" What did you see?"
" Your Majesty, she didn't bluff, her words are true. I saw them--around 1000 of them in both places--black robbed and terrifying just like the ones who barged into the capital."
Crash!...
As soon as the guard's words fell a teacup was sent crashing near his feet.
" Scram! Scram! Trash! All of you are useless!"
Xiao Jinngou bellowed in rage, his chest was heaving from anger.
The guards and attendants who were standing by him hurriedly took retreated seeing him lose his temper.
If they didn't leave now they were going die here for sure. The Emperor had been in an especially bad mood these past few weeks.
Xiao Jinggou threw the things kept on his table creating a mess across the room yet his chest was still heaving unable to find adequate release to his anger when his gaze suddenly landed on somewhat crumbled paper under his desk, near his feet.
And he bent down and picked up the paper before soothing its crumbled edges and then glanced at it once again.
However, even though he was reading it a fifth time reading it still managed to make him enraged all over again.
On the crumbled paper there was a 'very' short message written in beautiful and clean handwriting, that gave off a feeling of regalness. Even through the crumbled paper, one could feel the lofty stature and unrestrained nature of the person who had written the message.
The letter read...
" Xiao Jinggou, you dog emperor.
I hope you are doing well. After all, if you don't live well how can I punish you to my heart's content? So, you dog Emperor, you better live well and wait for my revenge. The way you treated my father just wait for me to return it to you a thousandfold, you dog Emperor. I am back and you better pray for an easy death, who knows some blind deity managed to listen to you and gave you a heart attack, and then maybe you can escape a gruesome death.
Yours not so dear Mortal Enemy,
Daughter of Jiang Zemin.
PS: Oh, I forgot to remind you one thing, don't think about doing anything funny and underhanded, my father Is not incompetent as you think. Once you dare to lay your dirty hand on us believe it or not my people will raze your most beloved capital into dust. If you don't, believe me, you can send your people to look in these locations-- twenty miles east of the capital, not far from the Wind City in the west--and there are more but I don't think you need to know them currently. What if you die from a heart disease?! I don't want that to happen."
Xiao Jinngou really got a heart attack when read the letter for the first time. He had to drink cup after cup of herbal tea to soothe his nerves only then did he manage to read the whole letter.
He was so angry but he was also very confused at the same time.
Where did this b*stard daughter of Jiang Zemin come from?
Did that guy cheat on Nangong Ruyi and sired another daughter from a different woman outside?
He heard that the girl was very beautiful but didn't resemble Nangong Ruyi at all.
If it really was the case then Jiang Zemin really must have cheated on his wife behind her back.
Heh...he looked so honest and upright but he was only so-so, lying and cheating all this while. And he even accumulated such a terrifying force secretly over these years just to protect that illegitimate daughter given birth by a different woman.
But who was that woman who could force Jiang Zemin to cheat on a beauty like Nangong Ruyi?
Xiao Jinggou was really curious and decided to send his men to look into it immediately.
But he was still angry whenever his eyes landed on that letter before him...he was so enraged that he was starting to get dizzy.
First, it was the suicide of Nangong Ruyi and her daughters, then it was those mysterious people who went back on their words and retreated suddenly leaving him in a lurch to fend for himself and as if it wasn't enough to give him enough headache now there was even this b*stard child of Jiang Zemin creating trouble for him again out of nowhere.
Xiao Jinggou sat there looking extremely frustrated and worn out but a deep look in his eyes showed that he was once again trying to come up with a scheme.
******
" Uncle Jin, where did you guys go so early in the morning?" Jiang Ying Yue walked out of her tent rubbing her eyes, her eyes still looked puffy from sleep.
" Eldest Miss, how did you do it?!" Tao Jin looked especially excited and didn't respond to her and asked her instead as soon as he saw her coming out of the tent.
" What did I do, ?" Jiang Ying Yue was still somewhat muddled and didn't get his meaning immediately.
" Miss, you didn't lie, they didn't do anything to us when we went out for a stroll this morning!" It was Niu who spoke this time looking equally excited and gleeful as she ran in from outside. She looked at her Eldest miss with her sparkling eyes, her gaze brimming with worship and adoration.
Jiang Ying Yue was instantly wide awake and rubbed her goosebumps, what was that look for?!
It was not only her, everyone who seemed to have come from outside was looking at her with equally burning gaze and worship.
It turned out that, while Jiang Ying Yue was still wandering in her dreamland others had gone out to test out her previous day's prophecy.
And almost everyone had gone, and even Tian Lan who was busy slaving in the kitchen because no one else could cook was no exception.
Although it was too early and not many people were on the streets but there were still city guards patrolling yet no one paid attention to them.
This effect was really too shocking!
They couldn't help but be dumbfounded at their Eldest Miss' means. They suddenly realized their Eldest Miss seemed to change a lot from her past self and her current now was too devious and scheming.
She must have played some hidden cards that they were unaware of.
While others were too engrossed in discovering the truth Tian Lan had a better understanding after all, she acted as a link and a messenger.
And she really had to bow down her head to Jiang Ying Yue's scheming. The little girl who usually looked too lazy to bother about anything was deep down too devious and scheming.
God knew how her little mind functioned but it was so smart and scary. After staying with her for a while Tian Lan had finally seen her idol's dark side. Her idol whom she had always thought to be valiant and straightforward was a scheming fox.
Till now Tian Lan still found it hard to believe how by just hiring some mercenaries this scheming girl had bluffed her way into the enemy's territory effortlessly. She deliberated created so much noise and made a grand entrance just to let everyone she wasn't someone to be trifled with.
However, what could the Xiao Family do?
They could only stare at her hatefully since the young lady had a big army backing behind her back.
This situation was really hilarious. Nevertheless, the Xiao Family deserved it!
Tian Lan wondered whether the dog Emperor would from excessive anger if found out that he had been conned by the little brat from the beginning.
Just thinking about the outcome gave her an inexplicable thrill.
After the morning excitement, the people gathered around to eat their breakfast.
The people from the Shadow Snow mercenary had left last night since their task was completed.
Jiang Ying Yue had personally brought them through the hidden passage of their mansion and saw them off last evening.
And because she had asked Azure to set up another formation trap here earlier she didn't have to worry about someone leaking it.
Hence there were only people from the Yue Mei troop, Tao Jin and his brothers, Tian Lan, and her eight guards, plus Jiang Ying Yue, her sister, and her maids.
Still, they were a lot of people and the amount of food cooked for breakfast was large. However, since it was just plain rice porridge it didn't take much effort for Tian Lan and the other maids to prepare it.
Jiang Ying Yue had already informed them last night to wait for her to cook breakfast in the morning. However, everyone was too excited that they woke up too early and decided to prepare the meal themselves.
Breakfast couldn't be plainer, Jiang Ying Yue felt she was going to lose her taste buds.
After they had their breakfast the people cleaned up the heavy dishes.
It was still early, so the summer sun wasn't so scorching in the morning so Jiang Ying Yue sat outside in the courtyard on a stone bench and took out some paper and pen to draw something.
Tian Lan had some business to attend so she sent out with her people after greeting. And as for Jiang Ying Mei and the two toddlers, they had brought along a pair of tigers and had gone up the small mountain behind their mansion for a stroll.
Jiang Ying Yue sat there alone doing her own thing while Qiu stood beside her watching her master frowning silently as she scribbled away on paper.
Qiu was curious, her eyes unintentionally landed on the paper, however, with her limited knowledge she couldn't understand anything so eventually she gave up and went forward to pour her master some water.
It was around two hours before Jiang Ying Yue put down her brush feeling satisfied, and glanced down at the crumbled papers she had thrown aside, then shifted her gaze to the paper before her that she had left to dry and she was very satisfied.
" Qiu, go and call Uncle Jin for me." Jiang Ying Yue held the paper and instructed Qiu, still checking to see if she had missed any detail.
Since, they were rebuilding their home it naturally had to be perfect, she wouldn't allow it to be sloppy like people here.