“Let’s get a divorce now.”
“What?”
Miyojin was thrown off guard. He searched her face for any trace of humor in them, hoping she was only messing with him. But there was none.
“W-why now? We still have less than three years before the end of our agreement.”
“That time, we agreed on separating after three years to give ourselves time to establish your power and find reasons for a divorce. But a lot of things had happened. And we never thought that you would become emperor.”
Miyojin could see her reason for the sudden divorce. He will become the emperor soon. Thus, he has the power to divorce her which will not be deemed as treason for going against an edict.
Xia Yu brought down the two scrolls on his table.
“Our divorce papers are here. Your Highness only needs to stamp it with the Imperial Seal. Our divorce will be finalized by the end of the day if there are no hitches. It may take time for me to move out. However, I can assure you that I will be gone before Coronation Day. I will ask the etiquette mentors to start teaching Lady Mo, once we are done here.”
As Xia Yu was speaking of the next steps after their divorce, Miyojin was only staring at her with wide eyes. He couldn’t process the thought that this was the end of their marriage. He already pictured Xia Yu as his empress and had been thinking of giving her a role in the Imperial Court. This was too sudden for him.
“You can’t…” he said in a whispered tone of disheartenment.
“I can’t?” Xia Yu repeated his words in surprise. “Why? Pardon me, Your Highness, but I have to disagree. This is the perfect opportunity for us to divorce.”
“I still need you… I-I can’t do this without you. I’m not First Brother. I never aspired for the throne thus, I never prepared myself for this. I didn’t even try to build my influence. I may become the emperor but my authority over the court is still not stable. If they see my incompetence, they will overthrow me. I will fail Brother. I won’t be able to fulfill Father’s dying words.”
Miyojin ranted his words, desperation etched on his face. Xia Yu only stared at him with an expressionless face. Thinking she was very set on divorcing him, he stood from his seat and walked over to her side. He held her hands tight.
“After what happened to us, I knew very well that you are the only person I can trust. You’re the person I can rely on the most. Please don’t leave me now.”
Miyojin looked at Xia Yu with earnest eyes as he held her hands tight as if he would never let her go. Xia Yu looked at him then their clasped hands and contemplated what he said. In the end, she let out a sigh.
“It can’t be helped.”
She smiled at him and said.
“I will stay…”
His face broke into a smile as he pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her.
“Thank you, Xia Yu! Thank you so much!” he said as he held her tight.
She felt awkward at first. But eventually, she raised her arms and placed her hands on his back. They stayed like that for a bit before she broke away from him. She turned to the table and grabbed the scrolls she brought.
“I guess we won’t be needing this until the three years are up,” she said.
Miyojin’s smile fell. However, he ignored the thought that crept into his mind. He smiled once more when Xia Yu turned to him.
“I will leave now since His Highness has a lot to do.”
“Won’t you stay for a bit?” he said, stopping her from leaving.
“Why? Do you need help with those?” she said, turning her gaze to the table filled with scrolls.
That wasn’t the reason why Miyojin wanted her to stay longer. He only wished for her to accompany him for a bit because it had been so long since they had a proper conversation. But he realized that the reason she assumed was more convincing in making her stay.
“Yes… I do want to hear your opinion on certain matters.”
“Oh? Sadly, I can’t,” she said with a smile. “Apparently, I need to attend and take my etiquette lessons seriously since I will become an empress in less than a week.”
The future emperor felt embarrassed for not realizing that Xia Yu would have to focus on her preparations too.
“However, I can make time for you tomorrow, maybe after lunch. Oh! We should also decide when you will resume your swordsmanship training. We need to ensure what little skills you have will not go dull.”
Miyojin smiled happily. Xia Yu was once again talking to him informally and better yet was making more opportunities for them to spend time together. For now, he placed the thought of their divorce in the deepest part of his mind and focused on the present.
On an auspicious day, when the sun was shining bright, the Great Yong Empire was celebrating as a new era was about to begin. The gates of the Imperial Palace were once more opened to nobles and commoners alike. Needless to say, the Imperial Palace was vibrant as they all waited for the ceremony to begin.
Miyojin was in his room as his eunuchs and maids helped him get dressed. His ceremonial robes were in gold with a touch of red. His short hair was tied in a bun as the Imperial eunuch placed the Dragon Crown on his head.
He looked at himself in the mirror. Disbelief was engraved on his face. Never did he imagine himself wearing the Emperor’s Robes nor have the Dragon Crown on his head. He looked like a different person. However, this was his new reality.
With the preparations complete, Miyojin left his quarters which were now the Emperor’s Palace. He rode on the palanquin as part of the ceremony. He and his entourage made their way to the ceremonial grounds where everyone had gathered.
When they entered the ceremonial grounds, Miyojin could see the huge crowd that gathered to witness this moment. Despite his nerves grumbling within him, he kept his head up. The palanquin was put down as he stepped out.
Across from where he was, another palanquin was put down and the curtains parted revealing Xia Yu. He had always seen how beautiful she was no matter how she styled herself. But right at that moment, it felt like the first time he saw her. She was wearing the Empress’ robes also in gold with a touch of red. On her head, the Phoenix Crown was adorned in majesty. She looked perfect as if the garments and the jewels of the empress were always meant for her.
Miyojin and Xia Yu made eye contact as they walked towards each other. Once close enough, they did a short bow to each other. Then they faced forward and made their way up the stairs to the ceremonial altar. Upon reaching the altar, they bowed before the representation of the heavens. Soon the crowning ceremony was completed.
The new emperor offered his hand to the new empress which she took. Then, they made their way to the edge of the stairs for everyone to see them. The whole crowd bowed to them and began cheering.
“Hail to His Majesty, the Emperor of our Great Yong Empire! Hail to Her Majesty, the Empress of our nation!”
As the cheering went on, Emperor Zhang Miyojin squeezed Empress Xia Yuying’s hand. This gesture made Her Majesty look at her husband. His Majesty gave her a smile which she returned. They held each other tight as they faced the new chapter of their lives.
End of Under the Moonlight Volume 1
