The Guzheng of The Moon

XIV

Yue sat pensively and propped his chin on the shutters. He was trying to remember his childhood that he could barely remember. Just a faint shadow of a huge red house and a teenage boy. Nian? Yue said the word spontaneously while with Empress Dowager Han.

Again he could only sigh heavily. Yue did not even pay attention when Ah Mei walked into her room.

"Traitor" said Yue lethargic.

"What can I do?" reply Ah Mei who is not less lethargic.

"You could have shouted. Or ... anything." Yue twisted his body and faced Ah Mei completely.

How shocked Yue was when she found Ah Mei's face covered in bruises. "What's going on?"

Yue quickly stood up and walked over to Ah Mei. "Say. What's going on?"

"I .. I just slipped and banged my face on the floor" Ah Mei replied.

"lik! Missing will not cause such a wound." Impatiently Yue also scooped Ah Mei's hand. He did it unintentionally.

Ah Mei was complaining of pain. Suddenly Yue let go of her grip. Yue was getting impatient. Immediately reveal the sleeves of Ah Mei's shirt up high.

It felt like Yue was crying to see a rattan punched wound on his friend's arm. Not just one punch, but many.

When Ah Mei saw the face of Yue who was about to cry, the girl immediately covered her wound back. "This ... this ...."

"Who did this?" asked Yue without further ado.

"I slipped."

"Lied!"

"I ... will immediately make your bed so that you can rest quickly," merrily Ah Mei.

"You're like a sister to me. Tell me or I'll be really mad, Ah Mei."

A moment of silence was painful for Yue. He waited for Ah Mei to open her mouth. And even if the girl doesn't do it either. Right now Yue was going to run towards the Emperor's residence to ask for an explanation. Of course the man knew everything that was going on inside the palace.

"He .. he caught me when he entered the Emperor's residence this afternoon," Ah Mei said softly.

"Who?"

"An's daughter." Now it was Ah Mei's turn to grab Yue's arm. "He accused me of stealing. Because he knows, the Emperor's residence is not my responsibility."

Yue felt an injustice befall Ah Mei. It wasn't Ah Mei who was guilty, but her. His friend only wanted to remind him to immediately get out of the Emperor's residence. And Yue paid no heed to it.

"Let this pass. I'm okay, really. Don't look for her, "pinta Ah Mei.

"sorry. I should have been punished, not you." Yue's body fell to the floor. This is what he feared.

That's palace. As Aunt Hwang always told her. Suri Han's mother had also warned him. Salah Yue who continued to play around and considered this place was his own home.

"No, no. Let it be like this" comfort Ah Mei, "you promised to be the greatest empress in history, didn't you?"

Of course hearing that made Yue feel even more sad and guilty. He hugged Ah Mei who was also sitting on the floor. Close-fitting. As an apology as well as an amplifier for himself.

"Whatever happens, from now on I will be your eyes and ears" Ah Mei said. "You just have to focus on your duties as a potential empress. Beat that girl for me too."

Yue nodded many times, her tears did not stop wailing until she had to make Ah Mei wipe her. "We'll avenge the girl."

Yue stood up and walked over to one of the cabinets and opened a drawer. Lucky Yue still kept the saleb medicine from her aunt. Immediately he applied the medicine to all Ah Mei's wounds. Every time his friend complained, Yue shuddered.

"How can you be this strong?" ask Yue.

"Experience."

Yue was shocked to hear Ah Mei's reply. "So ... Do you often experience things like this?"

"No, no. Doesn't mean that way. My father ... when drunk .. often beat me and my mother. Not many people know," Ah Mei said with a wry smile.

"You never told me this," Yue said.

"I don't want to tell you something like that" Ah Mei replied.

Whatever it was, Yue appreciated his friend's decision. If that happens to him too. He is also reluctant to tell others, even his best friend.

"So .. say. What happened after I left?" tanya Ah Mei was curious as well as changing the topic of conversation that the girl was reluctant to talk about.

"Mother Suri is coming," said Yue Lirih. "He asked me to go with him."

"What?! Justjust like? Nothing like that happened?"

Yue narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ah Mei. "What do you expect will happen?"

"As ... The creation of the Crown Prince may be. Or ... hugged me till dawn."

For a moment Yue thought about the meaning of Ah Mei's sentence. "What are you thinking?!"

"Come on, give me an interesting story. That would be the inspiration for my next episode of the book."

Unbelievable. "Inspiration? The episode? Books?"

"Aishis. Auntie Hwang really likes my book. Romance in the Palace Bed. Who do you think wrote that book?"

"So you're the author of the book? Books ... books .. indecent!"

"Ck, ck .. naive. Too naive. The princess character in my book is not as naive as you. You have to learn from my book. At least it will make your rivals retreat in fear. My book is very popular among women. In the palace and around the palace. You're the one who doesn't know."

Yue shook his head. Apparently, the book that his aunt always hailed came from his friend. The woman always said, the palace is not always dark but can also be bright red. Now he knows what that means.

"Forget it," Ah Mei said as she flicked her hand. "Then? Then?"

"What's? The Queen Mother was a little lecturing me." Yue recalled the faint of the big red house. "Ult .. said I've been to the palace once. His Highness Gu Zheng brought me here. He said we were engaged. But why can't I remember that incident at all, huh?"

"Are you really? This ... this is amazing material for the next episode of my book!"

"Can't you be serious?!"

"It's night, you have to sleep. And I have to write" Ah Mei said. "I don't want to be punished twice in a day."

Ah Mei's right. But somehow what his friend said was not entirely true. Whatever it was, he did not want Ah Mei to be punished again because of him. He saw Ah Mei leaving while slowly closing the door of his room.

"Do I need to read that book?" guan Yue's. "Maybe ...."

Tbc...