A Promise

Fen Hua had no way to know what had happened to Jingfei, so wasn't able to put what happened tonight to her, with the words that had just been spoken until Liang Delun spoke.

"It is a waste though, I would have like to at least have a taste of her, before she was fed to the wolves." He took a sip of his wine and gave his mother a pout.

"You get bolder every day Lun'er, talking about such things in front of your mother. If anyone were to hear you speak in such a way..."

"I don't care about that right now. Every day putting on the act of a saint… I'm tired of it. If I'm not able to get the kings attention soon, I don't know what I'll do."

"Come now Lun'er, things will fall into place, just give it time." She swatted Liang Yanyu away from her, "Leave us," She ordered. She looked back at Liang Delun and sighed, "It is a shame though, she was rather good with Xiulan. Now I'll have to send for another."

"It's best for Xiulan to stay away from a girl like that. Someone who so easily throws herself at a man," Liang Delun sneered. "To think she even believed I would sneak around with her." He let out a dark laugh, "How disgusting these servants are, dirty, worthless, trash."

"Well that might be, but they can be useful....also make sure that Xiulan is kept busy tomorrow, I don't want her feeling upset over losing her little toy."

Liang Delun stood up, he stretched his arms over his head and nodded. "I can find some time in the morning, but in the evening, I am meeting with a poor family from the village. I've promised to help them pay for the land they are too stupid to keep on their own."

Seeing his disgusted look Lady Shu gave him a sympathetic smile, "It won't be forever child. After a while you won't have to deal with these wretches. You will be so important they wouldn't dare step on the ground you walk on."

As Liang Delun left the room Fen Hua slid against the wall. Her legs had lost all their strength. There was this little voice inside of her repeating 'it's not true' 'it's not true' over and over in her head. She couldn't wrap her brain around the nightmare of this night. There were too many thoughts racing around inside of her. She felt broken, as if a part of her had been ripped away.

"Are you just going to sit there?" A man's voice asked. His words stirred her mind back to the present moment. She turned to the voice, fear pouring through her when she did. She slowly stood up. Her eyes fixed on him. "Don't look at me like that." Liang Wenqian said. "Is my reputation that bad?" He had a half smile on his lips, but his eyes were dark and serious.

Fen Hua couldn't speak. She physically didn't have the power to do so at that moment. Her entire body was frozen in fear. Her chance to escape this nightmare was gone, she had nowhere to turn.

He took a step closer to her. He smelled of sweat and wine. He leaned down until his face was close to hers. "I know your secret slave girl," he said, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"What secret?" She stammered.

He stood back up and gazed into the distance before answering her. "I can help you leave this place, if you want."

"Why would you do that?" Fen Hua had no reason to believe that he was being sincere.

"Because then you would owe me, and one day I will collect." He put his hand on the wall pinning her against it. The action brought panic into her; it was too much like what had happened earlier. He noticed it and stared at her a moment before pulling away. "Do you want my help or not?"

"What could you possibly need from me? What could I give you that would be worth helping me leave this place?"

"I told you, I know your secret."

Fen Hua had no idea what he was talking about. "You saw what happened to me earlier? With….what he tried to do?"

"What else would it be?"

"But I don't understand how that would help you? I was attacked. He suddenly got sick and vomited blood; I don't even know if I'm sick too."

Liang Wenqian stared at her for a moment trying to decide if she was being serious. The more he looked at her the more he realized that she was. She had no idea what she had done to that man. She had no idea what kind of power she had inside of her. He chuckled, feeling amused for a change. She was a gold mine of power, a tool that could be utilized, and she had no idea.

"That's right," he said in mock seriousness. "I should step back. You might be sick and end up just like him, I wouldn't want the same fate."

Fen Hua stiffened at his admission, somehow hearing him say she might be sick made it even scarier.

"But of course," he said having mercy on her. "If you were sick, surly it would have already happened."

"How do you know?" She asked skeptically.

"I just do," he answered. "I won't give you this chance again. Do you want my help or not?" Though he said that, he didn't really mean it. She would promise him a favor, one way or another. And he would call on it when the time was right.

Fen Hua weighed her options, she didn't have much of a choice. There was no way to be sure he was being honest, but the alternative was even worse. She had no knowledge of this world outside of the small things she had been told.

"If there is a time in the future that I can help you, I will," she said.

Liang Wenqian smiled, 'you will, Fen Hua, you will'.