The Lazy Life Of Raine

Reunion (17)

Linqin stood up and sat down in the chair that was left empty for her.  Zhelan sat down afterwards and hot tea was served to the two of them before the servants left, leaving the two alone.  

“You must have been surprised when you read my letter.”  Zhelan began their conversation. “However everything that I written in the letter is true.  I’ve fall---”

“Stop your words.”  Linqin told him as she cut him off.  “Do not repeat what you’ve written. I know that your feelings are true for me, and that is why it took me such a long time to come here.  I needed time to think and made you wait the whole day. Please forgive me.”

“What is there to forgive, it should be me who asks for your forgiveness.  Your engagement has already been announced, however I confessed my feelings to you the day of this announcement.”  

“Please, your Highness.  Let me speak so we can properly talk.”  Linqin said as she looked down at her hands that were gripped together around the teacup.  Linqin’s uneasiness caused Zhelan to smile gently at her. This is the woman he fell in love with, the woman who calls out to his heart.  

“Your Highness, thank you for your sincere feelings towards me, however I cannot accept it.”  Linqin said softly.

Zhelan’s smile quickly left as he sat up and rage filled his senses as he listened.  

“Please forget me and move on with your infatuation with me.  I am but a humble Zither Master who does not want to graced with your Highness’s feelings and live in the back palace.”

“Why?”  Zhelan asked with a rough voice, as he tried to hide his anger.  

“Although you may have feelings for me, I do not have feelings for you.”  

“Are you saying you have feelings for Minister Weisheng?”  

“Yes, I do.”  

“You’ve only known him for two months, how do you know that what you’re feeling is love?”  

“I know enough that it is love and that is why I am marrying him.”  Linqin told him as she stood up and bowed to him. “Please forget that we’ve ever met, so you could forget this love faster.”  

Linqin turned around and walked towards the door.  Suddenly she found herself pushed against the door and trapped inside of his embrace.  Zhelan held her tightly and breathed in her scent, which intoxicated him more. If she couldn’t see the rightful way, he could force her to the right direction.  She would hate him for a bit, but later she would see how much he loves her and cherishes her that she’ll forgive him.

“Let go of me, your Highness.”  Linqin pleaded as she stopped struggling.  “I’ve already forgave you for killing my family, what else are you going to do to me, to make me hate you?”  

A cold chill ran through his body as he froze.  He killed her family? When? Why couldn’t he remember killing her family?  

“You… what do you mean?”  Zhelan asked as he pulled slightly away from her with a confused look.  

“Your Highness.”  Linqin said as she turned around and looked at him.  Her eyes were cold with anger as she spoke her truth.  “You gave an order for 9 generations of cleansing for my clan.  The men slaughtered on my Grandfather’s funeral, the woman sold into slavery, even before we could properly bury my Grandfather’s cold body into the ground.  Where his body is now, I don’t know. My family, my clan, for generations has always served the country, its people and the Emperor without fail or corruption.  We had stood by each Emperor without bias, guiding each Emperor and helping his burdens. But with one word, you ordered the cleansing of 9 generations without cause and without proof.  And now you want to give me the highest honor of becoming your Noble Consort, when you’ve deemed me, my family and my clan as traitors?!”

“You….”  Zhelan could only say in disbelief as he took a step back and dropped his hands to the side.  

“It took time for me to earn my own slave contract and began making my own way in life as the Zither Master.  It took me years to earn enough to buy my mother and sister’s slave contract and set them free. Now that they are living well and I am going to marry the man who was once my betrothed before my family was destroyed, you want to force yourself on me, to have ownership of my body?” Linqin said as she glared at him.  “My marriage to Minister Weisheng had long been established before we were born. My family and his family were in talks to begin our wedding when my Grandfather died. Due to the false crimes against my family, we could never be together. But he waited for me and once we found each other again, he kept his promise to make me his wife, as our family had long promised to each other.”  

“General Shen’s son was engaged to the first daughter of the Second family of the Li Clan.”  Zhelan softly said as he remembered the past information on the Li Clan.

“That’s right.”  Linqin told him. “You unjustly ordered the cleansing of 9 generations of my clan.  Now you profess your love to me and want me to be your Noble Consort? My journey as a slave made me realize that only forgiveness can make me move on with my life, so I had forgiven you.  Because the past cannot be changed and those lost, cannot be brought back. But if you want to force yourself on to me and disgrace my honor, that is something I cannot forgive.”

“I..” Zhelan said as he forgot himself.  

“Your Highness, forget you’ve ever seen me or met me.  Forget this meeting and in the future pretend that you don’t see me.  I will marry Minister Weisheng and become his wife.”

Linqin left quickly afterwards, not caring it her action caused him any insult.  

“Find out everything.”  Zhelan said softly as his anger began to rise.  

Linqin’s revelation caused his heart to feel stuffy.  Never once did he think that his decision to completely cleanse the Li Clan would hurt him back so much.  He thought back to the months after his ascension as Emperor and remembered that it was his Empress that wanted the 9 generation cleansing.  The false charges against the Li Clan could have been quickly debunked, had he looked into it. However he brushed it aside and did as his Empress asked, due to his gratefulness towards her.

Years later, he was no longer grateful towards his Empress.  She and her family has now become a problem to him. Her with her controlling ways, and her family earning more power and supporters in his court.  

“I want all the answers by tomorrow morning.”  Zhelan ordered his shadow guard before leaving.