Love In The Forbidden City (Completed)

Chapter XXIX - A Forbidden Marriage (Revised)

One Sided, no doubt, understood the meaning behind my words. In the next morning meeting, he brought out the late emperor's Order of Honour, asking Ice Face to honour our marriage. Die Hard Thirteen came to reprimand me but that would never change my decision.

"I am certain that you will even feel sorrowful if you saw Fourth Brother's expression just now."

"What do you think will happen next?" I asked.

"If Fourth Brother could make Eighth Brother divorce his concubine, he could stop this marriage as well. If only I knew that those words 'I am willing' means that you are willing to be Fourteenth Brother's concubine, I will never pass the message."

I remained silent.

Die Hard Thirteen continued, "You are certain that you want to marry Fourteenth Brother?"

I shook my head. "I'm certain that I want to leave this palace. Only the sky outside the Forbidden City is the real sky, the real sky that belongs to me. I'm sure that the Fourteenth Prince will understand my misery. The word concubine is only a title for me."

Visitors streamed towards me. Even the Empress asked me to stroll with her in the Royal Garden. "Ruo Xi, I always treat you as my sister. You can tell me anything."

I smiled but said nothing.

She continued, "You are finally united with the emperor after experiencing lots of predicaments. Why can't you tolerate again for this time so that your love can be eternal?"

"The love between two people, somehow, is correlative with the others. Plus the emperor is a kingdom's ruler. His identity will complicate the most innocent matter."

She halted her steps and looked at me. "The emperor has become very troubled lately because of you. Why can't you just let go of your obstinacy and forgive him?"

"I have never wanted to hurt anyone, but a lot of people have been hurt because of me. I can't bear this sin anymore. Even though I can't let go of our love, I have to compel myself to do so."

We bid each other farewell when there was none to be discussed. When I returned to my chamber, I saw Ice Face glaring at me; his glare almost killed me. We sat in the lounge for a good five minutes, before he could finally calm his temper and talk.

"I have finally understood why you cautioned Eighth Brother to prevent me. I have grasped the reason why you knelt and begged for forgiveness for him in the temple. I knew both of you had fallen to each other when you were in Mongolia."

I suppressed my fear as I said, "The Ninth Prince told you so?"

Ice Face hissed. "The person who had informed me about this matter is your Eighth Bei'Le. He told me how he embraced you when he taught you horse riding, how he inhaled the fragrance released from your body when you wore the Molly flower he gifted you, how he kissed you--"

"Stop talking! Stop talking!" I broke into tears.

"Stop talking... When he told me how intimate both of you had become, these were the words I kept yelling in my head, but I could only listen as he described those scenes vividly. His words were like blades cutting my flesh. Do you know how miserable I felt?"

I rose to caress his cheek, trying to wipe away his tears but he slapped my hand away.

"I forbid you from touching me from today onward. I had once told you that the only thing I was afraid of is to see you leaving me. Now, I have nothing to fear." He held his chin high as he left.

The next day, Ice Face had endowed the marriage between One Sided and me.

It didn't take long for me to pack my belongings as they were all packed a long time ago. When the horse carriage brought me away, I saw a figure in the yellow Royal Robe standing at the tall pagoda, looking at my direction. Sunlight shone on it, and I realized that he'd added some greys in his hair. I let loose the curtain of the carriage and hid further into the seat. Cheng Huan, who insisted on tagging along, kept comforting me. Meanwhile, Die Hard Thirteen and Qiao Hui, who had also accompanied me, remained silent. Perhaps separation would do us all good in the future. When we left the main gate of the Forbidden City, our horse carriage halted suddenly.

I unveiled the curtain and saw the Eighth Bei'Le standing in front of us.

Calmly, I went down the carriage and saluted him. "Thanks." He'd risked his life to tell Ice Face about our past relationship. He'd grasped on Ice Face's high ego and had successfully made Ice Face completely devastated by telling him about our love story, resulting in my final release.

"There is a hotspring nearby Fourteenth Brother's residence which is good in healing your ailment. The scenery there is panoramic too. I am certain that Fourteenth Brother is a good husband and a bosom friend who will be able to treat you well. I just hope that you can, at the same time, take care of your own health. Since you have decided to leave, you must let bygones be bygones. Everything that belongs to yesterdays is dead, and tomorrow will be reborn."

"Do you have any words that you want me to deliver to the Fourteenth Prince?"

"My life has ended. There is nothing much to say."

"You must take care of yourself."

His stare was filled with emptiness, cringing on to all those unfulfilled hopes. "We are not destined to be together in this life. I can only wish for a reunion in our next reincarnation. Go."

I saluted him and turned around, preparing to board the carriage. A thought crossed my mind: we might never meet again in this life. Sadness surged over me and I hugged him.

He patted my back. "Forget about the Forbidden City. Forget about all of us." He pulled me away from his embrace and wiped away my tears with his finger. "You are a soon-to-be bride. Smile."

I faked a grin and boarded the carriage. When we arrived at the destination, Die Hard Thirteen held my hand as he helped me disembark the horse carriage, before hugging his daughter down too. The girl kept locking her fingers around my waist and sobbed.

"Cheng Huan... Cheng Huan doesn't want to let Aunt Ruo Xi go."

I caressed her hair. "Cheng Huan, you must remember to kowtow and pray for that maiden every twenty-second of December." Twenty-second of December... Yu Tan's death's day.

Cheng Huan nodded and after wiping away her tears, her voice became steadier. "Cheng Huan promises Aunt Ruo Xi that Cheng Huan will never let anyone know about this."

"Cheng Huan," Die Hard Thirteen said in a somber tone, "Kowtow thrice to Aunt Ruo Xi."

Cheng Huan did as she was told.

I looked at Die Hard Thirteen. "We shall part now. Take care of yourself."

He said, wearing a sullen expression, "The leaves will still be green next year, but a human might change. But as long as we hold each other in our heart, despite the far distance, we will never part." He gave me a brotherly hug after chanting the ancient saying. "Take care."

I left without looking back. Behind me, Cheng Huan kept crying. "Aunt Ruo Xi, don't go. Don't go. Don't leave me alone. Please, I beg you, Aunt Ruo Xi..."

My footsteps quickened. Her sobbing dwindled away.

Days later, I'd become One Sided's concubine. But we weren't allowed to go through the formal wedding ritual and ceremony. Red banners were permitted to be hung down from the wood eaves, but not the words "Happiness" under Ice Face's strict order. Perhaps he didn't want to see me happy. I was forbidden to wear the red wedding gown too. My wedding attire was only a red shawl and white plain-looking clothes.

After praying to our ancients, One Sided asked, "Would you like me to introduce you to the servants in my residence?" As I shook my head, he smiled. "Alright. I will do whatever you wish."

I hid in my chamber ever since, practicing calligraphic writing. My writing has improved but you can never see it, I muttered inwardly. After the ink had dried, I folded the parchments and stored them in a wooden chest. I could only record my love and my thoughts for him on the papers. I had never forgotten every single moment when we were together. His sincere smile... His mischievous mock... His grievous sigh... Now I could only cherish my memory alone.

Edited by YvonneKindle