EMPEROR AND I 82 Elder Brother

YIYUAN

"Leave us!" Shen Hong barked to his audience as soon as Li Lian and General Feng left. They started to move but it was not fast enough for him. He grabbed a nearby lone sword and growled, "I said move it!"

Startled, the generals began to move; pus.h.i.+ng each other and trying to grab any available shawl to cover their private parts.

It seemed as if Yang Liu finally realised what she had done as she suddenly fell to the ground and began to sob, "I didn't mean it!"

The dragon seethed, "You will shut up!" He kicked the table nearby and jars of drinking water crashed on the floor knocking over some stacked towels which ripped through the hung curtains. "Where is your respect? You dare act rowdy in my presence?"

"She made me do it," she spoke through a rampant of tears flowing down her reddened cheeks.
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"How so? She was with me."

"She seduced General Feng! A palace maid belongs to the emperor." Yang Liu used her sleeves to wipe her tears. "Elder brother, you must believe me―"

"Yang Liu! I am your emperor, pay your respects!" He swung the sword, placing it precisely by her neck.

She screamed in bewilderment as she knew that with any move, her head would be rolling on the ground.

Shen Hong was aware of the rumor that something was going on between Li Lian and General Feng. Nothing new. Besides, if it was true he was not worried about the compet.i.tion.

"Address me as your emperor!" He was greatly agitated. Yang Liu had to learn to respect him and to regard him formally just like everyone else.

"Elde… emp..." She stuttered, lost for words.

"Before being a brother, I am the dragon. You hear me?"

"Yeh…" Her whole body was shaking in trepidation; both aware that he was more than capable of having her killed.

"His Majesty hates me; oh, he hates me," she sniffled, still trembling.

His cold voice mocked her, "Emotional blackmail will not work."

"His Majesty will kill this insignificant princess and… at least the world will get to know the truth," she hiccuped over her tears, " that this princess has no worth."

Reverting back to her informality, she cried, "Elder brother chose that floozy over me; protected her over his heartbroken sister."

"Enough!"

"But it's true!" she yelled. "You slapped that tramp to protect her!"

"Yang Liu."

"Kill me for it but you protected her. You hate me. Oh, you hate me!" Her harrowing sobs echoing in the now empty room.

It was true. Not the hate part, but the fact that he protected Li Lian from a treasonous death. If she had managed to lay a hand on Yang Liu, her death was inevitable. Even he would not be able to save her. Royal life was too precious in the eyes of the law. Though he agreed; it was not a good enough reason to have harshly slapped her. His heart ached as he remembered her bleeding head. He did that; what a monster!

What was going on with him? Because of a woman, he was now questioning himself as to whether he was really a monster.

"Elder brother, declare my true gender to the world or kill me now. You may as well have me dead."

"I will do no such thing."

"Do you know how it feels to be someone who you are not?"

No, he did not, but he did know that she was not ready for the consequences that would come from the reveal.

"Please, I cannot bear it Elder Brother."

"Even if it will cost your mother her life?"

"I don't care for her. Grand Consort Shu is my mother. I don't care."

Surely, Shen Hong could not hear her cry for so long. She was his sister; the one he cared for as they grew up. Over the small wounds, over her falls, and now he also had to nurse her broken heart by doing something about this situation. Among his many sisters, she was the most pitiful. The frog prince locked in the wrong ident.i.ty and considered unworthy of anything by all who mattered.

"I will think about it."

"No, Elder Brother; do it today." She crawled over and hung on his leg to strengthen her plea. "Otherwise that floozy will have him."

He was about to warn her over calling Li Lian a floozy when he caught from the corner of his eye, Luo Meng entering. "Luo Meng?"

"Here to serve."

"What did you hear or see?" Shen Hong suspected that he followed General Feng and Li Lian, in order to spy over them.

Luo Meng chuckled as he lay himself on a bench, hands folded behind his head and cast his eyes upon the princess. "Yang Liu behave now; no need for drama. There is nothing between Feng and the said lady."

"You blind tweet!" She raved as she stood up. "She is a maid and not a lady."

Li Lian was a lady. His lady. Shen Hong's thoughts ran to how he liked devouring her tasteful neck. It was soft, delicate, and smelt of everything sweet. He needed to go after 'that lady' as soon as he could, to just be near her; he could ask for nothing more.

Recognizing the danger of his words, Luo Meng scrambled to stand but he was too late as Yang Liu was already on him. She crudely pushed the bench he was laying on, causing him to fall into the water. Somehow, Yang Liu stumbled and fell alongside Luo Meng.

Shen Hong stifled himself from laughing at the sight as they swam towards each other and began to struggle as they shoved against each other.

When he was still a crown prince, Yang Liu confided in him about her feelings for General Feng. He knew it would be a problem, but he never suspected it would make her this rebellious and determined.

Shen Hong did not know what he would have done if Gurio had managed to a.s.sa.s.sinate her as Yang Liu was very precious to him.

Angry that Nevoria recently captured some of their land, Gurio was calling for war. In retaliation for Nevoria's actions, Gurio poisoned Yang Lui, his one weakness, the jade of his heart.

Knowing there was a possibility his men would have to go war soon, he made a commitment to enjoy his time in YiYuan as much as he could because who knew what the future may hold.

S.V