Severing Time & Space

A Cage, or a New Lease on Life?

Night had fallen and Wu Jian lay wide awake in bed, replaying what happened at dinner over and over again in his mind. He recalled the pandemonium that had taken place immediately after Emperor Hou Jun announced that he was wedding his daughter to Wu Jian. Almost everyone had begun talking at once, raising their voices more and more in an attempt to talk over each other. It was only thanks to the emperor's presence that the situation calmed down so quickly.

However, Wu Jian would never forget the expression Hou Jingshu had worn when this announcement was made. The blood had rapidly drained from her face and she seemed to lose all her strength, her shoulders sagging as if they were being pressed upon by a great weight. It was clear that she had no idea what had been about to happen.

He felt bad for her.

He also wondered about himself. Wu Jian was not sure what to think or how to feel. For the whole of his life, he had been dedicated to getting stronger so he could stay by Wu Meiying's side. His goal in life was to get strong, marry Wu Meiying, and raise a family alongside her. Now that goal seemed further away than ever before.

At that moment, a knock came at his window. He stood up, made his way to the window, and opened the shudders. A figure leapt in at that moment. It was, of course, Wu Meiying. He glanced outside and was surprised to see the guards normally present not stationed there. They must have gotten drunk during the party. He closed the shutters and turned as she pulled back the hood of her cloak, allowing her midnight hair to descend down her back. Then she undid the fastens to reveal that she was wearing cute pajamas.

"Mei..."

"I figured you would be brooding tonight," Wu Meiying said with a bright grin.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" he said. "You saw it. You knew the emperor was going to announce that I was marrying his daughter?"

Wu Meiying didn't deny it. "I saw it in a dream the other day."

Wu Jian sat down on the bed, placed his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward as he ran his hands through his hair. He didn't know what to think.

"This is all happening too fast. What should I do now? I have no idea what I'm supposed to do in this situation," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Wu Meiying.

"I mean, if I marry Hou Jingshu, then..."

How can we get married?

The question was on the tip of Wu Jian's tongue, but he didn't ask it because he was afraid of the answer.

"What are you talking about?" Wu Meiying giggled as she skipped over to him and sat down so close their shoulders touched. She knocked into him once. "We can still get married."

Wu Jian didn't say anything at first, but when he did, each word was spoken with slow deliberation. "I suppose... we could practice polygamy, but if I marry Hou Jingshu, wouldn't I be a simple prince consort? I would not become emperor. Are prince consorts allowed to have more than one wife?"

"That's not actually how it would go," Wu Meiying corrected him.

"It's not?"

Smiling, she shook her head. "Don't forget that Emperor Hou Jun came to us, not the other way around. He is marrying Hou Jingshu off, so that means we are not marrying into his family. Hou Jingshu is marrying into our family, which means she will become Wu Jingshu when you two marry."

"I see. So I had it all wrong."

Wu Jian nodded as he realized his thoughts and concerns had been incorrect. Now that she had pointed it out to him, that did explain why the emperor had come all this way instead of having the Wu Clan travel to the imperial capital.