If you are not following me, I posted a notification to let you know that I added 600 words to the previous chapter. Please check it out as it has important information you will need to know for the future chapters. The conversation between Yuwen Hong and Li Lian as they walk to the training grounds is what I added.

Chapter 33

Wei Li Lian
Princess Elora
Her Highness Wei
The Dragon Court

Having Mistress Ki as her mistress was a nightmare. The woman always expected nothing but perfection and the best from her. There was no end to Mistress Ki's expectations and though Li Lian would not like to admit it, the woman had understood her. That is what made her a respectable mistress. She knew how to get Li Lian motivated, when to ease back when she had pushed Li Lian beyond her limits, and when to reward Li Lian whereby the most benefits would be reaped.

While the Grand Dowager for example, she deserved no title of mistress and importantly, what had she done that was so outstanding to be honored by Li Lian that she would enslave herself to her? Clearly, Li Lian was losing her mind. Understandably, she was nervous because Yuwen Hong finding out the truth also had her heart on the line; thus, she had weakly pledged her allegiance to the old woman when threatened.

However, Li Lian was not going to live in the past. The past is where she was controlled, silenced, and oppressed. She did not want to go back there.

Moreover, if Yuwen Hong paid the Grand Dowager no respect and the woman failed to fight back, that spoke volumes. She, Li Lian, could also get away with the Grand Dowager knowing her secret, yet silenced not to rat her out. There had to be a way to attain strings which would enable her to control the old woman. She just had to find it.

Days had passed after Yuwen Hong decreed that Luo Meng should have his daughter back. The Grand Dowager obeyed the decree, but ever since, she became bed ridden with sickness. The physician blamed it on stress as the cause. That is why Li Lian had not been summoned to the Rose Flower Palace to be corrected for her bad behavior―taking Luo Meng's side and not standing with her when expected to.

"A very good day to Her Highness," Court Lady Nam greeted Li Lian.

Li Lian waved her hands to her entourage to keep following her. They held pots with sprouting flowers in the midst of manured soil.

"Ignore the formalities," she regarded Court Lady Nam.

"How can we be of assistance to Her Highness?" Court Lady Nam scrutinized the so many flowers they had brought. "His Majesty is not here."

"I know, I am not here to seek his audience, however, I would like to have these decorating the surroundings of the dragon palace. He liked what I did to the phoenix palace and I would like to surprise him with the same thing"

"Of course." Court Lady Nam bowed. "Please let us know if we could be of any help at any time." She then stretched out her hand for Li Lian to begin her work. The yard was now hers.

"Ai." Li Lian turned. "Take on the other side with half of the entourage and I will take on the rest. Remember to be fast. We do not want to be here until the sun has fully come out and we are burning."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Li Lian led her attendants to start uprooting the already present flowers. She wanted to start afresh and had a specific painting in her mind that she purposed to achieve. As they got to work, scattering all over the ground of the dragon palace, Li Lian walked around observing whether what they were doing was to her liking.

She could not help smiling at the spot where Luo Meng, Yuwen Hong, and her had once stood as Yuwen Hong punished Luo Meng in the middle of the night. She had been childish, implicating Luo Meng to receive the worst punishment.

It seemed like years ago because now Luo Meng was a father, married her palace maid who he sneakily stole . He was indeed a villain and could not be trusted.

On the rear of the huge dragon palace were trees and two separate buildings. She was aware that one of them was a storeroom, while the other she was not sure about. Behind them was the huge wall guarding the dragon palace by blocking the intruders from any access.

Interrupting her thoughts, she felt the lower part of her stomach shoot with faint pain.

Disappointment struck her.

She recognized that pain, the foreshadowing of her monthly bleeding, which meant she was not pregnant.

Yuwen Hong did not mind it and rarely brought up the subject, but she knew his officials were pressing the matter than before by annoying him to throw tantrums, yet still charging through with determination. Their reasoning was to secure the future of the empire. Definitely, the issue was on his mind, yet he kept silent to not pressure.

Besides the officials, it was not like the Inner Court was letting her have it easy, either. It was the perfect excuse they needed to push for Yuwen Hong to start visiting them again; a routine he had stopped long back. Li Lian could not bear the thought, but who was she to complain when she was fully aware of the fact that she was marrying a man who possessed a harem.

She thought maybe her being a Furian woman was the cause of delay in her getting pregnant, but her research proved otherwise, princesses captured in the past did indeed bear children for royalty without a problem.

Time. She needed to give it time and be patient.

A noise caught her attention as she passed the second building beside the storage. It was a groan of pain if she was not mistaken, but it did not make sense why it would be that.

She ignored it and turned to leave when a louder cry came that had her stopping dead. A person was inside. Could a servant have locked himself inside by mistake?

She proceeded to the entrance, realizing that whoever was inside, they had not locked themselves inside. Chains bolted the door shut to keep trespassers from entering. She hesitated as she stood by the door. Evidently, someone was inside, a prisoner perhaps.

Prisoners were no surprise, Yuwen Hong probably had people locked up on a daily basis with his temper. However, the question was why was this specific person locked at the back of his palace and not in a dungeon with the rest of the prisoners?

Li Lian felt the heat cling to her as she broke sweat from nervousness. She knew herself; her curiosity was alike to a fish. Therefore, she called for Ai.

"Get me a sword, an axe, anything that can break a chain..." She paused as it came to mind that it was reckless. Asking for such things would rouse suspicion and if Yuwen Hong suspected a thing he could easily find out it was her by simply asking around. She did not want him knowing she broke through, especially since she did not exactly know who or what was inside. "Forget it." Li Lian rather dismissed the puzzled Ai.

They hurriedly planted the flowers and finished by midday. Knowing she could not sleep without knowing what was inside that building, she spent the day trying to figure out how she would break in. Breaking the chain was out of the question, it would make noise if she tried hitting it with force, so she had the one option of trying to unlock the lock without the key. This, she had done before when she rescued people from the dungeon.

During the night, she went to the dragon palace and pretended to be there to serve Yuwen Hong. He was busy and not yet back at the palace, so she used the opportunity to go outside and walk around, asking for only Ai to follow her. The few tools she got to work on the lock were weighing on her sleeves where she hid them.

She instructed Ai to watch out for her by standing where she could see anyone coming right in time. She was supposed to cough when someone was coming then do the job of distraction until Li Lian got to her side. Thankfully, Ai was not a curious person like Dao. She had asked earlier what Li Lian intended to do and Li Lian had chosen not to tell her the plans. It would have Ai safe in case her mission failed and Yuwen Hong went crazy.

With the lamp on the ground, Li Lian held the lock, ready to start her work when she felt the heavy metal turn easily. The heavens were on her side. The lock was not locked, rather just there to keep the chain together. She breathed out a breath of relief as she quickly took off the chains from the lock and quietly opened the door.

Silence engulfed the room as much as the heavy odor that had her covering her mouth in disgust.

"Please... please don't hurt me. Rather, kill me already."

Li Lian's heart started beating as she lifted the lamp for sight. She knew the voice but she was not sure yet. Without delay, she scouted the room to ensure she was safe, and it was empty. There was nothing around except for an empty plate on the floor and the tied prisoner.

Hu-go.

S.V