78 Volume 4: Spirits of the Fores

Mei Hua took a deep breath, rubbed the last of the tears from her swollen eyes and stood up.

At that same instant, the doors to her and Jin's courtyard swung open with a clatter. People she didn't recognize poured through the doors, startling her enough that she took a step back.

The crowd of people must have been well over a hundred yet somehow, not a single one had a shred of ill-intent. Their voices mixed with demands and questions rather than anger. They seemed… confused.

"Ah!" The Wen Servant who'd originally screamed at seeing her awake, had wide eyes. "I forgot all about the crowd!"

Jin smoothly stood up and faced the crowd, his tall frame towering and his face filled with quiet anger. An invisible pressure emanated from him, pushing against the onrush of people. Those in the front got the worst of it, their whole bodies seizing up, suddenly unable to move as a noticeable panic spread across their faces. As they came to a sudden halt, the people behind them walked into them, causing those in the front to fall over. Soon there was a tangle of people, some falling, some bumping into each other. All hastily trying to back away when they realized where the pressure was coming from.

Incensed, the youngest son, Lu Shao, stepped forward and spoke to the crowd accusingly: "Are you trying to rebel?! How dare you enter my Esteemed Mother's courtyard like this!"

Yan Li frowned and cracked his knuckles.

"Even if you didn't mean anything by it, you all know perfectly well you're forbidden from coming in here."

Shi Ji also had a frown on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head. He agreed with his Brother. They clearly weren't hostile, but walking into the Old Man and Mother's Courtyard was one step away from committing suicide. They were lucky the Old Man was just using his aura to push them back and nothing else.

"Fourth Prince, we'd never rebel!"

"Mercy, Imperial Majesty! Mercy!"

"We didn't know this was the Imperial Consort's courtyard!"

"That's right! Someone led us here! The gates were even opened for us!"

"We'd never rebel against the Emperor!"

"Hey! Where are the people who led us in?"

"Yeah, this is their fault! Where are they!?"

Everyone babbled at once, either pleading for leniency or calling out excuses. Several looked angry at being deceived.

Hearing several people claim the gates were unlocked and they'd been lead in, Jin turned a disapproving eye at Ye. In turn, Ye smacked the Wen Servant who'd neglected his duty.

"Fool, what have you been doing?!"

The Wen Fairy's eyes watered in pain as he held his head.

"Guh— We didn't let them in! We didn't!"

"Do I look stupid? Who let them in, if not you?!"

Ye raised a foot to kick.

"I'm telling the truth! The doors opened by themselves! That's why I disobeyed your orders and came here! To warn you, I just— I just—eh…. I sort of… eh… forgot, erm…"

The Wen Fairy feebly ended his sentence, sweating profusely, knowing he was doomed. Even if he couldn't die, dealing with a punishment from Ye would make him wish he could. Casting a few furtive glances, he promptly tried to make a run for it. Ye was just a little faster and managed to grab him by the back of the shirt.

As Ye beat the Wen fairy black and blue, the crowd quieted down and collectively started to sweat. The rumors of the Royal Duke Lin Ye's viciousness really hadn't been exaggerated.

While everyone's focus was on the unfortunate fairy, a voice cried out:

"Mei Hua? Mei Hua is that you?!"

A middle aged woman squeezed through the mass of bodies, sometimes viciously pushing people out of the way. Unlike the rest, she wasn't affected by the pressure Jin was exuding. When she was free of the crowd, she immediately ran forward and embraced Mei Hua, tears in her eyes.

"Oh, oh, you're really awake! After all these years! I didn't think— Especially after Lord Jin—" She faltered, sobbing messily.

Mei Hua hesitantly patted the crying woman's back, her mind shifting through foggy memories to figure out who this woman was.

"…Pei Zhi?"

Pei Zhi loosened her embrace, face wet with tears, and looked at Mei Hua incredulously.

"Of course I'm Pei Zhi, who else would I be?"

"Sorry, ah… my memory is a bit… hm… spotty, yes. Spotty. And you… uh…"

Mei Hua didn't know how to continue, looking awkward.

Pei Zhi, however, understood perfectly and let out a short laugh.

"I look old, is that what you're trying to say?"

"Pei Pei…"

"Don't 'Pei Pei' me, I know I look old! Half the wrinkles on my face are from you! Who wouldn't age when they find out their dearest friend has been seriously injured? Ah! You silly woman, don't you dare call me old now!"

Even though Mei Hua was getting scolded, she didn't mind. And even though Pei Zhi was doing the scolding, her face was lit up with a teary smile.

"Pei Pei… I'm glad you're here but… why ARE you here? And who are all these people? Is it my birthday?"

Pei Zhi blinked, realizing that Mei Hua had no idea of what had gone on while she was in her coma.

"Ah that—"

"EVERYONE, PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION OVER HERE."

Shuya had somehow, though no one had seen it, made her way to the top of the walls of the courtyard. She was currently precariously perched next to the raised roof of the courtyard's gate. Once everyone had turned to stare at her, she cleared her throat and gave a cheeky grin.

"In honor of Little Sister—ah, that is, Mei Hua— waking up from her coma, I've gathered you all here for a little celebration."

The crowd muttered at her words. Everyone knew of Mei Hua, even if they'd never seen her before. This was the first time they'd heard of her being awake though.

Jin's eyes narrowed. Of course it was the twig's fault! Who else would be so brazen as to let a mob into his courtyard?! His knuckles whitened as his temper rose, his killing intent suddenly focusing on the twig. It did absolutely nothing, much to his frustration. If only he could touch her, he'd have beaten her senseless.

"Mother doesn't need a celebration, she needs to rest!" Lu Shao retorted loudly, wondering why his Old Man wasn't doing anything about this rude woman.

With a raised eyebrow, Shuya dismissed his comment, "She's been resting for almost 20 years. The time for rest is over."

Lu Shao went to open his mouth to further argue, only to find his lips clamped shut. He looked at Shuya in dumbfounded amazement, while the brazen woman only gave him a sly wink in return.

"Mei Hua, no one can see you down there. How about you come and join me?"

"Ah? Eh? Alright?"

While she didn't know the details, Mei Hua did know Shuya had planned some kind of celebration. Leaving Pei Zhi behind, she leapt from the ground to where Shuya was standing. She easily balanced on the roof tiles.

Jin immediately followed, unwilling to let his wife stray more than a few feet from him. He most certainly wasn't going to let her be too close to the twig without him nearby.

Shuya flashed a disapproving stare at Jin before smiling at her Little Sister. She then looked down at the crowd. "Citizens of Blue Flower Mountain—"

Mei Hua did a double take at Shuya. Citizens? Since when did Blue Flower Mountain have citizens?!

"—the woman you see before you is Mei Hua, Consort of Emperor Jin and Imperial Mother to the Fairy Princes."

A portion of the crowd immediately kowtowed while the other half looked to Jin for confirmation. When he gave a slight nod, they all gasped and immediately got on their hands and knees in reverence.

The crowd shouted as one, "Long live the Emperor! A thousand years of peace and prosperity under his reign!".

The crown then turned towards Mei Hua and shouted:

"Long live Lady Mei Hua!"

"Long Live the Empress!"

The fairies and beasties had called Mei Hua 'Lady', but the humans had referred to her as 'Empress'. At the sudden discord, the two groups stared at each other, confusion and surprise on their faces.All at once they began to argue over which way of addressing Mei Hua was correct.

Mei Hua covered her face with her hands, feeling extremely embarrassed over everyone arguing over something so stupid.

Shuya, however, was furious. She roared over the crowd, her voice vibrating through the air and stunning them into silence. "THERE IS ONLY ONE EMPRESS, AND SHE HAS NOT HANDED HER TITLE OVER."

Shuya cast a vicious glare at Jin before continuing more calmly, "Until the true Empress returns and formally transfers her title, no one may claim it. Understand?"

"And you have the right to make that decision?" Jin asked caustically.

"More than you, who threw her out."

He stiffened, unable to retort.

"..it's… it's not like I want to be an Empress anyway…" Mei Hua quietly interjected.

"See? Even your wife knows better."

"That's not what I mea—"

Shuya leaned over and pinched Mei Hua's cheek, cutting her off. "Little Sister doesn't want to be an Empress, so what's the use in arguing?"

Mei Hua pulled away and rubbed her cheek, nose wrinkled in annoyance.

"It isn't right for the wife of the Emperor to be anything less than an Empress." Jin frowned, unwilling to let this point go.

"Please Jin," Mei Hua hastily spoke up. "I really don't want to be an Empress. I really don't. Why can't I just be your wife? I like being your wife more than being an Empress. So let's not argue about it, alright?"

"But…"

"Please?"

Seeing her big eyes staring so pleadingly, his heart instantly softened.

"…I suppose…" He muttered, conceding.

"Excellent, we're in agreement!" Shuya continued, happy to have gotten her way. "Since Mei Hua can't be an Empress, let's have her be a Queen. What do you think? Imperial Queen Consort has a nice ring to it don't you think?"

Putting aside his growing antagonism with the twig for a moment, Jin considered the proposal. It was true that the 'Empress' had been his Sister's title and while he didn't like it, there was some truth to Shuya saying it wasn't a title for anyone but his Sister to give. It was also true Mei Hua didn't want to be an Empress. In that case, the title 'Queen' would work. That Shuya had fluffed up the 'lower' title made Jin feel better about Mei not being called an Empress.

"That would be an acceptable alternative."

"Eh? Wait, I don't want—" Mei Hua hastily tried stopping them both, only to get cut off by Shuya… again.

"Very good, you all heard that right?" Shuya spoke to the crowd. "Mei Hua is the Imperial Queen Consort! So let's try that pledge again, shall we?"

The crowd had been in a kowtow throughout the whole conversation and hesitated to follow the strange woman's instructions. Seeing this, Shuya rolled her eyes and sent a knowing glance at Jin.

Jin was pleased to see his subjects taking his side. Looking smug, he cleared his throat and announced, "The title Imperial Queen Consort will now belong to my wife, Bao Mei Hua. This title is hers, and hers alone. You may call her Imperial Queen Consort Bao. Understood?"

The subjects' hearts were a bit stuffy about the length of her title, but they didn't dare complain. Whatever the Emperor wanted, the Emperor got.

"Imperial Highness orders, we obey!" Came the unified response and then they loudly repeated: "Long live Emperor Huang Jin, Long live the Imperial Queen Consort Bao!"

Mei Hua could only groan and cover her face with her hands. Exactly how was this any better than being treated like an Empress?!

Shuya clapped her hands happily.

"Excellent! The whole family must attend before we can truly get things started. Sisters, Brothers, show yourselves!"

As she said this, the flower petals that had disappeared into the sky earlier returned. They fluttered down, like a gentle rain. The bowing crowd couldn't help sitting up and glancing around in awe.

When the petals touched the earth, a human form seemed to bloom out of the ground. Again and again, until the inner courtyard was packed with mysterious looking people. Each person was similar to Shuya: tanned skinned, dark blue hair, and light blue eyes. All eerily beautiful and dressed in highly inappropriate but elegant outfits.

From Jin, to his sons, to the fairies, they all stared at the newcomers in bafflement. Just as with Shuya, they could not sense them though they were visible to the naked eye. It was as if they were seeing an illusion.

Shuya hopped down from her perch, standing among her 'siblings'. She turned around to face Mei Hua, getting down on one knee and covering her heart with her hand. All her siblings followed her example.

"We, the Spirits of the Blue Flower Trees, vow this day to protect and serve the Imperial Queen Consort Bao Mei Hua. Those who bless her, we will bless. Those who befriend her, will be our friends. Those who curse her, we will curse a hundred fold. Those who harm her, we will annihilate without mercy. Until the Empress returns, she will be our Master."

"Until the Empress returns!" Shuya's siblings declared as one and then were silent.

In this moment of silence, the voice of Mei Hua could be heard weakly commenting:

"…I would have been happy with a simple offer of friendship…"

All the Blue Flower Tree Spirits burst into laughter at her comment.

"We'll be your friend too!" Came a shout from a provocatively dressed man. When the Flower Tree Spirit saw Jin glower at him nastily, the male Tree Spirit blew him a flirtatious kiss. Jin's whole face puckered up in horror, causing the Tree Spirit and those near him to laugh heartily again; even Ye and a few of the children smiled before quickly hiding it behind a cough.