The sly flower and the bored butterfly

A rare sight in the Palace

Viewing the sunset with a blushing general is quite entertaining. Third young miss Liu,  better known as General Liu was a sight to see. She looked bashful and surprisingly coquettish. I leaned towards her and gave her a smile. She took a sharp breath.
' General Liu, who caught your attention?'

　　General Liu was disturbed. She fidgeted with her sleeves. ' Forgive this lowly one, but xixi doesn't understand what do you mean.' She slowly finished her sentence. She was outright denying her feelings. Now, I don't like burying myself in others matters but this is crucial for my survival. I chuckled, ' General Liu is really shy. Bengong wonders why did General Liu come to Bengong's garden then. Bengong merely thought that Bengong would be able to have the honor of seeing Physician Bai and General Liu together.'

　　I then sighed deeply. It suddenly hit me that I sounded like an old lady. But my realization was pushed to the back of my head when I saw General Liu. Her eyes were widened in surprise. ' H- how, how did your majesty find out ?' She stammered. Tsk, tsk, tsk. They say that General's and soldiers don't know how to keep secret.

　　' Bengongs garden only has eunuchs and soldiers. No one here is capable enough to catch Miss Liu's attention. Since Physician Bai left a while before General Liu appeared bengong merely guessed. How did it start?'
General Liu gave me a dreamy smile and began her story.

***11 years ago***

Spring had reached its peak. The entire country was entranced with the flowers, birds and insects. That year no natural disasters, plague and war had struck the nation. It was peaceful year. Naturally there were celebrations and banquets held. The imperial palace was busy. Everyone was preparing for the spring banquet. On the day of the spring banquet, a young girl of nine went out of the banquet hall . She didn't bother to hide that she was bored. Adults weren't her favorites. She explored the palace area.

Upon exploring she reached the imperial garden. Towards the corner of the garden there was a cherry tree. Under that cherry tree a little boy was taking a nap. He looked calm. His white and light blue robes were fluttering. A gentle breeze came and caressed his face. He slowly opened his eyes. Cherry blossoms were falling. The sweet smell of flowers had filled the air. This beautiful scene was witnessed by the girl.

She carefully approached the boy and gently shook him from behind. The boy was caught by surprise and turned around. She let out a small giggle and said,
' Come play with me. We can be friends. I am good at sword fighting and archery.'
The boy gave her a sad smile. ' I shouldn't play. You should make another friend.'
The girl payed no heed to what he said. Instead she flicked his forehead.
' Silly boy everyone deserves to play.'

She grabbed his hands and ran towards the pond. She removed her shoes and socks and dipped her feet in the pond.The boy had a look of horror in his face. ' Th-that is the koi pond. You can't dip your feet there. Come on out.' The girl pouted and removed the boys shoes. ' I don't care. No one is here. Join me it is fun.' The boy slowly dipped his feet in with a nervous expression. Soon they were splashing water and were drenched. Giggles and laughter could be heard.Perhaps it was the happiest day in both of their lives. They didn't knew each other's names and didn't meet again after that day.

***Present time***

' Oh, so the boy General Liu met was Physician Bai.'
' Your majesty is right. I found out recently.'
' Then, good luck on pursuing him.'

　　General Liu then smiled at me. It was genuine smile. After that we chatted about random things and she took her leave. She was honest and didn't have any hidden meaning behind her stories. It was refreshing talking to her. It is quite rare to meet someone who is as honest as her in the palace.She likes Physician Bai. Then what about his majesty? I can't predict him at all. Does he like men? Does he like both men and women? It bothers me. I have never been this lost before.

　　' Your majesty, Her highness the empress dowager has asked to see you.' A court lady informed me in high voice. I gave her a brief nod and went to the longevity palace. I have a feeling that a surprise awaits me. When I reached the longevity palace, imperial mother had a docile look on her face.

　　She wasn't supposed to be docile though. I gave her a smile. She beckoned me to come closer to her. I went to sit next to her.
' Xiao Ying, ah Xiao Ying. That old fox has raised you well.'
' Ying'er doesn't understand who is the old fox, imperial mother is talking about.'

　　The empress dowager gave a silent sigh and began. ' Your grandmother, Old madam Jin was my like my older sister .She didn't enter the palace because she was betrothed to your grandfather when she wasn't even born. We were close but slowly drifted apart when I came to the palace. She used to tell me that she will retire in the mountains. And she really did. She even made a good daughter-in-law for me.'

　　She smiled faintly. My grandmother was friends with Empress Dowager. Perhaps that is why grandmother didn't complain about my marriage with the emperor. I exchanged pleasantries with her and left. I had a lot on my mind. I definitely wasn't willing to entertain anyone.

　　I was walking carelessly when I was stopped by one of the older court ladies. Imperial mother had sent her to look after me. She asked me to look towards my right and smiled encouragingly at me. I was at a loss for a moment before a very irksome view came to my attention. His majesty was practicing his martial arts. He was sparring with a soldier.

　　He was doing his part agilely and beautifully. The court lady nudged me again. I saw my entourage looking at me expectantly.This is uncomfortable. I scrambled my way to the practice area. His majesty had finished his sparring and turned around to look at me. He gave me an amused look as if my presence was surprising. He gave his sword to a soldier.

　　' Ah dear empress, What brings you here? Zhen almost forgot about your existence.' I feigned a smile. ' Chen qi saw Your majesty practicing and came to offer my greetings.' 
' But my practice has already finished. Since you are already here why don't you help me clean up.' The emperor motioned the servants to take three steps back.

　　Don't lash out, don't get angry. You have a calm temperament. You are docile.I repeated this mantra in my head.I tried to refuse but it was evident that the emperor wouldn't have any of my excuses.I had no choice but to give in to his orders. I took a wet towel and started wiping his fore head. The lack of distance between our bodies was uncomfortable.

　　He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying my work. Just as I thought my work was finished, he grabbed my hands and gave me a sly look. He leaned in and whispered,       " Your hands are very soft."

He looked at my chest and had a suggestive look on his face. He proceeded to leave while humming a tune that I couldn't recognize.
　　Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!! I hate that perverted emperor . Who said he was virtuous?????? If I weren't forced to be an empress I would have taught him a good, good lesson. What kind of emperor speaks like a hooligan? What did he say again? Your hands are very soft? I will show him what my hands are like.

　　I clenched my fists and marched away from the practice area. I saw a few of the older court ladies bestowed on me by Imperial mother look disappointed. Whereas one particular young looking maid was trying hard to hide her gleeful expression. My dear ladies of the harem have already planted a spy.

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