The Soothsayer

Concubine Hua I

"You'll get close to him? Are you joking? Do you know what happens if you get close to him?" Lan'er asked Chen Xi in shock.

"I do."

"Then why are you getting close to him, convince him to divorce you and let's go back to the Xi Empire." Lan'er said as she pleaded to Chen Xi.

"What about our people? They will all die!" Chen Xi yelled.

"But--" Lan'er said before she got cut off by Chen Xi.

"No more buts, I made up my mind and you cannot change it."

Lan'er nodded her head and said: "Fine, just don't do anything foolish."

Chen Xi smiled at Lan'er and said: "I got my powers don't I?"

Early the next morning, Chen Xi got up to look at the sunrise. She quickly put some clothes from the Xi Empire on and went outside to sit on the swing and looked up in the sky.

"There's no sun here." Chen Xi said as she lifted her hands up to the sky.

Chen Xi looked around the Peony Palace and saw that there was no one around. She then smiled and left the Peony Palace by herself. No matter how far or how long she walked, the palace's walls were too high to get a good view of the sunrise. Chen Xi then walked to the city gate and saw two guards guarding the gate, it was the same guards as last time.

"They won't let me out now that they know I'm Consort Xi." Chen Xi thought to herself.

After thinking about a plan, she threw a rock to her right and yelled: "HELP ME!"

The guard looked in the direction of the scream and decided to check if anything was wrong. Chen Xi took this opportunity and ran out of the palace. The city was far more lively than the palace, the citizens were already setting up stalls to prepare to sell their goods.

Chen Xi walked near a bread stall and asked the seller: "What is this?"

"Freshly made red bean buns. Lady, you aren't from here, you should know the Long Empire makes the best red bean buns." the vendor said.

"I heard the same lines somewhere though." Chen Xi asked the vendor.

"Everyone uses the same lines here."

"I'll take one." Chen Xi said as she gave the vendor some money.

"Lady, this is too much. I'm afraid I don't have change." the vendor said as he handed her a bun.

"Take it, feed your family." Chen Xi said as she took the bun from the vendor.

"Thank you lady, thank you." the vendor said as he bowed.

"Do you know where the highest place is here?"

"Highest?"

Chen Xi nodded her head as she took a bite of her bun.

"There's no "highest" place here."

"Then where can I see everything below me?"

"Lady, you'll have to travel far then."

"Far, where?"

"I heard stories about the Xi Empire. Their people are like a family where everyone knows one another, the scenery is beautiful too!" the vendor said in excitement.

"Thank you." Chen Xi said as she smiled.

'Anything, if you want another bun, come here I'll give you one for free." the vendor said.

"Sure." Chen Xi said smiling.

Chen Xi walked further deeper into the city until she stumbled upon the same noodle shop as she did a few weeks ago.

"How foolish was I then?" Chen Xi said to herself.

"Out of the way!" a voice from afar yelled.

Chen Xi stepped aside and saw a carriage, a royal carriage coming. Everyone around her kneeled down and bowed before the carriage and Chen Xi looked in question. Chen Xi then devirt her eyes on a little girl who was bowing in the middle of the street.

"Hey, STOP!" Chen Xi yelled at the carriage.

Chen Xi ran towards the carriage and grabbed the rope on the horse.

"Stop, stop ,stop." Chen Xi said to the driver controlling the horse.

"The driver paid no attention to her and continued to command the horse to keep moving.

Noticing the driver had no attention to stop, Chen Xi grabbed the leash and commanded the horse to stop right before the horse trampled on the little girl.

"Are you okay?" Chen Xi asked the girl as she got off the horse.

"Hey!" the driver yelled at Chen Xi.

Paying no attention to the driver, Chen XI helped the little girl up, dusting the dust off of her clothes.

"Next time, don't bow in front of other people." Chen Xi said to the girl.

"XI'ER!" a female's voice yelled.

The child's mother ran to the child holding her tightly.

"Thank you." her mother said to Chen Xi bowing.

"No need." Chen Xi said, helping the mother up.

"Her name is Xi'er?" Chen Xi asked.

The mother nodded her head.

"It's an uncommon name?" Chen Xi said.

"I liked to travel around the world, the favorite place I visited was the Xi Empire, so I named her Xi'er." the mother said.

Chen Xi smiled and said: "I'm glad it's your favorite place."

Just then the driver cutted in and smacked Chen Xi across the face.

"Do you know which royal figure you stopped?"

Chen Xi turned angry and grabbed the driver's arm and twisted it.

"Do you know you almost hurt a little girl?"

"STOP!" the voice inside the carriage said.

The voice belonged to a woman but Chen Xi never recalled who it was. The woman got down from the carriage and the driver said: "Concubine Hua".