The Abandoned Bride

Chapter 30

We spent the next two days slowly traveling in the carriage and we talked and caught up on everything we had missed from our time apart. By the third day Changwei was getting restless and decided to take us back by horseback the rest of the way to get home faster as he was feeling better.

"Are you sure you will both be okay?" Prince Sung Ying asks as he hands the reins to Changwei.

"Of course, I can't spend another day in the carriage and we should get home before it turns dark. There are no bandits out here anyway so we will be fine" He says and I nod my head and pat Prince Sun Ying on the shoulder. Changwei bows his head to the Prince.

"I hear I owe you a great debt, thank you so much Prince Sun Ying for helping my wife and myself in this terrible predicament" Changwei says with a serious face.

"You are welcome General Song, I hope you will take good care of yourself and your wife" He says and holds out his hand to Changwei and they shake hands.

"Alright be safe you two" He says and waves us off. We make it home by nightfall and we are greeted by the servants and Mimi. We explain the situation to them briefly before we have supper.

"General someone delivered this message" Mimi says coming in with some tea and hands him the paper.

"What is it? Is it the Emperor?" I ask sitting up straight.

"No it is from a servant that is taking care of Mother. He says that she has been acting strangely and the Physicians there don't know what is wrong with her, but that she is having problems with her memory" He says and hands the paper to me.

"Do you think this is a ploy to get you home?" I ask right away.

"I don't know, you have spent more time with her these years than I have and honestly it seems like I don't know who my Mother is anymore" He says and a pained expression flashes his face for a moment.

"I assume you need to go to her," I say.

"I think I must, but I don't want to upset you either, would you be okay if I visit?" He says with his eyes searching my face.

"Yes I think you should, and I think I should face her as well" I say.

"I don't want to distress you, you have been through enough" He says and comes over to me grasping my hands.

"No, with the support you have given me, I think I need to say a few things to her. I need to bring a resolution to the pain and hurt she has caused all these years, not for her but for myself" I say and smile up at him.

"Of course I will support you, but I am worried" He says and I nod up at him.

"I know, but I think I need to say goodbye, goodbye to her and the pain that she has caused. I need closure to move on" I explain and he pulls me into a hug.

"Alright I will agree with whatever you want" He says.

The next day the Emperor called Changwei to see him and was gone for the whole day. I was a bit worried about what would happen and tried to keep myself busy. Mimi comes over as I try to focus on reading a book and tells me I have some visitors. I follow her to the front yard and see Zi-Wei, Zi-Ming and Zi-An standing there and I start running over to them.

"What a surprise I didn't know that you would be coming? come in and sit down" I say excitedly.

"We are sorry to come over here unannounced, but the Emperor called for me when he got word that General Song had been hurt. He wanted me to come and check on the General's health" Zi-An explains.

"Oh that is wonderful that you could come" I say and usher them inside to sit down for a meal.

"What happened to you guys at the border?" Zi-Wei asks with curiosity and I explain everything that happened and how Changwei had been hurt.