The Emperor's Phoenix

Chapter 9 | Her Plan

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Liu Ying Yue

"How repulsive. Refrain from touching me with those defiled hands."

Ying Yue pulled her wrist out of his grip as he stared at her in shock.

"Oh? My wife sure has the nerve to make such snide remarks about her husband..." His eyes darkened as he firmly grabbed her chin and leaned in as if he was going to kiss her. "...Perhaps, I should teach you a lesson--"

I really am not willing to converse with this perverted emperor...It's highly obvious he is trying- and failing-to seduce me into his bed...

She gave him a threatening smirk and lightly traced her fingers over his face as she also leaned closer. The intensity in the dark depths of his eyes only increased.

"I am not a woman you can bed as you please..." she said airily, "I am simply your empress by name...If you are so desperate, I would suggest that you go find a suitable mate among the horses."

"You--!"

The expression in his eyes shifted from slight annoyance to burning anger as he tightened his grip on her jaw.

"Now, if I may so kindly ask of my dear husband, piss off and let me attend to my work."

As his grip lessened from her sharp tongue, Ying Yue took the chance to step away. Shrugging the black cloak off her shoulders, she handed it to him as if he were a lowly servant and quickly stalked away while the emperor and his consorts stared after her in shocked silence.

Tch, I won't be able to accomplish anything with this damned bunch of people...but for now, I have to try to stick to my plan...

She only hoped she had managed to crush the emperor's ego enough for him to leave her in peace, yet Ying Yue had a slight feeling that it wouldn't exactly be the case.

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Standing in the palace garden in her white night robes, Ying Yue glanced up at the sky for her animal companion. There was fortunately a full moon, illuminating the space around to reveal the figure of a small bird.

"Hei Wu..." she called, and the distant cawing of her black crow echoed in reply.

Raising her hand, her companion perched down with a small letter tied to his leg.

"Older brother Li Qiang." He cawed and ruffled his feathers.

She stilled in momentary shock.

Li Qiang was her older brother of four years, who disappeared after her mother's death when she was younger without a word. As the consort seemed rather indignant on not talking about him, Ying Yue suspected that she may have taken part in his disappearance. The thought was highly logical, considering how her younger son ended up taking the throne instead of him.

"This letter--" she quickly untied the letter from Hei Wu's leg and unrolled it in anticipation.

To whomever it may concern--Control your damn crow to not steal food or else it will become the food.

She crumpled up the piece of paper and glared at Hei Wu as he innocently tilted his head.

"Was there anything you managed to find out?" she questioned, staring him down.

Her intelligent crow stilled as he slightly lowered his head for her to place a finger.

Once anyone formed a strong bond with their animal companion, they were able to connect spiritually and see their recent memories. She had first met Hei Wu when he was being sold in the markets and bought the crow just to release him, and he had stayed loyal to her ever since to embark on various missions.

Flashing scenes of large towns and markets appeared before her eyes. As Hei Wu perched on a tree branch, the conversation of two men entered her ears.

"...is Li Qiang."

"Yes. He was killed." He handed the other man a scroll before they went separate ways and the vision changed again.

"...Ugh, does this bitch want to kill us?"

Hei Wu's vision shifted to large crates being unloaded from a small boat. A man opened them to reveal expensive clothing, weapons, and imported herbs from the Earth Realm as he checked their condition.

Another man sighed. "At least the empress dowager pays us for our business."

Ying Yue quickly blinked as she returned to reality. Her hands shook in disbelief at the news of her brother.

Out of the years spent searching for him, it's only a miracle now that Hei Wu managed to find out about his status rather than rumors...But to think that he was killed...

She gave her companion a pressed smile and stroked his feathers. "Thank you, Hei Wu. Stay posted on the old hag, will you?"

He let out a caw and flew back out into the night. Ying Yue stood in the garden and looked up at the moon for a while longer as she processed the news of her family member. For many years, she had hoped for a chance that her older brother was still out there somewhere. Now, she didn't know what to think.

I can still hope...but for now, I need to move forward.

Heading back to the vacant guest room she spent her nights in, Ying Yue sat down at her desk with a sigh and spotted the half-written business letter under the candlelight as an idea sprung to her head.

She wouldn't derive any pleasure from simply killing the consort. Her revenge would be best-served if she gained something out of it besides her death.

As a small smirk grew on her lips, she dipped her brush in ink and continued to write. Like what Hei Wu had seen in his vision, Consort Sui was heavily in charge of all the business affairs that occurred in the nation--it was one of the reasons why Sui and Jin were competitors in the first place.

If I were to deprive my step-mother of her only source of prosperity, I would reduce her status to nothing in the business world...While she may still have the family fortune, that is far less than what Jin will receive by the time I draw everything away from her...

While Ying Yue went to refill her ink, the blade of a sword sliced through the air and was placed against her neck.

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R.I.P. emperor's ego...

-Y.P.