No. 015: The Unlucky Fool

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Chapter 15

The emperor tapped the table. The attendant waiting at his side immediately presented the imperial edict, written on bright yellow silk.

At the sight of it, the Eldest Princess's eyes lit up. She knew it! She was the emperor's beloved little sister, the one he had doted on since childhood. Of course he would stand up for her!

The emperor waved a hand. The attendant stepped forward and unfurled the edict.

"By decree of the emperor: Luo Mingxi, the Amber Dynasty's Commandery Princess Jingya, is gentle, harmonious, and pure, a bright jewel blessed by heaven... She is hereby elevated to Princess Protector of the Realm, granted the surname Ming, awarded the territories of Ganlin, Yaoqin, and Yizhi, and bestowed an iron certificate of immunity... Thus decreed."

When his voice fell silent, a deathly hush filled the hall.

The meaning of the emperor's edict was unmistakable. Here and now, he had raised Ming Xi's rank and formally named her Princess Protector of the Realm of the Amber Dynasty!

What an extraordinary honor. Even the Eldest Princess, the emperor's own sister, would have to lower her noble head before the Princess Protector of the Realm.

Once, the Eldest Princess could at least have claimed to be Ming Xi's elder. But now that she wanted to tear apart every tie they had ever shared, the honor bestowed on the Princess Protector of the Realm had nothing to do with her.

And never mind the gifts that flowed like water: those three territories, granted outright, were all prosperous parts of the Amber Dynasty. All three would belong to Ming Xi. She could dispose of their tax revenue as she pleased, and if she wished, she could draw her borders and govern them at once.

And granting her the surname Ming—what did that mean?

She would no longer be a Luo. Was there any need for a special edict to give her the surname Ming?

Who under heaven did not know how much that surname meant to the emperor?

Madness flashed through the Eldest Princess's eyes. The attendant had barely finished speaking, and the hall was still silent, when she cried out again. "Imperial brother, Your Majesty, you cannot! You must not! How can you give the title of Princess Protector of the Realm to a bastard of unknown origins like her?"

[Ahhh, she said it! That damned Eldest Princess actually said it! What gives her the right?]

Wen Que shrieked inwardly, so furious she seemed ready to spring at the woman. But when Ming Xi looked at her, the sweet little girl was sitting obediently where she was, idly turning an orange in her hands. She seemed serenely detached, as though none of this had anything to do with her.

If Ming Xi had not heard the clamor of Wen Que's thoughts, she would never have believed such a storm was raging inside her.

[The Eldest Princess really has guts, saying something like that out loud. Does she truly not understand, or is she determined to drag everyone down with her? His Majesty has gone this far. The edict's been issued, and his word is set like a nail driven home. He means to make this identity official for my little junior sister. Even if she has no connection to the General of Sacred Martial, he'd find some thread to tie them together!]

[To say the Eldest Princess really can't see it... Well, maybe she can't.]

After all, no one could wake someone determined to pretend she was asleep.

The emperor said coldly, "If I say it can be done, then it can. Zhong Wei, have you forgotten? Even if Ming Xi is not your daughter, she is a disciple of an immortal sect. Why should she not be the Amber Dynasty's Princess Protector of the Realm?"

"She is merely a disciple of an immortal sect. So is Ming Lan! If she can have it, my Ming Lan can too. Why give her such a special position? Imperial brother, have you forgotten what the title of Princess Protector of the Realm means?"

[Oh, listen to her! Even if the Eldest Princess has forgotten, there's no way His Majesty has!]

"Ming Lan is an immortal sect disciple too. After wandering for so many years, the child naturally had an extraordinary encounter. Imperial brother, do you know the Heavenly Martial Sect? Ming Lan is now Venerable Qingheng's disciple there—his final disciple! If anyone is to be named Princess Protector of the Realm, it should be my Ming Lan. She is the one worthy of that title!"

The emperor ignored her clamor. "I have returned the commandery princess title you wanted. The title of Princess Protector of the Realm is not yours to hand out as you please. Do you truly think I granted it to Ming Xi merely because she is an immortal sect disciple?"

The Eldest Princess remained defiant. "If not, then what else has she done to deserve it?"

"She is a descendant of the Ming Family—the family of the General of Sacred Martial. Is that enough?"

"Impossible! That's impossible!" The Eldest Princess went wild. "Since when did the General of Sacred Martial have descendants? Imperial brother, you cannot dishonor a heroic spirit in heaven just to raise her standing!"

That was the General of Sacred Martial, who had won the Amber Dynasty years of peace, whose virtue was honored in the imperial ancestral temple and who would receive incense offerings for generations to come. With a lineage like that, wouldn't Ming Xi, already so proud and unruly, climb straight into the heavens?

The emperor laughed in anger once more. "Is that the kind of man you take me for?"

"Your Majesty!" He Xueyi stepped forward and stopped the frenzied Eldest Princess. "My mother spoke rashly out of distress and offended Your Majesty. I ask your forgiveness. As her child, I understand how deeply she cares. Once one enters an immortal sect, one becomes its disciple and ought to leave all worldly ties behind. But one's blood comes from one's parents, and that bond cannot be forsaken. That is why I came to her, hoping to fulfill my duty as a child. I never expected to cause everyone so much trouble."

Ming Xi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Wen Que, on the other hand, fumed. [What a clever way to put it. A few words, and she's washed her hands of the whole thing. What does she mean, all worldly ties ought to be left behind? Is my little junior sister wrong for keeping hers? And because she can't abandon her blood ties, she gets to step on my little junior sister to climb higher?]

[Who would've thought He Xueyi, with those honest-looking eyes, could talk in circles like that? Is she trying to quietly turn His Majesty against my little junior sister?]

Unfortunately, the Eldest Princess failed to grasp He Xueyi's meaning. "Ming Lan! What are you doing?" Like a teammate who only made things worse, she instinctively balked at the thought of her noble, proud daughter bowing her head to Ming Xi.

"Mother, as an immortal sect disciple, I should not concern myself too much with worldly possessions. I came to find you only because I wanted to make up for all the years I could not serve you. As for the commandery princess title, I can do without it."

"How can you do without it? It should have been yours all along. She merely took your place all these years. She should give it back. What is yours is yours."

Embarrassment crossed He Xueyi's face. "Mother, please rest for a moment and let me handle this, all right?"

It happened where the others could not see, but not beyond Wen Que's and Ming Xi's sight. They were cultivators; there was nowhere for that glimmer of spiritual power to hide. Soothed by He Xueyi's spiritual power, gentle voice, and warm smile, the Eldest Princess miraculously calmed down.

"All right. I'll leave it to you. Mother will watch from here."

He Xueyi turned again to face Ming Xi and the emperor on his throne. Her lashes trembled, and a vulnerability that stirred pity suddenly appeared on her gentle, elegant face.

[Whatever else you say, He Xueyi really does have an air about her that's impossible to resist.]

[She's so gentle you want to lose yourself in her, so strong you trust her completely, yet sometimes so vulnerable your heart aches for her. Why does that seem so familiar?]

At that thought, Wen Que turned to look at Ming Xi beside her.

Ming Xi: Honestly, that sudden look from Wen Que scares me.

Sure enough, the next moment Wen Que's thoughts rang out in wonder. [Oh! That's a lot like the beloved older sister that young prince of the demon realm held so dear to his heart!]

Ming Xi looked at Wen Que without expression. "Wen Jiujiu, why are you looking at me?"

Wen Que waved both hands, her face a picture of innocent obedience. "I wasn't, I wasn't."