Princess In The Palace

23. Her Birthmark

Chapter 23.

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recap: in the previous chapter, Empress found out that First Prince had been taking interest in Yì Rán and drawing many paintings of her. She made sure that First Prince could not leave the palace and also found out that Ān Yù, the then Mistress Lǐ was still alive. One year later, Yì Rán met Second Prince again at Yú Manor when Second Prince was running an errand. Empress finally paid a visit to Ān Yù and out of fear, her condition worsened. Yì Rán received news about it and went back but the aunt passed away after several days on a beautiful day after a storm.

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The moon embraced the world with its gentle light, it was like the love of a mother that was caring, gentle and limitless. They had put up white cloths on the doors and walls. It was spring, but why was the small hut, that was always filled with warmth, being engulfed by what seemed like eternal winter? That night felt particularly cold, the smell of joss sticks was extremely strong and the smoke felt especially painful to the eyes that day. It was so solemn that no one said a word. Yì Rán's eyes had been staring at the same spot over and over again, there were traces of tears on her face but she was not crying. Perhaps her tears had dried, perhaps she was tired of crying already. All of a sudden, a figure wrapped in cloak of the night sky colour appeared in front of the door. Pī Yáng's eyes were alert enough to immediately turn around and stand up. The man let down the hood to his cloak and took his steps slowly into the small hug.

"Yo-your Majesty!" Pī Yáng dropped the cloths in her hands and knelt on the floor immediately, pulling the confused Yì Rán along with her. The girl had already forgotten about the face of the Emperor that she met years ago and it surprised her that the Emperor would actually come to visit her aunt's funeral, a nobody's funeral.

"How?" Thousands of questions were flooding his mind, but he could only utter that one word.

"She has always been ill."

"..." It might have been fate, it might have been life that brought the three together to send her off. They never thought that they would be the ones to send her off, to watch her leave this world. Especially Emperor Míng, who had sent so many people off in his life, who had gone through endless numbers of deaths, who must not show his tears despite how crushed he must be feeling for he was the Emperor.

"Cut a small amount of her hair and bury it together with some of her belongings beside his tomb."

"...."

"That is the least we can do...to reunite them..."

"...yes, Your Majesty."

When he turned to look at Yì Róng, he was surprised, slightly, as if he was seeing her again, as if she was back, her well-known striking beauty that was as dangerous as poison. Then he remembered, she was the girl brought to the palace due to her resemblance to his mother and his surprise just diminished completely.

"Young girl...you are definitely very beautiful," he commented shortly, sending a gasp out of Pī Yáng's lips. Emperor Ming did not mind her, for he knew what her fear was. However he would never let her fear happen, for he still had respects for Ān Yù wishes and for Yì Rán resembled Empress Dowager Xīn too much. There was no way that he could ever take someone who looked like his own mother as his concubine.

"However, your face may one day bring you trouble." With that, he left the hut without even burning the joss sticks. Perhaps he was too tired, he did not want to be there any longer. With her death, the people with whom he shared memories of his peaceful youth were finally gone, all of them.

After a while of silence that felt like forever, Yì Rán felt her tears fighting to pour out. She let her tears fall freely but she still furiously wiped them away although everything was in vain. She turned to look at her sister.