Chapter 22

Dao
Hougong

"Luo Meng! That rat." Li Lian maledicted him under her breath.

Dao held tightly the clothes of her mistress, possessed by fear. What would she do if he found out she was a palace maid? She was not ready for that yet.

Li Lian took Dao's hand after Luo Meng rat them out, "I told you this was a bad idea. Let's go."

"But Li Lian, that is not the way back." Dao was being led to the backyard and not the gate where they could exit.

"Are you stupid? If we take the gate they will see us." Li Lian bunched up her skirts and pulled herself up the wall. She made it seem so easy as she hurled herself to the other side.

Dao didn't know how to climb the wall as easily. She wasn't as fit as her mistress.

A sash was flung to her, hanging on the wall. "Take that to help you climb." Li Lian directed her from the other side.

It was after a lot of trial and error, Dao finally made it over the wall and they ran back to their quarters.

"If they didn't see us then we were never there." Li Lian let out a breath of relief, making herself comfortable on her zabuton cushion in the welcoming room.

Dao fanned herself as they were both sweating from the running and climbing of walls. "Forgive me. I was reckless." She felt remorseful. They almost got in trouble because of her.

"Forget it." Li Lian dismissed it as nothing. Her Mistress was indeed kind and laid back. She looked up to her. "Go now, prepare warm water for me to wash. I feel clammy."

"Yes, of course."

Dao went out to the kitchen that was attached at the left side of their quarters' main building. She made a fire from the hot amber of coal still burning after they used them for making dinner.

It took half an hour for the water to be at an almost boiling point. Dao then poured it into a bucket and returned.

Her Mistress liked to wash in her bedchambers.

Dao was about to enter the welcoming room from outside when she heard her mistress crying in pain. "How long shall I be in this position?"

"His Majesty said you must hold that wine bottle for three hours but since you tried to attack me when I came, it will be two-fold." It was Luo Meng who responded.

What was he doing here?

"I thought you were an assassin because you came in unannounced." Her mistress spoke with a tone of distress. "Ah, this hurts."

"What hurts when you are not doing it right?"

"Aiya, Luo Meng. Speak to me with proper courtesy."

"You gained a title by slipping into His Majesty's bed. And you want my respect for that?" He mock-laughed. "No woman in the harem deserves my respect."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"Very much. Because of you I face the emperor's mood swings and get to take silly orders." Luo Meng sighed. "Right now, if not for you, I could be retiring to my manor for the night."

"You could have avoided this by not reporting me." Li Lian's voice was faint. Whatever way he was punishing her was unbearable for her.

Dao felt guilty. Her mistress was being punished because of her recklessness and Luo Meng wasn't going any easy on her. Dao really wanted to turn a blind eye and disappear, to save herself, but again Li Lian had been nice to her. It would be villainous to save her own skin by pushing someone into the fire.

Li Lian was fit and quite skilful with her body but she was also weak. At most times she complained of back pains. It didn't matter if Dao exposed herself, the truth would come out someday. Yet, a friendship once sacrificed could not be resuscitated.

Dao placed the bucket down with much conviction and walked in before she could think twice.

Li Lian knelt on the floor with a wine bottle held above her head. She trembled, making the lid of the clay bottle rattle. Luo Meng stood next to her with his sheathed sword in hand.

"Young Master. Please, punish this servant as she was the one who led her mistress into a compromising position." Dao tossed herself on the floor. She dared not look up and meet Luo Meng's eyes.

"Dao, what are you doing here? Hurry up and leave." Li Lian reprimanded her which had Dao make the mistake of looking up.

Luo Meng was staring at her in confusion. "What are you doing here?" He looked her up and down. She was the last person he would expect to see in this place.

Bewilderment crossed his face as he noted her palace maid uniform. He shook his head, trying to deny what was before him. "Impossible... impossible..."

The words were failing him. No one prepared him for this truth. His eyes were frozen as the moon in the sky but that would not change what he was seeing. You could tell he wished he was dreaming. His hand kept clutching and loosening on his sword.

Luo Meng started to retreat, not able to handle the truth but be cowardly. "This is a lie..."

"Where are you going? Am I excused?" Li Lian lowered her hands, relieved to see Luo Meng leaving. She was clueless about the ongoing situation.

"Luo Meng!" Dao raced after him out of the welcoming room. "Luo Meng, wait!" She pulled his garment just as he exited their gate.

"What have you done to... us?" He was sad. He wasn't angry but really sad and heartbroken.

"Please give me a chance to explain."

"Turns out His Majesty was right. You were too good to be true."

She wrapped her hands around his torso. "Please listen. I didn't lie about anything except that I am a courtesan."

He was rumbling in the midst of shock. "No wonder Li Lian is your mistress. She taught you to lie like her."

"I love you, Luo Meng." She would scream for everyone to know if she could. Luo Meng was the fire that warmed her in this cold world.

He patted her head, affection that had become natural in their intimacy. "I do too. But you know me, Dao, I don't like to be deceived. This is why I don't trust people or let them in..." His voice broke, with him doing his best not to cry. "You were the only one I allowed myself to trust. Why did you lie?"

"On the night I met you, I had no idea there would be something between us."

"Do you realise you deceived me into sinning against the emperor? You are his woman. How could you do this to me?" He detached her hands from his garment. "I already have many things I am repentant of towards him."

"I'm sorry." Dao began sobbing. Unfamiliar pain clung her heart as the fangs of a wolf, scavenging and feasting. She knew what he would say next, though she hoped for the best―that their love could withstand this.

Maybe they could run away? Together, just the two of them. She would say yes without thinking twice.

Luo Meng sounded ragged. "That you are, but dubuqi(sorry). You know what must happen. Our relationship must end here."

"No, Luo Meng." Dao fell on her knees, a sob escaping her throat.

"We cannot continue to commit this sin, otherwise we will be shunned by heaven and earth."

"But what about how we feel?" She started crying herself into abandonment, hitting the ground and not caring about the dirt. "Méiyǒu(no)... Please... I love you" She couldn't put together any words to defend their relationship as she was crippled with sorrow.

"It has to end, Dao. Once trust is broken, it is not easy to have it back. Let us just part here." He crouched onto the ground and wiped her tears. "Be a good girl next time and don't lie like your mistress, alright?"

Even though she did him wrong, he was being nice to her and was not angry. At least anger meant hurt and heartbreak, but he was soft. This hurt her the most. It was salt to her wound.

He spoke to her with that voice that used to coax her to sleep, assured she was safe in his arms. "Knowing you was a pleasure, Dao." He said this as goodbye and rose to walk away.

As Dao closed her eyes to not see Luo Meng leaving her. She realized one thing.

You can close your eyes to things you don't want to see but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel.

Author's Note

Just want to say thank you to everyone who downloaded wattpad and came from other sites like Webnovel or Tapas. Also I'm grateful for each and every new reader. Welcome to the ship. Per upload, I am getting 1k reads now. Thus this weekend we hit 10k!!! Then lastly, hugs and kisses to the oldies, those who have been there from E&I till now.

We took 50 chapters to hit 10k on Emperor and I and here it was just 21 chapters. Thank you everyone. This author shall reward you by beautiful storytelling, (^o^)

S.V