A/N: If you wish, listen to this music while reading:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar7nVbjAsEw
The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than him - Unknown
YAO MEI POV
Flashback
Alone.
She had always been alone.
Even with her mother and father by her side, she had always been alone. She was an only child after all, the only child they had managed to create.
A girl.
A disappointment.
The bruises that littered her body ached, the stinging reminder of her father's 'methods of discipline' like a stain of ink upon a page of paper. The touch of her father's hands disgusted her, she felt worthless, was worthless. Her mother was never home to care.
The day when The Palace Guards had come to take her, there had not been a single tear shed from either of them.
Be a good girl.
His hand had clasped tightly onto her shoulder, fingers digging into her skin. The touch made her skin crawl, the sensation like a thousand maggots beneath her flesh. Her mother did not bat an eye. She couldn't see, didn't bother herself to see they way the pressure on her skin was too heavy, too threatening. And so, she had entered The Palace, face, a mask of carefully practiced innocence and happiness.
Her parents didn't want her.
No one did.
End of Fashback
LI HUA POV
Her friend spares a second to glance upwards before sending her a scathing look, quickly rising with the broken shards still staining her hands.
"Yao Mei-" her friend pushes past her roughly, her shoulder colliding harshly into Li Hua's chest as she rushes past, racing out into The Palace gardens. It takes a few minutes for the cruel truth to sink in. She needs to find Yao Mei. Her head is throbbing as she pushes her shaking legs forward through the hall, her legs carrying her as fast as they can. The gardens are a white wonderland, every tree covered in a frosty layer of crystal-like snow. She doesn't know where her friend is, so she just runs. She keeps on running through the endless winter paradise until a smudge of purple catches the corner of her eye and she immediately sets off towards it, slippers and the bottom of her dress already beginning to dampen. Yao Mei walks rapidly, turning into an old, dark building, her hood once again obscuring her face.
She doesn't know what she's going to do when she catches her.
What can she do?
What should she do?
It's the old temple, she realises. The place had been abandoned long ago due to the poor quality of timber, or so she had half heartedly heard from Fang Liu's speech regarding The Palace Grounds. Following the girl into the building, Li Hua is vaguely aware of the creaking and moaning of the floorboards beneath her, the old dust-covered timber, looking on the verge of collapse. The roof is full of holes, casting circles of light and snow into the room beneath. Her friend stands deathly still in the midst of the room, the place eerily quiet and serene. Her heart is pounding; blood is boiling as her friend stares at her, face betraying no sign of emotion beneath her lilac coloured cloak. Her voice shakes, breaks, and falters when she speaks, tears and bile rising.
"You...how could you...how- why?" She doesn't know what to feel anymore. The girl looks at her, dead in the eyes, cold orbs staring her down.
"Why?" She scoffs, sinister laughter erupting from her sweet lips. "The Palace is nothing but a battlefield. It's kill....or be killed." Her palms are sweaty despite the coldness that seeps through her dress.
"I don't under-" She wants to hit her, strangle her, make her pay for her sins, but this is Yao Mei; her friend, her sister.
"Of course you don't," she snaps, eyes ablaze. "You never were that bright, now were you". Li Hua, steps towards her, but the girl growls, producing a dagger from the folds of her robes. "Don't." her friend warns, voice wavering. Laughter bubbles from her, and she throws her head back, chortling. She watches hopelessly as her friend's laughter dissolves into tears. They roll down her pale face, dripping onto the wooden floorboards beneath as she weeps. "I don't want to die alone," she rasps, collapsing onto the floor.
"Yao Mei....." Li Hua approaches her, but her friend's sobs suddenly cease, her figure suddenly moving fast. It's all she can do when she falls backwards, bright red liquid staining her fingers as she clutches her side painfully. Her friend stares at her, hands shaking as she clasps onto the dagger.
"I.....Li Hua....I-I didn't mean to...you.." Her voice is trembling. Li Hua's vision is beginning to blur, the outline of her Yao Mei's form beginning to sway from side to side as small black dots begin to appear in her vision. The sound of something being dropped and hurried footsteps can be heard as she collapses onto the ground, her shoulder hitting the ground painfully.
THE EMPEROR'S POV
"Where is Lady Hua?" His voice booms throughout the chambers, as a small maid peeks her head around the corner.
"Your Highness!" she bows hurriedly, but he waves it off, irritation rising in his voice .
"Are you Li Hua's maid?" he asks gruffly. The girl nods timidly. "Where is she?"
"I don't know, the last I had heard from her, she said she was going to visit The Empress...."
Right, the source of her uncalled for behaviour in the first place.
He nods, storming out of the chambers. Servants scatter out of his way as he makes his way towards The Empress' chamber, his fury clearly showing. The guards bow down to him as he approaches, when he suddenly, the doors to her chambers slowly swing open, as a litter of maids walk out, faces filled with tears. Doctor Hui Zhong appears after them, wrinkled face solemn. The maids freeze as they see him, immediately bowing. The old doctor looks at him, eye full of pity as he follows suit.
"What's going on?" he asks, worry suddenly making it's way into his voice. The doctor sighs softly, old eyes brimming with tears.
"The Empress.....is dead."
A/N: Wow, this is getting really heavy now. So, some of you may be wandering about Yao Mei. She is a character I created structured on that of people with sociopathic tendencies. Abuse as a child probably is the reason for her state. Tbh I kind of feel terrible for her. I'll elaborate in later chapters.
And NOOOOOOO THE EMPRESS!! I'm sorry, I had to do it :(
And NOOOOOOO LI HUAAAAAAA T^T
TLDR: Yao Mei is one crazy ass bitch.
ALSO!! A WARM AND HUMBLE WELCOME TO MY NEW READERS!!
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You guys just came out of nowhere!
Anyways guys, I know this is a crazy long A/N but I jst wanted to say thankyou to all of you, amazing readers for following my story and patiently waiting for updates.
As always: COMMENTS/VOTES are muchly appreciated <3
YOU ARE READING
The Emperor's Concubine
Historical FictionLi Hua enters The Palace as a concubine and she'll leave as the Empress
