Chapter 12 - Intimidation and Intimacy

                                    

                                          
A/N: Translations:  shiwei = guard
Jiang Wanyin was irritated.  This was the first time he had to share his seating position with anyone.  Now that Xiao Xingchen had been promoted to noble consort, the omega sat beside him instead of below the dais with the other concubines.  The worst thing about the situation was that he couldn't even be angry with Noble Consort Xingchen.  The omega was beyond sweet, always deferring to him, making sure he was served first and never offended when snapped at.  Xiao Xingchen continued to answer him in the sweetest and most respectful of ways.  It was downright irritating.  
            Perhaps it was his approaching heat that was making him more irritable than normal.  He knew it would be here in the next couple of weeks and his anxiety was increasing with each day.  The endless questions of whether he would be able to conceive this time echoed in his head endlessly.  He was from a long lineage of omegas that bore countless offspring that presented as alphas, never failing their family to secure their positions.  And here he was years later, with only one princess to his name.  His alpha mother had scolded him countless times and asked what was wrong with him and why he was such a useless omega.  
            With all the fertility herbs he'd been sent by the empress dowager, Jiang Wanyin knew if he didn't get pregnant this time, the empress dowager would be greatly disappointed.  He prayed the emperor would stay longer than usual during his heat this time.  One of the side effects of the fertility herbs was that it would be a long and painful heat.  The emperor had never stayed more than he needed, knotting him once to make sure that most of the pain subsided and then leaving him alone to deal with the rest of his heat.  
            It wasn't that he longed for the company of the emperor, but the chances of pregnancy increased with the number of times the emperor knotted him.  During his younger years, self-assured and cocky, he believed it would be easy to conceive and was grateful to be left to his own devices once the initial pain of his heat was gone.  Now that he was older, he desperately wanted the emperor to stay and knot him several times. 
            He looked over to the emperor who was watching the martial arts dance.  Over the emperor's shoulder, he caught the omega manservant observing him with curiosity.  Jiang Wanyin narrowed his eyes and glared at the omega. How dare the lowly manservant look directly at him.  Who did he think he was?  Dressed in Lan colours, when not long ago he was a whore for the Jin.   He'd need to talk to Concubine Chengmei about it.  Xue Yang had proven to be a wonderful source of information.  In addition to being a gossipmonger, the concubine had quite a warped sense of morals, which made him the perfect tool to be used.     
"Noble Consort Wanyin?" The emperor's sharp tone pulled him from his thoughts.
            Startled, he snapped his eyes from the omega manservant and bowed his head. He then lifted it to regard the emperor. "Yes, your majesty?" 
            "Are you well?" he asked.
            Jiang Wanyin was taken aback by his question which in turn almost had a hint of a warning in it.  "I - I'm fine, your majesty.  Thank you for asking." 
            "Why are you not watching the dance?"
            The noble consort opened his mouth and then closed it again, not able to find an excuse.
            "The dance lacks elegance and is boorish," the empress dowager interjected.  Lan Qiren clapped his hands twice, stopping the performance. "It's no wonder Noble Consort Wanyin's attention wandered."
            Eunuch Nie waved them off.  "Perhaps, your majesty, we should call for the musicians?"
            "No need," the empress dowager said.  "I hear the manservant at your side is quite talented with the flute.  Have him entertain us."