Woman to Woman

BAI YANG LIU

YIYUAN

"Eh. Eh." Yang Liu blocked the entrance of a general walking out of the bathing chambers.

"His Highness," he smiled as he bowed his head.

"Have you seen the Grand General?"

"Yes Grand General is inside, Your Highness."

Yang Liu continued on, Mo right beside her. He was the reason why the Grand Dowager Empress was willing to let Yang Liu come to YiYuan.

Red eye rimmed, with dark circles around she had awaited for the Grand Dowager Empress to return from her outside visit so she could get permission to come see her brother. She needed him to grant her what she required most.

"Your Highness if you will not let me go, I will cut off my life. I cannot sleep until I see the emperor," she had begged her grandmother.

The bathing chambers were not really filled with people but they were quite a handful inside. She scanned the room without interest, just determined to find the man who had the power to change her life forever.

"Prince Kuan Hui?" Someone shouted from her left.

She looked over to see two generals girded in the steaming aqua blue pools. They waved toward her in adoration. "Come join us!"

"Should I?" She imagined a possible way she could get away with the fact that she was female. One general jumped onto the other general, dipping him underneath into the hot water, and they all broke into laughter.

That looked like so much fun.

Why not? She could bandage herself and also have a rob on as she went in. It was no big deal to see naked men, as she had been exposed to that all her life due to her assumed gender.

"Wait for me!" She screamed as she looked around for a towel and a rob.

"No, you don't." Someone held her back in protest.

That voice. She could recognise it even in her dreams.

"Why can't I?" She snapped harshly as she turned, staring up at General Feng.

Why did he act like he cared for her? Was he not the one who was courting another woman who was not her?

"His Highness may not get physical in any type of way with commoners."

"They are nobles, not commoners."

He looked gorgeous in dark green robes but her? She looked quite the mess.

"Still not royalty, Your Highness."

"And who are you to tell me the rules?" Who was he to break her heart?

"Get him away from here," he commanded Mo, his eyes not on both of them but behind her. He frowned in disapproval and pointedly left them when someone called for him.

Yang Liu thumped the ground with her feet in frustration.

She hated him. He didn't even ask why she was a mess when she spent the past days crying for him. Her heart was broken and it hurt a lot. General Feng's heart was with someone who was not her. How could she have missed it and not found out way earlier so that she could save herself from the pain?

Mo took her hand to take her out.

"Don't you dare hold my hand. Who are you to?" She was irritable and it was General Feng's fault.

She span around where General Feng had looked when he spoke to her and there he was, her brother. He had his back to her and his front to a woman she did not quite recognise. By the way he stared at her and held himself, she could rightly tell he was transfixed in wooing her. This was not the first time she had seen him in this business. Shen Hong was into the game of chasing till he won.

"That is her, Your Highness," Mo chuckled.

"Who?"

"Mo beat that woman twice. Mo wanted to beat her hundred fold but General Feng protected her."

Heaven was blessing her. Her nemesis. In front of her.

No wonder General Feng's eyes were not on her as they spoke. It was that woman he only saw.

Woman to woman, today it was going down. That woman was a floozy. She was playing around with powerful men, yet the wrong men she chose.

Yang Liu laughed to herself. She was not yet a princess who was expected to act all proper so why not as well be rowdy as much as she'd like.

"Just you wait as I show her," she spat and started to run. All kinds of images scattered on her mind on how she could punish the floozy.

"Ouch," she hit a hard wall and rubbed her head in pain.

"No one may see the Grand General without him asking for their audience." Luo Meng shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms. He had the deadly aura he always possessed. What a hard wall indeed.

"It's me Kuan Hui you blind tweet!"

"I know. I can smell your nasty attitude from far away," he yawned.

"Get off your high horse," another one to agitate her, "just because elder brother likes you does not mean you won't die for disrespecting me."

"Hmm… I would consider that a happy death."

Luo Meng was arrogant and mean. Only two people he honoured as royalty in the palace, the emperor and Grand Dowager Empress. Everyone else he called by name, and the worst thing was that her brother did not bat an eye toward that problem; not even her grandmother who was the definition of tradition.

"This is why you will die single," she looked behind and winked at Mo who caught her gesture.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Luo Meng sarcastically dragged her title.

Trusting that Mo had her back, she swerved past him and on queue, Mo jumped for Luo Meng. Due to Mo's heavy weight, Luo Meng of course fell.

"You tramp!" She screamed as she ran. The floozy was going to die. The same way Mo lunged for Luo Meng, she also tackled the female dog responsible for her heart break. When she toppled her, she determinedly sat on her, punching her right and center.

And do you know what was funny?

The tramp could not beat her back because she was 'His Highness'. Who would dare beat a prince back?

Her brother could as well find himself another one of those floozies. This one was hers to break into pieces.

S.V