Foxes Among Wolves - Chapter 16 Wolves And Monsters

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?”

“My apologies, empress. She is assigned to work under my guidance. I put faith that she would continue her duties reverently while I was absent but proved wrong,” Jiang explained politely but her eyes remained fixed on Mingzhu. “She will be reprimanded severely.”

Yenay laughed. “There is always one child that misbehaves. Maid, why are you neglecting your duties?”

“Ah,” Mingzhu slurred and shut her eyes to regain her focus. The headache knocked on her skull in fury. “My apologies, empress. I’m not feeling well?”

“You!” Jing burst out at Mingzhu’s absurdity that the response was formed into a question.

“What was that song you were humming? I have heard that tune before,” Yenay said before Jiang could embarrass herself and the maid.

Mingzhu hesitated. “I apologise if I sound rude but you can’t possibly have. It is my mother’s song.”

“Oh. I must have heard you hum it around the palace then. Would you teach me to play it?” Yenay asked. “I imagine it would sound divine on a Dizi.”

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The sound was whimsical on a bamboo flute. Mingzhu’s mother was perched high in trees, playing the dizi as the sun rose over the mountains while her father watched from below. It was clear to see the man loved his wife very much, a sweet smile lighting up his eyes. When he turned to Mingzhu, this expression faded and all love was washed away.

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“Fa Huian! Fa Huain! Fa” Miss Tang cut herself off at seeing the young maid sit before the empress. She joined Mingzhu on the ground, greeting the ruler.

“What is the trouble?” Yenay asked.

“A slight mess in the courtyards. It is this maid’s duty to attend to such matters today. I did not mean to disturb you,” Miss Tang replied softly. Just like Mingzhu a few moments ago, she was in awe of the empress’s beauty and kind nature.

Yenay nodded slightly and reached for Jiang to guide her away. “Do not let me bother you then. Fa Huian, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope we meet again.”

‘When did she learn my name?’ Mingzhu wondered but didn’t bother considering it further.

With that final goodbye, the empress slowly shuffled away with Jiang. Miss Tang turned to Mingzhu, looking more tired than usual and rubbed her temples. “There is a mess in Master Wang’s courtyard. A fellow maid accused you but I see now that you’ve been with the empress and could not possibly be involved. I will deal with her later but I need you to clean it up. Follow me.”

The courtyard was indeed a mess; the hedges were choppily cut without care, leaves and pebbles scattered the walkway and there were smears of mud on ornaments. Mingzhu almost slumped at the site and the long task that was ahead of her. However, she could only blame herself for being foolish and saving Meifan.

It took several long minutes to figure where to begin tidying up. The damage was surveyed from Joaolong’s patio and Mingzhu hummed a song from her childhood to stay focused. The song was an attempt to distract herself from the pounding headache and accompanying spats of dizziness. The tune had a slow tempo and was melodic, the notes rising and falling in short spurts like leaves rustled by wind. It was one of her mother’s favourite songs and embodied that woman’s genuine personality. From what Mingzhu remembered, her mother was always soft and gentle just like Juan. Mingzhu was nothing like that and it made her fear she was very similar to the father she despised. The mere remembrance of him put a foul taste in her mouth. Monster, she thought. He was a monster. The wolves were nicer than he.

The wolves referred to were the cause of Mingzhu’s grotesque scarred back. Master had left her alone for a week to visit the mountain clan. An unexpected storm ravaged the landscape and Mingzhu was forced to abandon the cave that was her recent home after a landslide. Other animals left their habitats as well and were fighting for survival, desperate for food. In the eyes of a hungry wolf pack, Mingzhu was easy prey. It was a struggle to fight them off in a weakened state and Mingzhu was lucky to be alive. The deepest bite marks were from the pack leader who tore into her flesh and grew more savage at the sight of fresh meat. During the worst of it, Master returned and fought them off.

Now, there was no Master to rely on in the wolves’ den that was the Lotus Palace. The only way to live was to be smart and adaptive. Cheng might not have recognised or caught her bluff today but there was always a risk if she faced him. He needed to be removed or she could face a similar fate to that day with the wolves on the mountains.