Imperial Decree

Fourteen years later after Xian Ai died...

In the Xian family's mansion at Fēngfù City at dawn, the maids were busy battling with a girl who was afraid to dip her naked body in a bathtub full of hot water and flower petals.

"Ahh! Noo! It's so hot. Can we skip the bath? Can we dress up?" asked the girl that would become a bride today. She was afraid the smoking water would scald her and held hard on the door as if her life depended on it, while two girls pulled her arms so she would let go and another one grabbed her waist.

By the time her grip loosened, they quickly pushed her inside the tub, making her scream as the high water temperature hit her skin, splashing water on the floor. Somehow, after a minute passed, the temperature became tolerable and relief flowed through her chest.

She leaned on the tub wall to relax but suddenly she felt someone began brushing her arm with a cloth. The girl angrily bit the owner of the hand without hesitation. The poor helper loudly yelled, "Ahh! That hurts. My lady, please, don't make it hard for us!" Her voice reverberated in the silent air while the sun was still hiding behind the mountains.

Xian Xinyi retorted, "I don't want anyone touches me." She grabbed the cloth and scrubbed her face while wagging her tongue at everyone.

However, the rest of the household didn't bother with the struggles to go on inside the bride's chamber. They were full of life and buzzing with excitement. Lanterns, curtains, and paper flowers, all colored red, filled every corner and column post.

Two hours later, a bridal carriage passed through Ren' Ailu, the main street of Fengfu City.

The Xian's eldest daughter wore the traditional red head-cover and her velvety black hair laid on her back while she wore the red traditional wedding dress. She sat peacefully inside the fully curtained bridal carriage where no one could see her and she couldn't see anything or anyone else outside.

A month ago...

While the moon was battling the sun, Xian Lang, who was now the prime minister and had two grown-up children in his second marriage but the wife had died as well because of sickness, held back his tears. A young girl's wailing echoed threw out his private chambers, but he felt powerless.

Xian Changying knelt before her father while her tears flowed onto his cheongsam. "Papa, please, please, let me marry someone I love." Xian Changying plowed her face into her father's garment and wiped her tears while looking at him with her black eyes filled with tears.

Xian Lang frowned while looking at his child's pitiful state and said, "If only I could. Sadly, if we do not obey the imperial decree, we will all die without honor and be labeled as traitors."

The eldest son, Lord Xian Shi ignored formalities and pleaded directly to his father while on his knees, "Pa! That Lei Ming hated you. He will kill my sister; you must protect her!"

Lei Ming, a top notcher of the national civil examination and the newly assigned Governor in Fengfu City suspected Prime Minister Xian Lang joined forces with the first prince to send him to the long forgotten backwater city. And the dispute between the two clans began.

Xian Changying begged her father right after her mother and leaned onto him. "Papa, please, I would rather die than warm Lei Ming's bed and even if I did, I would surely be mistreated and sent to an early grave."

Xian Changying placed her forehead in front of her father's feet while sobbing and said, "Papa, save me."

Xian Lang pulled his child off the floor and said, "You're a lady, never again."

However, his daughter replied, "Why? What good is being a lady of this household if it results in my death?" Changying looked up at her father. "Do you want to lose your only daughter?"

When Lady Xian Rong, Prime Minister Xian Lang's younger sister heard the words "only daughter" she gasped. Rong faced her brother and said, "My lord, you forgot. We're sending the wrong child. She is not your only daughter."

Xian Lang's face blackened when he recalled his first daughter but he said, "Are you referring to ... living in the Forsaken Valley?"

Lady Rong took a deep breath and said, "The Imperial decree stated the first daughter of the Xian clan. That is exactly referring to your daughter Xinyi. Dear brother, please ask the king to have it altered** to the exact name of your eldest child. We are not going against His Majesty with this; we are exactly following it." Lady Xian Rong said this thinking of that poor child she loved living in isolation. She also did not believe the famous scholar Lei Ming would hurt Xinyi because of this misunderstanding.

(**- historical facts stated below.)

"I'll ask the first prince to talk to the king about the alteration. The king loves and trusts the first prince so much; The possibility for him to approve with no further questions will be high. If I ask the king personally, I will only anger His Majesty for not mentioning the child's existence and name at the time when he asked for my approval.** Anyway, the king won't remember every child of the officials he betrothed through an imperial edict," said Xian Lang, sighing.

Changying's face brightened. While she rarely heard about this sister, it relieved her from warming that vile man's bed. No one spoke about the elder sister in this household for an unclear reason that only her father knew. Though she was curious to meet this unfortunate sister and felt sorry for her, she was more than willing to offer her up to the Lei family.

She then thought 'I have no clear relationship with this Xinyi' to brush off her guilt but she felt a sting pricking her conscience.