Scattered Flames Collection: Revenge Is Not Sweet

[Set in the Middle Kingdom of the Far East, the Tang Dynasty has ruled for over a century in the year 720. The dragons of Earth rule the land and abide by the Mandate of Heaven.

Li Hei Jong (who is also called Shen Wai by certain members of the royal family) is one of the many princes at the imperial palace who takes part in holding office. It is his duty to serve his own country with honor and pride. He personally leads a small army to crush any local rebellions against the laws of the land.

One time he was engaged in a sword fight with Lau Gu Wei, the leader of the rebels. Although he fought well, he was not any match to win against the prince who had defeated him in a proper sword fight. He died in vain at the hands of the prince. ]

The years pass me by in a blink of an eye as quick as rain falling from the sky. It has not been the most fruitful of years, but then the present does not show a comparison until enough time have elapsed. The world is strange and yet there is still beauty to observe and enjoy. I sit here in my private quarters waiting for my beautiful Jo Ling to arrive.

Scrolls of poetry decorate the walls next to paintings framed in black lacquer. The largest painting shows the mountains and foggy regions that can be seen on the Northern coast of this land rich in culture. Fine carvings of horses and dragons are set on the blue painted wood shelves and dark wood tables set against the corners of the room. Multi-colored banners and tassels hang along one side of the room that displays my honors and achievements. They remind me of what I have done in life, but all the honors and trophies would mean nothing without the special people in my heart. Merits do not mean anything in life if there is not someone to share it with that cares. Part of the beauty of earning these honors is to be able to share it with a loved one. I am glad that I have my consort is around to share my joys with.

I call for my eunuch, "Shao Guai Ji."

In a second, a thin character almost as tall as me in his dark robes with small accents of color and designs to signify he is an eunuch for a prince approaches me and answers in a soft, slightly feminine voice.

"Little me is here my lord. What would my lord require of me?"

"Where is Jo Ling? Why is she taking so long to come here?"

"My lord, she is on her way. She wanted to look especially nice for you, my lord."

"Ahh yes. She always like to look her best. Out of my six concubines, she is the one who always know how to please me aside from my consort."

"Yes, my lord. A beautiful flower she is who can always put a smile on my lord's face. I need to inform you, my lord that Her Graciousness, your consort request my lord's presence for dinner tomorrow evening. Shall I tell her that my lord will be able to attend this meal?"

I was sitting there thinking if I have other plans and asked Shao Guai Ji if there were any events that I had to attend to. He said there was not anything and that my schedule is clear for tomorrow evening's dinner. Then I told him to inform my consort of my presence for dinner.

Moments later, the guard at the door announced the arrival of Jo Ling. I had her come in to join me for some plum wine at this late hour under the radiant moon.

She came in with her maid, they both bowed and said "I am present to see you, my lord. Please pardon me for making my lord wait."

I had told her that it is alright and waved my hand to have the servants leave us alone. Then we had engaged in small talk before I asked her if she would like to stroll through the garden and look at the evening sky. She had agreed to since the moon looks magnificent among the many twinkling stars high above us.

The servants were always at least ten paces behind us making sure we are not in any danger and that our orders be met. They stay quiet until they are asked to speak. Sometimes they may overhear our conversations and giggle at the exchange of words.

"It is a beautiful night to be out, my lord. The stars are very pretty."

"Yes, it is. Your face compliments the night sky. A flower upon the stars that can attract the attention of any red-blooded man."

She smiled and said, "My lord, you always know how to make a lady blush."

Then she turned away blushing with her head down. I held her in my arm and pointed at the stars above showing her which set formed an image. We had been under the stars many nights before this one. She said to me before about how nice it would be if we can watch the stars every night. The thought is nice, but it is not possible or practical since I have to balance my time with my consort, the other concubines and my work.

Duty to the emperor comes first. This is understood by everyone who lives in the palace. This can create a headache for many officials, but it would be difficult to live among the public on a small salary.

It is both the safest and the most dangerous place to live in here at the palace. Many choose to be concubines and live in a life of luxury or at least a life different from that of a commoner. For some of them, they are content with what they have. For others, it is not enough for what they have been through and will take every opportunity they can to gain more. This is where the danger comes in. The office politics, the murders, the accidents and drama that goes on behind the curtains. If it is not the ambition or revenge in matters of the heart then it is about gaining higher titles and privileges among officials. Too many blood stained hands live at the palace. Paranoia always lurks around the corner and leap upon everyone at any given time and place.

Sometimes there is thought of fleeing away from this place of blood stained walls that flow to the ground without end. The reason why some stay is due to duty knowing there can be, better done for the people of the land by being in the palace of those most influential than to live outside the palace walls. Then there are the ones who prefer the lifestyle inside the palace. They would gladly uphold all the formalities to live a more luxurious life than to live more casually with the public.

What is love? Is it something worth fighting for? Is it about being able to provide the best lifestyle for that loved one? Are the dangers to be with that special someone worth it?

There is not any doubt that my consort will always be by my side. Is it the same with all my concubines or are they merely staying quiet to live in luxury? Which ones will take the chance to leave me in any way possible? The idea of putting my guards down to believe they will all be faithful to me is foolish. It would be nice to have that peace of mind, but that would not be sensible. I always have my informants keep an eye on my bundle of flowers to make sure they are safe and do not engage in any games that could cause more than embarrassment and suspicion for there are rats ready to leap on anything to gain an advantage.

I would think that Jo Ling is faithful to me. She always feel right for me. Someone who knows my heart and can ease the pain. Even though I am aware she had a lover at one time, she tells me of how well I treat her. Unfortunately, I never found out who this lover was that always has a special place in her heart. She knows that the backgrounds are different between this lover and I, but she acknowledges that I offer more security. Although I am busy with work, I do not let work push her aside every time. There is this part of me that longs to be with her in the midst of all the scrolls and stacks of documents that needs my attention. Aside from my consort, she is the one that I know would relieve me of my daily stress in life. She has a natural way of making me feel alive and well. The workload sometimes seems more of a punishment, but it must be done or the nation will plunge into chaos. Regardless of how stressed I am, she always has the right touch to melt my worries away. At least until I am back at my desk again.

My eunuch has brought the plum wine out to the garden pavilion upon my order. Jo Ling knew what kind of night it would be for us. The sweet wine is a treat for both of us. The wine makes me happy and puts me in the mood to kiss her soft body from head to toe. Once I have a few cups, she knows that I am ready to touch her all over.

Her beauty and character becomes difficult to resist. She loves feeling special and I love, making her feel special. Before I could kiss her, she turns away and blush. I try to hold her in my arms and she pushes away as if it is a game. She does not like to show her affections very much in front of others.

"My lord, not here. We can continue this inside."

Then I reach for her hand and started to walk back inside. The servants followed behind without haste. My face was tingling from the wine and her face was rosy. I could not wait to see her remove her robes. It is the servants' duty to remove the robes off for us, but I had them leave us in peace once we were in my private chamber.

I was ready to tear the robes off her, but she insisted that she removed them herself. It is a rule of mine that the woman is naked before removing my robes. She removed her robes slowly as a way of teasing me.

"Remove your garments quickly or I shall tear them off you."

She gave a smile and said, "My lord, you are very naughty."

Once she removed her belt, the outer robe fell to the floor. She removed her undergarment to expose her beautiful pair of peaches. I was eager to taste them, but I held back for her to drop her pants to see every part of her soft, silky body. I could not help to stare with my mouth slightly open.

She came close to me and push my chin up to close my mouth and smiled. Then she slowly removed my robes until the only garment left were my pants.

"I am ready for you, my lord. You can do as you please. I want to make you happy."

I woke up the next morning feeling very happy lying next to her. While she was asleep, I could not help to look at how beautiful she is and what a wonderful night we had together. It was a magnificent night. I did things to her that I did not do before. She had hours of my affection before we became very tired and she fell asleep next to my chest.

Sadly, I could not spend the day with her. I had to attend to work and the most I could do was to have breakfast with her. She said that she understood that work comes first, but still looked sad.

"Do not be sad my sweet. You know that I will see you again. If everything goes well, I will see you in a few days. Then we can have fun as we did last night."

She gave a smile and turned to the side in embarrassment. I could tell her body was still adjusting to the new day. The night was a little rough, but she will be alright.

"I hope that your day goes well and that you will look forward to having some fun with me again soon."

She looked down a bit to be shy, lightly slapped my arm and said, "You know that I always look forward to being with you, my lord. I will always be ready to make you happy. Now leave before you are late for the meeting."

I gave her a small kiss on the cheek and quickly headed to my office for my advisor to brief me on some issues before attending the meeting. This is the usual meeting all high officials attend to and discuss the country's affairs to the emperor. Sometimes the emperor himself does not attend and we all stand there for a long time before going back to our posts and bury our heads in mountains of paperwork.

It is disappointing whenever the emperor does this to his court, but I had Jo Ling on my mind to keep me from feeling upset about the whole incident. I did share with her a few times of how I rather start my morning with her than attend the meeting. What is finer than to start the day the same way it ended?

Before I knew it, the day had ended and it was almost time for dinner. My eunuch has informed me that the dining room is ready and that my consort is on her way. I then headed to my private quarters for him to change my robes. He had some alarming news to tell me.

"My lord, I overheard some disturbing news most recently."

"Well, out with it. Do not fiddle around. What is it?"

"I had overheard a conversation between Lady Guan and one of her most trusted informants talk about fleeing the palace. I could not make out who they were speaking about, but apparently the act is horrific enough that they would have to flee for their lives."

"Are you sure about this? Why would she flee with an informant?"

"I am not sure at this point, my lord. Rest, assure that I will find out as quickly as I can and report back to you, my lord."

The news made me feel a knot in my stomach. Questions popped in my mind wondering why this is happening and why she could not talk to me about the matter. What could be such a threat to her that she had to leave me? Is this informant someone she has feelings for or does he owe his life to her?

Shao Guai Ji followed behind me as I walked to the dining room. I sat down and he poured me a cup of wine.

"My lord, have some wine to relax. Her Graciousness shall be here soon."

I could not help to think about what Jo Ling has in mind as I gulped my wine. She knows I would do almost anything for her. Anything that is within my powers that would not cause a chaotic mess within the palace and to the people. Why would she want to take this into her own hands without consulting me?

Not long after a few drinks, the guard announced the presence of my consort. She came in and every servant in the room bowed. Aside from the formalities expected of every servant, her character commands respect. There is a strong character that I like and even though she appears tough on the outside, I know she has a soft spot when we are alone.

In a determined voice, she said, "I am present to see you, my lord. "

She is pure nobility from her head to her toes. Her obsidian black hair neatly tied up and shiny to match her silk, black robes with accents of gold and crimson. Flowers etched all about with a single bird in the center of her chest. The shoes are well decorated and hand stitched to be fitting of a princess. The soft, white skin is smooth every time I touch her. The scent of Jasmine fills the air when she is present.

I held her hands to raise her up from her bow and escorted her to the round, wooden seat. Then I hold her hand and sniff the sweet, natural scent of her body mixed with Jasmine oil. Her scent is almost addictive to me. There is an air of comfort when I am with her. She always know how to get matters handled properly. My mind is at peace when I am with her.

As the food came in to be set on the table, she noticed my face looked a little worried. I had a hard time hiding what was on my mind. It was difficult to eat despite the lovely display of colors on the large, round, carved table.

"You do not look very good today Shen Wai. You hardly touched your food. I had the kitchen made your favorite dishes. What is on your mind?"

Indeed the kitchen made the food that I love, but even it could not take away the questions that run through my mind about Jo Ling. I usually could not resist those tender chunks of beef cooked in a special sauce dripping with flavor sitting on a bed of green leaf vegetable and slices of red bell pepper scattered around with specks of green onion sprinkled on top. The lovely morsels of crab to accent the steamed flounder in a small pool of a sweet soy sauce is usually irresistible. Large, succulent shrimp stir-fried with Spring green Snow peas and orange carrots mixed with fresh mushrooms lightly coated in a creamy white, crab sauce all sit in a bird's nest made of fried root vegetables is always a sight to behold except tonight.

My consort and I usually fight for the tart pickles and the addictive, pickled olives, but not tonight. I was drinking more wine than I was eating as if it would help me find answers.

"Nothing you need to worry about. It is not something for you to worry about."

"Anything concerning you is my business too. Tell me what is bothering you. Maybe I can help. You know I will always take good care of you. Now tell me what is going on."

I give out a heavy sigh and told her it is a very delicate matter. She then waved her hand to have all the servants leave us alone. As soon as the creaking sound of the doors were closed, she held my hand and asked me what was on my mind. I was still a little hesitant, but she poured me a few more cups of wine and my nerves loosened up a little bit.

She got up to massage my back and told me how much she cares about me. Her skills of relaxing me is as good as Jo Ling if not better. Unlike my concubines, she has a lot more fire in her. Her hand can become a fist if necessary. I worry that she will do harm to Jo Ling if she finds out that I am harmed in any way.

After taking a few more bites of our dinner, we went to the bathing room. It was comforting to look at the large, steamy pool with colorful flower petals floating everywhere. My lovely, Yeh Wun removed her robes before taking mine off. I know she was admiring the details and craftsmanship of my dark, yellow robes with the royal patterns. It made her feel proud to be with me. She knew me well. My noble character was fit to wear the robe and I wore it well in her eyes.

As we soak in the pool, she massaged me some more to ease my tension. I then told her what Shao Guai Ji had told me. It did upset her a little, but she wanted me to not worry about it.

"Do not worry Shen Wai. I will handle this."

"You are not going to confront her with this matter, are you?"

"No. I know that I will not get a straight answer from her. You would be unhappy with me if I hurt her in any way. I will have to find out another way without her knowing. Please do not worry. I will take care of this quietly. You will find out from me what she has in mind."

My mind was not completely relieved, but at least I know someone I trust will find out what the matter is from Jo Ling. I could rest my mind a bit knowing Yeh Wun always know how to please me in and out of the private chamber.

I had the servants leave us alone for the rest of the night as we talked in bed.

"Yeh Wun, you always know how to make me happy. You are my sweet, red plum that I love to taste."

She blushed and gave me a small slap on the chest with her hand. Then that same hand went further down my body till she got the reaction she wanted from me. We spent the whole night pleasing one another. Nights such as this always make good memories.

The next morning, everything went the way it usually does with me heading to the office and then to the imperial court meeting. Before I knew it, the days went past me in a flash. It was the day for me to spend some time with Jo Ling again. I was not sure how to feel this time since I still was not sure what was going on. I could not ask her directly for that may ruin the plans of Yeh Wun who had promised me she will get to the heart of the matter.

"Shao Guai Ji."

"Little me is here, my lord. What does my lord require of me?"

"What is the latest news about Jo Ling?"

"My lord, there still is not any news about her plans yet. Do not worry, my lord. Her Graciousness is handling the matter and I have my best informant watching her every move."

"I fear the worse for her without even knowing what she has planned. Maybe there is some hope if she will tell me what she has in mind."

"My lord, do not worry. We have been watching every servant more carefully than before. There is not anyone seeing her from outside the palace. Neither do we see her around anyone out of the ordinary. There must be some sort of internal conflict on her part. Shall I have her most trusted informant sent away on a special assignment, my lord?"

"This may or may not help us. Leave this alone until further notice. I do not want to make matters worse."

"Yes, my lord. As you wish. I will inform my lord of anything new as soon as I can."

When the guard announced the arrival of Jo Ling, I tried to look calm so she would not suspect that I have been watching her more closely. It surprises me that she is the one that would cause me this much worry.

"I am present to see you, my lord. Please pardon me for making my lord wait."

I held her hands to raise her up and lead her to the chair next to the small, square, brown table with carvings on all four sides of flowers and birds. The craftsmanship is intricate and original. How can a beautiful piece of art work go wrong?

It was obvious she did not look well. She tried to hide the lack of sleep that can be seen in her eyes by looking away. I had asked her a few times if everything is alright and she would answer that she is fine and nothing is wrong each time. This worried me more and more when she would not share what has been bothering her for a while.

I had called for some tea to be brought to us. What she did not know was that her cup had a light coating of medicine to relax her a bit. Maybe this will ease her mind to tell me what has been bothering her.

"Jo Ling, you know that if it is within my powers, I would do anything to help you."

"Yes, my lord. I know you would. Do not worry about me."

"Is there someone who is bothering you? Tell me and I will take care of matters for you."

"No, my lord. Nobody is bothering me. I am fine. Do not stress yourself over me. It is not worth it. I want you to relax and be happy."

The entire night had been filled with a mix of emotions. It seems that every move she made was to capture the moment for the last time. She removed every garment from my body as if it was her last. Her eyes were looking at every inch of me as if she was taking a hard look at who and what she has in front of her.

Even in bed it would seem that she was half enjoying the moment and half hating herself for enjoying the pleasures I have given her. Her trembling lips kissing my body felt the fear running through her mind.

When the medicine finally got the best of her, she was constantly apologizing as if she did something wrong to me. There is fear that what she will do is of harm to me. Why would she want to hurt me?

"I am sorry, my lord. Sorry I am not able to take care of you better tonight."

"It is alright, Jo Ling. You are not well. I do not expect you to care for me well when you are tired or ill. Do not worry about that. Relax."

I was not expecting her to give me pleasure in her state of mind, but she tried regardless. She tried to do everything as if nothing is different. Since I wanted her to rest, I cut the night short since we both were very tired.

In the middle of the night, I could not help to hear a low sob from her. I wanted to ask or comfort her, but that would not help either of us rest well. Whatever is bothering her, she would not tell me.

The next day, I was in a rush to go to my office. I did not want to stay around feeling heavy-hearted when I must be most alert for the court meeting. Before I had left, she did ask me if I would join her for dinner later in the evening. It did not matter to me if I had someone else scheduled to eat with me tonight. I wanted her to be happy and agreed to the matter without a second thought and told my eunuch to arrange this.

[ Before the evening, Lady Guan had met with her trusted informant in private without anyone seeing he slipped into her private quarters. This is how he usually meets her since it is not proper for a man to be with her in complete privacy. They both have broken the rules for this alone. ]

"I am here, my lady."

"Do you have everything prepared as we had agreed before?"

"Yes, my lady. Everything is set as we have planned. Are you sure you want to go through wit this?"

"Yes, I am. Are you backing out of this?"

"No, I am not. I worry my lady that you are making a mistake. Why are you throwing away everything you have over a dead lover you have never been married to? He was a rebel. A criminal to the state. You would not have a good life with him. Is taking revenge for a rebel worth it, my lady?

The prince loves you and you are well taken care of by him. He can offer you more than what your lover could. You love the prince and want to see him happy. Why are you throwing this all away over someone you were too good for?

Heaven is most high and can see that you deserve better than him. Yes, Heaven took away your rebel away, but they gave you a prince. Think of how many people would love to be in your position and can do nothing more than dream whereas you are able to live out your dreams here.

I will serve my lady to the end, but I surely do not have what the prince has to offer. There is not any land, title or even a piece of gold to my name. I can do my best to provide my lady with a decent life, but it will never be close to what you have now."

"Do not speak any more. I do not want to hear it. He had killed my lover and I wish it was not my loving prince, but it is. He had caused me years of pain.

Do you know what I had been through after his death? Do you know how much pain I had to endure to see his body lay motionless on the ground? Then I had to travel from one town to the next to bury my heartache and go through the humiliation and suffering in this palace. Were you there when I was being trained to be a proper concubine? Did you see the bruises and my tears?"

"I am sorry, my lady. I did not mean to bring up bad memories. Even though I have everything set, there is still a small chance of being caught. Although I owe my life to you for saving me a few years ago, I do not want to see you die. I am happy to serve you here in the palace. Please re-consider what you are giving up. Is it worth it if you get caught? I know Her Graciousness will not let you go free for what you are about to do."

"Leave me. I want you to have everything ready for tonight. Stay out of sight. Shao Guai Ji is watching your every move."

"Yes, my lady. I shall take my leave."

[ Lady Guan stayed in her private quarters the whole day trying not to show her tears to the servants. Her emotions are all mixed and her heart feels chaotic. She thinks about all the good times she had with the prince. Then she also thought about all the pain and suffering she went through between her lover's death and meeting the prince.

She tries to weigh out all the cons of staying at the palace. Even though she is most loved out of all six concubines, the prince is free to give her away to anyone he wishes. Regardless of how much the prince loves her, she will never be able to take the place of Her Graciousness. Yes, the prince can offer her more than most people can, but he does not spend time with her every night.

Just as the informant said, many would envy her position. They would kill to have what she has. Whereas she came this far to kill and lose everything. Her informant will take care of her, but they would always live in hiding even if they can live freely. Maybe there is something that will change her mind at the last-minute. ]

The moon only shows half way tonight. I look out my balcony to see that Jo Ling is arriving with a small box. The guards have inspected it before she is allowed to come in and my eunuch has checked her body for anything unusual. It is sad that I have to apply this form of security and make my concubines feel they are not worth trusting. Until I find out what is going on, I have to keep my guards up.

"I am present to see you, my lord. Please pardon me for making my lord wait."

"No need for formalities. Come here. Sit down next to me. What is it you brought with you?"

"I want to show my lord the knitting I have made. It is of the flower garden you have given me. I look at the garden everyday and I wanted to capture the beauty of the flowers in my knitting to share with you, my lord. Is it pretty?"

I was looking at every corner and admired the beautiful details she had put in. She could always knit nicer than all the other concubines. It was nice to know she loved the garden enough to knit what her eyes could see. She saw the smile on my face and tried to smile too. Again, I see the hesitation in her movements and this internal conflict going through her mind.

"It is beautiful. You always knit well. Maybe you should try painting next time. Then I can hang it up next to the painting of the goldfish on that wall."

"My lord is saying I remind you of a fish? You are terrible."

She gave me a small slap on my arm, turned her head and blushed. I held her hand and told her she is more beautiful than any fish. The reason why I would hang her painting next to the goldfish is because she is more precious than gold to me.

We ate dinner and she tried to have an appetite, but it seems difficult for her to eat as if it was not good enough for her or was her last meal. I had asked her if the food is alright and she said it was very tasty. It was a little difficult for me to eat since I was not sure when we would come to a resolution of her very secretive plans.

When we were in the hot pool full of flower petals, she stood behind me holding my body and laid her head on my back. My thought was she tried to embrace the moment as if this will be her last.

We had a few drinks of the sweet, plum wine before we snuggled into bed. Once we were in bed, she tried to pleasure me. Her lips are amazing. Not long after feeling the bliss, my body went numb. I could not move. Fear went through my mind. What did she do?

"What is happening to me? I do not have the energy to lift my hand."

"Do not worry, my lord. It is only temporary. I was able to slip in some numbing powder in your wine while you were not looking. It was hidden in the box."

"Why? Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

"Do you remember putting down a rebellion and killing the leader by the name of Lau Gu Wei?"

"It has been long ago, since I have put down a rebellion. What relation do you have with this rebel?"

"He was my lover. We were to have a life together until you took his life away. I vowed to seek vengeance to the one who took him away from me. The pain I had to go through after his death was too much to bear. The only reason why I did not take my own life was to seek revenge for him. I wish it was not you, my lord. I really wish it was not you, but I had found out it was you who killed him. Now you know why I am about to do something that will hurt me, but would also appease the death of my late lover."

"You rather be a rebel in hiding than to live a comfortable life with me? I have given you everything. Even a piece of my heart. How many people can offer you the same?"

"Comfort? You know how much I had to suffer after his death? You know what I had to go through before I became your concubine? I still have scars from the beating I had from the old lady who trained all the new ladies that come into the palace to become concubines. Can you erase that scar and that memory? Can you erase all the pain and suffering I went through over the years?

There may be many who would want to be in my position. They may envy me for what I have. They can have my position for all I care. I want to be happy. I want to be with someone who can be with me every day and night. I do not want to be someone's toy or pet to be used, show around and then tossed to the side. I want to be free from here and live a life I once had. Is that too much to ask for?"

"If you wanted to be free, why did you not say so? Why go through all of this to tell me now?"

"It is too late. You could not change the past even if you want to."

Before I could say another word, I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. She covered my mouth so that the guards would not hear me. I looked at her for the last time thinking how can she be this revengeful?

Thoughts of my consort ran through my mind. I know Yeh Wun would catch up with Jo Ling and the informer who has helped her set up everything.

When she removed her hand from my mouth, I told her to look inside the pocket of my outer robe. She reached in and pulled out a piece of jade pendant carved into her favorite flower, the Lotus flower. It made her cry even more knowing how much I loved her.

Her last words to me before she went away with the informer was, "Rest well, my lord. You can go in peace now. Maybe we will meet again in another life."

The pain I felt was deeper than the blade that she left in my heart. I could not believe she would do such a crazy act to me. If only I can hold my consort's hand once more before I leave this Earth.

[ The next day, Shao Guai Ji saw the prince in bed naked under the blood stained sheets. He gasped at the horrible sight and cried for the guards to get the senior doctor.

The shock and horror on his face was shared by the other servants soon enough for they know what will happen to them. A few of them were locked until their sentencing was passed down.

Shao Guai Ji was in a dungeon cell of his own thinking of what has happened despite the careful measures he has taken to prevent any misfortune. ]

I was speechless to see my lord's body laying motionless. Where did I go wrong? It is my fault for not watching my lord more carefully and I deserve to die, but I do not want to die. The only one who could save me now is Her Graciousness if she would forgive me and take me in. She would have to convince the emperor and a list of others that I am not at fault. This would be a difficult task to do. I must accept my fate. It would not be long till my head is taken and I will walk to the Under World to pay my dues.

In the distance, I hear the rattle of the guard's keys coming closer and closer to my cell. Is my time up already?

He opened the door and set down a tray of food and wine. The bowl was full of rice. The dishes of vegetables and chicken looked delicious. There was not any doubt this would be my last meal. At least I will not leave this Earth as a hungry spirit.

There was also someone standing next to the door. I looked up and could see it was Her Graciousness. Part of me did not know what to think and part of me was in a state of panic.

I bowed down on my hands and knees in a frenzy and said, "Your Graciousness, please have mercy. Please have mercy, Your Graciousness. Please have mercy."

She lowered herself down and told me to calm myself. I tried to hold my nerves together and let her talk.

"I know you did your best to save the prince. As much as I want to save you, it is very difficult for me to persuade the royal family and court officials. One thing is for sure, I will hunt down the dogs that did this to my Shen Wai. You need to eat well. I will stay here to join you till your last bite and last drink."

My face grew somber and I ate every piece of food for Her Graciousness. I drank every drop of wine left in the three, brown bottles. The last bottle tasted a little different from the other two. Next thing I knew, my body became numb and my eyes were very heavy.

[ Yeh Wun had slipped in some poison into the last bottle so that Shao Guai Ji would die without pain.

As for the rest of the concubines, she gave them an option to be free to go back to their home towns and never to speak a word of what happens in the palace or stay and be taken by other officials and princes.

Yeh Wun had contemplated on taking her own life once she has tracked down the dogs. Unless Heaven decides to stop her from joining her beloved Shen Wai in the next life, she would feel all alone living in such a cold and corrupt place without her one and only love of her life. ]