Yearning Of The Jade

Chapter 11: Lady Xin's Story

Chapter 10

"Hiding in Qin," He said. "A place that Yan would never have thought to look for you. A smart, but cunning solution. Imperial Lady Xin, you have my utmost admiration."

    Godmother was defeated. Wang Gao finally won. But even at this point, I still didn't believe him. I wanted to hear godmother's words so I waited. Her words are always the truth.

    I waited until godmother finally lifted her head to Wang Gao and said, "You're right. I'm the convict, Imperial Lady Xin."

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Chapter 11

    "No," Li Chen cried. "It can't be."

    "How can this be?" I said, choking on my emotions. "I don't believe you. You're lying."

    Godmother turned over to me, tears filling up her tear ducts. "What he said is true, Ling'er. I am nothing but a convict from the state of Yan. I used to be a palace consort of King Wu of Yan. ten years ago, I escaped Yan only with Jian'er by my side and never returned. We sought refuge in the state of Qin, thinking that the state of Yan would never have the guts to search for us in Qin."

    "But you can't," I still denied. "You couldn't have committed treason. You are not that kind of person!"

    "I'm not and I didn't Ling'er," Godmother replied. And then, she grew a saddened expression, deeply hurt and disappointed at my doubt. "At that time, I was Imperial Lady Xin, who was to be crowned queen of Yan. King Wu, he and I had a very intimate and close relationship. We were in love and inseparable."

Me and Li Chen stayed silent, continuing to give her all of our attention.

Godmother went on, "King Wu had dozens of other consorts and concubines, more than he could actually count. But he never went into their rooms, he never spared them one glance. He chose me. He always had and I'm entirely grateful for his love. However, my existence was a thorn for others. And in the end, I couldn't escape the hands of jealousy and became a scapegoat for someone's evil plan."

I raised my voice, little higher but not louder than a mouse. "You mean the one who framed you is the present Yan queen?"

"I do not dare to speak of it now. I was naive. I thought that my relationship with King Wu was unbreakable. I used to think that it didn't matter if others hated me. As long as we loved each other, we could overcome anything. And as long he was King, he could protect me. But in the end, he doubted me."

Love. What a funny entity. It makes us become a different person than who we really are. We forget reality and become blind. It makes us drunk in illusions of eternal bliss, ignoring everything in front of us. In order to shake it, all it took for King Wu's love to dissipate was a little droplet of doubt. Just doubt and only doubt.

Everyone knew that King Wu and his family were on Qin's land at this moment, presumably enjoying the hospitality of the Qin palace. But it was all too much of a coincidence. Godmother, a former Yan Imperial consort, taken in captivity with the Yan king and queen living above us? This was all planned.  

Before I could speak up, godmother quickly spoke over me. "What happened in the past is all in the past. It doesn't matter anymore." She knew what I was thinking and stopped me from saying it, saving me.

"Oh but I'm afraid it does matter," Wang Gao smiled. "You see Madam Gong, treason is a very serious crime for which it results in undeniable death. Don't you see Madam Gong? By hiding in Qin, you've made both Qin and Yan your enemies. Sure Yan can't search for you in Qin as they do not have the audacity to do so. But once Yan discovers that you've been in Qin all these years, Yan will start to have animosity towards Qin. I do not know what our king would do if he finds out that you ruined his planned alliance with Yan."