ETERNAL LOVE : A LOVE STORY

Ji Cheng carried Zhao Ming to their chamber and placed her on the bed carefully. He was scared and worried seeing her pale complexion. He remembered about the night when he failed to save her in time and she fell into a coma. 

He was staring at the scratch marks on her neck when his gaze fell on the hairpin that she was holding onto. He carefully took the hairpin and placed it on the side table.

He was coming after checking his horse at the stable when he saw the maids who were coming from the direction of Xiao Li's chamber and were looking shocked and panicked. They got scared of seeing him but came to him to ask for help.

She recounted how Xiao Li tried to strangle Zhao Ming and Empress Dowager went to save Zhao Ming. She ran out for help as soon as Xiao Li attacked Zhao Ming while Wen Xu went to deal with Xiao Li herself.

He called the women soldiers who were reserved to deal with such a situation and by the time they reached Xiao Li's palace, she was already strangling Wen Xu.

He caressed her cheeks which were pale and cold. He sighed and murmured, " I am sorry...I am sorry for being late again."

-

Zhao Ming knitted her brows and felt her head was splitting into two. She frowned and slowly opened her eyes. 

Her eyes felt heavy as boulders. However, when she opened her eyes, she found herself engulfed in a pair of strong arms.

Her lips parted a bit as she turned to her side and smiled seeing Ji Cheng's sleeping face. He was sleeping while holding her tightly in his embrace.

She stared at his sleeping face and wondered if everything was a dream. She would have believed that it was a dream if she didn't feel any pain around her neck.

She touched her nape unconsciously and cursed Xiao Li under her breath.

She strangled her quite strongly. This time she has to thank Wen Xu. If she hadn't reached in time, she would have died for the second time now.

She looked at his face and reached her hand to touch his nose when he caught her wrist.

" Oh." She was startled when he caught her in an act.

" You woke up." He said.

Zhao Ming nodded. She tried to sit up but her body was quite weak, so he helped her sit on the bed with her back against the headrest.

She looked around and frowned seeing the curtains covering the windows. The outside seems to have gotten dark already.

Ji Cheng also got off the bed and took a glass of water to pass her. 

" You have slept through the whole day. It's midnight now." He spoke.

She blinked and was surprised that she slept for this long. 

" Erm…. about what happened in the morning…" she started but he cut off again.

" Don't talk about it. You need to rest. Also, don't worry about anything. I will deal with it properly." He smiled at her.

She nodded and relaxed. 

However, her eyes dimmed when she remembered something, " Oh, that hairpin. My hairpin…" she suddenly remembered about that hairpin. 

After getting that hairpin, she hasn't even looked at it properly yet. If she loses it now, it would be great trouble.

She tried to get off the bed but he stopped her and said, " Don't worry about that. That hairpin is with Aunt Shen Jia right now. You can take it from her later." 

" Oh." She calmed down hearing that Aunt Sheng Jia took it with her. If it is with her, then she can be at ease.

She stared at him and felt that he was acting a bit strange. He was taking care of you but something was amiss. 

-

Five days later, 

The royal court was arranged where all the ministers were called upon. Ji Cheng sat on his throne and looked at everyone. 

Without delaying anything, he started, " As you might have heard about the incident a few days ago, but let me state the facts again. In the ruffle between the Empress and Consort Xiao Li, she tried to attack the royal consort, and not only that, she even tried to harm the Empress Dowager."

" Following that, Consort Xue Lang has also confessed that she mixed the poison in Empress's food, considering that she was threatened by Consort Xiao Li, she will be punished to stay at the abandoned chamber for life."

" And for Consort Xie Mei, she will be given a five year's budget cut to stealing the royal treasure, Empress's hairpin and not reporting the incident that she witnessed that night to the authority."

All the ministers listened to his words seriously and were shocked by hearing his verdicts. He has punished the other two consorts who have been involved in the incident heavily, they were wondering what will happen to Xiao Li. 

" In the last, upon the confession of Consort Xue Lang and further investigation, Xiao Li will be punished to attempt the murder of the Empress. Her act will be considered as the act of terror towards the royal family and will be punished seriously.".

" Consort Xiao Li…will be sent to the Cold Palace." 

"-_-"

"-_-"

His words shocked everyone. Cold Palace has been a cruel place and for consorts, it's like tales. They have only heard about it but haven't seen it.

No consort has been sent to the cold palace in ages. But Xiao Li has broken that legacy and was punished for going to the cold palace.

Zhao Ming, who was sitting beside him, bit her lower lip and wondered if it's too much. Because of the things that she had heard, no one can stay alive for long at Cold palace.

However, every day is like torture. For the consorts, it's more humiliating and painful than the direct execution.

Before going to the cold palace, she will be stripped out of her position as the consort and will be sent in common belongings. 

Not only that, she will have to stay alone at the large cold palace which is in the mountains. More than that, there are stories that the one who will be sent to Cold palace will be given a slow poison every single day. 

The slow poison will make them weak, lethargic, and depressed. They will want to die but couldn't. They would want to meet someone or want to talk to someone but can't. They will be alone... forever and will die...alone.

In the next two days, the formal duties were completed and Xiao Li was stripped out of her duties and position. Stripping of her position for a Consort means that her marriage with Ji Cheng became null and void. Her condition was much worse than a concubine now.

Zhao Ming was standing in the garden and was looking at the carriage which was surrounded by guards as they took her to the Cold Palace. Everything happened so fast that she didn't even have time to talk to her.

She doesn't know what to feel at this moment. She was empty. 

Sometimes she feels that Xiao Li doesn't deserve this harsh punishment but remembering about Zhao Ming, she feels that she deserves that. 

Because of her hatred, Zhao Ming lost her life. Even though she got the second life to live, this does not justify Xiao Li's actions.

-

Zhao Ming looked at the hairpin in her hand which she took back from Aunt Shen Jia. She has confirmed that this hairpin looks normal but it does carry the dark energy with it.

The strong evil energy was the carrier of that curse. It was holding a long grudge that needed to be resolved. She needs to repent of her past mistakes to resolve that long-standing grudge and break this curse along with Zhao Ming who is in her body.

' I need to remember my past life. I can't wait anymore.' she pursed her lips and looked at the hairpin in her hand. 

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