The Curious Play 10 His Majesty Was Mr. Xin?

"Really. ?" She asked excitedly. Lu'er her personal maid nodded her head and smiled at her.

"Xin'er. !" She excitedly called her. 

Xin'er comes rus.h.i.+ng towards her. "What is it Gōngzhǔ?"

"Finally. .we can go out!"

"Really. ?"

Princess Yu'er nodded. She was so happy that at last! she could finally went outside. 

She went on and greet all their servants that she saw on her way. They smiled knowing that the Princess they had known before had finally back to her feet.

She runs toward their ancestral hall but froze half way down. .

She was so excited that she forgot to give her father a proper  courtesy . .

"Where is your manner. ?" Her father asked .

"Oh. !" 

She turn back outside. ."Where are you. . .

She then slowly entered "Greetings, Fùqīn. !" She said in a very akward position. Duke Yan bark into laughter.

"I really don't know what to do with you. !" He said between his laughter."kneel!"

"What. ?"

 I thought I am free to go out. ! she pout her lips and murmured under her breath.

"What. ?" Duke Yan's eyebrows raised up and his voice become more serious. "You won't listen to me now that you have someone else to rely on?"

"Im sorry,Fùqīn. !" she apologize. "But I don't want to leave you please don't send me away. !" She force a fake sob.

"Nonsense. ! 

She suddenly jerked when her father yelled at her. " Fùqīn, Do you really want me to go away?"

His father sighed." I  dont want to argue with you anymore. .Hǎo, lets pay respect to your Mǔqīn first, I have something to tell you afterwards." 

They both kneel down and burnt three sticks of incense. .and muttered their silent prayer. .

"Mr. Xin asked to meet you!"

Duke yan said when they're walking outside.

"Mr.Xin. ?" 

"You probably forgotten him!" He said with a trace of weary in his voice."his driver is waiting for you outside and also. .

"Fùqīn, what's wrong. ?" She asked when she sense some kind of uncertainty in her father's face."If you don't want me to go. .

"You go. ! just bring Xin'er with you and. ." He paused. "If you want to say no. .this is the best time for you!"

She was about to asked him if what he's supposed to mean. . But he already turn his back and walked away. .she doesn't know but somehow she felt that something is bothering her father.

"Gōngzhǔ lets go. ." Xin'er put a black robe in her as per the duke instruction.

Her thoughts went somewhere as they were on their way to meet a certain Mr. Xin that her father had mention a while ago. She asked Xin'er if she knew him but she shook her head. It almost took an hour before the carriage stop in motion. 

"Gōngzhǔ, were here.!" The driver informed . " Mr. Xin is waiting for you in that side."

"Xièxiè!" Xin'er told the driver. 

As she walked closer to the old man she saw a flush of visions that suddenly pop up in her head. "Mr. Xin?" 

When Mr. Xin turn arround, her eyes widened in surprised. 

"Greetings huángshang!" Xin'er automatically kneel down and pull her dress to informed her. But she could no longer response, she put both her hands on her head as she suddenly felt an intense pain. Her vision becomes doubled and she heard a clash of steel. .and. .and. .

2 months ago before the accident. . . 

 She was sitting for almost an hour in the river bank waiting patiently for the fish to take her bait. It was too hot and the sun shone just right above her, though there are trees that could s.h.i.+elds her from direct sunlight, but still, it was hot. 

Staying in couple of hours directly under its rays will be enough to turn her into a walking charcoal.

She was still sitting as the hours pa.s.sed by, looking at the clear water, she felt that the water is inviting her to jump and it took all her courage to resist the temptation.

 "I can't swim!" She sighed in frustration. "Where all the stupid fish go? So I could be done with this nonsense!"

This is all her sifu's fault. She frowned." You don't have patience at all, your temper is not good either. .terrible. .terrible!" Her sifu told her. "Go fis.h.i.+ng! it will teach you a great deal of patience!"

She wanted to voice out her protest but he wave her away. "What does fis.h.i.+ng had something to do with my temper?" When instead of having patience, all she got was lot and lot of annoyance."hao. .what a clever old man. ."

Sneaking out in their manor was not an easy task. they have a very tight security, plus their guardsmen were all elites, personally trained by her older brother.

In order to escape without getting caught. she had to wear a man's clothing and disguised herself into a real Gōngzǐ and painstakingly crawled into a dog hole with out getting stuck in between.

"How annoying. !" She said tossing the fis.h.i.+ng rod in the side. Thinking all her effort had gone to nought makes her want to beat her sifu. She imagined how happy he was knowing that he successfully send her away.

She stood up and decided to walked but its not long enough when she heard a commotion not far away from her distance. .out of her curiosity she went to check what's  going on.

There she saw a pa.s.serby being attacked by the mountain bandits.

"Why the heck this bandits came in this side? Strange. !" She thought. Those people come from the mountain side and this is far from their territory, unless someone hired them. "That man must be an important officials."

She also seen that their carts were full of grains, clothes and other stuffed. They also brought so many livestocks with them.

She concluded that this people might be going to give some relief goods into a flood stricken area. 

She recognized those bandits because of the mark in their hands. It was a snake slither in the body of the naked woman. "What a lame and pervert!" She snorted.

She was about to turn arround when she saw an old man, carelessly, stick his head outside as if watching some circus. .while one of the bandits pointed an arrow towards him. "this old man. .

She suddenly jumped into the carriage and pushed the man inside. It was just half a heart bet away. .one of the arrow stuck in the side of door and one was in the edge of her robe.

"That was close. ." She muttered.

"Ching'er. .why are you here?"

The old man asked her, blinking his eyes as if he was uncertain.

"Pardon. ?" She frowned.

She was about to step outside when she heard a metal being clawed right above their heads. "Oh no. !" She s.n.a.t.c.h the old man in his waist and jumped up as soon as the carriage wrecked open.

"They're here to kill you. !"

She said as soon as their feet lands on the ground. The old man's escort suddenly stops when they heard the loud noise. 

"Mr. Xin. !" 

One of the escort panicked and was about to come into their side but they were hold up by the bandits, Princess Ye'er and Mr. Xin runs towards the other side but before they could reached. .

A bunch of a.s.sa.s.sins suddenly appeared, they come down from the bamboo trees. ."Those bandits are just their decoy. .they meant to lure you out. They already set this trap long before you come" She said. 

The a.s.sa.s.sins are wearing black hooded robe and masks to cover their faces.  .they incircled the two of them and there is no way they could break free with out a fight. 

The circ.u.mstances was odd, it was many against two or perhaps against one. "This is what I got for fis.h.i.+ng. !" She said sarcastically. "If I am going to die in this place..I am really going to haunt that old man, for the rest of his life" she thought angrily, pertaining to her sifu.

"Can you fight?" She asked the old man they called, Mr. Xin.  But before he could answer, the two a.s.sa.s.sins attacked them, she slid backwards  and grab Mr.Xin by the shoulder. 

Before she could gain their balance another batch came, she had no choice but leave Mr. Xin on the ground. The dangerous place is actually the safest one. .lesson number one that her sifu told her. 

She touched her palm on the ground to support her weight so she could lift her body up turn arround and kicked them with both of her legs. 

She accidentally landed on Mr. Xin's back.

The old man groaned in pain. "Im sorry. "she said giggling, she missed calculated her move and forgot the old man was on the ground.

She grab him again and make him stand." Stay on guard. !" she was getting tired and annoyed, she could not concentrate on fighting, she had to considered Mr. Xin's safety. She had to counter their attacks and defend the old man at the same time.

"This won't do. !" She was about to knocked Mr. Xin down when one of the a.s.sa.s.sin sneak an attack behind their back, she pushed him and she slightly turn her body quickly, enough to dodged the swords

The blade pa.s.s through half an inch away from her face. she saw herself in the reflection of the steel, she heard the swooping of air from the blade that pa.s.s through at her right shoulder and cutted a small strand of her hair.

She attacked the a.s.sa.s.sin by  surprised, grabb his hand and elbowed him in his jaw. The man lost his balance and fall into the ground. 

She was already tired and panting heavely. 

"This won't do, I need to do something!" Her sifu always reminded her to conceal her gungfu "but Not today. ! Disperate time calls for disperate measures. .

"Im fired up!"

Xièxiè beaux. . .