Kapitel 10: A Jaunt to the Market (2)

After the death of the spy, Hua'er resumed her shopping.

Humming lightly, she bought some tanghulu for Wei Mudan. The vendor smiled at her, handing over three sticks, each one skewered with the sticky red treat.

Even with the push-and-shove of the busy streets, Hua'er had a feeling of serenity. There were no schemes here apart from the occasional merchant trying to trick their customers. This was where she had wanted to bring up Wei Mudan—away from the dirty underside of the Imperial Palaces. Whilst it wasn't the same city as the one she grew up in, large cities often had the same feeling as one another.

People shoving each other, the call of merchants selling wares, and the heavy smell of food in the air.

But with Wei Mudan's status, how could Hua'er do so?

Along the way back to the Golden Palace, Hua'er stopped by the mansion. When she reached the gates, she saw a few burly men. Each of the men carried a large backpack. The steward was nowhere to be seen.

Hua'er grumbled under her breath.

She approached the men and tapped one on the shoulder.

"Who are you looking for? I am a servant of this mansion," she said.

The man she tapped turned around. Bowing slightly, he said respectfully, "I am the soldier Li Wei. I was granted the honour to follow the General from this mansion."

Hua'er narrowed her eyes as she studied Li Wei from head-to-toe. Once she finished inspecting, she nodded her approval.

She went up to the door and lifted her leg. The doors flung open with a bang. Hua'er sighed. Just like she expected, the door wasn't locked.

She looked over her shoulder, where the several men stared at her in awe. "Stay here. I'll be back soon." With that, she strode through the door in search of the steward.

Li Wei gazed at her back fervently. "Just as expected, even the servants of the General are another level."

A few of the men nodded, whilst one sighed deeply at his friend's deep admiration and stupidity.

He hit Li Wei's head. "That servant is definitely not someone simple, nor are they low-ranked."

Li Wei cradled his throbbing head, grumbling at his friend. "Mo Xi, just let me admire the General in peace. You were the one talking about her fighting skills last—"

Mo Xi quickly interrupted Li Wei, a light tinge of a blush on his face, "I did no such thing! Now, shush."

Soon, Hua'er came out, dragging the steward by his ears. Steward Wu was a middle-aged man, and was pleading for his life. He'd only gone out to have lunch! Such a cruel workplace, not letting him enjoy his lunch in peace.

Hua'er left the steward in the dust. "We are a royal family and have no need for guards at this moment. Here is another place you could try."

She purposely made her voice louder, echoing through the streets. Although the mansion was situated within a quieter area of the Imperial City, there were still many passersby around. Fishing the note from the steward's pocket, she handed it to the men, who passed it around the group.

Li Wei had a confused look on his face. Before he could get a single word out, Mo Xi placed his hand on Li Wei's mouth and smiled brightly at Hua'er.

"Thank you for the recommendation. We'll be going now."

Mo Xi led the rest of the men away from the mansion.

Hua'er glared at Steward Wu. To let the soldiers wander around the gates of the mansion...who knew how many spies had come and gone during this time. Hence why Hua'er gave the steward explicit instructions to stay.

Steward Wu withered under her glare.

"No next time," she warned. "Or else your wages for this month will get docked."

Steward Wu nodded furiously before scurrying back into the mansion.

Hua'er sighed.

Sneaking back into the Palaces was a piece of cake. When Hua'er reached the Golden Palace, she found that Wei Mudan had already returned. Sitting on an embroidered chair, overlooking the Palace gardens, Wei Mudan looked ethereal.

The soft tinkle of a bell rang out as Wei Mudan toyed with the hairpin. Her long hair shifted gently under the breeze, pooling around her back.

"Miss," Hua'er called out.

Wei Mudan tilted her head. "Hua'er. How was it?"

"As you predicted. There were a few spies, plus a few soldiers too. The soldiers will be at the new location by next week."

"Did you check on the shops?"

Hua'er shook her head. "I thought it would be best for Miss to check the accounts yourself."

"How much did you spend?"

"It should be fine. Only 200 gold coins to buy the house."

Wei Mudan's brow furrowed. "We need land, preferably outside of the city. This house will not sustain many soldiers."

Hua'er nodded. She took out a tanghulu. Wei Mudan's eyes lit up as she scrambled off the seat and lunged for the sweet treat. Hua'er held it up above her head, teasing her. With a grumble, Wei Mudan leapt up and nabbed the tanghulu out of Hua'er's hand.

She glared at Hua'er as she munched on the tanghulu.

"You do this every time," she accused.

"Only because you act like that whenever you see food," Hua'er replied with a giggle. Her warm face hardened. "Miss. When will we strike?"

Wei Mudan waved her hand dismissively. "You know full well I am not into mindless revenge. We have all the time in the world."

"The Emperor, do you not hate him?"

Wei Mudan's hand stilled. Her eyes flickered over to Hua'er. "I do. But right now, my goal is to become a General and gain enough power to find Wei Ying. Not to participate in the schemes of the harem."

Her voice hardened. "However, if Emperor Father wishes to control me, he will have to think twice. I will not needlessly provoke him."

Hua'er nodded in understanding.

It had been years since Wei Ying had died. But without a body, who knew whether he was alive or not? Hua'er had tried to rein in Wei Mudan for as long as she could, but the moment she discovered that Wei Mudan had gone to war without her permission, she knew she could not protect Wei Mudan any longer.

From a small chick to a bird, Wei Mudan was beginning to spread her wings.

Or maybe, Wei Mudan was the first bud, ready to bloom as the bloody peony she was.