On October 13, 2011, an unprecedented wedding took place in a castle at the foot of the Himalayas.
The protagonist of the wedding was Kaisar Wangchuk, the youngest king of the Kingdom of Bhutan. On this day, in the presence of many subjects, he married a wife ten years younger than himself.
This enviable love story began with a glimpse of it many years ago. After several years of knowing each other, the king made a promise of "one or two people in one lifetime".
Isn't this exactly what the fairy tale looks like, Prince Charming waiting for his beloved girl to grow up, and then announcing his loyalty to the world with a grand castle wedding.
But the love with such a happy beginning did not wait for the endgame, and it stripped off the cloak of happiness and revealed a mottled reality.
The king of Bhutan, who claimed to be weak in three thousand drinks, was frequently caught in peach-colored storms, and the outer chambers of lovers who were both true and false appeared to provoke, and the young queen no longer had a happy smile on her face.
Is it the trivialities of daily life that smooth out the once fierce love, or whether their love has been shrouded in a haze of lies from the beginning, perhaps only from their love process can be glimpsed.
The world's most handsome king from the snowy plateau
The protagonist of this grand wedding is The Fifth King of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Kaisar Wangchuk. He took over the authority of the Kingdom of Bhutan from his father in 2006 and became the new ruler.
The Bhutanese royal family has always attached great importance to the elite education of its children, and the children of the royal family have been trained in strict aristocratic etiquette from an early age. Almost all of the ten children of the Fourth King had gone to western countries to study, and Kesar, as the eldest son, was no exception.
Kesar, who had high hopes from his father, studied at Boston University in the United States and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and completed his studies with excellent results.
Bathed in the free and unrestrained breath of the West for a long time, the young prince also developed a free-spirited nature, he longed for an independent state of life, and was very dismissive of the many dull and cumbersome habits of the royal family and nobles.
Although the old king was in his prime, he felt that it was time to abdicate and let the younger Kesar inherit his mantle to lead Bhutan to a stronger future.
In 2004, king Singh Wangchuk, the fourth king of the Kingdom of Bhutan, announced the declaration of succession in advance, and two years later, through a grand coronation ceremony, the crown of kingship was personally worn on Kesar's head.
At that time, many people deliberately rushed back to the capital from afar in advance, just to see the new king at the coronation ceremony.
In interviews, they praised the handsome young king one after another, saying that he was happy to approach the people and was a very intelligent and upright man.
At this point, the young and promising Kesar not only became the youngest king in the history of Bhutan, but he was also crowned as the "most handsome king in the world" by virtue of his outstanding and handsome appearance.
Fate is destined to meet each other
After ascending the throne, Kesar was not in a hurry to establish a queen, perhaps he insisted on the importance of his family and country, and he did not care about his own marriage and private affairs, or perhaps he was waiting for a girl he had seen as a teenager to grow up.
Kesar and Queen Gizón Pema's "Ten Thousand Years at a Glance" began many years ago.
At that time, Kesar was not yet the king of Bhutan, and the young prince, who was only 17 years old, went to a banquet with his father. Pema, who was also a nobleman, was also invited to attend the banquet.
The interplay between adults annoyed the youthful Caysal, who excused himself from the table and went to the back garden away from the feast to relax.
It was not only Kesar who was impatient with the dull atmosphere of the banquet, but also 7-year-old Peema could not stand the boring banquet process and sneaked to the back garden to play.
In the quiet garden, the little girl's agile and lively figure broke into Caysal's sight.
Kaisar was accustomed to seeing dignified aristocratic women in the day, and Pema's innocent appearance really made the young prince's eyes light up.
And Pema was not timid, and facing the strange aristocratic man, she held high the rose she had just picked, and crisply shouted to Kesar.
Caysal stood still, looking at the flowers that had been delivered to him, and for the first time the eight-faced young prince was a little overwhelmed.
It's not that no one has ever shown him admiration, but it's the first time that a heart like Pema's, which is frank and unmixed with other feelings, has been received.
Pema's bright eyes seemed to have never been contaminated with half a worldly breath, and her carefree appearance made Kesar's heart flutter.
Perhaps Pema did not know what liking was, but her intelligence and beauty, and this precious innocence, really won the love of the young prince.
Kesar carefully took the rose in Pema's hand, leaned down to look at the naïve and ignorant girl, hesitated for a moment and then asked Pema if she would marry her.
Although the young Peema may not know what the words of the future king of Bhutan mean, she immediately nodded solemnly in response.
Kaisar laughed and promised that when Pema grew up, he would keep his promise and marry her as his wife.
This love story, which spans a gap of ten years, starts to catch people off guard, but it is this fleeting glimpse that binds Kesar and Pema's fate firmly together.
The so-called gentleman's promise is as heavy as a thousand gold. Although I don't know the future variables, at this moment, Kesar's heart does have a ripple because of this different little girl.
Perhaps it was fate that Caysal married the little girl of that year after many years, and fulfilled the promise of his youth.
A promise of marriage for a lifetime and a couple
Many versions of the world like to portray Pema as a commoner girl from a poor background, and then outline a fairy tale of the love between the prince and Cinderella.
But the story of Kesar and Pema is like a star in the sky, separated by a dream-like veil, so that ordinary people can not reach, why do you need to imagine the story of crossing classes like a snake?
Pema came from a prominent family in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Her father was the grandson of the former governor of Tashigang in Bhutan, while her mother came from the oldest local family in Bhutan and had some ties to the royal family.
Although Pema never considered herself an aristocrat in front of others, she undoubtedly had a family background that was directly related to The Kesar Gate.
Like Kesar, Pema received an aristocratic education from an early age. Since childhood, he entered the Xiaolong Academy in the capital Yanbu for enlightenment studies. After completing junior high school, Pema went to St. Joseph's Convent in India for further studies.
Pema
According to her English teacher, Pema was an extremely quiet Sven aristocratic lady with one of the best academic performances. Subsequently, Pema went on to study at Regents College in London, England, majoring in international relations psychology.
It can be said that during those long years, Pema also thrived and grew freely. She is enthusiastic and generous, and frankly pursues the direction of her life.
When Peema returned home from school, the former dancing boy lang had become the new king of Bhutan, and the accumulation of years made Kesar more mature and attractive.
The empress dowager, who was already worried about Kesar's marriage, noticed this famous lady.
She had privately calculated the birthdays of Pema and Kesar, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the marriage between the two of them was a fateful marriage, a beautiful match made in heaven.
With the help of the elders on both sides, the two people who already had the feelings of youth naturally came together.
On May 20, 2011, at a special symbolic moment, Kesar announced his marriage to the people, and his wedding to Pema will be held in October of that year, and the domestic people are invited to participate in their marriage ceremony.
This love affair, which they met at an early age, made the people of Bhutan full of curiosity, and the attraction of being able to watch the royal wedding up close made everyone flock to it.
Many people put down their work and began rehearsing the celebratory dance early, setting up the greeting street, hoping to give a blessing to the king's wedding.
On the eve of the wedding, the streets of Yanbu, the capital of Bhutan, are full of intimate photos of the king and his wife, and large and small group photo posters are plastered all over the streets.
Local women wore traditional national dresses, and the whole country was immersed in the joy of the king's imminent wedding.
On the morning of October 13, on the auspicious occasion of the astrologer's speculation, The dressed Kesar gently took Pema's hand and walked slowly to his subjects to receive their heartfelt blessings.
Amid the chanting of the monks and the cheers of the Bhutanese people, the newly established king personally put on the crown for his wife.
The wedding did not invite too many celebrities and dignitaries, and the guests in attendance were thousands of local Bhutanese people in addition to the royal family.
Trapped in the limited space, nearly 700,000 people watched the king's wedding through television broadcasts, sending blessings from afar.
The young king was very affectionate, and the look in Pema's eyes was always full of love.
In an interview, Kesar made no secret of his joy, admitting that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and in his eyes Pema was a perfect woman.
Given that Pema is an independent woman with a Western education, she faithfully adheres to the institution of monogamous marriage and adheres to the concept of marriage equal to each other.
As a newlywed husband, Kesar's jaw dropped in response to his wife's idea. At the wedding scene, Kesar solemnly promises Pema that he will only marry one wife in this life.
The V King of Bhutan announced to his subjects that he would faithfully practice monogamy throughout his life and would never allow the resurgence of the old polygamous system.
Holding the hand of the son, growing old with the son. To be able to get such a promise from the king, I am afraid that no woman will not be moved by it, and Pema is naturally no exception.
The intimate kissing moment of Kesar and Pema at the wedding happened to be captured by the guests present, and this photo became the best witness to the love story of the king and his wife.
The real marital situation under the cover of fairy tales
After the big wedding, Pema did her best to play the role of a wife, not only greeting Kesar in her daily life, but also often accompanying him and assisting in handling state affairs. The wise and intelligent Pema became Kesar's well-deserved helper.
In the hearts of the Bhutanese people, the queen of the fifth king is beautiful and virtuous, always optimistic and cheerful, and often walks into the homes of ordinary people without any identity.
Such an approachable Pema is as beloved by the people as Kaisar, and the king and his wife are deeply in love, which can be called a realistic version of the prince and princess love fairy tale.
A few years later, the two gave birth to the crystallization of love, and the little prince was made crown prince of the kingdom of Bhutan as soon as he was born.
The family of three was happy and happy, and Pema once thought that her life would continue to be so sweet until a piece of news appeared.
It turned out that Caysal did not wait for his little girl to grow up for ten years, and he had many love experiences during his studies.
First, Caysal's ex-girlfriend from college posted an intimate photo of the two on social platforms, and the intimate appearance of the two deeply stung Pema's heart.
Then came the news that Kesar had almost entered the marriage hall with another noblewoman, and it was even more coincidental that the nobleman who had a relationship with Kesar was Pema's cousin.
The two sides were once very affectionate, but because of the so-called "eight-character discord", they were always obstructed by Empress Wang, and finally failed to cultivate the right results. The once single-minded image of affection was suddenly shattered, and Pema tranced herself into a trap that had been carefully woven.
Coincidentally, the myth of King Kesar's "Golden House Hidden Jiao" gradually spread.
Some people say that the fifth king had a confidant with a red face outside, and the two had known each other for many years. It is rumored that the lover who is entangled with Kesar has a face that is very similar to his first girlfriend.
Kesar, who has always cherished reputation, is noncommittal to these rumors, and his evasive attitude seems to confirm Pema's suspicions.
It turns out that the promise of a lifetime and a couple is nothing more than a lie to whitewash the peace, and under the false appearance is the unbearable emotional entanglement in this seemingly happy marriage.
Pema's eyes no longer had the light she once had, and she seemed to have lost all her expectations for a hypocritical lover. Even when attending major occasions, the queen had a rare smile on her face, and it was difficult to hide her loneliness.
Zhuo Wenjun said, "Wenjun has two meanings, and gulai is determined", but women as decisive as her are in the minority after all. Many women who are trapped in the mire of marriage are trapped in the shackles of reality and can only struggle in day after day of suffering, and the same is true of Pema.
Even if she saw the true appearance of her husband and jumped out of the love lies he had woven with his own hands, due to the involvement of family interests and the need for national stability, Pema could only knock out her teeth and swallow blood, trying to maintain the dignity of this marriage.
In the days that followed, Pema was no longer the woman who was full of eyes only Kesar, and she devoted more energy to the work of being the mother of a country.
Whether it is visiting abroad or inspecting the people's livelihood and suffering, Pema does it herself. The little girl who was once lively and frank finally grew into a dignified and solemn and stable appearance.
"And Er with the old, the old make me resentful", the promise of the white-headed old man is still in the ear, but the people around him are no longer the original single-minded appearance.
Moreover, in the mirror of Luan now, the concubine's face has not changed the king's heart. What is more difficult than the face is the so-called true love, sweet words are not the whole of life, and the bittersweet mixing of life is the most real appearance.