Chapter 41：Huang Seeking Feng

The execution grounds had a solemn atmosphere.

A burly man was announcing all of the crimes committed along with the list of the perpetrators' names.

In the large open place, only his rough voice could be heard.

There was no yelling, no persecuting among the audience. Most looked on with ridicule, yes. And some reveled in schadenfreude. But none had pity in their eyes.

The chain of people who were wearing coarse white prisoner clothes didn't expect any either. They knew in their hearts all the atrocities they had done.

They were even lucky that the Emperor changed his mind and decided to spare their elderly, women, and the young. Now only those who were direct and indirect felons remained.

When the sun rose to its highest. Countless blades descended.

It was done.

All eyes turned to the person standing on the highest platform, wearing golden robes embellished with a fierce dragon.

Under the sun, his Majesty stood resplendently. Nobles and commoners alike couldn't help but gape in awe.

"Zhen's cherished children..." Emperor Du Liang extended an arm. "Da Xia has no place for conspirators. This is a lesson for all of you."

His voice was low and magnetic, somehow reaching the thousands of people present.

The masses felt their legs tremble in awesome fear. This was the Son of Heaven!

The crowd rippled and all kowtowed towards him. "Long live! Long live! Long live your Majesty!"

All their voices combined, resonated in every corner of the imperial city.

Night at the Emperor's study...

Gao Le princess was secretly summoned to the palace. But when she arrived, Xia Lian Bei was also there.

She ignored her uneasiness and saluted towards the Emperor who was sitting but somehow looked like he aged a lot in the span of one day.

The grandiose he had at the execution grounds vanished like smoke.

"Sit down, child. Zhen has called you two for very important matters."

Yin Hua Lei didn't dawdle around and sat next to Feng prince.

Emperor Du Liang eyed them both before speaking. "I'm growing old..."

"Still fairly young to me." Xia Lian Bei begged to disagree.

The older brother ignored him and continued speaking. "And the throne needs a successor."

Yin Hua Lei had a feeling that this topic would be brought out. But the words his Majesty uttered were completely different from what she imagined.

The princess felt a ringing in her ears. Her vision dimmed for a second.

"Wha- I'm sorry?" This was the only time she totally forgot manners.

The Emperor was amused to elicit such a reaction from this girl who was always poised and unruffled.

"Why are you so surprised? Growing up, you learned the true history of Da Xia and how it's founded by your female ancestor who gave away her authority as the first emperor to her younger brother. Remember your clan's creed?"

Faced with the question, she automatically recited.

"The dragon's thousand eyes and ears,

Da Xia's true pillar unseen.

This endless great summer

Eternally guarded by the Yin."

The room fell silent.

When Yin Hua Lei found some semblance of calm, she slowly articulated. "...Uncle wants Hua Lei to be the Emperor?"

"Yes," came his crisp reply.

It was true. The reason why the Yin clan seemed to be blind loyalists, sometimes to the point of being fanatic, to the Monarch was because Da Xia originally belonged to them.

This was their way of protecting what was theirs. Some of Yin Hua Lei's predecessors even had wild ambitions but their flames were always extinguished even before they made a move.

It was because they made an everlasting oath to protect from the shadows. To make sure that no Emperor would lead the nation to destruction. To only ever serve the most fitting sovereign.

But now, she was faced with an extremely eccentric Xia who wanted to return the throne back to the Yin.

What would her ancestors say?

"Was this your plan this whole time?"

The Emperor nodded.

"And what about Lian Bei?" She turned to the man next to him who was surprisingly silent.

The monarch Xia Chun raised two fingers. "One male emperor and one female emperor. A Xia and a Yin, both in their rightful place."

Yin Hua Lei lowered her head in thought. For a moment, she could see the glory of being Da Xia's ruling sovereign.

A small smile adorned her lips.

When the wang shu saw this, although he didn't want to, he was slightly disappointed.

"Hua Lei agrees with my Feng prince..." she uttered after a long silence. When she raised her head, she was looking firmly at Xia Lian Bei who became baffled with her words.

Then she turned to the Emperor with meaningful eyes.

"Uncle is still fairly young. Moreover, you still have five sons to choose from. My Yin clan has sworn to be the shadow of the endless summer. So it shall be. This princess is loyal to the Emperor and to whoever will be next."

Xia Chun laughed. Why wasn't he surprised by this?

The girl was able to block all of his attempts to put one of them on the throne with just a few words.

So it shall be.

"You used me to refuse Imperial Brother's offer." Even now, Xia Lian Bei's chest was wildly throbbing after hearing only three words.

My Feng prince.

Sigh... He was hopeless.

"Why, you want to be emperor?" Yin Hua Lei narrowed her eyes at him as they landed at the Yin fu under the cover of the night.

"No," his answer was resolute.

She walked closer to him and raised her hand to pat his soft hair while chiding as though he was a child.

"Da Xia is large and unaccepting of those out of the ordinary. Even if I'm confident of our skills, we can't break the stigma in just one lifetime. Sitting on the highest seat while being pointed at all your life, you deserve better than that."

Another critical hit to the wang shu's maiden soul.

The prince failed to reply as they both heard a cough nearby.

Yin Fang Qi was standing with a lantern in hand.

"Go rest. You'll see us in a week." The damn girl left those casual words and joined her father.

As Xia Lian Bei mindlessly travelled back to his wangfu, he was faced with the question.

Why? Why is it that damn girl always said the right words to tug his heartstrings? And she always had the look that it was only obvious and the lines she was saying weren't meant to captivate him at all.

He felt like he was the one being wooed instead of the one doing the courting.

***

A week after, the Feng wangfu was busier than usual.

Their princess was finally taking her place in the residence!

The Gao Le palace and the Feng palace were now connected through a moon gate.

The courtyard closest to this gate was occupied, attending to visitors that the wangfu never had before.

The Yin family was complete. The eldest prince Xia Yu Sinen and his wangfei were also there. Top generals of the Huoyang troops were present and some ministers and their madams who were very close to the Yin clan.

The Emperor was surprisingly early and was escorted by the tenth princess Xia Luyoung.

They were all seated around connected tables and the atmosphere was outgoing and open.

His Highness, Feng wang shu had gone to fetch his wife and daughter from the Gao Le palace.

Soon, the family of three came into view.

Their appearance was exceptionally striking.

Gao Le princess was wearing a creamy white palace dress. The whole dress was embroidered with a realistic red phoenix facing the side and covered in fire.

Feng prince, on the other hand, wore a midnight black robe which was decorated with a similar crimson image. If the two stood together, the pair of mythical birds, one larger than the other, appeared to be finally embracing after a long time apart.

It was as though any moment, they would fly off to the heavens towards their paradise.

But in between them was the little porcelain doll wearing full vermilion robes. She was holding each of her parents' hand as she walked. Tiandi was undoubtedly the baby phoenix!

The spectators could only sigh in wonder. These three might have had walked out of a picturesque painting and they wouldn't be surprised.

The dinner banquet started, foregoing the usual formalities. It was just as Yin Hua Lei said, dinner among family and friends.

Of course, they also gave gifts but they weren't meant to impress. What was important was the sender's meaning and thoughts.

But there was an extravagant Emperor sitting among them so he was the last one to give his blessings.

"Zhen's dearest younger brother and Our most prized goddaughter. You two deserve the best gift in all of Da Xia. That's why, Zhen's belated wedding gift to you is the acquired nation, Northern Chu! We, Du Liang Emperor of Da Xia, hereby title Feng wang and Gao Le gongzhu[1] as the King and Queen of the country We rename as Lei Feng [2]!"

Xia Chun had a wide smile while announcing this but deep inside his heart:

Refusing to be emperor? Then I'll still give you a land to rule over. Think you can escape me? Zhen raised you two to one day be the parents of a nation, so take this!

"This new country, rule it wisely as you deem fit. Da Xia will fully support as a sister country. We won't take any tributes and instead expects you to trade equally with Us as allied nations in just a few years. Lei Feng's future, as long as you two are the ones leading, Zhen is reassured."

Yin Hua Lei laughed drily. She could almost hear the Emperor's inner monologue.

Since they couldn't get away from this, might as well accept wholeheartedly.

***

It was snowing lightly that night.

Against expectations, the husband and wife didn't sleep alone.

A certain little treasure wouldn't have it any other way.

"Xiao Lei, you're okay with this?"

Yin Hua Lei knew he was asking about the kingdom they just bagged and not about their sleeping arrangement.

She was drinking tea on the chaise lounge by the window while reading under the candle light.

After making sure that Bao Bei was fast asleep, Xia Lian Bei joined her.

"All's fine. You know everything about the country. The people look up to you already. It's only adding me to the picture, actually. We can take care of the former dynasty even without violence but if they're insistent, who can stop us?"

But the man still had a frown on his jaded face. He wanted to say something but was afraid of the reply he'd get.

The woman, however, was faintly aware of his inner storm.

She closed the book and intently looked at him.

"I understand what troubles your heart. I don't want to say high-sounding words like love but instead I swear by my soul; the years you spent looking at me from a distance, tolerating my foolishness, and even hurting all by yourself, I will replace them day by day of only looking at you, indulging you, and even weathering aches with you as need be."

She reached out a hand to wipe a lone tear on his exquisite face that must have fallen somewhere in between her words. She laid his head to rest on her lap.

"Yin Hua Lei, you're the one who said this ah!"

She hummed in reply and patted his head.

"I won't ever let you go in this life!"

"En..."

"Even if you cry and fall in love with another man again!"

"En..."

"I want another daughter!"

"...Not so soon..."

Xia Lian Bei was surprised she'd even say yes but his heart gradually grew warm and content. The years of desolation and piercing loneliness would always be in his memories but he knew his soul would be cured having this damn girl by his side day by day.

That cold winter night could very well be the warmest as two weary souls found serenity in each other.

The huang finally found her feng who was only right in front of her all this time.

-Fin-