Imminent Death and a new life

Chapter 73: Imminent Death and a new life.

Though Min Hua had seen a lot more violence than this, this came too swift and unexpected. Scared out of her wits, Min Hua tried harder to get out of the king's clutches but a loud, harsh slap on her cheek ceased her efforts.

Before she could even process what was happening, a strong hand gripped her neck and pushed her to the wall behind. For Huang Meng, Min Hua too was like that pigeon which just died in his hands.

"You seem to not like me at all. Huh? Lemon grass? huh? What a smart woman you are." Huang Meng commented with dark sarcasm in his voice. Min Hua stopped struggling when she heard him. So he knew this. Great. Now what? Huang Meng kept pressing her neck harder and enjoyed watching her suffer.

"We have a ritual in two days to pray for the kingdom to prosper and alsooo... hope to have a happy marriage.." Huang Meng dragged and stressed the last part as he threw her on the hard floor. Min Hua gasped and coughed trying to catch her breathe but a harsh thug on her hair stopped this momentary relief again.

Huang Meng bent down beside her, all the while maintaining a strong grip on her hair. Min Hua's eyes watered as she heard his next sentence.

"I want you in my bed after two days. Don't act smart, or you would find yourself in a brothel." saying this, the king left her chamber. Min Hua knew there was no escape now. Her cheek was stinging and her hair was all messed up. She really looked weak and pitiful but Min Hua still didn't cry. It was like she forgot how to cry and was now accustomed to lock up everything inside.

She looked at the dead bird on the ground. The maids would later come and take it away, but would they properly bury it somewhere? She didn't know and hence she took a small feather of it and buried it in a flower pot herself before the maids came to clean the room.

Two days passed in a blur and her food was monitored all the time. Her allergy subsided a lot but her depression didn't.

"May heavens bless the new couple and the kingdom with health and wealth. You majesty, please make your wish. Any wish made here after their wedding is believed to come true." The priest said to his king and Huang Meng nodded. Not like he didn't know this before. He had many wives already and had done this ritual many times previously.

"I hope my people and kingdom continue to prosper under my rule and wish happiness and health to all my citizens." Huang Meng spoke loudly and clearly and the temple hall erupted in cheers and applause from the ministers and nobels who came to attend the ritual today.

"Your highness. Now it is your turn to make a wish for your new family." The priest said to Min Hua and she lifted her frosty gaze from the floor and looked at the priest.

"So everything I wish comes true?" the priest became a little uncomfortable at Min Hua's gaze and tone but nodded. The other wives of the king who were standing behind a veil thought she would be wishing for a son. They too wished for a son when they were married. Some had, some didn't. But Min Hua's reply left everyone dumbfounded.

"Death"

The priest blinked his eyes hearing her. Death? Did he hear her right? The king glared at her but that didn't scare Min Hua at all.

"Death. I wish death for your king, a horrible one at that and also the fall of this empire. This royal family shall be wiped out and every single greedy soul here would go and burn in the hell fire."

The entire hall was silent hearing her crisp and clear voice. No one spoke for few moments. Whatever she said right now felt like a verdict bound to happen. Never had this happened ever. Who wished death to her husband? And that too when is the king of the land she was standing on.

"CAPTURE HER AND LOCK HER UP IN THE ORCHID PAVILION." the king's loud voice boomed in the hall scaring everyone except Min Hua. Lu Tang, who was standing at the side didn't know if Min Hua was foolish, or brave or foolishly brave.

Soon the guards came to her but Min Hua didn't give them a chance to touch her. She walked to the carriage herself. She wished she would be given a death sentence for what she did now. But alas, her suffering was still an ongoing episode. Because of the imports from the Min dynasty, he couldn't throw her in cold palace or in prison since she was already made the queen.

She was locked in the dark chambers of the abandoned parts of the palace, orchid pavilion where the old queen's quarters were present. There were no maids to attend her and no food or water provided for her.

She did everything herself and Lu Tang sometimes visited her in secret. He felt pity for this young girl who was adamant on destroying her lavish life.

She didn't know why the king never came to her to kill her, or torture her, but the days passed where she was most of time shut herself to the outer world and kept remembering the days she spent with Yuan.

Thud!

"Your highness?" Lu Tang's voice pulled her out of her trance. Lu Tang rushed to her and kicked away the knife she was holding close to her wrist.

"What are you doing your highness?" Lu Tang questioned her. He was vexed by her behaviour. Recently he got to know about her poison but she refused to stop it's intake. Her refusal was too strong that he, who spent many years on the battlefield looking at the blood shed and deaths got scared of her.

"Nothing. Playing. Why are you here?" Min Hua asked as she sat weekly on a wooden chair nearby.

"Your highness. You can still go and apo.."

"If you are here to say the same thing again then let me repeat it again. I am not interested in apologizing to that king. My life is very beautiful in this locked up chamber. Stop wasting your time and energy on this useless matter." Min Hua leisurely brushed off the topic. She got up from the chair to get a book to write or draw something when her vision blacked out and she fell back on to the chair.

Lu Tang was anxiously pacing around the room when she opened her eyes again after an hour.

"Huh... What happened?" she asked as she tried to sit on the bed but her body felt too weak to do that.

"Your highness. What did you do? You are pregnant. Pregnant. When did this happen?" Lu Tang inquired. It was now an open secret that Min Hua and Huang Meng never had their wedding night. Then whose child was she carrying?

Min Hua didn't respond. She understood how she got this pregnancy. Should she be happy or sad? She didn't know. Lu Tang was rambling a lot but none reached her ears. Lu Tang left after some time and Min Hua was laying on her bed looking up at the ceiling.

It was like she knew everything that was happening, everything was right in front of her eyes but her mind refused to process anything. It took her two whole days to grasp that she was now pregnant. There was a now new life sprouting within her. A life created by her and Jiang Yuan. She stopped taking the poison since then but the pregnancy didn't go easy on her.

She was completely shut off from the outside world and didn't know there was a battle going on. The Huang dynasty was losing but her world was completely different right now. No one came to visit her and Min Hua spent most of her time writing what ever she had in her mind. It was always about Jiang Yuan. Sometimes asking whether he ate or not. Sometimes about what he was doing? Many times it was just his name filling up many pages. It was a chant that went on and on in her heart.

As the months went on, Min Hua's health deteriorated more. Lu Tang sometimes was able to bring her medicines but it was not always. Might be the only luck amidst all the misfortune was the ongoing war because of which might be none bothered to come to her. But she knew this would not be the same always.

As the days passed, Min Hua's only companion was the little baby growing inside her tummy. She spoke a lot about the Jiang Yuan to the child. Min Hua had long planned to send this child to Jiang Yuan. She didn't want the child to grow in this palace with his/her future uncertain and threatened. She didn't know what Jiang Yuan would think of her but now that she could see her death nearing, she only wanted to give this baby to him.

He once told her that he wanted a daughter with her. She smiled as she remembered this. But she didn't know that Jiang Yuan was coming to her. Soon, he would conquer both the lands and come to her.

It was stormy night with dark clouds hovering over the kingdom when she gave birth to a daughter. Min Hua held her new born daughter in her arms and looked at her. She couldn't tell like who the baby looked like. But she knew this moment would have been more beautiful had Jiang Yuan been with her here.

She gave the baby to Lu Tang and asked him to take her Jiang Yuan. She gave the clay mug to him so that Jiang Yuan wouldn't doubt him. Lu Tang wanted to tell many things to her. About the war. About the winner. About the fall of Min dynasty and Huang dynasty but Min Hua wasn't in a position where she could process anything.

She didn't know how the next few days passed. She didn't know when a doctor started attending her and when she got shifted into the queen quarters. It was only during her last few seconds did she feel the warmth of her love again.

Jiang Yuan who won the war and entered the palace to display his power to Min Hua was shocked when he found her in such a miserable condition. Wasn't she living as the queen of Huang dynasty? Why did she become like this?

He now had the power, wealth and authority over everything, but was unsure as to what exactly he wanted to show her. What did he want to do with her after this war? Did he want to kill her? Did he want to imprison her? He killed her father and husband. Now what was he supposed to say? That she was widowed because of him?

It was only after he stumbled upon her diary filled with the memories of him did he find something wrong. What were all these? Why did she have his clothes with her here? It was only after he came to visit the capital did he hear about rumours about Min Hua and about her cursing the previous king to die in her wedding ritual. He was shocked hearing this. Didn't she leave him because she wanted the king. Why would she want him to die?

"Your Majesty. A man named Lu Tang is here to meet you. He says it is important and there are some things you need to know." a guard entered the king's chamber and informed Jiang Yuan about Lu Tang's arrival.

Jiang Yuan remembered this military doctor and he also knew that he accompanied Min Hua to this kingdom. He need to meet this man if he wants to know the truth.