The Odd Princess: Her Hidden Blade

The newest princess of the Huang Family through Princess Huang Huiwen and Prince Consort Xiao Yuancheng was a born mystery.

Upon her birth, the maids screamed causing Yuancheng and Butler Zhou to go into the Birthing Chamber to see a red flame mark appear on the baby girl's head.

'What is this mark? It looks like fire!'

And growing up, little Beiyue was a quiet girl with little to no emotion at all. She never spoke.

People thought she was born mute.

However, she was a born genius.

Quickly learning how to read, write, arithmetic, etiquette and manners, music, art and painting. The young girl can even cook, sew, and embroider as well as weave on her own request through writing and study many more subjects. And quickly rises.

Martial Arts?

Her stunned mother was in disbelief she possessed incredible genius in both hand-to-hand and the sword after learning alongside Xiao Rou, her sister who was two months younger.

In fact, she can go toe-to-toe with her mother!

'Oh my goodness! She's a genius with the sword!' people exclaimed. She was fast and powerful at a young age.

However, for all her genius, she has one flaw. Not that it mattered.

Because regardless, she can still defeat opponents even if she cannot cultivate.

People would often say that geniuses of her caliber often have one flaw to keep them from being 'too perfect'.

In Princess Beiyue's case, she cannot cultivate, born with a flawed Dantian. Her mother was scary enough by herself being Nanyi's strongest warrior, what more if Huang Beiyue can cultivate?! She's nigh unstoppable in just physical and martial skills alone, so people think the gods 'kept her human somehow'.

People readily believed that.

Beautifully-superior to her mother who was Nanyi's famous beauty. Academically Accomplished. Martially-Accomplished. Ye gads!

However, the young girl was also perceptive, as she spoke for the first time to her royal uncle. Her mother made her stay in the royal palace with insistence. Little did the woman know, that her daughter can read her.

'Royal Uncle.'

'You can talk?!' Emperor Huang Fengshuang gawked, as did his aides. Her voice was like 'listening to bells tinkle'. A beautiful voice.

'Uncle, this one has a request.' said Beiyue softly. 'I...have a bad feeling. Can I ask of you to take back Miyang and Qinghe under your protection incase anything happens to mother?'

'What makes you say that, Beiyue?' Fengshuang asked his favorite(and only) niece.

'Mother is acting strange these past few days...the letters she gets lately deeply disturbs her...and this afternoon...I have a feeling mother can never go home ever again.' those words coming from an eight year old disturbed the men in the Emperor's office. 'I cannot trust father and the other concubines with our fiefdoms. If only mother can see what I can see...' she shook her head. 'Please royal uncle.'

'I-I think you're thinking too much into what sister gets lately...but why can you not trust your own father and his women?' the Emperor slightly frowned in wonder.

'To begin with, even if mother was his legal wife and I, the trueborn daughter, he doesn't care for us at all...he openly dotes more on two out of three concubines. Qi Qin and Xue who was mother's former maid.' that got the Emperor pissed. 'He also openly dotes on his concubine children while cold towards us even though we didn't do anything wrong.'

'If anything were to happen to mother, I will clearly be abandoned.' the whole office gaped at her, floored by her words. The two princesses lived in such a household?! 'Therefore I do not trust any of them with mother's power and authority through so-called regency because admittedly, I am too young.' said Beiyue. 'They will exploit my age and I'll never see any of mother's ever again.'

'Is that right?!' the emperor howled, furious, bursting up from his seat, his chair falling backwards. 'That no-good swine, why hasn't sister told me she has an unhappy marriage?! I have the power to annul it so she can marry better!' he cried in dismay.

'...if my so-called flaw is my Dantian defect, her flaw is that she is too kind, willing to look the other way no matter what, even if its other people harming her, she will still let it slide.' said Beiyue softly.

The Emperor choked and threw himself on his desk.

'That, I can clearly see! I know sister since we were your age!' he moaned in dismay. 'Sister, whyyyy!' he lamented. 'Anything else Yue'er?'

'This bad feeling won't go away uncle.' said Beiyue anxiously. 'Please take action...quickly. Someone is attacking mother while ensuring you don't know and you clearly don't.' the emperor choked at that. Who dares go behind his back, threatening his sister?! 'Those letters are causing her distress and the presence of resignation to silence won't go away.'

'Alright. I'll take action! Go to your grandmother and I'll have agents watch over sister tonight in silence and get all proof we may need. I will not let any harm come to sister, no matter the cost.' the Emperor looked ready to kill anyone in his way and stormed out of his office.

'Princess...' one of the Eunuchs spoke nervously.

'I hope uncle makes it in time...' Beiyue fretted. 'We have an enemy on the inside and to think someone caused this level of treason when we're just starting to recover from war.' and she left not for her grandmother's chambers in Xia Guang Hall, she went to her mother's former residence in the palace where she stayed at for the night.

Taking out a zither, she began playing a song.

There was a reason why she was a genius who can see things no normal child can see.

She was a Reincarnate.

The reincarnation of a powerful swordsman feared even by the Progenitor of all Demons.

His eyes can see through anything.

This new life as a privileged princess doesn't change that.

Again, Yoriichi has a wonderful mother, but...lousy all else, even if he now has a good support base through the Royal Family.

But sometimes, he wondered what its like to have a good father, and good siblings for once in his life or the next.

But alas, it is not meant to be.

He can only sigh.

He just wondered how he'll do with life as a girl this time. He was a tragic widower too he hoped that won't repeat here too!

He sighed.

He waited...and come sunrise...

A giant dragon soared and roared over the skies.

'...oh my, what is that?'

The dragon called forth fire. A fire that doesn't belong in this world. Little Huang Beiyue can feel that and it fired its flames outside the city.

'Its the Spirit Deity! It called forth Punitive Flame!'

'It protected us again!'

'What did he attack I wonder?'

Beiyue can hear the servants talk.

So that dragon is a god? Well, first oni and now this?

What's going on?

She stood up as a Black Knight descended before her.

'Princess, please report to Xia Guang Hall. Immediately.'

Beiyue nodded and ran off for the palace of the Empress where only two-three women at a time may reside. The Dowagers and Current Empress. Unless you're the Emperor, no man is allowed in here.

But now, it looks like trouble.

Many men have Concubine Xue under a painful grip as she was wearing just her inner garments as befitting a prisoner with her long hair down, dismayed Royals and a sobbing Empress. Even Prince Zhanye and Princess Yingye were present, deeply shaken. Not only that, Xiao Yuancheng was present as well, as well as Xue's children Xiao Yun and Xiao Zhonglei who were in deep fear.

It was clear to Huang Beiyue that they got the full story she did not.

'Yue'er!' Princess Royal cried as she rushed to her daughter. 'You...how could you have known? How did you know that I was supposed to die?' she choked out, embracing her usually-emotionless daughter who did not say a word.

'You saved Huiwen from a tragic treachery that should never have happened!' Prince Xiaoyao, Songmi exclaimed in relief. 'I thought I made a poison for a criminal so I made it, how could I have known that the poison I was asked to make, was for her!' he cried in grief.

'You have a wonderful guardian angel in your daughter sister...now, let us deal with this treacherous snake!' the royals looked at Xue who was quivering.

'My sister took you in and gave you a good life and you repaid that goodness with betrayal by conspiring with Marquis Jing'an against my sister!' the Emperor growled. 'Death is too good for you! Since you enjoy profiting through betrayal, I will strip you of everything! You are exiled from Nanyi Country with absolutely nothing to the West, where you can never use and betray anyone ever again! This is to spare people from you! Take her away!' the two black knights dragged away Xue who was struggling against her gag in her mouth as well as the indignity of being dragged away roughly.

'Xiao Yuancheng.' Yuancheng froze. He could not believe Xue was doing things behind his back and nearly succeeded in a heinous crime and he now worries if his family will even have a future. 'You have always chosen sinful women over my sister. Don't think I have forgotten what happened here in this hall with Concubine Qin.' he said, glowering at the relative he clearly didn't want as the adults present winced.

24 years ago...right after Yuancheng married Princess Royal, there was a Palace Banquet in honor of the marriage...however, when its time for socialization, a Eunuch screamed that Yuancheng was committing adultery so soon! It was a scandal that night. Of course, nobody would forget THAT!

'What possessed the Empress Dowager to bestow my sister to you I shall never know nor do I want to know anyway. Therefore I will annul your marriage. You will no longer be Prince Consort.' the Emperor decided coldly to the shaken man. 'Huang Beiyue shall no longer be your daughter nor the sister of your current children. Effective immediately. I will decide my sister and niece's fates from here onwards. This is the extent of my mercy as your children still needs a father, but remember...you're on a thin thread here.'

The shaken Xiaos could only quiver as they kowtowed before the Emperor.

"Why? Why did mother do this?" Zhonglei shook in grief while shaking in horror. "What was mother's past? Princess Royal gave her a good life before betraying her? How?!"

"I can't believe this happened! We were so close to stealing that massive fortune!" Yun gritted her teeth in anger. "Mother's plans were foolproof! Blast that Huang Beiyue!"

Xiao Yuancheng knew that he has caused his family's undoing. However, he knew his legal wife's secret which he started in the first place.

He did give her a good example that he will still get the blame and know it.

He can only grit his teeth as that secret will be unto his grave. Only he and Butler Zhou knows the truth and sealed forever by powerful sorcery at that.

'Beiyue, take your mother to her residence in the Xiao Estate. Pack everything for moving into the palace.' the Emperor told Beiyue kindly. 'I will decide your mother's future from here onwards.' Beiyue nodded before taking her mother's hand and went out.

'Your majesty, I...' Prince Xiaoyao croaked out as the Emperor raised his hand, silencing him.

'You are blameless, Prince Xiaoyao. You weren't given much information. Because you will never harm sister and they know that.' the Emperor told him. 'They had to go about a roundabout route to obtain poison from you. A poison only you can create.' Prince Xiaoyao slumped to the floor on his knees. 'You wouldn't know until too late but thanks to Beiyue, you were never a murder accessory.'

'Everybody dismissed.'

xxx

'Mother...why are you willing to die? How did it lead to this?' Beiyue asked her mother who looked sorrowful.

'Its a long story.'

'We have all time in the world...but for now we pack and go away as uncle wants.'

'Yeah.'

And the two princesses left the Palace.

When they returned, the frantic maids of the Princess Mansion descended upon them.

'Princess! How are things?' Jianqiu, Princess Royal's personal maid and longtime friend. Before Huiwen was made to drink poison, several Black Knights barged into Huiwen's chambers and painfully subdued Concubine Xue, others took the poison and took both Princess and Concubine away!

'Its alright. I don't have to die from blackmail now.' said Huiwen with a somber smile. 'For I have a very sharp daughter.'

'...I don't know the full details.' the maids gasped as they heard her speak for the first time since toddlerhood. 'All I know is mother behaved as if she'll die soon and knowing when she'll die. I told uncle and he moved everything upside-down no doubt to get answers so soon. He sure works quick.' said Beiyue in amazement. 'Royal uncle is so incredibly awesome.'

'Ahahaha...' Huiwen laughed weakly at that. 'A-anyways, we'll pack up and move to the palace, to my old residence. Effective immediately.'

'Princess? You can actually talk?' nine years old Dongling croaked out. 'Why not talk, you have a very pretty voice!' she exclaimed.

'...we live in a dangerous place, so I stayed quiet.' said Beiyue. 'This way they'll never see me coming if they think they can pull a fast one on me. I was on my guard all this time and I knew to play dumb while observing this family. If wealthy households are so treacherous, what's a normal family like?'

'...that's what I'm wondering for years myself.' said Princess Royal with a sad smile. 'What's it like to have a normal, but good, loving husband who would be a good father too.' she said with a sniffle. 'Beiyue.'

'Yes?'

'After we move to the Palace, mother will be out traveling for a bit with your Aunt Jianqiu, alright?'

'Yes mother.'

xxx

The Palace, Princess Royal's Residence...

The maids cleaned up the place, while Beiyue took Dongling around.

'You've never been here before, so I'll show you around.' Beiyue told Dongling, while holding her hand.

'Uhm, Princess?'

'Mm?'

'You'll talk from now on, right?' Dongling asked her. 'You don't have to hide anymore. We're gone from that place.' Beiyue blinked before smiling. Dongling was right. She doesn't have to hide anymore.

'Yeah...I don't need to hide my true self anymore.' this delighted Dongling.

'I wonder if you can sing...your voice is so cute and you hid such a voice because of your sisters!'

'...'