Blood of the Fox

Chapter 4

Afterwards things of that nature happened often. It was just as well living in the Heavenly Realm she was stronger and healed faster than she ever had in the human realm, Ruyi needed the additional boost, with the amount of punishment she had to endure.

After their trip to the laundry house, the three girls returned to the Palace of Purifying Fire the same time a bright light appeared like a crack of thunder from the heavens. The noise startled them, stopping them in their tracks. When they turned they saw the light beginning to fade and there was a figure standing there, dusting off the billowing sleeves of his dark purple robe.

The front of his robe was emblazoned with three golden dragon that moved slowly and siniously. Ting'er was the first to realize who he was - who he must be - although none of them had ever set eyes on him before in their hundred years of service.

She dropped to her knees, forcefully dragging Ruyi and Jiajia with her. "Your Highness the Third Prince," She said in an awestruck tone. She pressed her head to the ground, elbows outstretched. "Your lowly servant greets you and basks in your light and wisdom."

The Third Prince? Ruyi felt a surge of surprise go through her.

Custom decreed that a servant of a low ranking such as herself should keep her head and eyes down when meeting royalty. An acceptable line of vision would probably be somewhere around where the hem of the Third Prince's hem touched his silk shoes. Still, she had heard so much about him that her curiosity got the better of her.

Unlike the First and Second Prince who often came to pay their respects to their father's main wife, the Third Prince had never in her hundred years of service set foot in the Palace of Purifying Fire. But she knew all about him, thanks to the gossip of the other maids. He is the son of Concubine Cai, who lives in the Cold Palace. You know her, the concubine who loved and freed Yunyang. Since then she's been locked up in that place, and the Third Prince has grown up virtually an orphan, unfavored by the Emperor because of his mother's crimes.

It's ironic then isn't it, that of all the Jade Emperor's sons he is the most beautiful and talented, and the splitting image of the Elder Emperor when he was young...

They say he saved Phoenix King's daughter Princess Yuting's life when she was young and since then she's been obsessed with him.

It's hardly only her, just one look at him will make any woman's heart melt...

That was the kind of talk that went around and around, as though everyone hadn't already heard it a hundred times. Almost the words had become meaningless, cliche. But as the object of such talk stood now before her in actual flesh, Ruyi was filled with curiosity. And so as resisting temptation had never been her strong suit, as as his footsteps moved past her, she impulsively and curiously looked up and into his face.

Ruyi went quite still. For perhaps the second time in her life since the moment Master Liu appeared in her bedroom and changed her life forever, Ruyi was struck dumb. She completely forgot herself. Her eyes and her heart could only hold the vision of him.

The most beautiful...

As though he could feel her intense gaze, the Third Prince paused mid stride. His pale, smooth face half turned. She saw again a slender nose, delicate cheekbones, and dark eyes framed with long eyelashes. A wind came and moved his long black hair around his elegant face.

Shock coursed through her as he stared at her. For a moment she dizzily wondered if he too was feeling what she was feeling but then his expression changed, his red lips jerked and his straight brows drew together.

He gazed down at her with a contemptuous expression. An expression that made it all too clear what she was in his eyes; something lower than a rat which had been born in the corner of an Imperial kitchen. Human scum and worthless filth, his beautiful eyes told her.

In truth Ruyi had no idea what it was that the Third Prince was actually thinking or whether in fact his thoughts went anything beyond finding it quite rude that a maid was staring at him so blatantly, but her experience thus far in the Heavenly Realms had been so full of hate and contempt that her thoughts naturally leapt to this conclusion.

Ruyi lowered her head, cheeks red with humiliation. Her heart was racing a hundred beats a second. His footsteps began to move away again; steadily, calmly, infuriatingly.

The next moment the outer doors of the Palace of Purifying Fire banged open so loudly and quickly that a guard standing next to it gave a grunt of surprise.

"Yuezhen-gege! Yuezhen-gege, you've come at last!" It was a high-pitched, feminine voice speaking in a loud, excited voice. "I went to your Third Prince Manor but they wouldn't let me in, how dare they treat me like that, I'm your future wife-"

"Princess Yuting, what brings you here?" The Third Prince's voice was smooth and somewhat lazy. He sidestepped her clutches with practiced fluency. "If it's to massage muhou's back, don't waste your time. Even if you do it for a hundred years, it won't lead to anything from me."

There was a short silence broken by a loud, piercing wail that made all three kneeling maidservants cringe. "How can you say that!? Everyone knows that the Prince I marry will become the Crown Prince. Don't you know how your brothers court me? How can you not understand what a prize I am?!"

"Since I have no interest in becoming the Crown Prince, I have no need for such a prize." The sarcastic tone in which he said the last words set Princess Yuting off again. But he cut off her wail quickly. "Besides, do you think someone as weak as yourself could hold up half the sky? You would never pass the required trials to become Crown Princess."

"Liar! Aunt said I don't need to do any of those things! Why don't you understand, Yuezhen-gege, I'm doing this all for you-"

"Oh my, I was wondering what was causing all that racket." The new voice was smooth and honeyed, and somehow false. Ruyi recognized it immediately as Lady Zimei's, who else's voice could set her teeth so on edge? "If it isn't the Third Prince. The Empress was beginning to think you'd forgotten the existence of your muhou."

"Lady Zimei, each time I see you you become more beautiful." The Third Prince's voice matched hers in false sweetness.

Zimei giggled but Yuting broke in loudly. "Why, you can compliment her but not me?! You philanderer! When we are married I'll get rid of all your maids and don't even think about any concubines-"

"Princess Yuting, you musn't take off like that. If any harm should come to you the Phoenix King would never forgive us." Zimei interrupted.

"No harm could come to me with Yuezhen-gege here!"

"Lady Zimei, the Empress summoned me. If it's nothing important than I'll come again another time."

"Of course it is something important, otherwise would she dare to disturb the haughty Third Prince? Everyone knows that you're so busy, you don't even have time to come to court. Go on inside, she is waiting for you."

"No don't go Yuezhen, we haven't finished talking yet-!"

Ruyi looked up again as the footsteps moved away. As Yuezhen disappeared behind the door, it was as though a shadow lifted from her heart. The pressure there abated and she could breathe easily again. But at the same time she was filled with melancholy. These feelings inside her were so strange and foreign she could barely understand it and did not even notice Zimei come closer until her voice spoke above them, "The Hall of Plenty will need extra hands to prepare the feast tonight to celebrate the Third Prince's visit. Go there now."

As they rose, Ruyi felt a strong force wrap around her body, pinning her in place. Almost instinctively she fought against it but it was useless, Lady Zimei's xiuwei was leaps and bounds above her own.

"Not you, fox girl. We have received a message from the Ministry of Punishment about what you did. It's off to the Tower of Punishment for you again, clearly it's becoming your new home. And Ruyi?" Zimei smiled a cold smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Make sure you clean yourself up before you return this time. No one wants your stinking fox blood dirtying the floor of the Palace of Purity."

***

Daiyu had once told her, "When we foxes love we do so utterly and completely. We repay all the love we have and will ever receive onto this one person. For some it is a blessing but for myself, it was a curse. May you, my daughter, never meet such a misfortune."