Chapter 9

Bai Shen Hong
Yuwen Hong
Emperor Huizhong

Yuwen Hong sat across Ruo Xi who stirred awake and stretched herself, tossed around and slowly rose. It took her a while to realise he was in the room after rubbing her heavy eyelids.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” she seemed to yawn.

“How are you feeling today?”

“I am better. Thank you for yesterday.” She assessed his appearance. “I see you have been up for a while.”

“Yes.” He was too lazy to mention that he already had his practise and took a bath. Now, all he waited for was his Li Lian to get up. He checked five times hitherto and she was still sleeping.

A silence he was not used to snuck into their midst before she broke it. “I have to tell you something… more like confess.”

His brow raised in question.

“Yesterday, I was not feeling well, but it was not that bad.”

“The physician said that too.”

“Yes… I am sorry.”

“For what?” He was confused.

“For ruining your moment with her by breaking into pieces.”

“Hmm?” Yes, it did irritate him. How long had he known Li Lian and still they―him and Li Lian―hadn't hit their high in the bedroom? Not that he was blaming Ruo Xi.

“The truth is I couldn’t stand it yesterday. To hear you by her side after knowing how she mistreated you earlier on. So…”

She fiddled with the blanket in her hands on the mattress. “I wanted to make her jealous, Yuwen Hong. Make her realise how special you are to her. Even though I would want her to continue taking you for granted, then lose you, at the end I’d rather have you happy… even at my expense.”

Her crying yesterday, appeared real to him, like Ruo Xi was indeed heartbroken over something, but here she was telling him she faked it?

”Ruo Xi, you are a very close friend of mine. I appreciate your kindness, thinking for me and wanting the best for me.”

“But?”

He ran his hand through his face. “However, I would appreciate it if you did not involve yourself in schemes when it comes to me and Li Lian. Really I do, I understand what you did for me, but I do not like my woman getting jealous, feeling bitter or any sort of pain." It was simple as that. "Maybe before I would have, but not anymore, not after almost losing her will I play around and not give myself to her, earnestly.”

“I am sorry," her face fell.

He felt bad for it, thus he moved closer to her and patted her on her back. “Don’t be, but please, no games. Li Lian is not like other women. And I don’t want to find out what kind of different she is made of by being sly with her.”

She nodded. “I guess you are taking her back.”

“I don’t see myself doing otherwise. I love her, Ruo Xi." It felt weird saying it out loud for the first time.  "Li Lian owns all of me left, right, and centre.”

She smiled sadly. “Good. Then to finish it all up, I also have to let you know that I did tell her about my entering into the palace,” hesitation dripped into her before continuing, “I thought it better if she knew it from me.”

“It won’t make a difference,” he shrugged.

“Yes, but considering that I will be her senior since she will be just a concubine and…” Ruo Xi stopped, double taking his expressions, and surely so, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“You are not going to do what I am thinking are you?”

He shrugged again. “It was always my intention. Nothing has changed.”

“I cannot believe it.”

“Li Lian has always been my first option. My empress. The queen to my heart. All I am doing is to make it public now.”

“What you have done is very calculative and deceitful, Hong'er. The Qi household will not be able to stand from this ever again,” she whispered the last words.

Cruel? Yes, he was, but they deserved it. “The Qi family were and are suited to be the weak family, not rising to power. Losing face will ensure that they will not rise again in my reign.”

The biggest priority he had as an emperor was to make sure the power in the court was balanced, and that not a lot of power fell into the wrong hands.

It was not a secret that the Qi clan were involved with the enslavement of Furians, abusing and prostituting the race.

He knew it.

Nevoria knew it.

Furia knew it and constantly threatened their peace agreement with it.

“So you declared Qi to be your upcoming wife, the empress, just so you could then drop her under the goose that she is “incapable” and that way, her clan would lose face?”

Rightly said. Losing face was an ignominy in their culture. It meant the clan had been disgraced, and henceforth if the Qi clan did something great, worthy to be praised and attain elevation, people would downplay it and reiterate that a clan that had failed to have their woman on the seat. What greatness can come out of them?

“Noble Consort Qi was weirdly missing during the palace attack, she snooped out of the palace, recently too, and they scarred her during her punishment. All these are good reasons to drop her.”

“You have played dirty, Yuwen Hong.”

The Wei clan was gone, the Qi losing face, the Wang clan left with no women of theirs in the harem than the rotting Dowager Empress. It only left the Wu clan of his grandmother, and the Lu clan of Ruo Xi that was about to take over the South Faction; both would be the new dominant factions, which was what he had in mind from the beginning and saw as proper.

The Lu clan had been helpful in all sorts of wars and had good ties with him, even stretching back to the time his Great-Grandfather reigned, they were always willing to help the emperor, thus they could be trusted. While the Wu clan had his grandmother as their representative, who was predictable in her outrageous ways and not such a big problem as he was her grandson.

As Yuwen Hong approached his fifth year of reign, having everything balance out was such a great achievement.

“Are you sure you want Li Lian as your empress?”

He stood. “Before, I questioned it. Li Lian has many secrets. Yet, now she is the best candidate. Her clan left for Huticah. She has no support in the court anymore. Thus, what harm can she possibly do to me? She poses no threat to me now.”

Ruo Xi thinned her lips. “As you say. I'm happy to support you and her in whatever way”

“Hǎo. Get refreshed. I am going out.”

When he went to search for Li Lian, she was no longer sleeping but had gone to the washing room to bathe.

He decided to go to the dining halls and watch over his smaller than usual entourage preparing food for his beloved. He wanted to have his breakfast with Li Lian and spend more time with her, then have their talk. Hopefully, she was rested and had a clear mind about what she wanted.

“Greetings, My Lord.” A man greeted him, seated behind the long dining table, as Yuwen Hong entered the dining-room. The young man wasn't eating but had a wooden necklace he was carving by a knife in his hands.

“Lance?” Yu'er noted the huge dark wings opened out into the air. Definitely Furian.

Lance wore surprise on his face. “I did not pan myself out to be famous. What an honor to be known by you."

“I know about things I do not care about, comes with my position.” Yuwen Hong did not like silly chitchat, his feet already dragging him forth to follow his entourage that had gone before him. He could sit and wait for them, but he loved to entertain himself with food tasting. It would be fun to pick what he and Li Lian should eat by inspecting what the kitchen had.

“Is My Lord not curious what this is?” Lance held the necklace he was now oiling after carving.

It had a naked woman at the centre of it, her hands up as she was lost in the throes of passionate dancing.

“I know to mind my issues.”

“This is a necklace I seek to give the woman who has won my heart, the woman I have kissed unabashedly without her refusing me," Lance smirked proudly. He was a mad man, to say it nicely. "She is a strong woman and I like her a lot. We have a lot of chemistry, one I have not shared with anyone else.”

Yuwen Hong looked at the man with indifference. He had expected a man of worth but what a scoundrel. What a shameless student, a running mouth, and lack of modesty. What in the world had possessed Oren to choose him as a disciple?

He decided to leave without a word.

S.V