When Emperor Xiang had started developing a taste for the absurd that was similar to the sense of humor that his brother had, nobody had been more surprised than himself. Maybe this development was a reaction to the two or so years of peacetime that Wei had experienced in the wake of their agreement with Yanbei. Maybe the letters that he had been exchanging with his younger brother had been improving his mood. Or maybe the cause was the simple fact that being an emperor when there was nothing much going on was kind of...boring, honestly.
Oh, sure, there was always petty bickering and intrigue going on in court, and there was always some saber-rattling going on at some border or other. Natural disasters, famines, matters of national security...all of these were realities of life, but Xiang often found dealing with them to be dull and tedious.
Maybe that's why I'm currently riding at the head of a hundred foot soldiers and cavalry just to attend the birth of a child of two supreme troublemakers.
Not that the ride itself wasn't pleasurable; the nighttime air was nice and the sky was clear, providing him with a lovely view of the moon and stars. The general mood of their force was relaxed since Xiang had told his men that the troops at their destination were likely not going to be hostile.
Not if they know what's good for them, anyway.
Xiang knew full well that the Xiulis hadn't always known what was good for them, but he figured that at this point, the only reason they'd fight him is if they thought he meant to harm Chu Qiao or her family. He didn't plan on playing his game for too long, but he figured that getting a bit of petty vengeance on a group of men that had caused him so much trouble over the years would be a most enjoyable part of the night's entertainment.
That and the look on Yuwen Yue's face…
As they rode up the final approach to the Green Hills Courtyard, the emperor found himself smiling in anticipation. He knew that he cut a fine figure in his armor and he couldn't wait for the people of Green and Red Hills to recognize him. The dim figures of the Xiulis were just barely visible in the light of the torches they carried, and he couldn't help but smile as he recognized that they were in a classic defensive formation.
This is going to make the best letter to Yuan Song I've ever written.
The expression on the Xiuli commander's face when he finally realized who was at the head of the approaching force was priceless. Xiang was curious as to what the seasoned commander would do, and he briefly wondered if the Xiulis would do something stupid if they came to the wrong conclusion. The emperor needn't have worried, however, as the Xiuli commander wasted little time in dropping to his knees and bowing before him. As one, the Xiulis gave the proper greeting and remained with their knees and heads to the ground.
Xiang gracefully dismounted his horse and slowly walked up to where the commander—He Xiao, he thought his name was—was still bowing. The sound of running footsteps reached his ears, and he saw what he assumed to be Yuwen Yue's right-hand man pelting towards him.
He probably thinks he has to stop a fight from breaking out. That would, indeed, be bad luck for the new baby. Or it might be bad luck for all of us if Chu Qiao hears her men in trouble, runs out here, and starts whacking at us all while in the middle of labor. Yuwen Yue would, of course, be right behind her, and who knows what trouble that would bring?
The captain of the Yue guards gave the proper greetings and dropped to his knees, bowing before him. Xiang eyed him for a minute before returning his attention to the Xiuli commander.
"Commander...He Xiao, isn't it?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the man said, raising his head a little so he could reply but still keeping it lowered to the ground.
"Surely the fact that the Xiulis are under strict orders not to mobilize without royal permission except in an emergency has not escaped your memory."
"No, Your Highness."
"Well, then, would you care to explain what you're doing here in full armor?"
"Of course, Your Highness. In fact, there was an emergency."
"Oh? And why wasn't I notified?"
"I assumed that you had been notified since you've obviously come here."
Xiang mentally chuckled at the commander's cheek but still kept a stern expression on his face.
"Yes, I was notified. I was told that all of the Xiulis were marching in full battle gear from Red Hills without royal permission. Explain yourself at once."
"Of course, Your Highness. The emergency was that Chu Da Ren was going into battle and we didn't want her to go without us."
"Really?" Xiang made a show of looking around him to the right and to the left. "I don't see any battle. Surely you don't mean labor. After all, women have been giving birth for generations upon generations. Why would she need the help of a bunch of soldiers to do it?"
He Xiao looked up and his eyes flashed.
"Your Highness, we know that Chu Da Ren doesn't need us, but we also know that she has chosen us as hers. We simply wanted her to know that we were here for her during this trial. As soon as she has delivered her baby and we know she's safe and well, we'll go back to Red Hills Courtyard and celebrate in peace. You are, of course, welcome to join us if it pleases Your Highness."
This is even more enjoyable than my weekly Chu Qiao briefings.
"What a generous offer."
Xiang held his stern face for a few seconds before relaxing it into a reserved smile.
"I might take you up on that."
The commander looked up at him in astonishment.
"Rise, all of you. Yue Qi, take me to your master. Since everything seems to be in order here, I may as well congratulate Yuwen Yue on his impending good fortune."
Everyone stood to their feet with amusing swiftness, obviously thankful that the crisis had passed.
"Your Highness, I will gladly take you to see my master. Or if it would please Your Highness, I can go tell him you're here."
"Where is he that he doesn't already know who's at his gates?"
Yue Qi flushed and got a somewhat sheepish look on his face.
"He's with Xing'er, Your Highness."
"What? In the birthing room?"
"Yes, Your Highness. He takes Xing'er's safety very personally."
"So I remember," Xiang said, scowling. "But I know that there's no point in taking him to task for it since he's unlikely to change his ways at this point."
Yue Qi prudently kept silent.
Xiang made a motion with his hand and the men with him began to walk single-file, taking up perimeter positions around Green Hills.
"If you Xiulis are determined to watch the front of Green Hills, then my men can guard the sides."
"Thank you, Your Highness," He Xiao said, clasping his sword in front of himself and bowing his head. All of his men followed suit.
The emperor inclined his head at Yue Qi, who instantly began leading the way into Green Hills. All of the Yue guards goggled and gaped at him as he walked into their midst, dropping to their knees and bowing low. Yue Qi led him to a sitting area not too far from what he knew to be Yuwen Yue's quarters. A yell came from them almost on cue.
I really need to get out more often, Xiang thought as he smiled in contentment at Yue Qi's retreating form.
The Cangwu parrot knew that everyone inside of Green Hills thought him to be a simple, silly creature. All they saw was a bright-colored ball of fluff that repeated naughty phrases and insulted people. While this perception made the parrot somewhat indignant, it also helped him to hide his true genius from the world. After all, people had been underestimating Xing'er for years and that had clearly given her an advantage.
In fact, the bird knew himself to be an excellent judge of character. After all, he'd known to crap on Yan Xun long before he'd really caused any trouble. He'd also pegged Xing'er as a fool, and she'd ended up leaving the master and causing him endless trouble and heartache. He'd labeled Jin Zhu as evil, but that hadn't been hard to discern so he didn't bother to take credit for it.
One thing that the parrot would take credit for was knowing when to shut up. Just like he'd known that he'd needed to be quiet the last time that his master had been sick with typhoid (the master had rewarded him with extra treats for keeping quiet during that night), he knew that now was not the time to make noise. While he knew he couldn't do much to help his master's mate, he knew that he could at least give them the gift of silence.
His master had never given him the gift of a mate, but he knew that if he ever had one, he'd treat her just like his master treated Xing'er. He'd heard some of the other men talk about how strange it was for the young master to want to be in the birthing area with Xing'er, but the parrot felt that a male not wanting to be there for his mate at such a time was abnormal. He knew that if he ever had a mate and she was sitting on their eggs, he'd bring her good food to eat, chase any predators away, and help to keep her company when he could.
The parrot could tell that the master was nervous about multiple things. He knew that beyond the general concern he felt for his mate, he was also worried about whoever was at the gates of their home. The bird knew that Po Yue Jian was resting in its sheath and ready for action should the master need it. If anyone tried to harm Xing'er, he knew that his master would defend her with his last breath.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and the parrot watched the master straighten up to his full height and put on his most intimidating face. The door opened, and Yue Qi stuck his head inside. What he told the master made him relax his posture, so the parrot did, too.
After Yue Qi had left, the master went back inside the birthing tent. He heard Xing'er ask him who was outside, to which his master replied, "Oh, don't worry, Xing'er. It's just the emperor."
"What?!"
"Apparently, he came to congratulate me on the birth of my firstborn. Or maybe he came to listen to you suffer. The odds are even, really."
Xing'er muttered something the parrot couldn't hear as another contraction hit and distorted her voice.
"I'll be sure to tell him that when I greet him."
"Shouldn't you have left already? It's bad manners to keep the emperor waiting."
"I'm busy with something much more important than making small talk with the emperor."
"What? Sitting around waiting for your wife to give birth? I've been alternating between squatting and sitting for hours and nothing has changed yet. I doubt I'm going to have this baby in the time it takes you to go outside and exchange a few words with our ruler."
"Are you absolutely sure, Xing'er?"
"Have you forgotten the time you made me stand on one leg on top of a post for hours? If I could survive that, I can survive this. Go do your duty as Yuwen Yue, young master of Green Hills Courtyard, leader of the Eyes of God, and loyal subject and one-time comrade-in-arms of the emperor of Wei."
"You forgot the two titles that mean more to me than any of those," he said, giving Xing'er what sounded suspiciously to the parrot like a kiss. "Husband of Xing'er and the father of her children."
"But we only have one child of our own."
"So far."
"Yuwen Yue! You will not talk about us having another child while I'm still giving birth to-"
She was cut off quite suddenly in what the parrot figured was the master's favorite way of silencing his mate given how frequently he used it. He exited the birthing tent and strode towards the door. The parrot flew off of his perch and hovered in front of the master, who nodded his head in understanding.
With a flapping of wings, the parrot flew through the gap in the birthing tent and ignored the protests of the midwives in attendance.
"Xing'er! Xing'er! Xing'er!" he cried.
His master's mate smiled tiredly up at him and told the attendants to leave him be. He'd known she'd understand; she usually understood things pretty well these days. The parrot landed on the floor near Xing'er's right hand and allowed her to slowly stroke him. She seemed to be soothed by his presence, so he said her name softly a few more times and allowed her to continue.
For all that Yan Xun had claimed that he and Xing'er were the same kind of person, the parrot knew the truth: Xing'er was more like himself than she'd ever been like the young prince. Like himself, Xing'er had come to the master not by choice but by the vagaries of fate. She'd initially chafed at the invisible chains that had bound her fast, but had only realized how subjective the concept of freedom could be when she'd gotten a taste of it.
Xing'er had once set him free after telling him that he was foolish to not understand the implications of his lack of freedom. Yet after being set free, he'd made the conscious choice to return to the master because he knew that his place was at his master's side. The master hadn't bothered to chain him for years because he knew that the Cangwu bird wouldn't leave him no matter what. Only in being granted freedom had the parrot come to understand that it didn't always take the form that you expected it to take.
As Xing'er experienced yet another contraction, the parrot acknowledged the truth: Xing'er had taken her freedom but had discovered the hard way that—for her, at least—freedom could only be found in the place in which she had once been a slave and in the arms of the man who had once been her master.
A gush of water interrupted the parrot's musings and he squawked in indignation, thinking that Xing'er had soiled him on purpose.
"S-sorry," she grated out as she doubled over, clutching at her abdomen.
In alarm, the parrot flew away and did the only thing he knew to do.
"Master! Master! Come now! Come now!"
He knew that the other women in the room could help his master's mate, but he also knew what Xing'er herself had taken so long to realize: She needed the master at least as much as he needed her.