The Empress
The Empress
…
Yuan Shun had gone on a three-day business trip to another city for work, causing Shi Yen to feel bored without him to annoy or to spend time with. She decided to do a thorough house cleaning after work, while Shizi laid down on the floor, watching her walk back and forth as she swept, polished, and organized.
Shi Yen then stepped outside to take out the trash, and she paused when she saw Luo Wanting at the front porch.
She walked up to him and said, "Shun had gone on a business trip. He won't be back for another few days."
Wearing a long sandy-coat, Luo Wanting faced her and said, "I came for you."
Shi Yen released a foggy breath. The air had gone cold since the seasons changed. She then waved a hand, gesturing him to follow her inside.
Luo Wanting followed her to the kitchen, and he took a seat at the table.
"Would you like some tea?" she questioned.
"Yes, thank you," he said.
Shi Yen prepared the tea and sugar. She then brought a tray over the table and poured two cups. Her hand trembled as she placed the cups on the coasters, though her face remained calm and collected.
"Miss Shi," he said. "I wasn't sent if that's why you're afraid."
Shi Yen released a sharp breath in relief. "I need something stronger. Excuse me a moment." She then stood up, heading to the liquor cabinet. She took out a bottle and poured some in a small glass before joining him again. She looked at him, her jaw tightening. "What can I do for you, Mr. Luo? Tell me, straightforwardly."
"I know who you are," he said.
Shi Yen wasn't surprised. "And you didn't come here to kill me? I once saw those tattoos on your thighs when we went swimming. Your shorts came up when you left the water, and it clung to your upper thighs. You're a scorpion."
"I didn't come here to kill you, Miss Shi, and I understand your anxiety. The Emperor has been looking for you. I only know this because he's been sending out scouts to look for you, and I have been following them."
"Why?" She questioned. "To deem his illegitimacy? Do you want to take his role as the Emperor?"
Luo Wanting shook his head. "A friend had asked me to help him look for you. He knows what I am because I grew up with him."
Shi Yen's heart pounded. "Which friend?" she asked, but she already knew the answer.
"Yuan Shun."
Her heart dropped. Tears stung her eyes. "Why is he looking for me?" she asked breathily, her voice quivering.
"He didn't go too much into specifics. He only said that he was looking for the Empress as she may know more about what happened to his brother. After all, you were there the night Yuan Ning died."
Shi Yen bit the inside of her cheek; a tear escaped her welling eyes. "To be honest with you. I don't remember much of that night. I suffered a head blow and lost some of my memory."
Luo Wanting sighed. "Regardless," he replied. "Shun is looking for you. As his friend, I feel obligated to tell him. But I know your relationship with him is more than friendly." He ran a palm over his face, torn. "I won't tell him because I think that you should be the one to tell him. It's not my place to drop this information on him. And I really did not expect you to be the Empress."
Shi Yen lowered her eyes. "I don't know if I'm ready."
"Get ready," he said. "Because he has the right to know."
Shi Yen bit her lower lip. "But even you know how important this secret is. I just need more time."
Luo Wanting nodded, even though he didn't hesitate to trust his friends to keep his secret.
Shi Yen then levelled her eyes with his. "How did you find out?" she questioned. "About me?"
Luo Wanting crossed his hands together. Usually, he was aloof and casual, but she'd never seen him so gentle. "Your sister visited me."
She gaped at him. "Why?"
"She believes that your parents were murdered. She then went into the details of why she suspected it. It didn't take long to connect the dots. In fact, as soon as she told me you that you two were daughters of the former Emperor, I knew immediately."
Shi Yen shut her eyes. 'Oh, Ailin. What have you gotten yourself into?' she thought.
"There are only three ways of succession," Luo Wanting began. "1) Kill the Emperor or Empress and take their place or 2) The seven princes and princesses' must fight to the death for the role or 3) The Emperor or Empress chooses a successor before they die, and they tell the Silent Organization."
Shi Yen remembered. The Silent Organization is a group within the black society that has been around since the birth of all seven organizations. They watch but never participate or spoke. They are a unique group with tattoos of all seven organizations to represent unity and the Emperor. They are the group the Emperor or Empress would trust to carry out important tasks and missions. Shi Yen recalled that one of them had told Master Wong that Shi Yan didn't choose a successor. Master Wong panicked, knowing that the seven princes and princesses would be forced to duel for the role, and there would be too many deaths. So he had asked Shi Yan's daughters if they wanted the position. Shi Yen accepted the succession privately.
Shi Yen took a deep breath, pressing her eyes together. "No one is supposed to know who I am. It's supposed to be a secret," she said. "But I guess that Ailin is desperate to find the answers that I've been looking for a long time. It's the very reason why I joined the Underworld." She then faced him directly in the eyes. "And the reason why I left was so that I don't have to leave Ailin, alone."
Luo Wanting understood the message. Don't tell anyone because Shi Yen wouldn't be the only one in danger if her secrets were out. It may also be the reason why she didn't tell Yuan Shun or Shi Ailin. It was a dangerous secret to keep, but Luo Wanting was used to danger.
"I won't tell anyone," he said. "But I can't watch you keep it from those you care about, because it's the same people that I care about."
Shi Yen had suspected that Luo Wanting had his sights on her sister, but she didn't think that he would pursue her, given the reputation of the Luo's. Not only that, but he also seemed to care deeply for Ailin.
"Prove that I can trust you," she said.
"You must have guessed that I am a prince. I was one of your underlings, Your Highness, and you have that leverage over me. One word and my whole family are gone and replaced."
Shi Yen thought about it. She took a deep breath. "I want you to protect my sister, and if I am ever gone, I want you to watch over Shun." She smiled grimly. "I always told myself to stay away from people, never to reel them into my recklessness. But with Shun…I couldn't resist. I'm different when I'm with him." She wasn't sure why she was telling Luo Wanting any of this, but he seemed to have understood.
He took a deep breath. "I know it's not something easy to tell people. I was told that I wasn't allowed to tell a single soul, but these times are desperate. The Emperor is becoming too vicious, crueller than I've ever seen. Even as criminals, we have to draw a line, otherwise we'd be hunted by police until all organizations are gone. Once one sector falls, everything else crumbles since we're all interconnected."
Shi Yen contemplated his words.
"Miss Shi," he said. "When you and your father were the ones running the organizations, everything felt easier. I didn't have to keep watching my back as I have been doing now."
"What are you saying?" She asked.
Luo Wanting frowned. "I'm saying I need a takedown the Emperor." He trembled.
Shi Yen widened her eyes. "Are you insane? That's not easy."
"What other choice do I have?" he replied. "Haven't you been watching the news? The countless murders? The assaults against women? Orphaned teenagers are dying every day because they are swept into the wrong crowd. And what's worst is that the Emperor is forcing most of us to do this because he's a sadistic bastard. When I signed up for this, I only agreed to import drugs, nothing else. We're not innocent people, Miss Shi, but we're also not evil."
Shi Yen pressed her eyes together. She then opened them to meet his eyes. "If you care about my sister and Shun, you won't do anything reckless. If the worst is to come, I will take care of it."
"I can't ask you to do that," Luo Wanting said. "We do need your help, but as a team. If you take care of it on your own, then you are willing to hurt the people that care about you."
"There aren't many," she said.
Luo Wanting frowned. "They count," he said.
"This is all my fault," she said, biting back tears. In the last few months, she'd become more emotional than she's ever been. "I should have been stronger a year ago. Whoever the Emperor is, he tried to kill me, and he thought he succeeded, but he knew I wasn't gone. He didn't have time to finish me off." She shivered at the thought. She knew she was supposed to have died, but some part of her knew that the Emperor took it slow, relishing in the fact that he was hurting her. He wanted to grant her a slow and painful death, which was why she barely escaped alive.
The night was coming back to her in small fragments, but nothing was clear.
"That's not your fault. Unfortunately, you have a target on your back if you're at the top, regardless. But he's a tyrant, and tyrants must die," Luo Wanting said.
Shi Yen nodded, taking a deep breath. "Give me more time," she said. "And then we'll get the bastard."
Luo Wanting smiled. He then stood up and bowed his head slightly. "I am on your side, Miss Shi. We have the same people we want to look after," he said. "Goodnight."
Shi Yen gave him a curt nod before she watched him leave the house. She exhaled a deep breath, pondering over what needed to be done.