The Wish

Meanwhile , in the empress dowager's room, the blind, old woman was occupying the chair that was used by the empress early on.

Her maids faithfully stood beside her without even moving their muscle even an inch. Despite being blind, the old woman kept on starring at the empress dowager who had been sleeping since she first entered the room.

After a while, the empress dowager's body began to stir signaling that she had woken up from her slumber. The empress dowager lifted her eyelid slowly and saw the blind woman's face in front of her.

"Your Majesty, is that you?"

"No . I'm not."

"Ah…that voice. Concubine Xi…." the empress dowager reached out her hand to touched the the other woman's face. Her weak body -however- hindered her from doing so.

Her hand fell on the bed loudly. Looking down at the frail hand, the other woman slowly reached her own hand toward the empress dowager's hand.

" Your hand is as warm as ever Your Majesty" the blind woman began to break the deafening silence between them.

The empress dowager smile weakly at the other woman. "Concubine Xi still appeared to be beautiful as ever"

"You are the kindest. No one in their right mind would praise a wrinkly woman like me"

"You are the kind one. Concubine Xi came out her meditation in the royal temple to visit me. I am the luckiest person alive right now"

The blind woman snorted loudly.

"I come here today, to bid farewell to you" She explained to the empress dowager.

"Why? Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving this body. I had been living as Concubine Xi for too long. I would like to explore other options and lives"

The weak empress dowager broke into a laughter that turned into a violent coughing fit. One of the blind woman's maids immediately went to bring a cup of water to the empress dowager.

As soon as her cough subsided, the empress dowager gazed lovingly at the 'concubine Xi'.

"Concubine Xi. I don't understand the things that you uttered just now. But this old woman believed that Concubine Xi is going to take another wonderful journey in your life" she stuttered while conveying her well wishes to the blind woman.

"This is weird. You are not asking where am I going ? or at least to ask whether I am crazy? Aren't you curios about the thing that I have uttered just now? Aren't you going to probe more about my real identity?"

"Whoever you are, I knew you as the lively Concubine Xi that had always help me sorting out problem in the inner palace." HHer lips broke into Her famous motherly smile. The smile that she generously bestowed for everyone that she meet in her entire life.

"Ahahahahaha!" the blind woman threw her head back in a laughter. She then shook her head and clicked her tongue several time.

"Truly, empress dowager. I have been living for thousands of years, and you are the kindest person I have ever encountered. I like you" She raised her thumbs up at the empress dowager.

"Now . Because I have taken a liking for you, I would grant you any wish! Now tell me empress dowager. This oracle from the north would grant you anything that I can offer in this world"

The empress dowager took a long time to think about the offer. "Well, I hope my royal son's kingdom would always be prosper-"

"Nope. I'm not taking wishes on behalf of other people. I want to bestowed you one of your wishes that you haven't realized in this lifetime"

"I don't have any wishes left. I think I lead a fruitful life…."

" Don't lie. There must be something that you have never done in your life that you are itching to do once before you left the world! Think about it! don't you want to be a bad girl once in your goody-two-shoes life? Be a bandit? Don't you want to be sexually liberated? Be a girl who work at the brothel? The men would form a long line to spend a night with you" The oracle giggled uncontrollably.

The thoughts of the innocent empress dowager going around playing the heart of many men tickles her.

"If you insist. I have one wish"

"Ohh..what is this? Let's hear it" The blind oracle rubbed both of her palm as if waiting to be served with the grandest meals. She bent down to put he ear near to the empress dowager's lips.

"I want to go back to the past" She slowly whispered to the oracle's ear. The request made the enthusiast oracle to pulled her head away from the empress dowager. She lifted one of her eyebrow.

"Why do you want to do that?"

"All my life, there's nothing that I want but my husband's affection. I have been waiting for forty years….." she halted to take a deep breath. "Hence I wanted to go back to the past so that I can earn his affection"

The empress dowager's words left the blind oracle speechless. Snapped from her shock, the oracle cleared her throat.

"He did not deserved your great loyalty yet you wanted to go back to try to earn something that he never gave to you despite being your husband for almost forty years. Are you sure you want to do this?"

The empress dowager smiled at the oracle.

"I can only grant you one wish. I hope you are not wasting it on this useless mission"

"It would not be useless"

" Hmm? You are so confident that you are going to get his affection"

"Of course. If you grant me this wish , I will used this chance to the optimum. I will take proactive steps by seducing the late emperor and trampled over his heart afterward uhuk - uhuk" The empress dowager was once again stricken with coughing fit.

The oracle' mouth was wide open. Did she hear it right? The empress dowager wanted to go back to her past and start to seduce her husband?

Why did the oracle feel excited as soon as she heard about this!

"I vehemently agreed to this!" She announced her agreement loudly. " Your Majesty should seduced him and brought him to your feet!"

"Ehehehehehe" the empress dowager cackled wholeheartedly when she heard the oracle giving her full support.

"I can't believe that the innocent empress had this much spine within you. I am really looking at Your Majesty in different light right now!" The oracle shook her head in amazement.

Her smile however subsided and as her face slowly turned serious. "Your Majesty, may I ask you one more time? Are you serious about going back to the past. This is one time chance, I don't want you to feel regret later"

"Of course I am. This old woman is ready" The empress dowager closed her eyes.

Loud sound coming from the doorway distracted the oracle and her maid from the conversation.

"It seems like the emperor had caught the news about us! Oracle hurry up or they gonna get here" The maid with serious face warned the oracle.

"Well, well, well."

Outside of the room, the chief of the imperial guard was leading the troupe heading toward the empress dowager's room. The emperor and empress follow closely.

As soon as they nearing the room, a bright light shone from the empress dowager's room direction. Everyone stood unmoved in their places. The light was so bright the were blinded by it. The chief guard cover his eyes with his arm before running straight to the empress dowager's room.

When he reached the room, he kicked the door open and the bright light suddenly vanished in a blink of an eye.

The chief guard immediately barged into the room and draw his sword while he was in stance position. Once the particle of dust emanated from the light subsided, he slowly open his eyes and saw…..nothing.

There was no one in the room except for the empress dowager who was still sleeping soundly on the bed.

There was no blind old woman with her two maids within his sight. The sounds of the commotion disturbed the empress dowager. She stirred slowly in her sleep.

"Royal mother! Are you alright?" The emperor went to kneel beside the empress dowager's bed. The old woman then open her eyes and stared at the emperor.

Her eyes widened when she saw his face was so close to hers. She let out a loud screamed that sent the entire palace into chaos!