The Pearls - YUNMEI

Chapter 1 - Stolen

A gloved hand closed over her mouth. Yunmei's eyes shot open as she attempted to scream. Her voice was muffled by a thick cloth before she was dragged out of her bed, and pulled into the freezing winter night. She blinked hard into the darkness, trying to make out the men who had taken her, who she struggled against, kicking and scratching. 

Were they going to kill her? Were they Qing men? 

Rough rope tied her hands behind her back as she was shoved into a carriage and blindfolded. "Don't. Even. Try," a low voice said close to her ear before the weight of a body sunk into the seat next to her. 

"It's going to be a long ride, Princess," he said, before knocking on the roof of the carriage. 

Yunmei breathed heavily through her those, her mouth still covered. She attempted to slide her hands out of the rope but her assailant had knotted it tight. Only wearing her nightclothes, she was freezing, but she forced herself not to shiver next to the brutal man next to her. She needed to think. 

It had to be Qing men. But how did they get into the Palace undetected? What did they want with her? 

"Give her the cloak," a faraway voice called. He must have been the one driving the carriage, sitting outside. The man beside her grunted but a second later a thick blanket-like fabric was thrown over her shoulders. She tried not to sigh in relief. But secretly she was thankful. It was strange. Why would her kidnappers even be remotely kind to her?

It felt like an hour before the cloth tied around her mouth was pulled down. She gasped in the fresh chilly air, chest heaving in relief. She must have been far away from the palace now. Too far for anyone to hear her screams. 

"Where are you taking me?" She asked. 

"The Qing Palace." 

She was surprised that the man beside her answered so quickly. 

"Why? What do you want with me?" 

"All your questions will be answered soon enough, Princess. We're just here to transport you," he said, sounding bored. 

This made Yunmei shut her mouth, as her mind thought about all of the possibilities for why she was in that carriage, for why she had been stolen. 

It felt like hours before the carriage hit a gravelly road, and she could see from under her blindfold that the sun had started to rise and the sky had started to lighten. She heard other horses and carriages rolling over the road, distant chatter, the sound of a city waking up. 

"Don't bother screaming," the man next to her said. "You're on Qing land now." 

Yunmei rolled her eyes beneath her blindfold, feeling tired. She had stayed up all night, not wanting to fall asleep next to her attackers. Whatever ever they wanted with her, they clearly needed her alive. Perhaps the Emperor wanted her as a bargaining chip. Either way, she knew she wouldn't be harmed, at least for now. 

The carriage eventually came to a stop, before she heard the driver talking in a low voice. He then shook the reins and the carriage rolled on forward. Behind her, she heard the sound of a heavy metal gate hitting the earth.

The blindfold came off. Yunmei blinked against the harsh morning light. A weathered face appeared in her line of vision, thick eyebrows, and a scar above his right eye. He was wearing the Qing uniform. 

"Welcome to the palace, your highness," he said, though the delivery sounded dry as if he was making a joke. Yunmei glared at him before looking out the carriage window. She had never seen the Qing Palace, never dreamed that she would ever be sitting inside it. It was expansive, grand like her home. She wasn't sure what she expected, but she supposed she didn't expect it to look so similar to where she had grown up. 

The carriage eventually slowed to a stop. The man hopped out of the carriage before gesturing at her to follow suit. She did, begrudgingly, feeling off-balance with her hands tied. She landed on the ground and wobbled, before a pair of hands steadied her. 

Yunmei looked up. Was surprised to see a young, handsome face peering down at her. Dressed in a nobleman's attire, he inspected her in a way that made her feel as if she was passing a test. 

"Don't touch me," she said harshly, twisting out of his grip and stepping back. Before she could get very far, a dozen guards appeared around her, hands on the hilts of their swords. 

She laughed, slightly hysterical. She was tired, afraid and her wrists hurt. She turned around, eyeing all the soldiers around her, glaring at her captor and the nobleman in front of her. 

"All these men, for protection against a Princess," she said, standing tall. "What, are you afraid of me?" 

The man from her carriage stepped forward. "You better show a bit more respect to your Emperor." 

Yunmei's head snapped back towards the nobleman. "'Emperor?" She asked, brows furrowing. The Qing Emperor was an old madman. 

The nobleman stepped forward towards her with his hands behind his back. He seemed casual, though, from the focused look in his dark eyes, she knew he was anything but. She eyed him suspiciously. "That's right. A new era has come for the Qing Empire. I'm the Emperor now." 

Yunmei fought the urge to spit at his shoes. Instead, she straightened her back and looked him hard in the eyes. "Well, I only recognise one Emperor. And he's my brother."

A hint of a smile appeared on the Qing Emperor's face. He gestured at his guards to back off. 

"You're not at all what I expected, Princess Yunmei," he said, before turning away. She glared at his silk-covered back. 

"Take her to her room to rest. No one goes in or out except her maids. Understood?" 

Her captor nodded. "Yes, your majesty."