The sun had just risen when Yang Ming Xi heard the sound of hooves beating a tattoo into the ground as horses rushed up the narrow path at breakneck speed.

 

Gods! There’s still snow on the ground here on the mountain…why would anyone be coming here?

 

He exited his home with a frown wondering what kind of medical emergency required that type of haste, and was surprised to see that the two men hurriedly leaping down from the saddle were actually messengers of the Emperor.

 

H-How…?

 

“Yang Taiyi*, Yang Ming Xi!” cried the first soldier, taking out a golden tube and unfurling the yellow silk scroll held within.

 

An Imperial decree!

 

“Yang Ming Xi here!” he dropped to his knees and bowed, trembling with fear and excitement. Does this mean…?

 

The soldier tugged one side of his moustache and grinned.

 

“Yang Ming Xi, by the order of the Emperor, you are hereby pardoned of your crimes. Your exile is now at an end. You are therefore ordered to return to the capital immediately to take up residence with your daughter Yang Wan Yu and to continue the practice of medicine for the benefit of the populace, to be called upon by the Emperor at any time. The Emperor is gracious and wise! Do you accept the decree?”

 

“Yes! I accept! I accept!” he said, raising his shaking hands up over his bowed head to receive the roll of cloth, not daring to believe it. He stood hastily, ignoring his wet knees, and ran inside to get the two men hot tea, which they gratefully took.

 

Throwing it back, and wiping their mouths on their sleeves, they thanked him and prepared to depart for the long journey back to the capital.

 

“Heh, old man, you are lucky to have such a filial daughter. It is said she begged this favour from the great Cosmetics Goddess who danced for the Emperor…instead of becoming a Consort, the Cosmetics Goddess asked for your return. You must make haste to see your child, old man,” laughed the soldier.

 

“Ennn,” he grunted, waving at them as they recklessly spurred their horses back down the mountain.

 

Unrolling the decree himself, he read An He’s familiar writing, rubbed an astonished finger across the vermillion ink of the Emperor’s seal, and then collapsed to his knees in the dirty snow, weeping. It didn’t matter that Zhao Ling Shaung had not written it himself. The most important part was the thing that Yang Ming Xi had planned, schemed, and waited to see, had finally arrived in his hands.

 

Though his position had not been reinstated, and he would not be accompanied by his devoted wife, he would be reunited with the daughter who was so much like her. Furthermore, he would now be able to return to the capital without lowering his head to those dogs who had tried to destroy him.

 

I have kept my promise. I will return to the capital to exact my revenge on the ones who harmed my family.

 

Unfortunately, there was just one more matter to resolve before that could be achieved. Slowly rising, he entered the house and stared down at the star and moon seal stamped into the letter sitting on his writing table.

 

That boy….and that damned flower…

 

***

 

Several weeks later, as Cui Xi was leaning against the rail with Xiao Yu, she saw a familiar looking hat bobbing about on a familiar looking donkey and nearly slipped on the top step in her haste to get down the stairs.

 

“Yifu!” she breathed.

 

“Da! Da, you finally came!”

 

Xiao Yu, acting completely out of character, shouted at the top of her lungs, ignoring the startled looks from passersby who were meandering in the street.

 

Thundering down the stairs, the two girls burst out of the front of the shop and ran out to see Yang Ming Xi’s weathered face, grinning down at them. Xiao Hei hastily secured the donkey who was crying in panic at the commotion while the three warmly embraced each other, mixing laughter and tears.

 

“Children! Oh, my good children!” he laughed, holding them both, while Xiao Yu wiped tears from her eyes.

 

“We kept our promise, Da,” said Xiao Yu, emotionally clinging to the father she had not seen since the spring of the previous year.

 

“That’s right,” he said, joyfully, grasping A’Yu tight to his side.

 

His eyes crinkled as he took in Xiao Yu’s smiling face, seeing that his daughter had actually grown so much since he’d last seen her. His heart was suddenly full to bursting, realizing that she was just about to bloom into womanhood.

 

Ah! If I had not come, how much would I have missed…?

 

A’Xi extricated herself, allowing the father and daughter to enjoy their reunion and was about to turn back to the shop, but Yang Ming Xi called out to her.

 

“A’Xi, I am very grateful,” he said, nodding to her meaningfully.

 

“No need to say that Yifu…it’s what I’m supposed to do, is it not?” she smiled sweetly, but Yang Ming Xi noticed something flit through her eyes.

 

So, as Xiao Yu has said in her letters…A’Xi has endured some hardship these last few months…

 

He glanced at the little mole just under her eye and silently sighed.

 

Reunited once again, the three of them headed into the Xinyue shop, and into a new chapter of their lives.

 

***

 

Ashina Atil, Crown Prince of Xiyu, held out his arm as he stood high on the cliff, only accompanied by a single guard, while the rest of his men remained hidden somewhere in the forest behind them.  

 

With his wavy brown hair and face half covered by a deep burgundy hood trimmed with fox fur, he allowed the eagle to land on his leather arm guard and arranged the jesses so that that the bird would not immediately take off again. The cloak billowed softly around him, stirred by the sharp whirling wind.

 

“Hush my beauty!” he whispered to her as her hackles rose up, and she stretched her wings halfway out in indignation. Her beak opened angrily, her tongue sticking out as she hissed at him.

 

Atil only grinned.

 

“You are the only female allowed to scold me so,” he chuckled, feeding her the sloppy, raw bit of rabbit that he held in the other gloved hand. Ignoring her master, the eagle eagerly snapped up the meat, only taking two bites before devouring the entire morsel, swallowing it down in greedy spurts. He looked on while she preened happily, blissfully unaware of the bloody traces smearing the side of her hooked yellow nose.

 

“Your Highness,” the guarded nodded to him as he passed the bird off. The man quickly untied the message tube attached to the eagle’s claw and presented it to him.

 

Slowly slinking out of the shadows, the little bones and shells of her headdress clacking against each other, the Priestess appeared and before the Prince could receive the tube, she reached out to take it. Removing the scrap of paper from within, she scanned the words scrawled on it.

 

“Well? What does he say?” he asked, his deep voice tinged with repressed laughter.

 

“Don’t pretend that you are uninterested,” she scowled, correctly reading his face.

 

“Hmmph!” he responded with a smirk.

 

“Coming to Tiansheng at a time like this…” she muttered more to herself than to him. She shivered, hating the cold, and the fact that she had to accompany him.

 

“Be at ease. I chose this time because it appears that Hidden Night City has been occupied by some very interesting developments in the south. Zhao Ling Feng is keeping his brothers very busy. However, I’m not pleased that he dangled my sister in front of the Emperor like a piece of meat. Do you know what that old pervert is like?”

 

“Somehow, I don’t want to know it…” the Priestess said, her tone laced with loathing. Speak for yourself!

 

But she didn’t let herself get distracted by his lewd grin and finally sighed.

 

“You should throw away this pawn. He is no longer useful,” she said, changing the subject.

 

“Ennnn. Come here,” he said, the light in his green eyes evolving.

 

“Your Highness…” she said warningly. “He will arrive at any time…”

 

“That hasn’t bothered you before,” he taunted, reminding her that he had done many things that blasphemed against the dignity of the Goddess.

 

She gnashed her teeth.

 

“Your Highness, even the Mother Sky Goddess will only take so much of your impudence!” she hissed.

 

He laughed heartily into her upturned face, slapping his thigh.

 

“Ahhhh,” he said, wiping his eyes. “This Prince can’t resist bullying you and teasing you. Your angry face just makes me want to do it more,” he sighed. Still chuckling, he went to lean against the heavy trunk of a nearby tree and closed his eyes, ignoring her.

 

“Your Highness, I take leave then,” she said, inclining her head to hide the anger in her eyes.

 

Knowing what Ashina Atil had to say to the City Lord was not for anyone’s ears but his, she waved at the guard to follow her out of the clearing. Carrying the eagle, who was now as sleepy as her Master, the man bowed to the Prince and obediently trailed after her.

 

She had escaped his clutches for now, but that didn’t mean that Ashina Atil would leave her alone for long. The Priestess silently seethed, but there was nothing she could do in her current predicament. The Sky Temple was still too weak to deal with him.

 

As she headed towards the trees, a man in a heavy fur cloak with an unattractively square cut to his jaw, and a tastelessly gaudy hair crown nodded to her as he walked into the clearing towards the Prince.

 

She turned to give the Prince one last glower and then disappeared into the thick of the trees, causing the guard to shiver.

 

“You made this Prince wait,” said Ashina Atil, addressing the City Lord, but not bothering to open his eyes. He leaned comfortably against the thick trunk of the tree, looking every inch the wild and exotic Xiyu Crown prince.

 

The Gao City Lord swept his cloak aside and knelt in the snow.

 

“Your Highness, forgive me. There was something unexpected on the road here…”

 

“Oh?” the Crown Prince sounded bored. “Unexpected, you say?”

 

“Yes, your Highness.”

 

Ashina Atil’s snorted, allowing his eyes to remain closed. He hedged between demanding an explanation and being thankful that the man was normally this terse. He couldn’t stand people who blubbered their explanations. If one was not demanded, then this man would likely never bother to explain himself as he felt overly superior…this kind of arrogance had its uses, but it usually led to rebellion and betrayal.

 

“I anticipate that person will likely try to make a move. Be waiting for his letter and advise this Prince immediately. I will send further instructions at that time. I very much look forward to returning to Tiansheng in an official capacity.”

 

“I will see to it, Your Highness. All will be carried out as you command.”

 

“Very well. Oh…one more thing. That son of yours…what is he called?”

 

The green eyes opened, and they looked down on the man still kneeling in the snow with a feral glow.

 

 “Keep him in check. His greed is unseemly…and I don’t need anyone to paying undue attention to our movements while we are here.”

 

“As you wish, your Highness,” the City Lord said agreeably. “Ah…your Highness…the matter of the An Xi army pay…?”

 

Ashina Atil closed his eyes again.

 

“Zhao Ling Xian has his suspicions, but he has no proof. Let it be for now.”

 

“Yes, your Highness.”

 

“Begone then,” the Prince dismissed him.

 

He snorted. The Priestess was right, the Gao family’s usefulness was at its end and it was time to find someone else. He smiled slightly as there was still someone he’d kept in the shadows.

 

The footsteps trudged away and once again Ashina Atil was alone in the clearing.

 

Instead of the snow-covered forest, his heart flew far away, envisioning a slender girl dressed in a tunic and loose trousers tucked into high leather boots, standing tall in the stirrups as she raced across the desert on a black horse, her hair loose over her shoulder under her headscarf, grinning as they rode side by side. His heart thumped madly as he drowned in the bright pools that were her golden eyes.

 

Yesil, my Yesil…soon Brother will come.

 

 

 

 

45. Bathhouse:

 

With her Master refusing to see her, Cui Xi felt like a caged animal. As winter melted into a wet spring gradually followed by warmer weather, Cui Xi became restless with new ideas.

 

By now Xiao Hei was quite used to the strange things that his mistress designed, and the new bathhouse was no exception. She had spent days and days drawing and then weeks discussing with craftsman and metal workers. He had watched the little wooden building go up and finally today they were going to start the actual construction of the interior. He had asked a few times about it, but Mistress had only smiled mysteriously.

 

“Don’t worry, Xiao Hei. When it’s done you and Xiao Yu can use it too!” she laughed.

 

Xiao Hei smirked to himself. Mistress was quite spoilt…all this fuss for a bathhouse? He sat for quite some time observing the workman going in and out of the little building. At one point three men carried in a large metal barrel girded with wooden slats… and then they carried in what look like copper tubes.

 

Seven days later, Xiao Hei, Xiao Yu and Cui Xi stood in front of the bathhouse.

 

“It’s not perfect and the water heater must be turned on an hour before, but come and see!” Cui Xi clasped her hands together gleefully.

 

After trial and error and multiple discussions with craftsman, she finally had her shower and bath. Although the pump that had been installed to bring the water up from the well into the copper pipes had to be hand-pumped this was still better than carrying the water. The water was then piped directly into a specially designed boiler tank. There had been no way to create a heating element within the metal barrel, so she had had to settle for a fire pit. This caused the metal barrel to become burning hot, so she had had it suspended within a cage to prevent someone from burning themselves on it. It had taken her quite some time to figure out how long to boil the tank without melting the bottom, while heating the water enough that it wouldn’t be cold after travelling through the downstream pipes that connected to the shower and the bath. A hand pump operated the water for the shower, and one operated the bath. Although the shower was not continuous, this was fine and would suit most of her needs. The sunken bath was just a luxury.

 

Her delight in showing all these things to Xiao Hei and Xiao Yu was only intensified as she watched their eyes widen in amazement. Xiao Hei stood for a long time with one hand under the shower head and the other hand operating the pump, watching the water splash over his fingers onto the floor and into the drain.

 

Cui Xi showed them the wooden tags hung on the door. One was red and the other was green. She explained that the red tag was to show the bath was occupied and the green that it was empty. Of course, this made sense as Cui Xi had no intentions of having Xiao Hei walk in on her while she was using the bathhouse. She gave each a key.

 

Later that evening she hung the red tag on the door and went in without noticing that an intruder had come into her courtyard.

 

Wandering uninvited into the garden, the Seventh Prince noticed a wisp of steam coming out of the side of a newly constructed wood building and wondered what it was.

 

Where is she?

 

He could see that a small window was propped open, and he squeezed through the opening with a little effort. Smiling, he immediately determined that the sound of humming was Cui Xi. The sound of water splashing enticed him as he surreptitiously entered the inner room.

 

When he entered, he saw that she was standing with her back to him under a strange spout and water was splashing down onto her as she operated a metal handle built into the wall. His mouth dropped open as he saw her there standing naked, gently swaying her body. He realized in shock that she was dancing. Her damp hair swung with her body, swishing erotically from side to side over her fine hips and rounded bottom. The warm water had made her skin flush pink, and she was slender and beautiful.

 

He smiled to himself as he could see that her eyes were closed and that she was locked in her own world, humming and swaying, completely oblivious to his presence. She spun in a circle with her arms over her head and giggled. He stared at her, gripping the door frame, and got hard just watching her. No longer able to resist the sight of her, he swiftly went to her side, spun her into his arms, and ignoring her surprised shriek, pressed a smouldering kiss onto her mouth. He moulded her body tightly against him, and he didn’t care that his clothes became completely soaked under the spray of the spout.

 

I want you.

 

“Mmmmmn!!!” she protested, banging her fists against his chest.

 

“Mistress?” Xiao Hei’s voice floated in from somewhere outside the bathhouse.

 

She continued to thump insistently, but her mouth was still being forcefully invaded, and she made another unwilling sound as his hands lightly caressed her shoulder blades and then one hand slid down her back. Left with no choice, she bit him until she could taste the copper of his blood in her mouth, and only then did his grip loosen. She sucked in a ragged breath and then called out to Xiao Hei.

 

“I’m alright,” she coughed, spitting blood out of her mouth.

 

This bastard…

 

Obviously, Xiao Hei hadn’t waited for her answer as at that same instant the door was kicked open and he jumped in with his sabre drawn. The Seventh Prince skilfully turned her such that his back was to Xiao Hei and her naked body was concealed by his. Then he pulled off his outer robe and covered her, wrapping her up tightly.

 

Realizing it was the Prince, Xiao Hei straightened, but did not sheathe the sabre. He stood glaring with righteous indignation at him.

 

“Get out, Cousin,” Xiao Hei said coldly. Despite the blush on his cheeks, his voice was steady.

 

“You little brat, you don’t have the ability to make me,” the Prince responded with contempt, glancing over his shoulder. The two men stood glaring at each other. For a moment nothing was said as the steam drifted almost lazily between them.

 

Cui Xi struggled a bit in the Prince’s embrace and the arms around her instantly loosened. Peaking around one wet arm, her face red, Cui Xi’s heart sank as she observed the naked hatred on Xiao Hei’s face. She took a breath.

 

“Xiao Hei,” she said very gently. “I’ll be alright. You can go.”

 

The look he gave her was complicated and unwilling. Finally, he sighed and turned away with a “Yes, Mistress.”

 

The Seventh Prince watched him quietly shut the door. Walking away, he crossed his arms over his chest and casually leaned up against the wall of the bath house.

 

“You can’t treat Murongs like pets! One day he is going to grow up. If A’Yan wasn’t completely insistent on the boy having his way, I would already have had him removed to his own place. Right now, you’re just selfishly holding him back.”

 

“I’m not holding him back! I’m letting him have this time. Once he accepts his place as heir, he’ll never have this freedom again and it will change him.”

 

“You think what you are doing is right? He’s better off assuming his responsibilities instead of messing around here,” the Prince said, snorting. “I didn’t think you were that much of a fool.”

 

“Zhao Ling Xian…there are some things even you don’t understand.”

 

Cui Xi stood with her back to him, completely forgetting her self-consciousness, and stared at the closed door with a complicated feeling. She relied on Xiao Hei so heavily and their interactions were very close, to the point that she thought of him as a brother. While she was aware of Xiao Hei’s weaknesses, he had grown up quite a bit in the last year. Like Zhao Ling Xian, she herself also hoped that she would not regret taking Xiao Hei in, and that he would not do something foolish just because he thought he needed to protect her. She admitted that she was acting selfishly, but besides Xiao Yu, she was all alone in this world and she didn’t want to lose Xiao Hei just yet.

 

“Now. Can you explain to this Prince what you are doing in here? It’s making my blood boil,” he said, brushing wet hair out of his eyes.

 

Suddenly becoming aware of him, Cui Xi noticed that his clothes were plastered to his body, emphasizing the hard muscles underneath. Steam drifted between them.

 

ACK! Why is his face so…but this is not the time to become one of those weak, mushy manhua heroines who gives way to forceful handsome heroes…Argh!

 

Still, she couldn’t help the thrill in her body as his hot gaze becoming mesmerizing.

 

Zhao Ling Xian walked forward, turning her body against him and slid a finger under her chin, tilting her face to look up at him. His eyes were filled with desire and his voice was rough with urgency. Although he was very gentle, she could feel the throb of his desire against her body, and he was trembling slightly.

 

“This Prince wants you,” he whispered into her ear. “Now.”

 

With her reason slamming back in place, Cui Xi smiled sweetly and then promptly shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards, off balance. With what dignity she had left, she gathered his robe around her and moved to the door.

 

“Black-hearted pervert! What are you doing peeping at a woman bathing in a private bathhouse?” she huffed and stalked out.

 

Ah well, I deserved that…

 

He sighed ruefully, still tasting blood in his mouth, but then smiled.

 

If she was well enough to lose her temper over his teasing, then the encounter with the Crown Prince had not damaged her spirit too badly. As much as he had wanted to hide her away, to protect her, and to keep her out of trouble, he recognized that his headstrong little cat would not suffer his interference. Up till now, he had been too arrogant and impatient with her. In the future, he would have to be very gentle and slowly show her his heart until she felt safe enough to let him in.

 

Raising a wild cat…I will have to coax her with some good things…

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________________

* 太醫 – imperial doctor.