scarlet heart | exo

Talks

Xuefeng felt that she did need a friend and confidant in at least one of the concubines, since they had been around longer than her and there were things she needed to learn about how stuff was done around in the Fourth Prince's Manor.

So she asked to see the one person who she felt could be trusted.

"Wenyi?"

Said woman sank into a bow.  "Greetings to Madame."

Xuefeng was about to help her up, but decided on a stiff nod instead, not wanting to scare the girl. Wenyi rose, still in a half bow with her head lowered. Slightly amused, Xuefeng walked closer and grasped her arm gently. "Come with me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, what can you tell me about the rest of the concubines?" 

Wenyi had warmed up to Xuefeng, and she was not as shy as before. Actually, while Xuefeng was scarily beautiful and looked very authoritative, she was nowhere as unreasonable as the senior concubine, Concubine Nian. She was relieved.

"They are not inherently bad people. They can be nice, and I've seen them be kind and helpful to one another. Most of the time though, they're jealous, petty and competitive. They all want the 4th Prince to themselves," Wenyi stated. Her shorter legs were no match for Xuefeng's tall, athletic and trained body, so Xuefeng offered her an arm and Wenyi took it gratefully.

"And you?"

Wenyi jumped. 

Xuefeng's voice was calm. There was no underlying, accusatory tone in it, like that of Concubine Nian whenever she spoke to her. She was asking a question, but she wanted an honest answer.

"I don't love him like... Like that." Wenyi replied, flushing hard. "But I do have feelings for him."

Wenyi realized that Xuefeng's hand never left hers, which was at the crook of her elbow. "And why would you say that?" This time, there was a small smile on her face. 

Wenyi was appalled. Why wasn't she angry?

"Because... I loved someone else before him," she confessed.

Xuefeng merely glanced at her, urging her to continue, so she did. "I was a servant girl in the Palace, and he was a Mongolian prince from a tribe that was at war with the Qing dynasty," she admitted quietly. "I met him when he came to the Palace to negotiate a peace deal with the Emperor. But neither side was willing to compromise on their terms, and the talks fell through. He returned to Mongolia, and died in the ensuing war."

"Where did Zitao come into all of this?"

"The Mongolian prince kept in touch with me, he wrote letters to me until he died. I kept them all to remember him by. But one of the servants who was aligned with the 4th Prince found the letters, and thought I was a traitor selling state secrets. She reported me to the 4th Prince. I could have lost my life there and then. But thankfully, instead of killing me straightaway, the 4th Prince gave me a chance to explain myself. Once he discovered my secret, he knew I would be doomed if word got out. So he helped me hide those letters, and asked the Emperor for my hand." 

Wenyi's eyes filled with tears. "The 4th Prince takes care of me more than the other concubines, so they tend to bully me more. I think I deserve it. I shouldn't have fallen in love. A woman is not supposed to marry twice..." 

Xuefeng kept a gentle hand on Wenyi's arm, waiting patiently till she calmed down. Then she asked, "So... Do you love Zitao, or not?"

Wenyi shook her head. "My heart belongs to the Mongolian prince. I love the 4th Prince as a older brother, as a friend, as someone I can talk to; but not as a lover. It's the same with him."