22 Years Later
Xiang Chang-Xi who was now Song Mingxia was in an alley way walking home after a long day of work at the library, having to wake up at 4am and finish at 10pm. She did not have an extraordinary life. She was the daughter of Song Ying and Zhou Xingjian, they were both nice people, her mother Zhou Xingjian was a beauty; she had long black hair and a dainty porcelain face. She was a short, thin woman. Her father Song Ying was a tall solid man, and though he looked scary with scars on his hands, he was a big teddy bear at heart.
As Xiang Chang-Xi was thinking about her simple but pleasant life, she heard a person scream for help. Xiang Chang-Xi stops and looks around, trying to find where the scream is coming from. She notices an alley in front of her; she walks there and looks down only to find a scene that made her blood boil- there was a girl who looked around the same age as Xiang Chang-Xi, being pushed on the ground by a man. Seeing him start to rip the girls' clothes off, Xiang Chang-Xi started to remember scenes from her past life that she wanted to forget. When she heard the girl whimper, she was brought back to the present.
'I can't go worrying about the past, I have to help her!'
Xiang Chang-Xi wasted no time, running towards the man and jumping on his back. This startled the man, and gave time for the girl to run. The man got angry when he saw that the girl ran towards the police station. He panicked and pushed his back into the wall, causing Xiang Chang-Xi to loosen her grip. He managed to get her off him, pulled out his knife and stabbed her in the stomach over and over.
"You little b*itch! How dare you stop me from having my fun with her! Now you're going to die!" The man shouted like a lunatic. Xiang Chang-Xi held her stomach in pain and fell to the ground. Through tear soaked eyes, she saw the young girl running back to her with the police, but it was too late for her. She grabbed the man's legs to stop him from running away, she held on and refused to let go. 'If this man gets away then my death will be in vain! And he will target another poor girl!'
The girl quickly ran to Xiang Chang-Xi's side, while the police ran to grab the man. Xiang Chang-Xi watched the girls crying face and notices her features. She looks exactly like her closest companion Jiang Hauling! Xiang Chang-Xi smiles at the girl and moves her bloodied hand to touch the girls face. The crying girl was shocked, Xiang Chang-Xi then spoke in a quiet and soft voice, "Jiang Hauling I saved you this time" she had a peaceful smile on her face but if you looked at her eyes closely you could see a hint of sadness. The girl quickly shook her head and finally spoke to Xiang Chang-Xi "But you are going to die, and it is all my fault! If I didn't leave you here, then you would be fine!"
"Don't say that, it is not your fault…. It was my choice to stop him." Xiang Chang-Xi's voice sounded frail but the look on her face was stern, as she looked at the girl with tears in her eyes, she remembered how Jiang Hauling was always crying beside her bed every time that Xiang Lifen would bully her. She was finding it harder to keep her eyes open and she found her mind wandering back to her life before this one.
…...
(FLASHBACK)
All the officials and people were gathered together waiting for the execution to take place. Everyone has been eagerly awaiting the day that they could see the ugly trash Xiang Chang-Xi die. They are all sad that it took the death of their beloved Emperor Xiang Shun for it to happen.
People all watch as a young woman around 22 and dressed in rags was being dragged by two guards. Her long white hair being covered in dirt. As soon as they saw the unusual, coloured hair they knew straight away who it was; hate could be seen in everyone's eyes. It was Xiang Chang-Xi previously known as the Princess who always smiles. Her hair was masking her face, but nobody cared- they all knew she was just ugly trash. The guards roughly shove the girl to the ground, and she falls on her side. As she wiggles to get herself up on her knees, the crowd laughs.
Xiang Chang-Xi could hear the laughter of her own people. She looked up and saw hate in everyone's eyes. She did not care though; why should she? No matter what she did, nobody would care about her. Everyone she loved was either killed or had betrayed her.
"We are here for the execution of the former Empress Xiang Chang-Xi. She has committed multiple sins...."
Xiang Chang-Xi closed her eyes and ignored everything. As she closed her eyes, she remembered everything that had happened to her. She remembered the last time she saw her dear father. She wanted to see how her father was doing, because she had moved into her husbands' house. But when she got to her childhood home, her father was barely conscious. She could tell that he was fighting to stay alive. She still remembered his last words to her-
"Xiang Chang-Xi.... I need... you to... protect your sisters and brother.... please."
She promised her father she would always protect them, while she screamed for the guards to help; help that would never come.
She remembers how she was forced to watch her youngest sister get executed for trying to help her and prove her innocence. She remembers how Xiang Chun-Ti smiled at her and said in her sweet and delicate voice "Do not worry Xiang Chang-Xi, I will always love you. Now I will join mother and father."
She watched as her sister took her final breaths in this cruel world, and Xiang Chang-Xi- who had never shed a tear in 15 years- cried for the deaths of her sister and father.
Xiang Chang-Xi looked up at her so-called husband Gao Qiu. She couldn't believe that she thought he loved her. God, she was so blind, he was just using her to get the throne and become the emperor. She looked next to her dear husband, and saw a beautiful girl with shoulder length, jet black hair. Her face had no blemishes and was petite; but Xiang Chang-Xi did not care how pretty the other girl was on the outside. Her dear sister Xiang Lifen was a real white lotus.
Xiang Chang-Xi was known as the ugly trash princess because she could not cultivate which meant she was weak, and the scars on her face made her ugly. Yet no matter what happened she always smiled- even when she found out that everything that had happened to her for the past 15 years was all Xiang Lifen's fault. She could not believe how foolish she was, she had believed every word that Xiang Lifen told her. She didn't find out the truth until it was too late.
After Gao Qius' soldier stopped speaking, there was only silence. The crowd waited for Xiang Chang-Xi's response. Then a beautifully cold laugh echoed throughout the courtyard. Everyone felt a shiver down their spines as they followed the noise to its source; Xiang Chang-Xi. Xiang Lifen looked at her oldest sister in shock and fear. Then Xiang Chang-Xi spoke; her voice cold, loud, and clear as she stared at Gao Qiu and Xiang Lifen.
"Xiang Lifen and Gao Qui, you will never take my smile away again!"
She turned toward the crowd, a smile on her face as the sword cut her head clean off. That smile was cold and held no emotion- it made her look like a demon. Everyone was shocked to see a smile like that from Xiang Chang-Xi, because her smile had always before held warmth in it. Xiang Lifen looked at her older sisters' dead corpse and smiled.
'Finally, I will be Empress.'
(END FLASHBACK)
.......
"I want you to promise me something." The girl looked at Xiang Chang-Xi with a confused face, "Ummm....ok?" It was more of a question, but Xiang Chang-Xi did not care. She looked at the girl and said in a caring voice. "I want you to promise me….that no matter what, you will not cry…. over my death."
Xiang Chang-Xi was finding it harder to stay conscious, as death was close.
"That is the same promise I made….. to someone…. special to me….please…..promise…me….this." Xiang Chang-Xi squinted her eyes, as she tried to focus on the girls features one last time. The girl looked confused, but she thought about what Xiang Chang-Xi said. Then her face changed; she stopped crying and looked at Xiang Chang-Xi with determination. "I promise you miss, I will not cry over your death anymore! It will not fix anything or bring you back when you die!"
Xiang Chang-Xi embraced her death, knowing that she had at least saved one girl from a horrible fate. 'I guess I just wasn't meant to live a full life.' Xiang Chang-Xi thought with a bitter laugh. Then the darkness consumed her as she finally died with a warm smile on her face. 'I will finally see you all again.'