Love like the Galaxy : Five Years Apart

Chapter- 14

Empress Yue's birthday was coming.
Shaoshang was asked by her majesty to find a gift for her. She came up with the idea of a handcrafted table she saw back at Qiao Hui's house. Her majesty also approved the idea after looking at the design of the table.

For her majesty's happiness, Shaoshang would go lengths to achieve it . Meanwhile she forgets about her own self. She completed all her duties early and in the afternoon began building the table.

As her hand went to pick up the hammer , the reality came knocking to her conscience. She couldn't pick it up. No matter how much she tried , she failed. In panic she tried to pick up a saw and cut the wood . Her attempt failed as her arm couldn't handle such fast and difficult movement. Almost after six months, she finally realised how weak she has become.

As Shaoshang dropped to the ground, she immersed herself in the memories of the past few months. A bitter realization washed over her like a tidal wave-she couldn't remember anything from her past. NOTHING. The weight of that truth crushed her, and her heart ached with an indescribable pain.

The realization of her weakness struck her hard as she struggled to lift a hammer or even handle a saw.
She recalled how just a few months ago,
she found herself needing the support of her bed to stand. In the kitchen, heavy utensils slipped from her grasp, and after two months, she had to give up lifting heavy trays. This morning's struggle to place her legs on the floor using her trembling hands brought the harsh reality to the forefront.

Her gaze fell upon a stone, but it transported her back to the moment Qiao Hui had asked her to throw it. In a fit of anger and frustration, she had resorted to trickery to prove him wrong. It was a stark reminder of how she had been lying to herself, pretending she was fine when she clearly wasn't.

Her mind raced, recalling that her fingers had been trembling for the past few weeks-a sign she had foolishly ignored. How had she allowed herself to become so weak and frail? She had been so absorbed in her pain that she had forgotten everything else around her.

Was she truly that weak that a man's departure had shattered her to this extent? She realized she had pushed aside her own well-being, ignoring the calls to take care of herself.

As she wallowed in her despair, she recognized the irony of it all-she had once been so strong and independent, and now, she had become a mere shadow of herself.

She mourned the person she had lost in the process. Her stubbornness had led her to this point, dismissing the genuine concerns of those who cared for her.

Oh, how she longed to turn back time, to listen to those who had implored her to take care of herself, and to be the Shaoshang she once was-

In her vulnerability, she found herself yearning for someone to understand her pain.....

"Shaoshang..... Shaoshang.... Shaoshang, are you listening??? The emperor is asking for you, Shaoshang."

Shaoshang was brought back to reality.
"Okay," she weakly said.
As she tried to get up, she realized she needed support even to stand.

The people of Zhanli were so grateful to Shaoshang that they invited her to attend their 3-day harvest festival. It was because of her they had good crop production. So they requested the Emperor to send their beloved Lady Cheng to attend it. Shaoshang, though tired and helpless, couldn't say no to their request, and left for the village the very next day. This time it took her two days to reach that village.

Everyone was so happy to see her. But the harsh and bitter truth came to her. She couldn't recognize most of the faces. She felt guilty and thought she spent almost one month here, and she doesn't even know their faces well. She remained quiet the whole day. Finally, she paid attention to her surroundings. She walked slowly, almost like she limped. The bones of her arms were almost visible.

It was evening. The people had gathered around the fire for celebration, and a feast was going on. Everyone was outside enjoying it except Shaoshang, who sat near the fire. A few children around 12 or 13 came to her. She smiled as she looked at them.

"LADY CHENG!! Please come and play with us," a boy said.
"Yes, please," everyone said in unison.
The little boy spoke again, "Please, Lad--." Suddenly, without warning, a sharp, whistling sound pierced the air. Within an instant, a deadly arrow streaked through the sky, cutting through the laughter-filled atmosphere and pierced through the heart of that little boy.

As the boy fell onto Shaoshang's lap, time stopped for her. The joyous surroundings turned into the sound of helpless cries and people running.

As her heartbeat grew, people dropped to the ground with an arrow piercing them. She couldn't move until she heard a little girl crying at a distance whose mother was lying on the cold ground.

She immediately stood up and ran to that girl. She picked her up and noticed a group of bandits coming towards them on horses. Their swords held high and pierced the sky.

It wasn't time to dwell in her sorrow; she shouted and asked the remaining people to follow. She indeed was a true leader. She guided them into a house, and with people, she blocked the room. Through a hole in the wall, she looked at those bandits, searching for survivors. Some people who had remaining breaths laid on the ground were brutally killed by these filthy men.

"FIND ME THE WOMEN!" a bandit shouted as he checked the dead woman's body to look for an alive one.

Shaoshang could hear her heartbeat. It was just a matter of time; they found them. They couldn't run. They couldn't fight. They could only hope for a miracle.

"I PROMISE!!! I PROMISE!!! IF I SURVIVE....I WILL LIVE .... I WILL TAKE CARE OF MYSELF... I WILL LIVE ...a tear struck from the past few months finally escaped her eye.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh," a man fell on the ground.

Shaoshang narrowed her gaze on to see Zuke standing beside a bandit's body, and Qiao Hui on his horse.