In a beautiful courtyard, decorated with the finest quality of jade and gold statues, a dreadful silence pursued. Sitting on the steps to his pavilion, a twelve year old handsome boy looked carefully at the black scroll in his hands. If one looked carefully, they could see the ends of his mouth twitching.
The boy remained silent for twenty minutes, as he looked at the small scroll. No matter how much he looked, how much he tried to deny what was written on the scroll, nothing changed. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he looked up at the man kneeling before him.
He was dressed in all black, and even though the boy could see him right in front of him, it was as if he wasn't there. The man in black had no presence at all. It was why he was the perfect man for the job that the twelve year old commissioned him for.
"Is what you have written on here true?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
The twelve year old boy, the Crown Prince who would one day become King, remained silent. His red-brown eyes glared at the man before him. With an exasperated sigh, he stood up. At the same moment, he threw the black scroll in his hand with all his might. It was just about to hit the carefully crafted stone wall that surrounded his pavilion, when the air around it caught on fire. Before the scroll hit the stone wall, it burst into flames. Leaving only a scorch mark instead of a hole in the wall.
"So my mother has teamed up with Xue Yingjie?" The Crown Prince muttered. His red-brown eyes glowing a fierce red. "This may become more difficult than we thought."
"What will we do, Your Highness?"
"The only thing we can." The Crown Prince paused. His usual indifferent, handsome face, was contorted with anger as he spoke. "Become an official."
-
The next town over, from Hua Aibing's nameless village, was called Lao Zhang. It was named after the poor farmer who had found it, a century prior, and had made it one of the biggest cities of the time. It was quickly overshadowed by the rapidly industrializing cities by bigger water sources, and was now a small town that was considered as poor. However, compared to Hua Aibing's home, Lao Zhang was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.
Her mouth lay agape as she stared in awe at the scene in front of her. Houses were as tall as the mountains that surrounded her village, and storefronts were as big as the He mansion. Everywhere she looked, people were wandering. Wearing clothes and speaking in a faster manor than she was used to. In the bustling town, she stood out like a sore thumb.
In Aibing's daze, she failed to notice the three youngsters running towards her with greedy smiles. The three boys were well known amongst the locals of Lao Zhang. They robbed every stranger in sight, and they never failed. But, their winning streak was about to end.
The youngest of the trio, a young brown-haired boy named Peng, succeeded in grabbing the small money-bag that Aibing carried, but he only managed to grasp it for a moment before Aibing sent him flying across the road and grabbed her money back. The other two in the trio scattered immediately, forgetting about their best friend Peng. Their thief gang broke up afterwards.
"How can I get to the New Years party?" Hua Aibing asked remorselessly. She showed no trace of guilt in her emotionless voice as she spoke to the already-bruised kid.
"I-I don't know." Peng stammered. He had never been this scared before, and if he wasn't wearing black pants, everyone around would be able to tell.
"I heard it is going to be a very grand party." Aibing said. Her ice blue eyes glimmered dangerously, making Peng shiver all over.
"M-Maybe at the Lao household?" He cried.
"Take me there."
Peng quivered with fear as he brought the foreign stranger to a decorated house. It was ten times grander than the He mansion that Hua Aibing had practically grown up in, and she couldn't help but stare in awe. How people made houses so grand was beyond her.
"P-Please don't kill me." Peng cried. He was only seven years old. He had an entire life ahead of him. He definitely did not want to die yet. He closed his eyes as he begged for his life, when a minute passed with no response he opened his clenched eyes. The foreigner had disappeared without a trace.
No one noticed as Aibing slipped past the invitees. Her after-image had remained by Peng for a second, before she was in a room full of well-dressed people. Looking at her own attire, Aibing knew that she'd attract unwanted attention if she remained in her own clothes. What she had on was her best clothes, but they were practically rags compared to the other guests.
Aibing was lucky enough to flicker to a bedroom that was hidden from the guests' view. In the dark room, there was a dusted closet. It was obvious the room hadn't been in use for years. Aibing hoped no one would notice that she'd borrow a dress from the dusty room. Quickly, she replaced her clothes for a maroon dress. It's straps were put together carefully and made of rubies. It was a gorgeous dress that Aibing could never truly appreciate.
Stepping out from the cover of the abandoned room in her new attire, all eyes turned to look at Aibing. The only reason she had changed her dressing was to not attract attention from not blending in, but her new clothes had the opposite effect.
In the corner of the grand ball room, a tall man smirked upon seeing the newest addition to the guest list.