natural calamity like flood, earthquake, fire, and the like. In other words, its main function will be to do rescue missions nothing else."

The silence lengthened as the men mulled over her words.

"It"s sweeping and er, ambitious," the emperor said after a while. "But will it work?"

"The capital needed only a day to mourn the dead and start rebuilding from the ashes. The games opened a month and a half after the first rebellion was quashed. The ministry foiled an attempt by one of our so-called allies and dealt with it without the army being called in. The capital didn"t know how near it was to experiencing another war and that"s because the ministry did its work and responded to the challenge as they should. And here we all are, eating dinner together and talking about it. I guess that proves my point, don"t you think so?"

The emperor met his stepmother"s grave eyes and a soft smile lighted his face.

"You always think of a way to protect me. You really don"t want me to leave Yuqui, do you?"

Yi Hai and Xiang Yu each suppressed a gasp of surprise after hearing the words.

"Gu Fang would kill me if you did," An Ning said gently.

"My father, before he died, told me that he wished I would a find a good reason to make all this worth fighting for," Gu Sheng returned her smile. "But I wish you would also find a good reason to make you stay."

An Ning"s smile faltered and her eyes dropped from his. The emperor watched her in silence with a smile gradually drooping into a sad line. His gaze moved and met Xiang Yu"s. He then called Kang Jun over with pen and paper. Kang Jun, who had been waiting on sh.o.r.e to escort the emperor to his quarters, was surprised but did as he was told. He sat down and started to write.

"The edict I previously signed is hereby nullified," the emperor said. "The Laniang force, former rebels and traitors who acted against the empire, are now officially conscripted to the ministry of public works. The ministry is to be a sub-division of the military. They will train and act as reserves for the military as and when needed. Unlike the military, they, however, will not be armed. The main function of the ministry is as follows: to help in rebuilding and to do rescue missions in cases of natural calamity like flood, earthquake, and fire."

The voice stopped as if the emperor was mulling over something. Kang Jun waited, pen hovering over the paper.

"The ministry will receive funding from the crown, some as remittance to the troops, the amount to be discussed and announced later. As for the Laniang men who will form the body of this entire ministry, the crown recognizes their contribution to what transpired tonight, the attempted attack on the capital by the Zhengyi sect."

At this, Kang Jun was startled but the emperor was still talking.

"As such, the crown hereby revokes the conditions of the first agreement. No maximum stay of tenure, the men are allowed to acquire, sell and disposed of property they own, they are allowed to marry and start families and make Yuqui their acknowledged domicile. Anything else? But I don"t want to give them a full pardon," the emperor said.

"Allow them as well as their children to enter school and take part in the annual civil exams if they want to pursue another career as a scholar," An Ning suggested. Xiang Yu was startled but kept his thoughts to himself.

"Put that in there as well," the emperor ordered Kang Jun. "If there"s nothing else, might as well have the notary public in here."

The notary public who lived in the western market was summoned. He arrived looking perplexed and a little disheveled. He was stunned when he saw the emperor and empress. His hand, which had been gripping the bag he carried, self-consciously tried to smoothed the creased on his robes.

"Your grace, I had just gone to bed when they summoned. I didn"t have time to change my clothes," he stammered, flushing guiltily.

"Never mind that. I want you to read this doc.u.ment, witness me sign it then notarized it. Give him the doc.u.ment, Kang Jun."

The notary public read the doc.u.ment not really understanding what it said then watched as the emperor affixed his signature to it. The doc.u.ment was duly notarized and returned to Kang Jun for official filing that morning.

The emperor dismissed the notary public and Kang Jun. He then turned to his silent audience and announced: "That"s it then."

It was nearing three in the morning when they finally went their separate ways. An Ning fell on her soft bed naked after shedding off her dress, falling asleep and snoring even before her head touched the pillow.