Crocodile Tears

"Please, Your Humble Servant knows her faults and will be more careful in the future." The maid's voice quivered, and she bowed repeatedly.

"QieLuo, try some of these vegetables," the emperor said as he set a piece of bean on the empress's plate. It was almost as if he couldn't hear the maid's desperate pleas. Yet, he also did not make any further motion for the guards to take the girl away.

"Lang Jun, it's so close to A'Mo's wedding. Let's build some good fortune for the couple," the empress took a bite before resuming. "Go receive five boards." She had not even looked down at the kneeling girl before sending her off.

Yet, the maid seemed to take that sentence to be a gift from Heaven, rushing out to receive her punishment after expressing her thanks of gratitude. Five boards was by no measure a light sentence, more than enough to leave bruising.

"A'Xiao, how have you liked it here so far?" Sensing the quietness, the Empress turned towards me and asked. Hearing her refer to me by A'Xiao, though it was the norm to refer to a girl by her last name, I was reminded once more that the only valuable part of my identity here was my family name. No one would care that my name was YouShi, only that I was the Liang princess of the last name Xiao.

Judging from their plain attire and lack of lavish decorations, it was obvious that the Sui emperor and empress were against the wastefulness that characterized most royal families. So I replied that it reminded me of my aunt and uncle's home with its simple way of life, hoping that it would be a sufficient answer to slide by.

"Commoners?" The emperor suddenly asked, an edge of coldness to his voice.

My heart began racing. Had I accidentally offended them? "No, Your Humble Servant meant that the imperial family was as close-knit as a family was intended to be." The words flowed out of my mouth naturally and against my actual thoughts. In all honesty, I had no clue of what the natural definition of family was, but my mind had turned blank.

A moment passed, and dread filled every pore of my body.

"Indeed! I once promised QieLuo that I would have no child born of another woman, and look where we're at!" The emperor boomed, near-boastingly. I jumped in my seat, a bit startled by his sudden lift in spirits. "Five sons and five daughters. Only when A'Wu marries will our duties be finally done!"

A portrait of a tenderly father came live in front of my eyes, and I suddenly felt a pang of jealousy for the empress. Somehow, even in the palace, there was a hint of true love and familial ties. Compared to the stories of sons murdering their fathers in cold blood in order to fight for the throne, the Sui family seemed close-knit and authentic.

For the rest of dinner, they began detailing their stories. It was unheard of for an emperor to have only one wife and no concubines, but the emperor was living proof that it could be attainable. Before tonight, I had thought that the empress forced the emperor into agreeing to her terms of having no concubines. But after dinner, my thoughts were reversed altogether.

"A'Mo is sure to head back soon. He's always been a good one, respectful and courteous to others…" Near the end of the meal, the empress suddenly remembered that I was to wed her son and began feeding me all sorts of reassurance. But her words were cut short by an unexpected visitor.

"The Crown Prince arrives and bids good wishes," a eunuch announced, and a wave of quietness settled at the table. A'Wu glanced around nervously, signaling me with her eyes and telling me to keep silent.

A young man walked in, dressed in much less modest clothing than his parents. He strolled in and bowed, almost lazy to some extent, waiting to be excused. His eyes were clear and simple as there were no hidden emotions nor plotting.

"XianDiFa has arrived to join his old folks for dinner," Empress Dugu joked, affectionately referring to the Crown Prince by his childhood nickname. "But where is your Crown Princess? I've missed her lately." I looked back at A'Wu questioningly, but before she could signal back, a sound of disapproval struck.

"What are you wearing? I've told you many times, as Crown Prince, you need to learn that your riches are the sweat and tears of all of your future citizens! Even as a royal, you cannot let yourself forget about the meaningfulness of a simple life!" The emperor's harsh words of greetings left even me flinching. "And what was that bow? If you cannot even properly acknowledge your own Father Emperor and Mother Empress, how can I expect you to take the throne seriously in the future? Go outside and reenter!"

Obviously glum, the Crown Prince turned around and followed his father's instructions, never making a single sound. However, I thought I saw him rolling his eyes as he got up from his bowing position.

"Lang Jun, stop being so harsh," Empress Dugu patted the arm of the emperor, but he did not respond.

Luckily, dinner soon ended, and we were all excused. They both gave me and A'Wu warm goodbyes, but once they turned to the Crown Prince, the slight disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e was apparent. The whole time, the Crown Prince said nothing.

When we were finally out the door, it was as if a weight was lifted.

"Brother, why did you come here tonight?" A'Wu broke from her trance and returned to her lively self, jumping up and down in front of the Crown Prince.

"Didn't want to face that stony witch at home. Even Father Emperor's criticisms are better than spending the evening with her," he replied. Turning towards me, he smiled. "This must be my future sister-in-law. A'Mo must have good luck marrying you instead of that witch Mother Empress appointed to me."

Since I didn't know what quite to say, he grew impatient and left, telling me that it was a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet me before he disappeared into the night. "It's time to have some fun!" His words echoed on in the night, and A'Wu shook her head in disappointment.

The tensions ran much deeper than the surface betrayed.