The Story Of Dusk

Besides the eunuch there was Bai Yuyan, who was sitting atop of a sedan while Liu Wei was standing defensively in front of her.

"I want him to be punished by fifty flog!" Bai Yuyan yelled, behind her there were four burly men, which each of them were holding lashes.

Liu Wei was standing there, ready to pull out his sword.

"Don"t you dare to draw your sword or else I will punish the whole mansion along with you!" Bai Yuyan spoke loudly, all the servants were standing with unsightly expression.

Their hate toward Bai Yuyan had reached the roof.

"I want to see you touch my people from this mansion." Qianru spoke clearly amidst the heated atmosphere.

"Qianru…" Bai Yuyan mention her name like a curse in her tongue, she hated her. It was because of her that she had been threw from the mansion twice! It was because of her also that she had to eat the poison and suffered!

At that time Modama only said that the poison wouldn"t kill her, but never mentioned that the pain that it caused could make her hoping to die instead.

Modama said with her was being poisoned, it would put Qianru in difficult position and gave her a hardtime, she could accuse by attempting murder on her, but in the end Qianru could find the antidote in time and nothing happened to her afterwards.

Today, with the decree from the Emperor she would count all of the miserable things that she had to endure one by one, Bai Yuyan wouldn"t let off a single of it, Qianru would pay all of it.

"You should have seen this coming the moment you offend me." Bai Yuyan had her cheek still red because Qianru had slapped her with a shoe, and the corner of her lips slightly injured.

Qianru raised her eyebrows, bemused by Bai Yuyan"s words. "Offend you?" She said in mocking tone. "I had saved your life from your stupid action of poisoning yourself, gave you Jun"s chamber for you to occupy, gave you food and sheltered you. And now you come to say that I offend you? What ungrateful creature you are."

Qianru said those things as if Bai Yuyan was a homeless person who she had helped, but now trying to stab her. That was a worse metaphor that Bai Yuyan had ever heard.

She was a highborn, but Qianru made her look like a peasant.

"You are really good with your words." Bai Yuyan hissed while gritting his teeth, the pain from her cheek stung and it made her mood worse.

Bai Yuyan gestured to the guards to get down the sedan, once it touched the ground, she got down and walked toward Qianru with smug face.

Both of them stared at each other with fire in their eyes.

"Read the decree now." Bai Yuyan ordered the eunuch sternly.

"Princess Xiao, you have to kneel before the decree as you kneel in the present of the Emperor." The eunuch informed Qianru.

"Kneel?" Qianru raised her eyebrows. "Don"t you know that Prince Xiao Jun and Prince Xiao Tianyao have the privileged, which they didn"t have to kneel before the Emperor, let alone a single decree…" Qianru said in mocking tone.

"But…" The eunuch looked annoy, but Qianru didn"t let him to finish his complain before she talked again calmly.

"And the privilege extended to their consort." Qianru stated the fact. "You must not know about this, right?" She looked at Bai Yuyan"s shocking expression with taunting smile.

Bai Yuyan really didn"t know about this and no one told her as well, seemingly not many people paid attention to this rule as neither Xiao Jun or Xiao Tianyao were very rare to visit the palace and so, not many people were aware about this privilege.

Qianru looked at Bai Yuyan smugly. "Why? As an ordinary person, you should kneel before the decree of the Emperor like it is the Emperor himself that appear. I will let all the servant kneel with you as well." She gestured to the maidservant and the guards to kneel before the decree.

It was alright for the maidservants and the guards to kneel before the decree, this thing didn"t mean anything for them, but Bai Yuyan was enraged.

She had to kneel before the decree along with those lowly people, but Qianru was allowed to stand while listening into it.

She couldn"t accept that! She didn"t want to accept that!

"No! I will not kneel also!" Bai Yuyan said stubbornly. "Read the decree now!" She shouted and glared at the eunuch.

The eunuch was in difficult position, if Qianru didn"t mention that thing, he wouldn"t remember that Xiao Jun and Xiao Tianyao have that kind of privilege.

Actually, that privilege was given to them when they were chased out from the palace. To make it less harsh, the Emperor gifted the two mansions and the privilege for them.

Qianru laughed lightly upon seeing Bai Yuyan childish behavior. "Can you tell me the punishment that one will accept if they refuse to kneel before their sovereign?" Qianru asked the eunuch, who now stood uncomfortably under her gaze.

"I don"t care! If she doesn"t kneel and I will not kneel either!" Bai Yuyan very adamant with that.

"Tell her about the punishment." Ignoring Bai Yuyan, Qianru talked to the eunuch instead.

"The punishment…" The eunuch stuttered because Bai Yuyan stomped toward him, in black mood. "… it will count as imperial offense." He forced himself to talk.

"And the punishment is?" Qianru chuckled lightly when she saw Bai Yuyan stopped in her track. Imperial offense wasn"t something that she could endure. "What the punishment?" She prodded the eunuch.

"The punishment will be a death sentence." The eunuch blurted out.

Upon hearing the punishment that she would receive if she was persistant, Bai Yuyan"s eyes widened.

Impossible!

She was coming to this mansion with only one purposed! She wanted to punish Qianru and humiliated her! Not the other way around.

Bai Yuyan thougth with the decree of the Emperor with her, she could do anything that she wanted. She would never thougth that the situation would turn out like this and she was being disadvantage again.

She was young and immature while Qianru had been living through schemes like that, living with Xiao Jun wasn"t as easy as people thougth. There were a lot of plot and ploy that she needed to overcome.

Hence, this matter wasn"t really a matter for Qianru.

Bai Yuyan only came to offer herself to be bullied again.

"No need to read the decree!" Bai Yuyan shouted and slapped the eunuch"s face hardly until he fell on the ground. "I am here to punish you because you have thrown me out, even though you know my status!"

Qianru crossed her arms and lifted her chin arrogantly. "Threw you out? You really have a bad memory Miss Bai. The first time, it was Luna who had thrown you out and the second time, it was Jun who did that. I have nothing to do with your misfortune."

Qianru was saying the fact, but in Bai Yuyan"s eyes, it was still Qianru"s fault.

"I will not see you off." Qianru didn"t have time to argue with Bai Yuyan, she was busy, there were many things that she had to do, like… redecorate Xiao Jun"s chamber…

Qianru turned around and was about to leave when Bai Yuyan grabbed her arms and forced Qianru to face her.

"I am not done with you!" Bai Yu yan souted angrily and slapped Qianru"s face.

That happened so fast and Qianru didn"t prepare for that.

Bai Yuyan slapped Qianru so hard until the sound echoed in everyone ears. Because of the impact, Qianru fell to the ground.

Liu Wei hastily moved forward and shoved Bai Yuyan away from Qianru as he knelt down and checked on his mistress.

Meanwhile the other maidservants who had just overcome their shock too, hastily ran toward Qianru to help her stood up.

Seeing the commotion in front of her and Qianru"s shocking expression, Bai Yuyan was satisfied with what she had done. She laughed eerily and tauntingly.

"How is that Qianru? This really feels good to be able to slap someone that we don"t like, right?" Bai Yuyan laughed loudly.

Behind her, the eunuch and his entourage were grimace with what Bai Yuyan had done and her rough behavior.

However, her laugh didn"t last for long time when she felt someone kicked her back.

Bai Yuyan didn"t have time to see who had kicked her as she fell unceremoniously to the ground, the worse part was her skirt slightly lifted, nervously, the eunuch and his entourage averted their eyes while turned around to avoid seeing something that they shouldn"t.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Jun approached Qianru and held her face, there was a hand print on her left cheek.

Though Bai Yuyan didn"t slap Qianru with a shoe like what Qianru did, but her skin was so sensitive and it would leave mark for days.

Xiao Jun anger flared up when he saw it.

"Bring Qianru inside and call the physician." Xiao Jun ordered Liu Wei with deep dangerous tone that could make the other people who heard that shuddered in fear.

"Yes master…" Liu Wei and Jinse said simultaneously as they brought Qianru away.

The moment Xiao Jun turned around, he stared dagger at Bai Yuyan who was wailing on the ground.

The pain was no joke, she felt like her back had split into two and for every small movements that she did, she would writh in pain. She was in agony.

The eunuch and the other people couldn"t help Bai Yuyan because of the scary figure of Xiao Jun, his aura alone forced them to back off. It was simply too terrifying for them.

Bai Yuyan glared at Xiao Jun through her teary eyes, her vision turned blurry as she held back her tears that threatened to fall.

"What were you doing? Why did you kick me?" Bai Yuyan screaming, she felt unfair. "Qianru slapped me with her shoe before and I only returned what she owes me!"

"What she owes you?" Xiao Jun enunciated his words coldly as he walked step by step toward her. "We owe you nothing, I will not let anyone get away easily for did that to her, not even the Emperor!"

Xiao Jun then turned to look at the eunuch and added. "Tell Xiao Zi about that." His eyes were so dark as if there was no light that could illuminate them.

The eunuch couldn"t understand what was into this prince to be so daring to say those words. It was almost like Xiao Jun didn"t put the Emperor in his eyes.

"You are not a man!" Bai Yuyan yelled and pointed her fingers toward Xiao Jun"s face. "You kicked a woman!"

"A woman like you deserved more than just being kicked." Xiao Jun replied at her coldly as he glanced at the forgotten decree in the eunuch"s hand. "No need to read the decree, I will come with you to meet the Emperor."

With that being said, Xiao Jun turned around and galloped with his horse, leaving Bai Yuyan and the people that she had brough, behind him.

It was another humiliation for Bai Yuyan, even her purposed was not fulfilled.

So, what the result of her trip to Xiao Jun"s mansion!?

*** 

Xiao Jun arrived at the palace before the eunuch or Bai Yuyan could reach half the way there.

His livid expression made all the guards shuddered and very reluctant to stop him, the aura around him also told them to back off if they still wanted to see the sun tomorrow.

Xiao Jun made a bee line toward the Emeperor"s courtyard and found him was sitting inside his pavilion with Xiao w.a.n.g Wei, the current Crown Prince of Azura.

Seemingly they were discussing something.

"Prince Xiao Jun…" There was a guard who stopped him from getting closer to the Emperor, though Xiao Jun was a prince, but they still needed to ask permission of the Emperor himself if he allowed him to come.

However, Xiao Jun didn"t have time for that and drew his sword, callously he put the sword at the guard"s neck as he moved forward.

The guard couldn"t do anything, but Xiao Jun"s action pulled the attention of all the guards nearby, and also the Emperor and Xiao w.a.n.g Wei.

"What is this Jun!?" Xiao Zi roared when he saw Xiao Jun drew his sword, it was a forbidden thing to do in his courtyard. Except of his personal guards, no one from the outside allowed to carry a weapon near the Emperor.

"We need to talk!" Xiao Jun roared back at Xiao Zi, he didn"t care even the sharp blade had cut the guard"s neck caused him to grimace in pain.

Xiao Jun really had lost his mind. The thing that Xiao Zi had done was no longer tolerable. He couldn"t tolerate if he tried to interfere with the matter in his household, moreover to bestow a woman as his concubine, it wasn"t something common in their country and Xiao Jun didn"t want to start it.

"If you want to talk, let"s talk! No need to become violent!" Xiao w.a.n.g Wei shouted at Xiao Jun.

However, since the beginning Xiao Jun"s eyes had never paid any other people attention as his focus was on Xiao Zi.

"I think I know what are you upset about." Xiao Zi opened his arms as if he welcomed him. "Come here and let"s talk." There was a taunting smile curled on his lips.

Xiao Jun kicked away the guard and pulled back his sword.

The other guards were about to attack him, but Xiao Zi issued an order for them to stay on their spot. "Let"s talk my cousin." Xiao Zi waved his hand toward the empty chair. "What the matter that makes you very upset? Is it because Yuyan?"

Xiao Jun didn"t answer Xiao Zi"s question immediatelya as he stared dagger at Xiao w.a.n.g Wei, while the later was pretending he didn"t realize that.

"It"s alright, you can say anything with the present of w.a.n.g Wei, both of you are friend since you were little." Xiao Zi spoke those words as though he was a wise father who spoke to his children.

"Leave us alone." Xiao Jun said in deep and low threatening voice.

"If I don"t want?" Xiao w.a.n.g Wei challenged him like usual, he wouldn"t be happy if he had to back down from any conversation with Xiao Jun.

Xiao Jun"s hand flew to the hilt of his sword, so did Xiao w.a.n.g Wei, that place almost turned into a battle field.

"Enough!" Xiao Zi roared.

"Tell him to leave, or you will regret the result of the war." Xiao Jun said sternly, his piercing eyes locked on Xiao w.a.n.g Wei.

"Are you threatening me now?" Xiao Zi"s smile and wise expression turned ashen.

"You can try, I have nothing to lose." Xiao Jun smiled carelessly. He determined to not step down this time.

Xiao Zi couldn"t ignore Xiao Jun"s warning, after all he needed him and his strategy to win the war. "w.a.n.g Wei, you can leave."

"Father!" Xiao w.a.n.g Wei yelled angrily at his father, he didn"t believe his father would take Xiao Jun"s warning seriously.

"LEAVE!"