Empress Xie

Empress Xie•5

This chapter is dedicated to Madame_Pocket   I took all your advice into consideration when writing this chapter and plan to edit the previous ones. Thanks for your advice😊.

Jun Qi Ming remembered a time when he was 14 and allowed to study under a certain minister with a son around his age. That son was already showing great promise as a genius and was the pride and joy of his clan.

Jun Qi Ming, who was a prince then, was very interested in this teen who did not chase his approval and even treated him a bit coldly. One day, he arrogantly said; "Xie Ran you're not completely incompetent, but you've still got a ways to go. When Benwang becomes Emperor he'll make you a Prime Minister so swear your loyalty to me right now."

The teen looked at him with uninterested eyes and said coldly, "A dung beetle to a dragon? How funny."

Jun Qi Ming took great offense to this. On the day everyone bowed to Jun Qi Ming as he approached the throne, he subtly tossed a dung beetle on Xie Ran's head.

Petty? Yes. But it was very fulfilling.

Serves him right. He thought childishly.

Then, on the Emperor's birthday, Xie Ran boldly sent Jun Qi Ming a wooden dung beetle. At a certain court meeting, Xie Ran found a dung beetle amongst his documents. And so their game continued for many years.

The two would never admit it, not even to themselves, but they're friends. Through the subtle jabs, the difference in status, and the years that have gone by, they are friends.

Xie Ran presented the invite and Jun Qi Ming grit his teeth. Nothing in the invite was out of the ordinary, except for the part about the Xie second miss. Normally, such a thing would not be mentioned in an invite so when it was, any smart official would immediately comply.

For high ranking officials like Xie Ran, Jun Qi Ming handled his invite by himself and he didn't remember writing this particular invite like this. He didn't know what Xie Lien looked like before the banquet but he understood Xie Ran loved and doted on his daughter like she was the moon in the sky and would never drag her into unnecessary situations. Whoever did this obviously did it to see no one else but Xie Lien...or perhaps they wanted someone else to see her.

"How bold." The Emperor chuckled. "Did not only intercept Zhen's invite, but copied the calligraphy."

Xie Ran held back a sigh of relief. For some reason, he was glad it wasn't Jun Qi Ming who sent the invite. "So the culprit wanted to bring Xie Lien out for some reason." Jun Qi Ming mused.

The two immediately began thinking the same thing. How else could the culprit know of Xie Lien if they hadn't intercepted the Xie residence? Of course it's possible a servant of the residence may have tried to defend the second miss by saying she's actually beautiful, but what was one servant's testimony against the venomous mouths of Da Wei? It was also hard to believe that the culprit would go by a simple servant's testimony.

Speaking logically, someone of importance in the residence must have tattled. Xie Ran immediately ruled out Cai Yi Yi and Xie Long. The concubines were a possibility, as were their daughters. But for all he knew it might even be one of Xie Lien's trusted maids.

"This official will not trouble his majesty, one has been careless in dealing with the residence." Xie Ran bowed.

"Hmph! You are a useful piece but do not be so arrogant. What trouble? Zhen is not helping you, Zhen only wants to know who was bold enough to copy Zhen's calligraphy."

Xie Ran fearlessly sneered and bowed one last time then turned to leave. Halfway out the door he turned back around and spat. "Filthy dung beetle." Again he left before the cup reached his head.