16 Wolves and Monsters (1/2)
Mingzhu whistled while she scrubbed the floor to keep you mind off her stomach. Yesterday, she ate nothing and it really affected her. Every movement had to be slow so she didn't get dizzy and there was no energy to practice for her mission. Worst of all was this morning. Although she was granted to eat again, the maids refused to serve her breakfast. One of them was a rat-faced girl she recognised from the honey incident weeks ago. She was Xioali's friend and therefore, Mingzhu's foe.
The duties today extended from sweeping to scrubbing every tiled artwork or statue in the palace with a small brush. Jiang was unavailable and Meifan forbidden from helping. This left Mingzhu a lone victim to the blazing sun and soon, a headache bloomed behind her forehead. This forced her whistling to turn into a slow hum. She wanted to strangle Joaolong for his advice; she preferred the beating than this torture.
There was one upside to this punishment though. Since Mingzhu had to clean every statue, she was granted permission into many noble courtyards, including Cheng's residence. He had something she wanted returned to her family. The murderer of Juan didn't deserve to keep a valuable item like that.
After ensuring there was not a soul either in or nearby, Mingzhu entered Cheng's room, filled with anger. The familiar smell of the flower was suffocating and drove Mingzhu to search for any sign of her sister that remained. This led her to the desk at one end of the room and she delicately looked in the compartments. At first, she kept everything neat but things turned sour when there were no traces of her sister. 'How quick you are, Zhao Cheng, to forget the wife you fought so hard for,' Mingzhu thought angrily and carelessly messed up the final compartment.
The bottom board moved. Mingzhu pried at it, discovering a fake bottom and revealing two items in a secret compartment; a Fox token and necklace. The wooden animal was strange, the carving not as fine as expected, but the most concerning thing was why it was in the draw. Mingzhu knew better than to touch it and instead, investigated the necklace. The jewellery was owned by Juan, given by their mother, and was a mixture of jade and wooden, plum tree beads. The two opposite materials complimented each other in a strange way, as if representing the Bai twins themselves.
This is what she came here for. Quickly, she put the necklace on and was startled when Cheng appeared just as she hid it. Apparently her lie about the water rat was convincing enough and she left in a fluster. Breathlessly, she continued her cleaning and scrubbed a floor under the hot sun.
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”I won't let you,” Mingzhu screamed. ”I refuse. We can find another way. There is always a different solution. Our friends could give us shelter and we find some rare herbs...”
”Sister, you must stay healthy. Worry about yourself. This is the only hope we have at living,” Juan replied.
They had switched roles; Juan's composure strong, shown by her blank expression, while Mingzhu was a sobbing, weak mess that needed protecting.
”You can't leave!”
”I must,” Juan replied and hugged Mingzhu. ”It will be a beautiful wedding and Master Zhao will treat me well. I can live a luxurious life in the palace with enough food to eat and lovely dresses to wear. This is not goodbye but just a new beginning.”
”If he harms you, I will kill him.” Juan already was pulling away and walked back to the carriage nearby. ”I don't want to be left behind without you.”
”Stay healthy and safe. Don't steal the neighbour's vegetables. Find a good husband and live a good life. We will see each other again. I will send word.”
”Don't leave me! Please!”
”I love you,” Juan whispered from the carriage window.
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It wasn't until someone kicked her that Mingzhu realised she fell asleep. The outfit was sacked and was stuck to her healing back. Hopefully the sweat didn't ruin the necklace. Mingzhu couldn't bare taking it off now. The feel of the wood and jade was a connection to Juan and she craved something to alleviate the pain of losing her sister forever.
”Fa Huian,” a voice rumbled.
The maid raised her head to see Jiang, ready to rip her to shreds. A middle-aged woman stood beside her, smiling warmly at Mingzhu. She wore extravagant and flowing cream robes, adorned with embroidered fish and abstract perception of disturbed water in colourful thread. The piece of fabric displayed on her chest was blue, and matched the trimming on the outermost part of the garment. Some of this blue was also included in her hair decorations, pinning her thick locks into a unique updo. All the hair pulled back revealed a stunning aged face and the mark of the empress; three red pointed ovals were painted facing a different direction, thinly outlined by a single, navy line, and underneath this was a green dot.
”Head up. You are excused from bowing,” Yenay said, her voice chiming delicately like small bells. She even smelled divine, like orchids and vanilla. Mingzhu unfolded herself from the ground and sat back on her heels. ”Do you know this maid, my friend?”