Chapter 5

Emperor Huizhong
Bai Shen Hong
Yuwen Hong

Yuwen Hong felt tiny hands circle his waist and a head rest on his lower back. That irritated him as he loosened her hands, although they persisted to hold on and not let go of him. He was too annoyed with her games.

When he finally managed to release her from him, Li Lian then stood by his side and observed the sparring of the seniors he was also watching.

"They are really good," she muttered in awe.

He didn't say anything back but continued to watch, ushering his instructions when he caught onto a fault from their practising.

In truth, he did not know what he was still doing there, instead of going back to the palace.

Waiting for Oren? He knew that was a lie. He did not need to wait for his master if he really wanted to leave.

Li Lian spoke of needing freedom but she did not realise how much she was in control and free. Was the person chained and bound ever in possession of control?

Her freedom was more mental than physical. It reminded him of a tamed elephant born into the hands of men. In its childhood, it would have a rope around it that would be used to leash it, a weapon to control it, and due to its size at a younger age, whenever it tried to tug away from the leash, it always ended defeated in the hands of men, thus it eventually gave up fighting thereafter.

When it reached an older age and bigger size, still a rope on its neck, it still did not fight against the leash. Although it could win, in its mind, it had decided from a young age that the rope around its neck would always overpower it. A big elephant was controlled by a small little man due to a broken will and a mind chained by circumstances at a younger age.

He understood her mindset. However, it got him angry the most that she had been alive all along and never dared send word to relieve him from grieving. She had made him a fool and taken advantage of the situation against him. Li Lian was selfish, always been, and for long he had tried to ignore it although it had always been in the open.

"Grand General," his court lady called, "it is time for your lunch. Shall we serve it?"

"Why would you serve it when I am here? Leave it for me to handle," Li Lian intercepted.

"I'm not hungry," he dismissed. It was too late for Li Lian to begin groveling. She had that chance when he asked for her, but rather, all she was focused on was to seek a rabbit hole for herself.

She rubbed his sleeves and he glared at her giving her his blank look. Master Oren once said a man who had his emotions hidden and unread was the most deadly and feared. That man left no room for anyone to take advantage of and use him.

"I was just wiping something off your sleeves."

Like she was. He turned his attention back to observation.

"I think it will rain. Get the parasol for the Grand General," she hurriedly instructed his entourage.

He looked at the sky. It was grey but the rain was apparently not on its way.

Minutes later, Li Lian was forcefully holding a parasol over him, although still no raindrop in sight. His lip lifted but he bit it down to hide his amusement at this charade around him.

The rest of the day went along with her behind him, trying to excessively serve him at each opportunity she got. It was the attention he had never received from her so he let it be. Let her grovel more.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a young man squeeze through his stationed guards and run to Li Lian. Yuwen Hong became more curious when he saw a scowl cross Li Lian's face as the junior approached.

"Kong Cheng, what are you doing here?" she harshly whispered.

"Introduce me," he shrugged as he pulled a small book and flipped through it.

Li Lian tried to contain a noise of bewilderment as she snatched the book from him. "Go away!"

"Anything the matter?" Yuwen Hong smirked, liking her discomfort and interested to know what that was all about.

"No, no, I will just be escorting him away," Li Lian hurriedly said, though he saw her hand stinging the poor junior's leg in a fistful pinch.

"Grand General, I just wanted to confirm about some things you do in your routine because I think Li Lian lied about the dancing―"

"Aaaah!" Li Lian screamed over his words and took him by the ear, smiling awkwardly. It was fascinating to see her cheeks red from embarrassment. "Grand General, we will be going." She excused herself and folded the parasol in her hand, using it to smack the junior as she dragged him away by the ear.

What was that about?

When he became hungry, they had lunch readied for him. Li Lian was back by then and she served his food at his quarters to the last detail, choosing to sit opposite him as he ate. It reminded him of the time she used to be an attendant and sat through most of his meals.

They ate in silence, him too lazy to deal with her, her afraid to poke a sleeping lion. Afterward, he asked her to prepare a bath for him because he had not cleaned himself since the previous day as he was following a disturbed routine unlike when at the palace.

The water was hot with steam dancing from it and flowery scents wafting in the air. "I had the library of flowers put in the water to deal with relaxation, massaging, and cleansing."

Yuwen Hong untied his robe. "Thank you." He dropped it to the floor, not caring about being naked before her, she always looked away anyway.

After testing the appropriateness of the water, he sank in, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"I will then be leaving―"

"Stay. Get something to scrub my back."

"Yes, Grand General!" She excitedly scuffled around for a scrub, glad he asked her to stay.

His heart was letting him down, he could feel his weak walls fall. When Li Lian was involved, could he ever stay angry?

Surely, he couldn't hold his own when it came to her. She was his weakness, the only person he was content to lose to.

"What happened to your back?" She massaged him from behind as she scrubbed along, lightly tracing the deep scars swiped by the past sword training.

"Talk less and you will stay here, I am still irritated by your childish behavior."

"People who like each other fight, Yu'er, it shows how much they care." She lightly kissed a scar that lined toward his neck.

He tensed.

"You must have suffered," she pitied. "Was this Master Oren's doing?"

"It could have been at war. Why accuse him?"

"I have seen how he trains his students. He is not nice and is too hurtful, that is why I bunk his classes. Besides, aren't you the god of war, the general who has never lost?"

He laughed loudly, unable to control it, and she joined him, laughing at her own joke.

It took a while for her to continue. "I like taking care of you, actually, I miss being your attendant. Watching you eat, dressing you, making your clothes, waiting for you in bed." She was sentimental, beautifully massaging the stiffness of his shoulders and working it away.

His eyes fluttered and closed like a dog who was getting a belly rub.

This. This was his bliss, his content bubble, and the content cave of his heart.

"Yuwen Hong."

"Yes, my love?"

"Is that why you do not like to be touched? The pain you received?"

"Not really."

"Then what is the reason?"

He absent-mindedly took her wet hand and entangled her fingers with his. His mind protested, but his heart not giving a damn. "I do not detest being touched. I am just uncomfortable with unexpected touch."

Oren had trained him concerning so many things. You must feel a sword before it touches you. You must feel it when a person is standing in the shadows. You must be sensitive to danger.

"But you do not allow me to touch you," she grumbled.

Well, then.

"You are touching me now."

"You know that is not what I mean."

He sighed. "Women think too much."

"Stop making assumptions about women." She playfully slapped his back, seeming irritant.

He smiled. Playful and free with him? He liked it. Among other things. "Tell me what you have been doing here without me. What made you fall in love with this place that you forgot about me so fast?"

"You will always have that against me, won't you?"

"Well, start."

And Li Lian began with her stories. They were actually funnier than he expected, or maybe it was the person telling him.

She told him about how she broke the rules and always had Oren upset, everyone always putting the blame on her because for some reason she got away with most things, how she had improved with sowing over time, and the different designs she had come up with.

He had a nagging feeling concerning Oren always willing to provide whatever she asked for. "Why is Oren always treating you like a breakable egg?"

She now led the way, walking into the welcoming room backward, her front directed at him. "Hmm... because I am the woman of the emperor?" She stuck out a tongue at him.

He tied the last of his fresh robes before begrudgingly covering her tongue with his hand, and to this, she squealed in disgust as she backed onto the wall in her failed attempt to avoid him.

Yuwen Hong made use of that position to deadlock her by his arms, his hand pressing on the wall, above her, and the other holding her in place.

He surprised her by taking on all seriousness as he said, "Games aside, Li Lian, it's time we have our last final talk, and if it does not go well, we are over."

~Author's Note~

Thank you for the support on each chapter. 

I wrote the previous chapter using google dictation then had to edit its completion. It turned out to be a great chapter. So in the future, I look forward to sometimes writing through dictation, which is fun. 

I don't know what you think of Ruo Xi, but I relate to what she feels. Her feelings are justifiable, and for me she is loveable. A part of her reminds me of myself. 

S.V