Love Like The Galaxy:The Choices We Make

Chapter -6

Shaoshang limped back to her room, each step a painful reminder of her declining health. As she entered her study room, she settled in front of her small, yet fitting study table. The room lacked any adornments. A room built only for the namesake of 'Shaoshang's study room'.

Memories of her Second Aunt's indifference flooded her mind, making the room feel even more desolate, filled with old and torn scrolls. She recalled how her Second Aunt never paid attention to her studies and intentionally left her to be an illiterate.With a wry smile, she picked up a scroll about basic characters, its condition almost comical.

"Should I really try to be like Yang Yang?"

She decided to lose herself in poetry, hoping it would provide a temporary escape:

"My sorrows, my sighs,
My life, my fate,-"

But the peace was short-lived as a sudden realization struck like a thunderbolt.

"Wait! Who taught me to read? It was.... It was ...a woman...THE EMPRESS!" Shaoshang cried out, clutching her throbbing head in agony.
"Ahhhhhh!!!my head hurts!! "

In her distress, she accidentally dropped the scroll, causing ink to spill. Her confusion escalated when her mother stormed into the room, her face red with fury, and a maid servant followed her.

"PERFECT!!! If you don't want to read, then don't destroy these valuable scrolls," her mother's voice resonated with anger.

Shaoshang glanced up at her raging mother, feeling utterly overwhelmed by the pain throbbing through her head. She tried to explain what had happened, but her mother's wrathful words cut her off, leaving her feeling unheard and misunderstood.

"A'mu, my head hurts." She managed to speak.

"Your head didn't hurt when you sent your maid to tarnish our family's reputation! Why can't you be more like Yang Yang?" her mother reprimanded in a stern and bitter tone.

Disbelief and frustration washed over Shaoshang, and she desperately attempted to explain further, but her mother's anger left no room for reasoning.

"A'mu , Second Aunt pushed me . Look at my hands." Shaoshang extended her palms , which her mother ignored.

"You could have come to me. But you have to always act on your own !!! You reported your grand uncle without thinking about the consequences." Her mother shouted.

"But-"

" Don't you dare leave this room . Such an unruly and stubborn girl." Her mother stormed out after  giving her punishment.

The harsh punishment of being confined to the room without food and having to copy the Book of Rites a hundred times weighed heavily on her, amplifying her sense of isolation.

Alone with her unbearable pain and a profound feeling of loneliness, Shaoshang couldn't bear the idea of enduring this torment every day. A new-found determination started to take root, a desire to break free from this suffocating atmosphere.

"I have to escape from all this," she whispered, her voice a mix of pain and determination.

Amidst the tumult of emotions, she momentarily forgot about the looming events at the capital and the significant roles she would play in the lives of others. Slowly, as her headache began to subside, she found some relief, yet uncertainty remained her constant companion.

But before she could embark on her escape, she felt compelled to settle the debts with her Second Aunt, who had caused her so much suffering. The stubborn and strong-willed Shaoshang had made up her mind, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Shaoshang spent her day copying the book of rites. She laid down her plan.

It was evening time.Nio Niao wasn't going to meddle in these matters. She knew her mother already had her plan ready, but what Madam Ge did angered her. Shaoshang also understood that if she didn't intervene, there were chances that her Second Aunt would accompany them. But now, she took matters into her own hands.

Madam Ge heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"Second Aunt, are you asleep?"

Madam Ge stormed out, still reeling from a heated conversation with her husband. Her eyes scanned the hallway, but there was no one in sight. As she turned to retreat into her room, she caught a glimpse of Shaoshang standing in a corner.

"What are you doing here?" Madam Ge snapped.

"I just came to see our new room," Shaoshang replied calmly.

"Youuuu..." Madam Ge's voice trembled with anger, her teeth almost clenched in frustration.

"If you want to keep this room, I can help you," Shaoshang whispered, her voice filled with a mysterious allure.

"Why would you help me and go against your own mother?" Madam Ge questioned.

"I just want to get back at her..." Shaoshang met her eyes defiantly.

"What do you mean?" Madam Ge pressed for an explanation.

Shaoshang leaned in, sharing her plan to exploit Grandmother's superstitious beliefs. She told Madam Ge that the main chamber was considered auspicious for conceiving an offspring, especially a son.

Caught in the web of Shaoshang's trickery, Madam Ge fell for it, her thoughts entangled in the hope of securing her position in the household.

Shaoshang remained silent for a few days, keeping herself out of her mother's piercing gaze. She chose her words carefully and behaved with utmost propriety. Her strategy worked like a charm. As expected, her Second Aunt was now preparing to return with her father. However, Niao Niao paid little attention to these developments. Her mind was consumed by a different plan altogether – how she would execute her escape before heading to the capital.

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Hello everyone,
I am extremely sorry for such a late update.

Hope you will like this chapter.

Please drop a comment. It will help me a ton to improve and write a much better story. ❤️

Thank you.