Extermination Of Seven Generations

Mei felt foreign. She was alone with the Emperor for the first time, and he was enraged, sitting on his throne. Mei could see the fire burning in his eyes, threatening to consume everything in his presence. He was breathing heavily, trying to stay calm. He stood from the throne, pacing up and down the hall. He stopped in his tracks after a while, went back to his throne, and from underneath it, removed a small box used to store jewellery. Mei moved to his side to check it out and gasped the moment she saw what was inside: laying there was her green jade bracelet, the one he had given her and the one which Rui had taken by force.

She wondered how he got it. She remembered crying for a long time and the sadness she felt when she had to give it up, but now he had it. He stroked the bracelet and put it back where it was. It looked like that calmed him down.

He called his eunuch to summon the Duke to the palace immediately. After the Eunuch left, he called his Chief Eunuch to bring him a jade brush from the storage and sat there waiting.

Mei sat there wondering what he was going to do. She was worried he would confront the Duke without any evidence, which wouldn't be good for him as a ruler; it might start a rumour of him being unjust.

She started pacing around, wondering why Ling'er was taking too long. She heard footsteps, and the Chief Eunuch brought the brush. The Emperor instructed him to put it on the table and leave.

He sat there reviewing scrolls while waiting for the Duke to arrive. After a while, the Eunuch at the gate announced the Duke's presence. The Emperor adjusted his expression and asked the Duke to come in.

When the Duke came in, the Emperor welcomed him and apologized for being harsh the other day, which confused Mei. She didn't understand his intentions. After that, he told the Duke he would be writing him the edict, and the Duke stood up happily, thanking the Emperor for his grace. As he sat back, the Emperor took the scroll and requested the Duke to bring him the brush.

The Duke happily took the brush, all smiles, and handed the Emperor the brush, but instead of holding it, Mei clearly saw the Emperor let go of the brush, and the brush hit the floor, shattering and shocking the Duke so much.

Mei smiled, knowing the Emperor's intentions. He was creating a genuine reason to punish the Duke, and the Duke fell into his trap.

"What did you do!" the Emperor thundered. The Duke flinched, hitting the floor, very confused.

"The brush was gifted to me by my Imperial Father and has been passed down by generations of Emperors, and you just broke it!"

The Duke prostrated, hitting his head on the floor. "I didn't mean to, Your Majesty! It was an accident! Please forgive your subject," the Duke begged.

"For the punishment of destroying a royal gift, you know it's extermination of seven generations, right?" The Duke looked shocked. "But since you are my Duke and I value the contributions of your family to the Empire, you will kneel out there until I let you go," he said.

And the Duke thanked the Emperor for his magnanimity and left with the Eunuch. The Emperor still looked angry, and Mei was happy. The Emperor was still that little boy who protected her from a feral dog even when he was a bit, and now he was angry with her.

Mei remained in the Throne Room, and it was evening when Ling'er returned. She floated into the Throne Room with curiosity visible on her face.

"Why is he kneeling outside?" she asked, pointing at where she came from. Mei told Ling'er all the details, and by the time she was done, Ling'er was doubled over laughing while holding her sides.

"He's so cunning!" she said, looking at the Emperor. "I left at the wrong time! I wish I was here to witness that," she said. "But it's okay, I saw something much better!" she added, her eyes dreamy. "The General is so well-built," she said, gesturing with her hands, "and he looks so good shirtless!" she said, holding her cheeks and squealing. "And the best thing is he has no wife or even concubine yet!" She then stopped, looking at Mei. "You said he had your bracelet? The one you were forced to give Rui?" she asked. Mei nodded, agreeing. "Then it's confirmed! He likes you! But why did he agree to marry Rui then and let you get married to the Duke?" she pressed.

Mei didn't know why either. She had just been informed the Emperor agreed to the replacement, and she was okay with it since she knew with Rui there, her father would do anything to give her what she wanted.

"I need to know! You know I get stomach aches when I get too curious," Ling'er said.

Mei rolled her eyes. "You're a ghost; you don't feel any pain! But I do," she retorted.

"You had never met the Emperor since childhood?" Ling'er asked. Mei nodded. "Why?" she asked. Mei shrugged. "I wasn't allowed to leave the estate," she said.

"Ling'er, if he's so much affected by your death, why did he just let you marry someone else then?" she asked. Mei had no idea why, so she kept quiet.

"I need to get to the bottom of this!" Ling'er declared. Mei nodded. "Anyway, I'm happy to see that cheating toad being punished! Let's go see his face and how he's suffering," Ling'er added, and they both floated outside.

They went outside and saw the Duke kneeling, his back slouched. He looked so defeated. "What type of man can't even kneel well for a short while?" Ling'er said, taunting him. He looked like he was about to cry. "Such a coward!" she added, spitting on him. Meanwhile, Mei stood at the side, just to watch. She could feel her cold, nonexistent heart warming.