A Trial by Halves

Prologue

"Ye Hua.  Are you sure about this?" Lian Song asked looking at his nephew as if he had lost his mind.

"No one knows more than you do, what her fate will be if they find out about her." he said lowering his gaze as that thought painfully clenched at his insides.

Grimacing, Lian Songs mind briefly went back to Cheng Yu.   She had arrived at the Palace in a whirlwind of colour, laughter and mischief and of course, he fell in love with her.  But being a Prince of the Nine Heavens, and she being a low deity with an even lower rank, she was not deemed suitable, but that had not stopped him from chasing her and then winning her love.

He loved the fresh life she had brought with her, and her smile was utterly infectious that she won him over very quickly.  And their love soon blossomed into something much deeper.  He had never been so happy, and he knew she was just as happy because they had talked of a shared future which he began to earnestly push for.

But life for her in the Palace soon became difficult and the longer he pushed to take her as his own life partner, the more difficult life became for both of them.  She faced endless bullying from his father especially who took great delight in seeing the social butterfly that won hearts everywhere she went, lose her sparkle.

The laughter eventually turned to tears, when the bullying then moved from his father to the rest of the Celestial Goddesses who treated her as outsider, a misfit and even an intruder whom they all gossiped about and caused untold mischief that would see her standing in the Parlour before his father facing punishment and then in his arms in tears.

In the end, he was forced to make a decision.  Take her regardless of the backlash he knew they would meet, or set her free before the light in her eyes died altogether.  In the end, he chose to break her heart and set her free, it was all he could do to prevent his beautiful butterfly from being clipped and wingless forever.   It was the most painful decision he had ever had to make and even worse experience he had ever had to endure but he did not regret the decision.

For a long time she had cried because he had been her first and only love but eventually she got over the heartbreak though she swore she would never love again.  And in time, the smile did return to her eyes along with that old mischievous nature that saw her return to being the beautiful social butterfly he had fallen in love with, but she never forgave him.

Now turning his attention back to Ye Hua, a boy who was willing to give up his position of Crown Prince of the Celestial Tribe and the next Ruling Heavenly Emperor for a pregnant mortal woman, Lian Songs own heart clenched tightly.  

"What you are planning to do will see her executed on the spot if your are caught, pregnant or not.  And you may well find yourself joining her." he said, his voice was a mere whisper but it was filled with fear and trepidation at that thought, because he knew his father would lose his mind if he ever found out.

"That is why I need your help." Ye Hua said moving closer.

"My help?  Ye Hua, I have already put myself on the chopping block for you already." Lian Song said becoming annoyed.

"Uncle.  All I need is for you to do is tell them my body was destroyed in battle and that you saw it with your own eyes." he said now begging like he had never done before, which was something Lian Song had never seen him do.

"Your Grandfather is no fool Ye Hua.  He saw through your attempt to prolong the marriage arrangement with Queen Bai Qian which means he is already suspicious of your motives.  He is not going to take this lightly if there is no physical proof of your death.  A Body is what he will want to see."  Lian Song cautioned him yet again.