5 Control

An ornate carriage slowly made its way to the Imperial Palaces. When it arrived at the gates, a eunuch came forth.

The doors of the carriage swung open. Hua'er came out first and lent a hand to Wei Mudan. Dressed in a pale blue silk that seemed to float around her body, Wei Mudan was the epitome of a goddess. Her neck ached from the jewellery stacked upon her hair, but she ignored her discomfort and gazed upon the eunuch with ice in her eyes.

The eunuch glanced at the carriage. Upon seeing the insignia of the royal family, he bowed deeply with his hands clasped. It was an open secret that only one Imperial Princess did not live in the Imperial Palaces; only one who had gone to war.

The Third Princess, the one who everyone had forgotten about until a few months back. Waves of disbelief spread throughout the city about her antics in the court. A Princess, going to war! And the Emperor agreed!

"Third Princess," the eunuch greeted. "Follow me this way."

Wei Mudan nodded and set off, Hua'er holding onto one hand. The eunuch could not believe his eyes. This was the coarse Third Princess? The one who acted more like a boy than a girl, the one who had faded into obscurity because of her lack of talent?

Whilst Wei Mudan was not a calamitous beauty, she was still refined in looks. After multiple generations of breeding with the most gorgeous in the imperial harems, the Emperor would of course be handsome. To become a consort required looks and talent; so it was of no surprise that Wei Mudan took after them.

But the aura could never be changed, and this aura of the Third Princess' was completely different! The eunuch shook his head as he continued leading the way. The Imperial Palaces were full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Best to avoid offending any one of them, for who knew who would rise up in the end?

Finally, the eunuch led Wei Mudan and Hua'er into a massive hall. Decorated with rich browns and gilded objects, it was a place of wonder. The majority of the guests had already arrived. Gazes swung onto Wei Mudan, carefully scrutinizing her from head-to-toe. From the looks of it, Wei Mudan was late.

At the very end of the hall, the Emperor sat lazily. A concubine poured wine into his outstretched cup as he raised an eyebrow at the latecomer. Beside his seat, was the Empress on her phoenix throne, who threw a discerning gaze towards Wei Mudan.

A little further to the right was the old general: Han Mengde. Along with the old general were the most important ministers in court. On the left were the rest of the imperial family.

Of course the time given on the invite would be wrong.

She was just a child. Was there a need for the high-and-mighty Emperor Father of hers to be so petty? If she complained, that was as good as a death sentence.

Who dares question the Emperor in this world? The son of heaven, the one who's word meant law.

Wei Mudan strode down the hall, reaching the end of the carpet, where the Emperor sat. Clasping her hands together, she bowed deeply thrice. This brought sharp looks towards her way - as a Princess, she was to curtsy.

"Forgive this Imperial daughter, for there had been an accident along the way to the banquet," Wei Mudan ignored the glances and apologised coldly.

The Emperor's eyes flickered with a hidden light.

"We are all family here, what need is there for you to apologise? Sit," he said, taking a sip of the wine.

Wei Mudan made her way over to her seat and sat down. Hua'er quickly poured her a cup of wine.

The Emperor stood up, and held his glass up for a toast.

"We must grant a toast to our saviour, the honourable General Han, who has once more led our Biantian Empire's army in a stunning victory over the enemy, after a crushing initial defeat," he announced.

Everyone raised their cups in response, and drank. Wei Mudan had to fight to control her anger inside of her. Expression unchanging, she raised the cup up along with the rest and drank. The burn of the alcohol washing down her throat only served to fuel her hatred more.

Of course the Emperor would pull such a dirty trick. All the dirty glances thrown her way made much more sense now.

A crushing initial defeat had been placed on her shoulders. Her worth? Nothing more than a desperate forgotten princess who made a bid to prove herself for attention. Leading into a defeat, this was a disastrous matter. Luckily, the Emperor had good foresight and sent the old General Han along with her, allowing the army to have a comeback.

How sickening.

This certainly delayed her plans, but Wei Mudan wasn't worried. She may not have proven herself in the eyes of the nobility, but she knew that the Emperor was now wary of her. Good. He should be. Her performance during the battle should be reason enough.

After all, she certainly had the motive to go for his head. There was no point in the Emperor trying to rope her over to his side.

"Third Princess Mudan."

Here it comes.

"You are summoned back to the Imperial Palaces and confined to the Golden Palace for three months, on account of sacrificing precious lives of the Empire."

At least, it was a petty punishment. But it was a warning as well, telling her to go no further and to silently obey society's rules, and stay inside a Palace until the day she was married off, like a pawn. Like a caged bird; or a enclosed flower. She was to look pretty and be an ornament.

Wei Mudan stood up and curtseyed. "This Imperial daughter thanks Emperor Father for the endless mercy given."

The Emperor thought he could control her.

Wei Mudan chose never to be controlled. She may hide in the shadows. Pretend to be controlled was something she was apt at.

Even the smallest of blooms could bring about a raging storm. Who controlled who in the end was something that was yet to be decided.