"The first time I met your father was in Mu country, that was long before Mu country became a vassal state of Xiu." Ge Mengshu pursed as she placed her hands on the table. "I was only fifteen and tagged along with my father. My father, Ge Sumeng as the Prime Minister of Xilie went to see one of Xilie's informants and for me not to be idle, he gave me some silver to go and check the market with Green Wild Tiger..."
"A tiger!" Si Ning's eyes widen at his mother's last word. "You have a tiger?" His mouth fell in astonishment, he never thought his mother would be so wild to keep a tiger and it didn't even occur to him how odd it was to be a green tiger.
"It is a moniker for Yi Chen, I heard he was a wild child that kept going to hunt in the forest, I think that was how the name came to be." Ge Mengshu explained slowly before she took a sip of her tea.
"Oh." Si Ning's eyes started glimmering, he wished he also had a flashy sobriquet to make him stand out since he wasn't the only General in Xiu.
"...When we were walking around the market, a trader selling hair accessories called me over and I was just checking the hairpins when your father appeared from nowhere and stood beside me and pointed at a silver hairpin, he told me it was pretty and would suit me then he went ahead and paid for it. I was confused like why would he tell me it would suit me then bought it but then he turned to me and wanted to insert it in my hair when Green.." Ge Mengshu paused and said. "Yi Chen tried to grab his hand but he had two guards who grabbed Gree... Yi Chen's hands and then your father inserted the hairpin in my hair and walked away." Ge Mengshu told Si Ning, her eyes shimmering to show she was recalling a sweet moment.
"And then?" Si Ning asked when he saw that his mother was lost in her world. He wanted to know the next thing that happened that he even leaned forward not caring about how he looked hungry for more details.
"I didn't see him again but I sent Yi Chen to find out with the excuse that I want to punish him for acting rude to me and also return the hairpin because I do not use silver, as the only daughter of the Prime Minister of Xilie I only wear gold." Ge Mengshu carried the teapot and started filling her cup.
"..." Si Ning raised his brows as he lightly grabbed her wrist. If the tea was too strong for him doesn't mean it was okay for her to keep drinking it and end up not having a wink of sleep till daybreak. Ge Mengshu understood and placed the teapot on the floor while Si Ning carried her cup and placed it next to his cold one on the floor.
"The day we were ready to leave Mu country that was when Yi Chen came to tell me that his name was Si Yunsheng, the second son of the head of Si family in Xiu but he wasn't able to find out why he came to Mu and I told Yi Chen to find out more about Si Yunsheng. Yi Chen was able to find out more before we left Mu country and when we got to Xilie, he told me Si Yunsheng doesn't go out much and he also found out he doesn't partake in any activities that involved Martial Art and it was strange to me that your father came from a noble powerful military family in Xiu but wasn't interested in Martial Art even though his father had a first son to hand over his position to but Si Yunsheng, not training was odd and....." Ge Mengshu paused and folded her hands. "That was it." She said after some time.
"That was that?" Si Ning asked knowing the story doesn't end there. "Mother?"
"I mean then it was over, our encounter was over. I trained day and night and it was getting closer to marry my fiance, Shen Yu." Ge Mengshu told him as she raised her head to recall her memory.
"Shen Yu, you mean Xilie's General?"
"Hmm," Ge Mengshu nodded.
"Eh....." Si Ning was stunned.
Even though it was a long time ago but Si Ning could feel that Shen Yu hold a massive grudge against him and him yelling his name on the battlefield was also to get back at him because of the saying that says 'lets the son pay for his father's sin.'. His mother didn't marry Shen Yu which means his father stole her away from him and during the war, Shen Mo died which might have added fuel to Shen Yu's anger.
"Three years later, my father died and I was supposed to marry Shen Yu but I extended the date with an excuse that I want to oversee the Ge household for four months but we didn't hear from two of Xilie's informants in Xiu which my father go and see sometimes for two months and I took it upon myself and came to Xiu with Gre... Yi Chen and two of the strongest Ge family soldiers and at the meeting point in the third month, we got attacked and I was escaping with a wounded arm and fainted that was when Si Yunsheng rescued me, he treated my wounds and kept me in a house deep in the woods and I remembered him when I woke up, he didn't present me to the Xiu Emperor and only set me free to go back home. I was running away from my responsibilities so I told Si Yunsheng to take me with him for me to repay him and I don't know why but he brought me here."
"Mother was not arrested?" One thing Si Ning was sure about that even though there was nothing like the internet but news and gossips do travel fast and his mother going with his father was like what they say about love 'you tend to do stupid things for love' and he could tell his mother followed his father because she had fallen in love with him.
"Hun hun." Ge Mengshu shook her head. "Your father said I was part of the Si household servants and this residence looked new with only a few servants then. Your father goes to the memorial hall often then I learned your father's family all died in a fire and that was why your father became the head of the family as the only survivor, his brother that was supposed to be the head of the family also died in the fire and after staying by Si Yunsheng side, I found out he had a weak heart but I told him to marry me and he did."
"And Yi Chen?"
"He searched for me and thought I died but it seemed Second Prince Qiu Bai already knew I was alive and told him where to find me. Yi Chen came but saw I already had children and Si Yunsheng and I looked happy that was why he didn't appear before me."
"But why did he appear now?" Si Ning could feel that Yi Chen's appearance now after some years was fishy.
Base on his mother's reply, he would be able to judge whether the Green Wild Tiger is on his mother's side or Qiu Bai.