OFFERING CONCUBINES
CHAPTER 11 A FRIEND AND LONGING

The morning came early in midwinter, and unlike usual, the sun shone warmly over Shenhua Park.

The snow on the twigs of the peach tree melted into a point of water, making dramatic grooves in its tree trunk.

The meihua flower, as usual red blushed as if smiling freed itself from the embrace of the white blob that had always been attached to it this winter.

Xiao Yi stood in the middle of the wooden bridge above the lake, his hands clinging to the bridge fence, his eyes piercing the surface of the lake water that was glittering over the light.

The heavy days he went through felt like a yoke, pressing down on his shoulders. Makes it heavy to step and difficult to breathe.

Two more days of full moon nights, how'd he get through it? It was the only thing that was powerfully doctrinated inside his head. And the king of course has power to do whatever he asks, whatever it is. Including asking for her purity. And even more painful, he even sinned greatly if he dared to refuse. In any hemisphere no one would blame the king in his status as husband, asking for the surrender of his own wife.

Chu Cu stood behind that master, without any intention of interrupting.

He knew very well, upon returning from Rongyu palace, his master was more moody and all night definitely did not close his eyes too much. Because early in the morning was right, he had been called to prepare the bath water.

Her face was pale like the color of snow with faint dark circles surrounding her eyes as if telling a story, the entire night this beloved young lady of hers might not sleep.

"Too early to daydream here..."

Xiao yi turned around looking for the origin of the sound, while behind him Chu Cu retreated a few steps giving way.

Xiao Yi knew her as one of the women who attended the banquet in Qin Ren hall yesterday. She must be one of the noble concubines of Yan Yue.

"Consort Yi?" he smiled kindly. While the servant behind him saluted Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi greeted by bending his legs and was reciprocated by this sky blue-robed woman. His face was oval like an egg with a small nose. Her hair was in a loop in such a way that it was in two decorated clasps of carved jade, like a lotus flower.

His eyes seemed to sparkle brightly, looking at Xiao Yi curiously.

"I'm sorry to disturb you" he added cheerfully.

"Oh, not at all disturbing, forgive if it blocks your way..." Xiao Yi bent his legs again hinting at regret.

"No need to be so formal. Introduce, my name is Chie Yuan, called as concubine Yuan.

I am from Sichuan province. Isn't our place of origin close together? Sichuan Province is adjacent to Youwu Province. Your place is very beautiful and I really like the sweet sweets that are very sweet" Consort Yuan looked excited.

Xiao Yi was only astonished, he had only heard of a neighboring province called Sichuan, but he knew nothing about that region. He never came out of Youwu city never even stepped on the villages that were around Youwu city.

Xiao Yi had always been under the watchful eye of his sisters who were very protective of him.

Xiao Yi was only allowed to play within the city, perhaps even half of his life was spent wandering around the Yalu river. For political and state affairs, Xiao Yi was completely blind.

And how stupid it feels, when it's like this, someone knows the whereabouts of his city but he doesn't know anything about a place other than his own.

"I was invited by my father to Youwu City when he was fourteen, when he was invited by the governor Qian Lie for his son's wedding" he smiled.

"Unfortunately, it was my first and last visit to Youwu, because three years after that I was brought to Yubei." her carefree face turned gloomy for a moment.

Xiao Yi was still fixated, hearing the concubine who was perhaps more or less of that age, speaking without stopping.

"Consort Yi, can you tell me about that beautiful Yalu river?" his eyes sparkled expectantly.

"Oh..iya..of course" Xiao Yi stuttered.

"It's nice to meet you Consort Yi, we are now friends..." Concubine Yuan grabbed Xiao Yi's hand happily.

Without cue or approval, he had pulled Yi's hand towards the Gazebo in the middle of the lake.

Shenhua Park is still quiet in the morning, but in one of the gazebos already sitting opposite two girls like two old friends who just met. They drank tea together while telling stories like they had known each other for a long time.

Concubine Yuan seemed excited to hear Xiao Yi's story about Youwu who always had the longest winter.

If winter is elsewhere than the tenth month of the year but in Youwu winter always comes earlier than elsewhere. By the middle of the ninth month, it was already snowing.

If spring elsewhere had started from the fourth month of the following year, but in Youwu at that time the snow petrified into ice in the Yalu river had just melted. If you are lucky, the Yalu River does not overflow, then there is no flood disaster that is almost always an annual disaster in Youwu.

"If spring comes, then on the plains of Pingyuan you will see green and red scenery of Mu Dan and houyun who are blooming along the plains to the valley. Sometimes it snows in early spring, so we can see silver-clad peonies during the day"

Xiao Yi told me as if he was looking at Youwu before his eyes.

Her longing overflowed like the Yalu lake at the end of winter, making her beautiful eyes glazed over.

Concubine Yuan seemed to be so enjoying the story so happily, as if she was taking a walk there.

"Summer in Yalu is very short, you do not even notice it coming and going.until you see the pingyuan plain turning yellow because of the yellow tianlu grass.

You will realize that summer has passed when in the valley, pine trees lined up like rows of soldiers on the fall light be golden.

It's all beautiful if you look at it from across the Yalu river, under the old willow tree..."

Xiao Yi's tears dripped slowly, his longing arcing. In all the corners of Youwu city he had left, to his loving parents, to his elder brothers, Xiao Ce and Xiao Ying.

Unstoppable longing for the old willow tree on the banks of the Yalu river, where he laughs when he is happy and where he shed many tears as sorrow strikes him.

And the last longing she could not endure was for a man, who was her childhood friend and also the first man she loved, Qian Ren.

...Thank you dear readers who have told the story of Concubine Performances...

...Looking forward to the next episode......

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