The Soothsayer

Second Night Together

"Princess..." Lan'er said as she tugged on Chen Xi's sleeves.

"How many times do I have to tell you, he promised me so you don't have to worry." Chen Xi said as she shook off Lan'er's arms.

"Empress, everything is finished." the courtlady said.

Chen Xi nodded her head and said: "I'll go there later, if Long Li asks, just say I went outside."

The courtlady nodded her head and exited the room.

"Where are you going now?"

"Outside. Where else?" Chen Xi said.

" Why are you always going outside?"

"There's fresh air and it's more lively than this place. Look, everyone here addresses me as Empress, how many of them are actually showing their real feelings?"

"Let's not go outside, how about we go to the stables since you miss Xiao Bai so much?" Lan'er said,

"That's a great idea! I should send Second Brother a message asking how Xiao Bai is doing." Chen Xi said as she smiled.

Chen Xi and Lan'er walked to the stables and greeted the stableman.

"Empress, you're here again! Are you here to see Cloud?" the stableman asked.

"Cloud? Who's Cloud?" Chen Xi asked back.

The stableman laughed nervously and Lan'er gave him the stare.

"Ohh, I mistaken you for another woman. Why are you here today?"

"Meet some horses." Chen Xi said.

Chen Xi looked at the horses in each stable until she stopped at a white horse who was eager to get out of its stable.

"Who's this?" Chen Xi asked the stableman.

"This is Cloud, the one I was talking about before." the stableman replied.

"Cloud? Why do you seem so similar?" Chen Xi thought to herself.

Chen Xi had stayed at the stable the whole afternoon and soon night fell. Chen Xi walked to the Dragon Palace and stood outside the door. She took a deep breath and as she opened the door, a voice called to her.

"Xi'er."

Chen Xi turned around but there was no one behind her. The door to the Dragon Palace opened and Chen Xi turned around and made eye contact with the Emperor.

"Why are you standing outside?" the Emperor asked.

"I was just about to open the door." Chen Xi said as she walked inside the Dragon Palace.

The Dragon Palace was fancier, more extravagant than the Peony Palace. Gold designs brought light into the room but it didn't get rid of the coldness that was still there.

"Here, this is your place." the Emperor said as he pointed to a room.

Chen Xi walked to the room and then looked around.

"One bed?" Chen Xi said as she stared at the Emperor.

"There's eyes out there. Besides, we didn't even spend our wedding night together." the Emperor said as he leaned toward Chen Xi.

"So you're telling me we have to pretend."

"Yes or if you don't want to pretend we can..."

"No, we can pretend."

The Emperor smiled and said: "You can do whatever you want, just remember to give me space."

Chen Xi nodded her head and went to change into her nightgown. When she came back, she tucked herself in the bed and soon drifted into sleep. But peace did not last long, a few hours later Chen Xi was shaking and shivering underneath the blankets. This caused the Emperor, who was next to her to wake up in the middle of the night.

"What's wrong?" the Emperor asked as he tried to wake Chen Xi up.

"Please don't...I beg you... I am p-" Chen Xi said.

"Shh, you're safe, here." the Emperor said slowly as he held Chen Xi in his arms.

After a few minutes, Chen Xi calmed down and the Emperor put her down beside him. The Emperor looked at Chen Xi who was sleeping soundly and smiled, his heart then began to beat faster and faster.

"What's wrong with me? I'm sick, I need a doctor." the Emperor said as he got up.

The Emperor got out of bed, looked at Chen Xi and then walked away.