Love In The Palace

Change

Chapter 38.

Big announcement! I have written out the storylines for each chapter until the final one. If the story doesn't change at all, Love In The Palace will END at episode 47! That means 9 more chapters to go! :D

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Recap: in the previous chapter, Jade starts visiting the pavilion Third Prince frequently goes to. Third Prince asks whether did Jade marry Crown Prince willingly and Jade later on asks why did the two princes hate each other. However both of them receive no answer. Consort Lana's heart slowly melts as she sees more of the young her in Jade.

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"The fight for the throne in the palace cause a lot of deaths. Many thinks that the who becomes the Emperor wins. They are wrong, actually. The winner is actually the loser, because the new Emperor will have to pay the price for being the Emperor for the rest of his life. Those who lost the fight for the throne....they are losers as well. However, the biggest and final loser is still the one who won the throne. Same with me, for I am also the biggest loser."

"..."

"You must be curious about who is the winner, right? Unfortunately, there is no winner. The fight for the throne is one that has no winner. This is the palace, where winner does not exist." Emperor, to someone.

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Silence creeps into every corner of his spacious study room, which has only bit of all its windows opened to welcome fresh air in. The doors are also shut tightly to prevent any intruders from coming in. Usually, he has  fragrant incense burnt to help him soothe his mind as he reads through all the rolls of bamboo books piled up on a tray on his low wooden table. Today, however, he especially asks the incense to be put out and the servants to carry flowers into his room instead. In his orange robe with a golden dragon embroidered in the middle, he leaves his books and massages his temples for a moment before he pushes himself up and paces his way slowly straight towards the flowers. He is enjoying the colours of spring in his delighted mood when he stops in his tracks, his eyes catching the image of a pot of white flowers.

White magnolias. The faint smell of the flowers grow stronger as he closes in on it. He lifts his fingers to brush past the damp petals of the fresh flowers, his memories of the past all swarming back like a storm.

Before long, he finds the world start to spin as he loses his balance. Eunuch Fan puts aside all manners and dashes towards his master, catching him just in time.

"Your Majesty!" He gently and very carefully lowers the Emperor's body onto the floor. The ruler of the Empire coughs hard and uncontrollably into his hand. When he calms down, he removes his hand, only to find that he has accidentally plucked two magnolia flowers with him as he falls.

And most importantly, they both see blood on the flowers.

"Blo-blood! Summon the Physicians! Quick! Summon the Physicians!" In the midst of the chaos in his study room, the Emperor chuckles quietly, his eyes never leaving the beautiful flowers that have been stained by his blood.

"She is coming to fetch me." He whispers to himself happily, as though he has been waiting so long for this.

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News have spread. The Emperor has fallen ill but still can attend the Court and to his duties as per usual, although the frequencies may have to be cut down. He is only forty-five years old, but the stress that has accumulated for the twenty-eight years of his reign has taken a toll on his health significantly quick. Of course, no one will ever know that the guilt and stress over the death of his loved one may also have been another reason his health is deteriorating so quickly.