It was the fifth year of our engagement, and Meng Cijun still refused to marry me.
The first time he turned me down, he said the King was placing great importance on him, so how could he indulge in the trivialities of love?
That made sense, so I nodded and waited another two years.
The second time he turned me down, he said that since the King had yet to choose a Queen, how could a mere subject like him marry first?
That made me angry. I felt the King was being completely unreasonable-I had waited so long that I was practically an old maid, yet he still wouldn’t allow Meng Cijun to marry me?
Meng Cijun and I had a fight. In a fit of pique, I left home, only to rescue a palace official who was trying to end his life by the river.
One of the girls selected for the draft had run away, and Wang Shiguan was so distressed he was ready to jump into the water.
“If I enter the palace, will I be able to see the King?”
Wang Shiguan looked at my hair, which was not yet pinned up in the style of a married woman, and my youthful face. He nodded with delight.
“Of course! If you find favor, you’ll see the King every single night!”
“Alright then,” I said, nodding as I gathered my skirts and stepped into the carriage.
Once I saw that King, I intended to ask him exactly why he wouldn’t let Meng Cijun marry me.
“Miss, if you leave, how am I supposed to explain this to Master Meng?” Xiao Tao asked, panicked.
I thought about it for a moment, then pulled back the curtain and waved a hand.
“Just tell Meng Cijun that Ah Wu is still mad at him and won’t be coming home for dinner tonight!”
