The people within the main hall were startled at the sudden announcement. But they’ve been drilled since young and not many things in this world could shake the war veterans, not even the unprecedented arrival of their Emperor. Unaffected by the sudden turn, the men stood and orderly lined up, according to their status within the clan, with Zhou Chen and Zhou Xue Xian standing at the front to greet their monarch.

When the man, wearing gold colored robes, entered the main main hall everyone knelt on one knee and greeted with veneration. “We respectfully greet the Emperor! May Your Majesty live for thousands, thousands of years!”

“Rise.” The golden robed man ordered as he headed for the main seat. His eyes flickered at the sight of Zhou Chen and Zhou Xue Xian but he did not say anything until he was seated and was holding a cup of freshly brewed tea. “Zhen heard an interesting news and came over in a hurry to take a look.”

It’s not hard to guess why the Emperor suddenly decided to visit. Everyone knows that the Heavenly One has been pestering Zhou Chen to return to the Imperial Capital but was turned down, again and again. But now, without an imperial edict the famed general of the Zhou Manor arrived at the Imperial Capital incognito. And not only that, he brought the high ranking commanders within the army with him. If this military official wasn’t someone the Emperor trusted, wholeheartedly, this sudden and covert move could be viewed as a conspiracy to raise arms and stir up a rebellion!

No one spoke as the Emperor of Wuxing glared at Zhou Chen, who seemed to be unpertubed by the other’s behavior and was silently sipping his tea.

Seemingly annoyed by Zhou Chen’s lack of consideration, the Emperor once again opened his mouth and said, accusingly. “Zhou Chen, you still know how to come back!”

Nangong Yu, who was standing near his father, winced at the emperor’s sudden loss of decorum but decided not to interfere. Those who don't know the relationship between the two would probably be confused but he knew that Zhou Chen, aside from being Imperial Princess Yao’s husband, is also the Emperor’s sworn brother. Even the eunuchs brought by His Majesty were quiet and decided to lessen their presence lest they attract the emperor’s attention and wrath.

The commanders within the main hall were silently rejoicing at their general’s bad luck but decided to cover up their glee with a dramatic show of fierce expressions. They knew the real situation between the two and although they wanted to express themselves freely, one was their commanding officer while the other was the nation’s monarch. So everyone decided to silently look on and closely watched the two, seemingly waiting for a good show.

“Speak! Before, no matter how Zhen tried to persuade you continued to be stubborn and say that you will stay in Hai Shan Valley unless called to arms. But now you enter the Imperial Capital and do not inform Zhen. How do you think Zhen will take this blatant provocation!”

“Your Majesty is thinking too much.” Zhou Chen replied calmly. “This time, this official journeyed to the Imperial Capital for a private matter which involved one’s daughter. It is not at all related to Your Majesty.”

The Emperor of Wuxing froze, speechless. With one declaration it was a direct hit and blood was cleverly drawn without needing a sword. After all these years this brother’s tongue is still as sharp as ever. It could be said that Zhou Chen is very vicious. If those within the hall did not know the relationship between the two men, they would think that Zhou Chen is not fearful and wanted to lose his head!

Unable to control himself any longer, the Emperor stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Zhou Chen. “You and elder sister were too much! If I had known you two would leave after swindling me to sit on the dragon throne, I wouldn’t have accepted it!”

The eunuchs from the palace were immediately fearful. They did not fully comprehend why the emperor would say such deranged things but this is not something that should be spoken out loud. Who knows who might be listening and if word spread, then the Emperor would be in a bad situation. They kneeled down and cried for the Emperor to take back his words.

Even Nangong Yu was nervous. He didn’t know the full story of that time but he knew that the one who should have succeeded the throne was Imperial Princess Yao. But since the princess had no desire to rule, the position was left to the young prince, Nangong Yan. There was a lot of speculation about this but no one really knows the truth aside from the people involved.

But the Emperor, Nangong Yan, looked at the sniveling people kneeling on the ground and sneered in disgust. “Zhen’s elder sister was supposed to inherit, who amongst you did not know? Imperial Father willed it. And after breaking off the rebellion of that traitorous snake, this course should have been followed. If those two balckbellied people did not join together to deceive Zhen, do you think Zhen would be here today? No! I wanted to roam the land. I wanted to be free and unfettered! Who would want to sit all day and do nothing but worry about the country!”

It seems that the emperor’s grievances were deep-seated. From his words, it seems that Imperial Princess Yao and General Zhou used tricks to get Nangong Yan to accept the position of Emperor and later abandoned him to fend for himself as they go on their merry way. This revelation gave the people in the main hall a complicated feeling.

Zhou Xue Xian, who was watching on the side, did not have an opinion. She knew her father very well and although she never got the chance to meet her mother, she got to know her through the stories her father used to tell her. And from what she knows of her parents, it would be impossible for Imperial Princess Yao to take the mantle of Empress. She would not want it and her father would not allow it.

The Emperor of Wuxing is known as a wise and just but cunning ruler. He knew when to soften and harden his hand and everyone within the empire lives in harmony because of His Majesty’s diligence. But for Zhou Xue Xian, it is hard to associate this man to the renowned and beloved emperor that everyone in the empire worships.

In fact, this is the second time that Zhou Xue Xian has met Nangong Yan. The first was when he tried to abduct her from Hai Shan Valley and take her to the Imperial Capital. Yes, abduct...

When she was young, Zhou Xue Xian liked to sneak out of the Zhou Manor and have fun with the commoner children outside. After training and her daily lessons, she would go out through the doghole on the south wall of the manor.

On that particular day, she played with the other children by river and was covered in mud. Though her simple robes were of high quality, with her filthy state, it was hard to imagine her as a child from a prestigious family.

Zhou Xue Xian was on her way home when she was stopped by a strange uncle. If this was a regular meeting, Zhou Xue Xian would have run away. But from young, she was shown the portrait of the man who she knew was her mother’s younger brother and the current Emperor of Wuxing. Although he looked nothing like the majestic and solemn figure depicted in the portrait, Zhou Xue Xian recognized him right away.

The man did not say anything about himself and only asked Zhou Xue Xian perfunctory questions about her daily life. Zhou Xue Xian thought nothing of this and answered honestly. Then he asked what she was doing outside and she excitedly told him about the fishes in the river and the fun she had with her group of friends.

After talking for so long, Zhou Xue Xian was invited to have a meal. But before that, she was brought inside a room full of female servants who thoroughly washed the filth off her body and dressed her in a dress that could only be described as clothes fit for royalty. Seeing that her uncle wanted to spoil her for the day, Zhou Xue Xian did not mind the fuss.

The meal was like a small banquet at home and though it was her maternal uncle sitting on the opposite side, it was the first time meeting so she was a bit reserved and only ate three bowls of rice. For Zhou Xue Xian, at that age, it was a big concession, who knew that the Emperor would take it the wrong way.

Nangong Yan was already angry at the Zhou Manor for allowing Zhou Xue Xian to roam around the streets unprotected and mix with commoners. It was not wrong to want to sneak away from home, he did it himself when he was young. But Zhou Xue Xian was still a young lady. She should have at least one or two people accompanying her whenever she walks outside.

What the Emperor doesn’t know is that there are indeed people following Zhou Xue Xian. Two shadow guards were assigned to watch over the Young Master whenever goes outside to play.

But the Emperor’s dissatisfaction did not end there. In his view, Zhou Xu Xian, as his elder sister’s daughter, should be reared in the palace and be treated as an Imperial Princess. Not only was she allowed to go outside unprotected, she was also wearing simple clothes that were not fit for her status.

Then there is the point that Zhou Xue Xian was not taught not to engage in conversation with strangers. To follow blindly to the inn and happily have a meal, it shows that she was raised to be ignorant of the ways of the world. The last straw that broke the Emperor’s patience was the fact that Zhou Xue Xian ate like she hadn't been fed for days. This clearly showed that the Zhou Chen and Zhou Manor was not fit to take care of his niece!

If the Emperor knew that Zhou Xue Xian’s behavior that afternoon was due to her knowledge of his real identity, who knows what he’d think. But he didn’t. The Emperor took it upon himself to take away the child, before an accident happens, and care for her in the Imperial Capital which was his intention since the child’s birth.

Back then, Zhou Xue Xian did not know how it happened. The last thing she remembered was having a meal with her weird uncle, who kept looking at her with a strange, pitying gaze. But the next time she opened her eyes, she was in a carriage. There were shouts all round and it seemed like people were fighting outside?!

It is quite funny, now, when one looks back and analyzes the events that happened. But during that time, Zhou Xue Xian was really scared. She was taken from Hai Shan Valley so easily and she was party to her own abduction. Her Father and the uncles at home went after her and fought with the Imperial Guards in order to retrieve her.

When Zhou Xue Xina realized what was happening, she stared in disbelief at the weird man who had a great misunderstanding of what’s going on and asked, “Uncle, what are you trying to do?”

Zhoue Xue Xian did not know that the expression she had that day was exactly the same as Imperial Princess Yao’s whenever she scolds her younger brother.

The Emperor who was drowning in his misinterpretation of the situation suddenly sobered and asked, “Aren’t you being bullied at home?” Although Nangong Yan was full of indignation for the beloved niece, the truth remains that he abducted another family’s child. This truth cannot be overlooked and after suffering that unfathomable gaze that shouldn’t be seen on the face of a child, the Emperor immediately felt guilty.

Because this was the man who holds the entire nation in his hands, Zhou Xue Xian did not say the words that were on the tip of her tongue. They were not complementary and should not be likened to one’s family and monarch. Who knew that her first meeting with this weird uncle would stir up so many misunderstandings and end up in such a dramatic way?

After shouting and cursing each other, both sides regained their dignified bearings and went on their way without grudges. And Zhou Xue Xian was taken home, back to the Zhou Manor. But after this uncanny incident, she declined numerous invitations from the Emperor to visit the Imperial Capital and live in the palace. She had no desire to live in constant vigilance. And even at a young age Zhou Xue Xian knew that the palace was not a good place to be, not even for the members of the Imperial Family.

But in order to forge a good relationship, the Emperor would send his son, the Crown Prince, Nangong Yu, yearly to play and make sure Zhou Xue Xian was indeed taken care of in Hai Shan Valley.