The Emperor Chases His Wife

Chapter III

CHAPTER III: If You Break The Engagement Then Your Future Will Be So Uncertain...

"Qing, what are you doing?" Nian sat up and questioned the small girl softly.

The little girl jumped in shock and clenched her chest, turning to face Nian with a frightened look in her eyes. Her mistress had truly frightened her.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Nian apologized upon noting the girl's shaken up behavior. "It's late. Please go to bed."

Qing shook her head. "I can't Miss. I have to sew your clothes properly so that you have something to wear tomorrow."

Nian looked confused.

Qing saw her expression and paused her work, lifting up whatever it was she was doing.

Nian noticed that she was in fact sewing robes for a dress.

It was plain white and there was nothing special about the robes but Qing seemed to be determined to work, stitching the few tears and holes together neatly so that they were unseen and doing some embroidery on the pieces which were too big to conceal.

"I must finish this." Qing spoke diligently with a determined look on her tiny round face. "If I don't, Miss won't have anything to wear to the Palace tomorrow and I'm afraid Miss will be embarrassed."

The little girl looked so horrified and frightened at the thought of Nian not having anything to wear tomorrow and Nian frowned.

This shouldn't be happening.

From the looks of the plain robes, Qing had probably gotten the cheap robes from somewhere in the servants quarters and was trying her best to make Nian look presentable.

Nian's heart warmed at the thought. Qing had been doing so much for her ever since the two started to live together. Their living conditions were horrible. There was only a single table, which was missing a leg, two half rotten chairs, a small bed and a tiny dresser in the room. The bed wasn't big enough to fit the both of them and Qing had put together a few old blankets and a pillow full of holes at the foot of the bed to sleep in.

From her memories, Nian could remember Qing shivering from the cold on the ground in the winter, the small fireplace in the room barely providing heat to keep the two of them warm.

The both of them were treated worst than the servants!

Nian gritted her teeth again. She was going to find a way to fix this. Qing saw Nian's hardened expression and thought that her mistress as mad at her. Instantly she started to cry. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you Miss. Please don't be mad."

Nian shook her head. "I'm not mad."

She then motioned to the half finished robes. "Do your work quickly and get some rest. I will need your assistance to get ready in the morning and I do not wish you to be tired and sloppy."

"Yes Miss." Qing nodded eagerly and continued with her work.

Nian watched her for a few short seconds before lying back down on the bed and closing her eyes.

The next morning came quite quickly and Nian was completely unaware, lost in the imaginative world of her dreams as the red sun unhurriedly climbed the sky and daylight surfaced. When Nian did wake up she felt that something was wrong.

A major event was going to happen today.

The morning started out quite usually. Qing went to fetch breakfast and the two settled on the floor near the bed to eat. A bowl of dry white rice with no meat and a few pieces of half rotten lettuce leaves.