31 History of Zhu and Tian

Tian Xue'er nodded to confirm Zhu Wushang guess before he continues.

Zhu Wushang going to continue but he just making a face like he just remembers something important.

"Oh! How rude of me. Please sit." He produces the chair and table set of a tea ceremony from his storage ring and places it on the floor.

"I'll prepare the best tea I had in my stock for all of you. Lan'er, please entertain our In-law for a moment."

Zhu Wushang then goes to prepare some tea at the corner with the tea brewing set. His tea brewing set is unlike any other tea set that people would see in regular days his teapot made from some unknown metal that sent sweet tea aroma around the room.

Unlike any other tea, this tea also has a sweet fragrance with a strong spirit qi densely concentrated on its aromatic fragrance alone.

In a moment the tea is finish. When Zhu Wushang slowly pours the tea into a white porcelain teacup set the sweet aromatic fragrance made all the people in the room gulping their saliva except Tian Xiulan because she already tasted it when she's alone with Zhu Wushang at night back then in the Zhu manor.

He serves the tea to Zhu Yinbing first then the emperor and empress which is his father and mother-in-law, then Tian Xiulan and to both of his servant Fatty Pao and Azanah Which is the beautiful youth in black cloth.

When they first tasted the tea the spirit qi in their spirit pool stir and benefit from it, their eye opens wide in shock. This tea is a supreme grade spirits tea!

"Ok, I'll continue from Where I left off" Zhu Wushang don't wait for them about this tea origin that he got from the Black merchant home back then. After that, He continued.

"Then, When they send a raiding party against us, what exactly happens at the raiding spot?." Now He asked both Emperor and Tian Xue'er and specifies in the exact detail.

The both of them looking at each other, they knew that this son-in-law of their try to gather some information to help them with their problem, and according to the information they got, this Zhu Wushang is a rare genius.

The Emperor then quickly hide all of his irritation and earnestly answer Zhu Wushang question.

"They kill all the ones that resist, plundered nearly all of their food and weapon and quickly leave before our reinforcement come."

"Did they do anything else?"

The Emperor silence and go into deep thought, like he's trying to recall something.

"Recently no, but one month ago, after Duke Tian Dong died. They brought a war party and destroyed our strongest fort at the border, all combatant and civilian in that fort died."

"Does that fort has a lot of food, or there are any resource or granary nearby?" Asked Zhu Wushang to the Emperor.

"As far as I know, No, At least not enough resource for a war party large enough to destroy that fort to get an immediate gain. But that fort is in the strategic position that protects many roads that leads to the northern farmland and nation granary in the north."

Zhu Wushang thought for a bit then asks "After that, Did they fortified that strategic location?"

"No, Their war party had too much casualty to continue or fortify the position. They knew that they can't hold on against our reinforcement, so they retreated." Answered the emperor to Zhu Wushang.

"There's never be a case of raping?"

Zhu Wushang asked in doubt. Because from what he knows from the book. The cheapest and easiest way to maintain the morale of the troops that go to war is to let them lose as a reward. But despite the word "Barbarian from the north" that painted them for all these years, There's no such incident happen even once. Is that really possible?

"No, not even once." The Emperor confirmed.

"Are you sure? Isn't they burn down everything? including the corpse or any evidence?"

"No, Some survivors faked their death and live to tell the tale plus they are just foolish barbarian who didn't bother to cover their tracks and evidence for all this time." The emperor smugly told Zhu Wushang and thought that this brat is naive and ignorant.

This confirmation told Zhu Wushang that the northern barbarian warriors are the professional and honorable warrior unlike the reputation of the barbarian they got.

"Do you know why they choose to destroy that fort?" He asked again.

The emperor deep in thought.

"Maybe… They want to avenge me… and my parents." The one that answered is not the emperor but the sweet voice of his mother-in-law, Tian Xue'er.

"Xue'er, We already talked about this. It's not possible, you told me that all of your family died in that war. There are no tribes that are in friendly terms with your family; they even want your family position and prestige!" The emperor rebuts his wife.

"I know it's not possible but if one of my family happens to survived that massacre, And they can become the Grand chieftain! They would surely do this! You knew that!" She argued.

"Mother-in-law, May I know the detail?" Asked Zhu Wushang.

Tian Xue'er looking at Zhu Yinbing as though she wants the confirmation from her older sister and Zhu Yinbing nodded in confirmation. Tian Xue'er looked at her daughter for a moment and start to tell everything to Zhu Wushang.

"I was… a 2nd princess of the White Wolf tribe, my father was a Grand Chieftain, this position is always with my family since the first founder who is my ancestor. I didn't have a good family like you imagine, my father is a typical ruler that has many wives, cold to their child except the one with great talent like my older brother." She smiled as she said to this part. She sips tea and continues.

"My older brother and I are very close. We usually play with each other… until one day. The revolution starts with the instigation from the great Phoenix empire. All of my family had been killed. My older brother is the one that brings me to escape her, The rebel hunting us and my brother sacrificed himself to stall them. I hide in a wolf nest for 7 days with no food, and the one that found me in death door is your mother. She had followed her father to hunt some wolves. She helped me without asking any question. She brought me to the Gu clan and taking care of me. I want to repay her, so I had stayed there as her one and only handmaiden."

"I think we're like sisters, I never look at you as a handmaiden. To be honest, if I were a man, I would probably marry you and didn't let you be in the hand of that stupid emperor." Zhu Yinbing said cheekily which made the emperor face red in embarrassment.

Tian Xue'er smiled and continued with her story.

"Yes, As she said, We're like a sister, and we became sworn sister not long after that. After that, I wanted to avenge my family by killing someone in the royal family so if offer myself as a concubine of that stupid emperor because he's the most… impressive… when it's come to doing nothing."

"Hey! Tian Xiang! she said that you are good for nothing!" She said mockingly at the emperor.

"I heard that! and didn't we already agree for you to stop slapping my face in front of this stupid brat!?" The emperor retorted.

"That stupid brat is my son! You damn stallion!!" Zhu Yinbing stands up from her chair and wants to pounce at the emperor.

"Stopped it already you two, Zhu Yinbing, this is in front of your son! Could you please not act like a hooligan for once? Before you recovered your injury, you still acted like a proper adult! Why are you always acted like this when you're outside your husband line of sight. I don't get it. You had already become a mother!" Tian Xue'er admonished her friend as she touched her forehead as though she has a headache.

Zhu Wushang smiled wryly, He didn't know whether to laughed or cried. Is this really his mother that usually a polar opposite of his muscle for brain father!? He knew that his mother had a severe internal injury but… Is this his mother real personality!? Because she didn't need to do the duty of a housewife and didn't have her children around that's why her old personality that he didn't know resurfaced!?

After the commotion died down, Tian Xue'er continued.

"Ok, Well… a lot of things happen. I know Tian Xiang true self that he's the one that wanted peace with the northern tribes even before he knew about my real identity. Out of all the prince, he's the weakest and stupidest." Tian Xue'er smiled at the emperor before saying.

"But he's the wisest one and also the most honest out of all the prince. He usually knew who wanted to harm us. That's why he's so on guard with Duke Tian Dong and see through the facade of his loyalty."

The emperor smiled embarrassingly with the compliment from his empress while Zhu Yinbing tries hard not to laugh. Then, Tian Xue'er continued.

"I come to a realization that I can't bring back my family and… I don't want to betray Yinbing trust either. So I decided to let go. A lot of things happen after that, but in short, your parent helped Tian Xiang to secure the throne and the empress position for me. I got poisoned by many of his empress candidates as a result, and your mother goes to the deepest part of The Great forest of nowhere to get me an antidote. She got injured, you were born after that you knew what happen, and here we are sitting here as one big family." She smiled and shrugged like she just talked about the things in everyday life.

Zhu Wushang smiled, He already knew that he's an adopted son from the black merchant, in truth he already suspicious about this. But everyone in his family including his godmother treating him like a biological son of his mother. And he feels gratitude for that, he swore to himself to do everything in his power to ensure this happiness if his current power is not enough, he'll gain more power. He will kill even the king of heaven if he dares to try messing with his family.