The Legendary Female Strategist

Chapter 15 - The First Night with the Emperor

Which would mean that he suspects that I am more than who I say I am.

Feng Yao stayed silent making Ru Qiang slightly glance behind him. Upon seeing her indecipherable expression, he turned back around to focus on the horse. 

By the time that they had reached the outskirts of the city, Feng Yao's hair had already become a tangled mess of strands with stray pieces of leaves scattered here and there. Even Ru Qiang wasn't able to escape from looking disorderly.

There were not too many civilians around during this time of the night. Only the occasional passerby would walk past before giving them a fleeting glance and hurrying away.

Ru Qiang swept his leg around and gracefully hopped off of the horse first. As his feet made contact with the ground, his robes slightly fluttered making his movements look even more elegant. 

He was just about to turn around towards Feng Yao before she had already hopped off behind him. Slight surprise played within the depths of his eyes as he realized that her movements were quite experienced. 

She looked at him for a moment with a face completely serious. But in the next instant that Ru Qiang blinked, she already had on her usual smile making him wonder if his eyes had been playing tricks. 

"Thank for you the fun day, Ru Qiang. I guess that we'll part ways here. Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future. But whether that be a good or bad thing, only the heavens will know."

Feng Yao gave a small bow before walking away. In the darkness, her small figure soon disappeared.

As the sight of her disappeared in the distance, Li Yue and Xi'er soon appeared on their horse.

"Young Master. Shall we head back? The estate is in the opposite direction."

"...En. We are done here."

Feng Yao continued walking along the familiar path towards the imperial palace. Using the secret pathway that the servants had showed her, she quickly entered past the walls and began walking towards her guest residence. Night had just fallen so there were still servants lighting up lanterns along the walkway.

As she neared her destination, she noticed someone standing at the front door. He hurriedly came over and gave her a low bow.

"This eunuch greets the Young Miss. I was ordered to escort the Young Miss to the Emperor's personal chambers when she arrived in order to fulfill the promise that she and His Majesty made."

Feng Yao paused. She had almost forgotten. 

Every day that you spend outside the palace, you'll spend a night with Zhen.

His words echoed in her ears.

Fine then. I'll see what that man is up to.

She allowed the eunuch to lead her down a winding path towards the main residence. Everything here seemed much brighter and expensive. Even the flowers that were lining the walkways were more vibrant in color.

When they reached the closed doorway, the eunuch quickly announced her arrival. "Greetings to Your Majesty! The Young Miss has arrived."

A deep voice came from within. "She may come in."

Feng Yao stepped through the double doors feeling her heart slightly begin to beat faster. The smell of incense swirling around only made her anticipation begin to increase. 

But the Emperor was nowhere in sight. She could only see colorful paintings and antique sculptures all along the fancy walls.

As she turned the corner, she stopped as she noticed his figure casually sitting at his desk. He was not dressed in his full golden robes but instead had on a smaller, more mobile, set of royal clothing.