Chapter 7 Yanshu meets the Prince again...

When the prime minister called for Jinhai, he panicked,

" do you think you can fool me Jinhai," asked xiyang,

Jinhai knelt and started begging,

" I am sorry my lord please have mercy," he thought that xiyang know the secret about Yanshu but, xiyang added,

"Why did you hide the sculptor from me, I heard you bought him here, Jinhai bring him here as soon as possible"

Jinhai took a breath, and relaxed,

"sir you were talking about him, " he asked

"Are you hiding something from me" Xiyang was staring at him,

"no sir..no I don't dare, I'll get him " Jinhai went out relaxed.

Haiyan was so frightened that he could hardly sit calmly,

"what did she do? we would have just escaped from here, it's a life-threatening deed, what can I do now?"

" ahh...!!" he sighed, restlessly waiting for Jinhai, the door opened,

Jinhai came sighing,

"hoo....!! I almost lost my life,"

" What ..!!what about YanShu? is she fine?" Yaoyan asked.

" so far, here take this, it's the black mud that she asked me to get, now let's go, you have to mend the statue and get her back, and the main thing is Lord wants to meet you"

Yaoyan glared at him with surprise,

" what..? what did you say? Lord but why..."

" oh... don't panic, he may want to reward you for the statue, but before that let's go to the statue"

" hmm... let's go"

coughing vigorously he stood up to go along with Jinhai...

They went to an abandoned hut, where Jinhai kept the statue,

Yaoyan used all his skills to mend the statue and completed it but he was deadly tired, it took him the whole day, and for his daughter, he did it nonstop, without even drinking or eating.

He managed to finish it but crashed down tiringly and started coughing blood,

Jinhai came with some food and water along with his medicine but he found Yaofan unconscious beside the statue.

He took him to a bed nearby and made him sleep there, he fed him medicine, but he was still unconscious,

Left with no other option, he took him to the prime minister's mansion in an unconscious state,

Xiyang called the best doctors in the capital to treat him, and he was conscious again and greeted Xiyang.

Jinhai went to the statue to see if it was ready, but the mud coat has to be dried so that, it won't be damaged again.

Yanshu stood like a statue for the whole day, but she was worried about her father as there was no news from them.

All the royal family members came to admire that wonderful monument, one after the other,

The harem ladies wondered if they could take her beauty, and the princes wished her to be a girl so that they can marry her, but it was only a statue for them after all YanShu was exhausted from standing for the whole day, her body was aching bitterly and tears rolled in her eyes, but she wouldn't dare cry.

when the hard day is gone, and the moon came out to show mercy on her, there were another, pair of eyes, waiting for the night.

His hands filled with eatables, and water, walking sneaky hiding from other eyes, Yulong came to the imperial garden to meet her,

As it was dark Yanshu relaxed a bit but when she heard someone approaching, she stood up again closing her eyes,

Yulong came near,

" oh so I have to kiss you again, hmm I would love to," he said innocently,

but Yanshu opened her eyes and bent backward,

" ah... you are awakened...!!" he said but he seems a little unsatisfied.

Yanshu took a long breath and asked surprisingly,

" what aren't you happy to see me awaken?"

" Yes I am but I would have been happier if I would have...." he stopped talking keeping his hands on his face.

Yanshu understood that he was talking about kissing her, which made her blush but the black color on her body helped her hide her feelings.

He gave her all the eatables he brought for her and Yanshu enjoyed them, she had a good feast after a long tiring day, and with his help, she was able to ease herself, doing all the chores which she could not do in the morning. She used herbs to stop her urges.

Yulong stayed with her all night and she was able to sleep for a while on his watch.

That was very good support for her. She glanced at him affectionately and wondered

" How would I manage if you weren't here" but dare not say it before him.

It was almost dawn and she was sleeping on his lap, he looked at her, and to wake her up, he bent forward and kissed her again,

she was stunned and suddenly got up from there,

" If you do it again, I would never talk to you," she said embracingly,

He put his head down and said in a very slow voice,

" but I like it, I am your husband, I know that I can do that"

Yanshu was shy and was blushing, but said

"hmm... ok then if you kiss me again, I will turn back to stone and I would never talk to you again,"

" ha....no no don't, I won't do it again", he said begging her,

"ok, now it's dawn, the sun will be out soon so you go back to your place and I will go to mine but remember the secret, ...ok!!"

He nodded his head and went back to his palace.

Yanshu stood there again as a statue.

After a night of rest, Yaoyan was fine, he was able to stand up again.

Jinhai was looking for a chance to replace the statue but replacing something from the Imperial garden was like asking for a death wish.

Xiyang came to Yaoyan,

" hey friend, are you fine now?"

" oh lord thank you for your help I am fine now," he said laying his head down out of respect.

Xiyang added,

" now that you are fine I would like to take you to a place"

" sure my lord, but may I ask where?"

" The palace," said Xiyang.

Yaoyan panicked, but Jinhai heard their conversation and came in

" yes sure my lord, why not? everything you say has some meaning"

Yaoyan glared at him with refusal, he was so scared to go to the palace, for an ordinary man like him it was scary for him to talk about higher officials.

But Jinhai had a plan in his mind to replace the statue,

Yaoyan realized that he might have thought about Yanshu so he said ok to go along.

Xiyang was satisfied,

" hmm... then we will enter the palace today evening"

Yaoyan and Jinhai looked at each other,

though Jinhai had a plan, whether it'll work or not is unknown...

Yanshu endures all the hardships in a hope that her father will come...to save her.

In the evening Jinhai asked Yaoyan to enter the palace with Xiyang, and he was planning to go in separately with the statue.

According to the plan, Yaoyan entered the palace with Xiyang and asked the audience to meet the Emperor and Jinhai entered the palace from the other entrance with the statue by showing the pass of the minister's men.

Nobody dared to stop him as Xiyang holds a very good position in the court. He went straight to the Imperial garden showing the pass to all coming his way or stopping him.

When he reached the gate of the garden he took a breath, as the thing he was doing may cost him his life... but suddenly a lady asked him,

"Who are you and what are you doing here? what is this?"

Jinhai was frightened, ned back, and was speechless on seeing her...

who could it be?.... and what is he going to do now?....continue reading to know what happened....

..............