XIA YU: His Exceptional Princess

As the carriage passes the palace gates, Xia Yu knew her fate is now sealed. There's no turning back. But now, she feels regret creeping in her heart like a crawling spider taking its time before biting her.

No... no regrets, Xia Yu, this is for the best.

She takes a deep breath to try to dispel the nagging feeling. She needed to calm down and remind herself why she is doing this. Why is she doing this again? She felt a gentle hand touch her as it held her clenched fist. She relaxed and turned to the woman beside her.

Though Xia Yu had rarely seen her these past few years, she can never be more than happy. To have her mother beside her in this crucial moment made it less nerve-wracking. She offered her a smile of reassurance. She didn't want to burden her mother any more than she already is.

Last year, her mother's adoptive family, the Chengs, had lost their last descendant. It was the remaining son of General Cheng, Xia Yu's cousin. He died in a battle to save the northern border from the enemy kingdom. He died a hero of their Great Yong Empire but he marked the end of the Cheng's lineage.

Her uncle, General Cheng, had already passed the age of fathering another son. Apart from that, the stubborn general will never father a son from another woman. His fierce loyalty and love for his passed wife is something he is known for. But, the Chengs are not entirely hopeless. That is because they still have one last descendant, Xia Yu.

Xia Yu is the granddaughter of Cheng Ting Yi who married Xia Rong Luo. Their union gave birth to Xia Rong You, Xia Yu's father. Xia Rong You married Cheng Shu Ying, the adopted daughter of Cheng Ting Yi's brother and now, Xia Yu's mother.

And now, the future of both the Xias and the Chengs is in Xia Yu's hands. As pressured as she is, Xia Yu tried not to show it. She wholeheartedly accepted any challenge that came into her life. This particular one is no exception.

Shu Ying looked at her daughter who had grown up so fast. She's not the little girl anymore who would prefer to play with knives instead of dolls. She had taken a lot of responsibilities since she was 13. And now, she had taken the gravest responsibility of all.

"Yu Ying..." her mother began as she called her by her birth name. "We can still postpone this for a few more days. After all, you just got back yesterday. They'll believe us if we-"

Xia Yu interrupted her mother by holding her hand tight. She smiled at her mother once more.

"Thank you... but it's best if we get this done, the sooner the better. Besides, Father is already inside."

Shu Ying didn't know what to say. Instead, tears fell from her eyes.

"Mother..." Xia Yu said with worry when she saw the tears from her mother's eyes.

"It's just so unfair!" Her mother began to cry as she released all the anguish she had in the past few days.

"If only your grandmother married the emperor or your aunt didn't die, you wouldn't be forced to do this."

It broke Xia Yu's heart to see her mother crying. She loved her parents so much. They raised her well and gave her everything she needed in her life. She wanted them to live their remaining days happily. But peace and happiness can't be achieved without sacrifices.

"It's okay, Mother. I'm not complaining." I said.

"You're not complaining because you're a good daughter. You never disobeyed us. I wish you'd disobey us just this once."

Xia Yu leaned on her mother to hug her. Her mother hugged back and began to calm down in her arms.

"It's going to be alright, Mother. I promise you this will be alright. Keep your mind and heart at peace." Xia Yu said to make her mother feel better.

They broke off and her mother began wiping her tears. Their carriage stopped alerting them that they had already reached their destination.

"It's time for us to go." Xia Yu said. Her mother gave her a nod for she figured her voice will only fail her because of the crying she did.

Xia Yu is the first one to step out of the carriage. As she opened the carriage door, her eyes were greeted by the splendor of the imperial palace. She had never been inside a palace before. Being inside such a massive place made her look at her surroundings in awe.

But no matter how luxurious and beautiful the palace is, it is nothing more than a glorified prison for Xia Yu. It's like a golden cage where she will live for heaven knows how long.

Well... at least it's beautiful.

Xia Yu thought to herself. Soon, her mother joined her. Shu Ying, on the other hand, had been to the palace many times. The beauty of the palace never failed to amaze her. But now, she does not see beauty anymore. All she can think about is her daughter wasting her life away within these walls.

Soon, a eunuch came and bowed to them.

"Greetings, Madam Xia and Young Lady Xia!" the eunuch said. "Welcome! His Majesty is expecting you from the west garden pavilion along with Her Majesty and Master Xia."

He guided the two around the palace. This place is indeed huge. There are guards stationed at every turn and servants walking around. Every edifice looks so intricate and well-structured. It felt like a foreign domain rather than another elaborate home in the Great Yong Empire.

Xia Yu felt like she is exploring a city from the western lands. The thought of the western lands made her stop thinking about the palace. She only had been to the western lands twice. But she had only seen a bit of what these lands had to offer. She promised herself that she would explore them one day. But now, this dream felt very far off.

As she looked ahead, she began to see a greenish scenery ahead. Soon, they reached the end of the hall. She was greeted with a delightful garden that can rival the one she had in her yard back at the Xia mansion. Before long, she finally spotted the pavilion and the three people lounging in it.

The first person she recognized from afar is her father. Being the only son of Xia Rong Luo put her father in a pool of high expectations. After all, Xia Rong Luo was only a small merchant from a small town in the beginning. But through his hard work, intelligence, and determination, he gained wealth beyond anyone's anticipation.

Though it was a lot of weight to meet, her father pulled through. He not only stabilized their economic position in the Great Yong Empire. But he was also able to begin ventures outside the country. Xia Rong You may arguably have the skills and the wealth far greater than any official. But, he never exposes himself to politics. Even if the position was handed to him, he would politely decline. He would prefer to serve the people of their empire as a merchant.

Xia Yu knew the burden of being the only child of Xia Rong You. That is why when she turned 13, she asked her father to teach her the ways of their business as a birthday present. For the past 7 years, she could say that she had accomplished a lot. But, she could have accomplished more if not for this.

Shortly, she was able to get a better look at the monarchs of their empire. Emperor Zhang Zhu Yi is a bit older than her father by age. But looking at the emperor, he appears more senile than his age. It seems the recent war threats from the north took a toll on him. Empress Tian Ai, on the other hand, still looked like she had just given birth to a child recently. She even looks like she can still bear another one if heaven permits.

Finally, the two Xia ladies had reached the entrance of the pavilion. The attending maid had announced their presence and was granted permission to enter. Xia Yu and her mother lowered their heads as a courtesy to the monarchs.

Xia Rong You stood up from his seat once he heard that his wife and his daughter are here. When the ladies reached the inside of the pavilion, he began to introduce his daughter.

"Your Majesties, I present to you, my only child and heiress."

As queued, Xia Yu recited her introduction.

"This meek servant's name is Xia Yu. My humble greetings to the Emperor and the Empress."

She bowed her head even lower and waited for the monarchs to acknowledge her.

"Rise, young lady." The emperor said. Xia Yu followed but kept her head low.

"Raise your head, my child". This time, it was the empress who spoke.

Xia Yu did raise her head.

"Oh my! What a gorgeous daughter you have." the empress exclaimed with delight.

"Of course, my dear empress. She truly is a descendant of Lady Cheng Ting Yi." the emperor chimed in. "But as I recall, remembering what Cheng Ting Yi looked like. Your daughter's beauty outshone her grandmother's by twofold."

Any woman would feel elated when called with such flattery. Especially if this flattery came from the emperor, who wouldn't be ecstatic? But Xia Yu had already heard a lot of those praises to feel excited. She once thought her beauty is both a blessing and a curse. She wished she had a simpler beauty. But she can't always have what she wished for, right?

"We are deeply embarrassed with your kind praises to our daughter, Your Majesties." her mother said finally finding her voice.

"Oh, don't be silly. We are merely stating what we see before us. If only we had a daughter, we would be happy if she, at least, had half of her beauty. But now, it feels like our wish will finally be fulfilled." the empress said with sincere joy as she held the emperor's hand. The emperor smiled at her.

"That is right, my empress. Now, we want to learn more about our future daughter-in-law. Have a seat so we can continue this discussion." the emperor invited them.

The Xias took their seats by the round table. Xia Yu was planning to take the seat between her parents. But the empress had other plans.

"Oh my dear, sit beside me." the empress said offering the seat beside her.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xia Yu said as she took the seat.

Her mother took the seat beside her while his father took the seat beside her mother. There was one seat left vacant. Xia Yu already knew who will take the empty seat beside the emperor. He is the man that will be bound to her in marriage because of an imperial edict.

Servants came and started serving them tea and snacks. As the emperor began asking about her upbringing, Xia Yu could barely listen. She tried to suppress the growing boredom inside of her. When will this day end? Can't time just move swiftly? But she knows this meeting will not end, especially since her future husband is not yet present.

Where could he be now?