CHAPTER 5: THE STAR CLIFF RUMOUR
The general of heavenly army found us in the back yard and asked us to leave the premises and instructed the military officials with him that thaey are not supposed to gossip about what they saw tonight. But the opposite happens the wide mouth told that to his friend and told him not to tell anyone and a grapevine rumour started with adding spices. Chengchi and I went back to the banquet to our families and relaxing ourselves and having fun. But after sometime I found few people staring at me; as rumours spread faster and with added spices; people staring at me increased and when I asked my maid to find out what's going on, she said about the hot spread news of intimate relationship between a prince and princess in back yard and I found out the added spices of my story sounding absurd. The initial rumour with two lovers speaking on back yard went to people had intimate relationship as far as kissing on backyard with the fast evolving chain of rumours.
After a few hours in the banquet; rumours spread in the star cliff about me and Chengchi having an intimate relationship like a young married couple on back yard and we got all smirks, stares and envious looks too. The rumours reached our fathers and the king. My father was angry; he didn't want me to spoil any lady before a marriage between them eventhough we were engaged because he thought it did not show mutual respect to the lady and he flamed with anger. My mother slapped me headshot giving a good splash sound in the corridor and was disappointed in me . I said to my parents that I was innocent and we were just talking to each other and my mother told that I should have taken precautions to not affect the lady's respect and discipline but now even he chastity is blamed. I was and felt shamed by dumbness. My mother advised me to not do anything and that they will speak to my father-in-law. Similarly Cheng's father was angry on her for the wild spread rumour and scolded her. She talked through her father and we settled our parents with peace and agreed to clarify the statement with letter and get married faster. But to our destiny, the news reached the King on his bad moment after the debate with Heavenly advisor. The king was angry as his star gaze banquet was disrupted by the rumour and he wanted to enquire us , as we belonged to families he cared about and my father was his friend and my father-in-law is also his pal . After the banquet, he called our families to discuss about the rumour in the hall of just. Our families explained to him about us and our engagement and what really happened in the back yard. Hearing the news he was happy but to prove our innocence; the king brought us the truth mirror and to justify us guilt or not; we will be discovered guilty or not after a series of questions about our love and what happened in back yard. We kept our hands on the palm line on the bottom of the mirror and expected questions from the King. We answered it truthfully and our families were happy about us showing respect and love to each other. The king was happy and said that we were not guilty but insisted on a early marriage as the rumours may distort and it'll spoil the name of princess of healing . As he was speaking , the general of Heavenly soldiers Army came to the hall for discussion and saw that our marriage granted by the king and he told that the other families might think that the marriage is a cover to hide the guilt .The general suggested a love tribulation between couples in the World of Mortals before marriage for a strong and harmonious marriage and the Emperor was shocked but accepted to grant the tribulation as it will make our marriage stronger and glorious .
Our families were stunned but accepted it because it said love tribulation in World of Mortals is hard but it solidifies the relationship. The general volunteered himself to oversee the love tribulation and he looked to me and I would like to learn from you; so you'll have to work hard because hardest assignments make people; if you fail don't blame me and he giggled. My heart felt frozen for second and I was filled with terror. Our families were shocked, because the hardest love tribulation can make a person forget love in subconscious mind . And it is hardest because no one wants to experience it and no one did it history except the first lord of love and his wife and it's also a fairy tale. Both our families and King was terrified but the king couldn't take his words back from general.
The general always worked diligently that his achievements are held high in the Empire and he is respected equally to heavenly advisor and loved more by the king than his own son. The king even gave his only daughter to him as a wife; to keep him closer to him all the time. But his personal life was worser; any and every person on the World knows .The general ignores his wife as he doesn't know how to behave with her.
Even on this day, the general is on duty while his Queen is with her mother appreciating jewellery and hearing advices to make her pregnant by serving the general. But who can she share her agony with.