The Prince of Virtue received the report from his men with an expressionless face. He merely nodded slightly and said that he knew.
When everyone left him, he let out a gentle sigh. He used to play with the young Eighth Prince when he was a little boy. Together, they would feel uneasy as their father checked over their homework. Together, they would play truant and skip classes. Together, they had such happy and heartwarming times.
When had it all changed?
The thing was, the Prince of Virtue didn't have much time to sit and lament. He still had many things that he needed to do. After the situation was settled, it would be time to undertake all neglected tasks and propel the nation toward prosperity. He had promised his father that he would create a flourishing dynasty that far surpassed his, where everyone would have food to eat and warm clothes to wear. He would definitely keep his promise on this. Definitely!
...
The new emperor had ascended his throne. The entire nation was in celebration.
Tian Miao, with Kong Hou and Dong Xiao as company, appeared in the capital.
Had they come to celebrate the new emperor's coronation?
Of course not.
They had come to collect their debt. After all, the Prince of Virtue had paid with credit.
It was late at night, and the Prince of Virtue, now emperor, had finished reading the memorials in the imperial study. He turned to walk toward the side hall of the palace, as he wanted to take a break. But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw a smiling Tian Miao sitting on a chair, playing with the lid of a teacup on the table.
"Celestial!" the emperor exclaimed excitedly, albeit softly. Then he turned around and oredered in a whisper, "All of you may take your leave."
The eunuchs who had followed him into the side hall signaled to the eunuchs and palace maids who were standing guard outside to quietly withdraw.
"Celestial!" The emperor, without saying a single word, fell to his knees with a thump, his knees hitting the ground in one solid crash. He kneeled so hard on the ground that even Kong Hou and Dong Xiao felt their knees hurt, and they were just watching from the side.
"Call me Boss. Get up." Tian Miao naturally accepted his bow, but she didn't like the way he addressed her.
"Yes, Boss. Are you here today to collect your debt?" The emperor was filled with excitement. Celestial being. This was a celestial being standing right before his very eyes!
"Yes, then, pay up, Your Royal Highness." Tian Miao smiled gently, and her voice was just as lazy and languid as the first time they'd met.
The emperor gradually calmed down. His heart felt heavy just thinking about the price that he might have to pay. An auspicious beast, the kirin, had appeared to help him, so he was more than likely going to have to pay a huge price to pay off his debt to her.
But at the thought of his ambition, he mustered up the courage to speak up and say, "I hope that Boss will be lenient and give me a few more days so that I can make arrangements for all official and personal affairs." In his head, he was already contemplating matters like which officials could be entrusted with important positions, like kingmakers or assisting ministers, which child of his should be conferred with the title of a prince, which general should be sent to quell the harassment and chaos caused by the small states at the country's borders. It was best if the problems involving these small states could be settled once and for all. This would instill fear in these small states at the borders that were harassing his nation, and would thus make them concede defeat. There were also a few decrees that needed to be issued as soon as possible…
"Sure," Tian Miao replied indifferently.
After he hastened to make arrangements for these matters, he started paying off his debt.
The only thing was that…
This method of repayment was completely, completely different from what he'd guessed it would be!
Could someone tell him how it was possible that such a down-to-earth celestial being actually existed?
After everything was prepared according to Tian Miao's request, the emperor watched the scene right before him with a stupefied expression.
Tian Miao languidly lay on the imperial consort's chair. A few palace maids were carefully cracking walnuts and peeling fruits, while a few others were carefully feeding Tian Miao with food. There were also palace maids standing behind the chair to fan her. And in the courtyard, a group of dancers were performing while the musicians by the side were working hard to provide musical accompaniment. Tian Miao was watching the performance, nodding her head from time to time in satisfaction.
The woman named Kong Hou was selecting jade and gems from a little chest to the side. She was smiling while she selected jewels and reported to Tian Miao, "Boss, this pendant is very well-carved. The craftsman must be very skilled. We just need to find an embroiderer who has equally good skills to knit a tassel, and then we can hang it on your waist. It'll be so beautiful you'll be floating on air."