Embrace Of The Wind And The Flame

Chapter 10

Ai ya ya! Salaam alaikum people (peace be unto you) hope you are all doing okay. Here comes another update!!!! Pardon the late updates. This isn't the only book I'm writing and then, there's life
;). Please do check out my other books as you wait for the next update which will be soonest. And please click on the star after reading! Take care then...

Empress Zi an changed out of her previous clothes, from the pale blue color to the sharp imposing red dress and a matching lipstick.
She stood at the door and wat hed them for a minute.
The two princes were both standing next to each other, each to his thoughts. Up close to the crown prince, Zi an could see that her son was still lacking somethung though she didn't know what it was. She clenched her fists and slowly released them with a shaky breath.

"It's no longer a wonder that the sky was so beautiful today" she collected her calm and walked inside the room." Sons were coming to visit empress mother together. "

She sat down and accepted their greetings. "This must be a good fortune."

Second prince Ji smiled and glanced at crown prince who was sipping tea without a slight change in his expression and laughed. "Actually, after the morning court, son felt like I missed mother and decided to come visit you."

His hand slowly rocked the liquid in his cup. "I did not expect to see crown prince brother here. Don't know why brother has come this early?"

Crown prince returned the cup back on the table with a soft clank of ceramic hitting ceramic. "Do I need to have a reason to pay a visit to mother?" He fixed his look on mother, then turned to face her son. The atmosphere was stiff for a while.

"Ji'er that's enough. Do not pester your brother with questions" empress Zi an broke through and clapped her hands. "Mother is sure you both haven't had your meal yet. Mother gave the servants an order to prepare some food just now. It should ready by now"

Just as she said the last word, the door was gentky pusjed opened and the maids brought out an eqting table, coloring it with foods and snacks.

"Wei sister always loved eating these" Crown prince picked a honey laced corn cake with his chopstick. "I don't know if imperial mother still remembers"

Zi an put down her chopsticks and sighed. "Ever since the news came to this palace, empress mother has been unable to ha e peace of mind." She gracefuly wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief. "Rest assured, empress mother will not be calm until Wei is found" a smile hung on lips and she added "alive or dead."

Crown prince narrowed his eyes at her words and opened his mouth as though to speak but a certain movement outside the window caught his attention and he changed his mind.

"Son has been assigned some work to do by imperial father" he bowed. "Son will have to take your leave now, empress mother." And without waiting for her reply, he walked out with no bavkward glance.

Trash! The sound of a cup shattering in its heavy contact with the floor escorted crown prince's retreating steps. Second prince Ji leapt to her side. "Don't upset yourself over him mother." He massaged her shoulder gently.

"Mother's way of handling things are quite superb. You took care of Ninth sister's case so quickly." Ji finally git to the main reason why he came. "Mother where are you hiding her? Is she alive?"

Empress Zi an shook her head and sighed "I don't know either. Tnis was not my doing at all. The men I sent were all assassinated and then replaced by whoever took her." She barked out a short laugh "who ever it was, I hope the person will keep her forever away from messing up with my plans.

#
Crown prince paced back and forth in his room, the anxiety building up inside him was enough to makd him explode.

"Master" the person in black walked in and bowed his head. "So how was it? Has she been taken to safety? Is she okay?"

The black clothed man bowrd his head in affirmative. "She is fine. But we did not make it on time and she had recieved a few bruises when we arrived." He bowed his head waiting for the wrath that would follow but nothing happened.

"That is okay" crown prince mused nore fo himself. "As for the eunuch, take him to where the court lady has been recieving treatments. Reports came in yesterday saying the poison has been completely cured but like I said, take good care of her. She is the only who knows the real truth behind everything"

The man kneeling bowed his head and turned to leaving, pausing slightly with a little dose of hesitagion in his voice, he asked. "Master what do we do about her majesty? She will be angry when she finds out"

Crown prince sat and dismissed his worries with a flick of his hands. "You always worry too much. Let me think about that and besides, the one who knows how to handle mother best is me."

##

The sudden burst of the doors made Cui Fei empress raise her brows as one of her trusted court ladies ran to her almost breathless. "Your majesty" she panted.

"There is trouble. Princess Rong Wei had the person coming from Fu lang kidnapped and beaten. The foreign princess has just been brought into the palace and she is unconscious, running a high temperature. "

The Hua empress regent stood up immediately and walked outside her residence without a care for the snow.

"Your majesty!" The court lady cried after her and chased with an umbrella. "It is snowing, you might catch a cold."

Empress regent didn't care about that just now as she barked her orders to those around. "Give my orders for Rong Wei to kneel in the ancestral hall until the Fu lang princess wakes up and then, we will discuss her punishment. "

The court lady was puzzled. "Pardon this servant's audacity your majesty. But you have always doted on princess Rong Wei and although she has gone a bit extreme this time, don't you thini it's too harsh for her?"

When the regent didn't answer, she bowed again and left to relay the command. Cui Fei empress aighed again and rubbed her temple.

So many years had passed, she had gone through a lot of things to keep her plan moving and now that she was so close to the goal, she wouldn't let anything be a hindrance to it. Not even her beloved niece.