The Dragon's Flower

XH 117

The room prepared for the massage session was pretty small, but it would be enough for their purpose. Xin Dan and Xin Lin were allowed to be inside, along with Duan XiYing, who smiled with a gaze that made one unable to defend their heart from. Fortunately, everyone here was females and straight so it does not have much effect on them.

The only one that was not allowed to enter was Da Bei. He reluctantly stood guard right outside the room after asking Duan XiYing to scream or make a ruckus if Xiao Hua encountered danger so he would be notified.

Needless to say, the little boy that placed no importance on the hierarchy angered the Empress. She knew that Da Bei was one of her son's shadow guards, but his rudeness was another sign that her son no longer loves her as much as he used to.

"Don't just stand there and waste this Empress' precious time."

"As the Empress wish," Xiao Hua bowed demurely. "The Eighth Prince should also be worried about this servant's lateness."

The Empress breathes in and out for few times to calm down her anger. She will hold it in for now!

"Your Highness, please remove your outer robe and hair accessories," Xiao Hua said. "My massage would make the clothes crease."

With a nod from the Empress, Xin Lin swiftly helped her master to remove her outer robes and most of the hairpin, leaving only two behind.

Xiao Hua calmly washes her hand with water and rose petals on it that was offered. Duan XiYing helped Xiao Hua to tie 'tasuki' sash style with a long cloth that Xiao Hua had stored in her spatial bracelets. The roll-tab sleeves no longer work well, in addition to needing to stitch long cloth at every of her uniform. That was why Xiao Hua tried to figure out how 'tasuki' sash was tied and in the end, Duan XiYing helped her to figure it out.

Knowing that her bracelets would hinder the massage, she slipped them off her wrists, only to slip them onto her ankles. Amazingly, the bracelets could adjust its size according to its owner, and judging from Long Lian's surprised and envious look when she first saw it happen, this shows that the bracelet was truly rare and specially made.

Picking up a small unlabelled bottle filled with oil, she poured some onto her hands. She noted that the oil smells of rose as she rubbed them until it covered every surface of her palms.

There was a screen of embroidered maidens dancing being placed before the bed and when she stepped behind it after she finished her preparation, an irritated Xin Dan was the first thing Xiao Hua saw.

Xin Dan's irritated expression slipped, surprised to see Xiao Hua as the latter had not made any noise before entering, before putting on a calm mask and stepped past Xiao Hua to walk to the other side of the screen. She even ignored Duan XiYing that was following Xiao Hua closely from behind.

Standing beside the bed silently was Xin Lin, with the Empress sitting on the bed with only her inner robe.

Seeing the Empress' body shape, Xiao Hua immediately knew that Long Lian got her body shape from her mother. The thin inner robe pretty much outlines the voluptuous chest and shapely curves of her hips that a mother usually possesses.

Hmm, perhaps Duke Heng has a good taste after all! (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b

"This Empress looks highly on your massage skill. If it isn't up to my satisfaction, you will be sent to prison for lying."

How cruel of you, Empress!

Xiao Hua's confidence wavered. Le XiaoTing had originally thought since her picky paternal grandmother- who had refused to stay with her only son's wife- demanded her massage once a week, the Empress would be easy to satisfy! But she did not think rationally that the Empress would purposely fail her!

Then no matter how good her fingers worked on the Empress, she will still be sent to prison just because she was disliked!

She glanced over her shoulder at Duan XiYing but she only got a smile in reply. Perhaps she means she will save Xiao Hua if she got into trouble?

Since she will be visiting the prison either way, should she give the Empress her usual massage or try the 'stepping on body' massage that she usually saw in the movies that were less suited to younger age audience?

Stepping on the Empress would be satisfactory, but that would make her get angrier...

"This humble servant understands. The Empress deserves the best massage and this servant hopes to be the one that gave it. Please review this servant's performance without prejudice, Your Highness."

"You spoke of prejudice?" The Empress thundered in fury, her anger that she worked hard to keep in bay was unable to be restrained any further! "Are you saying this Empress would purposely fail you? How daring of you, just a mere servant to accuse this Empress of being partial when I am the honoured Mother of this Kingdom, specially selected by the previous Emperor?"

"This servant does not mean it that way!" Xiao Hua hurriedly explained with a lie. "What this servant meant is the Empress might praise this servant's small talent just to please the Third Prince for having a sharp eye when it comes to sighting hidden talent in this lowly servant."

"You...you...you..." Everyone was shocked when the Empress' eyes suddenly fluttered and she falls onto the bed.

"Empress!"

"Your Highness!"

"She fainted!" Xiao Hua exclaimed in a mixture of fear and shock. She had never angered a person until they fainted before!

"I will call for the royal physician." Duan XiYing quickly darted out of the room to call for a doctor, knowing that it would be bad if Xiao Hua accidentally murdered the Empress!

Xin Lin quickly opened all the windows and realizing that Xin Lin wanted more fresh air for the Empress, Xiao Hua quickly helped out. Next, Xin Lin leaned over the Empress as she held out a salt pouch under the Empress' nose.

Only when the Empress finally stirs, slowly coming into conscious, did Xin Lin removed the salt bag and returned it into her spatial dimension item.

When Duan XiYing suddenly barged out of the room and passing by her without explanation, Xin Dan quickly entered the room and rushed behind the screen. Immediately, her eyes spotted the Empress lying on the bed with an anxious Xin Lin hovering over her. Next, her eyes saw Xiao Hua standing beside the bed, looking guilty and Xin Dan's mind jumped straight to the conclusion.

"You...you harmed the Empress!" Xin Dan, with a burst of speed, approached Xiao Hua with an unsheathed sword on her right hand.

Xiao Hua, who was standing between the incoming Xin Dan and the weak Empress, knew that if she dodged it, the sword would hit the Empress. She does not know why she could see Xin Dan's move in slow motion, or how she got the selfless bravery to remain standing before the path instead of succumbing into her survival instinct to throw herself to aside.

There was no large weapon inside Xiao Hua's spatial dimension bracelets and only knives were stored in them. But if Xiao Hua were to bend downwards to take out a knife from her bracelets, it would be too late to block Xin Dan's sword.

She had not even trained her toes to hold knives either so using her knives to block the attack was out!

With no other choice, she widened her stance and holds out her hands, with the intention to stop the sword by grabbing the blade with a poor attempt of covering her palms with inner energy to protect herself. She had yet to learn how to control her inner energy to wrap around her palms properly, but right now she has no choice but to bet on it.

There might be a better way to block the incoming attack, but her panicking self could not think up of a better way!

A loud bang followed by a violent crash distracted Xin Dan so her speed faltered, as a blur of black approached her. Xin Dan screamed in pain as her wrist was forcefully snapped backward and dropped the sword onto the ground with an ear-piercing clang.

Not satisfied, which could be seen by the slight frown on Da Bei's face, he mercilessly twisted Xin Dan's left wrist too, and coincidentally crushing the fingers along the way. The intense pain had Xin Dan dropped onto her knees, screaming continuously as she held her broken wrists that was quickly becoming dark purple closer to her chest.

It was until Da Bei used his feet to step onto Xin Dan's back to hold her down as his hand reached out to grab onto her head did Xiao Hua snapped out of her terror. "Stop! Da Bei, stop!"

Xiao Hua let out a shaky breath, relieved that Da Bei stopped halted his actions to snap Xin Dan's neck. The cold, bloodlust eyes were one that she had never seen on Da Bei before.

She was honestly terrified.

Her fear slowed down her awareness and in the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by soldiers with their weapon drawn and pointed at them.

"Move away from the Empress!" A guard closes to Xiao Hua barked, his sword positioned closely to her neck.

Xiao Hua slowly straightens herself and raised both of her hands to indicate her surrender. When she moved too slowly for his taste, he grabbed her arm and yanked her away, nearly had her tripped.

"Touch her again and I kill this one." Da Bei growled threateningly, his hand that was still on Xin Dan's head tightened. Xin Dan finally stopped screaming and was now whimpered in pain. Her beautiful face and arrogant demeanor were long gone, replaced with her tear-filled face and agonized expression.

"Soldiers, stand down!" The Empress commanded weakly. With the help of Xin Lin, she slowly sat up and the soldiers removed their eyes from the half-dressed Empress.

Xin Lin helped the Empress to wear her outer robe, somewhat regaining her bearing of an Empress.

Xiao Hua quickly kneeled down with a face filled with remorse as she sincerely apologized. "Empress, this servant never had the intention to make you faint!"

The Empress that was slowly calming down took in a harsh breath as she could feel her blood threatened to burst out of her mouth. There was no need for this rude maid to remind her anger!

However, Xiao Hua was truly innocent! In most of the novels she read, the matriarch or mother-in-law always fainted so she believed that it was something that often occurred. So she should quickly apologize while the Empress was still feeling weak and difficult to summon her anger.

With that intention, Xiao Hua quickly apologized with the thought that an apology would make the Empress less angry without mentioning the reason to avoid the Empress thinking Xiao Hua was trying to humiliate her.