Part 1, Chapter 3

Light flirting.

Ch 3 

Xun sang to herself as she cleaned the Emperor’s bedroom. Her voice was light, clear, and well suited to the folk song she had chosen. Every few minutes she would stop singing to talk to herself or some random object around the room. She was so excited to be in the room of her idol she felt like she was flying. 

“Aren’t you fierce,” she commented to a dragon statue in the corner.

“Your branches are so lovely,” she complimented the bonsai tree growing quietly in a beam of sunlight.

“I wonder what incense he uses?” She said, looking at the incense burner smoldering on the desk. She sniffed “Cedar and something else...”

“I make it myself,” the Emperor said from the doorway.

Xun gasped and spun around, knocking an ink stone off the desk in her haste. The Emperor vanished it before it hit the floor and raised an eyebrow at her. Xun bowed deeply and could feel the heat rushing up her cheeks. 

“I enjoyed the song you were singing earlier, where did you learn it?” The Emperor asked calmly.

Xun opened her mouth to reply, but no sound came out. She looked away hoping that she could regain her composure if she couldn’t see his face. Nope. Not working. With a little squeak she fled. 

The next day she checked the room carefully before going about her work, but before long she was singing and chatting the same as before. This time before she left Xun left a small note on the Emperor’s desk with the name of the song she had been singing and thanking him for his compliment. Smiling at her own daring Xun moved on to her other chores.

“And just why are you so happy?” Xiaomin teased as they sat working at their mending that evening.

Shun placed her hand on Xiaomin’s arm and shook her head slightly. “Leave her alone, Min’er. It’s obviously about the Emperor.”

“I left him a note,” Xun said giddily. 

“I was hoping for something more interesting than that,” Xiaomin said. Shun looked at her, wide eyed, and Xiaomin pulled the shy little maid to her side. “Not that interesting,” she laughed. Shun smiled and snuggled closer to Xiaomin.

Xun sighed enviously. “Of all the friends I could have in the palace why do I have to watch the sweetest couple rub in my single status.”

Xiaomin winked at her, “Who knows, maybe we’ll be bowing to you in the near future.”

All three of the maids laughed and bent over their sewing.

The next day as Xun was cleaning she found a folded note placed prominently on the desk addressed to Little Bird. Curiously she unfolded and read it.

Little Bird, 

Thank you for the information about the song. Do you know many others? I am always interested in learning about the people of the Immortal realms. Could you tell me more?

The note was formal and unsigned but Xun immediately knew who it was from. Continuing her exploration of the desk she found that paper, ink, and an ink stone had already been laid aside for her. Xun eagerly began her reply.

As time passed Xun and the Emperor left many notes for each other, never signed by either side only addressed to and from Little Bird, discussing a wide range of subjects. Xun now spent several hours a week in the library reading various texts recommended by the Emperor so she could better converse with him. 

Every once in a while they would exchange small gifts. The first was an exquisite origami bird that the Emperor made for her. In return she brought him a few of her mother’s best cakes, filched from the plate made for the Lady of Storms midday snack. Whenever Xun looked back on her life she remembered this as one of the happiest times.