Chapter 9

Daughter & Son

After ensuring with Physician Shan that there was no poison in Luhan’s wound, Yixing chased after Liufei. Her maids wasn’t able to find her but some guards said that they saw her ran towards the Imperial Garden’s direction. Yixing knew immediately where she would be. He goes to the Imperial Garden and made his way towards the oldest tree in the Garden. He touches the tree gently and smile slightly. This was the tree that Liufei fell from when she was younger. It has since then became her go to place whenever she’s upset.

Yixing climb up the tree and made his way over to one of the larger branches where Liufei was. Once he sat down next to her, he pet her head “What’s wrong Feifei? Why were you so upset?”

The Princess didn’t turn to look at her brother, she pull her knees to her chest and rested her head on her arms. “I was just worried” she mumbled.

“To the point that you’d be so upset? Feifei, it’s not like it’s the first time we go out and got hurt. Back then you weren’t that upset, is it because of what Er ge said?”

“Xing ge, you don’t understand” she said, still not turning her head to look at him “Precisely because it’s not the first time, and because it also won’t be the last time. Although this palace houses over hundreds of people but it is lonely here” she stop to sniffs in her tears. Yixing reach over again to pet her head gently. He knew she had always feels a bit lonely in the palace. It is not easy being the only Princess in the empire. The Princes at least have each other to hang with even if they are battling against each other. They also have more freedom as compare to the Princess because of their gender. As a Princess, Liufei does socialize with the court officials’ daughters but it doesn’t sound like she found a friend in any of them. No wonder why she’s always hanging out with her brothers whenever she get a chance.

When it doesn’t seem like she’ll continue, Yixing speak up now that he understood part of the reason why she was upset “We promise to be more careful alright? But I want you to understand that it is not Royal Father’s fault that we got hurt so don’t be mad at him. Also, Er ge didn’t mean what he said so can you forgive him?”

“Ok” she mumbled in reply.

Not sensing that her mood gotten any better, he asked again “Tell me, why else were you so upset?”

She shook her head, not willing to talk about it. The two of them just sat there in silence. Yixing close his eyes and relaxes into the breeze that gently blew against his face. Liufei is lost in thoughts as she enjoys her brother’s company.

After a while she spoke up “What’s my purpose for existing Xing ge?” Yixing open his eyes and turn to look at her, wondering why she would ask such a question. “Is it just to be marry off to some faraway place as a sacrifice of war one day?” Liufei continued.

“Feifei…” Yixing doesn’t know what to say to comfort his sister. It hurts him that she would think that’s all her existence is worth, but he can’t lie and tell her that it was going to be ok. He can’t guarantee that she won’t be facing that kind of situation one day. “Did someone brought up the matter of your marriage?”

Liufei lifted her head from her knees and turned to look at him. She shook her head as tears fall from her eyes. Yixing let out a sigh, guessing that it must have been gossips from either the noble daughters or the maids that Liufei overheard. He reach over and pull his sister into a hug as she cry out loud. “Xing ge…I...I don’t...want that...kind of life” she sniffs, catching her breath “I don’t...want to be sep..separated... from you and my brothers.”

Yixing hugs her tighter, now fully understand why she was so upset earlier. It was the idea of never seeing her brothers again that trigger her memories of the gossips she heard. He wondered just how much she had been holding in all this time. He continuously pets her head gently as she cry.

Unbeknown to the two sitting in the tree, a figure was leaning against its trunk. One hand holding the other bandaged arm as he tilt his head back to rest against the tree. His expression pained and darkened as he listen to his sister’s cries.

---

Yixing had walked Liufei back to her palace after she had stop crying. It wasn’t too long after Liufei had washed her face and freshen up that the Empress send for her.

“Greetings Royal Mother” Liufei bow to Empress Ziyi.

“Were you with the Second and Third Prince again?” Ziyi scowls at her daughter.

“Yes, Second Royal Brother was injured so I went to visit” Liufei looks up to see her mother’s straightface at her brother’s injured news.  

“How bad could it have been for you to waste time visiting instead of focusing on your studies?”

“Royal Mother, it’s not a waste of time. He’s my brother! No matter how small the injury is I would still like to know if he’s alright” Liufei argued, hating the distasteful tone her mother always use whenever she talks about the other Princes.

“It’s not like he’s dying and what could you possibly do even if you’re there?” Ziyi stood up from her chair and made her way over to her daughter. “Liufei, I know you care but you need to set your priorities straight. Don’t mingle with those other Princes so often, it won’t do you any good.”

Anger build up inside Liufei. Her emotions still hasn’t completely stabilize from earlier so she can feel it threatening to lash out. She snickered at Ziyi’s comment “Priorities?! Sometimes I wonder what your priorities are Royal Mother.” Ziyi was a bit taken back that her daughter would dare speak to her that way. Where she found the courage to do so, Liufei doesn’t know but she wasn’t going to stop “You’re already the Empress, your son is the Crown Prince, and your daughter is the only Princess so she’s set to become some faraway place Empress one day. What more do you want mother? Just how much more do you want to take from others? Shouldn’t you at least feel a bit guilty and shows a bit more concern towards the son of the woman you stolen from?!”

*Slap!*

Ziyi slapped Liufei, not believing what she had just heard from her own daughter’s mouth. Liufei touch her face where she was slapped, tears began to fall from her eyes as she glare at her mother. “The moment you've craved to be an Empress instead of a mother, you’ve lost the right to hit me” Liufei said to Ziyi before walking out leaving the Empress still in shock.

---

“Xiumin!”

The boy that was carrying a basket of fruits turned around when he heard someone calls his name.

“Xiumin! I’m so glad I caught you before you went home” the middle aged woman ran up to the boy, who looked puzzled at her.

“How can I help you Madame Zhen?” he asked.

She smiles and handed him a bag full of vegetables “Take these back and make some soup for your father.”

“Madame Zhen, it’s kind of you but I couldn’t possibly just take your vegetables” Xiumin protested and handed the bag back to the woman.

The woman shook her head as she push the vegetable bag back towards Xiumin “Just take it, don’t be too polite. Everyone in this town know how hardworking you are to take care of your sickly father so we want to help with what we can.”

Xiumin accepted the bag and smile “Thank you so much Madame Zhen, my father and I truly appreciate everyone’s support.”

“Such a good boy, take good care of your father and yourself.”

“I will, thank you again.” He said then continue on his way home.

Xiumin and his father moved into this town about a year ago. The two of them live on the outskirt of town near the forest. They would pick fruits from the forest and sell it for a living. A couple months ago, his father fell gravely ill and has become too sickly to continue selling at the town’s market. Since then Xiumin had taken over for his father. Everyday he would pick fruits from the forest and then go sell them at the market. Before heading home, he would buy food and medicine for his father. The town’s people were very moved by him for being such a filial son. Many, like Madame Zhen for example, would gift him things that they were selling to bring home.

After a long walk, Xiumin arrived at his house. He opens the door and closed it once he had entered. Upon seeing him, the middle aged man that was laying on the bed jumps off and kneel on the floor, head bowing low to Xiumin. “Welcome back Sir”

Xiumin handed him the bag and basket when he stood up “I’ve told you to stop bowing to me, what if someone saw it?”

The man places the things on the table as Xiumin took a seat at the table and pour himself some water.

“My apologies Sir, it’s out of habit and I still feel unsettle to just lay around here as you work to bring food home.”

“Don’t overthink it, just play your part as the sickly father well.”

“Yes Sir!”

“Jun, if you call me Sir one more time I will cut your tongue off” Xiumin didn’t look at his subordinate as he speak but his tone was enough to send shivers down Jun’s spine. Although he is older than Xiumin but this young boy is the leader of their group. How he got the leadership position, Jun definitely doesn’t want to be included in the amount of corpses at Xiumin’s feet to ask.

“Any news from him today?” Xiumin asked. Jun shook his head, not daring to speak up after the threat. Xiumin sigh as he stood up and made his way to the backyard area of the house. He look towards the forest that was behind the house as he let out another sigh. The reason he choose this location as his base is because it was not too close to town, and also because the large forest that serve as the border between the two nation is right behind this house. That makes it easier to pass information back and forth.

Since the time he started living here, Xiumin had noticed that this border town haven’t provided them with much information that they needed. He has sent the request to move to the Provinces that was closer to the capital city but he still haven’t heard back from a certain someone.

It has been a month since he sent it. He doesn’t know how much longer he want to keep up this filial son facade.

Author's Notes:

Thank you so much for subscribing to my story everyone! I hope you're enjoying it :)