Princess Yángguāng Mĕilì Xīng knelt on the floor of her father’s study as he yelled at her for breaking her mother's hairpin. She didn’t, of course, but her father found it and decided it would be another good excuse to punish her.
“You think you have the right to my wife’s things?” he roared.
🔴 She stared at the floor, waiting for him to strike. Would it be her back as usual? Would it be a strap or a paddle this time? She only knew to remain silent. Any word she spoke, even if he prompted it, would result in a more severe beating. All she could do to prepare was shut her eyes and hold tightly to her robes.
🔴 When it finally came, she gasped at the force and tried desperately from falling in the direction his hand sent her. If she fell to the floor, he would kick her and show no mercy. The left side of her face was on fire. The throbbing beneath her eye elicited a whimper she had tried hard to hold back.
Just as he raised his hand to hit her again, a servant called out loudly from the other side of the closed door. “Minister! Eunuch Shîzhĕ is here!”
Minister Chú Sōngshù held his hand firm and ready to strike as he stared at the servant opening the door without permission. Before he could admonish him, the king’s eunuch walked in with two escort guards from the royal palace.
Princess Mĕilì Xīng quietly released the breath she held in wait of another hit. Why was her uncle sending his eunuch to her home? Was he coming to visit her? It had been so long, almost half a year since her mother’s death anniversary. Other than her birthday, it was the only other time she saw her uncle.
Her father said it was because he didn’t care, but she knew it was to keep her safe. Every time her uncle visited, her father would put on a grand show to pretend he loved her and that she was being well cared for. After the king would leave, she would be beaten for the money spent on new robes, new bed linens for the bedroom she wasn’t allowed to use, and fresh, healthy food.
She never regretted his visits. Knowing one person in the world loved her kept her from sinking into despair. Every visit, his smile and words of praise and encouragement gave her hope he would someday find a way to rescue her from her agony.
“Prepare to receive a royal decree from his majesty, King Rénlóng Jūn,”
Eunuch Shîzhĕ said loudly, his voice echoing off of old shelves and varnished walls.
As the eunuch announced he had a decree, Minister Sōngshù knelt and bowed in obligatory respect. Princess Mĕilì Xīng kept her head down low so Eunuch Shîzhĕ couldn’t see the fresh welt growing on her face. She didn’t want to become a burden to her uncle and cause him to worry.
“By order of his majesty, King Rénlóng Jūn, Princess Yángguāng Mĕilì Xīng will be wedded to the venerated General Ānníng Zhànshì in recognition of his years of unwavering loyalty to the crown, bringing continued success to the palace and the kingdom.
This union between the Tiger General and his majesty’s royal niece will be considered official and unbreakable immediately upon hearing the words of this decree.
Princess Yángguāng Mĕilì Xīng is ordered to leave Minister Chú Sōngshù’s manor within the hour and meet her new husband for their journey to his manor.
King Rénlóng Jūn sends his congratulations to the blessed couple and to the father of the bride. May they be granted the glories of the heavens and a long and fruitful union.”
Everyone in the room stared at the eunuch. Then, as though he just realized what was happening, Minister Sōngshù quickly went to his daughter and pulled her forcefully into his arms. He couldn’t let her get away when the agreement with Shāngrén Yán rested on her.
“My only child,” he wailed dramatically. “Why would his majesty take my late wife’s daughter from me? I need her!”
Into her ear, he growled quietly, “You’re going nowhere,” and gave her a harsh squeeze.
Eunuch Shîzhĕ motioned for two of the accompanying guards to pull the official away.
“Who is your maidservant, your highness?” Eunuch Shîzhĕ asked Princess Mĕilì Xīng.
He ignored her father’s over-exaggerated cries for his wife and daughter. In answer, a maidservant rushed over and pulled the girl to her feet.
“Hurry, your highness,” the older woman whispered.
Princess Mĕilì Xīng had no time to dwell on the decree or her father’s outburst. The maidservant pulled her all the way to her room – a dark part of the manor left dirty and forgotten but for the neglected princess.
“Only take what you can’t live without, your highness,” the maidservant told her as she rushed to a clothes cabinet.
“I don’t understand what’s happening, Shàn,” Princess Mĕilì Xīng cried.
She stood beside the door watching the maidservant toss a set of bedclothes and a set of underclothes into a small trunk. There was a comb and a few small personal pieces, as well, but nothing more. Princess Mĕilì Xīng pulled a doll sewn like a floppy eared rabbit from the makeshift bed on the floor and held it tightly.
“I believe it’s your uncle, your highness,” Shàn told her as she pulled her close. “This must be a plan to get you out of here.”
Princess Mĕilì Xīng gasped several times as she stared wide-eyed at the only person ever brave enough to treat her kindly in her father’s manor. “Is that possible?”
“Your highness,” came a call from the corridor. It was one of the guards sent to escort her to her husband. “We have to leave quickly.”
“His majesty sent General Zhànshì for you,” the maidservant told her. “He's the Tiger General. No one would dare stand in his way, not even your father. We have to hurry, your highness.”
She pulled her through the door and one of the guards took the trunk. They set out as a group through corridors and across a courtyard until they reached the path to the manor gate.
She watched as Eunuch Shîzhĕ stepped out to speak to a tall man just outside. The man’s expression went from that of cautious observance to anger in a flash, and she was suddenly too terrified to take another step.
General Zhànshì looked carefully around the courtyard from the gate. Security within the manor was minimal: only two unarmed guards standing on either side of the path leading to the main rooms. It seemed odd when the official had so many secrets to be kept hidden. Did he send them away to appear nonthreatening?
He noticed Minister Sōngshù’s expression become more unnerved as a group lead by the escorts came into view. He knew the princess right away as he recognized Princess Bái Quán's maidservant walking with the escorts.
His brow furrowed at the clothes she was wearing. It was a maidservant’s uniform and an old one. Her dirty black hair was combed and arranged with only a messy tie at the back. As she turned from the corridor to walk in his direction, he saw dark circles around her dull, lifeless eyes. Her lips were almost colorless against her overly pale skin.
The swollen red cheek took his attention from everything but the approaching eunuch. He lowered his head so the eunuch could say something without being heard.
“He was hitting her when I entered,” Eunuch Shîzhĕ said.
The general straightened and glared at the people before him. He did his best to remain unmoved for the sake of girl’s safety and the plan of the king to move across the board without alerting the official.
Minister Sōngshù stepped in front of his daughter when she stopped. He pulled her into his arms and whispered so the guards couldn’t hear.
“Keep your mouth shut,” he ordered. “You’ll be back here soon enough, and if you’ve said anything to dishonor me, I’ll have the husband I chose for you punish you in ways you can’t imagine.”
General Zhànshì watched as the girl’s eyes filled with terror in her father’s arms. Tears began to fall and he could see her body struggle against an ever-tightening embrace. He stormed toward them and the escort guards pulled the official away as the general reached them.
“Minister Sōngshù,” General Zhànshì said with a slight bow, “you have my word that your daughter will be well cared for in my manor.”
He looked toward the girl, who was holding onto a toy like a child and shaking so badly, her teeth seemed to chatter.
She glanced up at him and gasped when he met her gaze, his eyes black and angry. She looked down quickly and bit her lip against her fear of this giant man.
“She’s quite a handful, General,” the official was saying.
It took effort for General Zhànshì to look away from her swollen cheek shining red in the morning sun. She was thin from malnourishment, and he wondered how the bastard hadn’t broken the cheekbone.
“She’s full of fanciful tales and mischief,” Minister Sōngshù continued. “Always falling and getting into accidents,” he tried to laugh through the lie.
General Zhànshì swallowed down the rage and forced another bow. “Rest assured, Minister Sōngshù, my wife will be safe from such dangers. I will personally see to it that anyone or anything responsible for bringing her pain will suffer.”
Before the official could respond, General Zhànshì motioned for the guards to escort the princess through the gate.
Princess Mĕilì Xīng tried to pull Shàn with her, but her father pulled the maidservant away.
“You’ll have others to care for you at your husband’s home, I’m certain,” he told her.
General Zhànshì gritted his teeth and forced himself not to say anything. Her father would do all he could to isolate her and elicit more fear. When they reached the carriage, he held out his hand for her.
The princess stared at it, unsure of what she was supposed to do. General Zhànshì reached down and gently lifted her hand, motioning for her to walk up the steps to go inside.
His touch shocked her and she jumped. She gasped loudly and almost pulled her hand away. She looked up at him and saw a strength unlike that of her father. It was bold and commanding but not filled with the malice and danger she was used to.
There was a prominent scar across his left eyebrow that extended to his forehead and far down enough that he was lucky not to have been blinded. His hand was larger than her father’s, and her mind instantly considered how painful one of his hits would be.
When General Zhànshì saw the tears well up in her eyes, he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.
“Your uncle sent me. I’m here to help you,” he said softly so her father couldn’t hear. ”You’ll be safe from now on.”
She started to tremble at the realization she was truly being rescued, and he had to pull her up the steps and push her inside before she collapsed.
General Zhànshì mounted his horse and reached into his robe. He pulled out a note with a name scribbled on it and handed it to the eunuch.
“Go to the brothel and buy this girl’s freedom,” he said. “Tell King Rénlóng to take it out of my pay.” He tossed Eunuch Shîzhĕ a pouch of silver. “Give this to her to start a new life.”
“Yes, General,” Eunuch Shîzhĕ bowed. He watched the caravan of soldiers escort the princess safely from the manor before hurrying to report to the king.
Comments (0)
See all