**CHAPTER 11**

~A.N.~

This chapter is kinda long… Anyway please review!^^

News came that Lord Cao Cao is going back to the palace with all his officers after their glorious victory against Wu. The servants are busy to prepare for a feast to celebrate their winning.

"Hey Ming Yi!" shouted Koi Feng, the palace gardener to the woman who is busy cleaning the plates.

Ming Yi sneaks to go beside him who is hiding behind the bush and ask, "Oh what is it?"

"It really is a busy day, isn't it? We all need to get ready for the feast tonight."

"Yes, a very busy tiring day. I even can't rest for just a minute." She agrees.

"Hahaha… Hey, I heard that all the officers of Lord Cao Cao will be here tonight."

"Oh, I wonder what they all look like. I bet there're scary" she laughs as she imagine.

"I forgot, this is your first time you're going to see them right? Well I can't spoil the fun so you need to see it for yourself tonight, and you'll be the one to judge what they all look like. I bet you will be surprised!" he laughs as he thought about it.

"That's unfair Koi Feng! Come on tell me! Do they look so scary that if you look at them you can see the entrance of hell?" she asked, her eyes looks like sparkling, fascinated by the idea.

Koi Feng stares at her and said, "I think you need to stop reading those horror books Ming Yi, your imagination is out of ordinary."

"Your mean! You're the one who lent me those books, besides i-"

"MING YI! GET BACK TO WORK!" shouted by the servant head as he saw Ming Yi and Koi Feng hiding behind the bush.

"Yes sir!" she immediately went back to clean the plates.

"AND YOU KOI FENG, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? ARE YOU ESCAPING AGAIN TO AVOID WORKING?" he shouted at the young man who is still behind the bush.

"No sir I-"

"GET BACK TO WORK!"

"Yes sir!" he runs fast as he could before the servant head hit him with a stick.

The palace is so lively tonight. There are laughing and drinking everywhere. Ming Yi sneaks in to see what does the Wei officers looks like. She always heard her servants back then talking about how fierce full the Wei officers in battle, so she is so curious if what she heard from them is true.

She looks inside the dining hall and the first one that caught her attention is a very fat guy who is eating so many peach buns rather than drinking ale. "He must be Xu Zhu, wow he really has a big appetite." She then saw a bald guy beside Xu Zhu who has a tattoo on his face. "So he is Dian Wei, the bodyguard of Lord Cao Cao." As she thought about Lord Cao Cao, she immediately looks for him, as if her life is depended on it, well it really is. "I must be careful that Lord Cao Cao may not see me, he knows what my true identity is." She remembered that she already met Lord Cao Cao when he visited her father in the Imperial Palace. As she looks for him, she saw him drinking some ale together with a guy who has an eye patch in his left eye. "So he is Lord Xiahou Dun, he really looks so fierce." She also saw a guy with armor all over his body."So he must be Cao Ren, I bet that armor is heavy." Ming Yi saw beside Lord Cao Cao a guy who is smiling to himself. "The strategist of the Wei Empire, Sima Yi. He looks mischievous." She also saw two guys drinking together, the one looks like kind of chubby but not as chubby as Xu Zhu, he drinks and laugh so much while his other companion who looks very composed just nod his head while listening to the story of the other guy. "So they are Xiahou Yuan and Xu Huang, they look close together." She looks again and saw a guy who is dancing so gracefully like a woman. "I see, so he is the one I heard about, a guy who is like a woman, Lord Zhang He, or maybe a Lady." She chuckles as she thought about it. But then her happiness disappears as she saw Lady Zhen Ji besides Lord Cao Pi. "She is so beautiful even though she is the only woman among the Wei officers. No wonder Lord Cao Pi fell in love at her." She sighs heavily, thinking that she has no hope to win the love of Lord Cao Pi. She doesn't realize that there is someone who is staring at her ever since she got there.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

She flinches. She never knew that there's someone who caught her sneaking. Ming Yi is panicking; she doesn't know what to do.

She closed her eyes as she face him and said, "I-m sorry, I didn't me-an to sne-ak in to the celebration." She said nervously.

"Here take this." The man said to her.

She opens her eyes and to her shock, there is a big piece of roasted chicken besides her.

"Umm, this is?" she asked as she looks at the delicious chicken.

"You must be hungry that's why you're sneaking to the celebration. Don't worry I will not tell you to the servant head, so you can have that chicken." He said as he drinks his ale.

Ming Yi just realizes that he is Zhang Liao, one of the Wei officers.

"He is so nice; he even let me have this chicken. You really don't need to judge a person just because the way he looks." She thought to herself.

"Umm… Thank you Lord Zhang Liao" she said as she smiled at him.

"You're welcome. Anyway it looks like your new here. It's my first time to see you here inside the palace."

"Yes I am Lord Zhang Liao. My name is Ming Yi, I just got here last month."

"Hmm… Nice to meet you Ming Yi." He said as he drinks his ale again.

"Umm… Lord Zhang Liao, may I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why are you here outside the dining hall? Don't you want to go inside and drink with them?"

"I enjoy being alone, it makes me think of certain things." He said as he looks up at the stars.

Ming Yi blush as he said it. "I never even know that he is that kind of guy. He is a very different kind of warrior."

"You're different Lord Zhang Liao." She blurted out.

"Why did you say that?"

"Umm… because you-"

"Zhang Liao what are you doing here?" Cao Cao said as he goes near Zhang Liao.

"Oh, I'm just having a fresh air Lord Cao Cao."

"Come on in and –"

Cao Cao notices that there is a woman besides Zhang Liao. He looks closely to see the face of the woman, and he is shock to see that the woman is no other than Princess Han Shurei!

"You highness what are-" he is just going to kneel before her when she immediately put her hands in his lips and hold him to prevent him to kneel at her.

She then said, "Lord Cao Cao! I think you are tired now. Let me help you to go to your room"

Ming Yi then immediately drags Cao Cao away from Zhang Liao who's confuse at what has just happened.