Fleeing the Marriage, Finding Him

I am Thẩm Thư Đình, the youngest daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, fifteen years old this year. This was the first time I had left the Thẩm residence to step into the place that made the entire capital bow its head in awe and fear. The Forbidden City.

That spring morning, the sound of the watch bell echoed through the rear palace. Group after group of maiden candidates like myself filed in through the Gate of Divine Might.

No one dared to raise their head, no one dared to whisper, only the sound of cautious footsteps and the soft rustle of fabric brushing together could be heard.

I kept my face lowered like everyone else, but inside I was anything but calm, my heart pounding, both eager and afraid, as though I had just stepped out of a warm, familiar nest and was hurling myself into a world utterly foreign to me.

A mama stood blocking the path ahead of the group, her voice ringing out stern as a bell.

"From this day forward, none of you are young ladies of any household. Within these walls, you are nothing but palace maids."

She continued, each word sharp and cold as a blade, cutting into the ears of those who listened.

"Should you commit an offense, a minor one earns punishment, a serious one earns expulsion from the palace. Some have even lost their lives, and no one steps forward to save you."

I swallowed hard. A fleeting thought crossed my mind. That's it, I really was reckless. I had insisted on entering the palace just to experience it, and now, hearing these words, my legs had already begun to tremble slightly.

Right at that moment, when the air had grown as taut as a drawn string, the sound of galloping hooves rose in the distance. A whole escort of guards passed by in a great rush.

Among them rode a young man clad in the dark brown ceremonial robes of a palace guard, a red cap upon his head, a sword slung at his hip, tall and broad-shouldered, his back as straight as bamboo, his gaze cold and fixed straight ahead, not so much as a sideways glance.

The palace maid standing beside me drew a soft breath, her voice so faint it seemed only the wind could hear it.

"That is... Fuca Fuheng."

The mama snapped at once, cutting her off.

"Silence. You are not to look."

I quickly lowered my head as well, but curiosity is not so easily smothered, and the corner of my eye still stole a glance at that retreating figure.

It was a pity the guards passed by too quickly, and that young lord never once bothered to glance back at the row of maiden candidates from beginning to end. As though we were nothing more than a group of newcomers to the palace, not worth a moment of his attention.

I hadn't even managed to see the famous guard's face clearly before the procession vanished behind the deep vermilion wall.

It was nothing more than a fleeting brush past, so brief that I myself forgot about it almost immediately afterward. Who could have known that, many years later.

These two strangers would, through countless "chance" encounters, come to change the course of each other's entire lives.

Time passed quietly by. After two years of diligently studying the rules and etiquette, growing accustomed little by little to life within the palace. I too had turned seventeen.

Thanks to my careful nature and my tendency to stay clear of gossip and trouble, I was at last transferred to the Palace of Eternal Spring, to serve at the side of Empress Fuca.

On the day I moved in, spring was at its height, gentle sunlight spilling over the glazed tile roofs. Birdsong mingled with the sound of bamboo brooms sweeping the courtyard, and everywhere carried a strange, peaceful air.

An elderly mama led me to the front steps of the main hall, then stopped, her voice ringing out stern and dignified.

"This is the Palace of Eternal Spring. From this day on, you will serve at the side of Her Majesty the Empress."

Then she instructed me, word by word, slowly but full of authority.

"Remember this well. In this place, you are not to speak too much, not to act on your own accord, and above all, you are never to bring shame upon Her Majesty."

Having said her piece, she turned and left, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the vast palace courtyard.

I drew a deep breath, trying to steady the nervousness churning inside me, silently telling myself.

"To be given the honor of serving Her Majesty the Empress is truly a great privilege for my family. I must not make any mistakes, and I must quickly grow familiar with everyone here in the Palace of Eternal Spring."

Easy enough to say, but my heart still would not settle. My eyes darted about, quietly taking in every direction, trying to memorize each corner of the courtyard, each stretch of corridor, afraid that if I ever lost my way, I would embarrass myself terribly.

I had always been the pampered child, free-spirited by nature, fond of running about wherever I pleased, and now having to learn restraint, to weigh every step with caution, was truly no easy thing.

As I stood there hesitating, unsure which way to go, an older palace maid approached, a gentle smile on her lips, her warm gaze looking at me as though welcoming a new friend.

The anxiety in my heart eased somewhat. Perhaps this Palace of Eternal Spring was not nearly so frightening as the rumors made it out to be.

I did not yet know that this very place, which seemed so peaceful, together with the cold faced guard I had only glimpsed in passing two years before, would go on to weave so many stories caught somewhere between laughter and tears.

Making sure that none of my days from then on could ever again be called dull.