Love In The Palace

Crown Prince

Chapter 47.

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Recap: Emperor finally passed away, Consort Shine sent for signals for the Shines to make a move. Crown Prince immediately ran to Emperor's palace when he found out that the Emperor has departed. At the same time, Jade felt a sharp pain on her chest and she cannot stop crying. The coronation for the new Emperor is held, and the new Emperor will rule and be known as Emperor Ming.

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The dripping sound of melting snow can be heard throughout the Capital City. The thickness of the snow has decreased. Exactly eleven winters have passed. It has been that long, everyone has already settled down with the period of change, when a new Emperor was crowned. The market is increasingly bustling with more and more merchants from other cities trading their goods in the cold weather but increasing warmth. Spring is coming, the breeze can be felt as the sunlight is warming more.

From the gates of the Capital, enters two women with one young girl. They are dressed simply in their grey and light blue dresses with an outer layer of fur, hair pulled up and fastened by a simple pin each. They are just commoners to the eyes of many others, and they will continue portraying themselves as so.

"Maybe we will be able to find out something here." Bisen whispers, making sure that the little young girl does not hear anything. Jade holds tightly to the girl's hand and only returns Bisen's words with a nod and a cough.

They travel on feet, finding the nearest and cheapest inn to stay. They, except the little girl, know their reason for coming to the Capital City, for they know who they are. She may have wanted to leave the palace, but something is drawing her back to it. She has been kept in suspense for ten and a half years. She has been dying to know who is Emperor Ming, she wants to see him in person, though she knows it is nearly impossible. At least, she will try to enter the palace again.

After leaving their belongings and eating a simple meal in the inn, they brace themselves towards the direction of the palace. It will be a distance from where they are, but they have travelled far enough from their village that it should be nothing. Jade grips tightly on the long thing she has in her hands, wrapped in a piece of cloth neatly for years.

The guards are squinting their eyes in confusion as they find the three commoners closing in on the gates to the palace. Immediately two of them step forward, holding out their spears firmly and stopping them from advancing.

"What are you doing here?" They ask, their voice firm and unwavering.

"W-we want to see someone in the palace."

"The palace is not a place you commoners can just enter freely!" She has expected that answer. It is unbelievable how, just only around ten years ago, they were all bowing in her direction and today, they are all talking down to her.

"We know some people in the palace."

"You? Stop making us laugh! If you do, would you even be wearing such tattered outfits? Do you even have a name? What is your position? None? Begone!" The guards swipe their hands at them, chasing them away but only able to scare the little girl. She squeals a little as she hides behind Jade.

"Yiron!" Jade's hands find themselves naturally wrapped around the girl. "You do not have to scare the child!" Jade snaps back at the guards while holding onto Yiron protectively, as if she is her life. Having nothing else that can help, the three stand aside, hoping that they will meet anyone they know from the palace. The first day, they meet no one.

For the next few days they wait pointlessly outside the palace, until finally, on the sixth day, she sees the familiar figure. That same figure catches the three huddled together, staring at him. He most definitely recognises the one holding tightly on the little girl. She remembers him, the eunuch who used to serve by his side. He remembers her too.