《I am the crown prince》 1 Prologue ''Where I am? Why is it dark? I kept asking myself, trying to find a way out. Walking around the darkness, I suddenly heard footsteps coming my way but from which way? I really didn''t know. Suddenly I heard "boo." from behind "Aaahhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed aloud "Hahahahahah!" the voice laughed childishly which made goosebumps travel all over my body, is he a serial killer? Suddenly the lights turned on, and a door appeared in front of me, without turning around I rushed to open it but it was closed. " Where are you going? tsk and I thought you were fun." the voice said again "Please spare me!! spare my life!! please, I am begging you!" I said tearing up " This is really annoying, I got a chicken as an entertainment." he murmured Quietly ''huh?'' " If you don''t want to die, turn around!" he said annoyed Without any delay I closed my eyes and turned around "tsk! tsk! open your eyes!" a monstrous voice said this time I was about to pee from fear but I didn''t want to look like a scary cat. " Pfft! don''t worry, you already look like a scary cat." He said trying not to laugh Openings my eyes slightly I didn''t find anything in front of me, that was weird. " You are weird, your family is weird!" He replied I am I imagining things? I guess " Cough! I am Damn here in front of you!!!!" the voice yelled "Where?" I said looking around " Are you blind?" he asked feeling a slightly weak kick I looked down to see a fluffy white rabbit. Omg! Omg! " kyaaaaaaaa! you are so adorable!!" I said screaming in delight crouching down to his level " Awww you are cute!" I said patting him slightly " Woman!! get your dirty hands off me!" the bunny said in a scary voice again a speaking bunny? wait don''t tell me it''s the thing that scared me, "pfft!" I started to laugh " Hey for your information I can be scary!" he said puffing his cheeks " pfft, Well sure ! as you say. " I replied "Anyway I am fluffy!" he said introducing himself "aw!" I said with hearts in my eyes, cute rabbit, cute name. Wait where am I? Stupid me I got distracted " You are dumber than I thought!" he replied coldly " Yeah, I know! and I am proud!" I said puffing my chest " Ah! my head! go! Just open the door and leave," he said fed up with me disappearing from my sight. ''He left me alone'' I thought sadly Looking to the door near me, I opened it and a light shot blinding me in the process then it turned dark, I guess I lost consciousness. 2 The dream My name is Mimi, I am normal and introvert kind of girl who keeps to herself, not literally that depends on my mood. today was the weirdest day ever. Waking up from a nice dream was pleasing than the reality I live in. I always wake up late, and I blame that on my dreams. I live with an old woman, who welcomed me without any thoughts after I got kicked out by my mom because of my step-father. I remember that day vividly, I came back to school and I found my step-father drinking to his heart''s content, I went to my room, and while I was changing he barged in without any notice. "can''t you knock the door?" I asked thanking God that I finished changing on time " We aren''t strangers baby!" he said burping ew " Well you are drunk you better leave or I will tell mom." I said annoyed " Feisty little thing, I like them that way!" he smiled in an evil way what a creep, this happens occasionally but I keep it to myself because no one would believe me, plus nothing actually happens. Standing in front of my face I can smell his stinky breath, "Can you take two steps back." I said calmly I thought that he would leave this time like he always does, instead, he took two steps cornering me into the wall which made me scared. "Honey! I am home." I heard mom voice, I am saved. " We will continue another time." he said giving me a lingering kiss on my cheeks and left. I decided that night to tell mom and when she confronted him, he bluntly told her and I Quote " she tried to seduce me, but I rejected her so she is mad." I tried to defend myself but she didn''t hear me out, she just kicked me out saying that he is perfect and he never lies blah blah blah, I remember hearing her murmuring something quietly "like father, like daughter." I was hurt that day. I went to the park, and weirdly an old woman in the building saw me sitting there shivering from the cold of the night. so she came and invited me in, told her my story and here I am after a year from that event still living with her. "Mimi! wake up you will be late!" I heard her yelling " I am awake Aunty!" I replied rushing to the kitchen " Good morning!" I said happily kissing her cheeks " You sound really happy today, your crush noticed you?." she teased "Aunt!! I don''t have a crush!"I denied embarrassed " Keep telling yourself that." she replied with a raised eyebrow I don''t know how can she do that "Anyway it''s your first day in school and I wanted you to have this." she said giving me a small box "what''s this?" I asked in wonder, opening it I found a beautiful bracelet "Woah! it so cool, Thank you!!!" I said hugging her " Just take care of it, it''s special." she told me warmly " shooo! go you will be late." she said giving me my lunchbox and a sandwich to eat in the way " I will leave." I said " Take care" she replied After leaving the house I went to the bus station waiting for the school bus, and suddenly two cars crashed into each other, one of them coming my way in fast speed "aah" I screamed aloud waking up, I remember meeting a bunny, then I went into a dark room and I guess I just had a dream about dying I am not sure. looking around I saw many people bowing into the ground, wearing ancient clothes, even the room is weird too. "The little prince is back to life!!!" A voice boomed " It''s a miracle" another voiced out the only thing I noticed is the beautiful woman who sat near my bed with tearful eyes looking at me with so much love and happiness which made me feel content even though I didn''t know her. " My prince!" she said hugging me tightly, prince?? I am sure I am a girl but who is she? "Eh! who are you ?" I wondered aloud oops? startling her she looked at me in disbelief, then looked to the black clothed man glaring at him. " everyone leaves !" she said angrily "You! stay!" she told the guy she glared at when everyone left she kept talking to the guy while I was daydreaming " You must make him remember! I will leave it to you, if he didn''t remember, you are dead meat!" She threatened him then came to me "don''t be scared everything will be fine." she said warmly kissing my forehead then left, while I kept quiet. bipolar much? the bunny is bipolar, this woman is bipolar. " Your Highness, I will need you to look into the mirror so you would regain your memories." he said giving me a small mirror looking into the mirror, the reflection wasn''t mine at all, the face was so beautiful that I fell in love. wait did I transmigrate? don''t tell me I am in a novel. wait doesn''t that mean I will never meet Aunty and pay her back. the guy kept murmuring some weird stuff while I felt overwhelmed and fainted on the spot. great! everything turned black again. I hate darkness. 3 Memories " Follow my voice, your highness ." Mimi heard a calm voice echoing, Which she ignored, obviously she can''t see a thing. " You must find my voice, don''t let the dark cloud your judgement." he said again The voice sounded really dramatic for her taste, she really wanted to wake up. "No!!!! don''t wake up yet, you must regain your memories! or the concubine will fry me alive!" He said gravely ''hmm, fry? she really wants to eat a fried chicken!! yum yum!!'' Hearing her thoughts caused the wizard to vomit blood. "Sorry! I miss eating. " she apologized sincerely, then proceeded to look for the voice "Hmm where are you?" she asked after two minutes of waiting she didn''t receive any reply instead, a white line appeared. "Just follow the line." it replied following the line, she got transported into a white room. "Woah, bubbles!!!" she said in awe looking around the room "you are now in the room of memories." The voice said Going near one of the bubbles she watched one of the memories of the little prince and started to cry, She felt relieved that the prince is actually a girl. "Now absorb the memories." he instructed her "How?" she asked cluelessly "By thinking about doing it." he calmly replied "Bubble! bubble! come to your mama!" She said aloud, alas the spell didn''t work. "Bubbles! bubbles! hear your owner!" she said again "Epic fail." she murmured closing her eyes in concentration. hearing noises she opened her eyes slightly to see bubbles attacking her from every side. Back to the bed where the prince laid, the wizard cursed his luck. The Truth is he couldn''t bring the actual soul back, and ended up using another soul from another world and another time, this happened because he made a deal with the devil. The worst part, the soul he brought is too innocent, he really wanted to bring a strong soul so he can get revenge. In fact, the innocents in this world get crashed easily, they are said to be naive, weak, they can''t survive on their own. that''s why the enemies succeeded in poisoning the actual prince. Compared to his brothers he is known for being the naive one who acts like a 5 years old kid, always playing around, waste to the kingdom. but that doesn''t mean that he doesn''t have admires, women adore him except the people who are scheming against him, it might be because of his looks or his innocent behavior, but they all agreed on one thing he is not suitable to be the crown prince. Weirdly the actual emperor spoiled the young prince non-stop, which made the 2nd and 3rd prince hate him to the core. they are only brothers from the Father side after all. seeing slightly a movement in the corner of his side, the wizard rushed to the young prince side. "How do you feel?" He asked concerned " like I got crashed by a truck." the young prince said "What is a truck?" He asked in wonder " I mean my head ache." The prince replied " Do you remember everything now? " The wizard asked " Yes, I am Zheng Lu! the young prince of Xohan Empire! " Mimi said childishly "At least they have the same personality, no one would get suspicious." he said quietly In the future he would know how wrong that statement was. 4 Meeting people Receiving Zheng Lu memories was a pain in the ass, apparently, he is a favored Fool with loyal people around him. He acts like a kid but his heart is made of gold. He takes pity on people without knowing their real intentions. Zheng Lu drunk a tea which is poisoned by his new manservant, that servant got saved by the youngest prince when he found him beaten to death in an abandoned alley. Mimi remembers his next word before the prince fainted "The first prince sends his regards" Mimi couldn''t believe that Zheng Wei would do something like that, to his own brother. In her new memories, she can tell how much that prince spoiled him. No wonder no one would suspect him, and here he''s the devil himself barging into the room wearing a worried face. "LuLu! I heard what happened to you! I can''t believe someone would poison my baby brother!" He said pitifully, making the wizard leaves ''pfft, such a great actor.'' Zheng Lu thought "Brother!" Zheng Lu Exclaimed pitifully launching a full hug attack on his brother, tightening her hold on him trying to break his bones. ''The brat still have the energy to hug me.'' Zheng Wei thought, feeling his clothes being soaked in tears, he kept his act up patting the young prince back gently. "The last thing I remember is falling asleep, and everything became dark, I got so scared." Zheng Lu said crying "Everything is alright now, I promise I will find whoever behind this and kill him." he said warmly hugging his younger brother '' I need a sacrifice now.'' The first prince thought not too happy Zheng Lu eyes flushed cold for a moment ''To be honest if he didn''t get this body memory he couldn''t have seen Prince Wei true face.'' Pushing Zhen Lu slightly from the hug, Prince Wei looked at his brother pitiful appearance, which made him feel guilty but pushed it aside. "I have things to do, I will visit you later when I have the chance to."The first prince said and left in a hurry. acting skills 1-0 to Mimi!! In the Palace prison, and exactly in the torture room sat the emperor of Xohan Empire on a chair waiting for shin the cook to confess her crimes. He couldn''t rest since he heard about the news. directly arresting the suspect, Taking the case in his own hands. Staring at the woman who tried to poison his son blankly, shaking with her messy hair and dirty clothes, sweat pouring out of her form. "Please! Please!" she pleaded in a raspy voice " We don''t mind keeping you here, torturing you till you take your last breath." the emperor said gesturing for the guards to continue. The screams kept echoing in the place making the first prince shudder from fear when he entered the place after all this woman was close to him. "Your Majesty." he said calmly bowing respectfully "Prince Wei." he said without looking at him expecting the worst " The fourth prince is alive, Zheng Wei left him to rest." Zheng Wei said with a smile The Emperor, felt relieve wash his mind and soul and even his body, at least he can rest knowing his son is alive, After all, he is a special child, what is left from the woman he loved. " I will leave the rest in your hands." The Emperor said leaving the scene Back to Zheng Lu, who laid on the bed looking in the mirror, while blushing madly " I am in love." "Look at those eyes." "look at that noise." "Look at that lip." "Awww My face is flawless!" "pfft." He heard a voice trying not to laugh Looking to the source he found Concubine Chun Hua, covering the half of her face, trying to compose herself. ''Acting mode on'' Zheng lu thought "Mommy!" He said like a spoiled child "You look better!" she said calmly sitting near his bed "Better? This face can ruin nations." He said quietly "Did you say something?" She asked puzzled "Where is daddy?" He asked sadly "What did we agree on last time ?" She asked pursuing her lips, tasting the water "No calling "daddy" daddy nor say "I" or people will make fun of me." He said pouting "It''s for your own good." she warned him patting his head affectionately " Fine!" He said crossing his hands '' I guess his memories are back'' she thought happily " Good, I need to visit the Empress, be a good boy and don''t make trouble ." She told him and walked out Concubine Chun Hua isn''t his actual mother, his real one died giving birth to him, But this kind Concubine raised him like her own. "Forth prince." another person came barging the door, like seriously? Looking at the source with an emotionless face the girl kept talking " It''s me, Lin Lan." The maid continued, coming near him, touching his hands ''what the hell? wait Lin Lan as Lin Lan?'' Zheng Lu pondered in disgust, slapping her hands away from him " Are you tired of living!" He asked feeling mad at this disgusting person "Huh?" She looked at him clueless " I am your Future concubine, remember? your promise?"She asked looking blankly " A maid?" He wondered aloud "We...We.....did it....remember?" She asked acting pitiful "So what?" He replied bluntly "Guards!" He yelled Two Guards came in the room in panic, finding no danger, they waited for instructions "Take Lin Lan to the secret room." Zheng Lu said coldly making the guards shiver in fear "Zheng Lu!!!! Noo!!!! don''t take me away!!! you took my chastity!! you must take responsibility!!!" she kept shouting while being dragged out That day he wasn''t the one on the bed in the first place, it was the first prince, why would he take responsibility? 5 The threa sitting in the garden with the empress, Concubine Chun Hua sipped her tea calmly. "Zheng Lu is a spoiled child." The Empress said out of the blue breaking the Silence "He is an innocent child." Concubine replied " A fool and a threat ." the empress said ignoring her " He is a child !" she Concubine shouted "Don''t raise your voice!" the Empress gave her a sharp look Trying to calm herself, the concubine looked down in submission, she couldn''t do anything, the one in front of her is the one in power, she can only listen. "The Empire can''t accept fools, I am afraid." The Empress continued her speech "Are you implying something? your highness." Chun Hua asked calmly "I hated her with passion, I can''t even look at her son, can''t you see how much I am suffering! you were my maid before, my only friend! I helped you to become a concubine, to be by my side but you stabbed me in the back, raising her child!" The Empress said sharply looking at her ex-friend. "You did it?" The concubine asked ignoring her rage, "Well, what are you going to do about it?" she replied looking away Looking at her Empress in disbelief, the concubine got speechless. "You can tell the Emperor too, it''s better that way." The empress stated "He is my child!" Chun Hua said tearing up "Zheng Lu is alive ! you can consider what happened as a warning." The Empress threatened "A mother won''t let anything happen to her child, she will fight whoever harm her kid and bite them back." The concubine said standing up "Is that a threat?" The Empress asked "No, I am only stating facts, your highness." She replied bowing in respect and left to her chamber to think. Back to Zheng Lu, while she slept like a pig The Emperor himself came to visit, sat on her bed playing with her long silky hair absent-minded. Feeling the gentle strokes, Zhen Lu opened her eyes slowly, meeting her vision a handsome man in his thirties, she was about to shout for guards but suddenly she remembers who he is. '' the Emperor'' " Daddy?" He asked "Zheng Lu." The emperor called in surprise " Are you Alright? are you in pain?" He asked in worry " I am fine." Zheng Lu replied staring at the Emperor " That''s a relief, This emperor got worried." the emperor sincerely said " this Emperor wants to tell you something" He continued, not knowing how to deliver the news so he asked him instead "Do you want to get stronger?" "Stronger? oh like daddy?" Zheng Lu asked back "Stronger Than daddy." He replied with a smile "Yes! I do! I want to protect the people I love." Zheng Lu shouted like a soldier " hyper child." The emperor murmured quietly, poking the fourth prince forehead "Don''t hate this Emperor." He murmured Quietly making Zheng Lu tilts her head in an adorable way " You are making things hard for me." He told his son "Sorry?" Zheng Lu asked "-" The emperor blurted 6 The Decision and the heartache " I decided to send you away." The Emperor blurted out '' Thank God I won''t keep this childish act for a long time'' Zheng Lu thought tearing up from happiness. Well no one can blame Mimi for getting tired, she is childish but she can''t be serious when the situation is, she must act childish all the time. Seeing The youngest prince display of emotion made the emperor himself tear up, but both of them are tearing up for different reasons, Zheng Lu from happiness and the Emperor from sadness. " You are only thirteen, people think you are easy prey, this Emperor can''t be there to protect you all the time, in this place you can''t trust anyone." He said trying to convince his son ''I know someday you will understand.'' "Won''t you be lonely?" Zheng Lu asked surprising the Emperor From the new memories, Zheng Lu knew how lonely The Emperor felt, pouring his heart and his struggle to his youngest son, eating together, joking, the Emperor could be himself with him. " I...I...such a silly child." The emperor pokes Zheng Lu forehead fondly '' I was happy but he''s making me feel bad, he''s really a great emperor'' she thought looking at him "Tomorrow you will depart, I will talk to Concubine Chun Hwa about it." He said leaving the scene Back to the Emperor chamber, Concubine Chun Hwa was seen by the emperor pacing, clenching her hands in frustrating without noticing him. "What''s wrong?" He asked in worry "Your Highness!" she exclaimed bowing her head in respect "Please send Lu somewhere safe!" she said falling on the ground "Do you know something?" he asked suspiciously "Your highness everyone knows you favor him." Chun Hwa replied "raise! there is no need for such an act, this Emperor already decided to send him away. " He told her " Really? when are we going to depart?" She asked standing on her feet in delight "There is no We there is only him." He replied " what does your highness mean? he can''t survive on his own!" She said horrified " I am sure you were a great mother to him, but he must grow up." he looked away feeling guilty "to where?" She asked "Feng Empire, in master Gu care." He simply stated, making Concubine Chun Hwa sigh in relief, Master Gu is Zheng Lu GrandFather after all and he knows the situation. " He will depart before the sunrise." he stated leaving no place for objection. 7 Chaos Part 1 Looking out of the wooden lattice window in her room, Zheng Lu Felt bored to death, she ate lunch on the bed, was forced to take a sour medicine that made her fall asleep on the bed, she suddenly feel like burning the bed. But still looking at the scene outside she can clearly think about everything, she couldn''t stop being happy about the situation, she can literally mess around with her new sweet brothers, she must turn this place into chaos before leaving. " I can turn into the Goddess of mischievous and marry Loki and live happily ever after." she mused dreamily looking at the beautiful sunset. "Your Highness! The royal family waiting for you to dine." a maid announced through the closed doors " Tell them, this prince will come." Zheng Lu informed her looking at the plain white robe that she wore " Yes, this lowly servant will comply." she replied "It''s showtime!" Zheng Lu cheered In the dining room, the Royal family sat on their usual spots waiting for the youngest prince to appear, on the head of the table sat the Emperor facing the Empress, while the first two brothers Occupied her left side facing their third brother and an empty chair. "The youngest prince is here." the emperor''s Eunuchs announced, making whoever present jaw drop from shock " big mom, dad, brothers." Zheng Lu bowed in respect then sat on the empty spot ''big mom? that brat!'' the Empress clenched her teeth in anger "Zheng lu is here, dig in." The Emperor told them calmy ''I already lost my appetite'' the Empress stared at Zheng Lu in disgust keeping the obvious act Zheng Lu devoured the chicken legs while staring at the green-faced empress who looked like she will throw up at any moment. "you need to eat veggies too." The Emperor said feeding his son some veggies fondly '' Dude this prince is really spoiled.'' Zheng Lu thought happily "Zheng Lu! What''s the occasion?" Zheng Shang the second prince asked out of the blue " I mean why the red robe?" He corrected himself "Oh! I just decided to get married tonight before going away!" Zheng Lu replied after finishing eating Shocking on his wine, the Emperor tried to breathe properly, while the brothers tried not to laugh. "who gave you the idea?" The Emperor asked after a long silence " Well, big brother gave me wine four moons ago! I ended up hugging a maid! so she told me to take responsibility." Zheng Lu acted all shy "It''s not the right time LuLu." The First prince tried to silence his brother "Do you like the girl?" The Emperor asked glaring angrily at Zheng Wei "No! but she is pregnant, so I thought I need to marry her first before going." Zheng Lu said acting like a gentleman "Pregnant?" The Emperor felt his soul being ripped from him ''my innocent child!'' he thought blinking "Yes, Big brother said that when a boy and a girl hug each other, the girl can get pregnant! Weirdly I saw big brother hugging and kissing her in my room once I even heard weird noises, does that mean the baby is ours?" He asked innocently "Zheng Wei!" linking the clues The Emperor yelled angrily throwing the goblet harshly aside Checkmate. 8 Chaos Part 2 "Daddy! don''t be mad!" Zheng Lu gathered tears in his hazel eyes Seeing his son pitful appearance, made him calm down for a moment. while the queen kept her cold expression like usual. ''That brat.'' Zheng Wei clenched his fists trying to control his emotions "Zheng Shang! how are things in the border?" The queen asked trying to drive the King attention away from her son "Well, I got promoted as a captain." He replied proudly " I know." The Emperor replied "Didn''t you get promoted because of Zheng Min?" Zheng Lu blurted out If a glare could kill Zheng Lu would have been dead already, noticing the obvious, he suddenly covered his mouth, widening his eyes in realization. "Your Majesty, that''s not true!" Zheng Shang said swallowing his saliva Actually, The second and third princes are Twins so it''s easy to fool people, Zheng Min is known for being a Marital Arts expert, while Zhang Shang is a weak person. "Zheng Shang, Zheng Wei I didn''t mean to!" Zheng Lu said pouting when he received such a glare full of killing intent "He might not know what he''s saying, your Majesty." Zheng Wei tried to help his brothers Feeling like his blood pressure is getting high the Emperor Ignored them all, trying to think of a way to release his frustration. He realized that he raised fools, not human beings, maybe he should teach them a lesson. "Guards!" His voice echoed through the room, Alarming the brothers. "yes!" The Guards replied bowing in respect "Arrest them all except the fourth prince." The Emperor ordered "Your Majesty!" The Empress Exclaimed in panic when a Guard took her away, while the brothers obediently went with them ''Her expressionless face annoyed me, this one looks better.'' The Emperor thought with a smirk Zheng Lu eyes flashed in surprise, it''s a well-known fact that the emperor punish his sons this way, but he didn''t expect that he will do the same to the Empress. "Do I need to punish you too?" The Emperor asked amused "Zheng Lu is an obedient child." Zheng Lu picked the safest answer with stars shining in his eyes "That''s why you are my favorite." The Emperor said patting his head "You will be going tomorrow, I won''t see you off, but I will visit you." The Emperor continued "What about my wedding?" Zheng Lu asked "Pfft! grow up first!" He laughed ''Woah that was a mess, he scared me for a moment.'' Zheng Lu thought 9 Before Departure Peeking through the doors of the young prince''s bedroom, the maid shivered in fear. Behind her, an older maid by few years is spotted giggling quietly trying not to wake the fourth prince up. Seeing the new young maid bending slightly to get a better view she couldn''t stop the mischievous thought from crossing her mind. A falling noise of a body was heard echoing in the room, The young maid of eleven moons fell on the floor after getting pushed by the other maid. Horrifiedly she stands up on her feet looking at the bed where the prince laid, sighing in relief that he''s still asleep. She glared at the older maid like a kitten waiting to pounce on her prey, which amused the other one greatly. "You need to wake him up." The older maid of fourteen moons said ignoring the little kitten glare "Hurry up I will take his highness things into the carriage." She said making her way in to take the luggage out. The little new maid pouted, this was her first task in the palace as the new maid, she will wake him up and accompany him in his journey. Anyone sane would never get near the prince, she heard a rumor about him eating young maids, and even the oldest maid confirmed it. she only hoped for the best, if she refused she will die if she accepted she can survive, swallowing her saliva she got near his bed. She turned to her friend for help but the only thing she got is an encouragement nod and then disappeared in a poof with the luggage through the big golden doors. "young prince." she said quietly trying to wake him up, feeling helpless she nudged him gently, but no movement was made under the blanket. Breathing in and out she took the blankets off the prince bravely, seeing the person for the first time she couldn''t help the blush that covered her cheeks but remembering the rumors about bathing in the young maid''s blood she wondered if that was the reason for him to have the beauty of a God. Zheng Lu kept sleeping like a rock dreaming about a teddy bear running around, while she chased him. Reaching for it she hugged it tightly not noticing the maid that she was hugging tightly on the bed. To Zheng Lu, the bear kept struggling but in reality, it was the maid feeling shy and scared from getting eaten. JiaYing the oldest maid came back from her task to prepare the young prince for the journey, but she didn''t expect to witness such a scene, she found it too funny to look at. "Zheng Lu!" she yelled taking pity on the girl, making Zheng Lu himself wake up in fright, and taking a full view of his arms around the young maid, and in a second he pushed her away in embarrassment while scratching his head sheepishly which made him sparkle more. Staring at him in a daze, JiaYing drooled like a fool while the other maid stared at him in admiration. Feeling uncomfortable under their eyes, he cleared his throat trying to wake them up from their daydream, in a flash the young maid disappeared from his sight. "This humble maid apologize for her behavior, your highness." JiaYing said bowing in respect " this prince heard you say his name." Zheng Lu said staring at the new character " It was necessary then, your highness." She replied without looking at him "Help me change!" He told her getting off the bed and standing near the mirror looking at his reflection "If I didn''t know better I would have fallen for you." She murmured quietly helping the young prince change into a silky green robe and brushing his hair. "You already did with my face." Zheng Lu said shamelessly after debating himself if he should answer her or not. " Are you coming too?" Zheng Lu asked when he got ready to depart "Yes, this humble one will." She replied "Humble? my ass!" He exclaimed earning a smack on the head "Yes, that''s what I''m talking about!" He cheered leaving his room and leaving the maid in disbelieve "That girl!" the maid murmured smacking her forehead. 10 Departure 1: On the way Getting out of the Empire''s Palace felt good to Zheng Lu, but what he didn''t expect is the four guards that waited for him. " Those lowly beings greet his highness the fourth prince!" Their voice was strong and steady Zheng Lu felt uncomfortable, he felt the warning bells that he always gets when there is danger around him. Ignoring it he went into the carriage to find the young maid that he hugged when he woke up. they stared into each other eyes, one in embarrassment and the other in surprise. "Your Highness!" she whispered looking into the ground Without any reply, he sat on the right side of the carriage in front of her and kept studying her face. ''She really looks like her.'' he thought staring at her while she felt small under his gaze "I''m I interrupting something?" JiaYing asked sitting near the new maid "No!" they both denied at the same time "Your Highness, we are ready to depart!" A guard informed Zheng Lu '' Wait how do they reply in such a situation? leave? go? Okay? oh, I found it!'' He thought "To our destiny, we go!" Zheng Lu said cooly making the guard comply and ride his horse ''To our destiny, we go? what is that, a poem?'' both maids had the same thought "Let''s go!" The guard shouted Feeling the carriage moving, Zheng Lu felt happy, finally he will see this new world. his happiness didn''t last long as he started to feel bored from seeing trees all around him. Looking at the quiet maids he couldn''t help but ask for her name. the little maid was surprised that such a person with high status will ask her a mere slave about her name but felt sadder that she couldn''t share a name she didn''t have. " She doesn''t have a name." JiaYing replied instead breaking the silence "oh?" Zheng Lu felt guilty noticing the tears gathering in the young maid''s orbs "What about Bo?" he asked making the little maid gawk at him in surprise "Bo? as in precious? that really fit her." JiaYing amused "Yup my precious." Zheng Lu blurted out imagining the ring of power, then kept whispering it in a creepy way making the young maid happy mood turn into fear. Outside the carriage, the Guards galloped feeling anxious about the mission, thinking it''s the right time, they kept pursuing the prince to rest and eat, showing their concern about his health because he didn''t eat all day in their journey. what they didn''t know is that JiaYing was loaded with foods; dumpling, sweets, honey and bread, so they didn''t stop at all which frustrated them, the night came, and the guards stomach kept making weird noises. "When would we stop to rest?" Bo asked timidly "No! we won''t stop till tomorrow, it''s so comfortable here." Zheng Lu said laying sleepily "The guards need to get fed so they can continue with this mission." JiaYing said "No need." He replied before felling asleep ''He was never heartless, what''s wrong?'' JiaYing asked herself in disbelieve 11 Departure 2: The ambush The morning came, and the guards felt exhausted from staying awake all night, they felt the resentment building in their heart toward the fourth prince. Feeling helpless, they looked around trying to get a glimpse of hope. Suddenly a fog started to surround them, and a killing intent was felt thick in the air making the young prince open his eyes in alarm. "JiaYing, Bo!" he shook them, waking them up. "Young Master?" Bo and JiaYing asked Seeing the Fog JiaYing felt the fear creeps in her heart. She activated her ability to see through the fog, the owl eye. In an instant, The carriage stopped moving. Seeing through the fog, JiaYing saw the Guards moving into the forest. Hearing something carried into the air toward them, she pushed the prince swiftly down, and an arrow went through the carriage where the prince was a moment ago. Zheng Lu mouth dropped, staring at the arrow then at JiaYing who saved him, then at Bo who closed her mouth with both her hands in fright. "We need to leave." JiaYing was determined to save the prince She led them quietly outside the carriage while holding both of Lu''s and Bo''s hands. "I will keep watch you both need to run through the forest." She told them "Where did the guard go?" Zheng Lu wondered "they betrayed us." The old maid sighed in disappointment "Wow! They deserve getting starved then." Zheng Lu happily clapped her hands "shush! don''t make a noise!" She scolded him "Take Bo and leave I will distract them." She told him "What about you?" Zheng Lu asked in horror " I must protect you." She whispered "We can survive together." Zheng Lu replied "No! there is no We there is only you." She whispered back "Bo, take care of him!" JiaYing said making both of them tear up "Yes! I will." Bo tears started to drop one by one "JiaYing! please." Zheng Lu pleaded Looking at Zheng Lu, JiaYing couldn''t stop her hands from reaching and wiping his tears. "You are my best friend, my savior, my family if it weren''t for you I would have been already dead." JiaYing said Without any delay, she rushed where she saw the arrow came from, running like a mad person, disappearing through the thick fog. Zheng Lu hands were shaking, noticing this Bo grip on his hand tightenined waking him from his thoughts "We need to go." Bo said making him ashamed that a young girl can be braver than him. For her sake, Zheng Lu gathered his courage. If he can''t do anything about the situation, at least he will try to save Bo. Rushing through the thick fogs, they heard quick footsteps following them making their heart beat faster. Finally, they passed the thick fog into the clearing, but with Zheng Lu luck he ended up facing a cliff. "Finally we will kill the brat." one of the guards spat glaring at Zheng Lu. Backing into the cliff, Zheng Lu peeked through it to see a valley, without thinking he gathered Bo in his arms. Guessing the prince''s thought, Bo felt helpless. She hugged the prince tightly and closed her eyes putting all her trust in him. The Guy with a scar noticed their body language and started to fire an arrow after another, making the prince rush and throw himself over the cliff. Falling through the air didn''t stop the man from continuing his job to make sure that the young prince died, seeing an arrow piercing the young prince heart, made them satisfied. Feeling the pain in his heart he endured it till they hit the water hard, then and there Lu fainted and his grip around the young girl loosened with it. 12 Survival Part 1: Between life and death When the little maid felt the prince''s grip around her loosen, she opened her eyes slightly holding her breath. Seeing blood pouring through the prince''s heart getting mixed with the water made her panic, after all, she had never seen that much blood before, she swam around pushing the young prince with her into the surface. Struggling to keep both of them on the surface was hard for her. Looking around for a way out, she lost hope, in the corner of her eyes she noticed a big board on the water, she swam toward it in a hurry and pushed the prince on it gently trying not to make the situation worst, then hopped on it to gather her energy. It didn''t take her a few seconds to hop off and push the board weakly, trying her best to save the prince, hot tears falling from her eyes. Zheng Lu''s breathing was shallow indicating his critical condition, the arrow that hit his back crossed his chest where his heart is supposed to be, for Bo it was a relief that he could breathe in the first place. Mimi felt like a fire is lit up within her blood, an unbearable pain traveled all around her body. She regretted getting all content with the idea of being reincarnated, thinking that she will get cheats like all reincarnated people and have the luck on her side and be like any main character, except the sun got set, and reality hit her hard. Suddenly, Mimi felt numb. '' This is the start of the end for me, I am dying again.'' She told herself accepting her fate for good ''I am unfortunate.'' ''Why me?'' that was her last thought before losing conscious Swiftly, Mimi''s soul appeared near a mirror making her roll her eyes in annoyance. "What''s it now? Horror movie time?" She asked wanting to rest in peace "I am I going to stare at my reflection forever? I might truly get narcissistic." She demanded bored out of her mind "Mimi." her reflection called her. "Yes My love?" She replied touching her reflection lovingly "You are not normal." The reflection told her freaking out "Way to state the obvious." She rolled her eyes Out of nowhere, her reflection turned into Zheng Lu''s face. "I am more in love now." She said dreamily "You are indeed an idiot!" Zheng Lu exclaimed making Mimi frown in distaste " I don''t like you anymore." Mimi huffed "I thought I was the stupid one, but you are worst." Zheng Lu told her "Well, at least you know you are stupid too." She smirked in victory "No comment!" Zheng Lu said ''I can''t believe someone like her is residing my body.'' Zheng Lu cried inside her mind "What do you want?" Mimi asked "Well I don''t know, why are you here in the first place?" Zheng Lu asked, " because I died?" Mimi proposed "Not yet." Zheng Lu replied "Then, you are here to tell me to take revenge?" She guessed "Not really, I am here because I am bored." Zheng Lu told her "Are you sure you aren''t me?" Mimi asked suspiciously looking at Zheng Lu through the mirro 13 Survival Part 2: The death Appearing behind one of the guards without being noticed, JiaYing quietly and skillfully slit his throat with her pocket knife. A shadow guard saw her, smirking behind his mask, he raised his sword to stab her from behind, sensing something coming her way she dodged it swiftly, making the sword hit the tree. Out of nowhere, many shadow guards appeared, making her curse her luck, she didn''t see them at all, she only saw the four guards. looking for a way to escape, JiaYing moves back to the main road with the shadow guards on her track. Catching her off guard, a person wearing a fox mask emerged from the fog, making her slam into him which made it easy for him to hold both her hands up and taking her knife from her. "Children aren''t allowed to play with knives." He stated amused, pushing her into one of the shadow guards arms. "The mission is over!" The man announced making the fog disappear Seeing the girl pained face, made him feel disgusted with her. He doesn''t know the young prince, but he heard about him, and it was nothing good, He wasn''t fitted to be the crown prince, that''s why he got sent here to kill him. Two guards and the person with a crossbow came bowing, "The Prince is dead." They exclaimed confirming JiaYing suspicious making her tears fall. "No! you are lying!" She kicked the person near her, freeing herself to look for her prince Speeding off, one of the shadow guards wanted to follow her, but he got stopped by the man. "Kill her!" he ordered the person with a crossbow, making him take his aim and release an arrow after another which pierced her back, shoulder and heart. Getting hit by the arrows, she stopped walking throwing up blood, "My prin...cess! my po...or pri...ncess! I know yo...u are a...live! you mu...st be." She whispered " I won''t be by y...our si...de, plea...se for...give..." she said taking her last breath Erasing the evidence, they burned the corps and pushed the carriage into the valley, to make it seem like an accident then left the place. Back to Mimi and Zheng Lu, they kept chatting like they were old friends, insulting each other and being cool about it, in the middle of discussing the art of ignorance and naivety, JiaYing soul appeared near Zheng Lu, making her hyper as hell. "JiaYing!" Zheng Lu surprisingly embraced her old friend JiaYing "Where I am I? is this heaven?" She asked in a daze "No! you are in the mirror of Mimi."Zheng Lu told her "You are dead?" JiaYing was surprised "Yeah since a few days ago." Zheng Lu said "how?" she whispered " Well, I can start," Mimi said "Who are you?" JiaYing whispered again "She doesn''t sound like JiaYing at all!" Mimi whispered to Zheng Lu to hear " Yeah, True!" Zheng Lu agreed "Both of you stop whispering!" She shouted "She is back!" both Mimi and Jiaying amused "Just, tell me everything," she sighed Mimi told her story first, making her dead friends feel sorry for her. " You are in a worst situation now, you need to get stronger, live peacefully with a new identity," JiaYing said after a lot of thinking "I know, but I am dying now, I might stay here with you," Mimi replied to her "You will survive! I am sure of it!" Zheng Lu assured he 14 The Survival Part 3: Is there Hope? Bo limbs started to get weak making her stop pushing the board and glanced around again, but still, she was stuck with the young prince. Looking into the sky, she prayed for help in her heart. In another place, a mischievous young man is spotted running away from the guards while they chased him. "you can''t catch me!" He yelled annoying the guards more "Catch the damn brat!" The fat captain commanded them he was more than determined to catch the Erotic books seller. Turning into an alley, the young man saw two crossways, picking the right one he kept running till he came into a forest, and disappeared in a tree hole. Back to the guard, they got confused when they reached to different paths, they stupidly stopped there, waiting for the fat captain for instruction. Alas, the Captain is still running gasping for air. When he came across the guards, he glared at them. "What the hell are you doing! you stupid dogs!" he yelled in frustration, pulling his hair madly. "We didn''t know what to do." A guard stated "Oh! Wow! SO YOU CAN''T DIVIDE THE GROUP TO TWO! ONE GOES LEFT, AND ONE GOES RIGHT!" He shouted getting more red in the face with a visible smoke streaming from his head "We are sorry Sir." They replied in shame "SORRY? SORRY? I LOST MY CHANCE TO GET PROMOTION LAST TIME BECAUSE OF YOU! IDIOTS!" He kept shouting making them drop their gaze into the ground "You know what? you won''t get your full salary this month." He stated calmly The young man waited for a while for the guards to appear, but no one did making him sigh in relief and get out from his hiding spot. This place was his favorite place he knows it since he was a child, going into the cliff and sitting on a rock, he thought about his miserable life. His life wasn''t that perfect after all. He lived in the streets since he was born Without anyone support. His situation is better now living under a roof with an old man. The house wasn''t that great it was just a cottage made of straw But to him, that was better, than nothing. He still helps out with earning money, and getting a job is hard forcing him to sell illegal things. In the corner of his eyes, he spotted a board with someone on it, making him gape in disbelieve he could see an arrow stuck on someone''s back. "He is dead for sure!" He murmured quietly He was about to leave, but the girl that hopped into the board and kept checking the guy''s pulse made him stop. "is there hope?" He asked himself when she got off the board and started to push it again with determination 15 The Rescue Getting bored out of their mind, the three spirts appeared floating in the air to check the situation. "I guess I am going to die," Mimi stated looking at her wounded body "Yeah, you are in critical condition!" JiaYing felt sad for her friend "Excuse me, but that''s my body." Zheng Lu pouted "You mean your Ex-body, right?" Mimi replied "Ex-body? what is an ex?" Zheng Lu wondered aloud getting ignored Seeing a young man staring at her dead body, Mimi puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Look at that guy!" She exclaimed hating the guy already "Yeah, what''s wrong with him?" JiaYing asked "Save my body you fool!" Zheng Lu shouted getting near his face, trying to slap him, but her hands passed through him. "Lu! We are dead remember?" JiaYing asked her "Sorry!" crying out she disappeared from the place "That girl! even in her death, she gives me a hard time." JiaYing disappointedly murmured Mimi, kept staring at the young man expression, holding her amusement. "He''s funny!" JiaYing stated Seeing him about to leave, Mimi pushed him into the valley direction, making him look around in confusion. "It worked!" Mimi claped her hands in happiness "Hmm, You aren''t dead yet," JiaYing concluded "Way to state the obvious, detective." Mimi rolled her eyes "No, I mean that might be the reason for what happened." the dead maid explained "Poor Bo!" JiaYing pittied her for a second, when she saw Bo struggle "I thought it was poor me," Mimi stated gesturing for her wounded body "She is loyal to you! So, it''s poor her and lucky you." she pittied her because she is crushing on a girl "That guy is annoying! push him in the valley and end his misery." JiaYing pursed her lips in annoyance when she saw him leaving, for the second time. Charging her attack, Mimi pushed him into the valley. Hearing a splash, Jiaying stared at Mimi in satisfaction. "You are good!" JiaYing Stated patting Mimi''s head "Let''s see what happens now." Mimi stated The young man felt scared when two hands pushed him into the valley. Stinking deep in the valley, he swam up to the surface. ''Maybe the Sky wants me to save them.'' he thought ''Fine, you will owe me big time.'' he thought annoyed, swimming their way. Bo saw someone swimming their way, making her heart flutter in happiness. Getting near them, the guy glanced at the young girl in pity. Her eyes were red and puffy he felt guilty for not helping sooner. "Please save the young prince." She pleaded ''Young Prince?'' He thought in astonishment '' I can''t believe I was going to leave a golden chance.'' He hit his head blaming his stupidity then thanked the sky for the generous offer. Pushing the board with the young girl, they kept going till they reached their destination, to a hidden cave covered with a lot of leaves making it hard to find. Carrying the broad with the prince on it, they entered the cave, shivering from the cold. They walked through the cave and finally reached the forest. "We need to hurry or he might die." He murmured queitly ''The old man can save him.'' He assured himself carrying the board with the help of Bo to his Master In the cottage where the young man lives, an old doctor sat on a chair feeling exhausted. He gave up on being a doctor a long time ago and came to live in isolation. But one day he saved a guy from dying, which made him famous in the nearby villages. People kept seeking him which crashed his peaceful life. He doesn''t know if he should cry or slap the young man who brought the guy in the first place. Being deep in his thought, the young man himself came through the doors with a wounded person and a girl who is helping him in carrying the board. Scoffing, he stared at the young man in frustration. "Old Man Cheng! Help him! he is dying." The young man told him in fear "Carry him into the medical room." Master Ching sighed giving up 16 The discovery Dr. Cheng washed his hands and went to the medical room. "Do you need help old man!" Li Jie asked staring at his master "No!" Dr. Cheng denied, gesturing for them to leave. "Let''s go he doesn''t like people observing him while working." He whispered to Bo to follow him which she complied. Dr.Cheng got closer to Zheng Lu body, observing his back which moved while breathing, making him believe that the young man is alive and the arrow didn''t touch his heart. Getting a piece of clothing, he put it around the arrow and forcefully removed it swiftly making Zheng Lu yelp in pain. Then he took a knife and tore the fabric, not expecting the birthmark that met his vision. Staring in disbelieve at the dragon birthmark, he froze, and his mind went back in time. -In his Memory- He was in his study room when Concubine Mei the Gem of the Emperor entered closing the doors behind her. "Concubine Mei." He got up from his chair and bowed respectfully "Stand." She said walking in leaning backward her left hand on her big tummy and her right one on her back pushing herself forward. "You should have called me you can give birth any moment now." He voiced his concern " I wanted to talk to you in private." She sat on the chair gesturing him to sit too Sitting back on his chair he stared down waiting for her to talk. " I need you to do something for me." She told him "Anything! I owe you after all." He replied "If I died and gave birth to a baby girl, I hope you would announce her as a young prince" She stated "Concubine Mei!" He exclaimed in surprise "Please! if I died the Empress will get rid of her, she wouldn''t give her a choice." She pleaded "I talked to Concubine Chun Hua about it." She tried to convince him when she saw him hesitate -End of Memory- A groan of pain made Dr.Cheng wake from his recall, "Survive? Yeah right." He said sarcasticly Dr. Ching stopped the bleeding and bandaged it, then turned her on her right side facing the wall so she won''t bleed and covered her with a white clothe. " Li Jie!" He called "yes Master!" He rushed inside "Bring the Lotus flower." He told him "Is he in danger?" Li Jie asked, "stopping the bleeding and bandaging isn''t enough, his inury isn''t minor." His Master told him "You know the fower is rare and expensive." Li Jie pointed out " A human life is more important." His Master replied "He is a prince he will pay generously." Li Jie assured him making the old man pull his ear "Never mention that! you heard me?" He asked making the young man cry in protest "I won''t ask again, go bring the flower from the secret storage." He released him to leave 17 Choice Digging into the background, Li Jie gathered a box in his hands like a thief while looking right and left. Seeing no one around he opened the box to see a lot of sparkling flowers. getting one of them, he closed the box and put it back where it was under the ground then covered it again. Taking a deep breath, he went back inside the cottage to the medical room and gave it to the old man. The Flower of life is a flower which contains unbelievable ability to cure any injury even if the person himself is taking his last breath. The flower is called the flower of lotus. Dr. Cheng found it when he faced a dangerous situation, a demon from the underground who was only a bedtime story for children. He got scared and ran for his life, making him fall in a hall, appearing in a cave where the secrets treasure of the medical field, the blue flowers reside. Taking the flower from Li Jie''s hand, Dr. Cheng put it near Zheng''s nose. "I hope it will work." He murmured quietly A blue air entered through Zheng Lu nose, and his body started to glow a faint blue color, indicating that Zheng Lu is getting cured. The old man took off the bandage to see the process with his own eyes. The light gathered inside the wound Circling it in slow motion then in a blink of an eye, it disappeared. Li Jie was gaping like a fish, for him knowing is a thing, and seeing something is another thing. Staring at the wound astonished he couldn''t help telling the old man to sell it, they can become rich that way. The old man glared at him he doesn''t know why he accepted the gold digger fool in his home. But at least he is trustworthy, and he listens to him so, that''s a plus. Pulling Zheng Lu on his back so he can get comfortable, he instructed Li Jie to carry him. Li Jie didn''t hear him, he ended up drooling like a fool when he saw the young prince''s face, no one could blame him though he has two weakness money and beauty. Trying to control his actions he cleaned the saliva that dropped in the corner of his lips and cleared his throat but still, he couldn''t tear his eyes off him. Dr. Cheng watched in amusement the young man drooling while staring at a person he thinks is a He. Coughing to get his attention, The doctor started to get annoyed. "Did you fell in love with a boy?" He asked The young man "Yes!" Li Jie replied in a daze "Are you going to marry him?" He asked him again "Yes!" He said drooling again "Then, Now I announce you both husbands." That made him wake from his daze, wearing a horrified expression "I mean I am not looking at him! Yes, I am not looking at him." He exclaimed with red cheeks, going to the young prince and carrying him bride style leaving the room in a hurry, running from the old man teasing mode. "Finally comes the day of my revenge." The old man nod in satisfaction Li Jie carried the person to his room and laid him on the bed. He wanted to leave and wake the little girl up to help the beautiful person to wear something, but he couldn''t help his hand which brushed the young prince''s hair gently. "Are you a girl?" He whispered, his eyes went down to the prince''s chest "No way! he doesn''t have breasts at all." He denied after staring for a long time at his chest area, which was covered by a teared up robe, so he could see it. Feeling the person twitch slightly, Li Jie stared at the person''s eyes wanting him to wake up. His wish got granted, and Purple eyes clashed with his brown one''s, surprising both of them. Zheng Lu was surprised when he found the person who he pushed staring at him, feeling like something is wrong, his vision went down to his chest where he felt the air goes through. "Pervert!" The young prince screamed pushing the young man away from him, waking Bo up from her sleep and rushing to the prince rescue. Bo saw the young prince awake, and without any delay, she threw her arms around him, hugging him. "This humble one is so happy that his highness is fine!" Bo whispered into her master ears, feeling like the world brightened again "Are you two a thing?" Li Jie couldn''t help but ask, making Bo realize he position, releasing her master she bowed. "Forgive this slave for her mistake, your highness." She stated calmly "It''s alright." Zheng Lu never cared about such things Directing her gaze to the young prince, Bo ordered the young man to bring a robe for her master which he complied, giving her a blue robe with cheap material, then left the room. Helping the young prince wear the robe. Bo thought that even in cheap clothes, he looks beautiful. ''No wonder there are rumors about him being a monster.'' She thought, rolling her eyes for believing those rumors. ''He is a monster who make people faint by only staring at his eyes.'' She kept thinking with a smile visible on her face " Why are you smiling?" Zheng Lu asked her "Nothing your highness!" She replied Dr. Cheng got the news that Zheng Lu is healthy and awake, so he left his medical room and went where the young prince is. Reaching there he Ordered the young maid to go out of the room, while Zheng Lu watched him intensely. Bo left the room making the old man turn his eye directly to the young prince. "Zheng Lu, the fourth prince, or let''s say the only princess of our kingdom." The old man stated, making the young prince put his guards up, looking for a way to get away from this place. "Don''t worry! I won''t harm you! I was the one who delivered you after all." He informed Zheng Lu " I am giving you a choice, to live normally and grow up as a girl, as a boy, whatever you see fit." He continued "Thank you." She felt relieved hearing that from him "But I need to inform the Emperor too!" He told he 18 The bad news Back in Xohan Castle, The Emperor sat on his throne looking down at the bloodied guards that kneeled on the ground. He got informed of the ambush making him angry his heartbeat wild inside his chest, the pain evident on his face. "You fools!" He yelled standing tall going near them his blood is boiling, his hands are shaking, getting near them he unleashed his sword and cut one of useless guards head on the spot, making the other Guard pee from fear. "Take him!" He ordered his loyal guards staring in disgust at the messed up Scam "Your Highness! I am innocent! I am innocent!" The Guard called out while being dragged out The frustration and sadness clouded his mind and heart. The Emperor and the father of Zheng Lu went back to his throne, ordering people to clean the bloodied place then leave. The Emperor collapsed on the Throne chair after everyone went, the sweat started to pour from his forehead. Feeling his heart getting ripped from its place, the Emperor of Xohan''s breath started to get weaker by time, making him faint on the spot. The first prince heard the news and happily went to the throne room and before entering he masked his expression making the guard in the doors look at him weirdly. Ignoring their gaze, he went in not expecting the view that met his vision. The Emperor on the Throne chair, clutching his chest area while looking dead, panicking the first prince called the guards to help him carry the Emperor to his room, then called the doctor who is now checking on the Emperor. The first prince waited for the doctor who is checking the Emperor pulse, eyes, and temperature. Finishing with his task, the doctor ordered the eunuch to bring some herbs to brew it and make the emperor drink it daily, told him to avoid preparing oily foods for him, to only focus on feeding him healthy things. "How is the Emperor?" The first prince asked after the eunuch left "The Emperor needs to eat healthily, and get away from stress, and any negative emotion will be bad for him, so he needs plenty of rest." The doctor stated making The First Prince nod in understanding "This humble one will leave, better make someone stay with the emperor to take care of him." He informed him bowing in respect then left. ''I didn''t mean for this to happen.'' He thought in regret "I am supposed to get mad at you for putting me in prison, but I can." He murmured "The Empress is here!" He heard an announcement making him stare at the doors in anticipating. The Empress Hurriedly went in, directly to the bed where the Emperor laid without sparing her son a second glance, pitifully holding his hands while tears gathered in her eyes, for a moment she looked like a white lotus. Opening his eyes, The Emperor found his hand being held and the woman who was holding his hands was the Empress herself. Pushing her hands away from him, the Empress tried to protest, but her son stopped her gesturing for her to leave, but she ignored him again. Seeing both of their faces at the same time made the Emperor sick to his stomach, and like an angry kid, he stared at the walls refusing to say any word or even look their way. "My Emperor!" The Empress called him, her expression turning into a sad one "Leave!" He ordered calmly "Empress, let''s go! It''s not the right time." Her son Whispered dragging her out, so they can talk privately. The Emperor couldn''t trust anyone anymore. The royal family is always scheming behind each other back, he doesn''t doubt that one of his sons is the one behind the incident. Back where Zheng currently is, she sat on the floor in front of a small table with bowls of rice on it. Staring at the rice, Mimi felt depressed she hates rice, well not literally; the problem is whenever she eats rice she gets hungry. "I guess this humble meal isn''t for your liking." Dr. Cheng told Zheng Lu when he saw the young prince hesitate. The young prince felt embarrassed, without thinking he dug in faster than the human eyes and in a blink, the bowl of rice got emptied. The people around her couldn''t help, but stop eating and stare at her, their mouth wide open in shock. Zheng Lu faked her yawn wanting to leave the place in a hurry. "Goodnight." She told them rushing to her new room that she stole from Li Jie "That was," The man said looking at her retreating figure "Awesome!" Li Jie exclaimed "I was going to say abnormal." He replied staring at Li Jie "Both starts with A. So, they are the same." Li Jie stated "It''s better to ignore you!" Dr.Cheng stated "Don''t! Do you think I am stupid?" Li Jie asked "Brat! Don''t talk to me that way." Dr.Cheng started to get annoying Poor Bo, her head kept looking from a person to the other while they barked like dogs. The old man and Li Jie kept arguing the problem was that the argument made no sense; suddenly the old man huffed and left without finishing his dinner. Bo''s gaze followed the old man in worry, Li Jie scoffed, telling her not to mind him. After all those two people always bark like dogs then after a minute the old man comes back smiling and laughing like a fool, which was the case right now, the old man came back and ate his fill and left telling Li Jie to wake up tomorrow early so he can deliver the message. Back to the castle, a slapping sound echoed inside the Empress Chamber. Her son''s cheeks turned red. "Are you out of your mind!" She shouted, the anger evident in her voice "Mom! Are you slapping me for him." He said in disbelieve touching his cheeks "I told you to leave him alone!" She sat on her bed, clenching her teeth feeling frustrated 19 The Letter part 1 The Empress felt mad, she tolerated her first born too much for her liking. Covering for him and taking the blame with an open heart. She lost The Emperor trust because of him, she didn''t know why he was that greedy with the idea of sitting on the throne to a degree of obsession, she didn''t raise him that way, and he''s supposed to know that the firstborn automatically sits on the throne in the first place. Fuming, she didn''t hold her palm from slapping the First prince after getting informed about the ambush and the fourth prince death. What made her angrier is her son accusing her of taking the dead person side. "YOU ARE A FOOL! I tried to convince the Emperor to send him away for a long time and now when he did, look what you have done! HE''S BLAMING ME FOR IT!" The Empress Shouted "Even the walls have ears, lower your voice!" (First prince name) hissed annoyed "You! Don''t ever talk to me that way! I am your Empress." She scolded him "And I am your future Emperor!" He fired back; with a challenging smirk, making her face goes pale from surprise "I am your Mother!" She exclaimed "I am leaving." He coldly ignored her and left, not before meeting the twin Brothers in the doorway eavesdropping "If you say something like that again to the empress, don''t blame anyone but yourself." The Second prince warned bumping his shoulder with his older brother, and rushed to his mother side, while the Third prince gaped like a fish. "Are you alright?" Zheng Min asked his pale mother, the concern evident in his voice "I¡­.I¡­.." She couldn''t finish her sentence making the Third prince hug her for comfort "Mom you spoil him too much!" Zheng Chang puffed his cheeks looking at his twin in jealousy "Come here, you rascal!" She told him, laughing in delight Joining the hug, The Empress started to feel better. At least she has children who love her, that all what mattered at that moment. ** Early in the morning, Li Jie woke up to deliver the letter that his master wrote. He couldn''t sleep at all, the black circles evident around his eyes indicating his lack of sleep. Trying not to make a nose, Li Jie quietly walked into the old man who kept snoring without a care in the world, sleeping peacefully, he suddenly felt jealous. Li Jie ignored his inner thought, and took the letter then left the cottage in a hurry, Pleading the sky not to get caught by the guards. Arriving in the village, he carefully walked around looking for a person to give him the letter. Spotting him near a tree, he advanced his way. "Li Jie! How can I help you?" A guy with tan skin and a messed long hair with shabby old clothes asked "Master told you to take care of this." He said giving him the letter The Tanned man examined the letter. "I will take care of it you can go." The man told Li Jie who sighed in relief and went to look for a restaurant nearby to eat inside. The man who took the letter secured it inside his clothes and disappeared from the view, going to the forbidden ally, the guy pushed a tile making a door appear in front of him. "Boss Yo!" A person wearing a robe with the royal seal called "I feel lucky I was about to go meet you!" Yo told him, his luck looks pretty good today "Leave whatever you are about to say aside! I need you to find the young prince. The Emperor can''t rest without seeing him dead or alive." He said "Well, I already have a clue of where he is. Take this and give it to the Emperor! And don''t open it! " Yo stated giving him the message. "You mean this letter contains information about the young prince?" He asked in surprise, finding the prince was faster than he thought it would take "Yes!" Yo nodded ** Back to Li Jie, he felt like someone have cursed him with bad luck, a scoot of Guards walked around the market, and unfortunately for him, The fat guard saw him again and started to shout for the hall group to chase him. Li Jie ran away like his life depends on it while getting mixed with the crowd in the process. "Criminal in the loose! Move! Move!" Li Jie heard the fat man shout, he felt like beating the crap out of him because of him he will go home and eat rice, eating it on lunch and dinner was enough for him, he saved the money for a day like. He sells stuff for people to gain money to eat Tofu and drink tea, sometimes he doesn''t know if he should laugh or cry about his miserable life. Pushing people to pass, Li Jie bumped into a masked man making him fall on the ground. "Catch him!" The fat man yelled from afar The masked man stared at him coldly, not moving from his spot. Chills started to gather in Li Jie''s heart the masked man aura was so strong that he couldn''t move. Reducing his aura, the masked man gave him his hands to stand which the young man accepted. "You need to get away fast, Or they will catch you." He stated coldly giving the young man his back. The scene before him was a familiar one making his worst memory get triggered. Remembering his childhood that was lived without a family, alone and homeless, a kid who''s looking for a way to survive. He stole to eat, he caused troubles wherever he went, but that was normal for a kid. Getting arrested was what changed his life forever. He got captured but not to be punished. They took kids under their wings and trained them to be assassins. These assassins work under a secret organization created by the minister of justices in secret. Being an assassin, meant getting rid of emotions That was the first rule he learned. He doesn''t remember the last time he felt something, beside being indifferent. He won''t lie and say he didn''t feel sad for killing kids and yes he felt sad for the young prince, the young prince was only a child, he wasn''t the one who killed him, but still he didn''t try to save him.