The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 17 - A Tale of Two Birds

The Emperor's deep voice snapped Feng Yao out of her thoughts.

"I remember hearing a strange tale being passed around during that time. A story about a pair of two birds. A female bird and her mate.

The female bird was truly one of a kind. With beautifully vibrant feathers and a chillingly haunting cry, her exotic nature attracted hunters from all over the continent. But her mate was the complete opposite. He was ordinary. Plain. Just like one of the many other birds in the sky."

Feng Yao lazily laid back onto the grass as she listened. The Emperor turned to look at her and chuckled with a warm gaze. With a small shift in position, he laid himself down next to her on the grass. The sun filtering through the trees gently played across their faces.

"One day, a hunter succeeded in separating them and capturing the female mate. She was placed into a cage like a trophy. Every night, she would cry out into the darkened sky in hopes that her mate would find her. And one fateful day, he finally did."

His Majesty gave a sigh and stared at the sky.

"Her mate followed her cries for countless weeks until he finally stumbled upon her locked up in that small cage. Using his beak, he broke open the lock that held the door shut. 

She flew out, ecstatic at seeing her lover. But the moment she came near him, he flew towards her and pierced her heart with his own sharpened beak. Within seconds, her life and love for him had bled out of her small body as she fell lifeless to the floor."

Feng Yao looked at the Emperor, but her eyes showed neither surprise nor shock.

In a quiet voice, she casually commented. "People say that a caged bird often dies due to isolation and loneliness. But people forget to realize that sometimes the cage is protecting the bird from the outside."

A small smile came to her lips as she continued. "Because the people that you can trust the least are often those closest to you."

The Emperor paused before bursting out into laughter. His eyes were twinkling as he gazed fondly at her.

"You're the first person to have ever said that. Perhaps you're the only person to have ever said the same thing Zhen did when Zhen first heard the story too."

She continued smiling, but her eyes were hard to read. Flickering shadows from an overhead tree made it look as though her expression was ever-changing.

"Your Majesty. Forgive my rudeness for interrupting, but there is still a large stack of documents needed to be read and signed in the imperial study." The voice of an eunuch suddenly broke the moment.

Feng Yao glanced over at the Emperor who was lying next to her in the grass. His face had turned gloomy from the eunuch's words as if the mere thought of having to shuffle through so many documents made his brain ache. He finally let out a sigh.

Turning towards Feng Yao whose face was only inches away from his, he whispered, "Zhen has to leave. But please take care to not catch a cold out here. Although it may seem warm, the night often brings a chilly wind."

Her lips tilted upwards into a smile as the wind softly blew her hair. He looked like he wanted to reach out towards the stray strands falling across her face, but he refrained from touching her at the last second. His eyes met her clear gaze once more before he stood up and left.

Before she knew it, he had already disappeared. Feng Yao let out a deep sigh as she rested her head back onto the fluffy grass. 

Sigh...Perhaps I'll just sleep out here tonight...