She thought she was going to die.
She did.
But the next time she opened her eyes , she found out that she was living a whole new life, as a little girl who was going to enter a noble household as a maid.
However, a true pearl can never hide its lus...
Two men in their late forties, one slightly older than the other, were sitting around a round wooden table inside a lone room, located at one quiet corner in the Imperial Palace. On the table, there was a plate of some pastries and a pot of steaming tea.
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One of the men poured the tea into a cup and pushed it at the other man's direction. The receiver laughed heartily - a laugh so boisterous and raspy it made the other person wince.
"I am probably the only one who is lucky enough to be served tea by the Emperor himself!" Ji ChanFang said amidst his laugh, and brought the cup to his lips, to sip the warm fragrant liquid.
Emperor Zhang SongWang merely smiled at his sworn brother before pouring himself a cup of tea as well. He sipped it quietly, while looking at Ji ChanFang, scrutinizing his every facial movement.
Ji ChanFang coughed again, feeling uncomfortable. After all, Zhang SongWang was still the Emperor. Despite their close brotherly relationship, to be looked at in such fervent way made him cold-sweated a bit. Zhang SongWang had always possessed the bearing of a dragon, his gaze was still sharp despite his older age.
Even in court sessions, one long stare from the Emperor could make the ministers buckle down to a kneel.
Zhang SongWang broke his eye contact and chuckled, pouring himself another cup of tea,
"How have you been these days?", he asked.
"Not bad, actually. Apart from being a failure as a martial artist, as you can see, I am still alive.", Ji ChanFang shrugged his shoulders lightly.
They both fell silent for a while. Both knew the cause of Ji ChanFang's predicament, so both men could not and did not really want to touch the sore spot any further.
"The Princess - Zhang XiuYa - you do remember her, Brother Fang?", SongWang spoke to break the silence as he was suddenly reminded of his niece.
"Yes. What about her? She has grown quite splendidly, I must say. You have done a great job bringing her up to adulthood," Ji ChanFang teased him.
Who did not know that the Princess - despite being highly educated and beautiful - was always temperamental. She grew up without worry, so she was always somewhat haughty in her conduct.
Zhang SongWang just gave him another blank stare, "You are too old to be satire."
He paused for a bit,
"XiuYa sought audience with me a while back. I think it was not long after your son, SongLi, recovered from... that incident. I have not been bothering you as I knew you still had a lot on your plate."
Another pause as SongWang this time put both of his arms on the table, linking them in a business-like manner. Ji ChanFang's brows furrowed.
"She is interested in SongLi." the Emperor's lips were curled in amusement.
