《Rebirth》 -1 Introduction @@ Hi I''m Melodyr129, yes this is my pen name. I write stories for fun and gain inspiration from different books, novels, dramas and such. Rebirth is my first novel and I am sure that there will be many grammatical and spelling errors. The idea of having the main character living a life of being manipulated/betrayed then dies and is reborn for revenge is common but this is a book of my own creation so do not steal this book. This book is the product of my imagination running wild from reading all those addicting novels so I hope you will find this book interesting as well. Happy reading! :) 11/11/18 Thanks to my editor I know have the edited chapters of 1-10. I will be posting the new chapters today so there will be changes to the story.@@ 1 Prologue "Don''t you dare step any closer." She muttered. The man chuckled at her comment and shrugged it off as he took another step forward with his bloody sword. He was the merciless general of a vast army, capable of killing anyone without feeling any remorse or emotion. In fact, he was often amused at the expressions his targets would give him. ''Pity, such a pretty face and delectable body.''He thought as he sneered, but the women in front of him was not willing to die in the hands of someone so barbaric, she had other plans. For each step he took closer to the women, she took another step back, towards the cliff until she could no longer take any more steps. She looked down at the rocks crumbling off and falling into the what seemed like endless pit. "Give up, you have nowhere else to run now." He smirked as he wiped the blood off his blade with his cloak. "What am I, a 5 year old?" She spat back, she knew better than to fall into his hands. If she did she would not only die but die a more painful death than what she was about to do. The man was slow to react as the women took a back step straight into the black abyss under the cliff. The man was shocked, he knew that they were on a cliff but he didn''t believe she would actually choose to jump off since he could tell she was very scared of death. "Pity, I could have played with her for a bit." He sheathed his sword and walked away, not caring since she would be dead one way or another. Although he regretted not playing with her, at least it was one less thing for him to worry about. The women fell into the darkness, ready to welcome death. If it had been her ten years ago she would have ran away from the idea of death, but now, twenty five years old and unwed she is considered unwanted. Normal girls her age with the same situation would choose to jump as well. Tears flew upwards as she cursed at the world for being cruel but also at herself for being able to live so innocently for all those years. Her name is Wei Mingxia, born into a family that was only a little wealthier than the average family since her father had a small but reputable status in the royal court. She was carefree and pampered since young, she didn''t act spoiled but she almost always got what she wanted. Then she met him, the 9th son of the ruling emperor, Zong Ching,it was like fate planned everything, he was interested in her and the two eventually fell in "love". But she failed to notice the growing jealousy of her sister, Wei Mingxue. Mingxia was outgoing, carefree and tomboyish while Mingxue is graceful, clever and ladylike. The two were opposites just like their name. Mingxue has always been better than Mingxia but Mingxia was always the pampered one. This left a shadow over Mingxue for the rest of her life. Mingxue fell in love with Zong Ching at first sight and sought out to capture his heart but was overshadowed by her sister. Her jealousy grew as the couple became closer and closer, but Zong Ching had plans of his own. He was only playing Mingxia and carefully nurtured Mingxue''s gullible heart. Although the Wei family''s standing in the royal court in lower than the Zong family he knew that among all the other scholars and generals in that court the Wei''s had the most connection. This will be discussed later. He wanted to use their connections to gain a much higher standing in court so he carefully wrapped his fingers around the hearts of both Mingxia and Mingxue. The Wei family adored this man, not only because he has captured the heart of their beloved daughter but because of his reputation of being a wise scholar and his outgoing personality. They supported him along the way as he rose in power, until finally he was the most powerful man in the court, his influence being on the same level as the emperor. Through these years he slowly bribed every single one the connections he met, through the assistance of the Wei family who got nothing in return. He successfully led an uprising and succeeded, becoming the next emperor. After using the Wei family til nothing was left, he tossed them aside like paper and did not bother to help as the family was massacred by multiple assassins. Mingxia and Ching did not marry and Mingxia didn''t bring it up in front of him for all these years because she was afraid he would be angry. Mingxue''s heart was only full of Ching, just how Mingxia''s was and the two of them complied to every single one of his requests and didn''t question him once. Mingxia''s pure and innocent mindset was broken when one day Ching ordered for the Wei family to be killed for treason. Confused and heartbroken she finally saw the demon that Ching has become, raised and fed by her and her feeble love. Her parents were killed and Mingxue was brought back to the castle, raped before she met her demise. Mingxia was the only survivor but she did not survive in the end. Filled with hate and regret, she brought these feelings along with her death. 2 Prologue continued Zong Ching''s manipulation did not only influence Mingxia but her entire family as well, especially Mingxue. Mingxue was known for being the innocent lady in the house, she excelled in all the feminine arts, weaving, singing, painting and such. Because of this she received a good amount of attention and a long list of suitors wanting to marry her. Unfortunately she only had eyes for one man, that man was of course Zong Ching. While Mingxia had no feelings for this guy from the beginning, Mingxue had fallen in love at first sight but she was just too shy to confess. Her one sided love continued for two years, but she wasn''t dumb, she could see the growing feeling inside her sister for the same man. Then when she learned that he possessed the same feelings for her sister, her world collapsed. She cried for days and days until she had no more tears to shed. Watching the two grow closer only made her heart cringe and allowed jealousy to swallow her whole. Jealousy changed her, causing her to transform from an innocent maiden to a scheming fox. She purposely humiliated her sister in public by challenging her to weaving contests or dancing shows. But her sister was full of kindness and never took the losses and humiliation to her heart, angering Mingxue even more. Then she was more and more vicious with her attacks, purposely tearing her clothes for a dance show to humiliate her even more. She even spread rumors of how her sister was playing with two men. She acted out more and more after Ching announced to the public that the two were in a relationship. From that day on she would carefully scheme to hurt her sister, she even went as far as trapping her sister in a room and piercing her whole body with needles. All this was the result of her jealousy for her sister. Of course no one knew of her acts until much later, she kept her innocent personality in front of others and grew exceptional in acting. Zong Ching found ways to manipulate the Wei family to get what he wanted. He got the vast army he needed, with the Wei''s family connections he successfully persuaded a general in a nearby kingdom to help him. He needed the trust of Mingxia since he knew that she can beg her father for anything. So he purposely helped her against Mingxue''s schemes. This act ignited the fire inside Mingxue and got him the trust he needed from Mingxia. Two cunning and scheming foxes. What a pair. When Mingxia was fifteen, Mingxue was fourteen. Ching arrived at the Wei family when Mingxia was fourteen, she noticed that she had feelings for this bookworm when she was sixteen, the prime age for a women. When a girl turns 16, she becomes a woman, and to celebrate that, a giant party is thrown for her and gifts are showered over her. In this society, women are meant to marry at twenty years old, if you are past that age then you are considered unwanted. On her party, Ching danced with her in the moonlight under the stars. There she noticed how handsome he was and she wanted to stop time so that they could dance forever. This party also marked the second year of Mingxue''s one sided love. As for why Ching needed the relations of the Wei family, well it was because the Wei family was technically related to royalty. Mingxia''s father was a humble man so he did not bring public attention to this but he was actually the cousin of the ruling empress. The empress was the princess of the neighboring empire. In addition his wife, Mingxia''s mother, was the daughter of a prime minister in the Han Empire and his concubine, Mingxue''s mother, came from a family that has a very large and successful merchant business. This large web of connections spread long and wide. When Ching found out he decided to use this to his advantage. He is the 9th son in line for the throne, all of his brothers are talented and has their support for the throne. Being 9th meant that he was the least favored one. He was born from a small concubine unlike his brothers, their mothers'' were at least the rank of a consort. He may be excellent in his studies but in his father''s eyes he would never be good enough. His only support was his weak mother who was diagnosed with a disease that was incurable at that time. So when she died his heart blackened. He began to despise his brothers and their mothers. He was twelve when this happened and he had begun his plan for revenge ever since that day. 3 Brought Back Mingxia expected pain but instead she was given darkness, only darkness. She also received silence as her thoughts led to other ones, questioning what was happening. But then she heard a female voice talking, although it was distant she could clearly hear what she was saying. "It''s past noon already, the lady won''t wake up." The female complained. Mingxia''s five senses slowly came back and she could feel that she was on top of a bed, a very comfortable one. She slowly opened her eyes and she saw the ceiling of the room. She gasped, and looked around... she was back in her own room. The blue porcelain was still standing in the corner of her room, not yet broken and the bronze mirror located on her desk was also intact. What is happening here? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mingxia traveled back ten years, into her fifteen year old body. At first she wasn''t sure how to process this and if she was dreaming or not. She was cleaned, dressed and was given breakfast as she slowly realized what happened. It wasn''t until she met her grandmother that she knew this was real. Her grandmother was killed when she was eighteen by Zong Ching, but back then Mingxia didn''t know that. She was given the false information, information that her grandmother was killed by the third prince and she bared a grudge against the prince for the rest of her life, until she knew the truth. Mingxia is ready to take what was hers even if it mean killing her lover who never loved her, it was only her from the beginning. In this life she planned to change the tragic ending in her last life, she has been given a second chance to change her wrong doings. She was going to use this opportunity to avenge her family and to stop Zong Ching. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The maid and male servants were all whispering about the latest gossips. But wherever you go in the house you could hear them talk about one topic, Lady Mingxia. Mingxia is usually cheerful and always doing dangerous activities that scared the servants. However today the usually childish lady is now sitting quietly in her room, reading a book. When Nanny Huang saw this she burst into tears saying that the lady finally has begun to show her feminine side. She immediately rushed to inform the head of the house, and of course, Mingxue also heard of this and sought out to understand what was happening. As she walked in through the door the scene before her eyes startled her, her sister was peacefully reading a book and sipping tea like a proper lady. Her dress was simple with its purple and white layers but she had this aura fit for a lady. "Have you stared enough, dear sister?" Mingxia suddenly asked as she placed down her book and looked at Mingxue. Mingxue plastered a smile on her face and sat down in the chair nearest to her. "Who told you, you could sit." Mingxia''s tone was harsh and cold which caught Mingxue by surprise. Mingxia also known for her kindness and how optimistic she is but this was also her weakness. Hearing Mingxia''s tone this surprised Mingxue and her maids. "Meimei apologizes for her rude behavior, I have forgotten to show the proper greetings to you, dear sister." Mingxue''s tone was sugar coated so much that it made Mingxia want to choke. "Then go on with it." She simply said and took a sip of her tea. She pretended to not notice the shock on her sister''s face as she curtsied. Mingxia studied her sister from the corner of her eyes. Mingxue was wearing a blue and purple dress and her hair was tied in a simple but very elegant style. This was the well-known Lady Mingxue and her feminine charms, but who knew that under this skin of hers, she would be hiding such cruel emotions. Mingxue was fourteen years old and although she had always been better than Mingxia in their studies she never received the attention she wanted. The two are half sisters with the same father but different mother, her mother is a concubine and Mingxia is born from the first wife and mistress of the family. Mingxue received compliments but none of those compliments were said from the heart. She envied her sister for getting so much attention despite being good at almost nothing. Mingxue stood as Mingxia picked her book again and continued reading. She looked at her maid and she studied her sister. Her sister usually prefers male clothing and would often cross dress to sneak outside, so seeing her in a dress is quite shocking on its own. Her sister was also emitting a different kind aura, it was now cold and icy while usually it''s light and bubbly. Her maid beside her grew very impatient at Mingxia for making her lady stand for so long but looking at her lady''s reaction she knew better and decided not to speak. "Aren''t you here for something? Then go on with it unless you plan to stand in my room for the rest of the day." Mingxia asked and pulled Mingxue back to reality. "Ahh no. Meimei only wanted to see you dear sister." She replied and eyed Mingxia for a second before lowering her gaze when she saw her sister was looking at her. "Okay then, now that you have seen me you can leave now, the door is behind you." She simply answered and raised a hand towards the door. Bewildered, Mingxue murmured her farewell and turned to leave. Her face was covered with shock as she processed what just happened. 4 Surprising Meeting Mingxia stood up after Mingxue left and placed down her book, prepared to go out for a walk. She met Zong Ching a year ago during the Royal Spring Gathering. The Royal Spring Gathering was held yearly in the Imperial Palace by the Queen Dowager. All the princes, princess, nobles and even the family of viscounts are invited. As the daughter of a viscount she was expected to come along with Mingxue. Not realizing it, she fell in love with this bookworm, but this infatuation was the beginning to her downfall. Zong Ching had also wanted to use the Wei family''s connections but he needed to their trust. He was a smart man and knew why Wei Mingxue would always blush when she saw him but the first lady Wei Mingxia didn''t show any sort of feeling for him. This aroused his interest but soon after he noticed her feelings for him and he decided to play along. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today was another day where Zong Ching would come visit, arriving with proper greetings and many gifts. He noticed that Master Wei was in a much better mood than usual and it was strange today, the Wei house was much quieter than usual. He sat down with a cup of tea and the two conversed like usual. However something was off today and it bothered him. Master Wei also found the silence uncomfortable so he ended their usual talk about politics and begun talking about their personal matters. "Ching, have you thought about taking a wife soon?" Master Wei suddenly asked. Ching choked on his tea, causing the tea to splatter over his face and drip on his robes. He wiped his mouth with a towel, coughing as he did. Master Wei chuckled as he ordered for a clean set of robes to be prepared for the Master Zong. Ching dismissed himself and followed the male servant to a vacant room to change. When he finished changing he walked out and felt that something was off. He caught himself often looking back but to find nothing. As he walked back towards the main room he coincidentally bumped into Mingxue, just leaving Mingxia''s room. "Lady Mingxue." He greeted with a polite bow. However, he saw that she acted differently today, she looked like she was in a daze, not concentrating on what was in front of her. She greeted back politely and left, usually she would blush red like a tomato but today she didn''t bother. He walked around the corner and he saw Mingxia taking a stroll in the garden. He was surprised by the view, gasping. With her flowing black hair in a simple hairstyle and an elegant purple dress, there was only one word to describe her, beautiful. Mingxia looked at the flower with adoring eyes and touched its petals lovingly. Her maid looked shocked along with the other servants passing by. They are used to the cheerful Lady Mingxia but the graceful and quiet Lady Mingxia has her own alluring appeal. "Master Zong, if you don''t mind. Would you not just stand there in the middle of the hallway, you''re blocking the path." Mingxia said with her back turned. Zong Ching look startled for a bit and noticed that behind him two little maids were holding a bundle of neatly folded clothes. He stepped aside and let them pass with an apologizing smile on his face. Right now Zong Ching was only sixteen, a young adult. His greedy desires of taking over the throne doesn''t affect him until he is twenty years old, when his best friend, the third prince becomes the crown prince. That was also the year that Mingxia''s grandmother was murdered by him. Mingxia will not let the tragedy happen in this life, she will slowly take revenge against him for what he did and for what he will do. "Lady Mingxia, it is rare to see you in the gardens." He commented as he patted her head. Mingxia used to love this interaction and all the servants knew that she did. However after what happened Mingxia found it disgusting and slapped his hand away. "In case you don''t know this is my house, I believe I have the right to come to the garden." She hissed at him. Zong Ching rubbed his hands at where Mingxia slapped, it had become red. A servant came with a towel but he dismissed him. Zong Ching stared into Mingxia''s eyes, he saw the hatred and the coldness in it. ''What happened to this girl?'' This question bothered him but he forced himself to give his usual smile and asked her, "Lady Mingxia would you like to take a walk with me?" The young and foolish Mingxia would take this request foolishly but she knew better now, he was trying to butter her up. "Give me a reason why I should agree." She replied, Ching was taken back but this was not enough to break his cover. "Do I need a reason to invite a lady for a walk." He whispered just loud enough for her and her maid to hear, Mingxia saw that her maid blushed red but she has seen too many types of this act. "Then I also have the right to reject this offer, but if you really want someone to go on a walk with you then I believe my maid would suit you more than me."She looked up at him with resent and continued. "And in case you didn''t know, don''t bother me while I''m not annoyed yet." She began to walk back when Ching blocked her way. "Move." She snapped at him with an attitude she has never used before in front him. The hatred and murderous glance in her eyes frightened him. Ching stepped aside and stared at Mingxia as she walked back. 5 Grey eyes Mingxia lied on her bed, trying to work out a plan for her revenge. Zong Ching was her goal, she knew that Mingxue will also interfere but as long as she and Zong Ching don''t get into any romantic relationship she''ll be fine. Mingxia may hate her sister, but she knows that she still loves her, because deep in her heart she understood Mingxue better than anyone. In the past life, Mingxue''s jealousy became hate on Mingxia. When Mingxia was twenty one, Ching was the emperor. He killed the third prince and the emperor on the same night, with the help of her family he had his own personal army that easily defeated anyone in his way. Mingxue watched as the person she loved became emperor and was even willing to sacrifice herself for him. But with Mingxia in her way and rumored to be the next empress, she made sure that Mingxia lived in misery. For each day Mingxia is in the palace with Ching, Mingxue used a different way to torture Mingxia. One day it would be starving her then the next would be snakes in her bed. Mingxia went through four years of torture. What Mingxue did not know was that since childhood Mingxia was the one jealous of her sister for being so studious and ladylike. She understood that Mingxue was actually kind, she was just a vulnerable girl controlled by jealousy. Zong Ching was the main culprit behind Mingxue''s ruthless acts since he was excellent at manipulating others. As she thought away she slowly fell asleep. The next morning Mingxia was dressed in a pale green dress and her hair was bundled up with a jade pin. She walked to her father''s study and spent about two hours rummaging through the books Zong Ching had brought to the house. As expected there was a lot, practically four boxes full of the books. All the books were in top condition since father was really fond of Zong Ching. In her past lifetime, the reason her father didn''t go against her demand to marry Ching was also because of this. Her father was a clever man and can usually see what the naked eye could not but he was not observant enough to realize Ching''s plot for power. Mingxia flipped through every single book in two hours, reading and processing all the information. Her rebirth has not only given her a second chance but it also gave her a boost in her abilities. In this life she had higher stamina, pain tolerance and an increase in her IQ. These books were quite boring, all of them were about different political incidents, droughts, wars, conflicts and such. She got up to stretch when the door opened. "Mingxia?" Someone said. She turned around to see her father standing in the doorway with Zong Ching. Her father has a prideful smile on his face while Zong Ching had his usual blank expression. She greeted her father with a curtsy while her father chuckled when he saw how feminine his daughter is. He has heard the rumors going around the house but didn''t believe them. "What are you doing here?" He asked her as he sat down. "Nothing really, just bored." She answered simply. "Does Lady Mingxia like books? I have a few that may interest you." Ching suggested after seeing the open boxes of books on the floor. "Not really." She looked away, not wanting to look at this person. Her father chuckled at their exchange and stroked his beard as he studied his daughter. With her long black hair, red lips and brown eyes sadness crept into his heart. With sad eyes he thought, ''She is starting to look more and more like her mother.'' Mingxia''s mother right now is bedridden, having caught a disease three years ago. Since then she has always been in her bed unable to go out. With each year passing her health worsened, then a year ago, her hair became all white and she became even more unwilling to meet others. "Lady Mingxia have I upset you in any way? These two days you seem to not be yourself." Ching asked. "Am I? I''ve always been like this it''s just that you have never noticed." Mingxia retorted. "My dear daughter I have also noticed your sudden change in personality, although I personally don''t mind it, I do want to know the reason for this sudden change." Her father asked. "Father, I do not believe I have changed. I do not understand what you are trying to say but if in your eyes I did then my reason is that I am now a different Wei Mingxia, a whole new person." Her answer was delivered without hesitation and confidence. Mingxia was truthful when she said this and her eyes reflected her honesty, her father chuckled and thought that this was only a womanly stage from a girl to a women mentally. Then for a minute, he saw the brown eyes of his beloved daughter flickering, from grey to brown. He gasped because Mingxia grey eyes looked exactly like how her mother did when they first met, cloudy and mysterious. No one could read nor understand her thoughts and emotions, it was this trait of hers that allured him to her. Ching heard the gasp and looked over at Master Wei, then following his gaze, he looked at Lady Mingxia who had a smile on her face. "Well then, it seems that I am disturbing the two of you. I will take my leave now father." Mingxia curtsied and walked towards the door. Master Wei looked down at the books on his desk and looked at the back of his daughter. ''They always say that children will grow to become adults before we know it. Looks like it is true.'' His sadness was expressed through the sad smile he gave and he let out a sigh. 6 Early Blossoming Mingxia let out a sigh and strolled around the house, bored. Unlike her dear sister who has classes packed back to back everyday, Mingxia had little to none, due to her angering all the teachers in town with her obnoxious behavior when she was young. Mingxia smiled as she remembered those times. From childhood she played around with boys and did dangerous activities such as climbing walls, trees, hiking, playing with knives. Back then she was free and experienced true freedom. So when she was asked to weave beautiful designs on handkerchiefs and draw cute birds she would utterly fail. Because of this she received many negative comments about her, everyday she would hear others say how barbaric she is, how she should have been born a male and such. She hated whoever that said this, who gave them the right to judge her? She was just acting like herself and was being herself. She was depressed for a while but after that she decided that, why not act barbaric? why not act like a boy? So whenever she had to attend classes for females she would purposely aggravate the teacher and provoke them until they quit their job. She didn''t care since she hated being forced to do something. That fact has not been changed, even now she refused to be forced to do something against her will. It wasn''t until later on when she met Ching that she forced herself to learn these lessons. How na?ve of her to think that he will like her if she was more feminine and spent countless nights learning to weave, draw, dance and such. She would remember when her fingers were bleeding from playing the Guqin but she forced herself to continue. Although her fingers hurt she was happy. Happy, yeah she thought she would be happy and maybe even happier when she finally was wedded to Ching but that day never came. Never. Now she hated herself for that, she hated how gullible and na?ve she was back then. She arrived in front of the plum blossom trees located in the courtyard and remembered that this was Ching''s favorite flower. ''They are small and fragile and yet they are beautiful and strong.'' ''Just like you.'' She grimaced and looked away from these orchards, she can''t believe she had said these childish words to Ching before. She cringed at the thought and walked away but was stopped when a sudden gust of wind blew towards her bringing in a wave of plum blossom petals at her. Her maid rushed forwards with a towel but she waved her hand to signal she didn''t need it. She picked up a petal and let it ride with the wind. "Small and fragile against the wind but strong against the cold." Ironic. She gave a sad smile and walked away into another part of the courtyard. She saw that in this courtyard the flowers are still in a bud like stage. She walked over and gently touched the white bud and smiled. "What is this tree?" She asked her maid. "A hawthorn tree, Lady Mingxia." She replied with a bow. "Hawthorn." She murmured the name and gave a rare happy smile. As soon as she smiled the bud opened to show the precious flower. Her maid gasped, the trees in the courtyard began to blossom and a gust of wind blew some of its petals up into the air and cascaded down on Mingxia. Mingxia smiled and twirled around as the petals fell on her dress and on her hair. The early blooming of the hawthorn trees caught the attention of the nearby servants and they rushed over to see the sight since these trees are meant to blossom only in another month and a half. When they arrived at the scene they were struck by the beauty in front of them, their mouths dropped when they saw that the tomboy lady could be so beautiful. Of course this miracle event did not only catch the attention of the servants, but Ching as well. He followed the servants and arrived at the courtyard to see the sight. He was struck by how beautiful Mingxia was, the white petals dotted her pale green dress and her ebony black hair. How much more can she surprise him? Mingxue was also alerted of this and came in time to see the Mingxia and Ching''s reaction to her sister. She didn''t miss the redness on his face and the happy smile on his face. This smile is different from the other smiles he gave before, it was held a certain kindness and happiness that he never gave her. She bit her lips, unable to bear seeing anymore of this, she quickly walked back to her room with pools of tears in her eyes. Her maid had a face of worry and pity on her face as she ran after her lady. When Mingxia stopped twirling she noticed the large audience standing in the corridors. She was confused for a bit but her eyes narrowed when she saw that Ching was standing among the servants staring at her. She turned her head and walked away not bothering to dust the white petals off of her. Having nothing to watch anymore the servants went back to do their jobs and Ching looked at the back of Mingxia. That night his head was full of Mingxia, in the shower of white petals, like a goddess from the heavens. His heart began to beat in a steady rhythm whenever he thought of Mingxia. ''What am I thinking about? I can not forget my goal.'' He reminded himself but no matter what he thought to himself he could not get her image out of his head. ''What''s wrong with me?'' He questioned himself as he tossed and turned in bed. 7 Brothers The next morning, Zong Ching woke up with heavy bags under his eyes. "Little brother, are you alright? You do not look so well." Zong Li the 5th prince in line, asked while slinging his quiver over his shoulder. "Uhh no, I mean yes, of course I am well. I was uh reading through some books very late last night." Ching stammered as he slid his quiver over his shoulder. In front of his brothers he shows an attitude of being cold and calm so seeing him stammering his words was a first time experience for him. Zong Li raised his eyebrows but decided to dismiss this and walked towards his horse. He got on easily and looked at Zong Ching climbing on with the help of his servants. "Ready?" He asked and pointed off towards the woods. Zong Ching nodded and he smiled. "Well let the hunt begin!" The two rode away on their horses towards the woods. The only brother he was close with is Zong Li. Zong Li''s mother was a consort but she was the only person that chose to be friends with Zong Ching''s mother. After his mother died she treated Zong Ching like he was one of her sons. Zong Ching did not excel in horse riding but his archery skills are top notch. Out of the ten targets he missed two, if he had better control over his horse he would be able to get all ten. Zong Li only missed one out of the ten, he excelled in activities sport-related. "Mmmm. Haven''t hunted on horse back for ages." Zong Li exclaimed as he stretched. Zong Ching shook his head, "Nah, you''re exaggerating, it''s only been a couple of weeks." "My point exactly." Zong Li responded with a matter-of-fact tone. *Sigh* "You''ve always been so sarcastic." Zong Ching got off of his horse and gave the reins over to his servant. "No I have not!" Zong Li retorted and got off his horse. "Hey! Don''t walk away while I''m talking!" Zong Li ran over and slung his arm over his shoulder. "Woah." Zong Ching staggered from the sudden impact. "But seriously what''s been bothering you." Zong Li suddenly got serious. Zong Ching grimaced. "Nothing." "Hmmmm. I know it is definitely not nothing, so speak up." Zong Li demanded. "Well. It''s about this girl." Zong Ching admitted quietly. "A girl. Ohhhh... I see so our little Ching Ching has finally become a man." Zong Li''s words received a punch from his little brother in the stomach.. "Hmph." Zong Ching walked away and left Zong Li clutching his stomach. "Okay, okay. I won''t tease you anymore but you have to tell me the details." Zong Li finally caught up even though he was still clutching his stomach. "Well..." Zong Ching told him the even that happened in the past few days, about Mingxia''s sudden change, her attitude and him constantly thinking about her. He left out the part about trying to gain a connection with the Wei family for their connections. After hearing this Zong Li placed both of his hands on Zong Ching''s shoulders. "What-what?" Zong Ching stammered. "Zong Ching, I never would have thought that this would happen but it did. Congratulations my brother you have finally awaken your male ambitions." Zong Li exclaimed and began crying. Zong Ching may be clever and smart when it comes to political stuff but when faced with issues love wise he was an amateur. Well it is reasonable since he''s a virgin. "Why are you crying Brother Li." Someone one suddenly said and Zong Li turned around. It was Zong Chen, first in line for the throne. "Nothing Brother Chen." Zong Li became quiet and Zong Ching followed his example. The battle for the throne was fierce, even if the brothers were best friends when they were children, they may become enemies if they take different sides. The two princes with the most favor for the throne is the first prince Zong Chen and the third prince Zong Wang. Zong Chen is known for his military feats. He is ruthless on the battlefield and charged into battle at the youthful age of 12. On the other hand, the third prince Zong Wang may not be known for military accomplishments but for he was reputable for being a scholar and has dealt with numerous disaster cases, giving him support from the people. Both princes also have their own brothers supporting them. The first prince, Zong Chen, has his fourth brother, fifth brother and ninth brother supporting him. The third prince has the sixth, seventh and eighth prince supporting him. Each prince had their specialty and their own group of people supporting them. "Brother Chen, what brings you here?" Zong Li asked. "Nothing special just taking a walk." He answered simply. He turned towards Zong Ching. "Brother Ching, fancy seeing you here." Zong Ching only nodded, Zong Li could see that he had brought up his mask, the mask he uses in front of others to act polite and cold. "Zong Li, that situation, have you taken care of it?" Zong Chen walked up to Zong Li ignoring Zong Ching. "Of course brother. He confessed everything after three days staying in there." Zong Li whispered to Zong Chen, making sure Zong Ching didn''t not hear it. "En. Good job Li, I am very satisfied with this." Zong Chen patted Zong Li''s back and walked off. "Brother Li, what happened?" Zong Ching walked up beside Zong Li without making a sound which surprised Zong Li. "Wa-nothing, nothing." Zong Li jumped at his brother''s sudden question but he was also taken back when he heard his brother addressing him as Brother Li. The two brothers may not have a chance for the throne but they had each other and were very close. Zong Ching''s sudden coldness towards him bothered Zong Li but who is he to complain? He would act the same way if his closest brother was keeping secrets from him. "Let''s go in town. I heard that there is this famous new pavilion opening today." He draped his arms around Zong Ching''s neck and laughed while trying to change the subject. Zong Ching merely nodded, knowing that his brother would not be telling him anything and the two walked away with heavy thoughts dragging them down. 8 Caugh (The chapter before this one was blocked so I could not post it on here. For those who want to read it, it is still available on my wattpad account, with the same name. ) She kept her head down and did not look at Zong Ching. In Zong Ching''s hand was a small blue bag with a simple green vine sewn on it. The design may be simple but if you were to look closely, you could see the detailed leaves of the vine and intricate designs. Zong Ching felt as though this bag was very familiar but he could not recall why. Zong Li looked at his brother and was puzzled why his brother wasn''t giving back the pouch. He took it upon himself and took the bag from Zong Ching''s grasp. He walked up to the boy with a smile and handed the blue bag to him. "Here you dropped this. This looks very detailed, did someone give this to you?" He asked. "Uh yes. It was my sister." The deep voice responded. "Well then, here." He handed it to him and walked back to the table. The boy bowed and quickly walked out. "Come sit and eat Ching, I heard the food here is the best." Zong Li sat down and immediately began eating while Zong Ching was still in the same posture as when his brother took the pouch from him. Somewhere inside him was telling him that he has seen this boy before and it bugged him that he couldn''t remember. He walked back to the table and stared out of the balcony and looked around the center room. The balcony was hung inside to give them a clear view of the main room of the pavilion. Usually balconies would be hanging outside to give the customers a view of beautiful sceneries but this pavilion has a different idea. Why look outside when the inside has to more to look at? The main room was the room that customers would see when they enter from the front door. The door''s ceiling was almost as high as the building and giant chandeliers hung on the ceilings to brighten the room. The middle of the room had a fountain flowing with water being pushed out from underground. Green vines climbed up the poles and walls and the amount of greenery gave this room a fantasy feeling to it. Golden light brightened the room and gave off a sun-like glow. This is one of the main reasons why Water Lotus Pavilion became the largest and most successful shop in the town. Mingxia ran out of the room and quickly began running towards the kitchen where the back door was located. She looked at the time and realized it would become night soon. She had to return before someone found out. As she ran she did not look in front of her and bumped into someone by accident. She looked up to see a man adorned in silk grey robes with piercing black eyes staring at her. ''He''s¡­ the SECOND PRINCE!'' The second prince was the only prince in line that was the most favored. He would have most likely been in line for the throne if he hadn''t given up his rights two years ago. Like the first prince he had a long line of military accomplishments from an early age and also has a large influence in the trading business. Who would of knew that he chose to give up his right to the throne. He may have lost a lot of power but that did not mean he had no more. In fact, after he left the line to the throne he established many connections with other civilizations. She gulped, realizing that his fan had fell. "This servant apologizes for dropping your fan. This mister please forgive this servant." She apologized over and over again as she held up his fan to him. He picked up the fan and she began running towards the kitchen. "Stop." A voice commanded, she stopped in her tracks and looked back to bow her head. "You bumped into me and you think that a simple apology will do?" The voice was calm and yet it was threatening as well. Mingxia gulped again. "This servant does not understand what else he must do." "Well let me tell you then. The bone of this fan is made of the rare wood, ebony. The paper is made with a very rare type, the drawing on this was drawn by the renowned artist Master Chu. The fan is worth about 100 gold. When you bumped into me you made a dent in the wood. Is this how you thought you''d repay me?" When Mingxia heard 100 gold she was shocked beyond words. "100 gold for a stupid fan, you have got to be kidding me." She held her head down and did not look up. The second prince may not appear strong but you should never underestimate him. "Second brother, he''s only a servant boy, do you think he even has enough to repay you?. Even if he worked for 100 years he probably could not even finish paying you." Another person stepped out behind him. This person was dressed in a dark red robe and his hair was tied up in a small bun to appear scholarly. "True, but since he is working here then there may be some hope." A playful voice said and a person behind the last walked out. He was wearing an orange robe, his hair was tied up in a small bun as well, but unlike the other two, it was very messy. He gave off a lively aura unlike the other two. "Anyway, how are you going to repay me?" The man in red asked Mingxia. "Uhh..." Mingxia racked her brain, as the daughter of a viscount she could get that much within a couple of days. However her identity right now is a servant boy. For a commoner to get this much money in only the time of a couple of days would surely raise suspicion. Silence condemned on them and Mingxia did not dare to look up. "You don''t work here do you?" The second prince walked up to her and used his fan to raise her chin. He sucked in his breath when a pair of warm brown eyes looked up to meet his grey ones. Before leaving Mingxia used a bit of makeup to look as masculine as possible but she underestimated how beautiful she actually looked. With pale skin, bright eyes and pink lips, her appearance doesn''t lose to her sister''s. "I have never seen you around in my pavilion." He quickly recovered and continued questioning her. Seeing that she has been caught she stood up straight and looked at him straight in the eyes. "You''re correct Sir, I do not work here. I never knew that the high and noble second prince would be the owner of this pavilion." She let out a smile that resembled a smirk. The two men behind could not believe the direction of the conversation and that there was someone that would actually have the audacity to look at the prince in the eye. "Interesting." The second prince smiled and studied the "boy" in front of him. His sharp eyes could tell that this "boy" is definitely not a boy the moment he(she) stood up straight. "So, how are you going to repay me?" "How am I supposed to know, you caught me. You know I''m not a servant here so what do you plan to do?" Mingxia boldly went straight to the point. After some considering an idea formed in his head. "Hmm¡­ How about you work for me for a week." "Hah?! Are you kidding me? Are you sure your brain wasn''t kicked by a mule?" Her mockery caused the two "audiences" to shudder. After all, no one dares to speak to the Prince like that. However the second prince did not seem affected by her mockery, continuing to smile and act like nothing happened. "Of course I am not. I am setting a trade that is beneficial for you. Work under me for a week and consider yourself free of debt." He explained simply. Mingxia continued to hold her "Are you crazy?" face but began to think that he was correct. A week of working in exchange for 100 gold. This trade could even be considered too generous. "Deal." She accepted without thinking, again. "Good. Remember to come tomorrow and meet me in the first VIP room." "Tomorrow?" Mingxia questioned. "Of course, it is better for you to be debt free faster right?" Mingxia sighed. "Alright." "Well then, see you tomorrow Lady Mingxia." After saying this he quickly walked away with his two friends following him. "Wait... What?! Come back here!" Mingxia wanted to scream but she realized the balconies already had a handful of people looking at her. She quickly ducked into the kitchen. Of course the crowd of people included Zong Ching and his brother Zong Li. 9 Grandmother Mingxia didn''t understand how the second prince found out about her identity but she knew that from now on, she had be careful when coming out. She arrived at her house and purposely walked towards the back door. She jumped up the wall and climbed into her courtyard. "Lady Mingxia! You''re finally back!" Xing quickly ran over and helped Mingxia land on her feet. "I was only gone for a while, why are you so worried?" Mingxia laughed and walked towards her room. "Of course I was worried! You failed to come back after so long and your grandmother came earlier." Xing reported as she helped me change into blue robes. "Grandmother? What did she say?" Mingxia took out the blue pouch and touched the vines sewn on it. "She said that she would like to have lunch with you but since you weren''t here she told me to tell you to go have a cup of tea with her when you come back." "I see. I''ll go now I guess. Xing, grab the blue dress. I''m going to wear that one." Mingxia pointed at a sky blue dress hanging in her closet. Xing nodded and took it out. ______________________________________________ "Grandmother, the weather is quite nice today isn''t it?" Mingxue awkwardly tried to start a conversation with her grandmother. However, her grandmother ignored her attempt and acted as though she did not hear. Mingxue bit her lips and took a long sip of her tea. "Grandmother," A calm voice said and Mingxue turned her head towards the voice. "Xia er! Come quickly, let grandmother see you!" Grandmother opened her arms and Mingxia gently hugged her. Mingxue dug her nails into her dress and bit her lips. "Mingxia¡­ Mingxia... Mingxia¡­ Why is it always her?! I can do what she can a hundred times better but why is she the one that gets everything?!" Mingxia was shielded by her doting grandmother, so she did not notice her sister''s darkening heart. "Now tell me Xia er, where were you when I went to visit earlier?" "Uhhh. I was out?" Mingxia''s response resulted in a gentle glare from her grandmother. "Sigh. Xia er ever since young, you have been, well... different, from other girls. But now that you are a young women and going to turn 16 soon you will have to act like a woman now." As she said this Mingxia''s grip on her cup tightened. "Grandmother what is it that you want to tell me?" Her grandmother looked surprised by Mingxia''s straightforwardness but in the end sighed. "I would like for you to be more ladylike so I have hired teachers for you everyday. These teachers are not like the ones you have had in the past, they are strict and have tolerated things worse than what you have done before. You will have classes for sewing, guqing and drawing first. Once you have adapted to those classes you will have-" "I will not take these classes!" The porcelain cup in Mingxia''s hand broke from Mingxia''s grip leaving multiple cuts of blood on her left palm. "Mingxia! How dare you speak to your grandmother like this!" A high pitched voice interrupted their conversation. Mingxia and Mingxue turned around to see who it was but their grandmother did not need to turn to know who it is. A women walked gracefully towards them with her head held straight. She wore a purple dress adorned with numerous jewels. "Mother." Mingxue curtsied and Mingxia did the same. "Mingxia, how dare you talk to your grandmother like that!" The high pitched voice did not stop to yell at Mingxia. "Mother, are you all right?" Her tone immediately became soft when addressing her mother but the grandmother turned her head and walked towards Mingxia. "Tang Xiao Min, how dare you yell at my Xia er! Who gave you that right. Remember that you are only the second wife and that Xia er is the daughter of the first wife!" Grandmother did not speak in a loud voice but the tone she spoke was strict and the threat in her voice was clear. "I-I-I see..." Tang Xiao Min took a step back and mumbled her response. "Xia er are you alright?" When Mingxia nodded and grandmother sighed. Tang Xiao Min could not bear to see how kind her mother is to Mingxia and burst out without thinking. "Mother how can you favor that tomboy! She is a-" "Tang Xiao Min!" Grandmother''s face darkened and her eyes sharpened. Mingxia never saw this side of her grandmother and was shocked with how threatening her grandmother looked. Tang Xiao Min took a step back and lowered her head. "Leave. All of you." Grandmother pointed at Tang Xiao Min and her servants. They bowed and her maids had to help Tang Xiao Min back to her room. Seeing her beloved grandmother commanding others with a threatening tone made her question if this is really the grandmother she knows. "Xia er, I do not want to force you but you have to understand that you are of age and would need these classes when you marry." Grandmother spoke with care and Mingxia could only agree. "I will grandmother but I have a condition." "Speak." Grandmother replied without hesitating, Mingxia accepting to learn these classes has greatly surprised her. "I want to learn martial arts." Mingxia''s outrageous request seemed odd but her grandmother agreed immediately. As Mingxia and grandmother spoke Mingxue sat in her seat forgotten like the background. Her maid could not control her anger at how her lady was being treated and prepared to burst when she was stopped by Mingxue. "But lady Mingxue, how can she treat you like this. You are also her granddaughter but the difference in her treatment between you two are-" "Stop. Speak no more." Mingxue ordered in her soft voice and sipped her tea. Her appearance may look sweet and innocent but the thoughts in her head were far from what she looked like. Mingxue''s envy, hatred and jealousy from earlier brewed inside her and was at the point where she would explode. "Mingxia, the treatment I have faced because of you, I will return it ten times worse. Be prepared." she thought. 10 A liking but no interes "Qiu ge, why did you call that boy a girl earlier?" The man in orange robes asked the second prince. "Hmm?" Zong Qiu looked up from his scroll and signaled his head towards the man in dark red to explain. "Ying, that was Wei Mingxia, the first daughter of the Wei family." "Hah?! Deng Yanjing explain clearer!" The guy in orange whined. Deng Yanjing sighed and lifted his hand over his forehead before continuing. "Basically, that was a girl dressed as a boy and that girl is also the first daughter of the Wei family. Does that explain everything Ying?" "Ohhhhh." Ying responded like a five year old finally understanding what something meant. "If I remember correctly she''s the daughter of the Viscount Wei right. But why would a person like her dress like a boy and come here as a servant?" Hearing this Zong Qiu smiled as he thought of the pair of brown eyes again. "Because she''s a known tomboy. Ever since young she was known for being not your particular lady." Deng Yanjing continued and coughed when he mentioned the last part. "Lady or not it doesn''t not change the fact that she now owes me 100 gold and would have to work for me for that." Zong Qiu stood up and walked towards a window, staring into the vast garden. "About that." Deng Yanjing walked forward before continuing. "That was a lie right?" His statement did not surprise Zong Qiu so he did not flinch when Yanjing said this but it did surprise the childish Ying. "Hah? Why would Qiu ge lie about that though?" Ying asked as he scratched his head. Zong Qiu laughed and Yanjing sighed suddenly feeling very annoyed. "The ebony wood fan is expensive but I am sure that the price is no more than 10 gold. I may not know exactly why you lied but I am sure about the general reason why." "Oh really. Well then why don''t you tell me then." Zong Qiu turned his back at them and began playing with the draperies on the window. "Qiu..You, sigh." Yanjing suddenly questioned why he was here in the first place. Yanjing carefully thought out what he was going to say each word with caution since he knows that the words he was about to speak was on a topic Qiu never liked to talk about. "Well from what I saw you seem to have taken a...liking of that girl." Ying spit out the tea he was drinking and jumped up to his feet. "A liking? Yanjing are you sure, Qiu ge it''s not true right." Zong Qiu however remained calm and sat back down on his chair. "A liking. Hmmm, maybe but let me tell you that I have no interest in her. I only proposed that deal for fun who knew she would actually accept it." Zong Qiu sighed as he thought back to what happened. When he knew that the "boy" in front of him was not a boy but girl he thought that this girl probably came from a poor family and has to cross-dress to have enough money to live since boys are more favored as servants here, however the blue pouch gave away her identity. The pouch itself is made of the finest quality silk and thread only those with strong connections with merchants and the royal family can have these. Being a merchant himself, Zong Qiu could identify these with a glance so he knew that this girl was not from a poor family. Brown eyes, black hair and cross-dresses as a boy. There are many ladies of nobility that can fulfill the first two requirements but very few can fulfill all three. With process of elimination he reached the conclusion that this girl is Wei Mingxia. He didn''t know why he lied to her, he just felt like it. Someone with her status can probably get 100 gold in only a couple of days so why would she accept his proposal? This puzzled Zong Qiu. "Wei Mingxia. I''ll do my best to make this week one you would not forget." A playful glint flashed through his eyes and the tips of his mouth rose to show a smile. ----------------------------------------------- "Lady Mingxia..." Xing whispered as she frantically looked around. "What?!" Mingxia replied back as she climbed over the walls of her house. "I still think this is a bad idea. Come down before you''re hurt!" Xing pleaded. "Xing. Can you not be so timid? I know you have only been here for a few months but I am sure you have heard about my name far and wide. I hate feminine classes especially now that I have to take it with Mingxue." Mingxia successfully climbed to the top and flipped over to land on her feet on the other side. "Finally! I''m out." She purposely chose to escape 2 hours before her class. It''s been a week since she has started feminine classes and it was torture with her. She was ordered to sow phoenixes but she managed to sow ducks. She was asked to paint flowers but it resulted in colorful dots all over her page. Needless to say she was the type of student that whatever you teach her she would manage to fail. The only class she is actually making progress is martial arts. With more stamina and a higher pain tolerance than her past life she is able to complete every one of her teacher''s requests. Her teacher was so impressed that he decided to teach her how to manage a sword. Her grandmother did not agree but seeing how adamant Mingxia was, she could only agree. It wasn''t that Mingxia didn''t know how to paint or sew, (she worked hard in her past life so that Zong Ching could favor her) it was that she did not want to do these again. It made her feel like a weak, useless and fragile flower when she learned these lessons, especially guqin class. To make things worse, her grandmother placed her with Mingxue to learn these classes which was torture on top of torture. She was not allowed to go out for a week so she also couldn''t go to fulfill her deal to work for the second prince yet. This is her second reason why she has to go out today. She had three reasons why she had to go out and the third reason was that Zong Ching was coming. Today she wore the same outfit she wore last time the only addition she made was that she has a small dagger in her belt. This time her pouch is carefully tied around her waist under her robes so that no one can see it. She arrived at the Water Lotus Pavilion again but this time she walked to the back door instead of going through the front. She opened the door and to her luck today the pavilion was busier than ever so she could easily blend in with the other blue outfit servants. After three stops from the third floor to the first then back to the third. "Where are the freaking stairs?" Mingxia walked around the third floor trying to find the stairs to the fourth floor. This is her fourth trip sending food and she just can''t seem to find the stairs to the third floor. After coming back from her third trip she was told by the manager that she needed to send a special meal to the VIP rooms on the fourth floor. Although she was confused why *she* had to but she took it anyway. Little did she know that a special man holding an ebony fan was patiently waiting for her in the first VIP room. 11 Blocked Chapters @@ I published another chapter early this morning but after a while I found out that it was blocked for some reason. In this chapter there were no offensive words or any adult scenes so I would like to know why it was blocked. Can someone tell me please in because this chapter is important in the female lead and male lead''s relationship. I will try to find out myself but until then this chapter will be on my wattpad account with the same name.@@ 12 The Invite Summary of the last chapter: Mingxia''s grandmother has schedule for her to take her classes with Mingxue. Not wanting to abide by this arrangement, she crept out before the teachers arrive and remembers that she still has a debt to pay. She arrives at the Water Lotus Pavilion and begins her work. She was suddenly called to go to VIP room 1 and she find out that Zong Qiu, the second prince, was the one waiting for her. By accident the two finds themselves in an awkward position and Mingxia quickly leaves the room with a flushed face. __________________________________________________Xing softly stared at her mistress with gentle eyes. She was an orphan and was taken in by her uncle and aunt. Her village was attacked and burned when she was still a baby and her parents died in the fire. Her aunt and uncle promised to raise her till she was 14 before leaving her to fend for herself. She gratefully accepted knowing her uncle and aunt could have thrown her out in the streets as a beggar long ago, but they chose to let her leave when she was older and more mature. She walked from the outskirts of the country in the freezing snow to one of the largest cities inZong Country, Crystal City. There she stumbled upon the Wei household, in need of servants and maids. She jumped at the chance and was recruited. For three months she was working in the kitchen tending the fire when she was suddenly chosen to serve Lady Mingxia. She didn''t understand at first but she obeyed her orders. When she started the first day she found out that the rumoured tomboy lady was really a tomboy. Somedays, Mingxia would flip over the wall and sneak out in boys clothing. But there were also days where Mingxia would stay at home and read books for long hours. It was like she had two sides of her that would come out on different days. In Xing''s eyes this was what makes Lady Mingxia, Lady Mingxia. Xing may be young but she understood what loyalty was and vowed to be loyal to Lady Mingxia for life. She went into the closet and retrieved a blanket to place over Mingxia. After that, she blew out the candles and exited the room. The next morning she awoke at dawn, like the many other servants, and went to the washroom to prepare Mingxia''s outfit. As she walked over she heard the other female servants gossiping like usual. She pretended to ignore it but the topic they were talking about caught her attention. "-Spring Banquet." a servant said. "I heard that the lady of the Luo family can''t go this year." "Oh really! Why though?" "You haven''t heard what happened last year? The Queen Dowager wanted her to marry to the sixth prince but she rejected it. As a result her father was demoted and she was banned from ever entering the imperial palace." "What? That''s so cruel." "Yeah, but it''s her fault from rejecting the Queen dowager." "Why would she reject him? If she didn''t, she could have been a Prince Consort by now." "Probably because she wasn''t going to be married as a consort." "Don''t tell me she is going to marry as the second wife." "No, she was given to the sixth prince as just a concubine." "Oh, no wonder. With her father''s status she should be entitled to be at least a wife." "Oh well, it doesn''t concern about us." "Anyways, I heard that Lady Mingxue and Mingxia are invited this year." "They are invited every year even though there normally they wouldn''t be." "I can understand why Lady Mingxue is invited but Lady Mingxia. Sigh" "I mean like didn''t she change lately." "Yeah, but she''s still herself. Didn''t you know she escaped class yesterday." "She''s been like that since young, you can''t expect her to change everything." Xing didn''t hear the rest of their conversation, she walked out with Mingxia''s dress and went straight to her lady''s room. "Xing, morning." Mingxia greeted as she yawned. "La-Mingxia, why are you up so early? The sun just came up." "Oh don''t worry, I slept enough last night." Mingxia turned around and went back into her bedroom. Xing helped Mingxia wash and get dressed into her favorite jade green robes. "Mingxia, what is the Royal Spring Banquet?" Xing asked in a quiet voice. "Hmm? Why do you ask?" Mingxia looked up at Xing. "Nothing. Some maids were talking about it and I grew curious." "The Royal Spring Banquet is one of the few events where ladies of nobility and princess can meet the princes or other sons of nobility. For young ladies like Mingxue, this would be one of the most important events in the year." Mingxia ended her statement with a blank face, like the banquet had nothing to do with her. "I see. But I also heard that the Queen Dowager sometimes pair the princes with ladies." Xing''s curiosity overflowed and her eyes sparkled. "Hmmm. I guess you can say that the Royal Spring Banquet is a place for the Queen Dowager to play matchmaker then." Mingxia stood up and stretched before moving towards the door. Outside, a young maid was waiting for her. "Lady Mingxia, your father has summoned for your presence in the main hall." The young maid bowed and waited for Mingxia to respond. "Looks like that time of year has come. Let''s go Xing, can''t let my father wait, can we?" Mingxia strolled off, following the maid to the main hall. When they arrived, Mingxia saw that the entire family was there. Her father was sitting in the front on the left side with her grandmother on the right side. A wooden table separated the two. To her father''s right hand sat Mingxue''s mother, Tang Xiao Min, while her face held kindness, Mingxia could feel the daggers coming out of her eyes. Beside Tang Xiao Min was Mingxue wearing her usual pale pink dress and innocent smile. Mingxia curtsied and sat in her chair next to grandmother. "Now that Xia er is here, let''s get to the reason why you are gathered here." Mingxia''s father waved his hand and a servant handed Mingxue and Mingxia a light pink envelope. Mingxue''s eyes sparkled and she started to look excited while Mingxia held an expressionless face and only flipped the envelope side to side, investigating it. ''Just like last year.'' She thought and set the envelope down, she didn''t need to open it to know what was inside. Mingxue, on the other hand couldn''t wait and quickly opened it to pull out the invite inside. _________________________________________________________________________ |Royal Spring Banquet| |It is a honor, to say that Lady Wei Mingxue is invited to this| |year''s Royal Spring Banquet. It will be held in the palace in the| |Plum Blossom courtyard and the Royal Queen Dowager| |will be the host of this year''s banquet.| |It will be a pleasure to have you there on the 24th of this month.| |_________________________________________________________________________| "Father look! I''m invited to this year''s Royal Spring Banquet!" Mingxue looked like a five year old as she said this. Their father chuckled and stroked his grey beard. "Congratulations to both of my daughters for being invited. Now that you know the banquet is going to be held in a week, I expect for you two to be busy." Mingxue nodded happily while Mingxia sat in her seat, nonchalant about what was happening. "Xia er, are you alright. You seem quiet today." Her grandmother was first to notice and raised the other''s attention. "I''m fine grandmother, I just didn''t sleep well." Mingxia flashed her a small smile and her grandmother smiled back. "If you are tired you may leave first Xia er, there isn''t much after this." Her grandmother said and patted her hand. "Thank you grandmother. I shall excuse myself then." She got up and walked out with the pink envelope in her arm. Xing followed her and when she looked back she did not miss the dangerous look on Mingxue''s face change back to innocent. Xing was shocked and prepared to ask when she saw that Mingxia has not lift her expressionless face yet and stayed quiet. 13 Royal Spring Banque The banquet was going to be held in half a month, but Mingxia became extremely quiet as the days passed by. She would still go out everyday to work off her debt but it was like she changed from being the sun to the moon. After a week, Mingxia proudly walked out through the pavilion front doors, giving each of the guards an "accidental" step on their satin shoes. She walked away saying "I''m sorry" with a proud smile on her face. That was the last time she smiled in this entire month. After that, everyday she was forced to learn the feminine arts and her grandmother made sure she attended each class. She would act bored and could care less about her sitting posture and walking gracefully, it wasn''t that she didn''t know, it was just that she knew the lessons too well. She can perfectly recite the poems assigned by the teacher and learn the dances with her eyes closed. It was just that having to learn all this again only bored her and aroused for the unwanted to be remembered again. "Hold your fan up to your face, but make sure that it doesn''t cover over half of your nose. That way you can show your proper feminine charms." Her teacher said as she modeled it. Without anything stopping it, the Royal Spring Banquet came at last. The ignorant ones were so excited they couldn''t sleep but the ones that knew the reason behind it could only dread the day, hoping it passes by without any mentions of their name. Why? The Royal Spring Banquet in short was basically the Queen Dowager playing matchmaking. She would invite all the noble ladies, princesses of foreign countries to come. Then she would assess each of the ladies to find the perfect one for each of her grandsons. Two years ago the prime minister''s daughter was given to the 6th prince as the first wife and the Luo family''s daughter to him as a concubine during that year''s Spring Banquet. Everyone knew that if anyone rejected her request their result could be worse than death, the Luo family was an exception because of their high status in court, but to be able to do that to someone with their status showed her power.Anyone who had a clear head would guess that the Queen Dowager''s actions was basically publicly announcing that the Spring Banquet was a place for her to do what she believed was right and no one can reject. Her target was not only to find fine wives for her favorite grandsons, but to also find strong capable women. In this time period, women were expected to be innocent, fragile and always in need of someone to protect them, but the Queen Dowager hated this stereotype. She was taught growing up that women can be just as good as men if they tried, she held this motto even when she was in the palace fighting against the other scheming concubines, and succeeded. "Lady Wei, we have arrived at the palace." her servant announced. Mingxia stepped out of the wooden carriage. The crowd spurred when they saw the beauties coming out one by one from their carriages. This was one of the rare times where commoners were given the permission to see these beautiful girls. There were girls wearing expensive jewelry and lavish dresses while others dressed very simply but were also very elegant. Mingxia chose to wear something overlapping both of these areas. She wore her favorite jade green gown and had a long braid twisted through her hair. Her jewelry consisted of a pair of pearl earrings, a jade bracelet and a silver string of water crystals adorning her hair. Mingxue was dressed in pink head to toe. She wore a pink gown and had her hair tied in a simple silver hairpin with a dangling chain of plum blossoms shaped jewel. Her jewelry also included a pair of a pink crystal earrings and a white necklace. She looked exactly like what a white lotus would look like. Mingxia purposely strayed away from wearing anything pink. She hated that color even in her past life and she still does. Pink was the color that a girly girl would choose (no offense) and she was definitely not that kind of girl. She preferred the color green and maybe sometimes white. "Sister, can we go in together?" Mingxue asked in a sweet tone. Mingxia looked at her sister and only nodded. Two beauties walking in through the front door was quite the sight. One looked cute and precious while the other gave off a fresh look but still managed to look elegant. They caught the attention of the gentlemen around them as they walked through the palace. Mingxue''s soft fa?ade perfectly hid the thoughts brimming inside her. ''Today''s the day,the start to her downfall'' she declared inside. The sisters were shown to the Spring courtyard along with the other participating girls and the moment they entered the courtyard an array of pink blossoms showered on them. Some of the girls giggled and laughed as they walked through the rain of pink petals while others calmly walked through with an elegant smile. During this event, females and males walk into the banquet from different aisles. Girls are to walk through a courtyard first before they reach where the banquet is happening. The males have to walk through the balcony of the Fan Hua library right next to the courtyard. This setup was organized intentionally by the Queen Dowager herself. From the balcony the princes can watch the girls come in and get an idea of the possible matches in this year''s banquet. The princes come first, then the sons of nobles, then the sons of officers and generals. For the females, princesses comes in first along followed with daughters of nobility then the daughters of officers and generals. Because Mingxia and Mingxue are the daughters of mere viscounts they were among the last to come in, but the pair were successful in raising the attention of the gentlemen coming in. "Look at those two." "Oh, the Wei sisters." "As expected of the all known Viscount Wei, to have daughters like those two." "The one you want to pay attention to is the younger one, Wei Mingxue. The older one, sigh, she''s way too barbaric." "But she sure doesn''t look like it." Their comments and remarks continued on but Mingxia didn''t care or listen, her eyes were cloudy and her facefrowned. Each step she took became heavier than the last as she walked into the garden and traveled over the bridge. Her mind told her to stop but her feet didn''t listen. Before she knew it she was sitting on a wooden stool facing the lotus pond, oblivious of what was happening. 14 Water "Mingxue, here, try this." A young girl wearing a blue dress said as she set a delicate piece of cake into Mingxue''s plate. Mingxue smiled politely and murmured her thanks. "Thank you, sister Han." Han Lanqing smiled back and sipped her tea. Mingxue picked up the cake and took a small bite before placing it down and wiping her mouth with a handkerchief. "Delicate. As expected of sister Han." Mingxue complimented. "Mingxue, you are way to formal. I merely grabbed the nearest cake close to me nothing else." "Then that must mean that Sister Han has quite an eye for pastries." "Nothing of the sort. It was just luck." This type of "polite" conversation continued on back and forth and would go on for a little while. It was like the Chinese polite fights. No one is supposed to give in and would sometimes go to extreme measures to pay the bill. However the polite conversations here are not over a bill but over their pride and status. If a higher ranked lady talks with a lower rank the lower rank lady must be respectful and let the higher ranked lady "win". However if it''s between two ladies of similar status the bickering can continue for a while. The Han family was only a merchant family but after Han Xiao Min married into the Wei family, the Han family was given a boost in status. There status right is still below the Wei family they are considered about the same. "Now, now. You two, stop the bickering." A melodic voice said, Mingxue and Lanqing turned around to see a beautiful women in a purple silk hanfu strolling towards them. "Princess." The two ladies immediately curtsied and stood up. This is Princess Zong Fenghuang, named after the graceful phoenix. She is the oldest daughter and the younger sister of Zong Qiu. Although she is betrothed to the crown prince of a neighboring kingdom she is still asked to come each year to help the ladies become more open and situated to the banquet. Some say that she is the motto of the banquet and the goal for every lady. Zhu Fenghuang waved her hand and the three of them sat down. "How are you two enjoying the banquet?" She asked. "It''s splendid. The scenery, flowers, and the food. As expected of the Royal Banquet." Compliments poured of Lanqing''s mouth like it was rainwater and Fenghuang merely slightly chucked in response. "Good that you are enjoying it. What about you Mingxue?" Mingxue bowed her head and answered back simply. "The banquet is unlike any others I have been at and each year the banquet only gets better, Princess." Mingxue did not forget to end her sentence with Fenghuang''s proper title unlike Lanqing. Fenghuang smiled and was about to respond when she saw someone walk by. "Qiu ge-ge!" She got up and hurriedly made her way over to a man in grey robes. "Feng meimei. Nice to see you here." Zong Qiu turned around and smiled before patting her on the head. Fenghuang immediately became a five-year-old and her smile grew bigger. "Princess, who is this?" Lanqing walked over with Mingxue following behind. "Oh this is my brother Zong Qiu. The second prince." Zhu Fenghuang introduced and stepped aside. She investigated the two ladies in front of her and was not surprised. Lanqing''s eyes lit up when she heard the words "second prince". Names and titles held power so it was to be expected. Mingxue suddenly had this look of interest on her face but a dark cloud covered her thoughts. Princess Zong Fenghuang looked back up at her brother to find that Lanqing was already by his side, hooking her arms around his. "Prince Zong Qiu. I heard from my father that you own the..." Her babbling went on and on but her brother seemed distracted. "Uhh yeah." He slid his hand out of hers and looked around searching for something. Or someone. Finally he found her. She was sitting on a stool, staring out into the pond with a dreadful look on her face. His lips curled upward as he studied her outfit. The three ladies next to him were forgotten as they followed his gaze to settle their eyes on a particular someone. ''This can''t be right!'' Mingxue gripped her dress tighter as Zong Qiu excused himself and walked straight towards Mingxia. "Who is she?" Lanqing asked. "I do not-" "My sister." Mingxue interrupted Fenghuang and said it very quietly but everyone heard what she said. "Wei Mingxia. Isn''t it?" Fenghuang asked. Mingxue nodded. ''How does she know the second prince? If they have any sort of relationship my plans may be ruined.'' Mingxue panicked a bit but she quickly recovered. On the other hand, Lanqing suddenly remembered who Mingxia was and a nasty feeling began to form. Zong Qiu walked up to Mngxia and the two began to chat. The three ladies were too far to hear but they can tell that the conversation between the two were more than conversations between strangers. Mingxue waited and waited for her chance. Until luck finally turned her way. The moment the second prince left, Mingxue made her way over little by little. Until she was close enough to smell the lavender smell on her sister. She bit her lips and for a second she hesitated but she quickly shook her head. She has to get rid of this person before she becomes a bigger obstacle in her future. So she acted as if it was an accident and "accidentally" walked backwards and pushed Mingxia off. Unfortunately she lost her footing and she fell in as well. The two sisters landed in the pond, marking the spot with the pink and green fabrics of their dress. "Help!" __________________________________________________ Fenghuang=a mythological bird that is basically the phoenix in western culture. This chapter was written out a bit rushed and may be a bit boring. But the next chapter would be better and would be told in Mingxia''s perspective. 15 Saved Mingxia did not notice what happened until she was falling down and her head was facing the blue sky. Zong Qiu offered to get her something sweet to eat and left but only a couple of moments after her sister bumped her into the pond. It was like slow motion, she was prepared to grasp the handle of the gates but Mingxue fell on top of her, causing the both of them to fall. Mingxia felt heavy, really heavy. Her dress was soaked in water thus adding to the weight and pulling her down. However with her enhanced strength she was able to swim up to the surface of the water and call for help. "Help!" Mingxia''s cry was loud but short as her head bobbled down again into the water. She opened her eyes underwater and saw a bundle of pink cloth floating in the water, barely moving. ''Mingxue!'' She swam over to her sister and saw her sister barely conscious, trying to keep in her breath, however, because of her inability to swim, she was losing breaths by the second. Mingxia may hate her sister but she still held the bond between them dear as she pulled Mingxue up to the surface for air. Mingxue gasped and opened her eyes to Mingxia pulling her to a wooden stick for her to hold. The one that was holding the stick was a servant trying to help them. Mingxue looked down at her sister and saw her smile before disappearing into the water. "No!" She struck out a hand to catch Mingxia''s hand but she was too far. She was pulled up and a maid wrapped a towel over but right now she was not worried about herself. She looked over into the water to see that Mingxia was not moving and her eyes were closed. "Jie-jie!" She cried. She then heard another splash and saw that it was Zong Qiu swimming towards her sister. He easily hugged Mingxia and swam back onto land. "Move." He commanded to everyone beside him as the people parted a way for him to carry Mingxia off towards his quarters. Mingxue followed after him with a towel over her, concerned about the unconscious Mingxia. ''Oh please be ok.'' She pleaded in her heart. A maid followed after her as the four figures left the courtyard. After they have left, the Queen Dowager''s eyes had this mysterious sparkle in her eyes and her lips curved into a smile. Zong Qiu never came to these banquets, even with her constant naggings and when he was still in line for the throne. He had female acquaintances but he would keep a distance between them. Two days ago he suddenly appeared in front of her and asked to go to this year''s banquet. She was surprised but quickly agreed. Who would of known that he would do this. The Wei family may only be a viscount but she knows his relationship with the empress. She only knew exactly how much power they held so this development worked well with her. However if this girl wanted to be the one for her dear grandson, then she needed to pass her test first. Han Lanqing witnessed the scene with shock. She expected for Mingxue to attract attention but who knew that Mingxia would also. Ying and Yanjing was surprised by how protective Qiu was being and held in their urge to laugh. "Curse you two Wei sisters." Lanqing mumbled under her breath and walked away but unlucky for her Yanjing heard this. "Looks like we have a problem." He gently said. "What problem?" Ying was confused. "Not right now. I''ll tell you later." Yanjing acted normally and went to the food table to pick out a pastry to eat as Ying followed him with a confused expression. ____________________________________ "You, get the royal physician and you, prepare a room." Zong Qiu ordered. Servants ran around and scrambled to prepare what he wanted. Zong Qiu held the dripping wet Mingxia and gently placed her onto a soft feather bed. Mingxue was also given a set of clothes to change which she gratefully took but she immediately ran back to see her sister. When she arrived she saw that the royal physician has already arrived and was checking her sister''s pulse. "The lady was saved in time so she merely passed out. I will prescribe some prescription to help her recover, she should wake up in a couple of hours." The old man bowed at the prince. Zong Qiu kept his eyes on Mingxia and waved his hand to dismiss him. The old man bowed once again and walked out the room. Mingxue then knelt down in front of her sister and she felt the guilt inside her erupting. "I''m sorry jie jie." Tears fell down and dripped down. Zong Qiu showed no emotion and kept a blank face but he gripped Mingxia''s hand tightly. ___________________________ ''Why am I feeling this? What am I feeling?'' Zong Qiu grip tightened for he feared that Mingxia might disappear at any moment. Mingxue stood up and looked at Zong Qiu. Of course, she has heard about him and what happened to him. She always thought that he was a cold man but seeing him today and what he had done she can be sure to say that her sister was indeed very strong. Does Zong Ching feel the same about her? Will he do the same for her if she fell? Thoughts like this began to born. Her sister''s sudden change confirmed that she had no feelings for Zong Ching. But Zong Ching... He has feelings for her sister¡­ right? But is this her sister''s fault? Should she really be putting the fault on her sister who had just risked her life to save her? Questions only created more questions and led to more complicated ones that she had no answers for. Whew. This chapter was difficult to write especially about Mingxue. Mingxue''s remorse and guilt has finally cleared her head and let some logic in! What will happen from now on? Hehe you will have to wait to know! 16 Protective Am I dead? Did I die again? Oh well, at least I did something...I guess. What is this light? ________________________________________________ Light penetrated through Mingxia''s eyelids as she slowly opened them. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the light when she realized she was still alive. ''I didn''t travel back in time again right?'' She moved her head to see a surprising sight. To her right Zong Qiu sat with his head leaned against the bedpost fast asleep. "What-" Mingxia''s voice came out surprisingly hoarse and deep. She coughed a bit to recover her voice when Zong Qiu woke up from his sleep. His eyes immediately settled on Mingxia''s and softened. "Where am I?" She asked as she slowly got up. Zong Qiu helped Mingxia up by holding onto her waist and on her shoulder. He passed her a cup of warm water, which Mingxia took with both hands holding it. "You''re in my quarters." He delivered his statement simply even though it can be easily misunderstood. Mingxia spit out the water she just drunk and coughed out loudly. "Hey!" Zong Qiu patted her back as she calmed down and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Zong Qiu was holding a handkerchief for her and pushed it to her. "Be more ladylike." Mingxia burst out laughing again and coughed even more. "Ladylike? Very funny." She took the handkerchief and gently wiped her mouth. She wanted to get down when she realized that she was not in the green dress but in a thin white outfit. She immediately pulled the blanket over her shoulders and blushed from embarrassment. "Wh-who helped me change?" She asked quietly. Zong Qiu smiled a bit and answered in a playful tone. "Hmmm. What if I said it was me?" Mingxia''s blush grew from pink to deep red. "Y-You-Yo-" She grabbed the nearest thing she can throw, the pillow, and threw it at him. He laughed and caught it before placing it back down. Mingxia turned away pouting with a humph. "Ok, ok, it was your sister Mingxue." He stood up and nodded to a servant. The servant then nodded and opened the door. Mingxue walked in wearing a yellow gown and slowly walked over before sitting on Mingxia''s bedside. "Are you feeling better?" Mingxue''s voice was soft and filled with care as she took the handkerchief out of Mingxia''s hand. She dipped the handkerchief into the basin of water and wringed it. Mingxia nodded as Mingxue gently wiped her forehead. Mingxia could smell the jasmine scent coming off Mingxue''s clothing, Mingxue always liked to use jasmine to perfume her clothes. Even in the past life it was her habit to do so. However, because of her countless schemes, Mingxia grew to hate this smell because whenever she smelled it, it only reminded her of many unpleasant memories. But this time, something changed, the smell was not as sickening as before but quite pleasant. "I''m sorry..." Mingxia''s eyes widened as she could not believe had she heard. Her sister actually apologized to her. Mingxia smiled and her eyes softened. "Don''t worry. It wasn''t your fault." Tears brimmed at Mingxue''s eyelids and she smiled back. "En!" -------------------------------------------- The physician then came back and was happy to report that Mingxia recovered. He advised her to take some herbal tea and left a mixture of herbs on a sheet of paper. Mingxia was very happy and would have immediately asked to be let out if Zong Qiu hadn''t ordered for her to stay in the room for another three days. He had guards standing at the door and windows to prevent her from escaping. Each hour a maid would come in and MAKE sureshe drinks the herbal tea. Every meal would be personally decided by Zong Qiu and every night she had to eat dinner with him. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" Mingxia''s happy spirit immediately dropped rock bottom. Mingxue also awkwardly laughed when she heard his rules. Why is he so protective? Zong Qiu''s decision was final and he ignored Mingxia''s angry complaints. He ordered for each servant to follow his orders and that if they disobeyed then they would have to face the consequences. ----------------------------------------------- "At least that means he cares?" Xing was not being helpful as Mingxia lied on her bed, pouting. "Who does he think he is? Who said he had the right to conceal me in this room?" Mingxia pouted. "Uhhh, the second prince?" Xing stated the obvious but that was exactly what Mingxia did not want to hear. She flicked Xing''s forehead and Xing yelped in pain before covering the red spot with her hands. "Mingxia!" Xing cried. "That''s what you get." Mingxia turned the other way to show her annoyance. Xing could only sigh in defeat and began cleaning the room. Xing was allowed to accompany Mingxia during the three days she is to be confined in this room. Xing arrived in the morning and informed her of the situation at home. "Your grandmother was furious when she heard you fell into the water. But she calmed down when she heard about you and the second prince. Master Wei was the same but the second mistress was not. She was furious that Lady Mingxue also fell in but her face darkened when she heard about you and the second prince." Mingxia remained quiet and deep in thought. Han Xiao Min hated Mingxia''s mother since she was only a concubine while her mother was the mistress of the house. When Mingxia''s mother fell ill and she took over as mistress, she must of felt likeshe can do anything. Mingxia knew of Han Xiao Min''s goals to destroy her mother and have Mingxue take Mingxia''s title of the first daughter. She faced many unfair hardships and she did not want Mingxue to go through the same hardships. Her husband and mother-in-law''s favor for Mingxia was her biggest obstacle. Eventually she chose to team up with Zong Qing so that she can take over the family and to get back at those who messed with her before. 17 Mother vs. Son "Eat this, and this and this." Zong Qiu said as he added a couple of duck meat and vegetables to the tower of food. "Hey I''m not crippled! I can get my own food." The annoyed Mingxia said as she dumped the tower of food onto his plate. "You need the nutrients." Zong Qiu reasoned and began piling more food onto the plate. By now, Mingxia''s anger bar has reached its maximum. Being grounded in a room and having to do nothing but sleep has already ticked her off, and now she can''t even choose what she gets to eat. Mingxia was furious beyond repair. "Look, Mr Zong Qiu, second prince or whatever they call you. I am not a women that just gave birth, I am perfectly healthy and capable of getting my own food. Now, get out. I don''t need a hawk to monitor my every move and limit my freedom!" Mingxia''s hand slapped the table to show her anger. Xing sat in the corner and could only laugh at this. It''s the second day of her lady being stuck in here and she could tell that she was not happy. She would even curse at Zong Qiu in her sleep, muttering things like, "Zong Qiu, I swear I will get back at you.." or "Just you wait I will make sure you shall feel ten times the..." Xing chuckled again when she remembered this. Mingxia may not know but Xing could tell that the second prince had a special place in her lady''s heart. Every time he was brought up she would have a special reaction, only when he was mentioned. ''Did you notice that Lady Mingxia?'' Zong Qiu smiled and confidently looked at Mingxia in the eye. "Am I a hawk?" He stood up and leaned forward while Mingxia leaned back. "Or am I....." He leaned forward again and Mingxia took a step back and her leg touched the chair behind her. "Wha-" She then realized that it was a chair and looked relieved. However she forgot that there was a pursuing hawk coming close and shortening the distance between them. She turned around to see that they were only a few centimeters away, unconsciously she sat down. Zong Qiu leaned downwards towards her. His grey eyes held a spark when it met her brown ones. Zong Qiu could not take his eyes off of hers, her warm brown eyes felt soothing and healing to look at. While Mingxia found his grey eyes mysterious and interesting. The two stared at each other for a while, both not sure what to do. Zong Qiu decided to take the lead and leaned in further until their lips were almost touching. Mingxia must of been caught in the moment because she did not push him away or reject him of any sort. Instead she merely tilted her head up a little as if she was inviting him to do so. His fingers lifted her head up a little more and he slightly tilted his head when- "Your highness. Your sister and mother would like to see you." An eunuch announced and bowed. Zong Qiu previous smile melted into annoyance as he stood up straight and walked out. But before he left, he whispered into Mingxia''s ears, "Let''s continue this tomorrow" and stepped out the room leaving Mingxia blushing again. Xing was staring at the two like an audience. As the prince was leaning in she was cheering inside saying "Go on! Leanforward even more!" But when he stopped and the two only stared at each other, she was squealing inside, wanting for more. However the eunuch''s sudden announcement had come at the worst timing and came in right at the good part. Right now, she was outraged like what would happen when you watch a romance Korean drama and before the climax, an ad popped up, destroying the atmosphere. She was pissed off at the eunuch, and even more so towards the people that commanded the eunuch to come. "That eunuch! Hmph." She looked over at Mingxia to see that Mingxia has plopped down on her bed. "Mingxia?" Xing walked to see that Mingxia was still blushing. She can''t help but laugh at how adorable Mingxia was being. "Why are you laughing?" Mingxia sat up and asked. "Nothing." She tried to hold back her laugh by turning around but failed to do so. "Xing!" Mingxia jokingly cried and tackled her to the ground. "Hey!" laughter filled the room and could be heard outside as well. _____________________________________________ Zong Qiu walked out of the room and made his way through his courtyard to the main room. He fixed his robes and walked in. Princess Zhu Fenghuang was seated inside with an older woman wearing purple robes. The older women had a tall, golden crown sitting on her head with jewels adorning it. "Mother." Zong Qiu bowed, and kept his head low. The older women is none other than the First Consort, one of the emperor''s most favored wife. With the amount of wrinkles on her face you could tell that she was quite old, and yet she was still able to keep the emperor''s attention on herself. Which was quite impressive. "Son." She said. "Qiu gege, how is Lady Wei? Is she alright?" Fenghuang asked. "Of course dear sister. She has woken up and is as energetic as she can ever be." Zong Qiu had a warm smile on his face when he said this. "Son, mother is here to talk about this girl." The women sat up straight and her voice became stern. "Mother believes that it is not appropriate for her to be in your courtyard." "And why would you think that way, mother?" Zong Qiu''s eyes narrowed and his mother did not miss the deadly glint in his eyes and the exaggeration in his voice. "She is only the daughter of a viscount. If this girl was someone from the prime ministers'' family, or other noble families then I have no complaint. But no she is from the family of a viscount. To help you in your future, you should know that you need to pick someone with a good background and be part of a high status family. Someone of the likes of her does no-" "MOTHER." Zong Qiu did not shout, but there was killing intent in his voice. "If you are here to talk about this then I can only show you to the door." "How dare you talk back to your mother!" The emperor''s first consort slammed her hands on the table. "You also know it yourself, now that you not are in the line for the throne you need a strong backing, a daughter of a high ranked official, like Chen Jiaming." This was her goal. Zong Qiu''s mother did not know about the relationship between the Wei family and the empress but she had her eyes for the second daughter of the Chen family. The Chen family has held the position of Prime Minister for decades. Their second daughter is a well known lady. She has the looks, intelligence, manners, some even compare her to Mingxue. Zong Qiu''s mother wanted her son to have someone with power beside him to help him in the future, and possibly herself. "Guards! Show the emperor''s first consort to the door." Zong Qiu ordered and he walked out without looking back. "Zong Qiu! How dare you!" 18 The Wei Familys Connections "Qiu, I have to agree with your mother, she has a point there." Yanjing said. The usually dumb, uhh no, simple-minded Ying also nodded. The fight for the throne is deadly and life threatening. Whoever sides with a prince also faces the possibility of being killed, so each supporter would do everything they can to help their prince win. As a result, the competitors for the throne tends to have a strong backing behind them. However, for Zong Qiu, because he renounced his right to the throne, he lost a lot of the support. There were still people willing to follow him, like Yanjing and Ying, but he had lost a lot of power. This did not mean that he is safe from the fights and quarrels. The main competitors still viewed him as a threat, because if they were all to die, and only he was alive, then he would inherit the throne. To prevent this he needed someone with a high status and power to help him. A viscount may be someone of status but compared to the prime minister, his powers are limited and he would not be a strong supporter. The prime minister is someone that each prince wants to be connected with. He is the Emperor''s most trusted advisor and can often can influence the emperor''s decisions. However he only has two daughters and no sons to inherit his place. He then made it clear that whoever marries any of his daughters can inherit his place in the court. The sixth prince was lucky enough to marry the first daughter but the sixth prince already had the status of a duke in a neighboring country because his first wife was the third princess of that country. So whoever could marry the second daughter, Chen Jiaming, then they would be sure to have the Prime Minister''s seat in court. This was one of the reasons why his mother wanted him to marry Chen Jiaming. "But I''m not against you two being together though." Ying added. Yanjing nodded. "Qiu, I support you two being together and I know you don''t care much about the throne. But think about it. If one of your brothers inherit the throne, what do you think would happen to you? It goes without saying that if either the first or third prince gets the throne, their first action would be to get rid of you. You are too much of a threat to them. What do you think would happen to Lady Wei Mingxia if you took her as a wife? She would be stuck on this web and could be killed. You know about the dirty side of this system. In fact everyone knows about the dirty schemes and plotted murders inside the palace, especially in the harem. Do you think she could survive? Someone with status and power can help you, and your brothers would take precautions when dealing with you because of your allies." Qiu was silent as he looked out of the window in his study to see the window open in another room. A young girl with black hair adorned with a jade pin had her head down on her elbow with her eyes closed, the wind gently blew over, sweeping the black strands of hair away from her face. The harem was the worst place a women could go to. It had its walls tainted by blood and no matter how many times you cleaned it, it will never truly be clean. Numerous young girls have died in the harem and Qiu had seen some himself. Each year when the emperor would have a list of girls come into the palace to serve him, only a handful would survive a year. He couldn''t let her see that, but little did he know, that the person he held dear knew of the horrors and have experienced them herself. "So I''m assuming you two do not know of the full extent of the Wei family''s power." Qiu said with his back towards his two friends and his eyes on Mingxia. "Hm? What do you mean Qiu ge?" Ying asked. Qiu smiled and sat down in his chair. "If I were to count, the Wei family probably has more connections than anyone else in the imperial court." "Qiu, you know that the Wei family only holds the chair of a viscount, why would they have a lot of connections? " Yanjing was confused. He was the son of one of the generals. Besides his daily training assignments, he was also educated on how the system worked. A small viscount shouldn''t have many connections and if he does, then he should have been promoted to a higher rank. It made no sense if one had the connections to have a higher rank but does not. "I found out only not long ago. Apparently three generations ago the Wei family had a daughter married to a Japanese general. That daughter gave birth to two sons and both became extremely heroic soldiers and achieved many deeds. She also gave birth a beautiful girl that was then married off to a wealthy Indian prince. That girl gave birth to a twin of boys. The other two sons later became generals and defeated many enemies. One of the sons then fell in love with a princess from one of the east kingdoms. He married her and the two moved back to the land of his mother and father in laws, the two gave birth to four girls and one boy. As for the son that was left in Japan, he chose to stay in Japan and took over his father''s seat. He later married to a Chinese girl and the two lived happily with their two sons and daughter. One of the sons is the Viscount Wei." "Wow that''s a long family tree." Ying commented. "To think that they had such an extensive network of communications and relations." Yanjing was surprised. "Now then, I''m not done yet. You remember that one of the sons that fell in love with the princess from one of the eastern kingdoms right? Well, apparently the princess was doted since young because she was the only one her mother gave birth to. Her father was a loyal man and only married her mother and took no concubines. The seat for the throne was passed on the princess''s husband which turned out to be the son. The two then had a daughter and guess who that girl was married to." Zong Qiu sat in a comfortable posture as if he was telling a story. "Is it the prince or king of another kingdom?" Yanjing asked. "Partially correct. One of the daughters married into the Zong empire and became the empress of that empire." Ying gasped. "So the Wei family is connected to the empress?!" Qiu nodded. "They practically have connections across this land and all are with royalties." Yanjing said. Qiu nodded. "Not many know about this because some of these records were either completely sealed away or burned. I was lucky to have found them during one of my rummaging in the palace library. The emperor''s first consort does not know about this." Zong Qiu casually added the last sentence but his friends could see the anger and hatred in his eyes. 19 The Right to Love It was the last day of Mingxia''s "confinement" and she was excited. She quickly finished her dinner and went to sleep. When it was midnight Xing blew out the candle and left to go back to the servant''s quarters. She closed the door and quietly walked back. Right after Xing left, a familiar shadow walked up to the room and opened the door. The moonlight penetrated into the room through the windows and showered on Mingxia''s face. Right now the only emotion on her face is peacefulness. Zong Qiu walked over and studied the sleeping beauty in front of her. He stroked her cheek and lowered himself so he could look at her. "Why are you so special?" He whispered. Mingxia spurred a little and her breathing deepened but she did not wake up. Zong Qiu smiled and very slowly his head grew closer to hers until he could feel her steady breathing against his face. His eyes lowered away from her eyes and fell onto her lips. Very gently his head grew closer and his lips pressed onto hers then closed his eyes. With his eyes closed he didn''t notice immediately that Mingxia had opened her eyes and was shocked. She didn''t move but instead she closed her eyes again, pretending to sleep. After some time Zong Qiu stood up and left the room. After making sure he left Mingxia opened her eyes again and sat up. Still shocked she lifted her fingers to her lips with his warmth still lingering on her lips. She was not stupid and have realized that Zong Qiu was special to her but she was hesitant...She is hesitant. In the past life her so called "love" was nothing more than a show, fake and only acting. She was so ignorant and na?ve that now that she looks back was it actually love? Does she deserve the right to love someone? --------------------------------------------------- The next morning Xing came in and helped her clean and dress. After being dressed Mingxia ate her breakfast in silence. "Looks like someone''s missing a particular person." Xing teased. "Xing! How dare you!" Mingxia tackled Xing to the ground and the two playfully "fought". "Xing you have been growing bolder these days huh. You even have the courage to tease your lady." Said Mingxia "No that''s not called teasing, Mingxia. It''s called speaking the truth." Mingxia grew red with anger before saying, "You come here Xing!" Xing laughed and ran around with Mingxia behind her. "Very lively in here isn''t it?" Zong Qiu said walked into the room with his two friends Ying and Yanjing. Mingxia froze and did not turn around to look at him. Xing walked out towards him and curtsied when she looked up, she unexpecting gasped a bit. Her eyes met in contact with Yanjing''s and the two immediately recognized each other. Ying was looking at the strange situation with Zong Qiu and Mingxia when his attention was diverted and he saw another strange situation with another pair. Yanjing did not break his eye contact with Xing, for on his face was pure shock and a bit of gentleness. While Xing''s eyes held a sense of sadness, happiness and also guilt. "Did you pack up already?" Zong Qiu asked and brought the two back to reality. "Lady Mingxia did not have much to pack so she is ready." Xing answered. "Yeah." Mingxia said and did her best to avoid Zong Qiu''s gaze. "Young master, your carriage is here." A servant reported. Zong Qiu nodded at him and the servant left. "Your carriage is here." He simply said to Mingxia and Mingxia only nodded. Zong Qiu looked at her and an uncomfortable silence fell upon them. "Let''s go." Zong Qiu let out a sigh and he left with his two friends. Mingxia nodded. ---------------------------------------------- The ride back was quiet with Mingxia leaning against the carriage. Xing was also quietly sitting in a corner, looking as though she was thinking of something else and was too occupied to notice her lady''s quietness. Before they knew it, the carriage pulled up in front of the Wei household. Mingxia''s grandmother was waiting for her outside on the footsteps. "Xia er, you''re back." She greeted Mingxia warmly and helped her down the carriage. "En." Mingxia smiled and together with her grandmother the two walked into the house. "Mingxia you''re back. Are you ok?" Master Wei asked Mingxia once she walked into the room. "I''m fine, father." She answered. "Mingxia-jie jie, it is a pleasure to see you well." Mingxue said as she curtsied. "En." Mingxia nodded and smiled at her sister. Tang Xiao Min sat in her chair and could only sit in her chair in silence. Daggers were coming out of her eyes as she studied Mingxia. ''She looks way too much like her mother.'' She thought. The porcelain cup sat delicately in her hand but her grip was tightening. ''As expected of the daughter of a b****, excelling at seducing powerful men. If it wasn''t for your grandmother and father''s love you are nothing. You are nothing when compared to my daughter, when comparing skill, the only thing you are better at is seducing others. You may have everything now but don''t go thinking you will have all this later on, because everything that belongs to you belongs to my daughter, Wei Mingxue.'' Tang Xiao Min drank her tea down in one gulp but her gaze never left Mingxia. She knows that if she wants her plans to succeed she would need to get rid of this nuisance first but the problem was how. Her gaze left Mingxia and settled on the maid behind Mingxia, Xing. ''That orphan..could be of some use.'' A creepy smile formed on her smile as an intricate plan began to unfold in her head. 20 His Goal During Mingxia''s confinement, Zong Ching used this time to organize his thoughts. Mingxia''s accident and his second brother''s heroic act made him remember of his goal, his assignment. He confesses that he only wanted to use Mingxia at first, but she enticed him, there was something in her that he found interest in. However when he saw how Zong Qiu jumped into the water to save Mingxia he felt as though he lost. He had seen Mingxia''s accident but his mind did not immediately react to it he stood where he was and watched her fall in and struggle in the water. A part of him told him to move but another part of him pulled him back from doing so. When he finally chose to save her he was too late. His brother has already beat him to it. The scene of watching the women he liked saved and in another man''s arms sparked jealousy inside him. To know that, that man is his brother, his enemy? Even more so. This only reminded him of how weak he is and the little power he has. He is meant to have nothing, if he likes something that his brothers also like, then he would have to admit defeat. The day after the banquet, he was informed that Mingxia will stay in Zong Qiu''s courtyard for a couple of days. One would think that he would be shocked and his already jealous heart would be even more jealous but he was not. In fact, he felt nothing towards this news. His jealousy reminded him of his task that he vowed to obtain. He will take back all that belonged to him and would be the emperor over the land. Those that once looked down at him and his mother would suffer and pay for what they did. Zong Ching has woken up from the spell called love. His hatred and anger only feeds to his growing want for revenge. Zong Ching knows that deep down he still harbors feelings for Mingxia but right now she was not his. In order to have what he wants he needs to grow more powerful. And to achieve that, he would need the Wei family''s help to push him to the top. The family connections and relations they have would give him to money, status and army to destroy anyone that tries to stand in his way of sitting on that throne. At this moment, the ninth prince Zong Ching has been completely taken over by revenge. ____________________________________________ Zong Ching chose to use the next three days to carefully think out his plan again and what actions he would need to take. He spent the next three days either in the imperial library or in his courtyard reading and writing. "Ching! Whatcha'' doin''" Zong Li barged into Zong Ching''s courtyard and slapped him on the back. "Nothing much." He merely responded. Zong Li looked over his brother''s shoulder and saw that he was reading about India and the royalties that lived there. "So you''re interested in India now?" Zong Li asked. Zong Ching nodded his head. "But why though?" Zong Li was confused. Zong Ching set down his book and looked up at his brother. "India is very interesting and abundant. The amount of trade that India makes with the western empires are beyond what we can imagine. They have the spices, trade, money and power. Who wouldn''t find it interesting." Zong Ching replied. Zong Li let out a sigh and sat down in the seat next to Ching. "I get that but you do know of how hard it is to establish a stable trade relation with India right now, right? Father has sent multiple messengers over to discuss and create trade but each time they would end the trade relation after they have obtained what they want. The language barrier is the least of our problems, India is unknown territory and they might not have the same values as we do." "I know that but I am confident that I will be able to create a stable trade relation with them. I have to." When Zong Ching said the last sentence Zong Li was able to see Ching''s dire want for power. He got up and said his farewell, claiming that he had other things to attend to. As he walked out the door he did not look back, for he knew that his brother was no longer there. He understood Ching''s pain and hatred, after his mother''s dealth his innocence also died with it. And right now the one that is standing in Ching''s place, wearing his clothes and harboring his body was revenge. Ching had already died with his mother. After Zong Li left, Ching got up and closed his book. He was now ready to start the first part of his plan. 21 Tang Xiao Mins Plan Xing got up early to begin her tasks, just like the other maids and servants in this household. Along with being Mingxia''s personal maid she also has to help out in the kitchen and do laundry in the morning. She tossed the heavy bucket into the well and using her strength, she pulled up the bucket of water. She poured the water into another bucket and repeated the process again. She has to do this three times before she can take the bucket into the kitchen. "Hey-sho." She said as she arrived at the kitchen. "Xing, you have to be faster. With your pace this kitchen would have long been cooking now." A plump mean looking women hollered. The other servant around them shuddered and quickly did their work, hoping that they would not be the next target. This is Le Mi, the head maid. Everyone addresses her as Head Maid Mi in front of her but in their quarters people call her the female devil. Le Mi used to be the Second mistress'' personal maid and everyone knows that the years beside the Wei family''s second mistress has done her no good. Le Mi has grown to be loud and demanding, always believing that she is right and that she is in charge of the servants. After she was appointed as the Head Maid she became even more so. Everyday you would find her nitpicking and punishing the maids and servants. "Go get another two buckets and this time I need you to get here in 10 minutes. Go!" She screamed and Xing quickly scrambled over to the well while muttering curses. "That old hag..." She muttered as she threw down the bucket. "Are you Xing?" A cold voice suddenly asked. Xing looked up to a tall women wearing a pale purple dress. This person is the Second Mistress'' current personal maid, Le Xi, she is also Le Mi''s sister even though they look almost nothing alike. Le Mi is plump and short while Le Xi is skinny and tall. Le Mi has black hair with streaks if white and grey making her look old while Le Xi has hair as black as coal. "Yes I''m Xing." Xing replied. "Follow me. The second mistress would like to meet you." Le Xi said and turne around. "But I''m-" "I will tell my sister." Before Xing could finish Le Xi answered her question for her so Xing could only nod and follow. Le Xi took her into Tang Xiao Min''s courtyard where she was already waiting. "Mistress, the servant you wanted is here." Le Xi curtisied and stood beside her mistress. Xing also curtsied and stood in place. "So you''re Xing. Come here." Tang Xiao Min stretched her hand and motioned for Xing to come closer. Xing followed her order and stood close to Tang Xiao Min. (A/N: beause her name is quite long, whenever I use her full name I will shorten it and call her Tang Xiao in this chapter.) "Tell me child, how long have you been here?" Tang Xiao asked as she gently touched Xing''s cheek with the back of her pointer finger. Xing shivered at her touch. "Second Mistress, this lowly servant has been here close to half a year." "Young child, in front of me you do not have to address me as second mistress, call me Madam Wei." Tang Xiao caringly said. "Oh. No, this servant can not do such thing." Xing replied. "Child, relax. There is something that I have not told you. I knew your mother and father." She began. "You knew my father and mother?" XIng asked. Tang Xiao nodded. "I used to be friends with your mother, she was such a sweetheart. I am so sorry for your loss though, when I heard of the situation I was devstated." Tears began to form in Tang Xiao''s eyes as she used her handkerchief to gently pat them away. "The I was informed that they have a daughter and that she was living at her uncles and aunt I was overjoyed. Every year I would have someone report to me of your well being, you can say that I watched you grow up from a mere child to a beautiful young women." Tang Xiao stretched her finger and lifted Xing''s chin as if examining her beauty. "Then you were recruited here, I did not know until a few days ago because you suddenly left you uncle and aunt''s house. If I had known earlier I would have brought you close to me instead of having you serve that little immature child." "Perhaps, are you talking about Lady Mingxia?" XIng asked. Tang Xiao nodded as she used her handkerchief to cover the malicious smile of triumph. "That little brat thinks that she knows everything just because she is the first daughter. I don''t think that you know this but she has always been envy of Mingxue''s talents and has tried to ruin her sister multiple times." Tang Xiao began to play the act of a caring mother. "I knew of this but I could not say anything. She has the love of everyone in the house, and since I am soft hearted, I pity for her. I let her actions slide by time after time but each time it gets worse. You can say that I am at my bottom line. I do not care what happens to me but my poor Mingxue, she deserves more." Tears began pouring out again and Le Xi passed over another handkerchief. Xing looked at Tang Xiao with a face of shock. "Now I do not want for the same thing to happen to you. I would love to have you come be my personal maid but I''m afraid MIngxia would not allow me to. So I would like to ask you if you would like to be one of my people but you would have to continue serving Mingxia until I can have you come serve me. Would you, Xing?" 22 Torn "I-I-I.." Xing stammered. ''What did I get myself into! This women is obviously trying to get me to be her spy! But what should I do? I will never betray Mingxia but who know what this women may do if I refuse.'' Xing was torn between the possibilities, on one hand she will never betray Mingxia she was too loyal, while on the other side what may happen if she refuses is beyond what she can imagine. "Xing. I need an answer." Tang Xiao Min''s tone became strict and her eyes narrowed. She saw the conflict inside Xing and thought that Xing was slowly taking in the information she just said. It made sense why Xing is hesitating, that brat must of kept a good impression in her maid but now that she has given her the bad side it will take a while to sink in. "How about this." Tang Xiao Min began, reverting back to her kind voice. "I give you two days to consider this. In two days I need an answer." Xing looked up and nodded, Tang Xiao Min smiled and patted Xing on the head. "Child, I understand that the information is difficult to comprehend but I need you to know what is the truth and what is fake. A person can have many sides of themselves that they may keep under locks and boards so no one may find out. Sometimes a person may not be what they act to be like or seem like, you need to understand and be able to differentiate between this. You are young but it is never too early for you to know this." Like a caring mother Tang Xiao Min stroked Xing check and smiled at her. "Now go before your lady calls for you, remember what I said." Xing nodded again and walked away. "Mistress, do you think that she will accept your offer?" Le Xi asked as she walked up to her mistress. Tang Xiao Min held her head higher as if she had already won before answering confidently, "Oh she will." ------------------------------------------------ At the exact same time, Mingxia had just awoken from her sleep and dressed by herself. Usually Xing would of been here already to assisst her but it seems like she is running late. ''Oh well I can''t blame her, can I. Everyone is entitled to sleep in once in a while.'' She helped herself into a cyan colored robe and tied her hair up into a simple bun. Seeing that XIng is not coming anytime soon she stretched a bit before taking out a book to read. She sat down in a chair and adjusted her posture so she was comfortable before reading. Xing ran with all her might and saw Mingxia sitting on her chair reading. "Mingxia!" She called out as she ran in. "Oh good morning Xing. Let me guess you overselpt, Sleeping Beauty." Mingxia teased. "Mingxia!" Xing yelled again and Mingxia laughed. Watching Mingxia laugh Xing also began laughing and she thought, ''there is no way I am agreeing to her offer. I am proud to serve my lady and will be there with her thick or thin.'' Xing brought in Mingxia''s breakfast and poured her tea. Mingxia set down her book and began eating. "Xing come eat as well." She suddenly said. "Huh. Mingxia you know I can''t" Xing responded. Servants and maids are to serve their mistress or master first then eat in the kitchen. "But there''s too much I can''t finish all this." Mingxia said and motioned for XIng to come. Xing smiled and let out a sigh. "Fine." The breakfast was delicious and filling. Unlike the servant''s meal with only hard bread and congee, Mingxia is given man tou with a vegetable congee, tofu with soysauce, fried dough and soymilk The two ate the food with little conversation and happy exchanges. Xing''s heart was filled with warmth as she watched her lady eat. There was no way that her lady would do that, but she needs to make sure. "Mingxia." She began slowly. "En." Mingxia responded. "I want to ask do you...Hate...Lady Mingxue?" Xing found it hard to speak the last part of her question but she wants to know. Mingxia suddenly became quiet and her brown eyes clouded up looking almost greyish. "I don''t, hate, her but I can''t say that I like her." Mingxia also spoke slowly and she looked into the empty yard. Xing looked at her lady and saw the strange expression on Mingxia''s face. Mingxia was looking forward with a face of grief, maturity and experience. This was not the first time Xing has seen this expression on Mingxia''s face. Xing has seen Mingxia''s cheerful side, her stern side, her playful side but rarely did she show this face. Xing would only see it when Mingxia would be alone and deep in thought. It felt like seeing the hidden side of her lady, making her look vulnerable. "Xing. Xing!" Mingxia said and Xing snapped out of her daze. "Uh, what." She responded. "Why are you dozed off?" Mingxia asked in concern. "Nothing, nothing. What were you asking about?" "I was asking you about why you asking this question?" Mingxia answered. "Just curious." Xing said. Mingxia was still concerned but she let out a sigh and continued. "I don''t hate Mingxue and I can''t. She is still my sister no matter what she does or will do. But at the same time, I can''t bring myself to love her as much as I would like to because of what she has done." Silence fell upon them and stayed until Mingxia broke it by telling Xing to eat. Xing nodded and bit into the soft man tou. She fully understands why Mingxia gave that response, from what she had seen in the few months she has been here, she is able to make her own conclusions about who she supports. Of course she chooses to support Mingxia, and it is also because she chooses Mingxia that she feels like she can''t hide it anymore. Xing looked up and opened her mouth again and decided to confess about what happened. "Mingxia, the truth is. This mor-" "Shh-." Mingxia suddenly said, her face suddenly became stern. She stood up and walked to the door. "Whoever you are, you can leave now. Or if you don''t go then I will have you punished and I promise that you will not be able to see tomorrow''s sunrise." Mingxia threatened and Xing saw that behind a bush a young maid popped out and ran away. "Mingxia who was that?" Xing asked. "A spy, from my loving stepmom, the second Wei Mistress." mantou* A Chinese steam bun. I grew up eating and I love its fluffy texture. 23 Double Agen Mingxia''s eyes narrowed as she stepped out into the garden checking to see if there were any other unwanted people in her yard. After a thorough checking Mingxia closed the door and walked back in. She sat down back in her seat and picked up a mantou. She bit into it the fluffy bun and smiled before diving into her congee. Xing watched and dug her nails into her dress. She has to say it now. "Mingxia. There is something I have to tell you." She looked up and into Mingxia''s eyes. Mingxia nodded and signaled for her to speak as she bit into the steamed bun again. "The truth is...this morning.... ------------------------------------------------------ Xing spilled out everything that happened this morning. From when she woke up this morning to the moment she stepped into this room. She did not miss a single detail and even mentioned the changes in Tang Xiao Min''s tone and facial expressions. She carefully explained Tang Xiao Min''s offer and the accusations she used to describe Mingxia. Mingxia took in the news calmer than what she anticipated. Instead of acting at least troubled by this Mingxia remained calm and did not seem to be bothered by this. After Xing finished Mingxia set down her spoon and wiped her mouth before looking at Xing. "If that women gave you the offer and option to accept then why are you telling me this." Mingxia''s response was cold and distant. Her grey eyes clouded up and Xing could see the storm brewing inside her lady. "She wants to recruit you to become her person, her spy, so that you can report my every move to her. Since that is the case then why are you telling me this? Under her command you could get better treatment and money than what you can get if you serve me. So tell me Xing, the reason for telling me this." She looked down at her hands as Mingxia''s question echoed through her mind. Why did she tell Mingxia about what happened? She could of stayed quiet and agreed to the Second Mistress'' terms to be her spy. She could of received so much and achieved more but no. Somewhere or someone inside her told her that she is to be truthful and that always loyal to one person. She never dreamt of becoming royalty and anyone related, instead she had always hoped to become a support, someone who can walk side by side someone and to help others. Yes her dream was to become someone, "who will always support my friends no matter what they do. I want and will become someone that will help my friend shine brighter and achieve his goal because my goal will always be him. To catch up to him and to stand side by side to him." A fuzzy piece of memory flashed past Xing''s eyes and the memory of a blurry young man standing in front of the setting sun speaking these words gave Xing her answer. She doesn''t view herself as a servant to Mingxia, but as a friend. A person that can help share Mingxia''s responsibilities and hardships, a person Mingxia can trust. She will always be loyal to Mingxia no matter what happens. She relaxed her fingers and folded her hands together before beginning to say, "Because." Xing sat up straighter and looked at Mingxia, a warm smile formed on her face. "You are my goal, my ending line, someone that I want to support forever." A simple sentence was enough to represent what Xing is currently feeling and this brought a smile onto Mingxia''s face. ''As expected, I did not choose the wrong person.'' "Xing, you may be younger than me but you have shown me that you are more mature than any other girls your age. In the past few months you have been here and served me I could see that you possess something more than the other girls. You possess the determination and unwavering loyalty. I was not wrong to have you by my side, Xing." Mingxia''s words are filled with kindness and such gentleness that Xing began to cry. She quickly got on her knees and kneeled in front of Mingxia. "Xing is happy to serve Lady Mingxia and shall stay loyal to you forever." Xing pledged and Mingxia let out a soft laugh. "Oh come on get up. I told you before right, drop the lady stuff just call me Mingxia." Mingxia got up and helped Xing to get up on her feet. "You chose to follow me so I will make sure you will not go through any mistreatment. If anyone is to bully you, you tell me and I will personally make sure that undergo a punishment worse than hell." Mingxia truly meant what she said as she patted Xing''s head. Her lady''s protectiveness warmed Xing heart and she laughed. Mingxia also joined and she playfully flicked Xing''s forehead. "Hey!" Xing used her left hand to cover her forehead. The two finished the rest of their breakfast in happiness and not long after Mingxia can be seen sitting down with Xing standing next to her. "Mingxia, how should I respond to the second mistress though?" Xing asked. Mingxia scrunched her nose as if deep in thought. "Xing, accept her offer." "Hah? What?" Xing did not understand why Mingxia would want her to be a spy for someone else. "I said that you should accept her offer." Mingxia repeated. "But. Why?" "Why? Isn''t the reason quite simple." Mingxia spoke as though her plan was clear and easy to understand when in fact it was not. "I need you to accept her request to make her believe that she has control over me when she doesn''t. In fact, with you on her side I can also know what she plans to do and she wouldn''t do anything to you if you accept so it''s a win-win situation." Mingxia explained. Xing took in what Mingxia just said and she quickly unraveled what Mingxia''s plan was. "You want me to be a double agent?" She blurted out. A confident smile appeared on Mingxia''s face. "Yep." 24 The Games Master Wei sat in the study room flipping through the his paper pamphlets, deep in thought. A sudden challenge was given to him this morning when he was attending the royal court this morning. The Zong Empire has been trading with India for a number of years now. If India wants silver and spice they would turn to the Zong Empire, if the Zong Empire wants more exquisite tapestries and gold they would turn to India. So when one is facing a problem the other one would definitely offer a helping hand, it is beneficial to both ends of the relationship. In India there is a tradition, The Games, a set of sports that is played amongst the elite and those who are rich. These games are held every three years and are extremely dangerous. These games include archery, wrestling, a marathon and the such, there are said to be 128 varieties in these games. Each time the sports played are changed but there will be one that will not change, which is the gladiator fights. In these fights, instead of captives fighting beasts, the elite and rich are to fight not only the beasts but also the strongest human that fought as a gladiator. These people are the strongest and have defeated the most beasts, they are feared by even the beasts that are against them. But why would the wealthy want to participate in these events where they could possibly lose their life? Well it is because that these events are held by the royalty from all the surrounding kingdoms, including India. These royalties will definitely be there to spectate and monitor the games, some for entertainment while others seek for men that could be of use to them. The Zong Empire also takes part in these games and have funded tremendously in the last couple of years. This morning when the emperor was assigning who was to participate in The Games, the Queen Dowager suddenly appeared and suggested that she wanted a few ladies to also participate. She then appointed her maid to read from a list of those who she wants to enter the games and one of them just so happened to be Mingxia. "But your majesty. My daughter is only 15, far too young to be participating in these games." Viscount Wei said. "I have seen and heard of what she is capable of doing Viscount. Do not be humble, for I look forward to seeing your daughter play." She answered. Viscount Wei could say no more so he bowed and stood back in his place. ------------------------------------------- Master Wei let out a heavy sigh and looked out the window. "Tell Xia er to come see me." He told his servant and the servant walked out the study room. The servant walked through the halls and arrived in front of Mingxia''s door then gently knocked. "Who is it?" Xing''s voice came through the window doors. "Master Wei wishes to meet Lady Mingxia." The servant responded. There was some commotion and then the door opened. Mingxia walked out wearing a purple dress, she turned around and nodded at the servant. The servant curtsied and walked towards the study room with Mingxia and Xing behind her. "Master Wei, Lady Mingxia is here." She said when she arrived in front of the study room. "Tell her to come in." He simply replied and the servant motioned for Mingxia to go in. "Father, why have you asked me to come?" Mingxia walked in and the servant closed the door behind Xing. "Xia er, this morning I was given a hard task to do." He began. Mingxia narrowed her eyes a bit as she sat down on a chair. ''Hard task? What task could be given to father at this time of year and why has he asked for me to come?'' A hard task.. hmm. If its a complicated task to do and during this time of year then it would be...The Games! Mingxia suddenly remembered this very important event. In the past life Zong Ching was able to get into the games because he had asked for her father to help him be enlisted. The emperor did not have him be on the list to play in this event so he had to personally ask for her father''s help. He successfully made it onto the roster and signed up for archery, which he excelled at. It was from this event that the Indian royalties began to take notice of him. "Is it about The Games." Mingxia asked. Master Wei was taken back but his shock was then replaced with a knowing smile. "It seems that you are well aware of this." He answered. Mingxia smiled and looked up. "Of course father. It is only one of the biggest events held." Master Wei nodded before his smile faded away and he sighed once again. "What''s troubling you father?" Mingxia asked. Master Wei looked at his daughter before beginning. "Xia er, since you know of the games then you should also know that the Zong empire invests heavily into this event, right?" Mingxia nodded. "Each time the game is going to be held the emperor would have some of his sons attend, the princes. His majesty announced who would be going this year." He continued. "But surprisingly this year the Queen Dowager came into court and showed up with her own pick of participants into the games. "What does that have to do with me?" Mingxia questioned. Her father looked down again before answering. "Well you see, one of her participants is you." "Me?" Mingxia was dumbfounded. Why would the Queen Dowager want her to go? "Yes. She also said that she expects great things from you during this event. Xia er, I believe that the reason behind why she wants you to go is not simply for entertainment." Master Wei ended with a grave tone and Mingxia could understnad why. She grew quiet for a moment as she held her elbow on the table and her chin was on her hands. Xing looked at her lady and could tell that her lady was deep in her own thoughts again. Mingxia''s father thought that her daughter would refuse as he let out yet another sigh and creased his brow. "Xia er if you do not want to go, father understands and I will tel-" "I''ll go." Mingxia confidently replied. "What? Xia er you mustn''t go it''s far too dangerous." Master Wei reasoned. Mingxia only smiled and stood up. "I know father but I''m going. It''ll be unlike me if I don''t go, right?" Mingxia tilted her head a bit and smiled sweetly with her eyes closed. ''It wouldn''t be like myself if I don''t go right?'' At this current moment Mingxia looked too much like her mother. Her mother would always laugh sweetly in the same manner, in her father''s mind her mother would always be smiling with the wind blowing against her yellow dress and brushing her silky hair. He remembered one time when she had said words similar to what Mingxia had just said to him. ''She takes on from her mother.'' And he knew that he will never be able to protect her forever, like her mother he could see that his daughter values freedom. No one can contain her, and no one can stop her after she has made up her mind. His worried face melted into care and he patted her head. "Be safe." Mingxia nodded and left the room. As she walked out a thought ran across her mind. The Queen Dowager wants to test her? Then she will take it. It doesn''t matter what it is she shall take it head on and prove that she is not a fragile kitten but a vicious tiger. 25 Broken Vase "Ninth prince Zong Ching, your father did not have you to the games this year...Again." Zong Ching''s servant whispered. "I know." He answered and waved his hand to dismiss the servant. When the door closed he dropped his mask and the anger in him could be easily recognized on his face. He balled up his fists and bit his lips. "Aurghhh!!!!" A giant smash and a giant porcelain vase broke into pieces. A furious Zong Ching could be seen with a bloody fist but on his face, the anger in his face slowly melted away and a cunning smile replaced that anger. He reached inside a maroon basket and took out a roll of white linen and began expertly wrapping it around his wounds. After he finished wrapping his injured hand, he walked towards his bookshelf and lifted a peculiar green looking vase. When the vase moved away from its original spot the sounds of old wood and metal creaking could be heard and the bookshelf slid open to show a hidden passageway underneath. He walked down the stone stairs and when he disappeared underground the bookshelf slid back into its place as if nothing happened. "Prince Zong Ching?" The servant from earlier opened the door again, the loud commotion had alarmed him so he came back to check When he saw the smashed pieces of porcelain his face grew a bit shocked. "Grandma Mei! Please come quick!" He shouted into the year and he ran into the room. "Prince, where are you?" He walked into the room but he could find the prince. Grandma Mei, she has worked for the longest in the courtyard and currently holds the highest place among the servants. "What it is boy? What happened-oh." She walked into the room and saw the broken pieces. She let out a sigh and slowly walked towards the door. "Grandma Mei! Why are you not caring about this?" The young servant asked. Grandma Mei looked at him and shrugged as if this was normal. "It happens every now and then. Ling get the broom, the young prince broke another vase!" The old women shouted out to the yard. "Ehh, again?" A faint distant female voice could be heard complaining. "Now boy let''s go, leave the clean up to Lin." Grandma Mei bickered for him to follow. When they were out the room the servant asked, "Where is the prince?" Grandma Mei laughed. "Probably out for a walk, it''s normal." Grandma Mei''s response puzzled the servant beside her but the other servants acted as though it was normal and continued on with their work. That afternoon... "Master Wei." Zong Ching politely greeted and bowed. "Good to see you, prince, sit, sit." Master Wei clapped his hands and an old maid brought forward a tray of tea. Zong Ching smiled and sat down. The two sipped their tea and continued their talk from the other day. As they talked Zong Ching spoke so calmly that you would not believe that only earlier he was cursing and furious enough to break a vase. After a long conversation Master Wei set down his cup and sat up straight. "Young Prince, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" "Eh?" Zong Ching widened his eyes a bit but then let out a defeated sigh. "Nothing can get past Master Wei. Yes, you are correct, something is bothering me since this morning." Zong Ching confessed. Master Wei immediately knew what he was referring to and could guess what he was going to ask for. "Is it about the games?" Zong Ching was taken back but quickly recovered and merely nodded. Master Wei smiled. Underneath all the politeness he could see this boy, no man''s, ambitions but he does not know the full extent of this. He suspects that his family relations have been found out since he did not really bother to hide this but it''s just not spoken of. "I can get you a spot in the games." He stood up and patted Zong Ching''s shoulder. "Eh? But how?" Zong Ching seemed to be confused. Master Wei chuckled and stroked his beard. "That is for me to know and you to find out, anyways with you going I''m less worried." "Why would you be worried?" Zong Ching asked. Master Wei let out a sigh. "My daughter is also going to be in the games this year." "Lady Mingxia is going!" Zong Ching suddenly got a little excited but this excitement then turned to fear. Master Wei lifted his eyebrows in surprise, upon seeing this reaction Zong CHing immediately picked his posture and coughed to get past this situation. Master Wei on the other side picked up his tea and took a sip but a smile was evident. "Now then, Prince, let''s get back to what we were talking about before. I can help you get into the games but in return I want you to make sure that she is not harmed on the way there and back." "Why didn''t you say for the entire trip? The games are the most dangerous part of this entire event." Zong Ching said. "I do want to but...She wants to go, she has to go because you know what will happen if we disobey the Queen Dowager. She knows about the dangers of going but she still said she wants to go, who can stop her?" Their conversation ended at this and Zong Ching left right before dinnertime. Master Wei went back to the study room and took out his brush, ink and paper and began to write a letter to his relative in India. What the two did not know was that outside of the room during their talk was Mingxia. She had heard their entire conversation and a wierd smile was on her face. 26 Assassins The sun was barely up and although summer has already arrived at this piece of land the mornings still felt a bit cold. Inside Crystal City, only the servants were up and preparing to start the day and the nobles would be sound asleep in their comfy beds. However, in the Wei House everyone was awake and bustling. Servants were running around and practically leaping as they tried to get everything to its right place. Maids scurried around with piles of clothes, cooks would be firing away in the kitchen and the other servants would be preparing the carriage along with packing the luggage. While the servants are hard at work and running around, Mingxia and Xing are in the room carrying out their own tasks. "Xing, ready?" Behind a paper screening walked out a young man wearing deep green and light yellow robes. His hair tied up high and a neat brown belt around his waist. With a pair of sharp brown eyes and a charming smile on his face, any girl would fall for his good looks. He would be any girl''s dream type to go for if he was a boy. "Ye-yeah, Mingxia." Behind another paper screening, a beautiful girl walked out. Her hair was tied into a cute bun with simple jewels expertly scattered around her black hair, she is wearing a coral blue and green dress with pink water lilies sewn onto the silk. Simple but elegant makeup was applied on her face and a coral green mask covered the bottom half of her face. Mingxia walked up to Xing and studied her outfit. "Mhm, this can work," Mingxia said and patted Xing. Xing''s cheeks flushed red and almost tripped when Mingxia patted. Very shyly she asked. "Min-Mingxia, do I have to do this?" Mingxia walked over to the table and bit into a pink peach before answering. "Hm? Of course, you have to." She took another bite of her peach then looked at Xing again. Since the two of them are close in age and both possessed similar features such as brown eyes, black hair, and fair skin, with a mask covering half the face Xing can pass off as Mingxia no problem. "But what''s the point Mingxia?" Xing asked. "Hm? The point....hmm...well number one I get to ride on a horse, number two I do not have to ride in a carriage and three I just like it like this. Don''t you Xing?" Xing looked down at her outfit once again before letting out a sigh. "It''s...fine but aren''t you afraid someone might find out?" Mingxia shrugged. "I did consider that possibility but since I do it so many times anyways I have an excuse." Xing could only shake her head and studied Mingxia''s outfit. Truth be told, had she not known that it was Mingxia she would of most certainly fallen for this boy in front of her like all the other girls who most likely will. When Mingxia proposed this plan a few days ago she was doubtful that it would work but from what she sees now she changed her mind. Mingxia told this plan to her only a day after she visited the Second Mistress again, she could still remember the fake smile on the Second Mistress'' face. ------------------------------- "So you agree?" The Second Mistress set down the pastry she was holding and picked up her handkerchief to wipe the crumbs off of her mouth. "Yes, Second Mistress. Xing believes that what Second Mistress told her before is quite right and since Second Mistress knows my mother then mother and you must have been friends. Last night Xing realized that mother must have asked Second Mistress to take care of me after she died. Xing is forever in your debt, helping out Second Mistress is only a start in repaying this debt." Xing delivered the speech exactly as what Mingxia told her to. Just like expected, Tang Xiao Min was very satisfied with this answer. She motioned her hand for Xing to come closer and Xing obeyed. When Xing was close enough in arm''s reach she touched Xing''s cheek and seemed to be gazing at Xing''s face. Like a mother her right thumb stroked her cheek and gently pulled Xing down so Xing was couched over and that her face was at Tang Xiao Min''s eye level. She pulled back a loose strand of hair and kissed Xing''s left cheek, "You have grown to look so much like your mother. Child, your mother may have passed away but I am still here. From today onwards, I will make sure you never suffer again and in return, you are to always serve me and be loyal to me, understand." Very cutely, Xing nodded and Tang Xiao Min lifted her hands away from Xing. Xing stood up and looked at Tang Xiao Min. "Now go Xing, before that lady wakes up." Xing nodded and left, as Xing''s figure became smaller a triumphant smile appeared on Tang Xiao Min''s face. ''Mingxia, now that even your maid is on my side let me see how you fight back. I shall slowly, slowly tear you apart bit by bit.'' ----------------------------------- "Xia er, remember to take care of yourself." Mingxia''s grandmother said and Mingxia, Xing, nodded before getting into the carriage. The real Mingxia, now her name is Ming and is wearing a mask, got onto the horse and when her family bid their farewell the horses were slapped with a leash and began walking. The carriage pulled out into the street and out of the city gates after a while they arrived in a forest and everything became quiet. Only bustling sound of the wheels on the bumpy road and the horses stomping against the ground could be heard. The carriage Xing is on looks quite ordinary since Mingxia purposely asked to not have a flashy carriage. When traveling flashy and giant carriages only serves as a bother because those only became targets for bandits. MIngxia also asked her father to limit the amount of luggage and servants, she wants to attract as less attention as possible. So her father only prepared the necessities, of clothing, medicine, food, and money. Her grandmother wanted to have two maids to go as well but Mingxia rejected the offer with the excuse that Xing was enough. At the end her grandmother had three bodyguards go with them and Mingxia knows that her grandmother also secretly sent two of her personal bodyguards to follow them. Although Mingxia appreciates her grandmother''s care and protectiveness, it was no use to send so many bodyguards because in the end they would most likely be killed. Since behind her grandmother''s secret bodyguards were five assassins, hired to kill her by her dear stepmother, Tang Xiao Min. 27 Moonlit Blade "Lady Mingxia." Mingxia stretched her hand and Xing stepped out of the carriage. They had traveled for a number of hours and the sun had begun to set. Grandmother''s bodyguards had prepared a campsite to stay for the night, with one of them out hunting, another is preparing the tent and another guarding the comp site. "Change into clothes suitable for running later and pack some basic necessities." Mingxia whispered to Xing and Xing nodded. "Lady Mingxia." The guard opened the tent flap and allowed for Xing to go in. When the tent flap lowered and covered the entrance, Xing''s shoulder relaxed and sat down. She massaged her shoulders and did some simple exercises to loosen the tension in her muscles. "Who would of known that riding in carriages would be this tiring. No wonder Mingxia wanted me to disguise as her." Xing complained. After her simple stretch Xing remembered what Mingxia had asked her to do and immediately began her task. She reached into one of the boxes and took out a fabric sack. She carefully began to pack some clothing and rummaged around the box to pack all the necessities she believed her lady would need. When Mingxia told her to pack she knew that something bad would happen. She can not imagine what would happen but she understands this would be dangerous and that she must do what she can to help Mingxia. After packing the clothes she closed the box and walked towards the box containing her luggage. Her box is smaller than Mingxia''s since she did not own much. She opened the box and took out her cloak, a leather bag and a dagger. The dagger is small but it fit perfectly in her hand. The sheath is made of wood and leather, the hilt of the blade is made of metal and a silver letter is engraved on top. She unsheathed the dagger and gently balanced it on her palm. The blade is made of iron and looked to have been just polished. She closed her hand around the hilt before sliding it back into its cover and set it aside. She then took out an outfit and began changing into it. This outfits consists of black trouser, a maroon shirt with a brown belt. She tied the dagger onto the belt and a pouch of all the money she possessed. She then wrapped a green robe around her to cover her outfit and loosely tied it around her so she can easily take it off later. The fabric sack was placed close to the door for convenience. "Lady Mingxia." A gruff voice called from outside the tent. "Ye-yes?" SHe stammered. "Dinner is ready." The voice simply relied. "En." Xing tied the mask around her face again and made her way to the door. Dinner consists of bread, a rabbit that was hunted earlier and a very bland soup. "Lady Mingxia." Ming, Mingxia, walked up to her and extended his, her, hand to Xing. Xing placed her hand on Mingxia''s and sat down on a log to eat. She took a bite of the meat and almost spat the food out. The rabbit meat had been seasoned with too much salt making the entire meat unbearable to eat, the soup on the other hand tasted almost like water. There was absolutely no taste to it whatsoever, the only item that was okay to eat was the bread. Xing looked at Mingxia who also looked like she was having a hard time eating but the guards scarfed down the meal and ate it as though it was the most delicious meal on earth. Xing looked at Mingxia and made eye contact with her. "I''m full." She set down her bowl and made her way back into the tent. The guards took no notice and Mingxia grabbed a loaf a bread before walking back into her own tent. When in her tent, took out her black cloak and a strapped bag. She wrapped the bread in a piece of fabric and placed it into the bag. She then placed in a bag full of medical herbs and bandages that she took from the luggage cart. When she finished her packing she opened the tent flap and saw that the guards were still eating. She shook her head at them. ''Did grandmother actually pick them herself or did she picked them up from the streets. They seem to be so focused at eating that if the assassins were to attack now they wouldn''t even notice until the blades were on their necks.'' Unfortunately for Mingxia that was exactly what the assassins planned to do. These hired assassins purposely stayed away from the camp but close enough to see them. The five figures easily blended into the night with their black outfits and capes. They carefully studied Mingxia''s group like a predator looking at its prey. They took notice of the eating bodyguards and the young man walking into the their target''s tent. The secret bodyguards grandmother had sent were all killed by the assassins. Their bodies were thrown into the forest for the beasts to feed on. As the moon rose higher and higher into the night, the forest got darker and when all candles were blown out they began their mission. They watched their target lie onto the bed and blow out the candles and made eye contact before they jumped down from the trees without a sound. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. All five guards were killed without sound and notice. The five assassin stepped closer towards their target and arrived inside of the dark tent. One of the assassin nodded at the others and raised his blade. The moonlight reflected off the blade and marked it''s path as it plunged down. The assassin conducting the act did not hesitate and a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his face. 28 Her Injury The moonlit blade plunged down and stabbed into the blankets. There were no fidgeting and there were no bloodstain. A moment of silence condemned on the five figures as they waiting to see the blood come out and stain the blanket. When there were none one of them spotted something was wrong and lifted the blanket. Not surprisingly there was only a pillow underneath. "We were tricked." The assassin said and motioned for the others to go out the tent. The other assassins nodded and began running towards the door. "She must be close by. Find her!" One shouted and then split up to cover more ground. Two of the assassins went into the tents and searched in there for their target but no luck. The other three assassins went into the forest in different directions. They were given the money so they must fulfill their duty. Unlucky for them a young man stood among the tree branches watching them. A smile hung on his lips and his brown eyese flashed. When one of the assassins arrived close to where he was his hand lowered to his sword. With a small rustle he jumped down prepared to slash with his sword. However the assassin was also an elite and immediately knew to move away from his place. He looked around to a charming young boy with a smile on his face. The moonlight only lit up half of his face but the assassin could see the sparkle in this boy''s eyes. His hand moved to his dagger but the boy was much faster and with a powerful swoop his sword grazed the assassins hands and the dagger dropped down the tree. The assassin did the wrong move of looking down and the boy took this chance to strike. "You shouldn''t be distracted when in a battle." He whispered into the assassin''s ear and used elbow to slam him into the tree. The assassin quickly got up and lunged at the boy. "Looks like I underestimated you." He replied back. In one smooth motion he took out another dagger from his boots pierced it at the boy. The boy dodged the attack and raised his sword and sliced at his arm. A cunning smile appeared on the assassin''s face as he twisted his hand and the dagger''s blade pointed at the boy''s chest. At the same time as the sword sliced down the assassin''s arm the dagger pieced at the boy''s chest. Warm blood bursted out and splattered all over the tree, the warm liquid dripped off from the leaves and the branches. On top of the branch two injured figures panted as one clutched his arm and the other touched his left chest. The assassins right arm has been cut off and that arm is not probably lying somewhere below the giant tree. The boy clutched his chest as the red stain only grew bigger. Despite his severe wound the assassin used his other hand to lift the dagger again and lunged at the boy. The boy panted but he stood up and defended himself by blocking the attack. The assassin jumped back before striking again. He sliced multiple times at the boy with extreme speed and power. The boy stepped back and missed many of the slashes but that does not mean that he missed all of it. Multiple cuts appeared on his sleeves but thankfully the dagger only grazed his skin. The assassin cursed a bit and got a bit closer to do the finished stab but the boy only smiled. As the assassin came close and raised his arm he took the chance to raise his sword and pierced through the assassins stomach. The grip around the dagger loosened as his body grew limp. The sword fell down along with the body. Although the boy had won the battle he also suffered from a servere lack of blood and began to lose conciousness. As he lost more blood his eyes slowly closed and then his body fell down from the tree just like how the assassin had earlier. He would of experienced the same fate as the assassin when another person jumped forward and caught his falling body. "Mingxia. Mingxia!" Zong Qiu gently shook Mingxia''s body and his brows creased with worry. Mingxia stirred a bit but she remained unconcious, Zong Qiu bit his lips and stood up. He turned around and a carriage with multiple men carrying torches stood there. Two of the men jumped down from a horse and also ran over. "She has a fatal wound and needs to be treated. Ying get the medicine kit." Yanjing said and Ying nodded before running back to the carriage. Zong Qiu quickly rushed towards the carriage and brought her into the carriage. Ying then arrived with the medicine kit and a pale of water. They quickly realized a problem. There were no women among them and to treat this room Mingxia''s outer robe had to be removed. "Where''s her maid? She''s always with her." Ying asked. "She must be somewhere close. I''ll go find her." Ying immediately headed into the forest. "Qiu ge. You have to find some way to stop her bleeding." Ying told Zong Qiu. Zong Qiu looked at Mingxia''s pale face and his heart tightened. "Leave us be." He simply ordered and Ying immediately understood what Zong QIu wanted to do and obeyed. When the two were finally alone Zong QIu took out a bandage roll and a number of herbs. "If you want to hate me then hate me after but I can''t let you die Mingxia." Zong Qiu slowly took off the belt and the blood stained robes. Even her undergarment is caked in blood and Zong Qiu''s heart ached. The dagger had pieced just under her collarbone and thankfully the wound was not deep. The wound is still open and blood is still pouring out. Very carefully Zong Qiu cleaned and treated the injury. He applied a mixture of herbs and then wrapped the wound with the clean bandages. When he was done he took off his outer robe and covered her with it. "Qiu, I found her." Yanjing reported and Zong Qiu stepped out of the carriage. 29 Xings Coldness "Xing come." Mingxia pulled Xing as they traveled into the woods. "Mingxia. Wait. I can''t-run..That fast." Xing panted as she ran. "You need to get to safety first." Mingxia whispered back. Behind them Mingxia''s sharp ears are able to hear the soft but quick footsteps after them. ''Tsk.'' She thought. She grasped Xing''s hand again and pulled her close as increased her speed. With Mingxia''s help Xing was able to run faster than she was supposed to and the distance betwen them and the assassin grew larger. When they arrived at a small cave Mingxia had Xing stay in the cave. "Xing stay here. I''ll be back." Mingxia patted Xing''s hand and Xing nodded. Xing understands that in a time like this she has to be strong and must not drag Mingxia down. She watched as Mingxia''s back slowly disappear and took out her dagger. She huddled in the corner and pressed her lips against the cold jewel on the dagger as fear began to creep in. Xing began to shake as she thought of the numerous possibilities of what may be in these forests. Beasts? Theives? Bandits? She shuddered at the thought. She does not know how long has it been but she stayed in that silently in the corner. Each snap of a twig, each brush of the leaves caused for numerous waves of fear to ripple through her. ''I mustn''t make a sound.'' She bit her lips and only grasped the dagger in her hands tighter. ''Mingxia where are you? Mother. Father. Uncle, Aunt.'' An alarming sound of footstpes cut her thoughts off. She set her bags down and got into a ready position to move. The footstep sound grew louder and she knew that someone is coming. She had her dagger ready when suddenly the footstep sounds stopped and the metal clanking of swords clashing caught her attention. ''What?'' She took a daring move of stepping out of the cave and went up a little closer towards that sound. "Hu-" And she heard the sound of something dropping. She looked over and saw a tall man holding a silver blade with someone lying on the forest floor. ''He must be dead and that man he must be the killer.'' She bent down and hid behind a tree. She lifted the hilt of the dagger to reveal half of the blade. ''He''s coming.'' The footsteps began again and Xing heard it come closer. Her fear elevated her hearing ability and each step caused for her heartbeat to become louder. A sweat dripped down her cheek and her breathing deepened. As the man came closer she could only hope that the man does not see her. However unluckily the man only came closer to her and Xing held in her breath but her heartbeats only quickened. She pulled up the dagger up a little more as she prepared for the worst outcome, which she hoped would not happen. The man jerked his head over towards his right. He slowly walked towards a tree with his hand rested on top of the hilt of his sword. When he was less than a foot away he is sure that there is someone behind this tree and he grasped his sword ready to attack. Suddenly Xing jumped out from behind the tree and charged at him with her dagger. With one swift swoop the man unsheathed his sword and the dagger is sent flying across and landed behind him on the forest floor. It was like time slowed down. The moonlight crawled up both of them and revealed the faced of the two individuals. Xing''s fear changed to shock as the blue light rose up the man''s face to reveal a very handsome young man. His black hair fluttered as a soft breeze blew across and on his face he seemed to also be in shock. Upon recognizing that it was Yanjing Xing''s fears fell apart and her body suddenly became very light as she toppled over and fell into Yanjing''s chest. Yanjing caught Xing and his hand hesitated before he wrapped his arm around her. Xing felt as though a heavy load has been lifted off of her as she stood in his arms. It took her some time before she realized what happened and pushed Yanjing away. "What-what, why are you here?" Xing''s face flushed red. "Why do you think I''m here?" He retorted. "I-I-I don''t know." She stammered. "To save you of course!" Yanjing raised his voice a little as he ran his hand through his hair. Yanjing''s words brought back a wave of memories in Xing''s mind. She was touched by his words but it also brought her back to a certain place and time in her memories. A time where she was not a maid, when she was still at her uncle and aunt''s house. He turned around with his back facing Xing as he surveyed their surroundings for anyone else. When he made sure there was no one he said. "Xing we need to get back now." "Yes Mister Deng." Xing replied coldly. "Huh?" The sudden coldness and formality befuddled Yanjing. "What did you just call me?" He asked and when he turned around he saw that Xing was looking at him very coldly and sad. "Mister Deng. I called you by your real name and title." Xing answered in the same tone. "What happened?" Yanjing asked with care in his tone. "Why are you being like this?" Xing only answered simply. "It doesn''t matter why, as a servant, I am supposed to call you by that title." She placed emphasis on the word servant. Yanjing looked at the girl again. "I just don''t understand. We used to get along just fine when we were kids but why are you suddenly acting like this? Why are you here as a servant instead of being a village chief''s niece?" Xing grew quiet and did not respond immediately. She began slowly. "There is no why. This is what is supposed to happen, we were never supposed to even interact. A servant and you are the son of a general. You are meant to inherit your father''s seat and be victorious in battles while I am meant to work as a maid." Xing looked up at Yanjing and looked at him with a sad smile. Although it has only been a short time apart he had grown up to become a handsome man. Very soon he would be asked to pick a bride and with all the beautiful ladies with the power to support him, he would soon forget about her. 30 Their Story Part 1 We met 6 years ago, when I was only nine years old and he was 13. At that time I lived together with my aunt and uncle but I never felt like I was a part of the family. I was seen though eyes of pity and under the label of being the village chief''s niece. I was never mistreated or bullied but I was lonely and isolated. My aunt and uncle had two sons of their own and they spent their time either taking care of the village or on their children. They had no time for me. The other kids in the village did not play with me, in fact, they tried to be as far as they can from me because I am an ''outsider'', someone from another clan. had it not been for my relationship with their chief I would of been forced out of the village. This is why I am grateful for my uncle and aunt. They are under the obligation to take care of me because my father left a will asking them to. They obeyed his wishes and when I was old enough to understand they told me loud and clear that I will have to leave at 14. Life could never have been more dull for nine years until he came into my life. Each day I went through the same routines and ate the same types of food. It must have been the realization that my time here is limited that I became more quiet. The responsibilities and pressure helped me to mature faster than kids of the same age around me. I did not expect much of my life until he came into my life. He arrived at the beginning of the summer. He came on a horse and two men behind him. That day his arrival had everyone talking and discussing. Some said that he is a runaway prince while other say that he is a theif. But when one of his men showed a piece of paper to my uncle and had a giant box be carried into uncle''s house, all these rumors died down. He immediately became the focus of all the village girls with his good looks. Each day the girls would be crowded around him and would invite him to play. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Yan ge, Yan ge~ Come play with me." Girl A pleaded as she tugged at his sleeve. "Eh but-" He seemed to be troubled as another girl, Girl B, also began pleading him. "Come play with me!" She pulled at his left arm. She then turned towards Girl A and said. "Get your hands off of him! He''s mine!" Girl A''s face grew red with anger and she yanked his sleeve harder. "No. He''s mine!" "No he is not yours, he''s going to be playing with me!" Girl C joined into the fight along with Girl D, E, F and so on. I sighed as I shook my head. I''m sitting under the shades of an oak tree reading through a book I had secretly taken from my uncle''s house. I flipped a page as I dove back into the world of books. I did not know how long I read for but I had been too occupied to pay attention to what was happening on the outside. I was brought back to reality when someone slid down and bumped into me. "Huh?" I looked around to see Yanjing making the hand motions to keep it a secret that he''s here. I looked around an dsaw the mob of girls trying to find him. "No wonder." I whispered. I looked down back into my book and being myself while he hid behind the tree and in the shades until the crowd finally dispersed. "They''re gone now." I commented and flipped another page. "Whew. Finally." He stood out and wiped his brows. "Must be hard." I said without looking up. "Huh? It''s okay I guess, it''s worse in the city." He answered. This caught my attention. "The city? So you come from there." He nodded. "Yeah." "I''ve never been to the city." I commented. He sat down next to me and flashed me a smile. "Then let me tell you then." I did not expect him to sit next to me and it was enough to make my heartbeats go messy. When he smiled, I felt a sudden jolt and my cheeks flushed. Thankfully he did not notice and was too occupied with talking about the city. From what I remember, he told me that he came from Crystal City but because he felt that living in the city was too boring, he came here. He described the streets of the city and the vendors and people. He spoke about the pavilions and parties he''s been to and the banquests he''s eaten at. For once in my life I felt this unexplanable warmth inside me as he talked. That day became the most important day of my life. And from that day on he began to notice me and had asked others about me. "Oh she? Do you Xing? She''s from another village but unluckily her village was destroyed and burned when she was born. Her parents also died during that catastrophe. The only reason why she''s here is because her father and the chief are brothers. Apparently her father had asked chief to take care of here so that''s why she''s here." This did not prevent him from ignoring me like the others. In fact we grew closer. That summer we would hang out everyday and would share bits and peices of ourselves. He told me about the food in the city and what type of clothing is in fashion. He never told me about his identity and I had assumed that he was the son of a merchant because of how much he knew. When summer ended he left and promised to come back next year. From that year on, I can''t help but to look forward to next summer. 31 Their Story Part 2 Like he promised he came back the next summer and he brought many gifts along with him. He passed each person in the village a gift and everyone thanked him gratefully. Since I was ten now I was aware that my time here was limited and that the times I may see him was even more limited. During that summer I was preparing for my travels and was sewing a shirt for myself. Clothing took a lot of time and effort to make so I had to start early. When he saw what I was doing he was curious and asked me about it. After I explained that I was making clothes he suggested that I should go play because if it''s clothes I want then he would ask his servants to buy as many clothes as I needed. I bluntly refused his offer. He asked me why but I did not want to say. We ignored each other for three days because of this. This was also the only fight we had. After those days we went back to being ourselves and he even got me to play with the other village kids. I felt such joy that day when he helped me fit in. At the beginning of our relationship, everything felt so childlike and simple. We were simply just friends, best friends. It wasn''t until later on when our relationship grew to be much more than that. After that summer he did not return for two years. He came back on the summer of my 13th year and he went through a major change. He grew taller, his voice became deeper and the most noticeable change was that he became much more handsome. A part of his personality also changed. He became much quieter and did not really want to be close with others, especially girls. However, he was still okay with me being around. Under the shades of the tree, he told me that he was absent for two years because he was sent for training. There he learned to use the sword, command an army and how to be an effective soldier. I did not think much and thought that his family were soldiers of the army and did not question what he said. After finishing his stories he asked about what I did during these two years and I replied that I stayed the same, reading, eating sleeping, the usual. I did not tell him that I was going to leave the next year and that this would be the last summer that we will meet. During these two years, I had prepared almost everything I needed, clothing, shoes, money, food. All of those were stuffed away under my bed. I will never forget that day. The day when the friendship between two children evolved to became a bond much more complicated and also much more unforgettable. The day began with many clouds in the skies... "Xing! Let''s play hide and seek." A girl called out. "Heh? Xiao Xiao, you know that we are way too old for that game." Xing said as she walked over. "So? There no age limit for hide and seek. Of come on, only for one round pleaseee." Xiaoxiao begged and Xing could only give in. Thanks to Yanjing, Xing was able to fit into the village and made friends. One of her first friend and her best friend is Xiaoxiao. Xiaoxiao was a very outgoing girl and would always be very lively and optimistic. She may be loud sometimes but she was like the sunflower of the village. Her positivity and smile can cheer up anyone. Xing agreed and Xiaoxiao immediately let go and went for her next target, Yanjing. It did not take her long before she successfully pulled him in and got him to accept. It took him some time to pry her hands off of him and after he got Xiaoxiao off another wave of girls surrounded him. It was an ending wave and Xing watched from a distance away and could not help to laugh at the dilemma he was facing. HIde and seek was a simple game and although the players were all teenagers, all the players are very competitive. Xing took a daring step and hid in a small cave that was covered by the drooping branches of a willow tree. ''They won''t be able to find me here.'' Xing thought as she smiled and sat inside the cave. She crawled into the cave and surprisingly the cave was very deep and dark. The ceiling of the cave only got lower so she was on her hands and knees. The cave floor started to feel damp and then suddenly Xing''s hand misplaced and landed on plain air. Surprised, she lost her balance and fell into the clearing. It turned out that the cave actually led to open space inside the cave. She fell down and her head hit the hard floor which knocked her unconscious. She did not know how long she was knocked out but after a couple of hours, she was awakened by the splattering of rain as it hit the ground. "Huh. How long was I out for?" She sat up in the darkness and her eyes took some time to adjust to the darkness. The cave was really small and the six of the clearing was no bigger than 10 square feet and the height of this clearing seemed to be about five yards. She looked up and saw that the only light was coming in through the cave she fell from, which was located at the top of this ceiling. She studied the cave and touched the walls. The walls have mosses climbing up it and it feels very moist. ''This must have been a well before.'' She thought and looked around as she tried to formulate a plan to climb out. "Argh!!" She groaned and ruffled her hair. This well was made up of stone and since it is moist, it is too dangerous to climb up without a rope because she would most likely slip halfway through. She racked her brain for ideas but as the time in the well grew longer and the light beginning to dim, fear began to form in Xing''s heart. "Help! Help! Somebody." She screamed. "Xiaoxiao, Someone. Yanjing!" In the growing darkness, Xing began to shake and her calls became more desperate. She yelled out for help until her throat was dry but no one heard. It was like someone had turned the mute button on her. The rain falling from the heavens have muffled her calls as multiple water droplets fell into the ground and the rain began to pour. Her throat felt dry and she could no longer scream because her throat hurts too much. She sat down and huddled in with her legs folded over her chests and shivered from the cold. ''Am I going to die here?'' She questioned herself but she immediately shook her head. ''No. I can''t I''m only 13, I have so much to do. I have so much planned, I can''t die, not yet. I''m too young to die!'' Suddenly a faint voice echoed through the well. "Xing?" Xing immediately looked up at the call of her name and hope grew as she saw the growing intensity of the yellow light and the sound of the fire crackling. "I''m here!" Her throat still hurts, and her voice came out hoarse but she did not care. This was her chance to get out of here. "Xing?" The voice came out stronger and masculine. Yanjing looked down into the clearing towards the sound of the voice and when he saw Xing he immediately jumped down. "Xing!" A smile blossomed on XIng''s face as she watched Yanjing jump down. In her eyes, he was like an angel descending from above. "Yanjing." She mumbled and fell into his arms. She could no longer stand up by herself, she was weak, tired and her legs did not have enough strength to support her. Yanjing caught her and took a step back. He looked bewildered for a second and then he wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Xing." He whispered her name just loud enough for her to hear. "Young Master?" His servant called out from above. "Throw down the rope." The servant nodded and thew it down for him. Very carefully he hugged Xing and tied the rope around them. As they were pulled up, Xing silently cried as she began to break down. When they were up and out of the cave, she could not hold it in anymore. She did not care and hugged onto Yanjing as she cried. Her tears mixed in with the rain as she cried out her fears, pain, loneliness. Ever since her uncle had told her about her parents and the obligation he was under, she never cried again. When she was isolated by the village and ignored by her last remaining family members, she did not cry from the stress. She may seem to not care but the truth was that she held it all in. She did not want to be seen as vulnerable so she kept her sorrows deep down inside her and ignored it. However, as her sorrows increased she found it harder to control herself from having the emotional outbursts. She repressed it and did her best to not think about it because she knows that if she was to let her feelings out, then everything would erupt out. Yanjing''s arrival in her life gave her hope and happiness. When she is feeling these new emotions she felt as though her sadness were being cleansed and transformed into happiness. These new feelings helped her to become more close to him and to open up more. However what she did not notice was that the more he bombarded into her heart the less guarding she is towards him. She trusts him and wants to rely on him. As she let all the oppressed emotions out she realized just how important he was to her. Because it was only around him that she doesn''t have to act strong and nonchalant. 32 Their Story Part 3 A servant took out an umbrella and brought it over to the couple, Yanjing and Xing. However Yanjing shook his head and the servant walked back. Yanjing held onto the crying Xing. His heart pounding at an abnormal speed. Very hesistantly he wrapped his hands around her and pulled her in closer. Xing''s sniffling slowly grew quiet and when she finished crying she looked up at Yanjing, who looked down at her. Although Yanjing was older than her by a few years, the height difference between the two had always been only a couple of inches. She would never be below the height from his feet to his nose but after two years of being sent for training, she was now shorter than him by a head. When Yanjing looked down the two eyes met and stared at one another for a moment. Perhaps it was the place that they were at, or the affects on their emotions from the previous event. Yanjing lowered his head and placed his lips over hers. Xing did not resist but instead she closed her eyes and accepted it. His hands traveled up and in through her soaked hair, untying the ribbon which fell on the ground. Had Yanjing''s identity been an ordinary person, others would congratulate the two. However Yanjing''s real identity is far from ordinary. He is meant to be the future general, someone who would be able to fight for his country and guard its doors. The only reason for him to interact with a girl with the means to marry would be only for political relations. So when his servants saw their master kissing a peasant girl, a girl from one of the country villages they were shocked and all of them pitied the two because they know that this couple will never become true. The two stayed like that for some time before the two pulled away. Xing looked down and when everything settled in on her, her face became red. "What j-we di-wha-did we just do?" Xing stammered and Yanjing laughed at her reaction. "Why are you laughing?" Xing demanded. "Sorry. Sorry. It''s just that I''ve never seen you like this." Yanjing responded. Xing turned around and crossed her hands over her chest. "I do have emotions you know. I just..never show them." Yanjing''s eyes softened as he looked at the girl in front of him. She always kept a poker face in front of everyone. She never showed her emotions, even when it''s in front of him she showed very little, and yet she was the only one that can make his heart move. He turned her around before pressing his lips on hers again. This time Xing was surprised and resisted but Yanjing only pulled her in tighter, deepening the kiss. This time he pulled away first and in the rain he confessed. "I seem to have fallen for you Xing." --------------------------------------------------------- Xing doesn''t remember much of what happened after they went back to the village. The only thing she did remember was that they were now not only friends but lovers. The rest of the summer went by smoothly with them going out everyday and spending time with each other like a couple. Before they knew it, the summer had come to an end and it was time for Yanjing to leave again. "Yanjing." Xing called. "Xing!" Yanjing quickly walked over and hugged her. "Yanjing." She said again and this time she knew she had to say it. "There som-" "Xing, when''s your birthday?" Yanjing interrupted. "Eh? It''s in the winter." She answered. "Why do you ask?" She asked but Yanjing only smiled and placed a finger on her lips. "You''ll see." He answered. "Well. You see, Yanjing. The truth is-" "Sir Yanjing. It is the time for you to leave." This time it was his servants who interrupted. Yanjing nodded to his servant then kissed Xing''s forehead. "Wait for me. I''ll be back in the winter." He whispered. He then climbed onto the horse prepared for him by his servants and sprinted off. "Yanjing." Xing looked at his disappearing shadow and bit her lips. "I didn''t tell you yet." ---------------------------- The rest of their story progresses much faster after his leave. Yanjing came back during the winter to meet Xing and to celebrate her birthday, however what she did not know was that he actually snuck out of his house to meet her this time. All the previous times, his father has given his permission but after he was sent off to train for the army he was forbidden to go again. After a very long time pleading his father Yanjing was allowed to go one more time, that was the summer visit. Unfortunately after that visit Yanjing only wanted to go back to that village, to go to Xing. Of course Xing was very happy to meet Yanjing and especially since he came to celebrate her birthday. For her 14th birthday, Yanjing gave her a white jade pin which went perfectly with her black hair. There relationship became closer and much more sweeter until he had to leave again. This time his father was furious and sent a small army of 12 soldiers to personally "escort" him home. This was the first time Xing became aware that Yanjing was no ordinary person. This time before he left Xing gathered the courage and told him to return soon to come get her because she wants to leave. Whether or not he really understood what she said, she did not know but she wanted him to at least know her desire to leave. Right after Yanjing left another customer came to see Xing. This time it was Yanjing''s future fiance, Xing does not remember the name of this person however she did remember the torture she suffered under this women. Yanjing''s future fiance began with threats and some verbal bullying, her comments would be about how a lowly country girl can never fit with Yanjing. That only someone with her status can be beside him. This women exposed Yanjing''s real identity to Xing but Xing ignored all her comments because she does not believe that any of those are true, she would only believe what Yanjing tells her. However it was because Xing only ignored her, that the tactics escalated. She would lay down multiple traps for her to fall under, one time she would return to her room to see all her clothes torn. This bullying became unbearable when this women had someone kidnap her and pricked multiple needles on her body. The pain from one needle may be very little but with a couple hundred at a time, these small pains would add up becoming unbearable. Xing''s yell could be heard from outside the houses but no one came to help her because this women gave the entire village a hefty sum to seal their lips. Only Xiao Xiao stood up for Xing and immediately went to tell Yanjing. She knew where he was from so it was not hard for her to arrive at the city to find this men. Everyone knew who Yanjing was so after asking three people she was led to where Yanjing lived and told Yanjing. After hearing the news he could not hold in his anger and quickly arrived at the village to stop this. He arrived in time and saved Xing. His future fiance was sent back and not given the time to make up any excuses for her actions. He stayed for three days to help Xing recover but when Xing awoke the first question she asked was "What is your real identity?" Yanjing confessed everything and swore that he wanted to tell her everyday. He told her about his identity as the son of a general, the one that would later inherit his father''s throne. He also confessed that the reason he came to this village in the first place was because his father wanted him to understand how peasants are living since from a young boy he was extremely spoiled. After hearing this, Xing did not react. She did not know how to react to such news. The words that his future fiance began to sink in because now she knows that they are true. To make matters worse she agreed with everything that women had told her. She did not know what she should do, now that she knows about Yanjing''s real identity she could not ask for him to take her away. In truth, she had dreamed of him coming to get her and the two of them settle somewhere in the woods where they would live together with their kids in a comfy little cottage. However this would only stay as a dream because there was no way the son of the general would be allowed to live as a peasant instead of a high and mighty general. It was illogical, who would choose to be poor when they have the option to be rich and respected? That night she ran away. She exchanged the pin he gave her for his dagger then took the bag she had prepared for years. In the night she ran in the snow and walked for a few days before she arrived at Crystal City. Where she became a servant, then the personal maid of Mingxia. -----------Back to now~ Yanjing balled up his fist and looked at the girl he once liked again. She looked away from him and very uncomfortably avoided his eyes. Yanjing''s face darkened. "I see. Let''s go, Xing, Lady Mingxia is in danger." Xing''s face immediately became worried. "What? Why?" "She''s suffering from a wound and when I left she was unconscious." He responded. ''Why do you sorry about her so much? What about me, did you worry about me when you left without saying a word?'' "Then take me to her. Now." She demanded. Yanjing nodded and motioned for her to follow. "Oh wait." She said and went back to the cave to grab the bag. After retrieving the bag she met up with Yanjing and the two walked away in the forest with Yanjing leading the way. The walk back was silent and tense however in Xing''s mind she was only worried about Mingxia. They arrived at a clearing where a camp was set, there were multiple horses, men, and three carriages. Yanjing walked directly up the biggest carriage and reported. "Qiu, I found out." Then Zong Qiu walked out of the carriage wearing thin robes. "Where''s she?" Xing questioned going directly to her point. Zong Qiu turned his head towards the carriage. "She''s in there. Don''t worry her wounds have been treated by me and right now she''s sleeping." Xing directly went in and saw the sleeping Mingxia. She saw that her lady was covered in an unfamiliar robe and immediately knew why Zong Qiu was wearing like that. She removed the robe and saw the treated wound and the blood. Suddenly a pale of clean water and a towel was pushed into the carriage and Xing immediately went to work. She carefully wiped away the blood and removed the blood stained clothes then took out fresh ones from her bag. She helped Mingxia get dressed and laid her into a comfortable position. After finishing she took out the pale of blood water and gave it to one the servants. "Is she fine now." Zong Qiu walked up and asked. Xing curtsied before answering. "Yes." Zong Qiu nodded then went into another carriage and told the others that they are to leave in the morning. Xing walked back into the carriage and laid down next to Mingxia. The night had been long and sleepiness had finally began to creep up. She slowly closed her eyes and everything went black. 33 Vow The sudden bump from the carriage running over a rock woke up Xing. Very tiredly, she held herself up to a sitting position and surveyed her surroundings. Everything that happened last night flashed over her like lightening and she reached for the dagger. In broad daylight, the letter on the hilt could be seen clearly, the chinese letter °× stood out. She looked at the dagger one last time before placing it back into her bag then turned around to take care of Mingixa. Mingxia looked much better now and seemed to be in deep sleep. Very carefully Xing began to change Mingxia''s bandages for new ones. In the middle of wrapping the cloth back on, Mingxia''s eyelids fluttered open and her brown eyes looked over at Xing. "Xing?" Mingxia''s voice came out hoarse and deep but it did not mask her confusion. "Mingxia, how do you feel does it hurt?" Xing''s voice was full of care as she helped Mingxia sit up. Mingxia gently patted Xing. "I''m fine. But where are we?" Xing lifted the curtain covering the window next to Mingxia to reveal a handsome young man riding on a horse. This man was no other than Zong Qiu, who didn''t notice so he didn''t turn back. Mingxia''s grip on her clothes tightened and Xing noticed this action so she let down the curtains. Mingxia looked down at her half wrapped shoulder as Xing got back to wrapping cloth around it. This reminded her what happened last night and she could only blame herself. They were no doubt elite assassins and yet she was still foolish enough to think she can deal with these elites. She may have taken lessons however as of right now, her skills can not compare to an elite. Mingxia grew quiet again leaving Xing to finsh bandaging the wound. Right after Xing finished the carriage stopped and from outside it Mingxia could hear the men shouting out orders to camp and eat lunch. Mingxia slowly got up and made her way to the carriage entrance. "Mingxia! Your wound." Xing cried out in worry. Mingxia simply waved her hand at Xing, "I''m fine. I can still walk, it''s not like I hurt my legs. Besides I need to get out and stretch, I ''ve spent way to much time in this carriage. Xing let out a sigh and shook her head but followed right after Mingxia. Mingxia stepped out of the carriage and into the sunlight. The carriage has been parked right under the shades of the trees on the bay of a river. She could see that some of Zong Qiu''s men were in the water catching fishes while there were also some preparing the campsite. "Lady Wei." A young man bowed to Mingxia as he walked by with a pile of dry wood. Mingxia merely nodded at him and he walked away towards the campsite. "Mingxia." At the call of her name, Mingxia turned around towards the voice to see a handsome young man smiling at her. "Zong Qiu." She whispered his name softly as he walked up closer. He placed his hands on her shoulder and looked at the place of her wound. "Does it still hurt?" He asked gently. Mingxia shook her head and Zong Qiu relaxed. He looked up and on her face before pressing his lips on her forehead. "Lunch will be finished soon, just wait a little more." He told her before leaving. For lunch there was a couple of roasted rabbit and some steamed buns. Mingxia ate very quietly, unlike her usual self, and aroused Zong Qiu''s attention. Mingxia refused to talk for the rest of the day which caused him to worry even more. After dinner Mingxia returned to the carriage and did not come out while Zong Qiu went inside the tent he shared with his two friends. "Qiu ge, I think she''s being quiet because of her wound, she must not be feeling so well so she does not want to talk." Ying suggested as he laid down on his bed. Zong Qiu sighed. "That is a possibility but I can''t help but to be worried about her." Ying raised his eyebrows and a playful smile hung on his lips then snuggled inside his blanket. "Qiu, girl''s are a mystery. You will never be able to understand them, just like the saying a women''s heart is like a needle in an ocean, it''s almost impossible." Yanjing told Zong Qiu. Zong Qiu sighed then blew out the orange candle before stepping outside. Over in Mingxia''s carriage, Xing also looked worried because of Mingxia''s odd behavior. She retreived a blanket from her satchel and gave it to Mingxia. "Mingxia, it''s time to sleep." Mingxia smiled and looked Xing. "You should sleep first, I don''t feel sleepy right now." Xing nodded and obediently laid down with the blanket covering her. When Xing began to softly snore, Mingxia knew that Xing was asleep and took out her sword. She unsheathed the blade but because of how dark the carriage was she stepped outside the carriage. With a full moon hung high in the night sky, Mingxia''s blade shone. She looked at the blade as everything that happened the night before replayed in her mind once again. She bit her lips and closed her eyes. How could I have been so stupid? How could I still be so weak even when I am reborn? Mingxia questioned herself and the vow she made when she first realized she was reborn came back. Her goal was to protect her family and defeat Zong Ching but with how she is right now, how can she go against him? She dosen''t even have the power to protecct her family and herself so don''t even talk about defeating Zong Ching. With the way she is right now it is impossible. Tears streamed down her face and in the cool summer night a breeze blew past the trees and swept over the grass. The tree branches rustled and the summer crickets hummed their melodies. A young women stood under the moonlight with her head held high and her back straight. Slowly she raised her right hand and with one swift movement the silver blade swiped at the air leaving only a silver streak behind. One movement lead to another as she continued. Her position would change with each swipe and if someone were to see her they would think she was dancing. Her moves were elegant and with each change in position her hand only got faster. It soon became so fast that it became hard to see the blade she was holding, you could only see her "dancing" with a silver trail following her as she "danced." Then she stopped. She dropped her blade and looked up at the sky, her vow echoed through the night. "I, Wei Mingxia, promise to become stronger to protect those my friends and to defeat my foes. I have been reborn to do what I can''t in my past life and finish what I couldn''t before." 34 The Stadium "Reborn?" A calm voice asked. Mingxia immediately turned around to see a dark shadow under the shadows of the forest. Mingxia pointed her sword at the shadow. "Who are you? Come out." Very confidently, out of the shadows walked out a young man. Mingxia''s eyes widened as she recognized who this man was. "Zong Qiu?" Her hand lowered a bit as he walked closer to her. Very slowly, he walked closer and stopped until they were about a foot away from each other. Zong Qiu raised his eyebrows before speaking. "Well? Mingxia do you plan on answering my question?" Mingxia lowered her sword and bit her lips. ''Why does it has to be him? Of all the people it''s him?'' Mingxia let out a sigh. ''Wait. Why am I getting so worked up? I may look 15 but I''m actually 25, I''m older than him. Mingxia get yourself together, you have a goal to accomplish.'' Mingxia looked up at Zong Qiu and spoke loud and clear, "No." Zong Qiu smiled. The little kitten in front of him is pretending to be a tiger. "I see. Well then I shall head back to my tent." He turned around to leave. "Wait." Zong Qiu turned around. "Zong Qiu you know martial arts right?" Zong Qiu nodded. "Do you excel at shooting arrows?" He nodded again. "Horse riding?" Another nod. "The sword?" Another nod. "Why do you ask?" Mingxia thought for a moment before answering. "Train me." Now, this response surprised Zong Qiu. "You will have to give me a reason." "The games. I want to win." Mingxia answered. Zong Qiu stayed silent for a while before stepping closer to her again. This time he did not stop and continued to walk towards her until they were only about 8 inches apart. Mingxia took a step back but what she did not realize was that she was going to step into the pond. Zong Qiu immediately wrapped his arm around her waist which pulled them together again. "I''ll do it but there is a price." "A price? Is everything about money to you." Mingxia fidgeted a bit but Zong Qiu did not budge. He sighed and flicked her forehead with his other hand. "Does it look like I need anymore." "That is true. You could probably build your own army with thousands of men with the amount of money you have." Zong Qiu chuckled at her comment. "Then what do you want." Zong Qiu suddenly let go of his arm and stepped back. "A favor." He answered. "A favor?" Mingxia repeated. He nodded. "I will tell you after the games." Mingxia raised her eyebrows, something inside of her was telling her that this was a bad idea but she agreed. The assassin attack has reminded her of how unskilled she was at martial arts and that the games would have people just as skilled as those assassins. Right now the only way for her to upgrade her skills would be to train under someone who is just as skilled and her only option is Zong Qiu. The training began the next day with Zong Qiu personally training her. Surprisingly Zong Qiu''s lessons were stricter than the teachers back home but Mingxia did not complain. She followed his instructions and executed every direction he gave. The training continued as they traveled out of China and into India. --------------------------------------------- "Jia!" A brown stallion neighed and sprinted forward. The women on the stallion wore blue robes and her hair is tied up into a high ponytail. She reached her hand into her quiver and took out an arrow. She lifted the arrow to her bow and very precisely pulled back the bow. With a smile, she locked onto her target then released the arrow. The arrow hit the bull''s eye on the wooden board but she did not see it since she has locked her eyes on the next board. On a galloping horse, she shot her arrows and was successful to hit 8 bull''s eye out of 10. After hitting the 10th board she jumped down and surveyed her score. "8 out of 10. Could be better." She critiqued. The sudden sound of someone clapping brought her attention to the man beside her. "Not bad for someone who only began a few weeks ago." The women sighed. "For a normal person yes. But for me, it''s still pretty bad." "As expected of Mingxia." The man said and smiled. Mingxia chuckled. "Zong Qiu, it seems that you know me pretty well." This time it was Zong Qiu that chuckled. "Sahib." A darkly tanned man bowed down to Zong Qiu with his hands together. Zong Qiu turned around and sighed. "Adhrit. I told you not to call me sahib." A small smile crept up the man''s face. "Young master. It is time to go back the ceremony is about to begin." When they heard the ceremony Mingxia and Zong Qiu''s faces became serious. Mingxia walked forward and followed Adhrit to the ceremony and Zong Qiu followed her. Mingxia and Zong Qiu were led to a carriage pulled by two brown horses. They got on and the horses sprinted away at a very slow speed. Before long the carriage slowed down and stopped in front of a giant stadium. Giant columns that looked like they were at least five yards, supported a sleet red marble roof. Two groups of servants came out and escorted Mingxia and Zong Qiu separately into the stadium. Mingxia was being escorted by a group of young girls while a bunch of young men was escorting Zong Qiu. The moment they passed through the entrance Zong Qiu was led to the left while Mingxia was led to the right. Mingxia climbed multiple stairways until she arrived a wooden door which she had to open. Bright light welcomed her and she stepped out to see a large field was located at the center of the stadium. Multiple tents were placed surrounding the field and she was escorted to one with her name on it. The nobilities that were not participating in the games were sitting comfortably on the balconies hanging off of the stadium walls and were chatting nonstop. Mingxia opened the flap and walked in to see Xing there waiting for her. "Mingxia. Let me help you get dressed." Xing offered and Mingxia looked at the outfit she was to wear before nodding. Mingxia is to wear a leather jacket, a white blouse, and maroon colored slacks. Her hair is tied up into a high ponytail and is to wear a black helmet since she is participating in the archery competition. This competition has a dress code for all the participants and there would be specific outfits for certain games. The outfits were heavily influenced by the eastern countries so Mingxia felt very uncomfortable in the outfit but she could not complain. "Mingxia are you ready?" Xing asked, concerned Mingxia''s safety. Mingxia looked into the mirror and smiled before replying confidently. "Ready as I''ll ever be." 35 Horseback Riding Archery Competition "Now the first game is..THE FEMALE HORSEBACK-RIDING ARCHERY COMPETITION!!! Please welcome the Competitors!" A men shouted on the stage and the audiences applauded. From the tent ten females walked out and walked onto the field where their horses were given to them. Princess Adela strutted out of the tent confidently and sashayed her way over to her horse. She was wearing the same outfit as Mingxia however her long hair is braided and is the length of her waist. Her healthy tanned skin looked beautiful with her sharp black eyes and pink colored lips. She climbed onto her black stallion and patted it gently. "I will be the winner." She declared confidently and looked around at the other girls. She categorized the girls into two categories. The prepared and unprepared. The prepared girls are the ones that sat on their horses without any nervousness and worry on their faces. While the unprepared girls were those that were nervous and those that were practically crying and whining. From the nine girls only three fit the prepared category. The rest of the girls were either crying, whining, those who doesn''t want to go up the horse and such. Adela sighed. ''As expected this year I''m going to be the winner. Again.'' A victorious smile crept up her face and she patted her horse again. However a sudden movement from the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Mingxia walked over to her horse and jumped up without anyone''s help. Her black hair looked beautiful on her pale skin and Adela gripped her reins tighter. ''This girl..'' "Hmph." She looked away and moved closer to the start line. ''The winner can only be ME.'' "Get ready. Set. GO." Ten horses took off at the start line with a blur and all ten female took off from the starting line. As expected, Princess Adela took off with great speed and was the one in front of all the other contestants. The race track is split into four parts, part A,B,C, and D. Part A is clear with no obstacles and all the contestants are to able to hit the target while riding on their horse. Part B has railings in which the horses would have to jump over, part C also has railings but the targets are moving. In Part D the targets are also moving but this time each contestant is given a specific target to hit and while aiming there would be numerous pits, railings, bars that each player has to go through. Princess Adela took out a bow from her quiver and pulled back her bow. Thunk. Her arrow struck on the innermost red circle straight on the bull''s eyes. The audiences'' applause echoed through the stadium and Adela sat up straighter with more confidence. Her horse continued sprinting and she pulled back again and again, hitting all three target boards either on the bull''s eye or the innermost white ring. In this game each player''s arrows are different colors so the judges are able to differentiate who shot. Each player will be able to get points depending on how many arrows they shot and where on the target board it landed. There are four circles, alternating between red and white with the outermost circle white. The outermost circle is worth 1 points, 3 points for the next circle, 5 points for the next and 10 points for the bull''s eyes. Adela almost reached the end of the first part when she heard the applauses stop and all the audiences held faces of shock. She looked around to see what caused them to be so shocked. From the start of the game Mingxia was the slowest so the nobilities sitting on the balconies didn''t pay much attention to her some even made fun of her. However the moment she took out her arrows and pulled back her bow, her horse suddenly gained speed. Despite the speed of her horse Mingxia released each of her arrow with precision and each arrow hit straight on the bull''s eyes. For the first three boards Mingxia continued her streak which helped her gain attention from the audience and nobilities. However her sudden popularity caused for the other contestants to feel threatened by her. In the next part of the field Mingxia was able to score another bull''s eye but this time another contestant couldn''t bear it anymore. She purposely turned left with her bow pulled back and aimed at Mingxia then released it. Mingxia saw the arrow coming towards her and laid back on her saddle, expertly avoided the flying arrow. She sat up and threatening glare at the girl that shot the arrow. The girl shuddered since Mingxia looked as though she was going to kill her. The culprit had wanted to scare Mingxia to make her shrink back but it turned out to have the opposite effect. It only provoked Mingxia to do better and in the second part she became the only person to get a perfect score. A loud applause was given to her and the other contestants couldn''t help but to look back at Mingxia. Princess Adela also looked back and her eyes burned with jealousy at the amount of praise Mingxia was getting. Out of haste she pulled back her bow and released her arrow without properly aiming. The arrow hit the outermost ring just an inch from missing the target board completely. She couldn''t believe what she had just done and shakily took out another arrow to shoot again. Very clumsily, she lost her grip of the arrow and it fell onto the floor. She bent down to pick it up when a horse sprinted past hair causing for her hair to flutter. She looked up to see Mingxia hitting either on the bull''s eyes or the ring circling the bull''s eyes. She let out an indecent complaint and quickly got her horse to catch up to MIngxia. However no matter how much she tried she could not surpass MIngxia''s score. As expected Mingxia took place with 95 points. The maximum points someone can get get is 110 and that is only if they hit all 11 target boards on the bull''s eyes. Princess Adela came in second with 91 points. On stage, Princess Adela could be seen staring daggers at Mingxia as Mingxia went up onto the podium to receive her reward. ''Wei Mingxia. Just you wait.'' She cursed in her head. 36 With the Intents to Kill The judge brought her over to a cabinet of different treasures. "Choose one and it shall be yours." The judge spoke with a rough accent. Mingxia considered very carefully as she walked over to the cabinets. She opened some of the boxes and inspected the content inside. However she only shook her head and placed the box back at its original spot. As she walked around her eyes fell upon a certain object, a chinese fan, made from the wood of an ebony tree and a beautiful tree filled with small white blooming flowers was drawn on it. A smile crept up her face and she picked up the fan. The fan feels heavier than an ordinary fan but it gives the user a satisfied grip over it. "I choose this." She said and handed the fan over to a servant who placed it into an intricate looking box. Up in the balconies Zong Qiu drank his tea with a proud smile on his face. He watched as the girl chose the ebony fan and his smile only grew wider. He expected no less from her but he had not expected for her to choose the fan. While he may be proud another individual is not. Under the balconies there are multiple rooms where the people from lower classes an view the games. In one of the private rooms a young women wearing a very simple yellow robe stood beside the window looking down. She may look like a spectator however unlike the other audiences she was not looking at the winner but the young woman standing in second place. Rage burned in her eyes and she clenched her fist. "Princess Adela, had it not been you. I would still be the genius daughter of a general, my fiance would not had left me and my mother would not have passed away. Everything is your fault and you shall pay for it." She turned her head around and her gaze fell on the black helmet resting on a folded leather jacket along with a maroon colored pants. ________________________________ The servant then handed the box to her and she went down the stage with the box. The judge then sent the competitors back to their tents before announcing for the second match to begin. Mingxia returned to her tent where Xing was already there waiting for her. "Congratulations Mingxia." Xing said and poured a cup of orange blossom tea. Mingxia sat down and brought the cup to her mouth. Xing opened the box and studied the fan. "Mingxia?" Mingxia did not look up from her cup. "Hm?" "Why did you pick this? I saw that there were so many other prizes but why this?" XIng asked. Mingxia couldn''t help but smile when a familiar memory flashed over her eyes. "Hmm. It looked familiar and I owe someone a fan." Xing looked confused but didn''t question anymore and obediently set the box next to Mingxia. She helped MIngxia refill her cup with tea and took out a platter of red bean pastries. Mingxia bit into the flaky crust and the red bean filling exploded in her mouth. She let out a groan with how delicious it is and took another bite. After a short break time, all the contestants gathered back together for the second round. In the second round, all the contestants are given ten arrows. Five men would throw up five target boards each time for four times. Each contestant are to shoot as many of the targets as possible as they ride on their horses. Mingxia got up on her horse and made herself comfortable. She scanned around and saw that there was still ten contestants however the girl that had tried to shoot an arrow at her was pulled out of the competition for some unknown reason, Mingxia has her suspicions, and another girl has replaced her. This new girl is very quiet and keeps her head down. MIngxia then looked over and saw Princess Adela sitting on her horse very highly with her head held high and her back straight. Before Mingxia could investigate around the judge had begin his speech. "-Well then let round two BEGIN!" The flags are let down and the horses took off. Five men stood on posts located right next to each other and threw five boards into the air. Mingxia pulled back her bow and successfully pinned down a board. The crowd went wild as she took out another bow and pinned down another board. Of the first five boards two were pinned by Mingxia, another two was pinned down by Princess Adela and the last one was pinned down by another girl. When all five were down the men threw up the next five. Mingxia got her bow ready and took down another board however as she was aiming the quiet girl took down the board Mingxia was aiming for. Seeing that her target was taken, Mingxia aimed for another one but this one it was taken by Princess Adela. ''What''s with these people? Why are they stealing my targets?!'' MIngxia pulled back her bow for the third time and this time she struck the third board. She pulled back again and took down another one leaving only one more. Princess Adela had her eyes on that one and prepared to shoot when the quiet girl took it. Princess Adela immediately looked around and bit her lips. The quiet girl only looked down and held no reaction. However if you were to look closely, a small smile hung on her lips before being replaced by her poker face. Once again, five board were thrown up in the air. Mingxia only got one, two other girls got one each and the last two were taken by Princess Adela. For the fourth time, five boards were thrown up. Mingxia charged up and took down one however when she looked back she observed how the quiet girl was not aiming at the boards but at Princess Adela. She immediately knew what this girl was about to do. When the boards have fallen long enough she released the arrow however she released it too early. Had she waited a bit when the boards are about the height of Princess Adela''s head she would have been able to pass this off as an accident but because she released too early everyone can see that this was no accident. Mingxia immediately pulled back her arrow and her arrow bumped into the one aimed at Princess Adela''s head, with a sharp clank the two arrows landed onto the ground. The sound was small and no one up in the audience heard it but the contestants on the field certainly did. All five boards were pinned down but no one was paying attention to it. Everyone''s eyes were glued to Princess Adela, who looked quite pale. She had not known what happened until she saw the arrow going for her head about an inch away when it suddenly was bounced away. She turned her head to see Mingxia lowering her bow and in her heart the hatred she had felt earlier began to flutter. 37 Banque Up on the balcony the Arabian King slammed his hand on his gold throne. "How dare you!" A vein popped and his face grew red with anger. "Guards arrest her!" The king yelled but immediately a women sitting next to him immediately stopped him. "My king. You mustn''t be angry. The essence of this game is the danger it has." The women used a soothing voice that sounded both calming and sexy. "But I can not have others believe that they can intentionally kill my daughter right in front of me! I want that girl killed!" The king raged. The women patted the king''s chest. "My king, I understand your worry. However remember that there are other royalties here, you''re image would be ruined if you sentence her to death right now." Of course the king also knows this but he couldn''t keep in his anger. How could he be calm when his own daughter was just killed right in front of his eyes! But hearing it from the women next to her helped him calm down. He looked at the field as the last round of plank archery began. His eyes followed his daughter and softened when he saw how pale she was. Princess Adela was still shocked with hw close to death she was. This event would permanently scar her from now on. Of the five planks, Princess Adela only hit one. The king''s heart ached seeing his daughter so weak. The Arabian king has a giant harem where he has tens of concubines and hundreds of mistresses. He had about thirty kids but only about 15 are still alive. Of his 15 children he only has four daughters and the rest are sons. Princess Adela is the third princess but is the most spoiled because she is the daughter of him and the queen. His eyes never left his precious daughter and he ignored the sexy women sitting beside him. His eyes didn''t leave Adela until Princess Adela rode past Mingxia did he avert his gaze to Mingxia. "I have to reward her for saving Adela." He murmured. He looked at his advisor who was sitting on his right side. "After the games prepare a party and invite all the competitors. But remember to personally invite my daughter''s savior, I have to reward her." His advisor nodded and the king focused his attention back on his beloved daughter. As expected Mingxia hit the most planks and gained the most points. Second place went to the daughter of a french duke and third place went to Princess Adela. The quiet girl placed fourth but the judge did not bother to call out her name. Once again, Mingxia is asked to choose a reward from the prize section. Mingxia walked around and examined each of the prizes. In the end she chose a beautiful steel dagger. The next competition was the horseback archery for men and there was much more competitors. The crowd was much more enthusiastic and cheered nonstop for the entire round. As expected Zong Ching took part in this competition and became a close second with 105 points. First place went to an Arab Prince who seemed very stern and quiet. He chose a magnificent sword as his reward and the second competition ended. Day 1 of the Games ended with that, the sword competition is to be held tomorrow and Mingxia does not need to participate. She had originally planned to get a good night rest in the Wei estate located in India but unfortunately the Arabian royal family has set up a party for the competitors. Mingxia couldn''t decline the offer since on of the king''s advisors purposely came to invite her and had to go despite her annoyance. She purposely chose to wear grey robes with her hair tied up like a man to show irritated she was while Xing could only cry in the corner. Xing knew about the party being held after the competition and had purposely prepared a mint green and a hazy yellow dress for Mingxia to wear. She knew that Mingxia wouldn''t want to go and had chosen the simplest and most comfortable dress for Mingxia but who knew Mingxia would refuse to wear the dress? However Xing did notice that Mingxia had taken the box, that contained the fan, with her and kept it hidden in her robes. Mingxia got onto the carriage with Xing sitting beside her and the carriage began to move. The carriage brought them to a stunning estate with a beautiful courtyard filled with fine busheries and a large pool filled with crystal clear water. This courtyard circled around a magnificent mansion that consists of five pillars, one of four sides and the tallest in the center, on top of these pillars were spherical domes that had a golden glow to it. Mingxia''s carriage followed after a long line of carriages that was going to the same destination, making her wait for quite some time. When she finally arrived night had fallen and the sky was dark. She stepped out and followed after the crowd of people entering the mansion. Truth be said, she was absolutely shocked with how stunning the mansion was. This was just a mansion and yet it looked more like a castle. Mingxia was escorted into the ballroom where a mixture of both genders were dancing to an upbeat music. She was escorted to her seat and sat down next to the other competitors. The moment she sat down the lights dimmed and the the attention was brought to the Arabian prince who stood up. "Welcome everyone to my banquet! This banquet may be small but I hope everyone enjoys their time here. May the banquet now commence!" His speech ended with a loud applause from the crowds and the prince sat back down next to his father. The king had a proud smile on his face and patted his son''s arm to show how proud he was. Mingxia watched with a bored expression as she sat in her seat. All the other female competitors came wearing gowns fit for dancing and were all asked to dance while no one asked her. Probably it was because of her outfit or was it because of the annoyed expression on her face that no one dared to approach her. This expression quickly changed when the servant began to come out with platters and platters of food. Her annoyance quickly became excitement and she took a portion from each platter. At the end, her plate was filled with food. She ate happily and made sure to constraint herself from wolfing down the delicious foods in front of her. Zong Qiu chucked as he watched her eat from his seat located across the room from her. ''Time to pay her a visit.'' He stood up and slowly made his way across the room. 38 Lan Qi As he walked over the king suddenly stood up and the entire room hushed down. "Welcome everyone." The king began. "As all of you know this year''s games started out very successfully and I would like to personally congratulate the candidate from East Asia, Miss Wei Mingxia! She was able to take first place for both of the game she participated in today!" The crowd stirred and a loud applause broke out. Mingxia could only smile politely and waited for the applause to end. Luckily the king spoke again and everyone''s attention was back on him again. "To congratulate her, I would like to present her with a special gift." RIght on cue two servants pushed a cart with a box covered with a piece of fabric over to him. Very slowly, the king lifted the cloth to reveal a golden necklace with a giant emerald on it. The audience gasped and the other female competitors turned and looked at Mingxia. Mingxia kept on a poker face and waited for the servants to bring the necklace to her. Xing took it for Mingxia and did her best to not look at the necklace too many times. The quiet girl from earlier had a sour face and she dug her nails into her dress. When the audience finally calmed down and went back to dancing, eating and gossiping, the quiet girl stood up and prepared to leave quietly. Mingxia noticed this and got up. "Mingxia-" "Shhh." Mingxia stopped Xing from talking and smiled. The quiet girl made it halfway down a flight of stairs when she noticed that someone was following her. She whipped her head around to see MIngxia. "Why are you here?" She asked. Mingxia''s expression didn''t change. "That''s the question I want to ask you, why are you here?" The quiet girl didn''t know what to answer back, she didn''t if she should hate this girl or not. Seeing that the quiet girl isn''t going to answer her, Mingxia slowly walked closer to her until there were only two steps between them. "I asked why are you here?" Mingxia whispered and leaned forward. "What was your goal?" The quiet girl suddenly looked dazed. "Revenge." She whispered. Mingxia smiled and straightened her back. "And you failed." "That''s because you ruined it!" The quiet girl snapped and couldn''t be quiet anymore. Mingxia raised her eyebrows. "Did I? Or are you just bad at it?" The quiet girl took a step back. "What?" Mingxia took a deep breath. "Number one, you say that you want revenge but what use is it if you are going to be killed because of it? Had I not intervened, you will not be here right now. Did you think you would be able to kill a princess when the king was right there?" The quiet girl was baffled. "But, I planned everything. Everything would have been perfect if you didn-" "Stop!" Mingxia suddenly became serious. "Did you think you''re plan could of worked. You messed up your plan the moment you release that arrow! Yes, you would of succeeded your goal but you would be dead!" "But-but. This is the Games. Any royalty that participate know that there will be a possibility of them getting killed." The quiet girl reasoned. Mingxia let out a smirk. "Do you believe everything they tell you? Sure, to the public the king would have to say that it would be an accident but do you think he would let you off so easily? All he has to do is to order his secret soldiers to go to you house at night and kill you. With a snap of his fingers, you be killed very easily. What''s the point of revenge when you can''t live to enjoy the benefits and satisfaction of it?" The quiet girl widened her eyes and Mingxia let out a breath. She turned around to leave but the quiet girl stopped her. "Why did you tell me that?" Mingxia stopped and turned around again. "Perhaps, it''s because I see a little of myself in you?" This was the truth, the first time Mingxia saw this girl she saw the hatred in the girl''s eyes. This gaze looked so similar because Mingxia also had those eyes in moment when she realized who Zong Ching really was. "I''m Lan Qi." The quiet girl smiled and held out her hands. She doesn''t know why but she just felt like she could trust this girl in front of her. Mingxia stretched her hand out and shook Lan Qi''s hand. "I''m Mingxia, Wei Mingxia." ________________________________ Mingxia sat back down in her seat and Lan Qi sat back down in hers. Xing poured Mingxia a cup of orange blossom tea but before Mingxia could enjoy it someone else disturbed her peace time. "Mingxia." A simple call of her name was able to make her heart to beat faster. "Zong Qiu." Zong QIu smiled. "Is it alright if we go out to talk on the balcony?" Mingxia nodded and the pair walked out. "Soo, what''s the big deal?" Mingxia asked. Zong QIu chuckled. "Oh nothing. Just wanted to have a friendly conversation with you." Mingxia raised her eyebrows but she couldn''t stop herself from smiling. "Here." She took out the box she had in her robes. Zong Qiu looked surprised but in fact he wasn''t. "What''s this?" Instead of answering, Mingxia practically threw the box into his hands. Zong Qiu chuckled again and opened the box to take out the ebony fan. He opened the fan and admired the design on it. Seeing how pleased he was with her gift, Mingxia leaned on the balcony and looked up at the moon. "You know you could''ve chosen something else right?" Zong Qiu began. "But why did you chose this?" Mingxia tapped her chin with her finger as if she was considering how to answer back. "Hmm. Most likely, because I don''t like the feeling of owing someone." After hearing this response, Zong Qiu set the fan back in the box and handed the box to her. "What?" Mingxia took a step back. Zong Qiu threw the box back into Mingxia''s arms and opened his own fan. "Why are you giving it back to me?" Mingxia asked. "Hmm. Most likely because I like the feeling of having someone who owes me." For this answer, Mingxia could only laugh. "Oh come on, I owe you for helping me so much so it is only reasonable for me to repay all the favor. Here." Mingxia handed the box to him again but he refused to take it. "If that''s the case then, I want you to continue to be in debt to me." "Eh?" Mingxia couldn''t believe that he could be so stubborn, she also noticed how he was getting closer to her and she tried her best to walk away from him but Zong Qiu grabbed her wrist and wrapped an arm around her waist. "What are you doing?" Mingxia fidgeted in his arms and successfully got out of his embrace. "I want you to continue to be in my debt until the debt is so great that you would have to use your entire lifetime to repay me." Zong Qiu whispered into her ears. "What? You''ve got to be kidding me." But Zong Qiu was not and Mingxia knew that she could do nothing to change his mind. She let out a sigh. "Fine. Then view this as a gift from me then." She held up the box again and this time Zong Qiu took it. "Zong Qiu." "Hm." "Why are you helping me?" This question had been on Mingxia''s mind since the first time Zong Qiu saved her. "You''re interesting." Zong Qiu answered simply. "Interesting?" Mingxia found it hard to believe this answer. Zong Qiu nodded. "So, all this was because you found me interesting. Had I not been interesting, would you have left in that lake?" Zong Qiu took a moment to consider. "Not exactly." He answered softly. Not satisfied with the answer, Mingxia leaned against the balcony again. Silence fell upon them and the two stood there staring at each other. "Qiu. If someone told you that they died once and came back alive ten years earlier. Would you believe that?" 39 Zong Ching vs Zong Qiu (Mature content in this chapter) Mingxia debated whether to tell him or not but she felt like she could trust him. But after those words left her mouth she found it silly that she actually told someone something so crazy. She half expected for Zong Qiu to call her crazy but he did not. He stood there as if debating whether to believe her or not. Mingxia let out a small laugh and shrugged before making her way to the door. "Wait." Zong Qiu wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her in again, this time Mingxia did not resist his pull. "If it''s you who said then yes. I would believe it." He whispered into her ear. Mingxia''s back was pressed against Zong Qiu''s chest so Zong Qiu couldn''t see that Mingxia was as red as a tomato right now. He loosened his grip and turned her around so she was facing him. Seeing how flushed Mingxia was, he couldn''t help himself from touching her red cheeks. ''So cute.'' He thought. He lifted the hand he had wrapped around her waist to touch her other cheek but his hand bumped into the pin that held her hair up and her black hair cascaded down onto her shoulders. In the moonlight, her pink cheeks, wavy black hair and brown eyes looked stunning. He leaned forward but stopped to look into her eyes as if he was asking for permission. Mingxia closed her eyes and Zong Qiu''s lips landed on hers. Zong Qiu started out very gently and Mingxia could tell that he was being very careful with her. She parted her lips and Zong Qiu immediately dove in. Their kiss deepened but before anything else happened the two parted. Mingxia looked down and her black hair covered her face. ''Why did I do that?'' She thought and her face flushed again. "Are you okay?" Zong Qiu asked with care. Mingxia pushed him away with her fists. "What was that for!" A taunting smile appeared on his face and he got up. "What do you think that was for? Mingxia, remember that you were the one that allowed me too." Turning beet red again, Mingxia pushed him again but this time Zong Qiu stepped back to avoid her and all Mingxia punched was air. "You! Shameless, rogue and, and-" "And what?" Zong Qiu asked and he walked up to her again. "And, and, and. Hmph." Mingxia was so frustrated. Zong Qiu chuckled which only made her more irritated. *Cough* "Uh. Qiu ge. If you''re done can you come in for a moment, the Arabian prince is here to see you." Ying''s voice could be heard from the ball room. "I got it." Zong Qiu answered and Ying walked away. Mingxia let out a breath and tied her hair up with the pin. "Go in before you get a cold." Zong Qiu kissed her forehead and walked inside. Mingxia touched her forehead but a smile never disappeared from her face. However a shadow walked in behind her and pinned her to the wall. A yelp escaped from her mouth and the shadow covered her mouth with his hand. Mingxia stopped fidgeting and looked up to see Zong Ching. Immediately, she stepped on his foot and pushed him away. "Ninth prince, Zong Ching, remember you are a prince! What would others think if they see you doing that to a lady!" Mingxia said and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. She turned around to leave but Zong Ching broke out laughing. "Wei Mingxia, do you like my brother now?" "What?" Zong Ching got up and forced Mingxia on the wall. "What do you like about him?" He asked with a dangerously low voice. Mingxia looked around to find a way to leave but Zong Ching used his arms to trap her. "Zong Ching! Know your place, you are a prince." MIngxia snapped at him with an angry attitude that only provoked him even more. He punched one of his hand to the wall. "Answer me! Wei Mingxia, what do you like about my brother?" "At least he''s better than you." Mingxia said and a smirk appeared on her face. A vein popped in his head but Mingxia could are less. She bent down and walked back in, leaving Zong Ching to stand there. "Aurghhhh!" He punched the wall which caused for a dent to form on the wall. "Why. Why is it him?" __________________________________ The next day, Mingxia sat on the balcony and looked down. The second day of the Game were only for males so she didn''t have to participate. Zong Ching participated in the wooden plank archery competition but he only shot down seven boards. Mingxia pretended to look like she didn''t care but actually she couldn''t help but think that the only reason why he got a bad score was because of their conversation last night. The next competition was gladiator style. Two contestants would be given wooden swords and would have to fight each other until one falls down and could not get up anymore. The remaining two contestants would have to fight each other with real swords and it would be a battle of skill between the two. Both Zong Ching and Zong Qiu is participating in this event. ''Please don''t let the two fight each other!" Mingxia thought. Xing stood beside Mingxia and found it amusing. Mingxia would also pretend to not care but whenever it was Zong Qiu''s battle Mingxia would stop whatever she was doing and would focus all her concentration on the fight. ''Mingxia, have you noticed how you act if it is about Prince Zong Qiu?'' Xing chuckled but stopped when Mingxia glared up at her. Unfortunately, Zong Ching and Zong Qiu was able to defeat every other opponent and became the last two competitors. "Please welcome the last battle between the two princes from the Zong Empire! Prince ong QIu and Zong Ching!" 40 Victory Zong Qiu exchanged his wooden sword for an iron one. The iron sword felt heavy in his hands but Zhe had a good grip of it. He exited his tent and climbed up the stairs that led to the rink. Zong Qiu was not nervous at all, in fact he felt quite energetic. Zong Ching came up on the other side of the rink. Unlike his brother, Zong Ching had dark circles and bags under his eyes. "Please welcome the two contestants!" Some people in the crowd clapped while other hollered to cheer them on. Mingxia had always met them individually after her rebirth so seeing them together at them the same time she was able to notice just how similar the two of them looked. The two of them not only shared the black color but they both had the same facial shape and jaw line. To be able to look so similar even though the two are only related through the same father is a mystery. However as Mingxia looked down at Zong Ching she noticed the dark aura around him. She also saw the way how he leaned on his left feet as he walked and knew that he is angry about something or someone since he always had that habit. She let out a sigh and remembered how she was obsessed with him and what extreme measures she took to know everything about him. But all her efforts were for nothing. She hates him. She hates him with a passion. She turned her head and focused on Zong Qiu. With his hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing a simple sleeveless iron armor that showcased her arm muscles there is only one word to describe him, hot. In her past life, she never noticed him because at that time the only person she had in her eyes was Zong Qiu but in the span of only a couple of months he has slowly dug a place in her heart. ''Why didn''t I meet you in my past life?'' If she had met him in her past life perhaps she wouldn''t have died and had been actually happy. But there is always the possibility that he wouldn''t have noticed her anyways. He found the "new" Mingxia interesting but he probably wouldn''t find the "old" Mingxia interesting, right? She zoned out in her thoughts but her gaze never left Zong Qiu. Xing noticed this and her smile only grew but Zong Ching also noticed this. He looked up to see her staring at her brother and her mind immediately interpreted as a gaze given to a lover. The words she said last night still rang in his head and he bit his lips. ''Zong Qiu is better than me? Mingxia, I will let you know that I am better than him!'' "Begin!" The proctor screamed and the flags were let down. Zong Ching immediately charged at Zong Qiu with the iron sword and slashed at him. Zong Qiu dodged the blade but Zong Ching slashed again and this time Zong Qiu used his sword to block it. With a mocking smile, Zong Qiu pushed Zong Ching down with the blade. This time Zong Qiu attacked and slashed his sword at his brother. Zong Ching bent back so avoid it but Zong Qiu used his legs and kicked his legs which caused Zong Ching to fall. Zong Ching lost his logic and very stupidly lunged at his brother but Zong Qiu lifted his leg and with a magnificent kick Zong Ching''s sword flew into the air and dropped onto the floor with a clatter. In the next second, Zong Qiu had his sword on Zong Ching''s neck. "You lost." Zong Qiu whispered into his brother''s ear. The entire fight took no more than 5 minutes and the audiences were shocked. This has got to be the fastest battle in this game. "Th-the winner is Prince Zong Qiu!!" The judge cried and the audience went wild. The king had an interesting smile and his son had the exact same smile on his face as well. The king whispered something to his advisor and his son nodded to the advisor to tell him that he agrees with whatever his father said. Mingxia let out a breath and stood up to get a better look at Zong Qiu. Zong Qiu chose a small looking box as his reward but Mingxia couldn''t see what it is from her seat. Zong Ching mysteriously disappeared from the stage but people had long forgotten about him. The moment Zong Qiu stood on the first place podium the sun was setting so the sky was tinted orange and red. Many were leaving but in the sea of people Zong Qiu was still able to find her. When their eyes met Mingxia''s cheeks flushed and she immediately turned around to leave. "We''re leaving Xing." She said and walked off. Xing took a moment to realize that Mingxia had left and followed after her. She ran down the stairs but she tripped over her dress. Thankfully someone caught her before she fell but unfortunately this person is Yanjing. He helped her to her feet but Xing did not dare lift her head. When she was able to stand she removed her hands from his and took a step back then curtsied. "This servant thanks Mister Deng." She said quietly. Yanjing''s hands balled up into a fist and his eyes were full of hurt. "No problem." He murmured and walked off. After he walked off, Xing stood up straight and ran off after Mingxia but her eyes were brimming with tears. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. ''I need to forget about him.'' She thought. That night MIngxia returned to the Wei mansion and was able to sleep very comfortably but on this cool summer night not everyone is able to enjoy a good night''s sleep. In the palace, Princess Adela was having a fit and was throwing all her bows to her floor. Her mother and father all came to calm her down but none of their words helped soothe her anger. She was angry that she did not win this year but she is even frustrated that the person she had originally hated with all her heart saved her. Now she can neither hate her nor can she treat her as a friend. Lan Qi returned to the tavern where her aunt and her ill father was waiting for her. She didn''t get first place and she almost killed the princess. They were frustrated and displeased with her. As punishment she was given ten beating and was not allowed to eat dinner. In her room, she cried but no sound came out because she doesn''t want them to hear her. Her cousins stood outside of her room calling her names and kicking the door. The hatred she had for them grew but before she could vent out her anger Mingxia''s words reminded her to stay calm. Ninth prince Zong Ching was not better off in any way. The moment he returned to his room in a hotel, he shut himself in his room. He threw all the porcelain vases and jars onto the floor, in fact he tossed everything he could find onto the floor. He was infuriated by the fact that he lost to his brother, again, and that he let his emotions take control over him. He had just ruined his chance to get the king''s attention he had just ruined his plan. 41 Lan Qis Father The games continued on for a week but since Mingxia only signed up for archery she did not have to participate in the rest of the games. She had to sit in the balconies where the other contestants were. Day three and day four of the games consisted of parkour, a hammer throw contest and dagger throwing. The other contestants were very interested in the games but Mingxia found it extremely boring. She fell asleep halfway through day three and could barely make it through day 4. Her head was on her hand as she nodded off. Her eyes were fluttering open and close as she fought her sleepiness when someone approached her. "Wei Mingxia?" She immediately perked up and looked up. A woman wearing a yellow hanfu looked down at her. Her cheeks were unnaturally white with powder and a light pink shade was applied under her eyes to cover up the black bags. From afar no one would be able to see the bags and pink eyes but Mingxia could see it all. "Lan Qi, nice to see you again." She smiled and patted at the seat next to her. Lan Qi nodded and sat down at the seat and Xing poured a cup of chrysanthemum tea for the two ladies. Xing looked at Lan Qi then at Mingxia who placed her finger on her lips and Xing stood back at her spot behind them. "Lan Qi, how have you been?" Mingxia asked. Lan Qi did not respond and kept her head down. "Let''s talk after this." Mingxia murmured and Lan Qi nodded. Mingxia and Lan Qi were exiting the venue when a man in a wheelchair and a fat woman approached them. "Lan Qi." The man called out her name harshly and Lan Qi flinched. A smirk appeared on the woman''s face and then from behind her two young kids stepped out with the same smirk. The man did not notice since they were behind him. "Come here." He ordered but Lan Qi did not. Lan Qi took a deep breath and looked at with a poker face but she kept a tight grip on the sleeve of Mingxia''s robes. Mingxia studied the four people in front of her. Lan Qi''s father noticed that Mingxia was looking at him and snapped at her. "Did your parents teach you not to stare." Mingxia''s eyes narrowed. "And you must be Lan Qi''s father." She replied icily. Her tone irritated him and he had to look up at her to give her a glare. However Mingxia was looking down at him with a gaze that made him flinch. Never before had he seen a young girl with such darkness and coldness. "Who are you." He hissed and gripped onto his wheelchair. The fat woman noticed this but was confused. "Who am I?" Mingxia repeated and stated the obvious. "A girl." Lan Qi''s cousins chuckled but her father was not having. Never in his life had he ever met a girl with such an attitude! He may be injured but he was once a general, a person who was once highly respected. He kept a close eye on his daughter to make sure she doesn''t attempt to do anything foolish again. Had it not been for the rule that all contestants are to be present at Games he would of kept her inside a room locked up to prevent her from attempting anything else. He averted his eyes to his daughter. "Lan Qi! Come over here." He barked out. Mingxia raised her hand to protect Lan Qi but Lan Qi stood out. "Father, I''m going to my friend''s house I will return before the sun before dusk." "Oh really, are you sure you''re not actually going out to seduce men." Her cousin, Hua Liang, commented with a sneer. The face on Lan Qi''s father turned sour while Lan Qi''s cousins had a triumphant smile. "You two shush!" The fat woman said but the same smile was also on her face. Mingxia narrowed her eyes and stood in front of Lan Qi. "Xia er." A gentle voice called and someone stood behind her. "Huh. Zong Qiu? What are you doing here?" Mingxia asked. Zong Qiu''s lips curled up and his eyes softened. "Required to. What''s happening here?" He turned around and studied the man in front of him. "Isn''t this General Lan? What brings you here?" Lan Qi''s father quickly recognized Zong Qiu and his face paled. "T-this servant bows to the second prince." The woman behind him also became pale and the smile vanished when she heard Zong Qiu''s title. "No need for all that, now tell me what''s happening here." Beads of sweat covered General Lan''s forehead for he did not expect to meet the second prince here. "This servant was only trying to tell his daughter to come home." "Your daughter?" Zong Qiu looked at Lan Qi who had was standing beside Mingxia. Lan Qi quickly placed her hand to her hips and curtsied. "Lan Qi greet the second prince." Zong Qiu merely nodded his head then brought his gaze to Mingxia. "Xia er, tell me what happened." He asked and Mingxia shrugged her shoulders. "I was merely inviting my new friend to my house so we can have some girl talk." "I see. General Lan you wouldn''t be against your daughter going to her friend''s house right?" General Lan furiously shook his head. "Of course not." "Good. You are dismissed." Without waiting for their response, Zong Qiu waved his hand to send them off and two guard appeared beside them. "Wait-what." The guards carefully "escorted the two adult and two children out of the building even though the children were doing their best to kick their faces. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lan Qi stared at her family being pulled away and did not miss the expression on her father''s face. Her father used to adore her when she was much younger but after he became permanently injured he no longer showed any signs of affection towards her. In fact he began to hate her and would use extreme punishments that traumatized her. She quickly shook her head to stop her from remembering those times. She focused on Mingxia who was bickering with the second prince. "You didn''t have to some, i had everything under control." Mingxia said. Zong Qiu chuckled. "Under control? I''m pretty sure if I hadn''t stepped in they would still be here right now." "Zong Qiu, I advise you not to underestimate me." Mingxia threatened, but Zong Qiu only laughed at her threat. "Don''t worry I never did." Mingxia raised one of eyebrows. "Oh really." Lan Qi laughter easily got both of their attention and ended their conversation. "Well then, I need to leave early today see you later Xia er." Zong Qiu kissed Mingxia''s forehead then went away. 42 Lan Qis story Lan Qi stepped out of the carriage and followed Mingxia into the manor. An old woman bowed to Mingxia and brought a plate of tea for them. "Thank you Lian granny." The woman smiled kindly then left the room. Lan Qi gently blew the tea before her and took a sip. Xing walked up to her and set a plate of fruit salad in front of her and Mingxia. "Lan Qi, tell me you''re story." Lan Qi hesitated for a second. Her eyes met Mingxia''s and she took a deep breath before beginning. "I am the daughter of General Lan and the fifth daughter of the Lan family. My mother and my father are long distance relatives, father belongs to the main branch of the Lan family while my mother belongs to a side branch. 50 years ago there was an internal conflict in the Lan family. After the conflict, the head of the main branch decided to set up a marriage between the main branch and the side branch. Ten years after this a son was born in the main branch and two daughters were born in the side branch. The head of the family and the elders decided to have the three kids interact with each other and then when the time is right one girl would be chosen to be the consort. My mother was one of those girls. From what I was told, my mother was born with a weak body and was very quiet since young. However, she was a very studious girl and had received awards from the emperor for her achievements. My mother was chosen to be the consort. My father and my mother married two months after she was chosen and in a year she bore him a son, my brother. An outsider would believe that since she gave birth to a son she would be treated well but in fact, she was not. Her sister, the other candidate and my aunt, was not satisfied with my mother being chosen instead of her. She fed my mother poison every day but very little at a time so no one would be suspicious. Three years after the birth of my brother I was born. My mother''s body had never been healthy and with the poison and the pregnancy, her body couldn''t take it anymore. She died when I was four years old. My aunt was brought over under the name that she was there to take care of my brother and me. My father never loved my mother or me and my brother. My brother was sent away to train in the army since he was five so I never met him. I was immediately set up with a marriage arrangement to the son of General Song. I may not have met him many times but on the first time, I met him I fell in love with him. So I did not fight the arrangement and he did not fight as well. Everything was set up perfectly, we were to be married on the year I turn 14 until he participated in the Games. Three years ago he was sent off by the emperor to compete and it was at the Games that he met her, Princess Adela." Lan Qi spoke that name as if it was dirt then continued. "The Games usually go on for a week so I thought that he would return in at most a month but he did not. He stayed in India for half a year and only returned because of his father''s sudden death. He was ordered to return and inherited his father''s position. Never once did he come to me or visit me. I was scared so I persuaded myself with excuses that he still cares about me. I was so preoccupied with my thoughts that I did not notice what was happening in my house until much later. The first thing he did when he became general was to get rid of my father. He targeted my father''s position publically and secretly. He made sure that my brother would not return from the camp and then plotted for my father to injure himself in battle. My father''s left leg was so severely injured that the doctor says he will never recover again. With his position at risk, his temper became unbearable. At this exact time, my fiance broke off the contract between us. When I heard of this I was so depressed, I went off to him and asked him for the reason but he did not tell me. It wasn''t until I overheard it from a conversation between the third prince and him that I finally understood why. During that time at the Games Princess Adela also participated and she seduced him. She invited him to the banquets and purposefully wore revealing clothing around him to provoke his male hormones. At first, he rejected her attempts but in a month he could not control himself anymore. Princess Adela used her power to make him stay for a month but after that month he fell in love with her. However this time she rejected him. In the following months, he would try to please her but she would reject him. Even after he returned he would still be thinking about her. I do not know what made him go after my father but I know for sure that Princess Adela has something to do with it." Lan Qi finished her story and her memories flickered over in her head. All the fear and sadness she felt came rushing back. Mingxia brought her teacup to her mouth then set it back down. "Lan Qi, what is his name?" "Huh?" "I mean your ex-fiance." "His name is Song Xuan Jie." ''Song Xuan Jie'' Something about this name bothered Mingxia as if she forgot something important. "Lan Qi. Have you ever trained in martial arts before?" Lan Qi nodded. "Only for a few months." "Lan Qi do you remember what I told you before?" Lan Qi nodded again. The edges of Mingxia''s lips curled upward. "Good. Remember those words for they are important. Lan Qi come find me after the Games." She took out a jade pendant then handed it over to Lan QI. "Present this to the guards and I will meet you." Lan Qi took it and stuffed the jade into her pouch. Mingxia stood up, "Now what should I do with Princess Adela." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Princess Adela sat in her room with a pouting face. She kicked the vases in the room and laid on her bed. Her father had forbidden her from leaving the room for the day despite her whining and complaining. She rolled back and forth around the bed and grabbed the giant doll on her bed. With one swing she threw the doll at her wardrobe and door opened. An orange dress tumbled out and the bells on the dress jingled as it crashed onto the floor. Princess Adela got up and picked up the dress. The dress is very sexy with a golden yellow bikini top and a flowing yellow and orange dress that is split on both sides. An idea suddenly popped up and Princess Adela quickly changed into the dress. Princess Adela is 18 years old, the prime age of a woman''s beauty. The dress perfectly expressed her curves and the yellow color stood out on her healthy tanned skin. She tied the golden chain belt around her waist and gold bracelets around her ankles and neck. The dress only reached her ankles which only made the dress seem sexier. She sat in front of her mirror and applied on her makeup. Her black hair is let down and a gauze mask is tied around her face. Princess Adela stood in front of the mirror and examined herself from every angle. "Perfect." She said, with this outfit she can now take down any man in her way. She was preoccupied with herself that she didn''t notice her maid walking in. Her maid''s face paled when she saw what her lady was wearing. "Your Highness! You mustn''t go out this time! If the king found out then he would surely punish you more severely." The maid bent down on her knees and begged her lady but Princess Adela only reached for her perfume and sprayed on a hefty amount of it. "Oh, he''ll never know, right?" Princess Adela lifted her maid''s chin and smiled creepily. Her maid shuddered in fear. "Now go change into that. Just do what we always do." Princess Adela took out a shawl and covered herself with it. The maid couldn''t resist and changed into Princess Adela''s dress. She tied a gauze mask around her face and let her hair down loose. "Well then. Bye~" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Princess Adela pushed her wardrobe aside to reveal a secret door. She opened the door and walked down the stairs. Her maid pushed the wardrobe over the door again and sat down on Princess Adela''s bed. 43 Sunshine Bar Two men in black were kneeling in front of Mingxia. "Did Zong Qiu send you here?" Mingxia asked but they didn''t respond. Letting out a sigh Mingxia got up and used the edge of her fan to lift one the men''s head. His breathing deepened and Mingxia knew that he was going to be in trouble if she continued. She stood up and he stood up as well while the other one remained kneeling. Balling her hand together she punched him in his stomach, although she didn''t use much force it still hurt. A sliver of orange fabric appeared on his belt and Mingxia grabbed it. The pendant had the letter ''Çï'' on it which proved who''s the boss of these two. She sat back down on her chair and the men continued to kneel on the floor. ''Zong Qiu you don''t have to be so precautious, I can still take care of myself.'' She fumbled with the pendant in her hands then set it on the table. "You can now tell me that Zong Qiu sent you right." Mingxia said. The two men looked at each other and after seeming to have reached a conclusion the other man looked up at Mingxia. "Master wishes to protect you after that incident. He ordered us to follow you wherever you go and to protect you. However, if you do find out we are to follow your every order." A smile crept up on Mingxia''s face. ''Follow my orders? I might as well then..'' "You will follow my orders right." The two man looked at each other again and said in unison. "We are here to serve Lady Wei Mingxia." "What are your names?" Mingxia asked. The man Mingxia had punched earlier stood up. "My name is Xun Shan." The other man stood up and bowed. "My name is Xun Yi." Mingxia''s smile grew sharper. "Okay, then Xun Shan." She pointed at the man she punched before. "You can continue to guard me but Xun Yi I want you to follow someone and report back to me their every move." "Who may it be?" Xun Yi asked. "Princess Adela." Mingxia replied. ________________________________________ Although the day was dark the streets of India was still lively. Shoppers and venders were still out on the street and bustling. Yellow lantern light lit up the streets making the city look beautiful under the night sky. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A young woman made her way through the crowd then turned into an alleyway. She arrived in front of a wooden door and nodded five times in a particular order. A sliver of the door opened and a gruff voice spoke. "Code?" "Lantern." The young woman said and the door opened. The young woman went in and the door closed after her. Inside a fat man led her downstairs to another room, she pushed the door opened and bustling music blasted from the room. She stepped in and the door closed. "Adela, you came!" A woman wearing a purple dress moved towards her and held her hand. "Of course, I can''t miss out on the fun." Adela responded and joined in on the party. Special lights were placed throughout the room and together with the catchy music people danced the night away. In here, Princess Adela does not need to act like a princess at all. Under her gauze mask, no one would be able to recognize her so she is able to act however she wants. The night is long and after a few hours of dancing and drinking Adela sat down on a comfy velvet cushion fanning herself. A waiter walked by her with a tray of more glasses of wine and Adela called out to him. The Sunshine Bar is one of the city''s most secretive bar place. It only opened during the night and only certain individuals are able to come in. No one knows who runs this place but it is extremely popular because there is a rule in this bar which is that everyone is to wear a mask. No one is to express their identity. Adela raised her glass of liquor and drank it down. Her eyes wandered around until it met the gaze of another individual. He wore a purple and gold outfit with a similar mask to cover the top half of his face. He has black hair and a charming smile that could captivate any woman. He motioned for her to come over to him and she smiled. She set down her glass and very slowly she made her way to him. She sat down in his laps and teased the man by tracing her finger on his lips. The man closed his eyes as if enjoying the moment but after a while, he couldn''t resist anymore. He grabbed her hand and pushed her down to the rug. Her giggles were covered by the sound of the music but he could hear and that was all that mattered. Their bodies touched and they dove in for a deep passionate kiss. Everyone in the bar was preoccupied with their affairs that no one noticed the man in black looking down at them. ____________________________________ Adela left the bar an hour before dawn, at this time the streets were empty and desolate. Very quickly, she made her way to the castle and went back to her room through the secret passageway. "Your Highness." The maid kneeled down when she saw Adela. "I need a bath, prepare clothes." Adela ordered and the maid nodded. After a rose petal bath, Princess Adela changed into a pink nightdress that covered most of her skin. She bid good night and immediately went to sleep. The black shadow that had been following her for the entire night stood outside the window then disappeared. Back at the Wei mansion, Mingxia was eating her breakfast with Xing when Xun Yi appeared in front of her. "Ah." Xing let out a small yelp and Mingxia placed a finger on her lips. Xing then closed the door and the windows. "What did you find out." Mingxia asked. "Lady Wei, last night Princess Adela went to a bar last night." "A bar?" "Yes. After a few dances, she had some...intercourse with a man." Clearly amused Mingxia raised an eyebrow. "Continue." "She returned home at dawn and she has a maid in her bedroom that seems to know about her expeditions at night." "I see. You can go now." As quick as he had appeared, with a black blur Xun Yi disappeared. "Mingxia, what was that about?" Xing asked. Mingxia smiled. "You''ll very soon." 44 Ashamed The Games were coming to an end and the day Mingxia is to return home is approaching. However before she returns she has to send the Princess a giant present. Princess Adela arrived at the bar again tonight and played around for the entire night. Like usual, she had failed to notice the strange shadow following her however this time it was not one shadow it was two. Xun Yi and the other man easily slipped into the bar and Xun Yi passed a golden mask to the other man. The other man tied the mask around his face and confidently walked into the bustling room while Xun Yi melted into the shadows again. The man with the golden mask easily spotted the Princess amongst the crown. He strutted over confidently and offered to dance. The Princess giggled uncontrollably and agreed. Their bodies pressed together and the night carried away. The Princess returned back to the palace satisfied. She entered the secret passageway and opened the doors and changed clothes with her maid once again. That night she had a good night''s sleep but would not expect the surprise waiting for her in the morning. "Xun Yi, you''ve returned." Mingxia sat on her chair and crossed her legs. Xun Yi bowed down and the man with the golden mask bowed as well. "Lady Wei, the operation was a success." The man took off the mask to reveal a foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes. "Lady Wei, I will carry out the next step." Xun Yi said and Mingxia nodded her head. The foreigner followed after Xun Yi out of the courtyard. This foreigner was once Princess Adela''s lover but was carelessly tossed aside. This lovestruck man loved her so much that he went against his family to stay in India however he did not receive the love he wanted from her. Mingxia found him working to cater the Games and convinced him to work for her by promising him that she will gain revenge against the Princess. He agreed immediately and helped with the plan. Xun Yi and the foreigner pasted multiple posters on the streets exposing the Princess'' night trips. The next morning the foreigner stood outside in the main plaza and kneeled down on his knees. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Oh Princess how could you have lied to me?" "Oh Adela, who would have known that you were this kind of person." He exposed her secrets and took out the pin he took from her during last night''s dance. The public were ashamed and began ridiculing the Princess. Princess Adela already had a long line of haters because of her arrogant temper and attitude but with the exposure of this secret the public ridiculed her even more. It did not help to save her reputation when the owners and employees of Sunshine bar were arrested by the police. The owner confessed that the Princess has been an old customer of theirs and that she came everyday for the past week. In the palace, the news had spread to the King''s ears and he was furious. "SPEAK! WHY DID YOU GO THERE! YOU ARE A PRINCESS AND YET YOU STILL DARE TO GO OUT TO DIRTY YOURSELF LIKE THAT!!!!!" The king''s anger could be heard throughout the palace, covering the sound of the princess'' cries. Out of rage the king slapped his daughter away. Princess Adela sprawled on the floor with one hand holding on to a reddening cheek and tears were coming out of her eyes. "Father! How can you hit me?" She asked but the king only glared down at her, never before had she been hit. She was born spoiled and given everything she ever wanted. She looked at her brother pleading for help but he showed no emotion, his eyes were empty and cold. She crawled towards him and begged. "Brother! Please.." He knelt down and her face lit up, ''Brother still loves me!'' She thought and stretched out her hand but the king pushed her away. "Don''t try to ruin your brother! You insolent woman!" The king helped his son stand up. "You''ve already made the royal family lose face! Don''t ruin it even more. Guards! Take the princess back to her room." The king sat down on his throne while two guards escorted the princess out of the room. "Father. Don''t stress yourself out, I have sent for the posters to be taken down and the foreigner is now a wanted criminal." The princes knelt down next to his father and handed him a glass of water. "Have you caught him yet." The king asked tiredly. The prince shook his head. "It seems that the foreigner had left the country and escaped." "Escaped?" "Yes, I believe after telling the public he rode the first ship at the docks." The prince continued. Hearing this, the king could only let out a tired sigh. "You may go now." The king slumped back in his seat and the prince exited the room. 45 Wei Xia Chen The bumpy carriage suddenly shook the sleeping beauty in it awake. Xing passed over a bottle of water which Mingxia took gladly. The Games ended two days ago and for exactly two days Mingxia sat in the carriage waiting to arrive home. In these two days she hardly moved around and only ate and slept. "How far away is home?" She grumbled and laid her head on her elbow. "I believe that we''ll arrive there in three hours. Mingxia just hang in there." Xing replied with a soothing voice. Mingxia merely let out a soft grumble and Xing chuckled. True to Xing''s words, in three hours the carriage stopped and the curtain flap opened. "Welcome back Lady Mingxia." A young servant girl said as she bowed. Mingxia let out a yawn as she did a lazy stretch and stepped out of the carriage. Outside Viscount Wei alongside Mingxue and Tang Xiao Min stood in a row in front of her. MIngxia lifted her head to see her father''s bright smile and she went in for a hug. "You''re back. Good. Good." Her father gently patted her back and gently kissed the top of her head. He kept his voice calm but inside he was so afraid of losing her. After her mother''s death he knows that he would not be able to handle losing Mingxia as well. After a long hug he pulled out and Mingxia looked around at the other individuals around her. Tang Xiao Min had on a forced smile and gently nodded her head when their eyes met. Mingxia returned the gesture with a small bow. "Mingxia greet Second Concubine Mother." Mingxia was not able to see Tang Xiao Min''s expression but she did see Tang Xiao Min''s knuckles whitening as her nails dug into her handkerchief. Mingxia stood up and smiled then she looked at Mingxua. Mingxue looked up at her mother then at her sister. "Welcome home sister." Like a proper lady Mingxue placed her hand on her side and curtsied. Mingxia merely smiled then turned around to follow her father into the house. Mingxue diligently followed after Mingxia but Tang Xiao Min stood there for a second before following in after her daughter. _______________________________________ A long line of soldiers and groups of men on horses entered the imperial palace. "Behold the return of the Princes!!!" Loud drums resounded through the palace and the emperor sat on his throne with a smile. "My sons are back! Let us praise and congratulate them for their victories!" The emperor''s advisors all cried in unison. "All hail the emperor and his royal highnesses!" Four handsome men casually walked into the imperial court and bowed down to the emperor, their father. "Father, this son has returned." They said together. "Rise my children." The emperor commanded and the princes stood up. Seeing four handsome man standing next to each other is an unbelievable sight. The first prince, the second prince, the third prince and the ninth prince standing next to each is even more unbelievable. The emperor felt a sense pride grow in him as his eyes scanned over the four men but this pride became confusion when his eyes landed on the ninth prince, Zong Ching. He meant to ask his son how he was able to participate in the Games but he kept it in. Transferring gaze from his son to his Viscount he had a gut feeling that Viscount Wei had something to do with this. Of course the emperor knew just how much the Wei family has and a bitter feeling grew inside him. He did not realize that he had been gripping onto his throne so tightly that his knuckles were all white until a hand touched his. "Is something the matter Your highness?" A beautiful woman with long black hair and wearing a light blue dress looked at him with her warm brown eyes filled with worry. Immediately his heart softened at the sight of his beloved wife, his queen. He gave a warm smile to his queen and relaxed his hand and body. Wei Xia Chen smiled and retracted her hand. She sat back in her throne and gazed around the room. Her eyes stopped at her brother and their eyes locked. Very briefly, she nodded her head and her brother returned with the same gesture. The emperor quickly calmed down and rewarded all of his sons exquisite gifts. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. An hour later the advisors and court officials exited the imperial court. Viscount Wei let out a tired sigh and was about to exit when a maid came up to him. "The empress would like to meet you." The maid curtsied and waited for his reply. Viscount Wei nodded his head and the followed the maid to his sister. "Your highness." Viscount Wei bowed politely. Wei Xia Chen smiled and gently helped her brother up. "Brother, I''ve told you so many time that when there''s only the two of us you can call me by my name." Her smile broadened to show her two dimples when her brother chuckled. "Okay okay. Xiao Xia why have you called this old man out today?" Viscount Wei sat down as Wei Xia Chen poured out two cups of tea. "Old man?" Wei Xiao Chen raised her brows. "Brother if you''re an old man then what does that make me?" She pouted and Viscount Wei chuckled once again. Wei Xia Chen is only a few years younger than her brother and although she is in her late thirties her face certainly does not reflect her age. "Brother I want to ask about little Mingxia and Mingxue." "Mingxia and Mingxue? What for?" Viscount Wei took a sip of his tea. "Brother, your daughters are almost of age and with Mingxia''s sixteenth birthday coming up isn''t it time to consider their marriages?" Hearing the word marriages, Viscount Wei set down his cup and folded his hand on his lap. It wasn''t that he haven''t considered this problem, in fact he was considering it just the other day but one part of him wants to selfishly keep them with him. "I haven''t consider it yet." He softly said but he can''t fool his sister. "Brother, you know that you can''t keep them next to you forever. You have to learn to let go." Viscount Wei remained stoic and did not reply to his sister''s advice. "Brother, Mingxia''s sixteenth birthday is coming up and I''m assuming you are throwing a party for her. How about I choreograph the celebration?" "You? Are you sure?" Wei Xia Chen smiled again to reveal her two dimples and nodded her head. "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure that it''ll be the celebration to remember." Her brother let out a sigh and nodded his head in agreement. He could already guess why his sister wanted to plan Mingxia''s celebration but how could he reject his sister''s offer? Especially now that she is the empress he can no longer stop her now. 46 Flood Warm light penetrated through the paper pane windows and lit up the dark room. With her back towards the windows, the figure leaned her head on one arm while flipping through the book in front of her with the other. The season is turning autumn and yet the afternoons are still pretty hot. A young maid stood beside the woman with a tub of ice in front of he, she picked up the fan and gently fanned the cold air towards her lady. Mingxia gently flipped through the pages of her book. A tall stack of books sat to her left and a few more were scattered across the table. A few weeks have passed since she returned from India. In these few weeks, Mingxia had read through almost all the books in her father''s study. Although she had the knowledge about the future she needed knowledge of the past events to broaden her decisions. The most interesting fact was the amount of droughts over the course of just a decade. Mingxia''s hand stopped as her eyes scanned the page in front of her. The regions closest to the Gobi desert are more prone to droughts so the former emperor ordered for multiple wells to be built throughout the region. However in the last couple of years there have been a spontaneous occurrence of drought and floods throughout all parts of the region. As a result the harvest have been greatly impacted. It just so happens that this years'' drought is not as serious so the harvest is much better but the Emperor worries about the next year and the years after. This is why he would give this task to the first prince as a test, a test to see if he is fit for the title of crown prince. In the next couple of days the emperor would ask his advisors for any ideas then he would announce that the first prince would be given this task. In her past life, the first prince would propose a plan of building long aqueducts that connected the river civilizations to the areas with no easy access to water. The beginning of this plan was very successful and the public hailed him as a hero, however he made a grave mistake. Building these large scale aqueducts requires a lot of money and resources. To cut back on the cost, the prince switched out some of the materials for cheaper ones. He believed that switching the materials for the smaller parts would not affect the overall performance of the aqueduct but things didn''t go well for him. His change to the original design caused for its collapse and killed hundreds of peasants. Mingxia let out a small sigh and gently hit her head with her hand. She understands that this is the opportunity that Zong Ching has been waiting for, it''s the turning point for his story and she needs to stop it. There''s a problem though, she forgot the most important plan that Zong Ching came up with, of everything to forget she forgot this. With a tired sigh she closed the book in front of her and slumped down in her chair. ''What to do now?'' _____________________________________ At the same time, an urgent message reached the Emperor''s ears. "Your Majesty, th-there has been a major flood and it has wrecked the houses and all infrastructure on the bay. With nowhere to go, the survivors are all living under shabby misfit shelters." "Your Majesty, please pass orders to send food, water and supplies." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Two messengers, kneeled before the Emperor, brought the news to the court. Mingxia''s father and the other officials were all shocked to hear this news. A higher up official stepped forwards and bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, please pass orders to send the supplies to these people." He said and the other officials followed suit. The Emperor nodded his head and stood up. "Quick send all necessary supplies over to them. Dispatch parts of the army to make sure that these supplies reach those in need!" With that, the entire Imperial City became busy. Batches after batches of soldiers ran through the streets with crates after crates of clothing, food, water and such. Houses for nobles and officials all made sufficient donations to those in need. In Viscount Wei''s home, word arrived fast so the entire house was bustling. Mingxia watched the commotion from the study room window and immediately turned around. She sat back down on the table and picked up her brush.