Chapter 12

Feng jiu kept her promise. She gave wen chang an honest chance to win her heart and affections. And wen chang did not disappoint. For the next two weeks while he and his horse were recovering in her hut, he worked relentlessly and diligently on showing the sincerity of his affections to feng jiu. He never backed down and his efforts bore fruit.


Over time, he realized that feng jiu had started returning his affections. But he was the emperor of an entire country, he can't forget about his duties towards his people and live with her in this hut forever. He would soon need to return to his palace. And he told so to xaio jiu. She answered that she understood that he has his duties which he needs to fulfill and would never hold him back. Though her answer was understanding, it didn't answer the burning question in his mind. He wanted to know if she would come along with him or was all this for naught. 


As the day of his return came close, he found himself wondering if everything had been for nothing, if he would lose her after all. feng jiu understood his unrest but was waiting for him to get to the answer himself. she waited till the day prior to his return and when she saw he still hadn't found the answer to his problems yet, she took pity on the poor soul and sought to guide him. She took two gold hairpins and asked if the empress and the imperial concubine would like the pins. Unnerved he had nodded. What xaio jiu did was to give him the hint that he so desperately needed. He had told her all about himself, his life and his country. In that, he has also told her he was already married to two, one the empress and other the imperial concubine. Even though he had never loved someone before her, he was still a ruler who most of the time had to make marriage contracts for the greater good of their people. He had explained that both of his marriages had been for that sole purpose and never had he ever taken a concubine. When she asked him the reason for that he told her, "it had never appealed to me. I married because my country needed me to, had two sons for the exact same reason. All I did was in service to my people. I never found a reason to do otherwise. Also, it would have been very disrespectful to the women who had entrusted their care to me, to build a harem that I would never care for and subject them to endless pain and misery." Warmed by his answer, she had asked him for further details about the two.  One of the things, he had mentioned was that when a new wife was added to the harem, she had to prove her respect and filiality to her seniors by giving them something she held close. So, when xaio jiu had asked wen chang about his wives' preference, she had indicated that she was ready to marry him, he only needed to ask. The next morning, he asked her to marry him and come with him to his country. Xaio jiu had happily accepted.


For the next ten years, they had lived happily together. The decade had gone by smoothly but not uneventfully. After the emperor had returned, the news of the new concubine had spread like wildfire since he was famous for his honest and upright nature. The people, the courtiers, and the harem were curious alike about the woman who had finally captured the heart of the great emperor. The couple had decided to let everyone know in steps.


First came the harem, when wen chang had introduced her to the two ladies, she requested him to leave them alone to get to know each other and trusting her, he had acquiesced. After he had left, she had knelt before them and presented them with the pins she had chosen. She had explained, "I understand the empress and the imperial lady lack no ornament or jewelry for his majesty is kind and generous. But as my gift of filiality to you, I present these pins to you. They were given to me by my parents and the things I hold most dear. Though it might not be up to par with your majesty's beauty, these are all I have of them in this life. As I present you with these, I promise you both my complete loyalty. I am but a small and poor girl from the outside, I have never desired for any power or wealth and I will never desire for it. I came here only for the love I hold for the emperor and nothing else. I do not wish to compete for his majesty's heart nor would any child I may have will for the throne, for this I give you my word. I only ask that you take me under your wing and treat me as the little sister who you may come to love one day." This honest little speech of xaio jiu's had moved their hearts so much that they had immediately pulled her up in an enormous hug. Both the wives were kind and sweet-natured, the only thing they had feared was if the emperor brought some cunning and power-hungry woman than they might not be able to withstand it and would thus be disgraced. But the sweet and honest words of xaio jus had won their hearts and they welcomed her with all the love of two big sisters.


Next came the court, all they had to do for that was tell the court about the attack on wen chang and the subsequent fight between xaio jiu and the assassins. As xaio jiu had expected, they were dubious about what they heard so she had presented to prove herself. The next day they went to the army barracks outside the capital. Five battalions of 500 soldiers each were present at the camp that day. Xaio jiu had asked for their best battalion to come to the training ground. As they had discussed beforehand, wen chang had given the command she had told him to albeit with a few concerns in his heart. "as your emperor, I order you to attach her as you would an assassin. If you fail thinking of her gender, I will not guarantee your safety. Use your full power." They were shocked but could not disregard the emperor's order. Xaio jiu had just smirked and with an ordinary sword this time laid out the whole battalion in roughly 15 strokes. As all the soldiers laid grunting in pain and some unconscious, the whole court had bowed down in her honor. Later, they had even asked her to train their soldiers. She had to politely decline stating that all the soldiers would not be comfortable in learning from a woman which could result in discord in the army but because of their persistence she had promised to help any and every soldier that may come to her for help with an honest heart.


Then came the people. After, word had gotten out about her day in the barracks, the people were talking all day about her rumored beauty and strength. They did not know what to believe of this new wife their emperor had but they were still enamored by what they heard of her. Then one day, a woman came to the market. Her beauty had been so enchanting that people of the imperial city could not believe that such a fairy existed in this world. Some people had fainted from losing their breaths for too long. She had moved with such grace and elegance around the market going from one shop to another. As they watched a few maids seem to be trailing behind her holding the materials she bought and watching them they realized that these were the maids of the imperial harem. They were intrigued by who this beauty was and as they watched suddenly a soldier that was passing by, stopped and knelt, greeting the imperial highness. With the realization of her identity, the whole of the market was kneeling the next moment. In a soft voice, she had called out for them to rise. As they struggled with what to do, she called out again, "everyone, please rise. I came today not to make you uncomfortable but to shop for a few ingredients I needed to make my family a warm meal. I wanted to see and feel the joy and liveliness of the people my husband loves so much. But if I am causing you any discomfort right now, I will dare not do so again." at her soft command, everyone rose and gathered in a circle around her. Smiling softly, she continued, "my husband keeps telling me how you have loved him as a son since he was a boy, and to be honest I am a little jealous of him. I have never had a such huge family. So today, I would like to request you all to please accept me as your little daughter, if you will." she bowed as she said that, and seeing her soft humble nature, the people were moved to tears as they all echoed their acceptance.


With respect and love from all, xaio jiu became the little queen to all. the people loved her, the harem doted on her, and the court respected her. Wen chang was so filled with love for her that he decided to give her a gift her longed for. Since it took a long time for the gift to get ready, the moment it was done, he skipped court and raced to the imperial palace. Stopping outside her room, he was shocked to see a man with her. They were sitting at the table and talking about something serious when he knocked. They turned one with a face full of warmth and smiles, others with a cold hard glare. Jiu jiu then introduced the man as her uncle, mo yuan, who had taught her how to fight. The moment the introductions were done, the man left. He was confused about his sudden appearance but being mindful of the promise he had given her; he didn't ask her. Xaio jiu, meanwhile had been happy to see mo yuan, she had told him all that had happened and was delighted to gain his acceptance of her decision. She asked wen chang for the reason of his arrival, only to be carried away blindfolded. 



After walking for a little while, they reached their destination where wen chang removed the blindfold from her eyes. As her eyes adjusted, she saw a large peach orchard in front of her. He took her inside and showed her the peach blossom woods he had gotten planted for her.


"the only thing you talk about from your past is your uncle's ten miles of peach blossoms and I can hear from your voice how much you love it. even though these are not ten miles of peach blossoms, it is still yours if you like it. I know I promised not to concern myself with your past but I also promised to fulfill your every wish, a promise that I had not been able to keep. You never ask me for something, so I had to take it upon myself to come up with something that you will like. I hope I am not overstepping my bounds here." As he was not shutting up, she decided to do it for him. She kissed him hard and later told him how much she loved her own peach blossom woods.


Just like this with sweet moments and surprises, 10 years passed by. The kingdom had expanded, the people were prospering, the harem was happy, all seemed to be going well for the emperor. But in his heart, he still had one wish that hadn't come true, a child with his beloved, jiu jiu.

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