Chapter Four

‘I promise I’ll be here tomorrow,’ Ling Fei said.

‘I don’t believe you would dare to not be here tomorrow,’ Na Lam said.

Na Lam was the emperor, he wouldn’t let anyone have the final word.

Ling Fei looked at Na Lam’s defiant eyes. She thought he was naive and his childish behaviour was laughable. She had her own pride. If he kept provoking her then of course she would retaliate.

‘Tomorrow I’ll be focused,’ Ling Fei said.

Na Lam felt Ling Fei left a deep impression on him. She was the first person who openly dared to oppose him.

Later that evening Na Lam practiced the Kung Fu moves his shifu taught him in his courtyard.

‘Your majesty it’s late in the evening and your majesty needs to return to your chamber and rest,’ Xiao Shun Tu said.

‘Too noisy!’ Na Lam said. ‘Do you know how to be quiet? If you make me forget what my shifu taught me then I’ll behead you.’

Xiao Shun Tu closed his mouth and he didn’t dare to persuade the emperor to sleep anymore.

Na Lam thought he was too conceited about his fighting skills, which was why his head fell beneath a demoness’ feet. He would be laughed at if news of his lost to Ling Fei was spread.

Na Lam practiced what his shifu taught to the middle of the night. Even Xiao Shun Tu’s eyes couldn’t stay opened and Xiao Shun Tu napped while Na Lam continued to practice Kung Fu.

‘Xiao Shun Tu!’ Na Lam called.

Xiao Shun Tu opened his eyes wide. ‘Yes, your majesty.’

‘Where is the demoness staying?’ Na Lam asked.

Xiao Shun Tu was thankful he asked the palace maids and eunuchs news about which chamber Ling Fei slept in.

‘Your majesty, she is staying in the chamber reserved for the empress,’ Xiao Shun Tu said.

‘What?’ Na Lam asked. ‘Who gave her permission to stay there?’

Na Lam was enraged. Only his empress had the right to stay in the empress’ chamber but he didn’t have an empress.

‘It was the empress dowager’s order-’ Xiao Shun Tu said.

Xiao Shun Tu thought it was obvious no one would dare stay in the empress’ chamber unless the empress dowager gave permission.

Na Lam’s face turned red and green. ‘Imperial mother wants me to marry her? Unless the sun rises in the west, I will never marry her.’

‘But it’s the empress dowager’s-’ Xiao Shun Tu said.

‘I’m the emperor,’ Na Lam said. ‘Imperial mother can’t force me to marry her. I’m going to kick the demoness out of the palace.’

Xiao Shun Tu was sweating. He thought it wouldn’t be easy for the emperor to defeat someone like Ling Fei after a few fights… no not even if they fought for years the emperor would still lose to Ling Fei. He decided he had to use a trick to let the emperor defeat Ling Fei otherwise everyone in the palace would suffer.

In the empress’ chamber, Ling Fei couldn’t sleep comfortably. The pillow on the bed had a strong scent, her stomach wasn’t satisfied because she couldn’t eat her full and the palace maids helped changed her clothes. She wasn’t comfortable having other people serve her and the palace life didn’t suit her.

That night Ling Fei couldn’t sleep. Her heart missed her mother who lived outside the imperial city. Although Elder Qin was taking care of her mother, it was the first time she was separated from her mother.

In the morning a palace maid, Shen Huang brought dresses to Ling Fei’s chamber.

‘Lady Ling, the empress dowager gave you many dresses but why don’t you want to wear any of the dresses?’ Shen Huang asked. ‘Is it because you don’t like the dresses?’

Ling Fei shook her head. ‘The dresses are all beautiful and good fabric quality. But I’m comfortable wearing my plain clothes.’

‘Lady Ling, I think you should familiarise yourself to wearing beautiful dresses,’ Shen Huang said. ‘Lady Ling after you become the empress you need to dress accordingly to your status.’

Shen Huang carefully brushed Ling Fei’s hair and she styled Ling Fei’s hair suitable for the emperor’s betrothed.

‘Who told you I wanted to be the empress?’ Ling Fei asked.

‘The empress dowager allowed Lady Ling to stay in the empress’ chamber,’ Shen Huang said. ‘It’s a declaration to everyone Lady Ling is the future empress. Only the empress is allowed to stay here, if Lady Ling isn’t going to be the empress then whom else is going to be the empress? Everyone from the sky to the ground knows who Lady Ling is. Lady Ling, you can’t deny the truth.’

‘Did you say…’ Ling Fei said.

Ling Fei was surprised by Shen Huang’s words and she finally understood what her mother’s strange words a few years ago meant…

A few years ago west of the imperial city, Ling Fei returned home.

‘Mother, I’m back,’ Ling Fei said.

Ling Fei’s hair was dusty, in one hand she held her sword and carried a bundle of vegetables in the other hand and her face was as small as her hand.

Ling Fei helped clean her home. ‘Elder Qin, today I purposely starve my stomach to increase my appet.i.te. Did you do the same too?’

‘Today is a special day and we had a bigger audience,’ Qin Cong said. ‘We made five silver taels today. If we starve ourselves then our stomachs will change colour and tonight the food will taste better.’

‘I wonder what dishes mother cooked,’ Ling Fei said.

Ling Fei ran into the kitchen but the table was empty. Her mother was sitting anxiously at the empty table.

‘Mother, what happened?’ Ling Fei asked.

Jiang Thi’s deep thoughts were broken by her daughter’s voice. ‘Ling Fei… ah… you’re home. I haven’t cooked anything. Ling Fei, you and Elder Qin should go and rest. I’ll quickly cook dishes for you and Elder Qin.’

Ling Fei thought it was strange her mother was running around the kitchen. Usually her mother was calm and prepared food before she returned home.

A while later Jiang Thi brought out delicious vegetarian dishes. There was no meat or fish but it was enough for everyone.

‘Big brother Qin, you should eat more,’ Jiang Thi said.

If Qin Cong didn’t help Jiang Thi and Ling Fei for many years, Jiang Thi wouldn’t be at ease to let Ling Fei perform in busy streets and they would have starved to death on the side of a road long ago.

‘Little sister, you’re not well so you should eat more too,’ Qin Cong said. ‘You don’t need to be courteous with me.’

‘Big brother, I’ve always eaten the same portion,’ Jiang Thi said. ‘But big brother, you have worked hard to take care of me and Ling Fei. If it wasn’t for big brother then I and Ling Fei wouldn’t be alive.’

‘Little sister, a thousand times you don’t need to thank me!’ Qin Cong said.

‘Mother you shouldn’t say anything else,’ Ling Fei said. ‘Otherwise Elder Qin would need to find a cave to crawl into.’

‘Little girl don’t talk nonsense!’ Jiang Thi said.

‘Cong Sun Huang is my little sworn brother,’ Qin Cong said. ‘It’s my duty to take care of little sister and Ling Fei in his stead. Little sister you don’t need to thank me.’

‘Big brother, I’ll always remember everything you have done for me and Ling Fei,’ Jiang Thi said.

End of Chapter Four