Chapter 3

Bai Yang Liu
Imperial Prince's Chambers

Yang Liu traced the edges of the scroll lightly using her fingers. On the night her elder brother got stabbed, he had decreed upon her the title 'Royal Princess Bai Yang Liu,' and to be formally addressed as 'Her Royal Highness Bai Yang Liu.'

This was to be presented to the court for commenting the following morning, but the fatality that happened the same night made it inappropriate to forward the motion. Elder Brother was on his deathbed, and the only time she was allowed to see him, he was barely conscious. They said he kept coming back and falling out.

The military was dispatched to locate his swordmaster, the Furian named Oren. He was the man using his blood to immerse Elder Brother's heart in the wooden chest case thus, he was the one keeping it. Moreover, it was safer with him, he was the best swordsman, who could overpower him? And adding on to the fact that her elder brother saw him as another father.

"Anyone out there?" Yang Liu rolled the scroll closed, placing it back in it's casing.

"Anything for His Royal Highness on this evening?" Her new court lady knelt before her.

"According to this scroll, everyone is to recognise me as her, she and female." She held it up. "Announce this to everyone that falls under my quarters. The rest shall be told when Elder Brother gets well."

"Your Highness, do you realise that this is too irrational? If His Majesty does not make it... you can be the next emperor if you keep yourself as you are..."

"Impudent!" General Feng growled, entering without announcement. "Who are you to make such statements?"

Yang Liu's heart started beating erratically. The last time she saw him was in YiYuan and they were not on good terms. The same was her last conversation with her elder brother. That is why he couldn't die, she needed to still apologise for her selfish behavior. She wanted to tell him that he was the best brother she could have. He was irreplaceable.

"General... forgive me." The court lady was kowtowing. Since she was new, she could not be trusted as of yet. Her loyalty seemed to be lying somewhere else. How she spoke sounded like Dowager Empress Wang. Her 'mother' had no shame. She was infiltrating her quarters to throw in traitorous ideas.

"Guards?" General Feng yelled, the vein on the left side of his temple was imprinted. When that happened, he was really angry.

Two palace guards ran in with swords in hand.

"Take her out and beat her to death for her treasonous words!"

The court lady screamed for mercy. She expressed regret, crying that no one will be left to support her family. They hurled her out as she fought them to let her go, so she could kiss General's feet for forgiveness.

At their exit, General's eyes softened as they captured Yang Liu's. She avoided them, not wanting to have her walls broken. There were more pressing questions that she needed answers to from him. Nervously straightening her robes, she walked to the window where her flowers were happily blooming. She couldn't wait to start wearing graceful women hanfu too.

Concerning the decree, this welcoming room of hers will have to be renovated alongside other rooms, to possess a feminine theme. She was going to ask Elder Brother to bestow her quarters with a flowery name too. In her yard were many apricot trees that her and General Feng planted in their young days, a name related to apricots would be proper. If it was still day, she would see the apricot trees through the windows.

"How are you?"

She knew he asked these words looking at her back, trying to figure her mood today.

How are you? Just how are you and not I missed you, You look beautiful or I have been worried about you. Just... how are you. His actions spoke love, deep love, yet his words were always empty, proposing friendship.

"You know me. I am not overthinking it, but being positive. My mind is focused on the time he shall be well."

"That is a good way of looking at it."

"How is he?" This was a lighter issue they could begin with before addressing the elephant in the room; Li Lian, how she felt, the throne. There were too many elephants in the room. No wonder it felt stuffy in there.

"He is holding on. Sometimes we feel we are losing him then at times, it's as if His Majesty will make it."

Her eyes watered a little. She tried not to picture how pale he looked when she last visited. He was a man wrestling with death. Only if the heavens intruded could he come out of this pit.

General Feng was still talking, "We have been giving him all the medicine to help him recover from blood loss. It seems to be working. But the infections from the wound have been slowing our progress."

"And his swordmaster?"

"We still haven't traced him yet. We are doing our best but remember he is a wanderer. He could be anywhere in or out of this empire."

If they got his heart back, they could try out more medical approaches because they will have direct observation of his heart. Although Elder Brother was strong in all areas, his heart wasn't as strong. This weakness was derived from the reality of not being a pure royal brood dragon, due to his mother being a commoner by birth.

Yang Liu could ask more concerning how the military and the people were being managed, but she couldn't help getting to the point. "Li Lian is in the back bedchambers. She doesn't eat, she barely sleeps, she has nightmares." Yang Liu pulled out a petal and turned to face General Feng. She had to see his eyes, in case he lied.

"Feng Chang An, be honest with me. Who is this woman? And why do you risk your life to protect her?" Those were not the important questions. Whether she was the murderer of Elder Brother was.

His hand was fisted, his thumb caressing his knuckles. He was anxious. "Your Highness, I am quite grateful that you took her in."

"How could I not? When you used the satchel bag that I gave to you against me?" It was a birthday present she gave to him, telling him that whenever he needed her, he just had to send that back to her.

General Feng looked solemn as he walked to her. He was going to hug her. He always used that to silence her.

Her hand went on his chest, stopping him. Their eyes locked. "Did she stab Elder Brother? Is she the murderer?" Tears slid down her flushed cheeks. Li Lian kept crying that she killed 'the emperor' in her sleep. Murderer. "Are you using my love for you to make me disgraceful? To shield my brother's murderer?"

He pulled her into his arms, and tears overwhelmed her face. Salt clung to her throat as she groggily cried. "Why? How could you do this to me?" She was struggling against his arms, attempting to punch him with her weary hands. Apparently, when she was not being a jealous woman she was being a shameless sister.

"I can't give you the answers you seek, I'm sorry. All I can tell you is I must protect a life to protect lives. It is my duty."

She stopped trying to hit him, more sobs coming from her, her body shuddering.

"Your Highness, we miss His Majesty, everyone does. And like you, he didn't trust me but still he kept me close to him. I respect him for that. He was willing to give people chances because he said, he was a messed up person too." General Feng sniffled. "The last time I spoke to him, he was drinking and looked sad. He summoned me just to drink with him and only said two words to me on that day, 'Be Happy.'"

He broke down, going on his knees, overwhelmed with emotion. "He wouldn't say it but I knew it. That I drink to escape from duty and responsibility, the same responsibility that keeps me from loving the woman I am crazy for. He was the only person who understood me."

Yang Liu was stuck on the same spot, watching the man she always thought was stone cold, weeping. Could it be that he loved her? She was not the only one who felt something, right?

She didn't question him further. Today was not the day. Rather, she helped him settle down in her bedchambers, insisting that he needed to rest. She helped him out of his outer garments, ordered some water for him so she could wash his feet. The other time it was him who took care of her. On this day she would do the same. He refused her care, out of formalities but she didn't let him be.

General Feng carried so much because of his position, his clan and his obligations. There were so many responsibilities that he bore alone. Li Lian was one of them, and though it was unacceptable for a princess to shield someone like her, she would do it. Her heart was already Feng Chang An's, so she couldn't be a filial sister. She loved Elder Brother so much, but she warned him against Li Lian. He was bearing the consequences of his decisions. And she sadly had to stand with who she loved, just as he stood for Li Lian the other day. If Elder Brother let Li Lian hit her, the woman was going to be killed for hitting royalty and they wouldn't be having the current circumstances.

Again, she loved her brother, deeply she did. Thus it was difficult to choose love or family. Bai Shen Hong just had to bear lying on the thorny bed he made for himself on this one. And hopefully, he survived it.

She sat herself next to the resting body of General Feng. He was so at peace when asleep. If only she could see him like this at all times.

Sighing, she lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes to rest with him. She was his.

Author's Note

Having the emperor in the current state makes me miss him, love him and appreciate his character so much. He may be a messed up one but I love Yu'er just as his mama does.

New book. So please vote to get this book going up, up, up. I hope you are loving the 3x uploads in a week. Spoils for you!!

Kisses,

S.V