A/N: Hey chingus! Here is our 2nd update as promised! I wish you all a happy weekend!

Historical accounts included here are what i have found in the internet based on my researching. I'll try to put the links too so you guys can see where i found it. I find Asian history interesting than Western history, especially Korea and China.

Next update possibly tomorrow hehe... we'll see :D

Hope you all have a great night and enjoy this chapter. 

Peace yow!

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CHAPTER 11

After Amber finished cooking the Bacon and Eggs, I placed it on a separate food box then inside a bag together with the sandwich and coffee flask. Amber went to the command center to take out the GPR, her drone, my laptop, and a hand-held radio, then pulled the hood of the hoodie that I was wearing to cover my head. Together we strolled in the forest while the rays of the morning sun was starting to peek in the horizon.

It was a beautiful morning, the birds were still sleeping on their nests and you can smell the fresh dew coming from the air. I was skipping like Little Red Riding Hood with a bag of goodies in my left hand while my right is being held by the Big Bad Wolf… I mean Amber hehehe... at the same time her right hand pushing the GPR with the drone on top of it.

What can I do? It was a beautiful morning… :D

We settled under the tree where we were sitting yesterday. Before eating breakfast, she flew her drone first up in the sky to survey the area and take scans. It also has a radar just like the GPR scanning the ground from the sky. After that, she uploaded the data collected in my laptop and sent it via e-mail to Vic’s researchers to analyze it. The possible results can be given to us later by the afternoon or latest is tomorrow morning.

She laid out a blanket for us to sit on then we took turns in feeding each other with the food she made. She was sitting behind me, my back facing her as we eat heartily while talking about my dream last night.

I poured coffee on the cover of the flask and gave it to her to take a sip, after that I took a sip too before I spoke. “You know Am, it’s weird.”

“What’s weird?”

“Because… I think you and the Gongzhu has the same eyes.” now that I remember… yeah… they do have the same eye color…

I turned around to face her and raised my hands to cup her cheeks, narrowing my eyes to stare at her closely. “Yeah, the same eyes… that’s the eyes I saw in my dreams last night!”

She planted a quick kiss on the tip of my nose and grinned at me “Maybe you were just dreaming of me that’s why…”

“Amber I’m serious…”

“I’m serious too Krys… maybe it’s your mind playing tricks with you. But IF…” she reached for the side of my lips wiping the mayonaisse in there with her thumb that made me feel hot inside before bringing her thumb on her lips it. It’s early in the morning and she’s keeping on waking up my hormones… “…IF that is true, then does that mean the fondness the researchers discovered in the Gongzhu’s letters means a relationship? The 2 Princesses… they might be one of the earliest Lesbians in the history of Korea that is also undocumented.”

I stared at her and thought of what she said. She actually has a point there…

“What if the Gongzhu fell in love with the Gongju and the reason they fled the Palace is because of the killing and they want to live a quiet life together? Their path is strange, remember?” I nodded at her and fixed her bangs to the side while thinking.

Baekje is far from the border of Tang… if my dream is true, they fled the Palace wearing male servants clothes so no one will suspect they are royalty. One of the Gongzhu’s guards accompanied them while fleeing…

“The Gongzhu wants to save the Gongju from being killed by the soldiers of Gaesomun and at the same time forget about going home in her country because they want to be together… the reason why they are heading to Baekje.” she nodded at me and urge me to talk more. “Because if she wants to save the Princess from the slaughter, she could have just ask her father the Emperor to send troops and get her. Bring her back to Tang and maybe bring along the Princess…”

“But she didn’t… they made a plan to escape and be away.” Amber whispered at me brushing her nose on my cheeks.

The way the Gongzhu looks at the Gongju in my dream… it was how Amber looks at me.

Warm… and caring.

“The hard thing about our research here is we don’t have concrete evidence to tell that the two of them are lovers, we only have the letters but that’s it. If we are going to compare the history of homouality in China and Korea, China has wide accounts about it since it has been discussed in courts as far as the Shang Dynasty. There are even scrolls and paintings depicting those same relationships! If this ‘more than friendship’ thing the Gongzhu has for the Gongju is recorded in the history books like those 11 emperors from the Western Han Era, then it will be easy.”

Sigh… “Korean history only mentions male homouality, King Hyegong of Silla was killed because of his ‘feminine behavior’, King Gongmin and King Mokjong of Goryeo has several ‘wonchungs’, boyfriends and boytoys in their court. Even Samguk Yusa and Samguk Sagi has records about monks creating verses praising a Hwarang…” I brushed my hair back with my fingers and turned my gaze to the tree behind Amber.

Upon mention of Hwarang, Amber whistled and chuckles “Ohhh… Hwarangs… the Flowerboys of Korean History. Born from noble families, all good looking male descendants chosen by the King of Silla to train at such early age to defend the kingdom, taught fighting skills and at the same time adorned with cosmetics and taught dances to entertain the King. They are the early examples of male entertainers…”

“Remember the verse I showed you before?” I wriggled my eyebrows at her and she chuckled. I showed her a verse from Samguk Yusa made by a monk for a Hwarang. In those times, verses like that are traditionally seen as a form of illustration for monks’ desire to have ual with the same .

She cleared and recited the verse with a full voice:

“Song of Yearning for the Flower Boy Taemara…”

“The whole word weeps sadly

The departing Spring.

Wrinkles lance

Your once handsome face,

For the space of a glance

May we meet again,

Fair Lord, what hope for my burning heart?

How can I sleep in my alley hovel?”

“Hmmm…. very good Professor Liu…” I nodded my head in a teasing manner clapping my hands. I’m impressed. Plus points for you.

“The other one is ‘Ch’oyong’s Song’… here it goes..”

“Playing in the moonlight of the capital

 Till the morning comes,

 I return home

 To see four legs in my bed.

 Two belong to me.

 Whose are the other two?

 But what was my own

 Has been taken from me, what now?”

I clapped my hands feeling proud of her reciting the verse. She playfully bite my cheeks and shoulders but the truth is, she’s hiding her face because she’s too embarrassed and shy reciting it.  

“Why are you so embarrassed?! You’re a History Professor at Princeton for Christ’ sake! You hold full pack classes and stands in the front, proud and confident! Why are you suddenly shy in front of me?”  

“I can be whoever I want to be in front of my students, but I can only be the real me in front of you…” I snorted at her cheesy line and bit her nose playfully. The truth too: I’m a er for her cheesiness.

“I suddenly remembered that film by Jo In Sung… remember that movie we watched before online because Song Ji Hyo was there?” I asked while grinning at her.

She stared at me obviously thinking deeply recalling it then her eyes went wide and burst into a soft laugh “Frozen Flower! Yeah… Loosely based from King Gongmin…The Goryeo King was being ed by his Hwarang, Jo In Sung!” I slapped playfully pinching her sides.

“Watch your words! The kids might hear you!”

“It’s still early Honey no one will hear me. Anyways, yeah… that movie was derived from the history books. The King couldn’t stomach to sleep with his Han Queen and bear a child so he talked to his boy lover who is a Hwarang to impregnate the Queen…” she looked at me waiting for my continuation. I smiled at her and added what I remember on the film.

“The Hwarang was in love with the King and has never ever touched a girl before that’s why at their first try it was a failure… he can’t stomach it too but because of his love for the King he swallowed his pride and slept with the Queen…”

“They only meet on days the King is scheduled to meet the Queen as mandated by the calendar as a good date to e. The King will stay in the other room while listening on them having . God, it was pure torture to the King… but the worse is, the Hwarang and the Queen fell in love to one another. Driving the King to jealousy especially when he himself caught the 2 of them meeting each other secretly… resulting for the Hwarang to lose his s. Ouch.”

I actually watched that film for research purposes only, I didn’t know both of us will be so engrossed on it. Its not about the scenes, it was the emotions the characters portrayed in the film. How homouality in ancient Korea was viewed and practiced.

Okay… I admit, the scene between Song Ji Hyo and Jo In Sung was hot. Period.

That one scene when they secretly meet and did it in the library while there was a gathering in the Palace, it was so damn hot that I think Amber can’t forget about it before.

She visited me in the library where I was having my part time job and pulled me in the restricted section. I was shocked when she did it thinking maybe she wants to say something private, turns out she was wearing her new ‘toy’ and just want to have her fantasy fulfilled. Long story short, we had a great time without anyone knowing I was being pounded by my wife leaning my back on the book shelves.

Remembering what happened suddenly made my throat dry. … not good.