1314: A Thousand Peonies Bloom
The Beginning of a Tragedy

Shuwan who had been waiting for Young Master Zhang to paint was still sitting in his daydream. He patiently followed every event that happened. Take a close look at how Zhang and Shu’er live out their lives as a married couple. 

That morning, Young Master Zhang, Shu’er's husband walked into their room. He came to eat together. Attentively, Shu’er's husband placed the side dish onto his wife's bowl.

“You have to eat a lot. Do not look thin, so there are accusations that I do not pay attention to you,” he said.

“But if it's like this, aren't you the same as feeding a pet?” said Shu’er who protested because his bowl was already very full of rice and side dishes.

Shu’er's husband just chuckled at the annoyed expression of his wife. “Ya already, now eat immediately, before all this food is cold.”

Shu’er immediately ate the food in front of her, without thinking that her husband was watching her.

“Eat quietly. No one will fight with you,” said the husband.

Shu’er's face became red from embarrassment. He looks like a hungry man. The rice he ate was scattered around his mouth. Shu’er's husband who noticed it also touched Shu’er's face to remove the rice on his face. That touch made Shu’er even more blushing. They also looked at each other.

“It looks like I feel the strings of romance have been plucked with her shahd,” said Shuwan who had watched from another corner of Shu’er's room. 

After the warm sight, Shuwan seems to re-enter another event, when the couple quarrel over a hereditary issue. Ever since they got married, they have never been in a relationship. Shu’er's husband wants a successor who must be born alone by Shu’er, as proof that Shu’er has intact into his own.

“Why... Why do you always reject me? Why?!!” asked the husband in a loud tone while tightly holding onto Shu’er's two arms. “Can't you love me? Now I am your husband.”

With a flat face she told her husband,”There was once a person I loved, and now I still can't forget it.”

Shu’er's husband who heard this remark grew even more furious. He finally let go of Shu’er's hand, and turned his back. “Is that? So, all this time there wasn't the slightest taste for me? Shu’er, why are you being so cruel to me? As soon as ‘ don't you want to marry me?”

Shu’er is just as bothered. It's dilemma. “A-I didn't mean it that way. I-I just...”

“What only? Just have feelings for the guy?” Shu’er's husband snorted dejectedly. “Then, you better stay here. You're not allowed to step out in the slightest.”

Shuwan felt a tightness in his chest watching the fights of the two people. Without realizing it, warm liquid just came out from both eyes. “A-what? Why do I feel so sick too?”

Shu’er who heard her husband's decision just sculpted, silent a thousand languages. She only saw her husband slowly walking away. Leave it in a room that should be where they share warmth.

Brakk....

The man closed the door in anger. The sound of locks and chains from outside indicates that Shu’er is already in custody.

Bruck...

Shu’er sat helplessly. Her tears did not stop flowing down her cheeks. “I'm sorry. I can't be honest with you. My tongue becomes muddy when you look at me. I get nervous when you come near me. I'm just afraid, if you've got me completely and then you're going to turn away from me out of boredom. I'm sorry.”

“You love him, but you can't be honest with him, and make him misunderstand all this. Pathetic..” Shuwan could only look, and feel the pain. 

During the confinement, Shu’er focused on embroidering a pair of mandarin ducks swimming in a lotus pond on a red scarf. A pair of mandarin ducks means the same as a pair of pigeons, which is a symbol of loyalty. The red scarf symbolizes good luck and happiness.

“When this embroidery is so, I'll give it to you. I'm out of words when I'm around you. So, I make it as a representation of my feelings, and also the hope of both of us going forward,” Shu’er said with sparkling eyes while staring at his almost finished embroidery.

Shuwan sighed deeply, “He is very good at embroidering. How can I do such a time-consuming job? It is better for me to sharpen my sword than to do weak work like this,” said Shuwan who sat watching women who look like him was focusing on embroidery.

On the other hand, although Shu’er's husband never visited her during the day, he always came to visit when Shu’er slept at night. Look at her with a warm look, and give a kiss good night. Shuwan is again just an invisible spectator statue. Sit in the chair in the room.

“Shu’er, sorry for treating you like this. I'm selfish if that's you. My feelings for you are sincere. I'm sure that someday you will be able to accept me,” said Young Master Zhang who looked at his wife's sleeping face.

Almost every day he apologized. But did Shu’er hear it? He should have said it when Shu’er was awake. Inner Shuwan was slightly anxious at the processing of the pair of people before him at this moment.

When Shuwan blinked his eyes at once, he was at another time. Well, it was nighttime, when Shu’er and her husband were having lunch in her room.

“Shu’er, until when should we be like this. Can't you accept me now?”

Shu’er silent. He didn't shake a thing. 

Her husband slammed, and ruffled the table that had been full of containers filled with food. The bowl, glass, and pitcher of water that was there fell, broke, and scattered. Leave sharp ceramic fragments.

Shu’er gasped, her tears falling down her cheeks. She just went back to silence, looking at her husband who was so deeply disappointed.

Not only Shu’er, Shuwan was also shocked to see the behavior of Young Master Zhang who began to lose his patience. 

Shu’er's husband then got up from his seat, standing behind her, again... He breathed a deep and heavy breath. His hand rubbed the face that looked red from anger. “Hah... Looks like I really need to finish it right now.”

“A-what do you mean? What are you trying to do?”

Shu’er's husband walked over. He then grabbed Shu’er's face, and brought it closer to his face while saying, “My dear wife, you will know after I return later.” After he finished saying so he removed his hand from Shu’er's face as quickly as turning the palm of the hand. Then took a few steps back, and turned away, walking out leaving Shu’er who broke into tears.

Shuwan felt like he was in Shu’er position. All the pain, all the sadness, was also within him. After some time, which felt like only a few minutes for Shuwan, Shu’er's husband returned to the room. He brought two guards, and Yin Lang was taken prisoner.

Shu’er's eyes widened, seeing her ex-lover being forcibly taken away with a bruise on her face.

“Is this the man you love?”

“You.. How can?”

“Now I give you two choices. I kill your lover and we live as we always do, or you want to drink this cursed ice liver poison and let your lover go,” snapped husband Shu’er. “This ice liver poison is toxic to the liver. Whoever drinks it will not be able to feel the warmth of love. If he falls in love, he will feel tremendous pain and eventually die. There will be no love for him, even in his next life!”

“Ice liver poison? Why is this the name of my illness? Could it...” Shuwan is shocked after hearing Shu’er's husband's words regarding the poison he brought.

Shu’er seemed to have made a decision. “A-I will..” Shu’er was cut off just like that.

“Do not drink the poison!!! Let me die!” Shouted Yin Lang. 

Husband Shu’er ride apitam. “Heh... It turns out you're so loyal to my wife. My dear Shu’er, you've heard what was said by***** this.” The look of hatred due to jealousy was clearly visible on his face. Without a second thought, Young Master Zhang pulled the sword from its scabbard, and instantly slashed at Yin Lang mercilessly, until it was on the verge of death.

“Takk!!” shrieks Shu’er after seeing the bloody tragedy. She sat down limp, then crept up to grab Yin Lang's blood-soaked body from the slash of her husband's sword.

“Why.... This young master is so heartless? Love is deadly. Which originally tasted sweet, turned bitter due to jealousy. What once shone because of happiness, now turned dark because of hatred. Huh... Why should there be such a thing in the world?” shuwan said with a hoarse voice.

“Why... Why are you doing this? I have nothing to do with him anymore. Ever since I decided to marry you, I have also cut off my feelings for her, and started accepting you.” Shu’er's tears flowed swiftly. It felt like there was a tinge that tore apart his heart cavity.

“Heh... You still have feelings for him. If I can't have you, then no one can. And I'll do things like you're watching right now.”

Hix... Hix... 

“I gave you all my heart, but this is what I received? Can't you fall in love with me too? The world is so unfair.”

Shu’er who put back the body of Yin Lang, whose life was gone for a moment as well. Then.... “Then, I will drink this poison,” Shu’er said as he took the cup that contains the poison of the icy liver, and immediately swallowed it.

“You...” husband Shu’er panic.

Bruck....

The poison reacted immediately. Shu’er's body was uprooted. Shu’er's husband directly threw away the sword he had in his hand, and ligat grabbed Shu’er's body.

“Should you get like this?” 

“You love me with all your heart. But I, just keep hurting you. We both suffer because of the people we love. I consider this poison as a punishment for myself for causing you to get hurt and spill blood on each other,” Shu’er said.

Shu’er's husband's tears dripped down his face. He cried bitterly at the sight of his wife suffering from pain from the cursed ice poison that he just dipped.

Shuwan's heart felt like it had been pierced by thousands of needles. A sensation he felt when his illness relapsed. Shuwan groaned crowdedly, enduring the pain of his liver disease.