The Emperor's Concubine

Chapter 9

Lixing Ji felt sorry for her but just as he started to feel pity for it, she smiled like nothing had happened.
"Well, all that is in the past." Fortune said. Lixing Ji stared at her dumbfounded. He didn't know exactly what to think of such a reaction. "Well, that's the reason why I couldn't learn how to swim. Although I wanna learn but, grandpa wouldn't let me." She looked at him and noticed he was absent minded.
Lixing Ji was really absent minded that he didn't know when Fortune popes up right before him. Her gave fell on his silver eyes. They we're so charming.
"You know, for an emperor you have pretty eyes." She chuckled and watched him as he fall backward due to the shock of seeing her so close to him. "Hehe!"
"Why did you get so close?" He asked trying to hide his flushed expression. 'How is this silly little girl so beautiful?' He thought as she kept smiling.
"Its your fault for letting you thoughts wander while I was still too talking, hmph!" She folded here arms looking away.
"Although my thoughts wandered away, I still heard everything. If you want to learn how to swim so much, I get someone to teach you?" He offered and thought she would take some time to think and then thank him but he was taken aback when she immediately refused.
"No!" She said with a sneaky grin. "I want you to teach me!" She pointed at him boldly.
"Then forget it then" he turned around to leave.
"Hold it fella! Don't be so quick to refuse me." She said but he didn't stop. "You've forgotten that you made me your concubine without my permission." She said and he stopped, she smirked. "How would you feel if I went around telling everyone in the harem that I was forced into being your concubine? Wouldn't that taint the shinning reputation of our great emperor?"
Lixing Ji sneered.
"Are you blackmailing me?" He asked and ah  shrugged her shoulders.
"Just take it as an exchange for your teaching. And if you manage to teach me well, I'll totally forget about all this and live life with you without any opts."
Lixing Ji looked at her in the eyes and nodded.
"I never thought I'd see the day where a little girl would blackmail me into doing things for her." He grinned.
"Well then, aren't you scared that I'll behead you for blackmailing me? "
"Um, who was the one who said he'd protect me whole am in this world?" She asked leaving him speechless "We can forget about that for now but, if you can lay a hand on me a hen I'll give in. Besides, my black belt isn't for fancy!"
"Don't test my patience little girl. I'd like to see what you can do."
"This 'little girl' is capable of murder." She winked and he scoffed.
"Then its settled." He turned to leave "I'll teach you when an free!" With that he walked away. Whole she watched him leave, she couldn't help but think of how calm he was when she said all those things. Although, she hadn't planned on blackmailing him, it was such a good opportunity to test his patience. And such a nice face, an infamous emperor indeed.
"Oh and, you sang pretty well, silly girl!"
"Are you complimenting me?" She looked at him suspiciously and he shook his head.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I'll be back in a moment. Wait for me" with that he left.
After what felt like two hours, Lixing Ji came back in and found Fortune playing with Sage.
"Oh! Its about time. I want to go out." Fortune demanded standing up to match his height but she was a bit shorter than him, so she could only look up to talk to him.
"What exactly do you want to do outside?"
"Its so boring in here. I want to go out to see the rest of your concubines. I want to see the look on their faces when they see me walking with their beloved man." She said
"You want to make them jealous?"
"Of course! I am a little furious. How else am I going to release my wrath?" She said cooly.
"Your thoughts are too silly." He concluded and she smiled in response.
"You've called me sill and little, what else do you want to call me? Alright let's go!" She pulled on his sleeve as she made her way to the door.
Fortune had succeeded in taking Lixing Ji out and drew the attention of everyone as she didn't let of his arm and acted intimately with him.
"Do you feel comfortable acting that way?" He asked
"Somehow I do. I don't know but it feels like I've known you for like, forever." She said softly.
"Who knows? Maybe we were lovers in our precious life." He said and her face flushed red.
"You wish! Hmph!" She threw her face to the side and then she saw the envious glares of everyone and smiled.
Lixing Ji felt that same way as well. He couldn't place his finger in it or point out exactly what that familiar feeling meant. The silly girl hugging his arm, looked innocent and carefree, but she was very scheming and that he liked.
"I cannot believe this!" Meng Meng snapped, scattering the trays of red and yellow petals. She had clearly heard of the emperor walking with the new concubine and acting so intimately with him. "How is that slit able to capture the emperors favor within a day? What is she doing to him?"
"I heard their heading for the spring at the western part of the palace." One of her maids reported.
"Then that's where we shall go!" Meng Meng instructed.
Fortune noticed that they we're walking towards the west and since she didn't know the area, she decided to ask.
"Where are we going?"
"West spring!" Lixing Ji answered. "Its not too far from here."
"What are we going to do at the spring? If you want to teach me how to swim there then I'll tell you that I didn't bring my swimsuit. Plus, its already autumn so the water will be too cold to swim in." Fortune states and out of no where, she felt a sharp pain on her forehead. He flicked her forehead.
"You talk too much!"
"How dare you? That hurt!" She rubbed her forehead.
Lixing Ji looked behind them and signaled the eunuchs to leave.
"Why did you tell them to leave? Won't we need them later on?" She asked and he Shaker his head.
"I thought you could survive in the wild? Can't you take a little walk without them?" He tried to agitate her.
"Of course I can!" She said and kept quiet for rest of the walk.
Once they got to the spring, Fortune was amaized. The spring looked so clean and pure.
"Wow! Its not what I had imagined." She said and bent down to watch the water closely.
Lixing Ji watched her as she played with the water. She looked so happy just by playing with the water.
'This girl! Will the smile on her face last? Will she remain so joyfully even after experiencing the veil life of the palace harem?' He kept watching her and was absent mined. 'I don't know why but, NY heart feels so warn when I see her smile. She night be silly and unreasonable sometimes, but I want to always see her smile.' Just then Fortune splashed water on him.
"Hey! What are you thinking about? You're so boring!" She said folding her hands.
"You think am boring?" He asked moving towards her with a sinister smile. He places his hands in the water and splashed some on her and she laughed attacking him as well with some splashes. "So you still think am boring?"
"No, no, you're extremely fun!" She covered her mouth trying to control her laughter. But it didn't end there, he grabbed on to her arm, pulling her into his embrace.
At that moment, Fortune felt calm and warm but didn't know what was going on.
"What are you doing?" She tried to break free.
"Don't move. I just want to feel you for some time. It feels really good." He said and she stopped moving.
"You must feel lonely! Being an emperor is lonely isn't it?" She asked
"It is but that's how my fate is tied. Am already used to it and I don't get bossed around. You're the first person to boss me around so much."
"Its my style!" She chuckled and then she saw a rock by the side of the spring. "Let me go!" She demanded.
Although, he didn't know what she wanted to do but he let her go and watched as she ran towards the rock.
"Perfect!" She said and turned to him. "Do you have a knife?"
"What do you want to use it for?" He asked.
"What else, cut my wrist!" She bluffed but he took it seriously.
"Why?"he snapped.
"I was joking. Just give me the knife!" She stretched out her hand to take the knife and he handed it over to her reluctantly.
After a few minutes, she was finally finished.
"Come and take a look." She gestured him over and he came over to see what she carved. It was her name, as well as his. "Now this shows that you and I visited this spring, together." She smiled.
Lixing Ji looked at the rock. Their names we're carved perfectly on it and it gave him a warn feeling.
"When I go back to my world, you can just take a look at this and then you'll remember the time we spent together here. And... " she paused "will you...?"
"Little girl, you actually make me feel like am... "
"Your majesty!" Came the empress who suddenly appeared with two maids at her service and Fortune rolled her eyeballs at the sight of them.