Three ex-husbands and a marriage

Demon King

Now that I have identified that the dreams might hold the clues to undo this curse, I am even more eager to sleep and dream again. I looked at the sky, calculating the time. It was still too early for a nap, and the next meal would be ready soon. I ran back to my room to find Mother Bai still weeping on the bed. A weariness washed over me.

"Mother, please stop crying. We are in this situation, and there is no other way out for the foreseeable future. Can you please accept this reality and try to see things in a more positive light? Maybe Auntie and Uncle will not be the narrow-hearted people you are predicting. Only time can tell, but in the meantime, can we please try our best to live well?" I knelt beside her bed and pleaded.

"My poor daughter, of course, I know our situation. I really do. Forgive this useless mother. I did not mean to stir anything up. After all, we are relying on their mercy. All I wanted to do was to warn you so that you don't blindly believe people. There is only you and me in this world, so we must be careful not to fall into other people's schemes. It's not that I don't trust your judgment, but you are still so young. Mother worries, do you understand?" she replied. I patted her hand, my heart a little broken by the damp handkerchief she was holding.

"Mother, I am tired. I won't be able to eat lunch, so please enjoy your meal. I understand that we will be called to join the family for dinner tonight, and Uncle will make an announcement," I said wearily. 

Mother Bai sighed and nodded. "I cannot imagine how I can face your grandparents now. They loved your father wholeheartedly and blindly followed everything he told them. Back then, the matter of splitting the household was your father's idea, and your grandparents wanted to follow us. They gave us eight portions, while they kept one portion and gave one portion to your uncle. The old family home was just a shell when it was given to your uncle. But your father convinced them that they needed to stay so that they can protect the family home in case your uncle is really executed. So they stayed and kept sending us funds occasionally. Now that he has died in such a way, they must want to hang us."

I lay down on the bed beside her and sighed wearily, with my hand resting on my head to soothe the pounding headache that was coming on. "Cousin told me that grandparents were very angry. They wanted Uncle to hang us for murder," I said softly. Mother Bai wept again. "Uncle and Auntie refused, and things got heated. Now they have been ordered to stay inside their courtyard for a month so as not to stir trouble. I can only guess that they want to leave the palace and go plead to the Emperor for our punishments," I continued.

"So vicious, they raised a terrible man, and yet they could never see their error. Why can't they see that this situation is all their fault? Now they want to kill their grandchild as well! What can we do now? Wei Wei, we truly have nowhere to lean on," she cried.

I rubbed my temples and rolled over to my side, turning my back towards her. "Mother, let me sleep. We need to take each day as it comes," I replied. She muffled her sobs and got off the bed. As she let down the silk curtains, she whispered, "Wei Wei is tired, sleep well. I will keep some food for when you get hungry, otherwise, I will wake you up for dinner." Then she walked out of the room and quietly closed the doors. 

The room fell into a peaceful silence, save for my pounding heart. My eyes grew blurry from the blinding migraine, but my mind refused to sleep. I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep, but my brain spun at a dizzying pace, bringing up past memories and questioning my uncertain future. Tears rolled down my eyes. I lay there for some time before I realized I was once again in my dreams, becoming Jiang Meng. I watched the dream unfold from both her perspective and a dissociated third perspective. The dream picked up from when Jiang Meng first met the Demon King.

Jiang Meng observed the Demon King as he lazily drank from a goblet of gold encrusted with rubies. The red liquid overflowed and dripped from the corner of his lips, its thick flow resembling the viscosity of honey—bright red, like bloody honey. He smiled lazily and leaned backward, indulgently resting his head against the hideous, skull-decorated throne. If it weren't for the oppressive aura of death and destruction that contaminated the air, suffocating all who breathed it, one might be fooled by the handsome man's indulgent expression. He appeared stunningly beautiful, a rare beauty that even Jiang Meng had to admit would be difficult to find in the celestial realm. The Demon King raised his long, slender finger and wiped the droplets of liquid, teasingly licking them off.