Chapter 42

Imperial Concubine Wei
Wei Li Lian
Hougong

"My Lady, are you all right?" Ai helped her mistress climb the two stairs into her quarters.

"I can not believe they gathered there to just mock our lady! They are jealous that His Majesty was willing to compromise his duties since he is smitten by our lady." Dao grumbled. She was the one who knelt by her mistress during the one-hour kneeling punishment. Of course, most of Hougong came to watch them kneel as if they were there for a performance in a festival. It just proved they had nothing better to do.

"Leave it, Dao. Do you have to cry wolf all day upon this matter?" Li Lian sighed. When Dao was offended, it took her time to let go.

They entered the welcoming room, only to be greeted by an unwelcome visitor. All this time she had maintained her distance from Li Lian. Why did she come now?

"Noble Consort Qi, greetings." Li Lian started to curtsey.

"No, no. No need for formalities. Your knees must hurt." Noble Consort Qi seemed to be concerned. But whether that came from her heart, who would know?

"Thank you, but what has this lowly concubine done to deserve such a visit from Her Highness?"

"Come, sit. You have been through so much." Noble Consort Qi took Li Lian's arm and sat her on a small zabuton cushion. She took the main cushion that Li Lian normally sat on as the Lady of the Quarters but could not sit on when someone ranked higher than she was present, per the custom.

The cushions were a velvet red and Li Lian was the one who stitched and decorated them with an imprint of white snow lotuses.

"Your welcoming room is beautiful." Noble Consort Qi fiddled with her fingers. "I didn't see all these decorations in the previous quarters. And you just moved in, thus you haven't had much time to be sewing. Does this mean you made them for a place like this while still in the previous quarters? You knew that you would be promoted, didn't you?"

"This lady knows what she wants and what she is striving for. That's how a rising Phoenix must behave." Li Lian spoke proudly to irritate her. It had been a long day, she did not wish to entertain idle meaningless talk.

Noble Consort Qi seemed unaffected by the statement, no hint of jealousy, and basically no emotion except amusement. "I wish I could be as courageous as you." She looked around, her face taking on a layer of annoyance. "What is going on? No one has brought me tea and snacks. You don't respect me in this space?"

'Because we don't want you here. Leave, woman.' But Li Lian said, "Forgive this lady's lack of disciplining and teaching my servants well." She bowed her head so low it almost rested on her folded knees, then rising up, she sweetly smiled at Ai. "Have them prepare something, will you?"

"Yes, My Lady." Ai left to have the asked tea prepared.

Li Lian just stared at the Consort. Awkward silence and Li Lian was not worried to change that. She didn't care.

Noble Consort Qi scrutinised Li Lian. "Don't look at me like that. I did not come because I wanted to, this time."

"Then what brought Her Highness here?"

The Noble Consort shrugged. "His Majesty."

"Yuwen... His Majesty?"

"How fortunate of you, you even call him by name now?"

"Lapse of the tongue." Li Lian gained a tint of red.

"Well, yes he asked me to visit you often. He said it would be good if you had friends in Hougong, knowing that this place can be quite lonely. Who can you trust?"

Although Li Lian was not keen on the idea that Yu'er sent Noble Consort Qi, she was ecstatic that Yuwen Hong worried over her. And she shouldn't have over thought his visit to Noble Consort Qi in the first place.

She stared at the Noble Consort, who was again looking around, still fascinated by her welcoming room. What was it about this Noble Consort that made her so pure, refined, and innocent? It was so attractive, you felt like you wanted to care for her. She was delicate as a flower with the air of an elegant peacock. Maybe Li Lian could give her a chance?

"So, have you thought about what I said last time?" Noble Consort Qi had a naughty glimmer shining in her eyes. "You are Furian, right?"

"We could be friends if you stopped with those conspiracies," Li Lian exhaled, which had Noble Consort Qi laughing.

"You are from there, aren't you?" Noble Consort Qi giggled, jesting her.

For the next two hours, Noble Consort Qi blabbered on. She spoke about the books she read, the places she wanted to see because of the books, and the general knowledge she had. Li Lian did not exactly like her yet, but she was no longer the person that Li Lian would avoid when she saw her coming from far away.

By the time Li Lian was in bed, she felt exhausted and was sure she was going to have the best sleep. But in contrary to that she really didn't sleep well all night. She kept tossing and turning, her mind awake. It was frustrating.

It was around the hour of the tiger(3 am to 5 am) when she slid out of bed and put on her dancing robes. They were sleeved with a lot of material that would twirl, wave, and fly as she danced. Li Lian was intentionally silent so that no soul would hear her and force their obligation to follow her around.

The outside was semi-dark, with insects chirping, the owl hooting, and clicks coming from bats. Mornings always had the fresh, crisp air that she loved.

Li Lian avoided the palace guards, disliking that they would question for her entourage and remind her how a royal woman should never be alone. Since she had escaped before, she was aware that they were normally doing their rounds at the west of Hougong at this time.

Li Lian snuck to the back of Hougong and climbed a wall that surrounded it to avoid the guards securing the front entrance. In no time, she was in the palace garden. The tall shrubs and trees in there had their shadows, dancing to a from due to the rhythmic movements of the wind.

She made sure no one was around and watching. No one could find out this secret of hers.

Li Lian cleared her throat and closed her eyes as she started mumbling a slow tune. Any random song is what she needed to summon them.

According to her soothing voice did she move. Her leg lifted lightly and swung into the air, making a complete turn around with her body. Like a duck swimming elegantly in the water, she patted her feet swiftly on the ground.

The more she danced, the more the buzzing noise encircled her. Light covered their bodies, the same light that was igniting the flame within her because energy began to nuzzle her tired body. More and more droned towards her, a swarm of fireflies elated by her.

She gasped at how good it felt. As before, her back stopped aching, her body rejuvenating. It had her feeling like she slept all night and received good rest. Her throbbing knees that were sore from being folded on the grass for an hour the previous day, loosened and healed repeatedly.

Li Lian shook and gasped deeply in ecstasy. It felt so good. It was like she could fly. When she did this procession, it left her tingly, with a deep urge to flock her hands and hopefully leap into the air. This was silly because she was a human and humans do not fly. No matter how much of the desire was deep in her soul.

Noble Consort Qi could be right. Her mother was probably Furian, but not all Furians could fly as she read that from the library books. Only the noble in Furia could fly. A shame for her who was partly Huticah.

She sighed in agitation. Her inclination made her feel like crying. Imagine having a thirst that could not be quenched with water; that was how she felt not being able to fly. Like she would die if she kept living like this―not able to fly. It was miserable.

A shuffling from behind froze her dancing performance. Like always, the minute she stopped, the fireflies flew away.

"Who is there?" she asked.

Li Lian looked around. It had been an hour or two of her practising and it was no longer as dark. The sun was not yet out but it was clearer, the shade of hue blue. Quiet footsteps on the ground called to her before a soft whimper came from behind. Li Lian flipped her head.

"Princess Cai Wenjin?" Li Lian frazzled.

The little girl stood with both index fingers in her ears. She cried quietly, her face scrunched and lips sniveling. The poor girl was in her white sleeping robes which were now barely white. The garment was blood-stained, and what she looked like was all the more bewildering.

She was bruised on her face and especially swollen on her forehead. On her small little arms were darkened welts that were spread all over. It was grotesque in appearance.

Li Lian took measured steps. "Your Highness, what happened?"

With those words, the princess broke into a fit of deafening wailing. "Do not kill me. Do not kill me!"

Li Lian knelt beside her and took her little body into her arms tenderly. "I will not kill you. I will not, I promise." She tried to shush the frantic child.

Blood is all Li Lian could smell near her small figure. Having a princess like this, the day was already ominous. Because one thing was for sure, Yuwen Hong was about to become the devil in flesh when he found out about this.

S.V