A Wuxia Tale: Blade in Training

Positioning

(EMPRESS XIAOTONG)

I felt a well of hatred starting to swell inside my chest as I listen to XiLen threaten my position and children.

And then I remembered who I am.

The Empress of this Kingdom.

I took a deep breath to calm my heart. I tilt my head to look at XiLen and smile at her. Then in a clear voice, I ordered. "Turn around, everyone..."

I heard more than see my servants moved to follow my words. Aside from XiLen and her maids plus my guards, everyone there turn around. I reached for Wang Hua's wrist and pull her to turn back around to face me and the mother of the Prince she will marry.

"Look carefully, Lady Wang...I will show you a real lesson." I said before catching the eyes of my guards. "Seize her," I ordered my guards in a cold tone.

My guards didn't need anymore instructions to know who I am referring to. Two of them planked XiLen and captured her two arms to keep her on her place.

XiLen's eyes widened at me. "Wait?! What is this...?"

"Make her kneel," I ordered my guards who followed immediately. XiLen gasped loudly when my guards kicked the back of her knee to fold her legs and put her on the kneeling position before me.

XiLen started struggling. "Let me go! How dare you?! I am the mother of your First Prince! You cannot do this to me! Help me..." she tried turning her pretty head to her maids.

Her maids, warded off by my other guards to help their mistress, helplessly looked on. I held Wang Hua's wrist securely to make sure she keeps on watching the lesson I am trying to impart to her.

I watched in satisfaction as XiLen continued to resist until she realizes that it's no use. I am the one who got total control in this play she started.

XiLen looked up at me. It's my cue to let go of Wang Hua's wrist so I grasped XiLen's face with my palm. Letting my nails bite into the skin of her face. I spoke, not with whispered tone but with loud clarity. "Listen to me XiLen, you never held this position. You were never an Empress like me. You might be his Majesty's first wife but I am his one and only Empress. You might be the mother of the First Prince but I am the mother of the next Emperor. You will, and can, never aspire to hold this position I have. You are not fit or deserving to be an Empress of these lands."

I pressed my hand on her face harder. Almost making XiLen's lips pucker. I chuckled at her helplessness. "Look at me. Look at yourself. Who has power between us? I can have you beheaded here and let your corpse rot in the open and no one...not Shen, not your son or even the Heavens itself can stop me." I pull XiLen's face upward, putting a painful strain on her neck. I felt satisfaction as I listen to her distressed whimper. "Threaten my children again and I will do exactly that. This is your only and last warning." I pushed her face downward as I let it go.

I signaled my guards to pull XiLen back on her feet. I waved my hand to tell them to let her arms go. My guards did that but they stayed close as I stepped into XiLen's space so I can smooth my hand on her disturbed robe. "You should never have come back here. There is nothing here that belongs to you anymore. And even if there is, I will make sure that you will never have it. You left fifteen years ago with nothing, you came back with nothing and you will leave again with nothing. Do you know why that is so?" I caressed XiLen's cheek, almost tenderly. Staring into her eyes, I smiled. "Because I willed it so. This is my kingdom. Shen is my Emperor. These are my people. Everything here is mine. You have nothing."

I put my hand from XiLen's cheek to her collarbone to push her. I just want to put a distance between us, if XiLen is so unsteady that she ended up falling on her ass on the ground because of a little push from me, well...that's not my fault. It's hers.