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Chapter 37

Yuwen Hong
Bai Shen Hong
Emperor Huizhong

"Have you been following the Noble Consort Qi like I asked?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Li Jie was quick to answer. "We think your suspicions towards her might be true."

Yuwen Hong ran his hand over the scrolls on the table of his Dragon Studying Room. "Prepare to catch her in the act," he instructed.

"Yes, Your Majesty." This time it was Li Jun who responded.

"Is that all?"

Li Jie huffed, the same way Cai Wenjin did when she could not figure out something.

"What is wrong?"

"Your Majesty, this servant has wondered."

"About?"

"His Majesty was close to the Noble Consort Qi."

He was until he could not trust her after the attack on the palace. How did she survive? Where was she? Even Li Lian was taken away.

"Yet, His Majesty did not seek to have her as the mother of royal children," Li Jie continued.

Noble Consort Qi did not want to sleep with him, and though that was the case, he could insist otherwise. It was her duty, however, he didn't.

He could have elevated the wing of the Qi and pulled down the wing of the Wang by having a child with her. Even in that way, he would achieve a balance in the court. Both of them had similar advantages and disadvantages.

Li Jie's question was why did he choose Consort Wang over Noble Consort Qi. He was calculating with everything, Li Jie understood that.

Not willing to have servants pick on his mind, he dismissed them without an answer. "Leave and attend to my orders. Such matters are not for you to ponder over."

Truth in it was that he was cunning. Noble consort Qi was soft. Children with her possibly could result in an heir that was as passive as her, with no will and backbone like him. Such a son would ruin the empire.

Consort Wang, though not the perfect person, was calculative, greedy, selfish. All those attributes would serve a good heir, he had thought then. Cai Wenjin, for example, had she been an heir and not a princess, she would have survived the ugliness of sitting on the throne.

However, in the end, Li Lian was the perfect fit for him. She had not only Consort Wang's attributes, but also what he and Consort Wang did not carry, a sense of justice, fairness, integrity, emotion, and right standing. He wanted his heir to have a heart for his people and rule in equity, though his hand could still be guileful and sly.

Right after, Yuwen Hong gave his audience to Zhi Peng, his advisor.

"Your Majesty, we became suspicious when Court Lady Nam confessed that Her Highness Wei went out for a breath of air after she had arrived at the Dragon palace. Thus, to be safe, we investigated further and also found out from the palace maid that offered the prisoner food that she found the chains of the door not tied in the specific manner we always leave them."

Yuwen Hong sighed, so that was why. "Go on," he instructed Zhi Peng.

"It is circumstantial evidence, Your Majesty. We plan to investigate further."

"Why was the lock not locked?"

"We leave it like that for an hour for the sake of the palace maid who brings food then collects it later on."

He wanted to ask why they did not just unlock whenever she needed to enter instead of leaving it unlocked and unattended, however, he already knew why. The Dragon palace was a place with strict decorum no servant would dare play around and his palace guards the best of best that no trespasser would wander around.

Except Li Lian. Only she would dare.

He stood up and walked around, pondering.

Li Lian had been avoiding him ever since the night he let her go with the excuse that she was upset over the fact that she was not pregnant. He knew it was a lie, she was no longer a brilliant liar who would leave him guessing.

Yu'er had had time to study her. The face she made when she was happy, content, amused, excited, bored, irritated, lying. He had memorized them all. He was past the stage of being made a fool out of.

In the past, when Li Lian would cross paths with him as she strolled with her entourage and he was on his way to attend his business, she would run to him, change her direction to escort him wherever he was going just to get to spend time with him. Now, she was quick to change paths and pretend she had not seen him. When attending events, she barely spoke to him. When he requested for her to serve him for the night, she feigned sickness and sent her apologies. Surely this had tempted him to go seek the attention of a concubine just to spite her. However, his feelings would not let him. He loved her too much; it hurt to see her suffer.

"Your Majesty." Zhi Peng captured his attention.

"Speak."

"Your Majesty, I know you stated that this subject should investigate Furia and not tell His Majesty the results unless asked."

"Yes."

"However, this subject found something that will be of interest to His Majesty." Zhi Peng fiddled with his hands. "The queen is of old age now, but her only princess, a pure royal, married Feng Chang An."

Yuwen Hong remembered the princess. She was beautiful like his Li Lian and they were weirdly similar in appearance.He was right to associate Li Lian with Furia when they first met.

The emperor was normally not concerned about meeting the parents of his women, considering how many they were, but this was making him curious. Li Lian was outstanding, who were her parents? Though, she did say both had estranged relationships with her.

"If the queen gave away her only princess, who is next to take the throne?"

"That is what we were asking ourselves. Nobody knows, but there has been rumors speaking of an illegitimate princess."

"She has two daughters?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The queen was once married to the King of Huticah. They had a daughter together."

"Where is she now?" He wanted to clean out all of the royalty related to King Tobba, even Feng Chang An.

"Nobody seems to know. Even Huticah has not seen her for more than a decade."

"Could the ruthless Tobba have killed his daughter?" Yuwen Hong wouldn't take that past him.

"We thought so too, until we found out that though the queen must be resting due to her health, she has been travelling a lot. A few months ago, she was in Nevoria and now we hear she is in Huticah."

That possibly meant she knew where her second daughter was and could be making arrangements to have her enthroned. Yet, that did not make sense as the child was not a pure royal, being the princess of Huticah too.

"I don't think this is of importance to me," Yu'er dismissed the matter. Whatever Furia was up to, the end results were the same.

Since Furia and Huticah organized a marriage between their prince and princess, Furia would be standing with Huticah when Yuwen Hong decided to strike against Huticah. He had avoided this for so long. Furia was once part of them, it was not right, but circumstances were forcing his hand. He had to avenge his father and if Furia chose to stand in his way, so be it, they were going to face the consequences.

Yuwen Hong picked his cup filled with wine and took a swig. He had been discussing politics all day, it was tiring.

"Is that everything?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. His Majesty is wise."

Yuwen Hong placed the cup down and left his library. It was time to visit Little Fox.

The last time she acted like this was when he killed the General of Gurio. He had to use Cai Wenjin to grovel for forgiveness. Li Lian did not appreciate his heartless ways when it came to his regard to life. The same was applied in this situation, seeing his prisoner all cut mercilessly, it probably kept her up with nightmares. His Little Fox, she was strong, yet in some cases she was a little tender.

He stopped in his welcoming room, hesitating. Li Lian had been avoiding him, why did he have to go and look for her? Her entourage was going to lie to him that she was not well and he would be ashamed to walk back like the other night.

He smirked. He could play her game too.

"Luo Meng."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Luo Meng walked forth from the shadows.

"Take that Huticah prisoner to the dungeon and prepare him for death. He must be executed tomorrow."

"Yes."

"And ensure that you spread the rumor which states His Majesty is about to kill the prisoner he once hid in his dragon palace."

"Your Majesty's orders are final."

Yuwen Hong went for a bath before relaxing in his welcoming room as he drank more of his wine. It did not take an hour before it was announced to him that Li Lian was asking for his audience.

"Your Majesty," she curtseyed before him, an unknown court lady doing the same behind her. The only attendant in her entourage he knew was Ai.

"How can I help you? I am expecting a concubine to serve me tonight."

He saw jealousy flash in her eyes and satisfaction swelled within him.

"Looks like your mistress is fine to me," Yuwen Hong glared at the court lady.

"Excuse this servant for she does not understand what His Majesty is talking about."

"You do not because you have been lying about your mistress' wellbeing."

The court lady quickly shook her head, fear gripping her. "No, Your Majesty."

"Luo Meng," his voice turned authoritative, "bring my sword."

Li Lian did not waste time intercepting. "Yu'er, she is my servant, so I will relieve you of the need to punish her. Let me do it when we get back to the palace."

"Punish her for something you instructed her to do? If they will not respect me now, what next when you become empress? You are now their new ruler?" Yuwen Hong could feel rage begin to trickle in, his temper did not take long to be roused. "Luo Meng, take the court lady out for canning and have them strip off her title to slavery. She must be cast out of the palace." If she is cast out, Li Lian could find her and send her money to leave the Capital so as to live a well-off life. "Actually, don't cast her out, have her do hard labor in the palace."

The court lady scrambled for help, grabbing on to Li Lian. "Your Highness, please help your servant. Please!"

"Now is not the time," Li Lian chastised her.

Yuwen Hong smirked. Li Lian knew it was not the right time to beg for her servant's forgiveness. Of course.

She would bring up the subject later when she was in his good books, and he was afloat with his love for her. Especially that time when he had just bent her over his bed and slept with her in his arms, satiated. It always became easy for her to take advantage of him.

"Your Majesty, if I may ask for your forgiveness." Li Lian crawled until she was by his legs from where he sat on the zabuton cushion.

He did not think she would ask for that so soon.

"You are my empress, of course you will misbehave here and there. Get up." He reached for her hands. She was silly. "I have missed you."

"No, Your Majesty." She tightened her hands, unmoving to be dragged onto him. "Not that."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Your Majesty," she trembled. "Please pardon the prisoner you intend to kill tomorrow."

S.V