Shengli who was happy deep in his heart knew this was the time he had to ask her about her secrets.
"So since we are laying everything out in the open, why not tell us about your connection with Lord Chu?", Shengli asked knowing her father would pursue it too.
"Chu Yixin? What's with that bastard and you?", AoTian shouted.
Father has bad blood with that Lord Chu too? Xing smiled, "I hate him", she said.
"Who doesn't? Now tell us", Shengli had a grin that he had trapped her.
Xing understood his intentions and smiled back, " Then tell me what happened in that library fire. I bet it was you who saved me and not Haru"
With that the grin in Shengli's face was wiped off and Xing's smile widened.
So my guess was right! He knows what happened there.. I'm not going to tell you my secrets without you opening up even a little.
"The Caijing Library fire? You mentioned it before and said your hair colour changed after that? So Shengli was there too?", Rijun asked curiously. That fired was an unsolved mystery till now. As per the onlookers report, the fire was so big that nobody could enter inside but it suddenly disappeared leaving only the inside of the library burnt to ashes.
Seeing he had no escape and he really did want to know about her connections with the Eastern province, Shengli decide to tell her the truth.. Well .. Most of the truth,
" That night, I didn't know you were there and I found Shihong there and we were fighting when the library caught fire. As I was escaping I found you but then we were trapped in the fire and that's when the Tiger God you are acquainted with.. He helped us escape by putting out the fire. For some reason you don't remember those incidents and your hair colour changed and it helped you with escaping Shihong too since Shihong knew you as my lover with dark hair and was trying to find you "
" Wait.. So Shihong was looking for the one who was supposed to be the Golden Tiger and later he wanted to find Shengli's lover and now he wanted to find Lord Táng not knowing all the three persons are one and she is the Prime Minister's daughter? ", Rijun asked confused.
" You put her life in danger!", AoTian shouted at Shengli which he ignored.
" Stop it, AoTian. Her life was in danger the moment she was born. Also for now Shihong only knows her as Lord Táng and not as the Golden Tiger or as the daughter of the Prime Minister. That's good! ", Feiye spoke softly and Xing saw a dangerous glint in his eyes that only lasted for a second before he got back to his usual smiling face,
" So then dear, now that you know what happened in the fire, you should tell us what is with you and Lord Chu", he asked.
Xing realised Her Uncle is trying to change the topic. But since she had promised she told them,
"Well.. A couple of years back, I won a lot from him in gambling in Heavenly Flowers Palace. He is basically a servant of mine. But this matter is to be kept a secret", she spoke like it was not a big deal.
"Xing!", Shengli stood up in panic, "Explain properly"
"Why are you panicking?", Xing asked calmly.
"Xing, a couple of years back I heard Lord Chu was looking for the Lone Wolf but Haru sent me a message not to meet him and I listened to him. What happened between you two that he had to ask to put a hit on you? "
" A couple of years back? Isn't that when there were chatters that the nobles in the East had decided to stop working in their farm lands to let the government give back their right to fix the price of rice? But that didn't happen, right? If that had happened, there would have been major food shortage in our kingdom leading to various disasters", Rijun said. So does she had something to do with the change in the Nobles' plans?
"Yes, but I heard about it only later. But that Lord Chu was a bad man not paying the salaries of the people working in his lands and that led to many people selling their children to brothels and into servitude",Xing said casually.
"He tried to put a hit on you?", AoTian asked angrily.
"Yes father, he might have. There are many bounties on me and Haru in the underworld circles. We had bothered too many people. We have higher bounties than the Wind and the Water Emperors. In fact Lord Chu had also had a bounty for my hair for four years or so. A single strand of my hair for ten thousand silver coins and no one could get it. But you know what, even if someone get a hair of mine, Lord Chu doesn't even have the coins to pay", Xing boasted and laughed.
AoTian and Rijun stood motionless. What kind of life did she lead to have bounties on her pretty head! And why is she boasting that as an achievement?
Shengli lost his patience, "Xing, get to the point", he patted her shoulder.
"Ah, yes! I played speed GO in a high stakes gambling game with Lord Chu and got all his immovable assets", She said freezing everyone in the place.
The Chu family was a regular retainer family till two centuries back. But during the time of the Scarlet Tiger Emperor, he went on many war campaigns and that's when the Chu family gained some status. That Emperor gave nobility status to the Chu family and the lands in the Eastern Province were given as feif. All those lands were fertile lands whose produce contributed to more than fifty percentage of the entire kingdoms food produce. They became rich soon within decades and they were not gained properly and not morally abusing the name of the Scarlet Tiger Emperor. But in his later years as complaints reached his ears, he formed the Ministry of Rice which undertook the job of setting price to all the food produce depending on the harvest each year. Even so their nobility status was not revoked and soon after, their military power grew too and they made alliances with other Nobles in the East by marriage and they became more influential over years. Although they were not powerful are of higher status as the Four High Nobles, as the ones appointed by the well-liked Scarlet Tiger Emperor, they held high status among nobles too. They did not involve in power struggles too making them less prone to dangers.
So if Xing says she owns all of his immovable assets it would include all of his Manors and all of his lands. But...
"All of his immovable assets?", Feiye asked after a while. How can Lord Chu be that stupid to lose all his properties to a single person. Also isn't he the one boasting his capabilities in playing GO? Even AoTian lost to him constantly and was bullied by Chu Yixin when he was young.
Shengli knew for sure now that Shihong got wind of Lord Táng because of this.
"Xing", he spoke softly, " If the game happened in the Heavenly Flowers Palace, there should be a contract, right? Who wrote the contract?"
"Haru", Xing answered.
"Sweet Heavens!", Shengli laughed, "Then you should have read it before signing right? Now do you have the contract with you?"
Xing shook her head saying no. So Shengli brought paper and brush to her and made her write the contract.
"She remembers everything after reading it once", he said smiling to those who are confused around him.
Of course she does! Rijun sighed.. What can she not do?
Shengli read the contract as she wrote and a grin grew in his face.
Haru! There is no other one like you!
He gave the contract she wrote to AoTian and Rijun and joined him to read it too. Their eyes widened in surprise.
"NanCheng Pass too?", Rijun asked surprised.
"Yes, that was his last chip and still he lost. He was so desperate and he wanted to play with his military token but I denied. What am I supposed to do with a bunch of Military dudes?", she grinned.
Bunch of...? Chu Military is only second to the Zhong Military by numbers and ability..
Also, NanCheng Pass was the pass in the mountain range that is in the North Eastern part of the Wind Kingdom and the easiest way of passage to the Water and the Earth Kingdom and also serves as a tri - point border of the three kingdoms. There was a popular saying that the one who owns the NanCheng pass owns the East. This passage is used by merchants and the tax they pay will all go to the owner and not a single penny will belong to the government. Also even the government has to pay taxes to move their troops through there and the Chu family were allowed to have more private troops to protect the Pass and it is a goose laying golden eggs.
"Father! You are the Prime Minister. You can clear my doubts right?", Xing asked with her eyes sparkling.
"Tell me", her father said.
" Was NanCheng Pass really given to the Chu family by the Scarlet Tiger? I think that Chu one is just bragging.. ", she asked.
"Sadly.. He is right", AoTian sighed, " Tianshi Emperor was the one who gave the Chu family that Pass to acknowledge the services of the Chu family. Even I had personally seen the official document with the seal of the Tianshi Emperor"
"Huh! Really! Such an important place given to a private family... Was he a fool? Or... Oh! That's right.. He must have been drunk... He must have gotten stupidly drunk... That Scarlet Tiger.. No... No... Only us 'commoners' call him Scarlet Tiger, right? ... You 'Nobles' call him Tianshi Emperor... Don't you? ", she giggled.
Rijun immediately shushed her,
" Shhh! Mingxia! You cannot badmouth an Emperor. It's a capital offence "
"Why not? He's dead isn't he? If he'd a problem with me calling him stupid and a drunkard let him come to me...", she sneered.
"Xing! Are you drunk?", Shengli asked holding her shoulders.
"Ah.... ! My Prince.... ! You are truly handsome.... And there are two of you... Guess... I am drunk..", she mumbled running her fingers through his face and Shengli grabbed her hands and placed it back on the table noticing the angry glare of her father.
"Why? What made you do this to Lord Chu?", Feiye asked surprised after reading the contract. She had wiped him clean..
"Oh! He irked me.. It was a personal vengeance...", Xing's face darkened , "Bragging and bragging... Either it was his GO skills or his wealth or that the Chu family was like Godchildren of the Scarlet Tiger.. Like hell they were... That one died childless didn't he? The nerves on him.. He even said his great grandfather was taught by the Scarlet Tiger personally to play this kind of GO... Guess what... The same book he followed I had already read in the Caijing Library and there were even a bunch of pages from the book torn and hidden in the rafters which I had found and read and that helped me win... Who is he trying to cheat, studying a copied book...? So I beat him in his own game and got all his wealth he brags about as loot... Afterwards I learned those properties were important for the kingdom and decided to throw that hot potato away... Even Lord Huang wanted to buy it.. But then I changed my mind to keep it as a dowry for my Prince.. ", she giggled with her darkness gone.
" Girl! Who asked you dowry? ", Shengli asked patting her hands. Only he found something off from the reason she said... She is not someone with petty jealousy, right?
"Yes..you didn't... You never even talked to me in ten years... What if you'd abandon me for being poor? ", she sighed and Shengli froze.
She then looked at her father,
"So father, as you see, I do know gods, I have many enemies, I can see blood ties.. I mean that's how I knew Uncle Feiye was my uncle and you were my father and my brother is also my cousin... So that Elder was right about those things.. Also I can talk to animals, own the East, the West heeds to me I have friends in the neighbouring kingdoms and one more thing, I own ten percent shares in the Heavenly Flowers Palace. I am filthy rich! And most importantly... If mother and you were married because of a hairpin, then my Prince and I are married too for ten years and that's settled... So you can tell me whatever you decide. I do have a lot of places I can go to", she said firmly.
AoTian went to deep thoughts and he didn't know how to answer her. Surely he can accept his daughter but that one she chose cannot be a good partner for her.
She hiccupped as she got more drunk and stared at her father who had his forehead knitted in anger staring at Shengli. She chuckled,
" Father, it's so unbecoming of you to frown. You have such a pretty face…. ", she laughed, "All this while, I thought I might have taken after my father… But alas! I didn't. How much I wish for a face as pretty as you?"she looked at her father propping her chin on her hand with a grin on her face.
AoTian's mood immediately lightened and Feiye noticed it too and thought to himself how good his niece is at flattery. Rijun who was completely sober by now thought to himself, why can't he be like her?
She giggled and then continued, "Father, I have one request, will you grant it?"
Rijun rolled his eyes while Feiye continued to laugh by himself and Shengli quietly watched her drunken shenanigans.
AoTian overcome with joy nodded and Xing said slurring, " Father.. ,daddy… Papa… Make me a little sister.. A little sister with your face… I want a cute little sister to play with…"
Shengli almost choked on his tea and Rijun moved his chair far from his father who was now red with anger and embarrassment while Feiye convulsed trying to control himself.
Xing in her drunkenness didn't notice that and continued, " That Ran First Young Miss was pretty. You are pretty.. She is pretty… You two will make a pretty little sister… So bring her home… nowwww… ", she banged her table.
AoTian couldn't hold back anymore and in his angered state said something he regretted immediately, "Xu mama!! , get my drunk daughter back to her courtyard!! ", he clicked his tongue at Xing, "How can she say this when her mother hasn't been dead for more than a month and that too on the day of our wedding night.. ?", he bit his tongue.
What have I revealed? Please heavens! Let no one listen, please!
Of course heavens are not that considerate and Xing clearly heard the last part, wedding night-->consummation--> They made me? She counted with her fingers, only six months for new year. What!! Only six months? How is it possible? No baby can survive in six months...
While Xing was calculating, Xu mama came to her side to hold her and she pushed her hands, "Wait, Six months? Father! You are really great! Even I won't believe I am your child given the circumstances if I can't see our blood - tie", she winced her eyes as the world started to spin around her. AoTian got embarrassed and his face changed to different colours.
Rijun sensed the awkward situation and made his escape and Feiye signalled Shengli to control the situation. Who knows what his hot-headed brother might do?
Xu mama trying to help whispered, "Young miss, let's go to your room", but Xing didn't budge. "How could father believe I am his child? I'm not leaving until I find out", she slurred and sat with her arms folded with her lips in a cute pout. Shengli squatted beside her and tried to carry her but was pushed away and he didn't want to exert force.
AoTian's temper rose to a dangerous level yet he tried to act calm, "Mingxia, I just know. There is this thing called trust. Now why don't you get some sleep? Huh?", he said soothingly.
Xing just shook her head as if she is not accepting the explanation and kept on closing her eyes and she even started to sway.
Xu mama gave a deep sigh, "Young Miss, there are ways for a man to know if it was the first time for a woman. Now let's go", she whispered in her ears.
"Is that so? If then, how? ", she asked and saw everyone not willing to answer. Feiye was laughing, seems like his drunk niece is uncontrollably shameless and it would be good not to get her drunk ever again. Also it is amazing for his brother to keep his cool, if it was someone else they'd have been slapped out of their drunkenness by now.
Since no one was answering, she looked at Shengli by her side, "You are a man. Tell me, how would you know?"
Shengli saw her flushed face filled with curiosity, but went blank. How would he know? He haven't even looked at other women or engaged in boy's talk before. He knew about menstruation just recently and even learned to kiss from her. But judging from the others expressions, this topic is not something to be discussed with elders of the family and he suddenly remembered what he had learned a long time ago back in the palace and his face blushed red... The purpose of the white cloth in an all red bridal chamber...
So he just picked her up eventhough she struggled. He held her tightly and said in a firm tone,
"Xing! Be good!"
She looked at his face ,smiled and closed her eyes and nuzzled her head in his chest. "Be good, Xing! ", he said gently, "Sleep", she went completely silent and went to sleep.
All Xing could hear was Shengli's rhythmical heartbeat and she relaxed listening to it and went to sleep.
Everyone else sighed in relief as if a storm had passed. The young miss had brought up the name of the taboo person and the Master have not lost his cool yet.
"I'll bring her to her room",Shengli said and excused himself and Xu mama followed him.