The Emperor's General (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 8

Imperial Father probably thought it wasn't right to castrate Shang Mo, since the family had no other choice but to accept his offer in a dire situation. So unlike Shang Dong who stubbornly followed the palace rules, Shang Mo was personally excused by Imperial Father. This was an open secret in the palace. If he wished to get married, he was free to do so. Well, it's another matter if he laid his hands on the palace ladies, then I'd have to personally castrate him.

He lightly frowned yet answered immediately shaking his head, "This servant wouldn't be able to."

I nodded at that, "Hmm that's right. But what if it's the person you love wholeheartedly?"

His mouth gaped open and closed like a fish. After a while, he answered again carefully, "If the person I loved were to hurt me so severely... I definitely won't be able to keep on loving her, Your Highness. Only a fool would continue to love someone despite all the hurt she had given."

Unintentionally, my own servant had labeled me a fool. It was eerily quiet as none of us spoke any further. After changing into much simpler clothes I had one last look in the mirror. I grabbed a jade tassel from the desk, and turned to my head eunuch,

"Do you know Shang, there is no such thing as falling "in" or "out" of love. When you truly love, it never dies. Love is eternal. It's sacred. It's a way of life... Not some temporary feeling that loses its truth over time. People only fall "out" of love when they never truly loved to begin with. Love is accepting every part of that one special person no matter who they are. If you expect to simply see the bright side of a person, it means your love is superficial. Holding onto this love even if it's a ride full of wild bumpy roads, you should be ready to widely open your arms and accept them with all their faults. It's a way of being true to your love. Their happiness should be your happiness, even if it means letting them go."

I chuckled, "Only a few people could love so selflessly. I don't mean that you should force yourself to keep loving that person if it's hard for you. As long as your willing to, then it is your choice. People are free to love the way they want to. What I said just now was the correct way to love someone, which is also the most difficult way to do so..."

"I'm sure you had heard the story about the famous pipa musician who fell in love with a psychopath. People constantly questioned his foolishness. Until the very end, they never understood why a profound man continued to love a crazy woman who took advantage of his love and used him until nothing was left of him. Even going as far as to commit suicide for her. In the end, he had fallen along with the woman. He had forgotten to firmly stand on his ground losing the things important to him. You need to love but not to lose your self-awareness. People are given a human life for a reason. We need to use it well until it withers. Deciding to end it on your own would be a slap to the gods who had created us, thus they will never bestow us a second life. Something like this, I don't accept it either. But you can't call those people fools. What right do we have? What qualification? It's their pain, not ours. We only need to sympathize not to criticize their choices. Judging other people when we know nothing, aren't we hypocrites?"

Tying the jade tassel on my sash belt, a sigh escaped my lips, "You may believe love to be the most beautiful dream in your life but you are wrong. As much as love can be beautiful, it may also cause unbearable pain to people's hearts, scarring them for eternity. After all, it's the nature of love. People may blatantly say that loving a person so blindly is stupid or madness."

I paused and faintly shook my head, "But I call it true love."

Nodding, a smile blossomed on Shang's face, "Finally Your Highness had decided to speak after a long time."