Wuxia Tale: Hua in Bloom

Inconvenience

(CAPTAIN WANG)

I was with the Imperial Couple when a disheveled and distressed guard was presented to us to give us a news.

"Bandits attacked you father's traveling entourage, my Empress." The guard kneeled in front of the Emperor and Empress. "We were taken by surprise. We just stopped for a meal and surveyed the place to be safe but we..."

The shock on the Empress face was nothing but genuine. "My...father? Is he...hurt?"

"No, your Majesty. We managed to lock him inside his carriage for safety but two of his guards died and the former First Minister...he..." the guard hesitated a bit. "He is unconcious when I left to travel back here, your Majesty."

"Unconcious? What do you mean unconcious?" The Emperor is also confuse. I, meanwhile, shouted for my coronels to give them orders. "Ride to the place where the ambush happened. Assess the situation carefully and report back to me. Move!"

"Yes, General." Two of my coronels took the order and moved fast to follow.

The Emperor look at me with questions in his eyes. I was ordered to his private quarters when the Empress went to her rooms to await for news about her father.

"What is this?" The Emperor asked. "Is this the plan..."

"The former First Minister decided to travel to one of his propery outside of the capital this morning, your Majesty. It looks like bandits ambushed them along the road." I said the story that will be told to the public.

"But he is not dead?" The Emperor didn't like that one a bit. "The guard said he is just unconcious..."

"When a person's heart, especially someone as old as the former First Minister's, got jolted, it can lead to losing conciousness. Don't worry, your Majesty. The former First Minister's heart must have a problem..." I said.

The Emperor hissed at that. "Are you telling me that my father in law is to die due to heart failure? Just from that? After all that he had done to my sons?"

"This is for the Empress and the Crown Prince, your Majesty." I reminded him about the real reason why we have to execute such elaborate scheme to eliminate his father in law.

"Argh!" The Emperor looked up and close his eyes. I have no doubt that he wanted the former First Minister to be quartered alive but the old man is the father of the Empress and grandfather to the Crown Prince.

The Emperor took some deep calming breaths before looking at me again. "But he is not a problem for me anymore, right, General?"

"Yes," I gave him that simple answer.

"When will I receive the good news, General?" The Emperor stared impatiently at me.

"Soon, your Majesty." I am confident in that. Dayu and Mei will not make any mistake. If the former First Minister is unconcious, that means the old man is now dying. And soon, will perish and will cease to be our problems.

We both got silent and was surprised when the Emperor's eunuch announced the arrival of the Empress.

I bowed when the Empress entered the Emperor's private chamber. Bearing a paper in her hand, "Someone sent me this." She handed the paper to me, "Saying that my sire's body is now being transported back to the capital. However I calculated it, that news came too fast considering we just received the news of the ambush. Any idea who sent this message."

I sighed. Dayu is truly...impatient sometimes.

"You don't have anything to worry about...your Majesty." I assured the Empress.