Back In Time (The Reincarnation of the Cruel Concubine)

The Search for Yang Li

"Aaaaaarrhhhh!"

"Aaaaargh, for Christ's sake."

"Even."

"I'm not guilty, either."

"Oh, Your Majesty."

Shouts of pleas of mutual disdain filled the western hall, more precisely the execution hall and the prison. There, all the ladies pavilion ladies sat on a chair that was used as a place of torture. They were whipped dozens of times by the soldiers, forced to confess and say who did it. The culprit who poisoned Princess Zhou Xie Ling with mercury powder.

Dayang Hong stared blankly at the two soldiers who continued to whip his legs. The lady-in-waiting could do nothing because her hands and feet were tied. Tears and blood melted into one, as proof of the absence of forgiveness for the negligent maids. Dayang Hong who usually looks neat, is now a mess without beaming.

"What should we do?" zhou Fang Yin asked, he and the elder brother got direct orders and Wu Li Mei to supervise the execution in the western hall. They peeked out from the small gap that was in the guardrail, they could not enter.

Zhou Ming Hao shook his head, "I think we can only be quiet."

"What do you mean, brother?!" the young girl asked, "Look at them, they're innocent."

"But what can we do? We're just princes and little princesses, do you want to fight the empress mother, that's a crazy idea."

Zhou Fang Yin could understand what the elder brother was saying, but his little heart refused to understand. He knew for himself how Dayang Hong and the other maids cared for and cared for Zhou Xie Ling, from the time the boy was little.

He could not imagine that Dayang Hong was his personal ladyboy. His heart must have been broken, considering how the ladies loved the princesses and princes so much.

"What are you doing here?"

Zhou Fang Yin and Zhou Ming Hao froze, they turned their heads timidly. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Rise!" empress Yang Jia Li's. "What are you doing here?" ask again.

The two children looked at each other, then the next second they normalized his facial expression. "We just accidentally passed this place." Zhou Ming Hao replied.

"Yes, we want to go to the west hall." added Zhou Fang Yin.

The empress frowned, squinting her eyes at the two children before her. Yang Jia Li was sure their goal was not the western hall, but rather the prison and torture site.

Whether it was Wu Li Mei or the emperor, those two people must have sent them here. "Then, why aren't there any maids and warriors escorting you?"

"No need, Your Majesty." replied Zhou Fang Yin. "We feel safe without them."

"After all, we can take good care of ourselves."

"Then we say goodbye, Your Majesty." Zhou Ming Hao lowered his head respectfully followed by the younger brother, the two children casually waltzing away.

Yang Jia Li stared at their departure for quite a while. The goal here is to see the torture of the ladies in the princess pavilion.

"Is everything like the original plan?" ask the woman with the blue hanfu.

Dayang Yue nodded, "Already, Your Majesty. Which--emmm I mean, the lady-in-waiting has already gone to the border."

"Good." Yang Jia Li nodded with a sigh of relief, for almost a week he kept on fidgeting over his plan this time.

"I don't think it's necessary, Your Majesty." replied Dayang Yue. "But if you're not sure, then go ahead."

...****************...

Wu Li Mei was still loyal beside the princess, tightly grasping Zhou Xie Ling's tiny hand. The more days, the princess' health was getting worse. He kept coughing up blood, and spewing out the food he ate.

Wu Li Mei did not lose his mind, he made various kinds of porridge so that it could be consumed by Xie Ling. The concubine diligently gave him milk and fruit juice to meet the nutritional needs of the little girl.

However, Zhou Xie Ling still did not improve. Since two weeks ago, the little girl was lying in her bed, she did not have enough energy to get up.

"Mom?" calling Zhou Xie Ling slowly, the little girl forced both her eyes to stay awake.

"Yes, honey?" Wu Li Mei shifted her body closer, grasping the princess's cold hand with both of her hands. "Mother's here, son."

Zhou Xie Ling smiled slightly, her entire body feeling limp. Even to smile wider, he could not. The princess stared at the closed window, no light entering her pavilion. Zhou Xie Ling clucked in her heart, whereas she loved the sunlight but the ladies closed all the windows.

"I want to see the sun." she said, the little girl's netra shone blankly on a window in the corner of the room.

Wu Li Mei nodded, "Then you have to get well soon in order to see the sun again."

"But it's winter, ma'am."

"Why indeed?" wu Li Mei asked as she stroked the top of the princess' head.

"Winter there's no sun, ma'am."

The concubine chuckled, winter has just arrived, and the country is already shrouded in thick fog. It looked as if no sun had reached the Ming Dynasty. "The sun is always there baby" he replied. "The sun is just hiding behind the clouds and the cold fog. When the time comes, it will shine brightly in the sky."

"Then you have to survive and heal, in order to see the sun again." said the concubine.

Zhou Xie Ling could only nod briefly, her eyes closed enjoying the delicate sweep on her head. "Yes, mother."

The princess's room was given plenty of warmth to keep the temperature inside warm, the nightly pleasant aroma mixed with the herbs enveloping the small room.

Wu Li Mei fixed the location of the warm clothes she was wearing, while slowly taking off the princess' hand grip as Zhou Xie Ling began to fall asleep. Wu Li Mei had to go back to her pavilion to simply clean herself up by soaking.

"Mom, where's Dayang Hong?" zhou Xie Ling asked with her eyes still closed, the girl immediately asked as her bedside moved, it was a sign Wu Li Mei was about to leave.

In his place, two steps away from the bed. Wu Li Mei nailed, confused what else to say, as it was impossible to say Dayang Hong was being executed. The princess must be very sad, and her health is again disturbed.

Zhou Xie Ling opened her eyes slowly, trying to stare towards the window. Dayang Hong used to open the window for her, for the princess to enjoy the sunshine and the breeze.

"Darang Hong there's a pity." Wu Li Mei lied.

"But why isn't he here?"

Wu Li Mei wet her dry lips, "A-ad-ad. Of course there is. Dayang Hong is busy making porridge for you, baby."

"So you'll get well soon."