Meeting the Emperor (part 1)

The carriage was really spacious with lots of luxury things prepared for convenience. The cushions were fluffy and soft. The tea served smelled tantalizing. The pastries were soft to bite into, melted as soon as they entered your tongue, and not too sweet to make you feel dizzy from too much consumption. The window of the carriage was let open which allowed fresh breeze to pass by Chou Lian. It was the first time she had set her foot outside the Shen mansion ever since she came to this world; and could be the first time getting this luxury treatment. However, instead of feeling happy or excited to look at how the capital looked, she was feeling uncomfortable inside. It felt like she was being treated well because she was going to be sacrificed soon.

Sigh. If it was last day let her enjoy this aromatic tea, sweets and the beautiful scenery outside. Drinking the lemon tea really warmed her up, and not to mention how good it tasted. This improved Chou Lian's mood by a lot as she started to ponder why was the Emperor so set on marrying her to the 6th princess. From how the Emperor praised 6th princess, in the edict, it was visible the Emperor really favoured that daughter of her. If she was a cherished princess why was she being married off to a woman, when the biggest role that woman played was a man's daughter, a man's wife, a man's mother. Thus, in a male dominating ancient era how it was allowed for two women to get married? Was the 6th princess really favoured, was she thinking too much into it? Did the 6th princess even agreed to this?

She really needed to talk the princess herself, before deciding whether to elope from here or not. Honestly, she didn't care about the Shen family. So she would not care about any implication that would befall the Shen's for her escaping. For a few months she could hide in her space so that no way could the Emperor's soldiers find her, and then could sneak somewhere else by changing her disguise. It was going to take a lot of efforts, and thinking about it was already giving her a headache.

Before she knew it the gigantic palace came to her view. It was huge, and nothing like she had seen before. She could see soldiers heavily guarding the palace as the carriage entered, once the huge iron door was parted. The carriage stopped a really long way from the main entrance of the palace, and the palace Eunuch told Chou Lian to get down and walk till the main entrance, as only the Royalty were allowed to take their carriage till the main entrance of the palace. Chou Lian without any words got down with the help of the palace servants, and followed the palace Eunuch. Honestly, walking such a distance was not at all difficult for Chou Lian, but if it was those noble ladies from the capital they would have sweated to death, while their legs would have gave in.

Once within the palace they straight headed to the Emperor's work room. While walking she could she the magnificent flower garden with plethora kinds of flowers, Chou Lian didn't even know any of the flowers name. How could she when the only flowers left on Earth would bite off flesh from humans. She was quite mesmerized with how pleasing the flowers actually looked even from a distance. The flowers could be seen swaying with the light breeze. It was her first time seeing such a beautiful view since she came to this era.

Perceiving how her phoenix eyes sparkled while she kept stealing glances at the flower garden a servant walking behind her said smilingly, "First Lady Shen seems to like the flower garden."

Chou Lian smiled and replied, "The flower garden sure brightens up ones mood by looking at it so, how come I not like the flower garden."

" What First Lady Shen said is true. This flower garden has all the flowers that could be found in our continent. Dawang , created this garden specially for the 6th princess as a get well soon gift, which is why the garden is near the 6th princess' palace. It seems First Lady Shen and 6th princess has similar preferences.", the female servant happily chatted with Chou Lian, until was rebuked by the palace Eunuch to stop.

Once they came in front of the Emperor's work room the palace Eunuch told her to wait, as he and all the servants went away. Chou Lian waited in front of the huge door which was had a huge lotus shaped curved on it. The door had no other print on it. It looked simple but for some reason really intimidating, but it wasn't enough to intimidate Chou Lian. She waited for what seemed like an eternity before another Eunuch came and told her to go in. The door was parted open by the soldiers waiting outside the door. Chou Lian took a deep breath and then elegantly walked in.

The room was really spacious and decorated in a sophisticated way with a lot of treasures that Chou Lian has never seen in her life. This was just the outer room filled with shelves of books, few chairs and a round table. All of which seemed to be simple in design but there richness could not be hidden. Past the outer room was the inner room, where the Emperor and the high priest was waiting for Chou Lian.

When she entered the inner room it was no less in size than the outer room. There was a big majestic table in the middle inlaid with jewels, on top of it plethora of memorials were stacked up, and a almost throne like chair on which the Emperor, as it seemed, was seated very intimidatingly. Feeling that gaze Chou Lian was grieving inside, 'It wasn't me who wants to marry your daughter, Bixia!!! Then why are looking at me like I am the pig who is stealing your cabbage!'.

On the other side of the room, near the window, was a tea table which gave the full view to a garden with a small lake, from which soft breeze was flowing in the room while carrying the sweet smell of flowers. By the tea table a person in a white and purple satin robe was elegantly sitting, and was making tea with full concentration; as his long shining black hair, which was tied in a high ponytail, was swaying because of the breeze.

Looking at such a view would really calm one down; in contrast to looking at the Emperor who had his eyes narrowed at her which made Chou Lian think she was a prey the Emperor was waiting to jump upon. She sighed in her heart.

'Let's do whatever it takes to survive!", Chou Lian thought in her heart.

The Eunuch bowed respectfully to the Emperor and the high priest, then announced Chou Lian's entrance before leaving, "The majesty and the high priest, First Lady Shen has come under your grace."

After hearing that Chou Lian kneeled respectfully and kowtowed two times to the Emperor and respectfully bowed to the high priest, as this was the customs to greet the Emperor after which she said, "Greetings to the Emperor, the son of heaven, and the high priest. This lowly noble has the blessings of seven lifetimes to come under Bixia's grace." After she was done greeting she kept kneeling while looking down waiting for the Emperor to say something.