Beyond the Galaxy

Chapter 3 - Warm Surprises

Buyi woke up alone in the cold chamber of Changqiu Palace. As soon as he noticed that Shaoshang wasn't by his side, he shot up in fear, scared about where she could have gone. He slid his boots on as quickly as he could before rushing out of the sliding doors of the room. They swung open as his eyes scoured the yard, looking for any sign of her. "A'Qi? A'Fei?". An unexpected hoarse cry escaped from his throat. Before he knew it he was at the other end of the yard. "Madam Zhai?". Buyi struggled to keep his composure as he rushed around, trying to find anyone around the lonely palace. His pace increased as the worry for his wife skyrocketed to the point that he started to shake. Considering the condition that she'd been in last night, he didn't trust her not to disappear again, just the thought of that happening paralysed his thoughts. Some relief came to him as he arrived at the kitchen area, where A'Fei was standing guard. "Have you seen Shaoshang? What are you doing over here?" Buyi asked, unable to shake his nerves. A'Fei stood dazed, unable to answer a single question before a familiar, enthusiastic "come in" came from behind the kitchen door. Without thought he swung open the kitchen door.

His focus was locked onto Shaoshang the second she entered his vision. Running into the room, he grabbed her by the shoulder, hugging her tightly while any feeling of dread slowly dissipated. Once he had fully calmed down, he asked her why she was up so early. Confused and frowning she beckoned him to look around the kitchen. Buyi instantly understood her reaction as he lifted his head. On a small wooden table at the side of the room were a number of dishes, all carefully assembled. In the very centre of this table was a dish of rice, in which "double happiness" was carefully written with a variety of chopped-up vegetables. Shaoshang was still disappointed when he finally noticed, after spending a lot of effort on their breakfast. Wanting to help her feel better, Buyi stared deeply into her eyes and kissed her, representing his deep thanks. They were only 2 days into married life but already excited for the eternity to come. Entranced by each other's presence, they stood together, not moving until A'Qi cleared his throat. "The lady has been preparing these dishes for hours. Eat them while they're hot, we'll leave first" he said, wrapping his arms around A'Fei's and dragging him out of the kitchen. They were tasked to double-check on the preparations back at the camp. Madam Zhai, who had been watching the whole show with a smile painted on her face, giggled before following the guards out and shutting the door behind her.

In the now-quiet kitchen, Buyi and Shaoshang sat and ate together. Once they had finished the dishes, they washed them up before returning to prepare to leave again. After they had everything in order in Changqiu Palace, they headed back to the main palace to pay their respects to His Majesty before leaving. They were announced into the main hall once again, this time also in the presence of the Crown Prince. They greeted them before waiting a while as they joined in the casual conversations. Buyi was incredibly proud of the Third Prince, now Crown Prince, and the good job that he was doing. Out of all of the emperor's children, Third Prince had always been a true brother to Buyi and they talked frequently. After all, they grew up together.

One of the main topics of conversation was the current state of the country. Now that the main rebel tribes had been demolished, the rebuilding could start, allowing Daye to enter a prosperous period of peace. The state of the imperial army and plans for its improvement were discussed before Buyi and Shaoshang's future was brought up once again. "Right!" the emperor exclaimed loudly, standing up from his seat. "Once you've settled down properly you should retire as general". Buyi's heart sank at the request, which had come completely out of the blue. After years of this topic being brought up, he had very mixed feelings. On one side of the argument, all Buyi could wish to do was find his happiness with Shaoshang in peace and raise their own family. On the other hand, Buyi had been a general for such a long time which meant keeping peace across the land and aiding the emperor in his endeavours. Suddenly giving up on those responsibilities seemed like an impossible task.