I follow him walk through a long stairs. At the top floor, a table is set with tea and cakes.The view is magnificent. Its the whole view of the city where he rein, The power the wealth is all here.
He sit and command me to sit as well. A eunuch pour tea. He eats the cakes in a bit of happiness. "My brother and i enjoy eating this when we are young. Here try these. It's rare that the cook makes this." He place one of it on my plate. I did not touch it. He continue to chew and said in his commanding voice "Eat it and ask your question. I don't like you spoiling my mood now." Slowly i pick it up and eat it. "Indeed it is tasty." He smile. "Come ask me. Wait i know the question. Why is the emperor and empress in this situation? Am i rite?" I maintain my silence he pick up his tea after a sip. He clear his throat. "My empress... that viper... is never my wife. We meet when we are just kids, in the palace. She and her sister often come by the play. Engaged when we are ten years old. That is because my father the late emperor and her father the prime minister thought that we will make a good match. Married at fifteen. She had a miscarriage at fifteen, sixteen and seventeen years old. I started to have my harem at sixteen years old." He take another sip on the tea. "I started to have her and another woman in the same bed to increase the chances of getting them pregnant." He stop and stare in daze.
"I even go to Hua house to find beautiful woman to sleep with especially if they are a virgin. I pay a lot of gold just to have them. My crown princess who knows this maintain her silence. I though that she had think thoroughly as a crown princess who can't give birth for her nation. She should let her husband go and mate with other woman to increase the chances."
He look at me gravely while swirling his tea cup. "She allow my harem to grow in number and none of them got pregnant. Even if they do, they will have a miscarriage somewhere along the period of months. My empress mother is in grief because of this. I am pressure everyday to go to bed with different woman inside and outside of the palace. Until i found out." He stop moving the tea cup. "What she had been doing. That viper had sterile herself. She went even further to sterile the harem i had. For those outside woman, they are force feed with miscarriage medicine. Eventually they are struggle to death if they don't allow her to do the unspeakable." My hand tremble a bit and look at my tea.
"What is the unspeakable, may i ask."
"Sleep with her. She begin to like woman more. She hated me. It is my fault that i force her come in the bed with me and another woman. I make a monster out of her. I found out of this when i came home one night. I hear laughter from the harem. I walk in to find them all naked and engaging with each other. I was disgusted. She dare to walk towards me and try to strip me. I was furious and i just walk away. From then on, i never touch them. I know sometimes they use the male servants for pleasure. I don't care as long as they don't get pregnant. I had this secret lock tight in my household. No one is allow to say a word. As a crown prince, i have my pride and honor to watch for. That viper also knows that she will lose the face of the prime minister if this scandal goes out of the house." He stands up and stretch while looking out the view, he continue with a sad voice. "She had a control me on that. To the outside world, she is the prefect crown princess who does charity work. Pray to gods frequently. Stay with my empress mother whenever she is free. But no one knows inside the house, she is the viper that poison every female against man. That's why in her living quarters there is no man around. Her personal maid is her partner too. She knows that i can't tell this to anyone. Not even Xian Wen. I have to swallow everything. Now she is the empress of this nation, it got worst. She uses her power to remove some officials on lower ranking. She had put on some female officials who can't work well. Don't get me wrong that woman cannot work in the official system. This needs time. I am never against woman in anyway. Now may not be the time." He sit down and ask for more tea. Eunuch run over and pour the tea and run back to where he stands. "Now you know why i can't have any children. All thanks to her."
"Your majestic if you can't have children, who will be the ruler when you are gone? Didn't she think of that?"
He smirk and look at me with his chin rest on his hands
"Who do you think will climb onto the dragon throne?"
"The empress..."
"Yes Lady Su, that viper. She is waiting. I think she don't mind to wait. She will change the entire system if she is the ruler. For thousand of years the sons of heaven rule this realm. Now a viper form the abyss wants to sit on the dragon throne. What do you think i need to do?"
"To appoint a crown prince... to conceive a son."
"To appoint? I can't. My family tree, you know is already weak. The closest cousins i have are young boys. The older ones are removed cousins and they are older than me how long more can they rule? To conceive a son is the safe way. He will be the direct line to accession to the throne. However to protect him and you. I need to remove this viper slowly without alarming her. That's why i have you move to my living quarters. It's a win win situation."
"How can this be a wining situation? Can't you just arrest her?"
"This is a royal family that needs honor, pride and respect. I cannot arrest just like this. I have to do it tastefully. Like an opera that well written with a good ending." He eat his cake and sip his tea. "My wining is having you here. My wining is having you to be the mother of my child. My wining is bet on you."
"Why does she wants from me? I have nothing."
"You are the direct line from the Su clan. How much military power you don't know. If your father is perish in that battlefield. Who is to inherit those power? Everything can be pass to Bo Wu but not the military power. Your father had build up an army that will die and live with him. He had written that his daughter Su Shung Yu to become the next successor regardless if she is a military expert or not. Xian Wen marry you partly for the reason. Your father make him to protect the power behind. So that people like that Viper won't able to touch. That viper is after you and the power behind. I pray that your father will come back so that she can forget about that. Make sure you stay within my living quarter. The food will be safe to consume. I have three different testing stages to get through. Plus i have my own royal physician to look after you. I am sure i will have a child with you. This child will be powerful enough to protect himself as he gets older. "
He looks at his tea cup and swirl it "Looks like i need a good f**k with you tonite." At that point, i feel that he and dingbat is absolute brothers through and through.