The Abandoned Bride

Chapter 6

"If you say anything about this to anyone, I will poison you and no one will know, they will just think you died from an illness" I hear Mother-in-Law's voice in my ears over and over and I wake with a start and sit up in bed.

I look around and don't recognize where I am and start to panic that I have been taken by someone. An unfamiliar girl comes into the room and I stare at her and she looks at me with her eyes open with surprise then proceeds to set down the bowl she is carrying and runs out of the room. I start to feel very nervous and a man comes rushing into the room and I pull up the blankets around my chest and sit back into the bed.

"Who are you people?" I say, very alarmed.

"My Lady you were very sick and unconscious for three days" The girl tells me. I look back at the man still confused why he is in here.

"You are my wife, I am General Song Changwei, I found you outside of the manor where you collapsed and as Mimi said you have been very sick and unconscious" He explains, and tells Mimi to go and get the Physician.

He walks over to the bed and I am in complete shock, my husband has come back, after all this time and he caught me running away from home. I can't even formulate a thought and we sit in silence as I try to process the information that has been given to me.

"I have many questions for you" He says in a firm and almost ominous voice.

I don't say anything, it will be best for me to feign ignorance at this time, especially with an illness. I can't actually explain that I was fleeing his home to get away from the horrible conditions I have lived through here. I don't expect him to believe me since no one is on my side and none of the servants will corroborate the ill treatment I have experienced here.

 He has no reason to believe me over his Mother and he will not want to take sides with a woman that he barely knows over his own flesh and blood. If only I had been able to leave earlier than I would be long gone from here and wouldn't have to deal with this mess. Now I can't even make it in time to catch up with the traveling group, it would be a gamble to try and find them as they could be anywhere by now.

"Where were you going?" He asks in almost a growl.

"What do you mean?" I say trying to not be unsettled by his question.

"You were traveling at night, alone, with all of your belongings and quite a bit of money," He says.

"I don't remember, must not have been that important then" I say trying to keep it lighthearted.

"It would be wise for you to tell me the truth" He says, sounding somewhat agitated and I feel my heart beating hard and fast.

" Ow, my head," I say and convincingly hold my head in my hands. A concerned look flashes across his face for a second before it turns back to a stoic look. A knock is at the door and the Physician comes in the General leaves the room while he checks me over.

"How are you feeling today?" The Physician asks and takes my pulse and I lay back into the bed.

"My head is pounding" I say and close my eyes, the Physician then leaves the room and I hear talking outside my door. As I lay here I realize I wasn't even lying, my head really is aching and pounding.

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"How is she?"

"General, your wife is still fighting her fever and cold, it would be best to just let her rest and continue with the medicine, I would avoid making her upset as well" He says handing me the medicine and I thank him and I let him leave.

I walk over to my Mother's room and knock on the door and announce myself.

"Come in my son" Mother says and her servant opens the door.

I have talked with Mother a few times in the last couple of days only about myself and how she has been, but I haven't discussed Danni with her. I want to approach the subject carefully because I don't understand what is going on and I don't want Mother to get offended.

"Mother, Danni is very sick and I have been getting the Physician to check in on her" I say right away.

"Yes dear, I have heard about the ruckus that has been happening, I fear her health will be the end of her" She says looking distressed.

"What has been happening with Danni? In the letters you would send everything sounded like it was fine, it gave me strength and peace of mind that the both of you were okay, but it doesn't seem that way to me. If I knew how bad things had become here I would have come home sooner, it doesn't seem like I was being given the truth" I say exasperatedly.

"Son, it is not my fault, I did not want to worry you and I really thought that I could handle all the affairs at home, what kind of Mother would I be bothering my Son, a General, with domestic affairs. Alas I have overextended myself and I don't know how much more I can take with that girl" Mother says crying and holding her handkerchief up to her face.

"What do you mean? What has been happening?"

"That girl, since your Father has died, has been too much for me to handle, she moved into her own quarters and sent her servant back home and wouldn't let any of the other servants come near her. She just sits in her room transcribing books over and over. I have tried everything to try to talk to her, but she would barely eat and would barely talk to anyone."

"But the letters I got from you, you never mentioned anything like this?" I say, confused.

" I didn't want to worry you, I think the passing of your Father was too much for her, I think she must have had feelings of love for your Father or something shameful like that, I didn't know what to do, I had no one to talk to" She says starting to wail some more.

"Mother, is there proof of what you are saying? I just can't believe this!" I say running my hands against my temples.

"Son, you can ask any of the servants here and they will tell you all the same thing. I really was hoping she would stop being like this, but I think it leaves us with no choice, you must find a new wife and divorce Danni. I really think there is something wrong with her mind" Mother says as her tears stop.

"Mother, I can't just get rid of my wife" I say frustrated. I try to question my Mother further, but we end up just talking in circles and I eventually take my leave. Why would she stay here so long if she wanted to run away in the end, what has been going on in this house? I intend to find out. I decide to leave the house and go for a walk to deal with this disturbing information.

"General, where are you going?" Rui-Chan calls out to me while running to catch up.

"I am just going for a walk, but I need you to talk to the servants of the house discretely and see what they say about Danni and Mother. I need to know what has been happening the last ten years" I explain.

"Is there something else I should know?"

"No, for now just see what they have to say, I will explain later if necessary" I say and keep walking while Rui-Chan turns to leave to go back to the manor. I trust Mother, but at the same time she seems different from what I last remember, I just don't know what to think at this point.