Chapter One
A Caged Bird From JoseonA/n i at first chaps & intros.
Life became very boring for Joonmyun ever since the day he stepped foot into the Forbidden City. He was used to being locked up though. Since he was old enough to understand his mother would keep him in his room to study or learning women's work. The farthest he went was to the kitchen or the dining room. Therefore, inside the high walls of the palace, Joonmyun felt more at ease. It's been months already. The Emperor barely paid attention to him and never visited him after his first night. Even his servants pitied him for not gaining the Emperor's affection and longed to be sent to the other favored consorts. Joonmyun barely gave thought to other people and spent most of his time reading and stitching. Occasionally his mind would flicker back to the first day he arrived at the palace.
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"Ow!" Joonmyun accidentally poked the needle into his finger while deep in thought. His blood dripped down onto the white cloth, blossoming into small red roses. The servants gasped and started fretting. Ping-yi went out to fetch the doctor. Joonmyun frowned and said, "En-yee, can you please tell Ping-yi to come back? It's just a small accident that I can tend myself." En-yee nodded and hurried out to do as she was told. Joonmyun set down the needle and stood up. He carefully walked over to his bed and grabbed his hankerchief from the vanity table. He dabbed the blood off his finger and stuck his finger into his mouth. He knew saliva would stop the bleeding.
Suddenly he heard staggering footsteps approaching him. They were too strong to be the servant girls'. He looked up to see a drunkened Yifan almost falling down. Joonmyun quickly went over, trying to steady the man. However, Joonmyun's small frame couldn't support the tall man and they both toppled down. Yifan landed on top of Joonmyun. He whispered, "You're really beautiful. But why do you have to be so difficult?" Drunk, the Emperor seemed to have a hint of childishness in his tone. Joonmyun tried to move but was nailed down by the dead weight. He said, frowning "Your Majesty, you didn't keep your words. You promised to leave me alone. Why are you here today?"His words angered Yifan but one look at his face extinguished it. There were specks of tears in Joonmyun's eyes. Yifan lowered his head and planted a kiss on Joonmyun's forehead. Joonmyun tightened up and hissed, "What are you doing?" Yifan smiled and said, "This is the first time you acknowledged me as 'you' instead of 'Your Majesty'." He rolled over, holding Joonmyun tightly in his arms. Then he closed his eyes. Joonmyun tried to struggle out of his arms. Yifan sighed and said, tired "Just let me hold you for a bit. I like the way you smell; like water lilies and old books." Joonmyun stopped struggling and gently rested his head on Yifan's hard chest. He raised his hand to touch Yifan's face but stopped midway. He thought, "Why is he so close but feels so far? Back in Joseon, Father would say how vicious and bloodthirsty the China Emperor was; starting wars to gain land. But why does he seem like a child right now?"
A hand grabbed his; pulling him out from his thoughts. Yifan placed Joonmyun's small hand over his right cheek and said, looking into his eyes "If you want to touch then do it. I told you before, we are a couple now and you don't have to act so formal with me." Joonmyun wanted to massage the flesh under his palm but pulled away and quickly escaped Yifan's grip. He kneeled down and said, "Your Majesty, you are the Emperor and Joonmyun is merely a servant. Please don't cause Joonmyun to wither in grief." Yifan sat up and asked, exasperated, "Do you hate me?"Joonmyun lowered his head, avoiding Yifan's eyes. He said, "Joonmyun wouldn't dare, Your Majesty." Yifan grabbed onto Joonmyun's chin and tilted his head upward. He warned, "Tell me the truth. How does Kim Joonmyun feel about Wu Yifan?" Joonmyun stared into Yifan's eyes. Suddenly, he started laughing. Yifan's heart fluttered at Joonmyun's laughter and the way he looked. He asked, "What are you laughing about?" Joonmyun shook his head and said, "If you weren't the Emperor and I wasn't in this position I'm sure the two of us would be great friends. Aren't you tired of being the high and mighty? Do you ever want to let go and walk out of these high palace walls?"
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"From the supreme ruler down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of
the person the root of everything else. When the root is neglected, what springs from it cannot
be well ordered. What is of great importan--" The Imperial Scholar was interrupted by the little Crown Prince staring out the window. "Crown Prince, you must focus on your teachings. You're going to take over the throne one day and become the Emperor." Yifan was only eight years old but had the responsibilities and burdens of an adult. He looked up at his teacher and said, "But I don't want to be the Emperor. I want to be like the little children out here." The Imperial Scholar scowled and asked, "Where?" Yifan pointed his index finger out the window and said, "There's outside, way over the walls. Can't you hear their laughters?"
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Yifan swallowed the hard lump down his throat and exclaimed, "Nonsense! I am the Emperor and the whole world is under my palm. It is my destiny. Why would I be tired?" Joonmyun shook his head. He turned his face away and said, "Joonmyun is tired. Your Majesty please go back to your Chamber. And don't ever come back here. This isn't the place for you." Yifan nodded and got up. Joonmyun stood up as well and squatted slightly, "Farewell, Your Majesty." Then he stomped away angrily. Joonmyun looked back and thought, "If you can't be true to yourself how can you be a good ruler? We're both the same kind of people. But the only difference is you gave up and I'm still trying."
He went back out to retreive his stitching and continued. He decided to stich two birds over the small bloodred roses. The day he left he promised his parents that he wouldn't be a shame to Joseon. He promised that he would live happily. The servants finally came back. Joonmyun said, "From this point on, do not address me as Consort Myun. Call me Master Kim instead. Also Your Majesty might never come here again so if the two of you wants to be switched to follow another lady then do so." Without another word he goes back to working on his stitching and ignoring everything else around.
An eunuch hurried into the room and greeted, "Consort Myun." Joonmyun didn't even look up. Ping-yi shushed him and said, "Don't bother him. He's working on a stitch." The eunuch said, "But there's an urgent home letter for Consort Myun." Once Joonmyun heard 'home letter' he dropped everything and said, "Give me! Where is it?" The little eunuch quickly pulled down the letter from his sleeve and handed it to Joonmyun with shaking hands. Joonmyun couldn't help but grab at it and pulled out the letter from the envelope. His eyes scanned the paper; his hands trembling greatly. The three servants noticed his reaction and became worried. Joonmyun dropped the letter and exclaimed, looking at the eunuch, "Bring me to the Emperor's Chamber." No one dared to move. He yelled, teary-eyed "I said bring me to his Chamber!"
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