Scent of Cherry Blossoms (Ongoing)

Chapter 9 - The Wedding (Part 2)

Hello, all! Sorry for the long, long wait. I appreciate your patience and support. My mom has recovered and my dad's condition seems to be stabilizing at the moment to return to his base line. The doctor and I really thought my family was going to lose him. Thankfully, we didn't.

Anyway, here is chapter 9 part 2 that you all have been patiently waiting for. I hope you guys enjoy. Oh, and ify, school semester has started for me and I'm also currently doing fieldwork for two of my courses so chapters will be slow. I will find time to write.

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Chapter 9 - The Wedding (Part 2)

“There, don’t you look beautiful!” the middle-aged woman praised Xiao Ming after she placed a golden hairpin onto his updo hair. She looked into the mirror and beamed at him, proud of her work.

In contrast to the woman’s smiling face, there was no sign of joy on Xiao Ming. He silently gazed at his reflection in the mirror. The face that gazed back at him was solemn and graceful. It contained a youthful beauty that outshined even his mother, who was known as a great beauty in her youth. Upon his head was a delicate flower and butterfly headpiece made of gold and rubies. Fine beaded strings flowed from the headpiece to sides of his face, amplifying his already beautiful face.

Xiao Ming touched the right side of his face dejectedly as his mind wondered how things have come to this. In this one life of his, he was really going to marry a man. His inner thoughts swam in a deep inky well of turmoil and inquiry. Questions flowed in and out of his mind. Who had done this to him? His father? No, no... no. It wasn’t his father. Who? Two people came to mind: The Emperor and the 3rd Prince! Xiao Ming clenched his teeth together, bunched his hands into fists, and his expression turned cold with a mixture of hate and dread.

The middle-aged woman patted his shoulder in comfort as she noted the gloomy expression on the youth. Sigh…poor boy, if you were my son I would not know how to save you either. She shook her head softly, and said, “One is often blind to fate. Like the leaves flowing in the wind, we do not know where we will land. All we can do is to accept where the wind settles us. Do not dwell too much on it Young Lord. It is better to accept to put your mind at ease. Being married to the 3rd Prince won’t be too bad. He is a vaunted war hero who is well-respected. You will continue to live in luxury while being under the protection of the 3rd Prince.”

At this time, the doors to Xiao Ming’s bedchamber creaked open. Zhu Ehuang entered the room followed by Xiao Ruo. The middle-aged woman and her assistants turned to greet the two’s arrival. “Madam. Miss.” Zhu Ehuang nodded and walked to her son. She sat down with him and gently hugged him to her chest. Xiao Ruo felt bad for her baby brother, but she felt very awkward and uncomfortable because her brother was going to be married away to a man. Not sure what to say and yet wanting to cheer him up a bit, she forced out an awkward giggle and tapped him aggressively on the shoulder. “Xiao Ming, you look beautiful! Even more beautiful than Xi Shi!” (Note: XI Shi is one of China’s four great beauties in the historical record. Xi Shi was said to be an extremely beautiful woman who was able to shy fishes away with her beauty and that she played a key role in the fall of the Wu country.) Xiao Ruo giggled and continued, “Fishes shying into the creek under a beauty’s presence? Meh! With your beauty, the Emperor of heaven would descend! Hahahaha-Ouch!” Xiao Ruo winced as her mother pinched her.