In Miyojin's whole life, he was never rejected. It was a mere fact that the women in the capital adored him. No one could ever resist him. Hearing his bride-to-be telling him that she doesn't want him was very mind-bending. Her rejection stung. The worst part of all, he did not understand why it even bothered him in the first place.
Xia Yu, not sensing the inner turmoil in the prince's mind, continued stating her conditions. She mentioned that she did not want to sleep in the same room with him. She would like a room for herself including her amenities. She also wanted the liberty to do what she wanted as long as no rules were broken.
"Do you have anything against my requests, Your Highness?" Xia Yu asked after stating her request.
By the tone of how Xia Yu said it, it seems she will not take any protest on Miyojin's part.
Is this how she settles business deals?
Miyojin began to feel pity for all those merchants who wished to refuse Xia Yu's proposals. How can they refuse such an intimidating tone?
He thought about her conditions. They are not absurd in any way. In actuality, they seem pretty fair and reasonable. Because he has no qualms, he said...
"None. I believe your conditions are only fitting."
Xia Yu smiled at him and said, "My gratitude, Your Highness. Is it right to assume that you consent to this agreement?".
"Yes. I accept your plan and proposal." Miyojin said, feeling defeated.
As if Xia Yu had sensed what Miyojin was feeling, an idea popped into her mind.
"Thank you so much, Your Highness. It brings me much glee that we are on the same page. You are a partner of mine in this dealing. Thus, I should make sure that you will not get the short end of the stick."
What does she mean? Miyojin wonders as he becomes more invested in what Xia Yu has to say.
"Would you clarify what you are trying to intend?"
"In exchange for your cooperation, I extend to you a plan to fulfill your wish."
Wish? Is she implying what he thinks she's implying?
"What are you referring to?" Miyojin asked to make things clearer.
"Your wish to marry Miss Mo," she said, confirming his thoughts.
"I can find a way for you to marry her without the disapproval of the emperor. You will have to take her as a concubine for now. After we divorce, she can become your official wife."
Miyojin was flabbergasted. Who would have thought his problems would be solved? He spent two years trying to find ways to get his father's favor in his plan to marry Mo Lijuan. He thought this marriage would ruin that. But, it seems that this marriage will even make it a reality.
"How do you plan to do that?" Miyojin asked.
"I don't have a definite plan yet, Your Highness. I need to analyze the situation in different aspects. This is essential for me to be able to figure out the most effective approach."
"How can you be so sure you can get my father to agree to this?"
"There is always a way to overcome every obstacle. We just have to be careful with your case. After all, it can backfire horribly if we make a mistake. My only request is that you give me time to think of a plan. I promise that I won't take long."
By now, Miyojin is pretty convinced. After all, this is a Xia he is speaking to. Her family wouldn't be this prosperous if they made plans that could easily fail. Besides, he was already out of options. Not to mention, everyone already knew of this. Xia Yu was his best bet to get what he wanted.
"Okay. I'll leave it to you, then," he said.
Xia Yu offered him a smile and a small bow.
It seems they have a deal. All of Miyojin's earlier problems had been partially solved. He should be happy and excited to execute the plan. But to his surprise, he wasn't feeling it. Maybe, he was still shocked and surprised with how everything fell into place.
After the deal had been settled, the two proceeded to discuss other things. The atmosphere was no longer awkward. It was at least nice. They enjoy munching on their snacks and drinking tea. They talked of topics that would be spoken by people starting a friendship. This was funny thinking that they were about to enter marriage.
Three days later.
Right after their family dinner, Miyojin went straight back to his courtyard. He said that he would rest earlier. He had his servants prepare him to sleep. When he was settled, he dismissed his servants, turned off the lights, and laid on his bed to sleep.
After a while, Miyojin rose from his bed and went to his door. He peered in a small opening to see the outside. His servants were indeed gone. There were also fewer guards stationed by the entrance of his courtyard.
When he was convinced that everything was all well, he went back to his room and opened one of his dressing drawers. He pulled out a cloth-covered box and opened it. It was his commoner attire. The cloth was very dark in color so he could easily blend in the night.
He wore his attire as he also brought a rope and a small knife. He placed a pillow under his covers in case someone checked on him in the middle of the night. When everything was set, he got out of his window without making any sound.
At a fast pace, he headed to the nearest wall at the back of his quarters. He pushed the rock which hides a secret hole in the wall. After pushing the wall open, the prince entered it by crawling. On the other side of the wall is an empty courtyard that no one has used for decades.
He went into the worn-out house. He went straight to a wardrobe and touched a secret mechanism. The wardrobe was a secret door to a hidden tunnel. He discovered this secret tunnel when he was a teenager. The tunnel leads to a tree grove outside the palace.
This was the third time he used the tunnel. He's glad that he never told anyone about it. If there was one thing he learned these past few days, that was to not trust anyone with his secrets.
When he got out of the tree groves, he walked to his destination. He moved with swiftness as he remained in the shadow to avoid being seen. Soon enough, he reached the house. He went to the side. After what he had learned recently, there was no way he'd be entering the front door.
He spotted the balcony of the room of his love. Though he doesn't know for sure who ratted him out, he is certain that this person is not one of them. Mo Lijuan will never betray him. She had proven her loyalty to him numerous times. There was no room for him to doubt her.
He spotted a small ladder nearby. This was perfect to give him the extra edge. He climbed the ladder giving him a shorter distance between him and the balcony. He tied the rope to the knife and threw it on the balcony. He pulled the rope but it fell. He made his second attempt and this time, he succeeded.
Miyojin climbed the rope until he reached the balcony. He moved with care as he entered the balcony. He must not draw anyone's attention. He peeked into the room and saw that Mo Lijuan was not yet in her room. He went behind the dressing partition and waited.
He didn't wait long. Soon the door opened. By the sound of her pace, Miyojin could already tell who it was. Mo Lijuan noticed that the window of her balcony was slightly open. She went over there to close it.
Miyojin used this as a chance to reveal himself. He grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming. Mo Lijuan panicked. But her fear dispersed when she heard her captor speak.
"Lijuan, don't scream. It's me."
Lijuan turned to her captor. She couldn't believe it. It was Prince Miyojin. She pulled away from him. She took a long look at him before throwing herself in his arms again. Then, she began crying. Miyojin also put his arms around her and began to soothe her back.
"I-I thought I'd never see you again. When I heard the news, I thought you would never come back and you had abandoned me." Lijuan said as she struggled to speak through her cries.
"I'm sorry for worrying you like this. I would never abandon you." Miyojin said. He can already tell how much this stress took a toll on her.
"Everything will be fine so you have nothing to worry about," Miyojin said to her.
He slightly pulled her away from him. He cupped her cheeks as he wiped the tears streaming down from her eyes. She looked at him unconvinced.
"Lijuan, I love you," he said, full of promise as he brought his lips to hers.
Their simple peck turned into a heated kiss. Miyojin did miss her. Lijuan is his first love. He can't remember what his life was like before meeting her. All he knows is that his life was a lot better when she came.
Miyojin pulled away from the kiss. As much as he wants to kiss her and more, some things should come first.
"What's wrong?" Lijuan asked him.
"We need to talk," Miyojin said as they sat on her bed.
Miyojin was silent at first thinking about what he should say. But an anxious Mo Lijuan could no longer bear the suspense.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked.
"My marriage to the young miss of the Xias will proceed," Miyojin answered with a sigh.
All the color in Mo Lijuan's face had drained. She spoke too soon. He was going to say goodbye to her after all. But before she could utter a reaction, Miyojin continued.
"But Lijuan, believe me. There's nothing to worry about. The marriage will only be in name. You're the one I only love."
"A marriage in name?" Mo Lijuan repeated. Is that what they call a "loveless marriage"?
She felt relieved. She was happy Miyojin still loved her and that he thought of this. But soon, another thought crept into her mind, what about Miss Xia? She knew the status of Miss Xia was no light matter. With all the power and wealth she has, it will be easy for her to do whatever she pleases. What if she used all the means she could to steal Miyojin from her? What if she becomes jealous of her and tries to hurt her and her family?
"But what about Miss Xia? Will she be fine with this arrangement?" she asked.
Miyojin smiled at her before answering.
"You might not believe me if I say this but Xia Yu is more than fine with this agreement. She was the one who suggested this in the first place." Miyojin said with much excitement.
If Mo Lijuan was worried in the first place, it got even worse. Aside from the tone of how Miyojin spoke, it bothered her that Miss Xia was the one who suggested this. She was expecting that Miss Xia, at least, would feel bitter about this. But suggesting this in the first place?
"Really?" she said in disbelief.
"Yes. What I said is the truth. What's more! She even offered a solution for us to be together. She will find a way for us to marry with my father's approval." Miyojin said happily.
Fear began to emerge in the heart of Mo Lijuan. This was even worse! She will be more at ease if Miyojin and Miss Xia are in disagreement. But the mere idea that Miyojin was very pleased with her had her heart dropping to her stomach. Is this how Miss Xia will steal him from her? Will she show the prince kindness to slowly win his favor?
"Are you certain you can trust her? What if she is just baiting you?" she said.
"I know it is hard to believe at first. But, Xia Yu has no feelings for me. We are allies so you don't need to fret. She is thinking of a plan for us as we speak." Miyojin said with much confidence that it brought a bitter taste to Mo Lijuan's mouth.
"How will she even do it?" she asked, still not convinced.
"I honestly don't know. But, I trust her that she can do this. We just have to wait patiently."
At this point, it is clear to Mo Lijuan that there is no way to implant doubt in Miyojin's mind.
"I do have a question for you, though," Miyojin said.
"What is it?"
"Will you be willing to be my concubine? I know it is not what we originally planned but, it is the only way for us to be together."
The question of Miyojin hung in Mo Lijuan's head. When she got together with Miyojin, she knew it would take a miracle for her to become the prince's main wife. But with his efforts to lift her family's status, she began to hope that they could achieve the impossible. But now, it disheartened her that Miyojin would settle in making her only his concubine.
But it is better than nothing...
"As long as I get to be with you, then, it is fine with me," she said as she hugged Miyojin.
Miyojin hugged her back. He was extremely relieved that Mo Lijuan agreed to it. He was a bit fearful that Mo Lijuan would not accept his proposal. Lucky for him, Mo Lijuan truly loves him.
With much joy, Miyojin pushed Mo Lijuan down the bed and began kissing her fiercely.