Before the sunrise on the morning of the wedding, Xiu Juan was awoken by Luli and a few other maids.

“Xiu Juan,” Luli—who was already fully dressed in her formal wear—whispered to her, “they want you to get ready. They already have the bath set up.”

Xiu Juan got up and raised her hand up to comb her hair back away from her face. She turned to the other maids who bowed lowly to her. She rose from her bed and made her way to the hot bath with scented herbs. She stripped herself from the silk on her back that neatly folded itself when it dropped and dipped herself in. Luli held her long hair back and gently washed it while she leaned back. Xiu Juan looked out the window above the door and saw that it was raining. The gentle drops against the green leaves seemed to calm her down as she closed her eyes and slumped back against the tub.

“Shu will be here shortly to dress you,” Luli informed Xiu Juan softly.

Xiu Juan opened her eyes and nodded.

“How are you feeling? You look pale.” Luli asked while rinsing Xiu Juan’s long hair.

Xiu Juan turned her head to the window again when she heard a subtle sound of thunder.

“I wish this day hadn’t come so soon,” Xiu Juan replied. She looked at the flower petal that was drifting toward her breasts and cupped it in her hand. “I had a dream about Ying-tai. He was leaving me again and I wouldn’t let him. I couldn’t say why. I couldn’t say anything. All I could do was hold onto him tightly. I didn’t want to let go. When I woke up, I was gripping his charm in my hand. It was then that I realized he wasn’t even there. He was never there.” Xiu Juan bit her lip then managed to speak again. “I wish I could just see his face again. Just stare into his ever kind eyes. Yet I don’t want him here to see me leave as someone else’s bride. I don’t want him to see me like that.”

“Xiu Juan…” Luli sighed. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

Xiu Juan turned toward Luli and extended her arm out to cup her chin.

“No, I’m sorry. I’m making you leave your family; your mother and father who love you.”

Luli started to tear up and wept. She wiped her tears away shaking her head. “No. If I don’t go with you, you’ll be so lonely. If we go together, we can help each other. You. Me. And Bo.”

Xiu Juan smiled. “I am forever grateful.”

Xiu Juan dried herself and slipped into her robe again and headed to her room. Each of the maids took part in helping her dress. Some tended to her hair, some brought out the many splendid jewels, and others helped put on her white undergarment for the red gown while Luli helped Xiu Juan with the makeup. Rolling up her hair and pinning it in place, Xiu Juan sat mellow while the maids quietly did their art. Luli powdered Xiu Juan’s face white and applied blush for a glow. She defined Xiu Juan’s eyes and dramatized the striking nature it held. Xiu Juan dipped her finger into a dish of crimson paint and dabbed her own lips blood red. She leaned back away from the mirror and pierced her eyes into the ones staring back at her in the reflection.

You have a lot you must do in the coming days, Empress of Zhao, Xiu Juan thought to herself.

Turning around, Xiu Juan extended her arms out and the maids slipped on the first red layer onto her shoulders. After tying the knot of the last red undergarment, there was a knock at the door. With her back still to the door, she heard Shu’s voice when one of the maids slid the door open. Xiu Juan turned slightly to face Shu, smiled, and bowed her head lightly to welcome her in. She then raised her head and looked at the crimson gown behind Shu that was being carried by ten maids.

Shu took one look at Xiu Juan and sighed. She walked over to her and cupped Xiu Juan’s chin in her hand softly.

“Look at you, child,” Shu smiled at Xiu Juan as she tilted her head. “Such impeccable beauty. Just like your mother.”

Xiu Juan smiled in return then sighed as she turned her eyes downward. “She won’t be proud of me right now, being a bride of Zhao’s.”

“Nonsense,” Shu argued. “What you are doing is brave. No one would have been able to do what you are doing.” Shu’s lips trembled and she began to choke up, “My precious child. I dreamt of this day. But it wasn’t like this. Watching you children grow up, I always thought it would be you and--“

Luli placed her hand on Shu’s shoulder and Shu silenced herself. She pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. She then waved her handkerchief to signal the maids to bring the crimson gown in.

Xiu Juan kept her eyes on Shu and continued, “You always thought?”

Shu, standing behind Xiu Juan, carried on with dressing her in her wedding gown. It was heavy with all of the gold jewels embedded onto the silk. The crimson gown, along with the countless crimson sashes, dragged by many meters behind Xiu Juan. The fabric tinkled lightly whenever it moved and the golden hems glimmered at the slightest light beaming against it.

Waiting on the last piece of the ceremonial attire, Shu stared at Xiu Juan and raised her hand to sweep away a stray hair on Xiu Juan’s face.

“If that boy was here to see you now, he would not allow you to leave,” Shu mentioned.

Xiu Juan turned her eyes to Shu.

“I can only imagine the heartache Ying-tai will feel when he learns that you’re gone,” Shu shook her head.

Xiu Juan clenched her jaw and shook her head. “No. He won’t even be moved,” she claimed.

Shu looked at Xiu Juan. “That boy knows how to conceal his feelings. But I have raised him since your father brought him in and I know him.” Shu’s eyes met with Xiu Juan’s. “Ying-tai was trained his whole life to be ready to die for the duties assigned to him since the day he could walk. But you, Xiu Juan, are what makes him want to cling onto life. But even life is taking its unfortunate turn against him. That child… you are all he has left in this dark world.”

Xiu Juan’s eyes welled up at the thought and she used all of her strength to fight back the tears. “To protect him is what I desire,” Xiu Juan expressed. She lifted her head higher and took in a deep breath, “And I shall do it without fail.”

Shu nodded her head for there was nothing more to say and dabbed away more tears with her handkerchief. She was angry with the world for twisting the fate of the two children she watched grow up. Any hope she had for them was crushed.

Xiu Juan took Shu’s old, trembling hands in hers. She squeezed it and pleaded softly, “Please take care of Ying-tai, Shu. He deserves the comfort of a family.”

Shu squeezed Xiu Juan’s hand in return and nodded her head, “Yes. Of course, Grand Princess.”

Two maids shuffled in with the final piece of the attire and Shu quickly straightened herself up. She turned around and carefully picked up the lavish, bejeweled head piece from the tray that was covered with crimson silk. It jingled as Shu hovered it over Xiu Juan’s head and she continued to look straight forward as the dangling gold chains began to lower and cover her face.

“There. You are ready, my child,” Shu sighed while she looked at Xiu Juan.

Luli stepped in front of Xiu Juan and smiled with sorrowful eyes, “Beautiful. Gracefully beautiful.”

The maids themselves couldn’t help but gape at the sight of their grand princess. Shu waved her hand at everyone to dismiss them and took Xiu Juan’s hand to lead her to the grand room where everyone awaited her and where the Zhao men would take her to their homeland. But right before Xiu Juan stepped out of her doorstep, she spun around and gasped. “My charm!”

Luli saw what she meant and quickly retrieved it for her. Xiu Juan lifted her heavy robe and tightly tied Ying-tai’s charm onto one of her many sashes and stepped foot out of her chamber for the last time.

Inside the heavily decorated grand room, the announcer shouted loudly at the arrival of Xiu Juan. Heads turned immediately and silence swept through the room. As Xiu Juan walked through, she felt tension. Her striking grace was intimidating to both the people of Qin and Zhao. When she reached before the throne in which Jiao Long sat on, she glared at her brother and then bowed lowly to him for the sake of the court.

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“Rise, dear sister,” Jiao Long lifted his hand to Xiu Juan.

Xiu Juan raised her head and the jewels tinkled against one another.

“I’ve dreamt of this day for you,” Jiao Long began. “And what a joyous day it is!” He bellowed as he raised both of his arms out widely. “Look at you! A bride! An Empress-to-be! Mother and father would be proud of you!”

Xiu Juan flinched in disgust of what Jiao Long dared to say. “Mother and father had quite a different picture from this,” Xiu Juan said, taking a good look around her. “So I cannot exactly say that I can agree with you on that.”

Jiao Long furrowed his brows and brushed her comment to the side. He turned to his right and picked up a cup of wine from the tray being held by a royal servant.

“I, Jiao Long, Emperor of Qin, wed you to Zhao. After this day, we will be lawfully unified.” He announced loudly as he lifted his cup, not taking his eyes away from Xiu Juan’s. He then bowed his head toward her and muttered with a devious smile, “I thank you, dear sister, for being part of such a beautiful…‘project’. You had such an important role.”

Xiu Juan gripped her hand into a tight fist. She inhaled deeply and smirked. “You’re right, your highness. I have a very important role as Empress of Zhao. It is I that must thank you for giving me a chance to find such vast opportunities that I could not have under your roof,” Xiu Juan taunted Jiao Long. She raised her hand and a servant scurried over with her cup of wine. She held it up with both hands and bowed her head slightly at Jiao Long whose eyes were widened and his hand gripping his cup so tight it was on the verge of breaking.

“To our longevity and years of good fortune,” Xiu Juan resentfully cheered and gulped her wine. After she set the small porcelain cup back down she looked back at her brother and spoke just to him with a lump in her throat, “I now bid you farewell, brother, as you have casted me into a pit of beasts. While I keep them away from the door steps of Qin and from mauling at your throat, I will continue to hope that you will achieve the dream of our father’s. The true vision for Qin.”

Xiu Juan turned around and dragged her heavy, bejeweled crimson robe and headed for the stairs. As she passed each nobility and royal official, they bowed low to her and remained in that position. Meanwhile, Jiao Long sat quietly on his throne with his cup in his hand that was still filled with wine.

Walking down the stairs toward her palanquin, Luli, who was closely beside Xiu Juan, trembled in fear as she saw the massive army of Zhao that awaited their new Empress. They all turned their heads as Xiu Juan approached them.

“Though masked, they all look so fearsome,” Luli’s voice shook.

“Don’t be afraid, Luli,” Xiu Juan comforted, though she was uneasy herself.

When Xiu Juan got closer to her palanquin, she spotted Hui Zhong on his horse. He looked dauntingly ostentatious staring down at her from his armed horse. She ripped her stare away and found Bo waiting for them by the palanquin with Sir Guozhi. Her heart leapt and she fastened her pace, picking up her long dress so she could go quicker. When she got to Sir Guozhi, she wrapped her arms around him as if he were her father. Xiu Juan being unable to say a word, Sir Guozhi broke the silence between them and took a good look at her.

“For a moment, I thought you were your mother,” he managed to smile through his pain-struck eyes. “Look at you! A bride! Such a gracefully beautiful bride!”

“Please write to me if you need anything,” Xiu Juan smiled in return, trying not to weep for their sake.

“If it comes to it, I will. Don’t you worry about me, child,” Sir Guozhi nodded as he held Xiu Juan’s hands and patted them softly with his old, frail hands.

“Take care of yourself,” Xiu Juan squeezed his hands.

He nodded.

“Sir Guozhi,” Xiu Juan said in a quieter tone, “my brother may have casted Ying-tai from the palace but please, for my sake, do welcome him with open arms whenever you see him just as my father would. He should not feel like a stranger imposing but rather a person that is our own who’s returning home. Promise me.”

“Of course. I promise,” Sir Guozhi assured her.

Hui Zhong rode his horse toward them and interrupted their parting moment. “Please, make haste. We must leave soon,” he said in a low, cold voice.

“Farwell, Empress,” Sir Guozhi said.

Xiu Juan bit her lip and made her way into her palanquin with Sir Guozhi’s aid. He turned his head to Luli who was sitting on the opposite side of Xiu Juan.

“Goodbye, Luli. Be strong and take care of one another,” Sir Guozhi caressed Luli’s head. Luli, who had been weeping the entire time, could only nod in reply while wiping away her tear streaked cheeks.

Xiu Juan squeezed Sir Guozhi’s hand tighter. He felt her trembling hands and patted them for the final time before letting go.

“Let go now, child,” he softly urged.

Reluctantly, Xiu Juan let go and the Zhao men came between them to close the curtains and shut the door before she could even take in another breath.

As everyone bowed after Xiu Juan, Jiao Long, who was walking along with Shirong, made his way beside Sir Guozhi and silently watched them take Xiu Juan away.

“The palace has lost its brilliance today,” Sir Guozhi quoted, keeping his eyes at the parting palanquin.

Jiao Long turned his eyes to Sir Guozhi and then back to the palanquin that was now far from sight.

Outside the gates of the palace, all of the people of Qin lined up to see their Princess leave. Luli, who was looking out the window, gasped and tapped Xiu Juan’s leg.

“Xiu Juan! The people of Qin are here to see you leave!” She exclaimed.

Xiu Juan’s head immediately shot up and she looked out the window. She saw the Wongs, the Liangs, the single mother with the infant son she held, and Luli’s parents.

“Look! It’s Grand Princess Xiu Juan!” They called after her.

Smiling brightly with heavily, built-up tears in her eyes, she waved.

“Farewell princess!” Mrs. Wong and Mrs. Liang cried.

“Luli! Princess Xiu Juan,” Luli’s mother cried after them, following the moving palanquin. “Luli! Princess Xiu Juan! Take care of each other! Bo! Watch after them!”

“Dear!” Luli’s father called after her. “Come back to visit!”

“Farewell mother! Don’t worry about us! Take care of father! We shall come back and visit soon!” Luli yelled through her sobs.

“Don’t worry auntie and uncle! I’ll guard them with my life!” Bo yelled from outside.

“Luli! Princess Xiu Juan! Bo!” Luli’s mother was still pursuing the palanquin.

“Hey! Get back! Out of the way!” The Zhao men were yelling from the front.

“Auntie!” Bo yelled. “Hey! Don’t touch her!”

A commotion soon erupted outside. Something was happening and the people of Qin did not appreciate the Zhao men pushing them around.

Xiu Juan looked out of her window frantically. “What’s going on?” She gasped. “Wait! Stop!” She demanded.

“Mother!” Luli sobbed. “Xiu Juan they’re hurting our people!”

Xiu Juan knocked on the window and the door. “Stop! Don’t touch them! Hui Zhong!” Xiu Juan yelled from within.

She pushed the door till it kicked open and her jeweled chains chimed violently as she flung out onto the ground. The Zhao cavalry had her surrounded and were shoving all of the elderly, the women, and children onto the dirt. Xiu Juan picked herself up and dragged her long crimson gown through the dust.

“Stop! Enough!” She shouted through the noise but no one heard her. Xiu Juan spotted a child separated from his mother from the disorder. He was struggling to escape the turmoil and was heading blindingly toward a cavalier. Xiu Juan stripped off one of her sashes and whipped it into the air toward the child. Before the horse trampled on top of him, Xiu Juan used her sash to pull him into her arms and held the sobbing child tightly.

She quickly stood up and eyed an oncoming Zhao horseman. She readied herself and struck her long sash toward his way and pulled him down off his horse by the neck. The horse stopped in its tracks due to the falling horseman tugging back on the reins as he fell. Xiu Juan used this chance to mount on top of it with the child and rode her way toward the crowd.

On her way there, she caught the glimmer of an unsheathed sword and threw her crimson sash before it, wrapped it around the guard of the sword and yanked it to her direction. Catching the Zhao cavaliers by surprise, they stopped and turned their heads toward her direction in full alert thinking they were being attacked by a Qin warrior.

“Crimson silk? A Qin Soldier!” They assumed.

But when the Zhao soldiers realized who it was as Xiu Juan neared, they pulled back along with everyone else and let her through. Slowing down the gallops of the horse, Xiu Juan rode between her people of Qin while pointing the stolen sword against the men of Zhao. Soon, the mother of the child ran crying after him and retrieved the boy from her arms. Everyone hushed and stared in awe at the Princess in action in her heavy crimson gown and golden headpiece with jeweled chains that covered her face.

Still pointing her sword towards the Zhao men, she spoke to both her people and to them, “Enough. This is wrong. We should not be fighting like this anymore. Does this day mean nothing to everyone? Are the sacrifices being made not enough?” Xiu Juan continued to ride before the men of Zhao. “We are here today to declare truce and that’s what you will give my country and my people.”

Soon after, Hui Zhong reached the area of commotion. He looked around then darted his eyes at Xiu Juan.

“Causing havoc already, your highness?”

“We’re just getting used to being in each other’s presence,” Xiu Juan commented.

Hui Zhong glared at her. “Let’s keep moving!” He roared. He turned his head back to Xiu Juan and yanked the reins of his horse. “And help her highness back into her carriage,” he ordered and continued riding on.

The men of Zhao tried to avoid her eyes and lowered their heads. Xiu Juan approached the man who unsheathed his sword.

“I believe this belongs to you,” Xiu Juan handed him his sword back. He bowed his head and took his sword back and sheathed it promptly. “What is your name and rank?”

He trembled before responding, “Yebai, your highness. Lieutenant Yebai of Zhao.”

“Yebai,” Xiu Juan repeated. “I will remember that.” She faced him directly as she spoke, “You will only use your weapon to protect. Not to slaughter. You are a soldier. Not a butcher. Do not forget this.”

The lieutenant bowed lower to her. Feeling ashamed, he kept his head bowed until Xiu Juan turned around to leave.

Xiu Juan strode back to her palanquin with two soldiers and found Bo.

“You okay?” She asked, patting his shoulder.

Bo nodded, glaring at the two Zhao soldiers next to Xiu Juan.

She then walked over to Luli’s parents and leaned in to embrace them before parting.

“Auntie and Uncle,” Xiu Juan said softly just for them to hear, “Be strong and wait for our return to Qin when the world is at peace.”

“Princess,” they exhaled, looking at her as she pulled back.

“Have faith in those who serve Qin,” she smiled then let go of their hand and walked to her palanquin. Luli’s parents took Xiu Juan’s hint and got on their knees to honor her parting from Qin. Shortly after, everyone followed the gesture. Xiu Juan saw this and took one last look around.

“Goodbye everyone,” she said and climbed into her palanquin.

As they carried her away, the people of Qin wept for her departure and lowered their heads as she passed.

“Take care, your grace,” Luli’s mother whispered after Xiu Juan.

Xiu Juan, watching her people and the hills of her beloved country from her tiny window get smaller and smaller, wiped away a teardrop off her cheek. Until we meet again, dearly beloved, her heart wept.

“Xiu Juan, are you okay?” Luli asked, wiping her wet nose with her silk handkerchief.

Xiu Juan looked up into the gray sky to keep the tears from dripping from her eyes. With trembling lips she softly responded, “Rain is upon us.”

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