Sweat and fatigue slowly took over my body as we ran deeper into the woods. The thick heavy air brought by the cold weather made it even harder for me to breathe. The woods started to feel like forever as the tall trees start to loom over us letting only an ounce of moonlight shine over us.
"The Prime minister and Emperor are here!" Shouted one of the armed men. They caught up with us slowly as we ran for our lives
"AHH!!" My cousin, Yang Guozhong, tried to grab me to use as a shield. He pushed me on the ground but he was then beheaded by the armed man. I crawled up towards the emperor for help but was then pushed down.
"Your majesty! That woman has distracted you from reigning and leading us continuously, she is nothing but a pig! We demand her death!" The armed men said in sync trying to prove their point. "We'd kill either you or her!" They continued.
"Your majesty! I have done nothing to damage-" But what the next words said pierced through me.
"Execute her." He simply said which caused me to stay on my spot and stare at him, obviously losing color in my face. He was shaking and fear can be noticed in his face. I myself know that his Majesty has fallen for my physical attributes, and I used that to gain the power to help my family climb up. I have served him in many ways than one and he knows that. I've sold my body, threw away my dignity as a woman, and worse of all... pushed away by the man I truly loved. Memories of his betrayal 19 years ago came rushing in.
"Mao, you know that your father His Majesty only wants my body, why would you easily let go of me like that?!" I walked up to the bed he was sitting on. He stood firmly and faced me.
"Yu'er, you know that his orders are absolute." He held this hopeless face as if he can never do anything.
"He wants me to be a Taoist nun! Do you know what that means?!" I said as tears flow down my face.
"I know my love, but he will strip me of my title as Prince of Shou and might even disown me." He said. Huh, I wanted to laugh at his face in disbelief. He still thought of himself as if he was the center of it all. It was all about him! Even if we fought I was always the one blamed, it's always my fault! I've told him countless times that the Emperor wanted me to be a nun and marry me after, just to escape criticisms.
I stood up and left his bed chambers to return to mine. What was I even expecting? Of course, he wouldn't do anything, even though he can do something. I tried my hardest to think of other ways but failed and I had a tonsure and went under the name of Taizhen. Weeks passed by and the most heart-breaking event has happened before me. My Li Mao remarrying a beautiful young lady. I wasn't able to bear the knowledge about his marriage to lady Wei. Every day became even more painful until I went numb from it.
I was then forcefully put in the palace's care as a concubine by the 54-year-old emperor. I felt really disgusted by him but got used to it through time. I had the mentality that if he was going to use my body he has to pay and eventually, I was stripped of everything. My pride as a woman, my love, my dignity, and now my life.
They dragged me as I wailed and cried towards the courtyard of Gao Lishi's Buddhist temple.
"You're in front of a temple and you dare do this to a woman!" I tried to get out of their grasp but failed.
"Shut up you whore, you're nothing but a fat whore." I accepted what the man has stated, because it was true. After the death of his beloved Consort Wu, I became a replacement. And since I knew what I was really used for, I used that to my advancement. I stared blankly at the emperor dead-in-the-eye as I was held up towards the Noose made up of white silk.
"Remember my words you Majesty," I whispered as I placed my gentle hands on the silk and slowly put my head inside.
"I will look for you, in the next life." I smiled as tears flow down my porcelain face.
"But don't get the wrong idea, because I'LL DRAG YOU TO THE UNDERWORLD! *HRRK*" The chair was removed and I started choking. I looked at the old cowardly b*tch and smiled as my airway constricted and blocked entirely.
"Mark...my...words," I said as I slowly lose breathe. I started to convulse and my eyes started to turn back in my head. Saliva dripped out of my mouth as so did tears. The night was covered by the sound of choking accompanied by the winter wind. I felt as cold as I'll ever be as my whole life flashed through my eyes. My innocent days of dancing with my father in a wooden house near south of Wei river in Chang'an mountains. The fun times I had with Xie A'man as we ate persimmons under the tree. The first time Li Mao made my heart erratic, and the time he broke my heart. I slowly start to think of the reason why I was here in the first place...Because of this damned face. I would have lived a common life with happiness if it wasn't for this curse, the curse of beauty.
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"This was part of what history exactly?" I asked Iris.
"Yang Guifei, one of the four most beautiful women in ancient China, The four beauties of China were said to turn over whole empires with their beauty. Yang Guifei was the fourth one. It is said, according to the human history, that she has a face that puts all flowers to shame."
"But why would the blood bell fall from here?" Iris asked
"We have to find that out then." I said
"All we need to do is avenge her, Find out who caused the imbalance, and fix the rip." I stood up and stretched my body. I flipped through the pages and found the perfect period. *rip*
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