Emperor's Cunning Wife

On one part of Country M from the birds' eye view, lush woodlands graced by towering parashorea and gingko trees stretching two miles from the river docks created picturesque scenery of verdant greens and orange, a breath-taking landscape painting one would only see in museums. A truly wonderful spot for adventure seekers and hikers, if not only for the warning sign in bold red strokes keeping them from venturing deeper, 'Warning due to the snakes and bear activities, area beyond this is closed for all travels.' The sign was placed two years ago and was there ever since.

In the beginning no one heed the warning since the people living on the edge of the woodlands didn't find any of the said bear and snake activity. It was quite peaceful…

Until a few weeks later someone reported a missing case.

And found a mangled and bloated body near a nest of snakes. The people finally believe the warning.

But when they thought that there was only one, the rangers searched the four corners of the woodlands and brought pieces of shocking and terrible news.

They discovered bodies with the same condition as the first one scattered across the forest just a small distance away from each other.

The Chief of police stationed a mile from the woodland ordered the forensic lab to conduct autopsies and presented the findings to the grieving families of the victims. It was concluded the cause of death were the fabled snakes' deadly toxins and the bears' aggressive attacks that fractured and shattered some of the bones of the victim, lacerations riddled the body and the faces, turning the corpses almost unrecognizable. The only way the families were able to discern their identities were through the tattered clothes the victims were wearing.

The family couldn't sue them for the dereliction of duty as the victims were the one who disregarded the danger signs in the first place.

The Chief however compensated each loss with a considerable amount of money and closed the cases afterwards.

Two years later, the woodlands were completely unmanned, the houses built on the edges were abandoned as snakes and bears were often seen roaming around threatening their lives.

On one Saturday afternoon, the Chief of police stared at the locked drawer underneath his stainless desk and remembered the man who's every being was exuding threat walked harmlessly inside his office and slammed a black duple bag filled with money.

His expression back then was of utter disbelief. He had never seen such a huge sum of money in his life, even those gangs he raided and arrested their combined assets wouldn't even amount to one tenth of the money inside the duple bag.

But regardless of the astonishment the fact that a stranger presented such exuberant amount only indicated that he was no ordinary individual and the afternoon would be bound to be no ordinary either.

"Take this and fabricate those reports." Pulling a seat, raising his legs and resting them upon the stainless table, the man pushed the name plate printed with the Chief name's aside with his designer shoes and pointed the heels on the direction of the folders piled up in the lacquered wooden shelves. Those were the autopsy reports of the bodies found in the woodlands.

His lips beamed into a smile tinge with ill intentions. "He…not a local surname", Tilting his head, he spared the printed words on the name plate a glance and searched the surname of the clans that had officers in the department of security and justice in his mind. Finally, one particular face flashed abruptly bringing a sense of confidence to the man.

"What do you want?" Chief He leaned forward despite feeling afraid.

Hiding the anxiety brewing inside of him, he asked in a stuttered voice, his back soaked with cold sweat.

"I thought Chief He had an astute mind. You know perfectly clear what I'm talking about." The man clicked his tongue and stared at the stacked folders arranged in a slightly messy manner.

Those folders recorded the actual findings. He perfectly knew that there was a foul play involved when he read the reports this morning, he wanted to request another examination to pinpoint exactly what caused those victims' deaths as there was only little to no specific information at all but this man came out of nowhere and brought a money-filled bag- bribery to be exact.

This kind of transaction was treated as hushed money.

Chief He clenched his fists, dread and helplessness spread through him invading his body from head to toe and it reached a new height when the man pulled out a gun- a pistol to be precise with a silencer attached to its muzzle from his pocket and placed it on the table.

Chief He carefully leaned back and distanced himself from the weapon. His hand underneath the table slowly slid towards the gun on his waist but as if the man watching him leisurely had eyes that can penetrate through solid objects, his tiny movement was seen through.

"Chief He, I wouldn't do that if I were you. My speed and accuracy is not on the level your tiny office could go against. Imagine those young officers of your sprawled on the floor bathed in their bloods, would you want to see such a scene personally?"

"Though as much as exciting it will be, I'm in a hurry, my friends and I have a tryst tonight." The man added and shoved the duple bag with force and it ended up falling in Chief He's l.a.p.

"Urgh..." Chief He felt his t.h.i.g.hs nearly broke at the weight of the bag. The fear in his heart grew as he heard the casual boast the man uttered, his tone carried assurance and confidence. For some reason, Chief He believed he would do what he said and shed the place with blood. "No, I will do what you say. Just leave those young men alone." Dead people can't be brought back to life but those young people, he could save their lives. He knew that he would carry this guilt from now on but compared to the lives he managed to save, he would readily sacrifice his conscience as a cost.

"Wonderful…" The word rolled of the man's tongue. Retrieving his long and slender legs, the leather soles of his designer shoes left a scratch on the immaculate stainless desk.

Screech-

It left a mark.

In a slow and dragging pace, the man placed a finger on the handle of the gun and pulled it to his side, grinding it in the process. The sound was eerie and haunting.

Chief He swallowed the lump stuck on his throat with difficulty.

"It's nice working with you." Curling his lips, the man stuffed the pistol inside his sleek coat and strode towards the door. Just that elegant bearing full of graceful movements would confuse anyone. One will not associate him for a criminal.

"But the forensic investigators…" Recalling another problem, the creases on his forehead deepened. He could fabricate the report but those who did the autopsies will sue him for faking the records. Then his name would go down the drain and will be branded as a deceitful officer.

"You only need to think of those folders, my men will take care of those old fogies." Chuckling, the man kicked the closed door startling the young man outside.

Take care-

Chief He was petrified on the spot. He was not ignorant of the phrase rather he was very familiar. His hands on the duple bag trembled.

It seemed that the woods held darker secrets than he thought.

Outside, the man slid through his conspicuous car and drove towards a deserted area in the edges of the woodlands. The phone of the passenger front seat rang and a screen and flashed a message which made him grinned.

Driving deeper in the woods where eerie dark vines hang loosely in the tall parashorea branches, he stopped his car and honked his car.

Not long after a faint sound echoed through the forest.

The man lifted his smile and traced the source of it and finally arrived in front of dilapidated house where a feminine silhouette was standing beside a low key off road vehicle parked inside a wooden shed whilst constantly glancing at the wristwatch on her fair skin.

He slowed down the car and the engine's sound attracted the female's attention.

Looking over and taking off the brown Polaroid sunglasses, the female's eyes sparkled with high spirit. Opening her painted red lips, flashing an elated smile, the woman waved her slender and smooth hand in the air and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Brother Long!"

Shutting the car's engine, he opened the door and received her greeting with an equal joy, "Xiao Lou!" Lips curved into a playful smile.

"Brother Long, for a thousandth times, its Xiaohua, not Xiao Lou!"