He looked up then and was shocked to see who had come to visit him.
“IT’S YOU! THE UGLY BITCH!”
That was too much for the lady in waiting, she immediately leapt at the cell door.
“WHAT WAS THAT? YOU BRAINLESS MORON? WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL MY LADY? I WILL RIP YOUR ARMS OFF AND SLAP YOU SILLY WITH THEM!”
“Yun Jaeeha, control yourself.”
“I WILL…yes, I will my lady.”
Her mistress peered into the cell with cold blue eyes.
“I know a monster like you probably does not care one bit for my feelings, but what you…what you took that day it never belonged to you…it was…meant for someone else…”
Zang strained his mind, he was thinking back to that day. He had been really drunk and then Cao Mao had offered him his room to rest in and then…he had seen a shapely figure on the bed. It was all so blurry, did he really take something from her that day? NO WAY, was she talking about her virginity? Did he actually get laid that day? Was he was no longer a virgin? Holy crap that mean't he could actually die without regrets...but then...there still was that one regret...
*I...I....I don’t even remember anything. DAMMIT*
“That handkerchief you stole from me….I had woven it painstakingly for him and yet you…you…that day when I was discovered in that state by the other patrons of the Inn…in your arms…it ended any hopes or dreams I harbored of one day marrying him. I…I truly hate you for that…truly hate you.”
Hand…handkerchief? Is this what it was all about? When the hell had he stolen a handkerchief? Besides, what kind of worthless government threw a genius in prison for a stolen handkerchief? He sniffed in sorrow at his cruel fate before wiping his snot with the silk kerchief he always carried on him. Suddenly his eyes narrowed in realization, his vision zoomed in on the kerchief. Despite it's recent abuse one could tell that this was a high quality silk handkerchief, when the hell had he gotten this? He eyed the dragon embroidered on it suspiciously. He distinctly remembered finding the handkerchief in his pocket one day but he assumed he had just bought it and forgotten about it. Of course it was a natural assumption since he owned many apparel with dragon motifs on them.
However his now acutely aware vision focused on some initials stitched into one corner.
To Lord C. M. L,
Love,
W.E
*Urk*
Those initials...could it be...the first Princess, Shun Wang'er? The rumored ice princess born from a loveless political marriage. Her mother had been a foreign queen who had died during childbirth. Even though she had fallen out of favour with her father she was still the eldest Imperial Princess, the first of her kin. Zang's hand holding the handkerchief shook violently. How could this genius have been so stupid to have stolen from the first Imperial Princess. He had to return it, he had to return it immediately. Of course lately he had been using it to wipe his tears and snot and it had become as dirty and grimy as any other piece of cloth that belonged to this damp and unkempt prison.
A tear drop fell and glimmered crystalline as it passed through a mote of moonbeam, catching his eye. He looked up at her face, seeing it properly for the first time. Even beneath the silken veil that covered half her face he could make out the the sharp angles of her cheekbones and the vague making of a proud chin. He wondered then why he had always thought her as ugly.
“Still I…still I….I don’t want you or anyone to die in my name. I….”
In a single heartbeat Zang leapt off his back and floated down next to the princess. His own hands brushed past her fingers on those metal bars. The Princess was taken aback, her heartbeat suddenly went racing as their fingers brushed each other, she could feel the hot touch of his skin on her own. In his hand was the silken kerchief he had stolen from her. She gasped audibly on seeing it. Zang Xuan took on his practiced heroic pose. His voice when he spoke, was highly measured and dripping with charisma.
“This fool who is also a thief swears on the souls of his ancestors that he shall repent for this great sorrow he has caused to this beautiful Princess who even now is generous enough to withstand his company and tolerate his presence. This ignorant fool who is also a thief was a puppet to his own pride also swears that never again shall he let another mortal woman find any space in his heart, for his heart now and forever shall belong to the most illustrious and noble Princess who has shown him the mercy of her tears, even if he was undeserving of them. This fool who was once a thief now thus returns that which was stolen as proof of his promise and forswears theft forever. This fool is no longer a thief and shall never be one again.”
“YOU…YOU RUINED IT. YOU LOUSY BASTARD!”
*Wut?*
“Look at it…Jaeeha…my poor beautiful handkerchief…look how this beast has mauled it…”
Gingerly she drew closer to the kerfchief and took a tentative sniff.
“UGH, OH GAWDS OF NINE HEAVENS. IT STINKS SO HORRIBLY. OH! YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER, VANDALIZER, TORMENTOR OF INNOCENCE, DESTROYER OF HANDKERCHIEFS, YOU CAN KEEP THE CURSED THING NOW!”
That shouting, it felt really familiar. To the stunned Zang Xuan it felt as if he had heard this uniquely piercing yet completely unladylike shouting before, but when? Then suddenly an image came to the forefront of his tired mind. A woman in a silken robe, her breasts nearly popping out from the robe. His hands on her breasts and a barrage of incessantly loud shouting penetrating his drunk mind. Shouting loud enough to wake up an entire inn full of guests. Shouting loud enough to crack glass and shatter the very soul. Shouting loud enough possibly to wake Buddha up from his nirvana even. Shouting so loud that even he, the proud smiling sage of Tien’shan lost all his bearing and composure.
“Sh…SHUT UP YOU UGLY BITCH! Ah dammit...no I mean...your highness wait...”
He shouted back before he knew what he was doing to the thanks of many of the neighboring inmates.
“Aahhhhh…thanks young lord, damn my ears had actually started bleeding.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you people, we are trying to sleep here.”
“Yeah…have you morons seen the time?”
“Keep it down already.”
The complains and the groans of the inmates brought the Princess back to reality. Rebuked as she had been so suddenly she decided that this visit was at an end. Still sobbing she turned away from him and started walking away.
“Ah…no wait…Princess…wait…please…I’m sorry…it’s just your voice is too lou…”
He caught himself, the princess had paused mid stride and was looking at him with large tear laden eyes.
“That is to say…I have a favour to ask of you…your most exalted highness, Princess.”
Before the Princess could answer her lady in waiting interjected.
“If you are gonna beg her for mercy then you should know that the matter is already out of the Princess’s hands.”
The Princess nodded.
“I do not wish to see any one die in my name, I would have freed you if I had the authority to do so.”
Zang Xuang however only shook his head.
“The favour this fool would ask of you is not his freedom. I ask only that you always remember this subject as you see him now. This fool is no hero, no dragon, no sage. He is a but a humble fool and before his life is over he will be committing greater follies in the Empire for his temper is too great to match his wits and words escape his mouth far too easily. Forgive him these past and current trespasses and remember he can never bear ill will towards you. To anyone else this fool would claim arrogance but to you all he claims is servitude. Please keep these words of his in your heart that no matter what new words you hear from his own mouth tomorrow or what rumors, ill news or infamy you may hear about him from other mouths in the future. No matter what, he shall in truth remain as you see him now. A humble fool still holding ward over your er…noble…handkerchief, still in your eternal service, until of course you so choose to release him.”
With that he clasped both hands in a salute to the Princess. She stood there for a long moment before walking away without a single word. As she walked away Zang Xuang thought that she was no longer sobbing, in fact he could have sworn he saw on her face the barest hint of a smile.
Smiling to himself Zang lay back down on his bed and stared wistfully at the handkerchief. An imperial princesses handkerchief was after all was said and done, not so bad a treasure to steal.
If one absolutely had to steal treasure that is.
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*Surely it can't smell that bad*sniff sniff* Hack cough ack...ugh heavenly fathers protect...I...I need to wash this handkerchief.*
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