PoV: Emperor
I have been away from the Capital for just over two years. The reason for my absence has been to discuss Demonic movements and lead my Armies against the most recent breach in the rift.
I had left my empire in the capable hands of my ministers and prime minister, who I am quite sure will be pleased to force my work back into my hands with my return. I was also looking forward to seeing my family, especially my newborn girl who was born 8 months after my departure. She was born from my amazing and loving wife, so I am quite sure that she will be a beauty.
I heard many good things had happened while I was abroad and it was a true treat for me to read about from the info dumps of letters.
My good friend had finally had his first kid! It said the 'wife' so that should have meant the girl from the Kaiyo family. This will be extremely important to the agreements and deals in place with the Kaiyo's territory. We had agreed that she would marry into a large noble family as the main wife and in return they would repeal the embargo they had placed on the mainland.
This embargo strictly limited the luxury resources we could import as well as the monster materials imperative to the construction to our armies equipment.
When we had went to war with the Kaiyo clan we had simply attacked thinking that they would fall under our boot... This couldn't possibly be more wrong. They had decimated our army with their superior weapons and military, they only became a part of our empire due to wanting benefits provided in joining. They wanted more resources and having to invade seemed to be against their interest.
So after 5 years of war the Kaiyo clan retained ownership to their lands and property and gained an easy way to make money; manufacturing. They made our resources into good equipment and provided shipments of luxury goods, while we gave them food and a massive amount of raw materials. Of course they also paid a fine/tax for our supposed 'Protection'.
Now the Kaiyo's patriarch had made a move into the mainland economy. So with the agreement of letting slide what they did and giving them a branch clan in the capital they could give us some cultivation techniques and martial arts that were stronger than the ones passed down from our ancestors.
We even were able to get the patriarch's daughter to be the one sent! I made the Qiang clan take her but wasn't able to attend the union between the two due to the encroachment of the demonic horde.
I was hoping it had gone well! It turns out all my prayers paid off! They had a child together, specifically a male heir and from what I could tell in the letter he was named the future head a couple of months ago.
Boy am I glad it worked out in the end.
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PoV: Jin
My boy was about to turn one! I had everything I could ever have wanted! I have power, wealthy and, I have prosperity. My wife's vie for my favor and play their little games. I seem to have forgotten someone but even after an entire year and a half of racking my brain I still couldn't remember what it is nor who it was I forgot.
My Head Concubine just recently had her child too, another healthy boy!
My family was in preparation for the birthday celebration of my first born, everyone calls him 'Young Master' though. I will make him into a fine man that can handle my job after I retire!
Well... The training can wait another couple years! I don't need to be like my father so I'll make sure he knows how much we love him.
The other day he started trying to walk! Soon he should be able to run!
Not only that but his little babbling is really cute!
I know he started his talking a little late but I know he will be a super genius when he's done growing!
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Yet both these poor bastards have no clue what sorts of things Alexia can do.
This would seem strange for an Emperor not to know about his best friend married someone he had specifically ordered to marry as their main wife, as a concubine.
What he didn't know was his Empress was blocking communication of these things to reach him. She was the cousin and sworn sister of Juan and helped her obtain the true wife spot with her influence.
She was to be supremely fucked.
Like she not only masked an order from the emperor and lied in reports, but she also extorted the Qiang family elders to name Juan's child the heir, and had Olivia and her child put in the most out of the way home in the compound.
So she committed two crimes worthy of having entire houses purged and then removing generations of ancestors from the history but then she also purposely suppressed the woman who could have the entire Empire wiped of the face of the planet...
Good luck! I'll see you in the next life!
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PoV: Alexia
My birthday is coming up and everyone seems to be in a great mood...
The funny thing is I've never had a birthday before... My master didn't pick me up the moment I was born and he never really said how he got ahold of me...
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
This is my first birthday and it all seems so anticlimactic. My birthday is tomorrow though, so maybe it gets more exciting?
I'm just bothered by the bustling of the servants and guards outside. They are quite boisterous and a tad crude in their anticipation. They paid no mind to the house that was considered 'old' and 'worthless'.
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What those men didn't know was this house housed a universal talent and a ley line connected straight to the underworld itself. (I'm having there be 2 underworlds... One is the under world while the other is hell...)
With the ignorance of the guards and the hiding of the residents only a small portion of the servants hired knew about Olivia. Even then they only knew someone named Olivia lived here, even fewer knew that she was a concubine.
No one in the entire estate knew of the existence of Alexia though. Even if they saw the young girl running around they would think nothing of her. After all it wasn't uncommon for guards or maids to have a child with them every once and awhile.
She had nearly free reign in whatever she wanted, whether it be the kitchen or the guard post, there was no one who would stop such a adorable sweetheart.
So she stayed in her normal mood the night before her birthday thinking it would just be another day of the same.
Boy was she wrong.
That morning she was feeling a large amount of excitement...
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PoV: Alexia
OH MY GOD IT IS MY BIRTHDAY!
HOLY SHIT!
I NEED TO GO WAKE UP MOM!
As I ran from my room I noticed some people putting up some things but I paid them no mind, after all, Mom needs to be up!
When I arrived at the door to Mom's room I noticed that the light was on. So of course I wouldn't know that my mother was wrapping a present for me...
My poor mother jumped something fierce when I slammed my way in.
"Alexia! I didn't know that you were up! I didn't hear you!"
"MOM! IT IS MY BIRTHDAY!"
"Yeah? I know baby why don't you go back to your room while we set up for your party. It was supposed to be a surprise but I take it you already saw the decorations going up."
And so my mother then realized that I passed most of the mansion when making my way to my room. So she grudgingly sat me down on her bed and said, "Sweetie this was supposed to be a surprise but your grandfather is coming here in a couple months to a years and see the Emperor. When he's here he will probably want you to go with him back to the clan's land. All you have to say to him is I want to stay with mommy. Okay?"
"Mhm, okay mommy I will."
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This is was tucked away in the back of Alexia's mind, however with the happiness she was experiencing with her birthday she forgot most of what her mother said.
She then was proceeded to be entertained by her mother for an hour. Only after Eliza had come to tell Olivia that the decorum was done was Alexia set loose on the servants and fed her breakfast.
The small party was small and largely obscured by the larger grandiose celebration in the main hall. Here people from all major clans backgrounds and noble classes met and engaged in small talk.
The Emperor was also arriving there at this moment.
The moment Emperor Fu arrived he recognized a large blot in his mind. It was expensive and showy...
Olivia hated attention, as well as having to host large gatherings.
Jin was escorting a woman holding a young child that was not Olivia.
Jin would never hold a gathering of nobles for personal reasons.
It was at this moment he knew. Fu messed up.
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I'm not done yet!
Why are you trying to cut me off?
Sheesh!
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Emperor Fu was not a fool nor was he to be taken lightly. He was mild in his temper and lenient towards his friends. However, should anything put at risk the civilian lives of his Empire he would become an Oni.
He could stand fast and take ground at any bend. This unwavering personality could cause multiple issues in cases that required delicate touches.
"JUAN! I ORDERED YOU! DID YOU DARE DISOBEY?"
"What?! Emperor?! What might you be referring to?"As you might have guessed it was subconsciously so unimportant that he had married this woman that he forgot about it entirely.
"Juan Qiang you evil bastard! I made you take a vow to marry a woman the year I left! Where the FUCK is she?"
"What?! I have no memory of this! What ar-- Emperor. We are causing a scene. Let us discuss this in private."
So the two friends left the party. It was immediately considered over and many people immediately left. Those remaining were close friends and family of the two large family's Qiang, and the Ru family (The Ru family is Juan's family).
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In the back room there stood two angered men. One was the Duke of a city and the Prime minister of the empire. The other was the Emperor himself.
They stood opposed neither saying anything to the other.
Eventually Jin spoke, "Why did you come into my house and crush my party for my son? It was his first showing in public! Do you know what a future he will have knowing that he was looked over and even cursed his mother?"
"JIN YOU DARE TO QUESTION MY MOTIVES WHEN YOU HAVE GONE AGAINST THE WILL OF THE EMPIRE? I had you marry a woman a bit more than two years ago. She was to be your main wife. I would have never demanded this of you if it wasn't extremely important. Where is she?"
"What? I somewhat remember the woman but I haven't even looked for her in over a year in a half. I thought you were trying to reward some small noble from the Eastern Islands acquired after we conquered them a century ago. I treated her like I should treat someone below my level. I had them treat me like a king for a day then ignored them. I don't know whether or not she is even alive anymore!"
"JIN QIANG! IF I FIND OUT THAT SHE HAD BEEN HURT IN ANY WAY I WILL PERSONALLY EXTERMINATE YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY STARTING WITH YOUR BASTARD CHILD YOU HAD WITH THAT WHORE OF A WOMAN FROM THE RU CLAN! OLIVIA KAIYO IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALL OF YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY COMBINED."
With those words he swiftly turned to leave, praying in his mind that Kaiyo family would take it easy on his empire should anything have happened to the Patriarchs daughter.
"Emperor! If she was that important then why would the Empress tell me that she could be tossed away? She said that you even told me that you recommended the Ru's family daughter as my wife! If you wanted me to treat her importantly then why would you help me find reasons to suppress her?"
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At this moment the Empress felt as though death had come from her.
Only a miracle could change the destiny of this greedy woman.