Golden Thread

Their Meeting

Zhu Ming Lei had lost the box. Or rather, the box had disappeared. He spent the entire day searching the entire courtyard. It was nowhere to be seen and he even managed to scare the servants that were working in the kitchen. It was hopeless. He slumped down at his desk, anxiety and worry gnawing at his insides. Few knew of the box's existence, and fewer still knew of the place it had in his heart and those people had his complete trust. 

As he flipped mindlessly through his calligraphy book, a sudden thought fell upon him. There was another person who knew of his attachement to the keepsake of his mother. 

The First Imperial Prince. 

As they were now both on equal footing in the battle for the throne, Ming Lei had expected his brother pull some sort of scheme. Yet, he had forgotten that Ming Xi also liked to come into Ming Lei's mother's courtyard when he was young to play with them. His own mother, a concubine, was bedridden and too weak to take care of him so the young crown prince used to spend his early childhood days in the company of the Empress and his younger brother. Ming Lei remembered the dark look that crossed Ming Xi's face as the empress gave that box to her son. 

It was jealousy and fury, twisted in an 8 years-old boy's eyes. 

He didn't think much of it back then. His simple 5 years-old mind brushed it away as envy at the sight of a mother caring for her son like so. It didn't cross his mind that he was actually starving for affection and wanted all of Ming Lei's mother's attention on him, and him only. 

When he disappeared years later, Ming Lei couldn't say he was grief-stricken, because he would be lying. Ming Xi's influence as Crown Prince was weighing down on Ming Lei since the day of his coronation. Behind the closed walls of the palace, his followers made sure in every way to diminish the young Second Prince's presence and strength. 

Ming Lei smiled angrily at himself. 

He was such a coward back then. If the Crown Prince hadn't disappeared, Ming Lei probably would have stayed as he was, a poor little boy forced to stay in his little world limited to the courtyard bestowed upon him at his brother's benevolence, located in the farthest place away from the main palace. He wasn't sure whether to thank or curse his Imperial Brother's disappearance. 

Ming Lei had his suspicions, but he still wasn't sure. As such, he called his most trusted confident and gave him the mission of hiring mercenaries to keep on eye on the First Prince. His friend, Ling Lan, was worried about the Prince's plan. He grew up together with the Prince as his close aide and had noticed, early on, the First Prince's bizarre behavior. As they were only speculations, he didn't dare to report it to his master, but now that it had come to this, he was sure the Second Prince had also sensed the dangerous aura that leaked from the returned man. Ling Lan took the little pouch full of money and bowed before leaving to accomplish his master's bidding. 

Ming Lei had trouble to sleep that night. In his dreams, flapping of wings and deep growls seemed to surround him, trapping him inside an invisible cage. He could see and feel the darkness closing in on him. Suddenly, a blinding light appeared in front of him, pushing the menacing shadows back. Ming Lei closed his eyes and raised his arms to shield from the brightness and only then realised that he was awake, in his bedchambers. The light hadn't gone, in fact, it was even brighter than before, piercing through the paper doors, reaching him like a gentle outstretched hand. 

The Prince stood up, put on his slippers and followed the light, as if mesmerized. He slid open the door leading to his chambers, not even glancing at the servants and the guards that were strangely all asleep in the hallways. It seemed like only he could see the light, as if it was there only for him. It somehow felt like it belonged to him.

The light led him to a nearby room, where all his robes and hats were neatly stored for their next use. He hadn't ever gone inside this room before, as the servants had to bring his robes to him in the morning. However, he didn't feel any of the wariness and danger he usually had when walking into unknown territory. Rather, he felt calm, relaxed as never before. It was only after he stepped inside that he found the light's source.

He wasn't alone.