Chapter 176: Her Happy Expression is Enough
In the big and elegant room with ambient lighting and a lot of food and wine, Xing was sitting between Haru and Rijun with Shengli sitting opposite her and Seiren beside him in a long table. Seiren pulled out a jar and poured a cup of wine and passed it to Xing with a smirk. Xing wondered what that was about and the moment she smelled it, she knew this was the best red wine from the sky kingdom Lord Zhong had saved in his wine cellar. Xing noticed it being stored in top notch condition under tight security in Lord Zhong’s cellar the previous time she and Seiren infiltrated the cellar.
"Did you steal it?", he asked him after gulping it in one mouthful. It is amazing, as expected!
"No silly, Father gave it for the celebration", Seiren pouted her another cup and Xing stood up and got the jar from his hands. It’s a sin to share this wine with others.
"It’s a crime to call the future Empress of the Wind Kingdom a silly", a familiar voice of a suave man with an unexpected combination of dominance and charm entered the room. His green eyes bore the arrogance of the Lu blood and the little birthmark on his face added to his beauty and his thin perfect lips had curved up in a mocking smirk.
"Your Majesty!", everyone stood up and greeted the Emperor followed by Zhong Huojin who just stood by the door.
"Empress? What was that about?", Haru enquired Shengli and Rijun and Seiren were surprised and wanted an explanation too.
"It’s something we had to decide... For the sake of EVERYONE ", Shengli answered enunciation ’everyone’ while glaring at the Emperor and he just shrugged it off. Although as an Emperor, he knew having her at the phoenix throne would greatly benefit the kingdom , as a brother he could not find it appropriate to let others believe his brother’s wife as his’. It was his last attempt to get them to change their mind but turns out it is not working out.
Haru and Rijun looked at Xing for answers and she was just swallowing wine, cup after cup.
"Xing, I arranged a present for you", Shengli gave her a painting that looked... Elegant and old... Must be some great artist who had painted it!
"Ah, right! Me too", Rijun pushed a box to her that had a high quality ink stone with ink. He had a similar one to give their father too.
Xing was so touched that they had thoughtfully prepared gifts on her behalf for her father but somehow she didn’t feel it is appropriate to give the gifts others prepared for her. Then she remembered how she didn’t want expensive things for her birthday, just a letter from her father... I can do that!
Xing stood up and she was already feeling a bit tipsy by all the wine she drank and slightly sawyed when as usual it was Shengli who was far away from her who grabbed her first.