The day passed like nothing. After Ying Yue was finished speaking to Duan Da she headed off to find Jianyu. As she walked past the royal garden, Ying Yue couldn't help but stare at its unending beauty. Shen An notices Ying Yue making frequent stops to stare at the garden and suggested for her to just take a break and relax in the garden.
"Your highness, why not take a break before we head to his majesties residence?"
"I suppose I could use one."
Ying Yue walks towards the white pavilion where Jianyu had proposed to her at. Ying Yue seats herself onto a chair and stares out at the flowers in bloom. Even the lotus in the pond were in full bloom.
"I never realized how much I would miss this scenery."
"What do you mean, your highness?"
"While I was stuck in the other kingdom, I've gotten the chance to view their gardens as well and yet.....there wasn't one that would mesmerize me as much as this one."
"Would you like me to bring you some snacks?"
"No need, I will only be here a bit longer."
Shen An remained silent as she watched Ying Yue stare into the distance, almost like she was in a trance. After getting a light tap on her left shoulder, she turns to see Jianyu motioning for her to step back. Shen An quickly nods and backs away from behind Ying Yue and out of the pavilion.
Ying Yue spends another ten minutes staring at the garden. Finally seeing enough, she stands up and turns around only to find Jianyu staring at her.
"Jianyu?! When did you get here?"
"I've been here for ten minutes now."
"You should've said something then. What brings you here to the garden?"
"Well, I went to your residence to give you your things and you weren't there. So I came looking for you."
"I just needed some fresh air. I feel it's been a while since I've been this relaxed."
Jianyu takes a seat across the table from Ying Yue and listens to her talk about her feelings.
"You want to know who else I saw in Xinjing?"
"Who?"
"Someone that was from my world. He's called Hong Chen, and is the general of the nomad tribe I fought."
"Is he the one who gave you that scar?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Did you forget? I visited you in your dreams that night when you were in pain. I begged the heavens to not take you that night."
"Now that you mention it...I think I do remember dreaming of you that night. Although I don't remember what it was about."
"A wound that deep should've killed you, especially with how your world lacked healing spells and medicine unlike our world here. If not for your dragon blood, you would've perished that night."
"I guess....hey Jianyu can you tell me why the dragon clan is favored by the heavens?"
"It's an old legend, my father told me about it once. Everything started when the oldest daughter of the heaven king's daughter fell in love with the dragon emperor."
"Oh....this sounds like it'll be a tough love story already."
"To be with her he begged the heaven king to give him a human form. Of course, the king was against their union. Therefore, he asked the dragon to create life on the human world. If he can do that, the king will grant his wish."
"What do you mean create life? Isn't that the king's duty?"
"True....the king gave him an impossible task. The human world was beyond help as nothing grew, and no life could exist. Anything the king created would die out. The dragon emperor had no idea and went on to complete the task. Do you know what he did?"
"No.....what did he do?"
"The dragon coiled himself around the sun in the morning and the moon at night. Centuries past and the dragon emperor finally realized he was tricked, but since he loved the king's daughter he did something unthinkable. The dragon pierced a wound into his heart and let the blood flow for centuries into the human world."
"His heart? Wouldn't he die?"
"The wounds would heal fast enough so he never died. But every time the wound healed; he'd have to pierce it again. For ten thousand years he did this and eventually the barren world was now growing forests and life was able to inhabit the world. The heaven king felt like a fool for tricking the kind hearted dragon emperor. To make amends, he granted the dragon emperor a human form and his oldest daughters' hand in marriage. The two decided to descend and live in the human world and give up their god and goddess status."
"How did the humans come into existence then?"
"The heaven king planted them of course. When the dragon king came to the human world his whole clan followed him and they soon also gained human forms. Overtime the humans got greedy and that's how everything started."
"I see...hard to believe the gods would mingle with humans. I mean, in Xinjing there was a story about the first queen being a goddess."
"Ah....that one is rather popular here too."
"What? You know about it?"
"That goddess was the younger sister of the first dragon empress. Her story is much worse than what you've heard I bet."
"What do you mean by that, Jianyu?"
"She committed a sin for co-populating with a human so the heavens banished her and her soul is unable to reincarnate. She did everything in the name of love, only to be betrayed in the end. Quite sad, isn't it? Of course, the human king never forgave himself, but what's done was already done."
"I don't understand why she chose death over divorcing the king and moving on."
"Well.....promises with gods and goddess are absolute. It's like a pact for life until someone breaks it. It was a promise they shared and he broke it. Making promises with gods are much different than what humans do."
"That's.....that's so cruel."
"Don't pity them Ying Yue. They're something of the past now."
"I know....I know...but sometimes you can't help but think about how they must've suffered. I don't know what I would've done if I never met you."
"We're predestined, that's why."
Jianyu smiles at Ying Yue and grabs her hand.
"Alright, enough story telling. Tell me what happened to Bai Chun and what's going to happen to Xinjing now?"
"Bai Chun is still missing and according to some sources he's no longer in Xinjing. Xinjing on the other hand needs to be taught a lesson."
"What're you planning to do?"
"They have an army heading for Yuanjing, I'll be sending Fu Jia and his men off to protect Yuanjing and fight off the Xinjing army. A small army of a hundred is nothing to Fu Jia and his men. Xinjing on the other hand, is already being punished as we speak."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, I didn't tell you? I placed a curse on them."
"What? What did you do?"
"They needed to be taught a lesson. Rather than wiping them out, I was lenient and only cursed them. Something similar to the curse my father had placed on your world at one point."
"What? That's not fair to the people though. They're innocent, the only one that should be punished is the royal family."
"I know...that's why I made sure the only way to lift the curse is for you to forgive them from the bottom of your heart."
Ying Yue remained silent as she thought of the things Jianyu was telling her. Ying Yue couldn't bring herself to forgive the royal family, but she didn't want to punish the citizens of Xinjing because of what the crown prince and Bai Chun did.
Jianyu notices the conflicted Ying Yue and places his right hand over her right hand that was now clenched into a fist. With a smile on his face, Jianyu assured Ying Yue everything would work out just fine.
"It's alright, let this be a warning to them. I made sure not to kill anyone.... although I did really want to kill that annoying prince. In a few days.....I'm planning to visit Xinjing. Did you want to go with me?"
"Can I?"
"Of course. I'm sure you have some things you want to ask the royal family."
"Alright. I've decided. As much as I hated that place, I need some answer."
"I'll let you know when I leave for Xinjing then."
"Alright, it's a promise then."
Ying Yue looks at the sky and realizes time was passing by and her son was probably hungry now.
"Let's head back Jianyu, Junjei is probably hungry now."
"Oh! Right."
Jianyu stands up first and stretches out his right hand for Ying Yue to grab onto. In that moment, Jianyu chanted a spell and created a portal that was directly connected to the courtyard of Ying Yue's mother's residence.
After hearing the commotion her maids were making, madam Bai Shun steps out of the palace to find Jianyu and Ying Yue in her courtyard.
"Well! If it isn't son in law and Ying Yue. Junjei just feel asleep."
"Thanks for watching him mother. I'll be taking him, so I can feed him."
Madam Bai Shun heads back inside her palace and moments later carries out the sleeping Junjei still wrapped up in a bundle. Ying Yue thanks her mother again and takes Junjei from her as Jianyu creates a portal that was connected to the empress residence.
"I'll come visit you another time mother."
"Alright, off you go."
Ying Yue follows Jianyu and walks through the portal.