Chapter 16 Guilt And Favor

"First cousin!" Huan Mingyun happily hug the current Emperor of Zhou, Yuwen Jue.

After breakfast and all that drama, Yuwen Jue who had also received the news of Huan Mingyun's safe return also visited the Princess Manor to see his little princess.

When he heard that Huan Mingyun went missing outside the Capital, he had severely scolded Yuwen Yong who went back alone and threatened to kill him himself if something bad happens to Huan Mingyun.

Huan Mingyun was the only remaining daughter of the Huan family, she was left in his deceased grandmother's care and now to his and his brother's care. If something were to happen to her, how could he face his grandmother and his parents a long with her parents in the afterlife?

The Yuwen family owned the Huan's too much that they might not be able to pay them back in this lifetime, Huan Ji who was Huan Mingyun's father risked his life to protect the previous Emperor from the rebels when Yuwen Jue was still 5 years old. That scene that year was still fresh in his mind, corpses were everywhere as the whole palace was in chaos. Yuwen Jue and his father Emperor was cornered in the palace and not even one of his father's trusted aide helped them, it was only Huan Ji who was always against his father who had stood up at that moment and protect them from the rebellion but unfortunately he had lost his life in the rebellion when he block the arrow that was supposed to hit the Emperor.

Not only that, Huan Mingyun's mother, Princess Lianhua who was their grandmother's biological daughter risked her life to save the young Yuwen Jue and Yuwen Yong from the assassins that wanted their life. To protect them, Princess Lianhua used herself as a bait to lure the assassins away as they hid in the bushes until help arrived. Princess Lianhua's body was then later found floating in the river, it seems that she was forced to jump off the cliff by her pursuers.

When Huan Ji died, Huan Mingyun was just born. His father never even got the chance to hold his newborn baby daughter, he was really looking forward to that day but he never got the chance to for the time that she was born and cry for the first time was the time that he breath his last.

And then, her mother Princess Lianhua died when she was still 7 years old. She died seven years after her husband died from the rebellion, base on this, Huan Mingyun was orphaned at the young age of 7 Years old and it was all because of the Yuwen family.

Yuwen Jue's family owed her family too much because, because of them Huan Mingyun was orphaned at such a young age. That is why to make up for this, they gave Huan Mingyun everything that she would ever want. His grandmother and father Emperor also bestowed Huan Mingyun the title of the "Princess of the First Rank" and give her the Princess Manor where her family and her lived.

Yuwen Jue and Yuwen Yong also treat her the best, as they would always agree to all of her demands and spoil her rotten. They would then be her knight in shining armor when someone bullied her. They would never let someone wrong her just a little bit, even if its just missing a strand of hair the one who cause this would surely be punished by them.

Huan Mingyun became a pampered little princess in their care that had never suffered in her life, she was sheltered all her life and was sheltered from the bad side of the world but what they didn't know is that despite being sheltered she still knew what the world is like and how ugly it is. Still she grew up kind hearted and humble despite everything that happened to her.

"Little Ming, how is my favorite cousin doing? I was really worried when I heard from my idiotic brother that he lost you outside the Capital, if you still did not come home I really don't know what to do." Yuwen Jue gently smiled as he caressed her hair, he sighed.

"First cousin, I made you worry but I'm already fine now so don't worry anymore. And for me getting lost, its not second cousin's fault so don't be too hard on him." Huan Mingyun said.

"I know, but still he needs to be punished for bringing harm to you. No matter what you say to defend him he will still get his punishment." Yuwen Jue then stared icily at Yuwen Yong who was smiling sheepishly in the corner. "You, go back to the palace and write the family rules and virtues a thousand times."

"T-Thousand?!" Hearing his punishment, Yuwen Yong's eyes turned as wide as saucers as he look at Yuwen Jue asking for mercy.

"What, do you have a problem?"

"Of course not! I'll go and write them now!" Yuwen Yong quickly ran away when Yuwen Jue's predator eyes stared at him but he almost fell down when he heard Yuwen Jue's next words.

"And also, you are not allowed to get out of the palace as long as you don't finish writing the family rules and virtues a thousand times." Yuwen Jue added that almost made Yuwen Yong slip.

"First cousin, don't you think that you are being too hard on him?" Huan Mingyun who witness the whole charade shook her head helpless.

"Little Ming, if I don't punish my brother severely he might just forget that he had put you into danger because of his mood swings. I heard that you were injured when you returned, fortunately nothing more happened than you getting an external wound on your shoulder. Writing the family rules and virtues a thousand times is me giving him mercy, if were talking about "worse" then there is still something worse than that." Yuwen Jue smiled evilly, seeing this Huan Mingyun shivered.

"First cousin, to be able to visit me here are you not busy?" Huan Mingyun asked as she partake the snacks that Yinyue brought in for them.

"You got me, Little Ming. As you had said, I still had a table full of memorials to read. Being an Emperor is not so easy, just listening to those officials of mine already drain me of my energy most of all that old fox! But despite all of this, an Emperor should have a break from all the palace matters sometimes." Yuwen Jue said as he ate some pastries. "Hmmm... these are good."

Looking at the heart shaped cookies that Yuwen Jue ate, Huan Mingyun could not help but smile.

"First cousin is right, an Emperor should sometimes take a break from the palace matters. Eat more, first cousin." Huan Mingyun gently smiled as Yuwen Jue stuff himself full with the heart shaped cookies.

"Than the palace matters, how about we talk about you Little Ming. What happened to you during those 6 days?" Yuwen Jue seriously said as he continue to stuff his mouth with the cookies, he would have look cool in his serious mood if not because of looking like a squirrel as he stuffed his cheeks full.

"Those 6 days?" Huan Mingyun suddenly thought of the first time that she woke up in this unfamiliar world, and then the time she met Lanling King, Ande Wang and Guan Yu. The time that they spend and the dangers that they had experienced together, thinking about all of this a smile was brought on her lips.

"...ng! ..Ming! Little Ming!"

Huan Mingyun snap out of her daze when she heard Yuwen Jue calling her, he was waving his hand in front of her hoping to catch her attention.

"What is it, first cousin?" Huan Mingyun asked.

"Nothing. I was just worried because you suddenly went into a daze, is something wrong? Am I asking too much from you? If you don't want to answer you don't have to, I won't force you." When Yuwen Jue saw Huan Mingyun in a daze, he quickly got worried as he thought that he might have trigger some bad memories of her.

But all his worries faded away when Huan Mingyun laughed, it was like a spring breeze that melted all his worries away.

Since the memories of Huan Mingyun during those four days were not bad memories, she decided to share her experience with Yuwen Jue while changing some parts of it and by not mentioning their names.

"Someday, I really want to meet those kind people and personally give them my thanks and return the favor for helping you."

"Don't worry brother, you might one day meet them. But, what do we do? There are three of them, so do we owe them three favors?" Huan Mingyun coyly said.

"As long as it is within my power and bottom line, I will surely return the favor."

"Then, its a promise!"