75 Blood and Gore (2/2)
”What?”
”Was there only brother-sister relationship between Song and Sei or was there more to it than meets the eye? From where I was standing while watching his face crumple in hate when he saw me bullying Sei Sei, I can definitely feel some incestuous vibe between them. Am I right? Come on, fess up.”
Du Lu gaped at her like she had just lost her mind.
”An Ning...”
”Definitely incestuous vibe. And Min Song knew it, too. But he was too much of a prick to care. Maybe they had to lie and call her their cousin instead of their sister. I guess it was okay for Min Ling to hump a cousin. She could be a distant cousin or a cousin cousin, if you know what I mean. But to hump his own sister...it would draw too much attention living as closely as they did in the army.”
”An Ning!”
”What?”
”What are you planning to do to me?”
”Throw you in the dungeon, of course. Don't worry, I won't kill you. Moira will hate me and I like Moira. You really know what I think though? I think Moira's too classy for the likes of you but to each his own, right?”
Du Lu looked at her, eyes swimming with unshed tears.
”I'm sorry for betraying you, An Ning. I'm really sorry.”
”Cowardly dogs can't change their spots, right? They had their chance to man up but still they chose to hide their heads under ground. I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Du Lu,” An Ning said, then motioned to the guards.
She watched as Du Lu was led away, feeling nothing but relief that that ugly part of this battle was over.
Yi Hai quietly walked by her side without saying anything.
”Is dinner ready?” An Ning said after a while. ”I'm hungry.”
”I think dad's making up something to eat right about now. Why don't you take a shower and change your clothes first? Dinner will be ready when you come down.”
”Alright.”
Yi Hai watched her walk away. There was a strange sadness to her shoulders that bothered him. He hesitated but turned away to check up with his men about the prisoners.
It was nearly an hour when An Ning finally went down to have her dinner. As always, she went straight down to the kitchen, snagging a steaming cup of tea from Wife's hands before taking her place at the head of the table.
With the absence of the four members of their original team, dinner that night was quiet and seemed thick by an air of exhaustion. Suddenly,bustling noises were heard outside. Before Yi Hai could stand up to check, the door opened and the smiling, ruby-cheeked faces of Hu Xiu and Li Bing Bing skipped happily in.
An Ning had been very true to her promise to Li Bingbing and wasted no effort in starting to build her pastry shop as soon as the troubles with the duke and the prime minister were dealt with. The pastry shop, simply called Sweet Nothings by its owner, had become quite a sensation when it opened some weeks ago.
Not only were Li Bingbing and Hu Xiu well-known members of the late emperor's harem, but the fact that they also won the favors of the young empress dowager and the new emperor literally staggered the citizens of Yuqui. The main wife liking the consorts of her dead husband? It was probably a first time in history.
Added to that were the personal allure of the two young ladies themselves.Hu Xiu and LiBingbing represent that secretive yet steamy side of royalty that ordinary citizens only get to talk about in the privacy of their boudoir.The ladies' ample figures were examined minutely for details of these past racy histories, their skin care products copied, as well as their dress, posture, and hairstyles.
Plus, there's the empress dowager who likes to swagger in dressed usually in long coats and those mind-boggling trousers of hers, her hair bound in a simple pony tail, with her face free of makeup. Gossip has it that she visits the shop twice a week, always choosing to buy those delicious macaroons that melt in the mouth once you bite your teeth into it. It was no wonder then that Sweet Nothings became a popular hangout for the Who's Who in Yuqui almost overnight in such a short period of time.
”What up, girls?” An Ning greeted with a smile. ”Yi ying, add some plates, will you?”
”Yes, your grace,” Yi Ying bowed.
Hu Xiu looked around the kitchen and sighed.
”This takes me back,” she said, her eyes suspiciously bright.
An Ning, who was drinking from her cup, almost burned her tongue in surprise.
”What do you mean? You ate in the kitchen, too?”
Li Bingbing laughed and reached for the rice.
”If she did, Old Chef will definitely chase her off and tell Old Mother about it,” she said, giggling.
”Old Mother is...?” An Ning asked, perplexed.
”The old empress dowager,” Hu Xiu clarified. ”She was very strict about not letting other people inside the kitchen.”
”Afraid of being poisoned she was,” Li Bingbing nodded.
”She was very fond of that spicy chicken Old Chef used to cook for her during the winter season. She would eat that almost everyday. Her maid said that it kept her warm because it helped to keep her blood hot.”
”Old wives' tales,” Li Bingbing mocked.
”No, really. I tried it about a month ago and she was right.”
”I don't remember you cooking that in our place.”
”Well, Old Mother's maid saw me walking in the snow about a month ago and she invited me to eat spicy chicken in her house. It was so hot it almost ripped my eyes out, I can tell you.”
An Ning laughed.
”So, both of you share a house now? That should bring back precious memories,” she teased.
”Well...” Hu Xiu said and released a guffaw of laughter when she met Li Bingbing's slightly embarrassed face.
”I heard one of the town millionaires is a frequent visitor?” An Ning steered the conversation to another topic when she noticed Li Bingbing's expression.
”That dope?” Hu Xiu scathingly said. ”I don't like him. He has wet palms and he sneezes a lot.”
”He probably has a cold. Just take care of him and show him your love,” Yi Hai said, his face cracked in a smile.
An Ning rolled her eyes at him, which made them all laugh.
The two women stayed to gossip then left after promising to come back soon and after gifting An Ning with a bag of newly baked macaroons.
Their presence though seemed to swept away the cobwebs of depression that hang like a shadow of doom inside the room. Pretty soon, An Ning was sighing over her favorite treats, refusing to give Yi Hai a piece until he sing her a song, which so enraged Yi Hai he walked outside in a huff.
Gu Sheng laughed so hard at their antics he almost peed in his pants. Kang Jun sat with his head bowed, perfunctorily raising his head and smiling absent-mindedly when he heard his name called. He seemed unhappy and lost in his own thoughts but no one noticed because they were too caught up in the hysteria of their own little joy. It was nearly eleven when the party broke up. Kang Jun watched the emperor enter his bedchamber before going outside to his own courtyard. He stayed there the entire night thinking. Only when he heard his mother moving about in the kitchen did he finally stood up and entered the house.