Femme Fatale

Tang Wei Sheng looked at the guest who entered the private room,

She looked familiar.

"Good afternoon, Chairman Tang and CEO Tang," She greeted and gracefully bowed before them.

"Good Afternoon, Xiao Ning, Please sit," Tang Fei welcomed the young lady very enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Chairman Tang." She thanked politely and sat opposite to Tang Wei Sheng. Her actions clearly showed that she was a well-disciplined young miss from a wealthy family.

"Glad to meet you, Xiao Ning. Wei Sheng, have you met Xiao Ning?" Tang Fei asked his grandson who remained with no particular expression on his face. He thought meeting such a beauty would at least stir Tang Wei Sheng's mind.

"I think I have seen you." Tang Wei Sheng recalled and hesitated before confirming his doubt. "I'm sorry, but are you an actress?"

"Yes. We met during the year ending party of starlight entertainment. You were with president Ye." She gracefully smiled as she reciprocated.

"Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Ning Jing. Glad to meet you." Ning Jing tried to refresh Yang Wei Sheng's memory as well as giving him a proper introduction.

Ye Wu Fan, president of starlight entertainment was Tang Wei Sheng's childhood friend. Ning Jing was one of their top stars in the film industry.

When Tang Wei Sheng was in charge of their entertainment agency, Ning Jing was a nameless actress. But within two years she climbed into the status of A list celebrity. It was well known in the industry that apart from her good looks, Ning Jing had a good family background.

A Celebrity! Tang Wei Sheng never imagined that his Grandpa would set him up with an actress. His family, especially his father was very conservative- and how did he agree to set his only son with an actress?

"How is Chairman Ning?" Tang Fei asked her.

"He has some difficulties for moving around, other than that he is completely fine. He told me to convey his regards to you." Ning Jing conveyed her grandfather's message to Tang Fei.

"I will visit him as soon as possible." Tang Fei assured her and looked at his grandson who appeared uninterested in this meeting.

"Xiao Ning's family is one of our closest allies."

Of course, she is from a powerful family otherwise why would they arrange a lunch date with her? Tang Wei Sheng thought in his mind.

"And she has some important information about the Jade land." Tang Fei cut the chase to keep his grandson engaged in the conversation. He knew that Tang Wei Sheng would fall flat if he mention Jade Land, as he calculated he got his grandson surprised.

Tang Wei Sheng thought grandpa called him for a matchmaking date. But in reality, he was called to discuss the Jade land.

Tang Wei Sheng looked at Tang Fei and Ning Jing, unbelievingly.

"Anyway, two of you talk to each other and allow me to leave." Tang Fei stood up from his seat.

"Grandpa, I thought we are going to have lunch together." Tang Wei Sheng frowned. "How can his grandpa trick him into meeting a woman?"

"You two are young, with an old man sitting around, you won't be able to talk casually." Tang Fei justified his actions before walking out of the room. .

"I will meet you another time, Xiao Ning." The old man bid farewell to them and the private room fell into an awkward silence.

"Ah, I never knew that our meeting was regarding the Jade land." Tang Wei Sheng tried to start a conversation, to lessen the awkwardness.

"If I have known earlier, I would've invited my researchers."

"Chairman Tang wanted us to have a casual talk. After all, it is a confidential topic and I don't think there is any need for people other than us." Ning Jing's words were surprisingly matured. Since she always played cute and innocent characters, Tang Wei Sheng thought that her character will be somewhat similar in real life too.

"So miss Ning, what do you want to talk about Jade land?"

"I guess you are familiar with the story of Jade land's Crown Jewel- the moonstone?" Ning Jing enquired him.

"Let me tell you something. I don't believe in that story." Tang Wei Sheng sincerely said what he had in his mind. "I agreed only because my grandpa insisted."

If it doesn't involve Li Juan, he would've never interested in the project.

"It is fine, CEO Tang, I don't expect you to believe all those stories shared by our ancestors." Ning Jing supported his opinion.

"But if you believe that Jade Land is real then all these stories, they are also real."

"What do you mean?" Tang Wei Sheng was clueless.

"It is true. Jade Land exists."

"Yes, professor Han and his team found the ruins of the city."

"Not just the ruins. The Jade Land and its descendants exist even today."

Even after Ning Jing shared a crucial information, Tang Wei Sheng remained non-chalant as if he refused to believe it.

"How well you know about Jade land"? Ning Jing asked the man who sat opposite to her.

"Nothing much. It was a sacred land which is famous for gemstones and Jade. And my ancestors tried to create a treaty with them and they refused. So it led to the war." Tang Wei Sheng shared all the details he knew about Jade land.

"As I expected your knowledge about Jade city is limited." Ning Jing gave a half- hearted smile, judging his ignorance and continued,

"Do you know which is the easiest to way to gain power?"

"To make allies with those who already have power." Tang Wei Sheng told her casually.

Well, it was the only rule which is strictly followed by Humans for centuries. That was the easiest way to gain power.

"Exactly. It was a tactic which is followed by our rulers for a long time. And what is the best way to make an ally?" Ning Jing asked again.

"Marry someone from a powerful family." Tang Wei Sheng automatically replied.

These tactics started from the era of kings and still prevails in society. People marry individuals from powerful families always have a higher or similar status. Whether it is a high-class rich family or a poverty-stricken family, nobody wants to ally with someone lower in status than themselves.

"Yes. In Jade land, the same tactics were applied." Ning Jing shared her view on the feud for power.

"Your ancestor tried to create an alliance with Jade Land emperor."

"To own a gemstone repository, he proposed a marriage?" Tang Wei Sheng smiled bitterly.

"It would have been easy if they accepted it."

"Well, it is not easier for Jade Land people. They strictly followed matriarchy. So asking for marriage is like not asking for a princess but asking for their queen, the mother of Jade land."

Tang Wei Sheng heard a little about Jade land's weird beliefs and systems from the head monk in the Tu valley.

"So the queen rejected the proposal ?" He was curious.

"Gaining power through marriage- which was something strictly forbidden in Jade land. Jade land people believed in equal opportunities. Every single individual in the jade land has the freedom to choose their partner.

If one wants to marry the Queen, the only thing he has to do is to impress her and make sure that he is compatible with her."

"So the king failed to impress the Queen? That's why he attacked them?"

"The main reason for the Wei Empire was to obtain the crown jewel and the repository of gems. King Tang considered the marriage was the easiest way to achieve that. But his proposal was rejected by the Queen, quoting that Jade land practices Endogamy." Ning Jing explained.

"He could have easily impressed her, after all, he was the emperor of half of the mainland." Tang Wei Sheng shared his opinion.

"If you recall, Jade land was a matriarchal society and they worshipped nature and elements. Why do they care about the emperor of a powerful dynasty?" Ning Jing sounded argumentative as she spoke . "They needed a man who is compatible enough for their Queen, to keep her happy, a man who would love her, cherish her.

And I don't think a woman, a queen,who follows these beliefs would marry a man who has a consort and multiple concubines."

"Okay. If the circumstances were like that, then I don't find anything wrong in rejecting the marriage proposal." Tang Wei Sheng corrected himself when he heard the rest of the story.

"But during that period, polygamy or creating alliances with as many as powerful families was necessary to remain in power. So I cannot blame the king either."

"Getting rejected by a woman would have triggered the emperor so that he declared war on Jade land."

Typical King! Tang Wei Sheng thought.

"They fought the war, by the strength and armoury Wei Empire's army was on the upper hand. Taking the queen as a war slave was sounded even better than making her one of his concubines." Ning Jing emphasized.

"They had won the war but was unable to take the queen as the war slave."

"Did she flee with her people leaving their sacred land?" Tang Wei Sheng asked out of curiosity.

"No. She fought until her death." Ning Jing's voice sounded proud.

"What?" Tang Wei Sheng was utterly speechless. His grandfather said that the queen and her people went missing. He didn't mention anything about Queen's death.

"Jade people were unable to fight with the armies attacking from both sides at a time. Queen ordered the Men to join the war and all the women, children and elders were forced to evacuate their land to save lives.

Queen and the army they fought till their death."

"It must be a difficult decision, she must be really brave." Tang Wei Sheng's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Anyone can take lives in a war, but only a true warrior can save other's lives by sacrificing his/her own life.

"Do you know what happened to your ancestor?" Ning Jing asked Tang Wei Sheng, who apparently enjoyed listening her story.

"Well, the Emperor and his entire army got disappeared from Jade land."

"Do you believe that?" Ning Jing definitely wanted to test Tang Wei Sheng's views on the same.

"I don't believe in fantasies, Miss Ning. It is not possible even in fairy tales. They were killed." Tang Wei Sheng shared his opinion.

"Maybe they were killed but they indeed disappeared with the Jade land itself." Ning Jing stated.

"Don't tell me that Jade land Queen was a witch capable of hiding an entire kingdom." Tang Wei Sheng mockingly said.

"I am not sure about the queen being a witch, but they say that Jade Land Queen was capable of burning cities and ruining nations with a look."

"Who creates these kinds of stories? Burning cities and ruining nations, with a look- whoever wrote this story must be obsessed with some woman's eyes."

"You don't have to take it in a literal meaning- it just symbolises, the beauty of the queen. It was said that the Jade land women were exceptionally attractive and dominant- like the term "femme fatale"." Ning Jing said proudly and straightened her back as if she was indirectly drawing attention to her beauty.

"How do you know all these stories?" Tang Wei Sheng cut the chase when he sensed admiration in her words.

"Are you related to Jade Land Queen, Miss Ning?"

"Why do you think that I'm related to Jade Land Queen?" Ning Jing asked a counter-question. "Do I give you a Femme fatale vibe?"

Tang Wei Sheng looked at her with a sneer.

"You are known as Nation's Fairy."

"I hate that title," Ning Jing replied with an annoyed voice. "I am done with acting like a fairy always, I wish to be like Jade Land Queen, strong and brave." Ning Jing said with a smirk.

"My ancestors were your allies, CEO Tang,

One of the royal consorts of the Wei emperor was my ancestor." She clarified Tang Wei Sheng's doubt.

"So are you saying that both of us share the same lineage?"

"As I already mentioned, to remain in power, allies were made among powerful families. One of the women from the Ning family has to become the Wei emperor's concubine to ensure the alliance between two families."

Ning Jing gazed into Tang Wei Sheng's radiant eyes.

And in this generation, I am the one who is supposed to marry the Emperor of Wei Kingdom. Ning Jing repeated in her mind.