Veiled Princess
Yanfou Imperial Palace, Sixteen years ago....
" Your highness, the empress has collapsed and is bleeding ....", a maid from the harem came running into te garden where the Emperor Ling was talking with the Chancellor Gu.
" What !" ,he stood and head towards the chamber of the Empress Qin.
The royal chancellor also followed the empror. The emperor's eunuch, Eunuch Sun also went.
Outside the chamber, the Emperor Ling met his mother, Empress Dowager Yilin pacing from side to side.
Watching her son approaching, she immediately went besides him. She was crying.
"Mother, please calm down everything will be fine.", he hold the upper arms of his mother as he took her in his embrace.
"Sniff..Sniff..."
" Have you called the Imperial Physcian ?", he asked the maid while embracing his mother.
The maid bowed, " Yes... your highness. The imperial physcian is inside, checking on the Empress."
" Hum." , then he let go of his mother and made her sit on a chair nearby.
" How did this happend?" , he asked the maids.
The maids shivered as the Emperor Ling realesed his aura and might. The sweat came down their spines.
One of them came forward and kneeled.
"Your highness, I am Meixiang, her highness the Empress Qin's personal maid. Her highness was stroling in the West Moon Garden and I was following her that suddenly her highness held her stomach region and started groaning in pain.
Blood was all over her skirt. As she heard about it, she passed and fell on the ground.
I tried my best to calm the Empress and even called for help but it was already late.
This lowly servant deserves punishment your highness.", she kneeled and said.
" Hum.. You surly deserve punishment. Take this bitch and beat her hundred lashes and throw her in a dungeon as she was unable to protect her master and made her master flustered.", he said and turned towards the chancellor.
" I leave this on you. Investigate it.", he commanded.
The chancellor bowed and left.
In the meanwhile, all the five princes who were in the training ground far away from the harem came running to see their Imperial mother.
" Imperial Father.", they bowed to the Emperor.
" Father, what has happend to mother ?", asked the First Prince, Ling Rua. ( Age : 9 years)
"Father, will mother be alright ?", asked the Second Prince, Ling Yinlin.(Age: 8 years)
" Father, I heard mother bleed. Is it true ?", asked the Fourth Prince , Ling Han.( Age : 6 years. )
" Father, will our sixth brother or sister be injured ?", asked the Fifth Prince, Ling Shoazun. (Age : 4 years )
" Father, I miss mother. Where is she ?", asked the Third Prince, Ling Jian. ( Age : 7 years)
The four princes were having one quality each.
The first prince was well versed in fighting and martial arts.
The second prince was well versed in politics.
The fourth prince was well versed in art and craft and liked to paint and play zither.
The fifth prince was well versed in civil service test and medical skills.
But, unfortunately, the third prince was little dumb and innocent. He was stupid but soft -hearted and true.
Being born of one mother, they all loved each other and treated each other equally. Who would get the throne, it did not mattered to them, the only thing that they knew was that they were blood related and had to support each other.
The door of the room opened and the Imperial physician came out.....
" Your highness", he bowed to the emperor.
" Cut formalities. How is the Empress ?", he asked.
" She is fine but the fetus is not. The fetus in her belly is rather weak. We don't know if it wil be able to stand and come out the due date.", he said calmly.
" What !" Everyone became anxious.
The Empress Dowager stood and asked, " How did it become weak ?It was fine the last month. "
" Yes, your highness. But, may be in this month, she did not get a proper nutrious diet due to which this almost miscarriage occured."
" What! Her diet from a month is not proper.
Gaurds, take all the maids and chefs responsible for the Empress Qin's diet and beat them to the death." , he was angry.
His wife almost had a miscarriage and still the life of his sixth child is in danger.
" This is not there fault. ", said a deep and hoarse voice from behind.
Everyone turned to see the Grand Perceptor here.
"I pay my respect to the father of the nation, the Emperor Ling, Empress Dowager Yilin and the five royal princes. ", he bowed.
" We pay respect to the Grand Perceptor." the five princes bowed.
" Hum... what have you said initially, Grand Perceptor ?", the Emperor asked.
" You highness, I have checked the stars and found that the sixth royal child will be born with a weak body and nothing will happen to her highness.
This weak body is not caused by the improper nutrition but it is naturally. Last month , the fetus was not much developed , so the physician was not able to detect it but as it have been growing , it showed its weak nature."
" Is there no way to overcome this weak part ?", the Empress Dowager moved forward and asked.
The five princes and the emperor were silent. They also wanted the sixth child to be healthy.
" There is. I have found a way."
" What is it ?", asked the emperor, dowager and the four princes at the same time.
" The sixth child has to cover her face under a veil. Only her eyes can be seen. From her mother to father, no one must be allowed to see her face.
When the sixth child will be born then all immediately, his/her face must be covered.
All the person who have seen the sixth child without a veil must die or else the sixth child life will be in danger.
This will help as the sixth royal child' face and sensutive parts will less come in contact with the surroundings, and can protect himself."
" Hum, how many years or months, does the sixth has to wear this veil.", asked the dowager as understood the fact.
" Hum, the first legal person to see the sixth child's face must be his/her spouse. Only then the veil can be removed and others can see the real face of the sixth royal child.
" What! a spouse .... so all these years... till the marriageable age and marriage... I can not see my own child's face. ...", the emperor roared.
Everyone went silent.
" Your highness, even the mother is not allowed and no other woman...." , said Grand Perceptor as he eyed the Dowager.
" Fine... for the safety of my sixth and my wife, I can do anything and this is only a veil.", said the Emperor.
" Make the arrangements for better treatement of the Empress from now on and call the silk weavers to wieve the best quality silk veils for the sixth.", he commanded to the eunuch and entered the chamber to see his wife.
The five princes followed him into the room to see their mother and the imperial sixth.
The empress and the perceptor left to do their own works.
( A/N: This old hag ... she did not even go and confort her daughter in law... Humph )
After a few months , the sixth child was born safely and the empress was also fine.
The emperor sent gauards to assissnate the two maids and the physician who were involved in the child birth.
With this, the veiled princess was brought to see the Emperor Ling, Empress Qin, Dowager and the five excited princes.