27 A Letter From the Emperor of Jin

Zhang YaYun had an itch he couldn't scratch as he watched the sun climb up from behind the horizon from the main hall of the Imperial Palace. Heavy rings surrounded his sunken eyes, strands of unruly hair framed his face, giving him a dishevelled look. The crown was crooked and barely stayed on his head as he let his head nod against his fist.

He had stayed up from sunset to sunrise, going through every mind-bogglingly boring notice from the basket next to his bed. He had sketched out plans for rebuilding the dam, calculated budgets for each project, and the officials were currently going through his drawings.

He wanted to sleep, preferably next to someone soft, with a calming scent to help him drift off to a peaceful dream. This time, he had a good feeling he had found that someone and he would have jumped that person already, too, if it wasn't for all the misunderstanding and the endless piles of work!

He hadn't slept for even a second, just to clear up all the restrains from between him and his barely budding romantic life. A deep chuckle pulled him out of his thoughts, and the Emperor sat up straighter, clearing his throat expectantly.

"I'm impressed, your highness. The plans are not foolproof, but we can work on these with a little touch-up here and there." Official Zhi said as he rolled up the map of the empire with a proud smile.

"So this means the meeting can be dismissed?" Zhang YaYun nearly jumped out of his throne with hope.

"Hmm, it is true that the other matters are not as urgent." Official Wei drawled, and YaYun hitched his buttocks off the throne.

"But," Official Yu snapped and with a mental groan, YaYun sat his ass back on his golden seat.

"Youths these days, so impatient," said official Liu with a little chuckle.

"Word is you have brought lovers in the palace." Official Xie chastened him, and Zhang YaYun wanted to cry out in frustration but held his tongue. Instead, the Emperor only growled as a response.

So the cat was out of the bag, someone had blabbered about the snakes. But more importantly, what lovers? He hadn't even had the chance to breathe the same air as any of the snakes! He'd been so isolated from people, he could be considered a Buddhist monk at this point.

"Two pretty males." Official Yu said with a little eyebrow raise.

Well, there was no denying that, thought YaYun, pleased that everyone agreed that QingYu was exceptionally beautiful - and his twin too, of course.

"Dear officials, I don't see how this is urgent." Zhang YaYun said through gritted teeth.

The sun was still making its way up the sky. He had a lot of time left to take a quick nap, clean up and maybe take QingYu out for a stroll in one of his many pavilions. He would have to ask the crew to think something up while he laid passed out on his bed.

"It is of utmost urgency!" Official Xie said with force. The loose skin around his neck quivered with his every movement. "Last time we hadn't had the chance to inform you, but there is a letter that arrived from the country, Jin. They have offered you a priceless gift."

"Does it solve world hunger?" YaYun asked, pissy that his time was being wasted.

"Well, no." Official Xie stuttered as he was taken by surprise by the Emperor's question.

"Does it solve poverty?"

"Err, no."

"Does it bring peace over the warring states?"

"No..."

"Then it is not important, and can wait another day!" YaYun slammed his hand over the arm of his throne and tried to take his leave, but was stopped in his tracks.

"Zhang YaYun!" Official Zhi barked, and YaYun sat back down with haste. It entailed nothing good when the geezers dropped the honorifics.

"The matter might not be important for the nation, but it is important for our kind!" Official Wei pressed, and the others nodded eagerly. "The Emperor of Jin has offered us a gift so precious, we have accepted it without your presence."

"You-!" Zhang YaYun was seething.

He could accept them scolding him, even dropping the honorifics, but deciding over an important matter without his approval was too much!

"Your highness gave us no other choice, you were away for so long."

The old geezers had lived for so long, they were guilt-tripping him without mercy or shame.

"What is the matter about then?" YaYun snapped as he leaned back on his throne, rubbing at his temples.

The officials were exchanging pleased looks as official Liu sent the letter from Jin up to the Emperor.

YaYun snatched the letter from the servant's hand and eyed the officials with wrath before he opened the paper and started reading. The words jumped at him, and after reading the letter over several times, the sentences finally sunk in.

He was terribly torn as he let his hand fall on his lap. He was lost deep in thought. His plans were single-handedly destroyed with only a few letters of ink on a flimsy piece of paper.

"We thought maybe it is best if we put the Plum Blossom Hall back into use." Official Xie said carefully, and YaYun's eyes shot up to him, nailing him in place.

"Yes, Plum Blossom Hall would be the perfect place to raise the little ones." Official Zhi added. YaYun's eyes trailed back down on the paper. His mind was going through a great battle, and after what seemed like an eternity later, he raised his eyes, defeat shining brightly in them.

The officials looked at each other, worried of the Emperor's sullen expression.

Before any of them could voice their concerns, YaYun spoke,

"Is that all?"

"Yes, but your highness-" Official Wei started.

"Do whatever you see fit, I have no say in this matter. Meeting dismissed. I'll be in my study going through the rest of the notices." With that, Zhang YaYun rose from his throne, letting the letter from Jin slip from between his fingers and flutter down to the ground. He left the Imperial Hall without a glance back.

---

Meanwhile, in the White Lotus Hall, a bet was being placed over what was bugging Lan QingYu. The royal guards were all appointed to guard the snakes now, not letting even one of them out of sight.

"Oi, what's up with him?" Wei KaiJun said as he threw peanuts up in the air and caught them with his mouth. He was nudging LiAi with his knee and pointed his chin at the green snake.

Lan QingYu was practically ripping lotus flowers off their stems by the pond, while LiangLin stood beside him, pitying the innocent blossoms.

"Eh, go ask him. What are you bugging me for?" LiAi said. Her attention was on a game of Wei Qi. She was getting a hang of it, although she hadn't won a single match against LiBai.

"Wanna bet on what is wrong with him?" The monkey's words caught LiAi's attention at once as the gambling blood within her veins coursed through her body. Her eyes turned up to him as she abandoned the game piece in her hand.

"How much are we betting on?"

"I don't have money, but I can let you go through the weapons vault." Wei KaiJun said with a toothy grin.

"Sure!" LiAi beamed as she turned her full attention on Lan QingYu.

Wei KaiJun raised his brows in amusement as he nudged the snake with his elbow.

"Hey, what am I getting if I win?"

LiAi snorted loudly as she sneered at him. "I never lose."

"Oi, are snakes all conceited?"

"Ai'er never loses a bet," LiBai said with a smile.

"So that means if I win, I can demand anything?" Wei KaiJun was now pouring his full attention over that prospect. He left the bag of peanuts on the table as he leaned closer to LiAi. "Well, miss She?"

"I never lose, monkey," LiAi said as she poked him on the nose, pushing him away from her. "Now watch me do my magic."

"Wait, you don't want to hear my bet?"

"Doesn't matter since I will win."

"Oi, that's not how bets work!"

"No need to bet, he wants to go home to Lushan." LiYue yawned as she fanned herself idly, across from the bickering two. "He has been saying that ever since Yu Zhong wanted to dismember us with 50 beatings."

"He is just a little stuck with his disciplinary ways." LiBai offered as she cleared the abandoned Wei Qi board.

"I think it's considered torture, sis," LiAi said drily.

"AhLin will take care of it," LiChun mumbled as she took the peanut bag and started devouring it. "He always finds the way."

"To mess things up." LiAi cackled, and the rest of the sisters joined in her howling laughter.