~LOVE CONQUERS ALL~
Emperor Zhang Bin Bin was awakened by a baby smooth hand caressing his bare chest. He turned to face the woman who laid beside him. It was Concubine Dilraba Dilmurat. The concubine’s beauty was spoken about across the continents of China. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin was well-known for the number of his concubines that had exceeded his predecessors. The Emperor himself was also famous for his appearance; milky smooth complexion, well-defined eyes, sharp nose and pinky lips. He had a muscular physique since he was a lover of physical exercise. His reign was a successful one since all his subjects were given equal rights when it came to business, ownership of lands, and legal rights. In a nutshell, there was nothing to complain about the Emperor since he was a man of beauty and class. Despite all these, the Emperor did not have an Empress beside him to rule China at that time.
One day, Minister Yu Menglong reported to Emperor Zhang Bin Bin about the Indian Merchants who had wished to set a shop in China. The Indian King at that time who was known as Rudra Pratap Ranawat, had sent his minister, Omkareshwar Shukla along with some merchants to China to discuss the issue of the opening of a shop in China under the reign of Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. After a long thought, Emperor Zhang Bin Bin said, “Minister Yu, I suggest that you arrange a meeting with the Indian Minister to enable me to discuss the tax imposition in setting a shop in our country under my reign.” “As you wish, Your Majesty,” Minister Yu said and left the Emperor.
The Emperor met the Indian Minister, Omkareshwar Shukla in the evening of the same day. During the dinner, the Emperor brought the topic of the day up. “I understand from my minister that your king has sent your good self to discuss your king’s intention to set a shop in my region to bring in your country’s products into my region, Minister Omkareshwar Shukla,” the Emperor said. Minister Omkareshwar looked up from his plate of delicious food and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Our King would be pleased to work with Your Majesty to export the products from our country to your region. Our King would like me to convey His Majesty’s willingness to comply with the taxation of the products which will be brought into Your Majesty’s region.” The Emperor’s face lit with excitement at Minister Omkareshwar’s reply. The taxation imposed upon the products from India would help the National Treasury since he had decided to impose reasonably high taxation on the products that would be brought into his region.
Emperor Zhang Bin Bin then said to Minister Omkareshwar Shukla, “In this regard, I would like to impose 9% tax on each product which would be imported from India. On top of that, I would suggest that a rental amount of 1500 silvers yearly be imposed on the store that you will build in my country. “That is a reasonable percentage of tax and rental Your Majesty. I agree to this condition. When can we sign the treaty, Your Majesty?” The Emperor then said, “I have prepared the treaty.” The Emperor summoned the Minister who then brought the treaty and spread it onto the table. The Emperor stamped the national seal onto the treaty and handed the treaty to Minister Omkareshwar to stamp the treaty. Minister Omkareshwar then removed the Indian national seal and stamped the treaty. One of the copies of the treaty was delivered to the Indian Minister while Minister Yu kept the other copy of the treaty in the National Treasury along with other documents.
After the signing of the treaty, another ship carrying the goods from India arrived at the Chinese port one week later. Princess Muskan Hemakshi Raj arrived at the port along with the merchants and some personal guards appointed by King Rudra Pratap Ranawat to assist and protect the Princess while being in China for six months. Princess Muskan was a 19-year-old lady whose beauty was well known across the states in India.
The green-eyed beauty insisted on following the crew and merchants to China for a brand-new experience. The King who was very protective of his only daughter and child had to heed to the Princess’s request since he had never objected to any of the princess’s requests and wishes. Princess Muskan was educated in England and was an expert in sword fighting. Despite being a princess, King Rudra Pratap Ranawat had raised her as a prince. The Princess was brash. Well-versed in politics and military affairs, she was not afraid to state her opinions, no matter how controversial they were, and despite technically being a Princess she acted and carried herself as a soldier as and when the need arose. On the other hand, Princess Muskan also had the common image of a princess which consists of a prim and proper composure. The Princess had polite manners, good posture, and an eloquent way of speaking that the Princess was often looked upon as the perfect image of a Queen in reign by many eligible princes from various states. Marriage proposals were often sent to King Rudra Pratap Ranawat by many Kings from other states for the Kings’ eligible princes that were all rejected by the Princess. However, destiny had other plans for the lovely Princess. The Princess was about to meet her destined partner.
Upon the arrival of the ship at the Chinese Port, Princess Muskan walked down the steep steps from the ship onto the wooden floor of the port. Once she had stepped onto the wooden floor of the Port, the Princess asked her personal bodyguard, “Where is our residence situated, Ranveer Singh?” “I was informed by Minister Omkareshwar that he has our accommodation arranged. Our transportation has arrived as well, Your Highness,” Ranveer Singh replied. “Very well. Let’s go now if all the goods have been unloaded from the ship and the merchants are ready to leave as well,” Princess Muskan directed the personal bodyguard known as Ranveer Singh. Ranveer Singh then called out to the merchants, other bodyguards, and servants of the Princess to leave the port immediately. There were several horse carriages awaiting the princess and the remaining crowd from India as a means of transportation to their arranged accommodation. As the horse carriage rode past the passageway, the princess looked out of the window of the carriage to observe the architecture of the buildings along the passage to their respective accommodation. The Princess was immersed in the beauty of nature of the foreign land that she was in that she was not aware that the carriage had stopped at its destination. A servant called out to the Princess, “My lady, we have arrived at the hotel. Kindly allow me to assist My Lady out of the carriage.” The Princess then turned towards the soft voice that called for her attention. “I am coming out now, Meera. Hold your hand out so that I can balance myself out of the carriage,” the princess said to the servant.
The Princess was welcomed by Minister Omkareshwar who was at the entrance of the hotel. He waited patiently for the Princess to step out of the horse carriage. “Welcome to China, Your Highness,” Minister Omkareshwar said to the Princess. “Thank you, Uncle. I see that you have our accommodation arranged well. I appreciate your dedication in making our deal with the Chinese Emperor work,” the Princess replied. Minister Omkareshwar smiled brightly when the Princess addressed him as “uncle”. Although the Princess was not his maternal niece, however, the fact that King Rudra Pratap Ranawat had regarded Minister Omkareshwar as a sibling long before the birth of the princess had prompted the Princess to address Minister Omkareshwar as “uncle”. Minister Omkareshwar, on the other hand, had guided, educated, and protected the princess as his very own. The Princess’s interest in export and import of the goods had triggered the princess to join Minister Omkareshwar to work at the shop that was to be opened in China under the treaty signed between the Emperor and Minister Omkareshwar. The Princess, along with the crew and the merchants entered the hotel to retire after a tiresome journey from India with the excitement of working at their newly opened shop in China. The Princess rested her head on the soft pillow provided in her room. In an instant, the princess was fast asleep due to the lethargy of traveling for one week on the ship to China.
The next day, all the merchants, servants, personal bodyguards were headed to the newly opened shop to help the merchants to unload the goods to be exhibited in the shop for sale. Princess Muskan was also at the shop with Minister Omkareshwar, discussing the appointment and duties of the respective merchants in the running of their new shop. While discussing, a Chinese gentleman entered the new shop and approached Minister Omkareshwar with a scroll. The Chinese man greeted Minister Omkareshwar, “Good Morning, Minister Omkareshwar. I have been sent from the Emperor’s Office to inform you as to His Majesty’s arrival at your shop later today. The detail as to the time of His’s arrival is in this scroll. Kindly accept the scroll, Minister Omkareshwar.” Minister Omkareshwar smiled and said to the Chinese man, “Thank you, Sir. Allow me to introduce the heir of King Rudra Pratap Ranawat. This is Princess Muskan Hemakshi Raj, Sir.”The Chinese man bowed in front of the princess to show his respect for the Royal member in the shop. Princess Muskan then said to the Chinese man, “Please raise your head, Sir. It would be a pleasure to meet His Majesty on the first day of our trade in your beautiful country.”
The Chinese man smiled and his eyes twinkled at the Princess’s compliment. “Thank you, Your Highness. I am glad that Your Highness find our country beautiful,” the Chinese man replied. The Chinese man then excused himself and left the shop to return to the palace. The Emperor’s visit to the Indian shop was scheduled at mid-day as stated in the scroll. Soon after, a palace guard announced the arrival of Emperor Zhang Bin Bin at the Indian Shop. Minister Omkareshwar hurried to the entrance of the shop to welcome the Emperor personally. The Emperor was dressed casually in a commoner’s attire. “Welcome to our shop, Your Majesty. Allow me to show you the products brought yesterday from our nation for trade,” Minister Omkareshwar said to Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. The Emperor smiled and walked beside Minister Omkareshwar and listened to the Minister’s description of each Indian product displayed around the shop. As Emperor Zhang Bin Bin entered the department where Indian cloths were displayed, a muslin shawl flew towards the Emperor and landed gently on the Emperor’s face. Minister Omkareshwar froze in shock, waiting to witness the Emperor’s reaction. The Emperor gently removed the silky shawl from his face. A soft scent emanated from the silky shawl. The Emperor breathed in deeply, taking the scent in. The Emperor’s lips slowly curled into a smile. Minister Omkareshwar slowly released his breath in relief.
“What is this sweet scent, Minister? It is such a pleasant scent,” the Emperor asked Minister Omkareshwar. At that point, Princess Muskan walked out from behind the silky clothes that were displayed horizontally in the room. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin watched as Princess Muskan approached Him. Minister Omkareshwar was observing the Emperor. “The Emperor has a peculiar expression on His Majesty’s face,” he thought to himself. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin, who was known to admire the beauty of women, was smitten by Princess Muskan’s beauty. The Emperor’s eyes had never left the sight of the Princess until the Princess stood in front of the Emperor. Minister Omkareshwar then introduced the Princess to Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. “Your Majesty, allow me to introduce the sole heir of King Rudra Pratap Ranawat, Her Highness, Princess Muskan Hemakshi Raj. The Princess bowed in front of the Emperor. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin who was still immersed in Princess Muskan’s astonishing beauty had the expression of being lovestruck on his handsome face. “Never have I seen such beautiful green eyes before. They are like a pair of emeralds,” Emperor Zhang Bin Bin said out loud enough for only Minister Omkareshwar to hear. The Emperor upon making such a statement breathed in deeply. The Minister then interrupted Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. “Your Majesty, would Your Majesty like to take a rest and have a cup of tea?” he asked. The Emperor suddenly snapped into reality and cleared his throat to regain his composure. Princess Muskan smiled while feeling proud that she could stun the Emperor in one glance. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin then said, “Yes, Minister, I would like to take a rest before continuing the tour around the shop. Would Your Highness care to join me?” The Emperor asked Princess Muskan. “Why, yes, Your Majesty. I would love to join Your Majesty for a cup of tea.” The Emperor was pleased with Princess Muskan’s response. Minister Omkareshwar then guided the Emperor and Princess Muskan into the resting room. He then directed the servant to serve tea and some delicacies on the table for the Royals.
Emperor Zhang Bin Bin and Princess Muskan were friendly towards each other as both the Royal members shared the details as to the customs of Indian and Chinese tradition in the Royal families. Minister Omkareshwar observed Emperor Zhang Bin Bin’s expression during the whole session. “The Emperor is clearly smitten by Princess Muskan,” he thought to himself, smiling and feeling cautious at the same time. The Minister then turned to observe Princess Muskan. Excitement was evident on the Princess’s face as the Princess shared her experience with the Emperor. However, the excitement was not an attraction as displayed by the Emperor through his expression. The Princess’s naivete was apparent since she was only nineteen years old and new to travels to foreign lands. “Princess Muskan, I would like to invite Your Highness for dinner at my Palace today. May I have the honor of Your Highness’s presence at my humble Palace?” the Emperor asked the Princess suddenly that Princess Muskan took a while to digest the Emperor’s invitation since the Princess was still immersed in her excitement of sharing her experiences with the Emperor.
“Why, that is an abrupt invitation, Your Majesty. Your Majesty have definitely taken me by surprise, I must say,” replied the Princess with a sweet smile. The Emperor smiled sheepishly although the Emperor’s eyes revealed a hidden agenda. “Forgive me for surprising Your Highness as I did but I could not contain myself in forwarding my invitation to a very special lady as Your Highness,” the Emperor said. The Princess blushed slightly at the Emperor’s compliment and to hide her embarrassment, the Princess said, “I accept Your Majesty’s invitation for dinner today.” “That said, I would like to excuse myself to instruct my servants to prepare for dinner tonight, Your Highness,” the Emperor said to Princess Muskan. The Emperor then turned to Minister Omkareshwar and said, “I would like to invite you to dinner tonight as well, Minister.” Minister Omkareshwar smiled and replied, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s kind invitation. I will be there tonight as well.” Minister Omkareshwar could sense that there was another reason behind the dinner invitation. “I hope that nothing bad happens tonight,” Minister Omkareshwar thought to himself while casting a worried glance at Princess Muskan.
A carriage from the Palace arrived at the hotel to invite Minister Omkareshwar and Princes Muskan at 7.00 p.m. at night. Princess Muskan was dressed in a pink Muslin saree draped ordinarily for ease of movement with her hair tied in a french braid. Minister Omkareshwar was dressed in a traditional white dhoti and an expensive silk Kurta. Minister Omkareswar was a fairly handsome man in his mid-50s who did not resemble his age. Minister Omkareshwar was actively involved in sword fighting practices that had resulted in an extraordinarily fit physique envied by man young men in India.
The carriage arrived at the Palace and both the Princess and Minister Omkareshwar were welcomed by a servant who escorted them to the grand hall where the Emperor was seated at the royal seat, anticipating the arrival of the guests. Minister Omkareshwar entered the hall followed by Princess Muskan. The Emperor upon welcoming Minister Omkareshwar and escorted the Minister to his seat turned to face Princess Muskan. The Emperor’s eyes looked directly into Princess Muskan’s green eyes with much admiration and shine of anticipation that made the Princess blush. The Princess’s encounter with men from different ethnicities admiring her beauty was sparse. “Welcome to my Palace, Your Highness. Your Highness look ravishing tonight,” Emperor Zhang Bin Bin said to the Princess. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty look amazing tonight as well. Thank you for inviting me to your rather grand Palace, your Majesty. I am humbled by Your Majesty’s courtesy.” The Emperor dismissed the Princess’s remark with a gesture of his hand and smiled while showing the Princess the seat allocated for the Princess which was beside the Emperor. Minister Omkareshwar and the Princess were unprepared for that. Yet, both Minister Omkareshwar and the Princess played along with the Emperor’s plan that night so as not to anger the Emperor of China.
As the Emperor and the guests of honor were dining together, laughing and chatting about the respective cultures of India and China, the palace maids busily filled the plates with the cuisine prepared for the royal families. At one point, Princess Muskan reached for her cup of tea but accidentally dropped the cup as the cup was hot to be held. Princess Muskan let out a soft cry when the hot tea splashed on her hand. The Emperor was agitated by the pain that the Princess was experiencing. In a flash, the Emperor reached for the Princess’s hand without thinking. Shocked at the Emperor’s touch, Princess Muskan pulled her hand back from the Emperor’s grip abruptly and looked at the Emperor with widened eyes that were filled with shock and pain from the reddened hand where the hot tea had splashed.
The Emperor, who had never been rejected by any woman before, felt insulted at the Princess’s reaction to the Emperor’s touch. “Pardon me, Your Highness but I was merely trying to help to ease your pain,” the Emperor explained his action. “No, Your Majesty. Pardon me but I have never allowed any man to touch me before. That was why I had reacted as such,” the Princess said. “I understand your situation. It was me who did not think before reacting. Pardon me, Your Highness,” the Emperor apologized. Princess Muskan smiled and shook her head. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin relaxed at Princess Muskan’s reply. However, the Emperor felt dejected and insulted at the Princess’s reaction at the same time. “I will have you, my princess. You will be mine. Soon,” Emperor Zhang Bin Bin thought in his mind. The Emperor signaled at his personal guard and whispered into the guard’s ears. The personal guard then left the Emperor’s side.
A few minutes later, the personal guard returned to the dining hall and reported a message to the Emperor. The Emperor frowned. Upon observing the change in the Emperor’s reaction, Minister Omkareshwar asked the Emperor, “Is everything all right, Your Majesty? Is there any problem?” The Emperor nodded and replied, “The army of our enemy was found to be wandering in the capital. Thus, my guard advises that no one leaves the Palace for tonight to ensure that no one is made a captive by the enemy. Minister Omkareshwar and Princess Muskan exchanged worried look at each other. “What do we do then, Your Majesty? How do we return to our hotel, then?” The Emperor said in return with an assuring smile, “Both of you are welcome to stay the night at my Palace for tonight.” The Minister and the Princess looked at each other and exchanged a smile of relief after which the Minister agreed to stay the night at the Palace. Satisfied, the Emperor summoned for the palace maids and instructed for the rooms to be arranged for the Princess and Minister Omkareshwar. After dinner, the Emperor turned to Princess Muskan and said, “Thank you for making tonight an eventful night, Your Highness. It was a pleasure to have your company for dinner tonight.” The Princess smiled and replied, “It has been a pleasure to be here with you tonight, Your Majesty. The cuisine was simply delicious. Thank you for inviting me here.”
The Emperor then instructed the palace maids to escort his guests to their respective bedrooms. Princess Muskan’s bedroom was situated a little further from the Minister but closer to the Emperor’s bedroom. Unaware of this fact, the Princess happily had accepted the bedroom and washed. Thereafter, the palace maid served the Princess with a cup of flower tea which the Princess had consumed before retiring to her bed. As the Princess laid herself on the bed, she felt heat growing from within. The Princess had an unusual feeling of yearning for intimacy growing from within. At that point, a tall figure entered the Princess’s bedroom. The figure sat at the end of the bed where the Princess was lying. The green-eyed beauty slowly opened her eyes at the touch of the figure’s hand on her cheek. She recognized the strange figure. It was Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. The Princess got up from the bed and sat leaning against the bed. The Emperor was dressed in a long silky robe that was loosely tied that the Emperor’s bare chest was revealed. As the Princess’s eyes observed the Emperor’s careless dressing, the yearning to touch the Emperor’s bare chest grew stronger. The Princess laid her right palm on the Emperor’s bare chest and then slowly caressed his body.
The Emperor’s eyes softened at the Princess’s feather-like touch. The Emperor could not control himself. In a swift movement, the Emperor held the Princess and fell onto the bed with the Emperor laying above the Princess. They kissed passionately. At that moment, the Princess’s self-control failed her as well, and she removed the Emperor’s robe hurriedly. The Emperor who was an expert in the art of love-making removed the Princess’s clothes and quickly penetrated into the Princess. The Princess was soft and yielding, her body still shivering from the small aftershocks of the release he had given her. Both of them moved rhythmically, slowly, and softly enjoying each other’s touch. At one point, the Emperor suddenly pushed deeper to feel her maidenhead and broke it. At that instant, the Emperor fell onto the Princess in exhaustion. Both of them breathed heavily. After a moment, the Emperor slowly withdrew from the Princess and laid beside the Princess before planting a kiss lightly on her lips and leaving her bedroom.
The next morning, the Princess awoke and felt a throbbing pain in her head. When the Princess left the bedroom, a palace maid entered the room and quickly removed the silk bedsheet hurriedly. It was to conceal the evidence of the drama of passion that took place the night before. Unaware of all the events that had taken place the night before, the Princess washed and got herself dressed to meet Minister Omkareshwar. Minister Omkareshwar was already at the Princess’s bedroom before the Princess could open the door. “Good Morning, uncle. I was about to go to your room, and here you are,” the Princess said with a lovely smile. “Good Morning, Your Highness. I just thought that I would come to get you so that we can meet the Emperor and bid him farewell before returning to the hotel,” Minister Omkareshwar said. “Well, let’s leave now then, Uncle,” the Princess said. Both of them walked to the grand hall to greet Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. When the Princess approached the Emperor, the Emperor looked at the Princess with a gleam of lust in his eyes. The Emperor was suddenly reminded of the passionate night that he had with the Princess the night before and smiled mysteriously. The Princess on the other hand behaved as though nothing had happened between them. Princess Muskan bowed before saying, “Good Morning, Your Majesty. Thank you for the hospitality that Your Majesty have provided us yesterday. We would like to return to our hotel now so that we are able to visit our shop and oversee the process of unloading the items that are arriving today.” The Emperor was dumbfounded. The Princess had no recollection of what had taken place the night before! “Alas! How could this possibly be? She must have felt some changes in herself when she woke up this morning,” the Emperor was thinking to himself, still puzzled at the Princess’s behavior.
The Emperor said to both his guests, “Very well, then. Thank you for accepting my invitation yesterday. I am looking forward to having more dinner nights with my respected guests very soon.” Minister Omkareshwar and Princess Muskan smiled and left the Palace upon bidding their farewells to the Emperor.
Days and weeks had passed since the dinner party. There was no news about the Princess reported by the Emperor’s guards. Unable to wait any longer for the news of the Princess, the Emperor had decided to visit the Indian Merchant’s shop. The Emperor wanted to meet the green-eyed beauty again. One morning, a Chinese guard announced Emperor Zhang Bin Bin’s arrival at the Indian Merchant’s shop. Minister Omkareshwar who was overseeing the work performed by the merchants at the shop hurried to the entrance of the shop to welcome the Emperor. “Welcome, Your Majesty. Please do come in and have a seat,” Minister Omkareshwar welcomed the Emperor. “Thank you, Minister. It has been a few weeks since our last meeting and so I thought of paying a visit to your shop to oversee the progress of the business,” Emperor Zhang Bin Bin said. The Emperor’s eyes scanned the whole shop, searching for a sight of Princess Muskan. “I do not see Princess Muskan anywhere. Where is the Princess, Minister?” the Emperor asked Minister Omkareshwar. “Oh! The Princess has returned to India, Your Majesty,” Minister Omkareshwar said to Emperor Zhang Bin Bin. The Emperor was utterly shocked at Minister Omkareshwar’s reply.
“Why did the Princess leave so soon?” the Emperor asked, still under the shock. “Well, King Rudra Pratap Ranawat misses Princess Muskan and wishes to see Her Highness, Your Majesty. However, the Princess will return in a week I was informed this morning. The Princess deeply misses your country, Your Majesty,” Minister Omkareshwar said to Emperor Zhang Bin Bin to please him. The Emperor on the other hand felt disappointed because his yearning for Princess Muskan was growing by the minute. The Emperor had made his decision. “Minister, I have a proposal to present to King Ranawat. I will officially present my proposal and I would be obliged if you are be able to present my proposal as soon as practicable to the King,” the Emperor said to Minister Omkareshwar. Puzzled by the Emperor’s words, Minister Omkareshwar agreed. Within an hour, the Royal Scroll arrived from the Palace to the Indian Merchant Shop for Minister Omkareshwar to stamp the Indian Seal to expedite the delivery of the Royal Seal to India.
The Royal Chinese Scroll had arrived safely into the hands of King Rudra Pratap Ranawat. The King was utterly shocked by the contents of the Royal Scroll. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin had officially made a proposal of marriage to wed Princess Muskan. It was also stated that the Princess would be enthroned as the Empress of China after the wedding. King Rudra Pratap Ranawat was unaware that the Emperor of China did not have an Empress although the King was aware that the Emperor of China had about one hundred concubines. The King conveyed the Emperor’s intention to Princess Muskan who sat silently for a moment before saying, “I accept the proposal, father. Kindly convey my acceptance as soonest possible.” The Emperor upon reading the Indian Royal Scroll was pleased with the Princess’s acceptance. “So, the Princess loves me as well. The green-eyed beauty will be mine, forever,” the Emperor thought to himself while smiling smugly.
Princess Muskan and King Rudra Pratap Ranawat arrived in China within four days since the day the Indian Scroll was sent out to the Emperor along with the rest of the Royal family members. The preparation for the wedding had already begun by the time the Princess and the Indian King had arrived at the Forbidden Palace. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin welcomed the Indian Royal family members with such grandeur that King Rudra Pratap Ranawat was impressed by his future son-in-law. When Emperor Zhang Bin Bin had finally met Princess Muskan, the Princess looked at the Emperor without much emotion in her emerald-like eyes. The Emperor was confused at the Princess’s reaction. He asked the Princess, “Are you not happy with this wedding, my love?” The Princess then smiled and whispered into the Emperor’s right ear, “You have left me no choice, Your Majesty, considering the night that we had spent together. I am now bearing your child in my womb.” The Emperor stood still, stunned by the Princess’s answer. The Emperor’s eyes sought the Princess’s. The green eyes did not reveal much emotion except indifference. The Emperor was in a dilemma. “Does the Princess love me or not? Is the Princess marrying me only to legitimize the child in her womb? How do I get the Princess to speak her mind to me?” the Emperor thought to himself repeatedly.
It was the day of the wedding. The Princess was escorted to her make-up room where the Royal Wedding Costume was kept. The Wedding costume was gold in color and consisted of the Robe Rank with a Phoenix Coronet. The Princess was assisted into the Wedding Costume by the Palace maids. Once the Princess was ready, the Princess was escorted to the Royal Temple where the Emperor was waiting to conduct prayers to God before the start of the wedding ceremony. Upon the completion of the prayers, the Royal Wedding ceremony began and was completed within an hour. The guests were then escorted to the dining hall where all the delicious Chinese food was prepared for the guests. Everyone enjoyed the Chinese cuisine prepared. After the Royal Dinner, the Princess was escorted to the Emperor’s room.
The Princess sat on the bed with her red veil still covering her face. She heard someone close the door after a while. She recognized the scent of the person who had entered the room. It was the Emperor. She noticed a stick removing the veil that was covering her face. She looked up and saw the Emperor smiling down at her. He then cupped her face with his hands and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Finally, you are mine, my love,” he said. The Princess looked at him with indifference but smiled at the same time. She then pulled him close and kissed him on his lips, teasing him. Without wasting any time, the Emperor and the Princess spent their first night like any other wedded couple.
The next morning, the Empress woke early to join her father for breakfast while the Emperor was still in bed. The King asked the Empress, “I still don’t understand why you had agreed to wed the Emperor, my dear. What do you have in your mind, Muskan?” The Empress replied with a dangerous look in her eyes, “Please wait for a year, Father. I will return to you after teaching the Emperor a lesson.” The King was puzzled yet did not question his daughter’s motives further.
Nine months had passed and it was time to deliver the child. After much struggle, Empress Muskan delivered a healthy baby boy. The Emperor was overjoyed by the presence of a new heir to the Emperor’s throne and held a grand celebration to welcome the new life that had entered his life. The baby was named Zhang Jiucheng. The Empress nursed the baby accordingly and looked after the welfare of Zhang Jiucheng until he was one year old. “The time has come,” the Empress thought while looking at her son in sadness. The next morning, the Palace maids were running around in search of the Empress and Zhang Jiucheng, the crown prince. The Emperor was utterly speechless. In a rage, he shouted at his guards, “I want the Empress and my son found by the end of today! Go now!”
The Empress and her son had begun their journey to India in a ship. “The Emperor will be in a mess by now, Jiucheng,” the Empress said to the boy while watching the Chinese port slowly disappearing from her sight as the ship sailed away. The ship arrived in India within one week. There were some of the Empress’s loyal servants awaiting the return of the Empress with much anticipation. The servants were informed as to the arrival of the Empress through Minister Omkareshwar who was still in China. The plan to return to India once Prince Zhang Jiucheng turned one year old was initiated before the Empress accepted the marriage proposal. It was an act of revenge that the Empress had planned when she found out about the Emperor’s indecent plan of adding Licorice powder into the tea which was served to the Empress on the night that the Empress had spent at the Palace only to sleep with her when the Empress fainted upon her return to India shortly after the stay at the Palace.
The Emperor, on the other hand, had decided to sail to India to confront his Empress. Within one week, the Emperor reached India and was welcomed by King Rudra Pratap Ranawat. The Emperor barged into Empress Muskan’s room in a rage. Empress Muskan turned to look at the door which was opened with much roughness that had startled her son who was having his meal. The Empress upon looking at the Emperor, relaxed and resumed feeding her son. “He has figured it out sooner than I have presumed,” she thought to herself while feeding her son who was happily anticipating the food fed to him. The Crown Prince had a pair of green eyes of his mother’s and jet-black hair of his father’s. The Crown Prince was a product of love and hate between Empress Muskan and Emperor Zhang Bin Bin.
The Emperor walked to his Empress and stood in front of her. He asked, “Why did you do this? What did I do to deserve this treatment from you, my love?” “Stop referring me as your love, Your Majesty. If you had truly loved me, you would not have committed the despicable act of deflowering me without my knowledge and awareness. What kind of man would commit such a degrading act and claim that he committed it out of love for the woman?” Empress Muskan asked. The Emperor was stunned at the Empress’s question. “How did you know?” he asked her. “When I returned here, I fainted one day and was examined by the royal physician who told me what had happened. I was fed with licorice in the tea that was served in your Palace on that night before you had entered my room and raped me without my awareness. I had no choice but to accept your proposal of marriage to legitimize the child that I was carrying in my womb at that time,” the Empress said with tears in her eyes. The Emperor kneeled in front of the Empress and held her hand. “Forgive me, my love. I was so attracted by your beauty that I thought that I had to have you. Knowing you, I knew that it was impossible to make you mine with your consent and so I had acted rashly. However, I yearned for you day and night, every minute and every second. I needed to have your love in my life that I had proposed to you and made you my Empress. Although I have many concubines, I have, however, never found the woman who would make me yearn for her love as you did to make her my Empress. I know that my actions did not deserve your forgiveness. However, please find the heart to forgive me this once, my love. I promise that I will never mistreat you or make you lesser than any woman in my life. You are the true love that I have been yearning for,” he said with tears in his eyes.
The Empress was silent for a moment. She was deliberating whether to forgive him or otherwise while feeding her son. The Crown Prince, unaware of the drama that had been taking place, played innocently with his toys while being fed by his lovely mother. The Emperor turned to look at his son for the first time since he had entered the room. He was smitten by the appearance of the child. “He has her eyes and my hair color. What a handsome looking child he is,” he thought to himself feeling proud of his product at the same time. After a while, the Empress broke the silence surrounding the room by saying, “I forgive you this time but if you ever do anything to degrade me at any point in our lives, you know what my action will be.”
The Emperor looked at his Empress in disbelief. “She is definitely an incarnation of the Goddess of Mercy in my life,” he thought to himself and kissed her forehead. “I promise you, my love. Let’s return to our home now,” he said to the Empress. Empress Muskan smiled and nodded in agreement.
The Emperor and the Empress returned to China with their child with a hope for a beautiful future ahead. Twenty years had passed and Prince Zhang Jiucheng was officially enthroned as the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was trained in all the skills required of an Emperor. The Crown Prince grew into a man of intelligence and natural talents. He had also inherited his mother’s kind and forgiving nature. Emperor Zhang Bin Bin passed away when he turned 60 years old. Prince Zhang Jiucheng was later enthroned as the Emperor of China and Empress Muskan as Empress Dowager. Emperor Zhang Jiucheng married an Indian Princess who was a distant relative of Empress Dowager Muskan and ruled China for forty years thereafter. China became famous worldwide as the most successful trade center where all the merchants from around the world traded. Empress Dowager Muskan lived a wonderful life in China and passed away in her 70s. Emperor Zhang Jiucheng had later built a statue of Emperor Zhang Bin Bin and Empress Dowager Muskan with the scripture of their love story engraved on the stone where their statues were for the people of China in the future.
~THE END~
