《Blooming Lotus Flower》


 Chapter 1 [ Adoption ]

    Todays the day I¡¯m getting adopted, into the Imperial family. I obviously know it is only to marry me of to the Hirachi. A weird decision of the imperial family to make. After all the Hiraci are gaining power extremely fast so all I can see that it¡¯s a way to make a union. It would seem like the Imperial Emperor is believing in peace or his just stalling for time. I don¡¯t really care.


    Anyways today I am given the highest female rank within the Imperial house hold as a female daughter. Something unprecedented, I was going to be given the Rank of Imperial Crown Princess. Thus giving me an Imperial inheritance directly to the Imperial throne. Hehe, something very interesting I would like to think, others however don¡¯t agree with me.


    I myself don¡¯t really want that even if I find it interesting but thats just how it is. The previous Crown prince most be really furious but the Emperor would never risk his own blood for a temporary alliance neither would the Hirachi.


    ¡°Mistress it¡¯s time¡± my newly assigned maid politely said.


    ¡°I, I will be there in a moment.¡± I answer unsurely with my tender and graceful voice.


    I was looking into the mirror, My long raven black hair, that reflected little of the light in the room. My body was a very curious one with huge breasts, wide hips, nice butt, thin waist with washboard abs. I had a lot of muscles hidden just beneath my thin layer of body fat that made my skin extra smooth to the touch. However my most eye grabbing feature was my face with it¡¯s blood crimson eyes, that seemed to see more than most which they did as well. I had a body to kill for, did I want it? Not really although I¡¯m not complaining.


    Before I was to be adopted into the Imperial Household I was experiencing very harsh training for becoming a bodyguard for my sister so my body was built like a killer weapon. Our family was famous for the warriors they produced and I was one big experiment to create a killer machine that would help someone plow through politics and the like. Although I never studied the politics part fighting was my only skill so far.


    That was put to an abrupt stop when the Emperor decided that our household would give up a daughter for adoption to be sent to what they though of as suicide. I never got to learn those political manoeuvres which now would be more important than ever.


    My face was apparently one of the most beautiful one people had seen, I find it hard to believe but marriage requests had never been a problem but my household had bigger plans for me, very mundane ones I think. I¡¯ve never been treated like their real daughter to begin with, they always treated and spoiled my sister, twin sister. I found it hard to believe but she really was my twin sister. We didn¡¯t have the same face, body type, hair colour. We were really different. She was sometimes mean and sometimes nice to me. I didn¡¯t quite understand why though and still don¡¯t.


    I myself was unsure I even belonged to the family as one who had reincarnated from another world entirely. I came from a Highly technological world where there was no magic unlike this one. This world where in a steampunk era, not quite victorian though. Magic existed but was not practiced a lot. It was a scarce resource and mages around the world were well sought after. They were more often than not extremely powerful beings with power beyond reckoning.


    Now however I stand up in my red and black hanfu dress embodied with flowers and dragons, flowers for my femininity and dragons because of my soon to be position. I was dressed as purposely before my new title would belong to me. I would be in the heart of politics until I was wed of after all with my new position.


    I walked out to the courtyard which features a little pond and a tree and a few lotus flowers. It was my courtyard to begin with as our family didn¡¯t want to lose face even if they hated or disliked me. I had been assigned a maid for this very occasion and I already knew her loyalty laid with the family and she wouldn''t budge, our family had a gift for creating or finding extreme loyalty. That ability also comes with throwing away unloyalw hounds such as myself.


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    As I arrived at the households main gate which had three big gates and I walked through the main/middle one which was reserve for royalty and the household head only, my sister looks at me with a jealousy that I can¡¯t quite understand, technically I¡¯m being sent to my death. Being adopted as a Crown Princess is not very ideal especially when you don¡¯t even share flesh and blood with the Imperial household.


    Outside I was greeted by my family waiting to say farewell, they wouldn''t be my family much longer now. My father had his regular stern face while mother had a smirk on her face. They really didn''t seem to like me, worst of all is I still haven''t figured out why.


    Our father was the Prime minister of the empire so he was a very powerful man he was even practically a part of there inner circle of it as well, that¡¯s why he choose to end me instead of my sister.


    As I walked down the stairs of the three gated entrance and was at the foot of my red sedan chair or wagon that would bring me to the palace. It was bigger than the ordinary family carriage, it was usually used for wives to be as they carried them to the palace, now it was going to be used for carrying the Crown Princess to be.


    ¡°Goodbye Lu Long and may you have a long and prosperous life.¡± father said in a stern manner, obviously not meaning it.


    ¡°Thank you father and Good bye, mother and Sister¡± I replied with my last courteous bow for my family. Then I turned around to enter the carriage.


    ¡°Mistress let me help you¡± Mei Li my new maid said stretching out a hand to help me on the carriage. I held out my hand and accepted her help as I walked into the carriage. The curtain closing the carriage was held by another servant to let me enter and once I did he closed it.


    Father¡¯s POV


    The black sheep of our family is finally leaving. She was of great use in the end, she turned into a much more beautiful flower than I thought. It¡¯s sad the emperor wanted a daughter from my family.


    Whats done is done and I can¡¯t change that, I protected my real daughter and thats what really matters. I really am lucky for having that man bringing this adopted piece of shit to me all those years ago. Well it¡¯s finally over for now except in the the three coming months I need to bow for her, she¡¯ll after be my new Crown Princess.


    ¡°Lets get going, we need to attend her ceremony.¡± I said unfazed.


    ¡°Certainly sir, prepare to move out¡± my chief servant announced.


    Lu Long¡¯s POV


    The road was bumpy and I wasn¡¯t used to riding a carriage as I was a trained guard, I either walked to rode on horse back.


    The world I came from we had flying cars that flew high or low depending on road and destination. We were almost totally dependent on our technology, I was a man in my twenties studying about how things worked and how I could improve and invent new things to enhance our society. I wasn¡¯t very good at my job or studying so I ended up becoming a programer and mechanic in the Robot industry which I turned out to be a genius in. Funny how I died at the hands of my own creation and now I find myself in the body of the most beautiful woman I¡¯ve ever seen even with our technological advances.


    As we get closer to the palace that I¡¯ve only seen from afar I actually gets nervous, I¡¯ve read my fair share of political conflicts and manoeuvres to know it is a dangerous place on top of that I¡¯ve also read the novels of my previous world to add on top of that.


    ¡°Open the gate, the Imperial carriage is here.¡± a shout outside says.


    I lift the curtain of the wagon and looks outside to se that we are at a huge entrance, it isn¡¯t even the main one. I can see the bustling life outside of the palace walls. I wish I could have been born a commoner almost. It seemed peaceful enough for me.


    The gate opened and the curtain fell back to its closed state with the absence of my hand.


    ¡°Mistress it¡¯s time to get you prepared for the ceremony.¡± Mei Li says a little excited.


    a servant hold up the curtain to let me out and I stand up to walk outside. When I get out I find myself in a courtyard that house some small houses for carriages and horses or steam engines to drag the carriages. I see Mei Li¡¯s hand stretched out and I grab onto it to get of the carriage which I do gracefully.


    I¡¯m guided to a quarter which houses a mirror, a new set of ceremonial clothes a head piece that signifies my rank, it was specifically made for me and even the empress can only wish for such craftsmanship. My new rank did after all represent the Nation more than her, I was technically second only to the Emperor however she was my adoptive mother so I still had to show her my respect.


    When looking around I see three maids entering the door and they introduces them selfs as Gong Li, Mei Jiang and Li Yang. They¡¯re wearing maid hanfus while Gong li and Mei Jiang are wearing bright yellow ones, Li Yang is wearing a bright yellow one with light blue lining. They tell me that they have been assigned by the Emperor and the Empress to be my guides and handmaidens inside the Royal palace.


    They helped me undress in my current dress into the ceremonial hanfu which were red with golden embodiment of a dragon and flowers. It truly was beautiful. My head was put into a elaborate style and a golden phoenix head piece was put onto of my hair.


    ¡°Milady, you truly look beautiful. We didn¡¯t even need to put on make up on you.¡± Li Yang said earnestly.


    It was true, my skin was already white enough and my face didn¡¯t require any makeup really if not to make me look less beautiful.


    The maids left me to my own device and I fell deep in thought.


    Is this really where I want to go with my life?. I would be doing something unheard of. Something impossible. Become the Crown Princess of one of the bigger empires, that currently still was a fairly strong patristical society. I would be doing what I dreamed of doing in my previous life, the impossible and proving it wrong for everyone. This however felt like a cheap victory. What if I really was being sent to deaths door? Could I change it? Could I prove myself wrong when I believed otherwise? I¡¯m only 16 now with many years left after all and now I¡¯m entering the biggest stage you can perform on. The one where mistakes are not accepted. It had the biggest Rewards were but the biggest loses was ever more present. Could I win and play this play of power. What if I wasn¡¯t the lead character then who am I? I don¡¯t care, if I¡¯m not the lead character then I¡¯ll become the director of my own play.


    My train of thinking was broken when Li Yang came back and said ¡°Milday it¡¯s time, are you ready for the ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Just a minute.¡± I said dejectedly. I raised my head and looked into the sealing while thinking, Am I really ready for life, am I ready for its changes or its change?.

 Chapter 2 [Crown]

    Walking out of the quarters I¡¯m greeted by a sedan share clad with red and golden silk curtains and a roof to protect my skin from the sun.


    Li Yang helps me get into the sedan chair by raising her hand when I walk to sit in it. Then they take me and my entourage to the main gate where they will carry me to the stairs where I will ascend.


    We slowly but steadily approach the huge gate which separates the entrance of the palace grounds to the actual palace. Soon I would be entering my whole new life. What it will be like, I have no clue but what I do know is it''s going to hectic but now I have an important ceremony to concentrate on.


    I can already hear the drum sticks slaloming into the drums.


    "Mildly, please stand tight. Walk in a slow and graceful pace when you get of the sedan chair. You''re going to do fine" Li Yang said. She was standing behind me with my entourage of eunuchs and handmaidens. There were about twenty of them almost as big as the emperors thirty two manned entourage.


    The huge gates opened with a cringing sound like an old big gate should and the huge path way towards the outer palace came into view. There were a huge structure which should be the Tang hall where the morning assemblies are held to decide on matter of the state. Then there was a huge decorated staircase leading to the huge open space where there currently are a row of soldiers guarding off the rows of commoners then the lower soldiers which fills half of the way to the staircase which has a big plateau on that has the high nobles, maids concubines and my family and last but not least the Imperial Household.


    The sedan chair and the entourage starts to move forward.


    Sister¡¯s POV


    There she is. My sister. I''m so jealous of her. I really want to be her now. She gets to be adopted into the Imperial household and not only wed into it. She will no longer carry our family name but thiers. I really wish I was her. She is beautiful, gal has a pretty face with big a most for a woman here. Hers however the word big or even huge might be insufficient to use.


    One week earlier.


    "Why dad? Why is she getting to be adopted by the imperial household" I shout between my sniffs and cries.


    "Daughter, daughter please calm down" he tries to calm her. "It''s for your own good. I don''t want to lose you forever."


    "Lose me? She''s becoming the crown princess and getting adopted. That''s better than marrying the crown prince. She can choose who she wants to love while I''ll be scavenging for a prince at all." I scoff "Even you have to bow to her then"


    "I know, I know but please calm down" he tries again. "But please understand that I always have your best interest and not hers in mind"


    "You really don''t care about her at all." I cry while storming out.


    It really is sad as my twin sister gets treated so badly while I''m treated so well. Sometimes I''m happy she gets mud thrown in her face sometimes I cry because I feel like I''m the reason why. Dad told me not to think about it, but it¡¯s really hard. She¡¯s my sister after all.


    Present


    Slowly I can see the red clad sedan chair moving towards us. It¡¯s really hard to believe the trash of our family moved up in this world so fast.


    ¡°Dad are you sure about this?¡± I asked myself quietly. ¡°Do you really think this is a good decision?¡± Little did I know how much this question would mean to me in the future.


    ¡°Shh, that whence might be trash but now we have to respect her.¡± Mom scoffs. ¡°She is almost a royal Crown Princess, as much as I dislike it we still have to show our respect so we can find you a prince¡± She add to sound reassuring.


    Lu Long¡¯s POV


    the sound of the sedan chair hitting the ground fills my ears, its time to ascend the stairs. Become what my father wants.


    I grab the handmaidens hand and slowly ascend the stairs into my new life. The stairs that has few soldiers but a lot of maids and eunuchs alined on each side that intently looks at me. When I reach the top of the stairs I am greeted by the plateau filled with people aligned in neat lines. Concubines of the Emperor, nobles, ministers, officials and also foreign officials thats there to witness my adoption and coronation as the Crown princess.


    I arrive in front of my father-to-be which stands on a wooden stand which has the head eunuch and empress waiting for me.


    ¡°Gong Lu Long arrives!¡± The eunuch shouts and while another eunuch slams a drum three times.


    ¡°Hello my dear child¡± the emperor says gently so only I can hear him. ¡°Soon your going to be the most powerful woman in the world. Are you ready for this?¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Today we are here to witness the adoption of Lu long and then the coronation of her as Crown Princess¡± the eunuch continues to shout. ¡°This is a highly unprecedented occasion which is why we have several state officials from different countries to witness joyous event.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡± I timidly say. I slowly realised I just showed weakness in front of the emperor and he smiles deviantly. Bad thing, I wasn¡¯t really his first choice as heir and he was lowering himself so much as having a daughter of another family become the Crown Princess of his empire when he really should have a Crown Prince with the amount of princes he have. I was the next in line if he died, and soon I¡¯d be the second most important person in the Empire.


    ¡°First his majesty will hand over the Royal Mandate of Adoption.¡± The eunuch announces.


    Everyone goes down on their knees with the exception of the Emperor. I my self slowly get down to my knees to listen to the Mandate.


    ¡°On the 9th day of the Dragon Gong Lu Long here by is Adopted into the Imperial household as a daughter of Emperor Wu Jiang and Empress Li Long.¡± The eunuch shouts with all his heart. ¡°Here by I decree her as a daughter of the Heavens and Princess of our Empire. Gong Lu Long, do you accept the Royal order?¡± The eunuch concludes.


    ¡°Yes I do¡± I say with a determined and sweet voice. While the eunuch brings the edict forward for me to accept. I stretch both my hands out and grab it. Then we all stand up and I turn around.


    ¡°Bow for the princess of the Empire¡± The eunuch shouts and I can see the whole sea of people starting to bow on their knees infant of me. A truly amazing sight.


    ¡°Long live the Princess¡± They all shout in unison. Then they stand up again.


    ¡°Now the Royal Mandate decreed by the Emperor and will be read by the Emperor.¡± The eunuch shout again starting to get a little tired from all shouting.


    We all get back on our knees again.


    ¡°Today I proclaim my heir. Princess Wu Lu Long from this day forth is to be the Empires heir. A role and rank with heavy duties and responsibilities. Only worthy of the best and smartest.¡± The emperor shouts with a hoarse voice. ¡°Dear daughter do you accept¡± He says in a slightly lower tone.


    ¡°Yes I do¡± I say once again while stretching my arms in the air to receive the Imperial Mandate. My new father slightly drops it into my arms and I can feel the heavy weight of it, my new position, my new life.


    Phew the hard part is finally over. I can¡¯t believe I managed to pull it off. Ever since I came to this world social interactions have been hard, I don''t know why but I think it¡¯s my new physiology. I still think like I did but I usually feel really uncomfortable with talking.


    I stand up and once again turn around to receive the honouring of all the people bowing on their knees, my previous sister, mother and father. My new mother, brothers and sisters.


    ¡°Long Live the Emperor, Long live the Crown Princess and may they rule a thousand years¡± The crowd shouts once again.


    It¡¯s like my new Royal father said, today I became the most powerful woman in the world probably even history if not that at least at my ripe age of 16.


    Can I take it?


    The crowd rise again.


    I found myself in my new private palace inside the palace grounds, It¡¯s bigger than Royal mothers but Royal fathers. It was meant for the Crown Prince but now belonged to me. Heir of Wun.


    I was in my manor which had a big courtyard with flowers and a meeting area on a island in the middle of a pond. I had a really big bedroom decorated with jade golden rugs and silk curtains. The manor had it¡¯s own hot spring which I could enjoy, it even had a bath as well. The main hall was big enough to host parties with a lot of people. To say the least I now had a house almost comparable to my old families Manor and all for myself not to mention the courtyards and houses reserved for concubines and a main wife. It¡¯s sad they would stay empty thought.


    I sit down on a chair in my bed room trying to piece together my new reality.


    I was a man only 16 years ago in a world that has weapons and technology that can change the entire history of this world. Now however I am a endlessly beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of me. I had a body and face that could make nations fall. It was a curse when training since my old fathers men would always make fun of me how all I had was a appearance to flaunt and no skills to fight. They stopped after I almost killed one of the best one day, it¡¯s sad though after that they mostly left me alone.


    I had my new maid Li Yang go make me some tea. I looked at the table made from wood which had extravagant carvings. Everything in this whole manor was of superb craftsmanship.


    Thinking about this made me laugh. This is almost better than my previous lifestyle back on Elron. Best part is most thing were newly made just for me since I was a woman, they usually say that women are different and require different things and craftsmanship than males do, a very old-fashioned ideal but I can be thankful for it now although it¡¯s a bit wasteful thought.


    ¡°Your majesty.¡± I hear Li yang say as she enters the room again with a plate holding tea and tea cups. She walks to my table and gently places a tea cup in front of me then she proceeds to gracefully pour the tea.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I say a little awkwardly while she find a position near me.


    My new life would be very different from before. At least I wouldn¡¯t train from dawn only to come back to sleep and do the same again the next day. I still think they would give me the ordinary etiquette lesson, dancing lesson, tea ceremony and making and music.


    The tea Li Yang made was delicious. It seems like she made green tea. When I first got to drink when I was born here it was really bitter and tasted pretty bad but I came to like it. It represented my life so far. Bitter but interesting.


    So far all I¡¯ve been doing is training martial arts and my body. They even found a outside master for me which is weird considering how much they disliked me in my old family.


    ¡°Your majesty, Her royal Highness the Empress is seeking an audience.¡± My maid Li Yang inform me.


    ¡°Oh, okey.¡± I answer cautiously, this place is after all a place that foster political battles and not a place of peace and calm.


    ¡°Your Majesty, should I let her in?¡± She then asks me.


    ¡°Yes, please let her in.¡± I say a little confused isn¡¯t she allowed to just enter the room as she wishes. She is after all my Royal Mother. I¡¯m not really familiar with the customs of answering or allowing people to enter or not. I guess they¡¯re going to teach me one day.


    After my answer Li Yang goes out to inform the Empress


    A few moments later A beautiful middle-aged woman enters, she is clearly not very affected by her age but she is a pitiful woman I¡¯ve heard from the men at the old family. She is wearing a purple silk hanfu with golden lining which sits perfectly on her large breasts and slim waist, she wears it with a beautiful golden headpiece, which complement her black hair and her light red eyes but also matches her clothing. She was once the beauty of the empire and also the woman that got chosen as Empress instead of my previous mother. In terms of appearance My Royal mother clearly won.


    I get down on my kowtow and salute her. ¡°Greeting Royal Mother¡±.


    She slightly rushes to me and says. ¡°Please Child rise, I¡¯m your mother so please save the formalities.¡± while she helps me get up on my feet. ¡°But please my dear call me Mother, your my only child after all¡± She continues in a slightly sad voice while she hugs me tightly. She¡¯s rather a pitiful woman, all the children she ever had was a daughter but she disappeared only to be found killed in a stable another day.


    ¡°But my oh my, I have gotten myself a really beautiful daughter here.¡± She says a little excited. ¡°Big breasts and a face maybe a little to pretty. I bet she ahas a soft little butt.¡± and she squeezes my behind. I blush at that remark, I¡¯ve never really thought of my looks since I¡¯ve never gotten compliments for my appearance ever before. I obviously knew it was good but no compliments as I said and most of all no one had ever squeezed my butt.


    ¡°Please Royal Mother.¡± I say uncomfortably and she lets me go.


    ¡°Well it reminds me of my youth, full of hope for life but then I end up here with an Emperor to look after.¡± She says a little dejectedly. ¡°Your lucky, I¡¯m even a little jealous of my own Daughter. She is the Crown Princess of Wun and has no marriage to lock her¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want this.¡± I almost unconsciously say. Right now it¡¯s true. I only have possibilities and a bright future, nothing to really lock me down but I think the Emperor has something that will really limit my options but all I can think of is the weight of this rank and the implications.


    I¡¯m happy anyways, it seems like she actually loves me. No one really did that before, I can feel my emotion spur at me a little when i think about it.


    ¡°Thats okey child, I may not be your biological mother but I can Love you anyways¡± she says firmly.