After reading the letter, Anchhi didn't know whether she should grieve for Fei Jia mother's death or should she be frightened of the warnings?
"Jia'er! Why are you lost on your thoughts?" The Royal Consort yanked her sleeves in order to bring her back to the reality.
"Forgive Jia'er, Your Highness." Anchhi apologized bowing before Yimu.
"What was the letter about?" Anchhi heard the Royal Consort intriguingly asking and she replied saying, "According to mother, it will be best if I start living with you...."
"If it's your mother's last wish, then you must fulfill it. For your accommodation, Court Lady Ming will arrange a chamber next to my room." Even before she could complete her words, she was cut off by Yimu. Though also, she had to nod her head agreeing to Yimu's words.
Anchhi was a total adventurer always in search of something new to explore. Exploring is in her veins!
Having said that, she surprisingly put her proposal before the Royal Consort stating, "I am apologetic beforehand, Your Highness. It's because I have a wish to fulfill."
"Tell me. What is it about, Jia'er?"
"I want to explore the palace so may I?" Anchhi asked for Yimu's permission expecting a reply from her.
"Why not? It's not a big deal."
Then, her gaze shifted to the Court Lady Ming, "Accompany Jia'er on her small trip to the palace." Ming bowed, accepting the command.
"Your Highness Royal Consort is great." Anchhi stood from her seat and expressed a kowtow bow to her aunt, showing a sense of respect towards her.
Then, she sauntered out of the Royal Consort's room following by the Court Lady Ming and Shoumen behind.
~~~~~
"Woah! What a grandiose place it is." Anchhi was astonished to witness the peculiar beauty of the palace. Her gaze was drawn to the intricately painted ceilings with gorgeous appliqué motifs as she walked through the corridor halls. Luckily, Anchhi didn't notice the man not too far away, walking in the opposite direction from her. Shuo Jin was who he claimed to be.
Court Lady Ming and Shoumen were the ones who halted and bowed Shuo Jin as they were about to pass. On the other hand, he seemed to have entirely ignored their presence and continued strolling on his own, which is when Anchhi noticed something...she seemed to recall his appearance and discovered that he was that man in black.
"Hey, halt!" Anchhi ordered as she turned around to face that man. Shuo Jin, on the other hand, preferred to ignore her and continue sauntering.
"I told you to stop!" "Are you deaf or something?" Anchhi's commanding voice was loud and clear. Then, he turned his back, his sharp gaze fixated on Anchhi.
"Are you attempting to run again?" she queried, folding her arms together. "You owe me an apology, don't you remember?"
Shuo Jin murmured in a hoarse voice, shattering the icy cold silence, "Who are you?"
"You're such a talented performer! Gosh!" Anchhi sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Are you honestly pretending to not know me?" She leaned in close to Shuo Jin on tiptoe, narrowing her eyes.
"You must die if you want to hear any apologies from my mouth!" Shuo Jin whispered against her lips. He then immediately pushed her back, poking her forehead which made Anchhi fall abruptly.
Instead of giving a helping hand, Shuo Jin chuckled and left that place in a bold and daring demeanor as if knocking Anchhi out made him a superhero?
"Are you now threatening to kill me?" Anchhi shouted in anger. Then, Shoumen and Court Lady Ming took her hand in theirs and helped her to stand on her feet.
"Young Miss, you should not talk to him in such manner." Ming said, dropping her gaze.
"Do you know who he is? He's the most obnoxious of all the guys I've ever met." Anchhi stated while dusting off the dust from her long skirt.
"He is the first...." Ming was interrupted by Anchhi before she could finish her sentence.
"Enough with the talks! I'm not interested in hearing anything about him." She raised her hand in air, with a furrowed brows. Anchhi then turned right and walked aggressively, lifting her skirt.
>>>><<<<
A palace is a place where gossip spreads like wildfire. Hence, the news of Shuo Jin's arrival couldn't escape from anyone. From maids to the guards, everybody knew about the sin he had committed ten years ago. Due to this, some feared him, some pitied upon him, and some even called him shameless.
Though also, none of these things really mattered to him as once he succeeds on his mission, he has vowed to make everyone pay for this.
When Shuo Jin was strolling, he halted at his place only to hear the princes discussing inside the royal library, regarding his arrival.
"I heard the first brother has entered the palace this morning." asserted the fifth prince Gua Jiang.
"It's true, Jiang. But what might be his intention for returning to the palace?" The third prince Gua Peng queried as he sipped his tea.
"He is the first prince of the Gua Empire and this palace belongs to him also. So, it is obvious that he will return to his home." the Crown Prince meddled putting his point forward. "I don't think he has any other intentions." he mumbled, flipping the pages of his book.
"Rumors have it that he was banished from the empire and was imprisoned in the dark dungeons at the age of eleven, is it true?" Gua Jiang again queried which made Gua Peng to reply him.
"He had committed unpardonable sins! He killed his own mother and her born to-be child, out of jealousy as he was scared that his brother might come on his way to the throne. That beast ended up killing two birds with one stone."
"Really? How was he caught then?" the fifth prince raised his curiosity as he moved towards his third brother- Gua Peng.
Eavesdropping all of their conversations was Shuo Jin, who clinched his fists tightly. For a second, he wanted to break the door and render all of them handicapped but doing so would only invite unwanted upheavals.
He clenched his teeth under his tongue and tried to suppress his rage by gritting his teeth. After that, he walked his way since he had some errands to attend. This time, Shuo Jin was not here to prove his innocence but rather to gain vengeance.