They sat in silence, the air still and thick with unspoken questions. The sudden thud from outside made them both flinch. Miss Mei stood slowly, smoothing her dress. She leaned toward Ying and whispered, "It's nothing. Let me go check."
But Ying gently grabbed her hand and shook her head. "No… let me check," she said firmly. Without waiting for a response, she hurried toward the door and cracked it open.
Peeking into the living room, she saw a familiar figure. Her shoulders relaxed a little. It was only the handmaiden.
Ying turned back to Miss Mei and said in a low voice, "It's someone—your other… err, personal assistant."
Miss Mei exhaled, half a sigh, half a groan. "The handmaiden," she muttered. "I didn't call her…" She moved back to the bed and sat down, brushing her fingers over her lap as if dismissing the whole thing. "Forget it," she said softly.
But Ying didn't forget it. Not even close.
She stood there at the door, her brows slightly furrowed. What does she want? Why now? Is she planning something? Something about the handmaiden's presence felt off.
Miss Mei, still seated on the bed, seemed more vulnerable than usual. Ying looked at her quietly, then asked, "Can I go out? I want to check something."
Miss Mei didn't speak. She only gave a small nod, her hand waving slightly in approval. The noise had clearly unsettled her too.
Ying stepped out into the hallway. The mansion felt oddly quiet, like it was holding its breath.
She walked toward the dining hall. The golden dining table stood in the center, grand and untouched. But something caught her eye—a plate at the end of the table, oddly covered.
She walked over and slowly lifted the lid.
Yes. It was food. A fresh dish, still warm.
That's strange… no one said anything about dinner being served.
She stepped back and scanned the room. Then she noticed it—small, broken fragments scattered across the floor, under the table. Bending down, she picked one up. Porcelain. Maybe from a bowl.
Her mind raced. What happened here? Something dropped. No, something was dropped… She looked again at the untouched food. Then a memory flickered— She had asked for food earlier from the handmaiden
Ying's thoughts began to swirl like a storm. The thud… the broken piece… and the slipping away .. It All meant something, She was planning something and Ying was going to find out...
Ying had walked back into Miss Mei's chambers quietly. The evening sunlight had mellowed, sending soft golden streaks across the walls. Sitting curled on the edge of her bed was none other than Miss Mei, idly flipping through the pages of a beloved, old book she'd placed in her bedroom.
Ying stood at the doorway, wavering whether or not to interrupt at all, when Miss Mei looked up and smiled. "Would you like to read? This part is so nice," she said, patting the space next to her.
Ying's eyes lit up as she crossed the room and sat beside her. "Yeah… sure. Let me see."
They both leaned in. The pages of the book smelled of time, and the handwriting had all the elegance of ancient brushstrokes. It was not that Ying was illiterate, at least not in the old style; Miss Mei guided fingers across sentence after sentence, whispering when Ying lost her concentration.
Miss Mei never let her guard down - not in court or with nobles. With Ying, she didn't have to act anymore, though. She laughed a little when Ying misspoke, nudged her shoulder affectionately. Within that room, they were no longer just mistress and assistant, something more tender almost like… friendship growing between them.
Meanwhile, Li Wei was stepping outside and immediately found himself in the cooler evening air. He was dressed in the much-favoured servant's robes - grey, simple, and loose at the sleeves. However, something in the way he moved tonight was different. Intentional.
He walked slowly through the corridor arches, enjoying the sense of air against his face as he passed the garden, and headed to the far side of the palace, the upper wing. There hadn't been any real business there for him before. This was where the guest quarters were.
Not quite spying. Sort of. He told himself he was just walking.
Sebastian, the noble guest, was inside one of the chambers above, scribbling scurrilous notes into a small leather journal, his travelogue. His writings dealt with foreign markets, ancient relics, even a few theories on palace history; but soon, the visit would come to a close.
Li Wei brushed right past his room without realizing it as he walked with his hands folded behind him and his head full of thoughts.
Then, there was a crash.
He collided with a maid carrying a polished silver dish. Rich sauce and tender slices of meat scattered across the floor-steamed pork belly with chestnuts and arranged braised radish slices. A sweet soy glaze clung to the floor tiles, glistening under the torchlight.
The maid drew herself up short. "Watch where you're going! Can't you see what you've done? That was for the guest!"
Li Wei's heart sank. "Please I didn't see you I... I wasn't looking." His face flushed with remorse.
The maid huffed but quickly softened her voice. "Alright. Come here. I'll get another dish for him. You'll deliver it."
He blinked. "Me?"
"Yes, you. Follow me."
Another maid nearby clucked her tongue. "You," she said to a younger little girl, "tend to that mess. Now."
Li Wei trailed after the maid as they headed toward the grand kitchen of the palace; the place he'd heard so much about in servants' gossip. The hallway opened to an arched entrance framed with golden vines carved into redwood panels. Inside, the kitchen was lively but organized, the scent of spices and seared meats floating in the air.
Moments later, the servant returned with another dish just like the first one, which she handed to Li Wei.
"And take this to the guest. Don't spill it."
He nodded, though carefully now, clutching the tray with both hands. Walking back through the already-clean hallway, he passed another maid, who quickly guided him by saying, "Which one's his room?"
She pointed to a door near the far end.
He stood there hesitating. "So… now I'm serving him again," he whispered to himself. "Maybe this is a good opportunity. Maybe I'll get to see what he's planning."
He lifted his hand and knocked gently.
The door creaked open… but no one was inside.
The room was dimly lit; the journal still open on the desk, with fresh ink glistening—but Sebastian was nowhere to be seen.
And just as Li Wei stepped in to place the dish on the table, he saw it - something half-hidden beneath the pages of the journal. A small parchment, sealed with a wax mark he didn't recognize. That was not meant to stay out.
says: "Get rid of the Boy closer to Her"
Before he could move, however, he heard footsteps.
Maybe it was Sebastian, he looked at the door
waiting forward to seeing who was coming.
Who's there??..