The Emperor's Woman

Tricky Jade

**NEXT MORNING…**

Jade came out of the castle, as blind as everyone knew her to be, carrying only a box with her most important possessions, no clothes. She saw Ming waiting for her already.

Earlier that morning, her father had informed her about the Queen Mother's invitation to join the selection and had told her to leave for the palace immediately.

"Has your power boosted now? It's supposed to come overnight," Ming asked, and Jade shook her head negatively as she walked.

"I think it's you the Emperor's searching for," Ming said.

"Good for him," Jade replied before walking away.

"Where are you going?!" Ming asked, following her.

"The palace. I have a hunch I'll be rich very soon," Jade replied with a smirk.

**FORBIDDEN FOREST**

The Emperor stood, his gaze piercing through the rock, wondering how the sword had returned to it. Kai appeared behind him, his head bowed, but his eyes soon widened upon seeing the sword back.

"It's the same girl who returned the sword. I can smell her," the Emperor said, and Kai gasped.

"Do you have a message to relay?" Emperor Damien said, his eyes still on the sword.

"Yes, your majesty. The Queen Mother has done as told and needs permission to start an introduction of the ladies," Kai said.

"Tell her to skip whatever introduction she has in mind and bring all the ladies here right now," Damien said, his gaze darkening, and Kai's eyes widened.

"All of them into the Forbidden Forest?" Kai gasped.

"Their first test is to pull out this sword right in front of my eyes," Emperor Damien said before disappearing, and Kai sighed.

"It's obvious he's just after the mysterious lady. The contest doesn't even mean anything to him anymore," Kai thought and went on his way.

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"Someone took and returned the sword?!" A masked figure in all black asked in shock as he stood up from his seat, then his messenger nodded.

"From the look of things, it's going to be one of the ladies participating in the Queen's selection tomorrow," the messenger said, and his master drew nearer to him.

"I'm guessing Damien's also confused," the figure said to his messenger, who only bowed.

"Keep your eyes on everyone participating in the Queen's selection contest and inform me if you find anyone suspicious," the figure said, going back to his seat, and his messenger nodded before leaving.

**TRAINING GROUND**

Almost about 500+ young women of the kingdom stood assembled as the Queen Mother, with her head maids, stood on the podium in front of them, addressing them.

"Training's supposed to start right now, but the Emperor has different plans for us," Queen Mother Wei started, her sharp gaze on each and every maiden. She could see the shocked look on some faces, mostly the girls from humble backgrounds, while the ones from noble households only had huge frowns on their faces.

It was obvious they still hated the fact that poor girls, who could pass as their maids, were going to be fighting for the Emperor's attention like them.

Then Mina, who stood arrogantly in the front row, raised her hand, and her sisters rolled their eyes at her. Bae, in jealousy, raised her hand too.

"You may speak," the Queen Mother permitted.

"The Emperor's change of plans has a lot to do with the beggars who joined us, right?" Mina asked, and almost all the girls from humble backgrounds began mumbling, but none dared confront her.

The Queen Mother then pointed at Bae to ask her question.

"I... Did the Emperor summon them along so they could be our helpers...

"Trash," Jade spat from behind, and everyone turned to look at her and gasped.

👥 Even she got an invite?!

👥 Now this contest is messed up!!

👥 What's the Emperor really thinking about!!

👥 I mean, what does the blind have to do with a Queen selection training!!

Everyone mumbled, and Bae, who got interrupted, walked up to Jade. Without wasting a second, she slapped her right across the face, and Jade fell to the ground.

"Who let you out, you dirty pig?!" Bae snapped, kicking Jade continuously until Mina sped towards her, pushing Bae away from Jade.

Then she bent towards Jade, helping her up.

"Sorry for what my sister did to you," Mina said, and Jade, though blind, blinked in shock. The other sisters blinked in puzzlement also, and Bae glared at Mina.

'Is this witch trying to use me to curry favor with the Queen?' Jade thought.

"Isn't Jade your sister too, Minnie?" Hani, Minister Ling's daughter, asked, walking elegantly towards them, her garments obviously the prettiest amongst them, and Mina smiled.

"Really? She is? Who birthed her? Your parents?" Mina asked with a smirk this time, and Hani glared at her before facing Bae.

"Bae, she isn't your sister too?" Hani asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Why do you act like you know our family?! She isn't our sister, she isn't!" Nazia snapped from where she stood.

"You're the seventh born! Never talk when Hani's speaking! Even Mina, your oldest sister, is no match for her!" Giselle, one of Hani's followers, snapped, and Nazia scoffed.

"Then tell your miss supreme to stay off our family's business! Our father would never birth a blind person, be it intentional or by mistake!" Cherry added, and a loud clap from the Queen's head maid made them call to order as Hani smirked at the sisters before glancing at Jade with a blank look on her face as she walked back to her line.

"After a few observations, I realized this year's sects are filled with overly willing and optimistic girls, unlike our previous sects," the Queen Mother stated, and everyone instantly went on their knees with bowed heads, except Jade, who only scoffed inwardly.

"We're sorry for our attitude, Queen Mother," the girls apologized, but the Queen's gaze was solely on Jade, who looked back at her eye to eye from her blindfold.

'She's not even that pretty. She watched Bae bully me but did nothing! And she thinks I'll go to my knees to beg her?! Nonsense! If she orders for my death, I'll just blame it on my blindness. But for now, I'll keep looking at her fallen face,' Jade thought bluntly. Almost immediately, someone kicked her knees from behind, and she fell to the ground.

"You blind thing! Do you have a death wish?!" the girl behind her snapped, and Jade angrily kicked her face, making the girl go blind for a second as she yelled out in pain.

"These stubborn legs of mine! Gosh, I wonder who I kicked now? Whoever it is, sorry, okay?" Jade smirked unapologetically as she faced forward, getting up when everyone else was still on their knees.

"You intentionally did it, you witch!!" the girl screamed, almost grabbing Jade's hair, but Jade caught her hand.

"Enough!!" the Queen's maid shouted, and the girl dropped to her feet in apology, but Jade still refused.

"Who's the blind girl?" the Queen Mother asked, her gaze covered with fury.

"A witch and nothing more!! She's fifty and yet to develop any spiritual powers!" Sana, one of Jade's eldest sisters, said, and Bae moved closer to the podium. Still on her knees, she bowed completely, her head hitting the ground.

"Please, Queen Mother, send her home before she bewitches the Emperor with her dark magic," Bae pleaded, and the other sisters, except Asa, who always found their actions immature, stayed back, rolling their eyes.

"Yes, Queen Mother!! It's obvious she's the youngest amongst us here. Just send her back home so as not to curse this selection," Mina added, her position the same as Bae.

"Please, Queen Mother, listen to our pleas!!" the other sisters followed, and Mina glared at some lowly girls, who instantly bowed their heads completely, asking for the same thing. Soon, everyone petitioned against Jade's stay in the palace, except Asa, Hani, and her followers.

"Shouldn't we do the same thing the others are doing, Hani?" Giselle asked.

"No! Mina's uncomfortable with the witch's presence, and I love it," Hani replied, and Giselle nodded.

"What's your name, witch?" the Queen Mother asked, and Jade frowned, then smiled before speaking.

"Jade," she replied innocently.

"But her voice sounds so soothing. I don't think she's a witch," the Queen Mother said, and Jade's sisters threw her a glare.

Almost immediately, Jade fell to her knees in tears.

"Everyone calls me that because my mother was a slave. My father died just ten years back while searching for food for my blind self. I have no one else. All my sisters and stepmothers died of a strange illness. I'm still mourning, and that's why I just give in to their bullies. If I wasn't a witch, my entire family wouldn't have died!! I'm a very big curse," Jade cried loudly, and everyone who didn't know her began crying along, but Mina stood up instantly, walking to her and using her powers to strangle her neck.

"Who died of an unknown illness?! You must be stupid!!" Mina yelled, strangling her more as Jade held her neck, coughing out.

"I thought you said she wasn't your sister?" the Queen Mother asked, and Mina's eyes widened as she let go of Jade instantly while Hani smirked at her.

"She... I mean...

"It's only Mina that's related to her! We know nothing about her," Sana made to lie, but Jade began crying innocently again.

"What did I do to deserve this amount of hate?! Even my loved ones reject me. I should just die! Oh heavens, please kill me!" Jade screamed loudly, and many cried more, while Hani smirked at her.

👥 The Wang sisters are evil!

👥 Now I know why Jade said they were dead! It's because they never saw her as one of them!!

👥 I hope the Queen disqualifies them!!

Everyone mumbled, and Mina glared at their remarks, while Bae bit her lip badly.

"Once we return, you all will be given six strokes of lashes on your buttocks each! You lied blatantly to my eyes, and I hate it," the Queen uttered with so much dominance, and the girls gasped.

"Thank you for being so impartial, your majesty!" Hani said loudly, bowing her head, and everyone joined her.

"This is all your fault," Cherry glared at Mina.

"It seems I'm the only smart one amongst us all," Asa smirked.

"No!! No!! I want my father right now!! He won’t let this happen. Get my mother also. I can't get beaten because of Mina's mistake!!" Bae muttered, and Jade smirked at her.

"Now, every one of you, except the blind one who'll be staying behind because of her lack of sight, to the Forbidden Forest. You must get there before the Emperor does," the Queen Mother said, and the girls gasped before disappearing. Then the Queen Mother, after staring at Jade for a short while, disappeared also. Jade sat on the floor, laughing madly.

"I love my face! And my brain!! And... wait, I need to take a lot before they return! But first, I need to change into something more suitable!" Jade thought, getting to her feet. She rushed towards the main palace, with her stick in her hand, pretending to be blind each time she came across any palace attendant.