The night was cool and serene, everyone asleep peacefully wrapped up in their warm blankets. The guards felt sleep creep over them, as their eyes fought hard to stay awake.
However, Tang Ruyan lay on her bed, her hands folded on her chest, with her eyes wide open.
She slowly pushed her blanket aside and sat up. She listened on closely- other than her roommates soft snores it was silent with occasional creeks of crickets.
She carefully put on her shoes and without making noise tip toed her way to the door. But then stopped. She looked back once more to confirm Xiuzhen was asleep. Then, she opened the door wide enough for her to get out.
Outside, the corridor was empty. This corridor is not guarded, luckily...
She stepped out to the vast grassy garden.
The full moon shown brightly, making it easy for Ruyan to see in the dark. Her mind raced: which path to take? Should I risk the main courtyard or stick closer to the shadows? Every choice seemed more perilous than the last.
Ruyan had brought nothing with her except the clothes provided by the palace for the young ladies- a cream skirt and matching top. Beautiful and elegant during the day, but now? If someone saw her, they would pee their pants mistaking her for a ghost.
Out in the open courtyards, Ruyan moved like a restless shadow. Her eyes flicked left, right, back again with every step she took toward the garden walls. She pressed herself behind a fake boulder just as a squad of soldiers passed, their torchlight licking the stones with orange flames.
Her heart drummed against her ribs. She pressed a hand to her chest, breathing out slowly.
She had to escape. She had to leave this place.
But how?
Ruyan darted to the next ornamental rock, her steps quick but soundless. Why do I feel like a criminal escaping from pri-
Her thought cut off.
Up ahead, in the wavering torchlight, two armoured men moved silently across the path. Between them hung a long bundle wrapped in white cloth. It sagged, heavy.
Ruyan froze, her breath snagging in her throat.
Something slipped from the cloth and hit the ground with a soft clink. A small jade hairpin.
She didn't move until the soldiers vanished into the deeper shadows beyond the wall. Then she crept forward, knees trembling, and picked up the hairpin with cold fingers.
Her stomach turned. Isn't this… on the that young lady who was with us during the selection?
Her gaze flicked toward the direction the soldiers had gone, where the white bundle had disappeared. Was she dead? Killed? Flogged to death? But why? Or… or are they collecting women to kill them?
Ruyan staggered back, clutching the hairpin, her pulse hammering at her temples. Her heart thudded so loudly she could almost hear it over the chirping crickets and distant clatter of a falling lantern.
No. She stood, back rigid. I can't stay here and wait for my death.
The walls loomed higher than ever, blotting out the night sky. What had seemed a glittering palace that morning now looked more like a gilded cage, its gardens no different from the dungeon she had once been thrown into at six years old.
A shadow slipped beside her with a sudden swish, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her breath hitched as she turned sharply toward the change in wind.
Her steps slowed. Each backward movement was measured, her senses screaming alert. The tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood upright. Someone else was there. She was sure of it.
Then, her back hit something warm and solid.
She froze.
The air suddenly felt too tight, too heavy. Slowly, she tilted her head back… only to find two large, pale blue shoes before her. Her gaze followed upward, past the pale robe- until it met a grim, aloof face. Two sharp, dark eyes stared down at her.
A man. Dressed in what looked like a servant's uniform.
Ruyan's breath hitched. Her heart thundered in her chest wildly.
Before she could utter a sound, his hand covered her mouth. With a swift movement, he pulled her behind a nearby pillar.
Everything happened too fast. By the time Ruyan realized what had occurred, she was already trapped- pinned between the pillar and a stranger.
The man's head turned slightly. His gaze fixed on something beyond her shoulder.
She followed his line of sight and saw two guards scanning the corridor.
"Did you find her?" one asked.
"No. What about you?" came another voice.
A third joined, "Quick, this way! I found a clue!"
The sound of boots faded down the corridor, leaving only silence- and her shallow breaths.
The man finally looked down at her. Then, after a long pause, stepped back but still close enough to make Ruyan stand on needles and pins.
"Young miss," he said evenly, his voice low "Isn't it… a bit dangerous to be wandering here alone?"
"I—I…"
Ruyan's mind went blank. What was she supposed to say?
Iwas trying to escape?
Looking for a lost ornament?
Or maybe… just hopelessly lost?
Ahhh…
Wait.
Her gaze flicked to the man before her. Even in the faint moonlight, she could tell, he was far too handsome for an ordinary servant.
Her suspicion slipped out before she could stop herself.
"A–are you… a servant of the palace?"
He didn't answer at first. Then he leaned a bit closer and said "You guess."
Ruyan took a step back. She hesitated, then fumbled inside her sleeve. Her fingers brushed something cold. A gold tael.
She pulled it out, rubbed it clean on her sleeve, and shoved it into his hand with a sudden determination.
The man actually stumbled a step back, blinking at the unexpected bribe.
He looked down at the gleaming tael in his palm, then back up at her, only to find her staring at him with wide, expectant eyes.
Like a puppy waiting for a treat.
The silence between them was almost deafening.
Ruyan bit her lip and lowered her gaze to her feet. "Actually…"
The man raised a brow, his voice smooth but edged with curiosity. "Actually?"
Ruyan's mind spun like a startled sparrow. What should I say? I can't just tell him I was trying to escape… or that I was looking for a hairpin…
Then her eyes lit up. Ah! Got it!
In an instant, her lashes fluttered and her eyes shimmered with tears. She looked up at him, her lips trembling as she stammered,
"Actually… I'm lost. I didn't mean to come here. I—I'm just a simple village girl who came with a friend, but somehow I ended up trapped in this huge house…"
She darted a glance around, feigning helpless confusion, as if the grand palace itself were a labyrinth of nightmares.
Li Xuan nearly snorted, the corner of his lips twitching. This little fox…
"Ah, I see…" he replied, his voice dripping with mock sympathy.
Ruyan could almost taste her victory. She stepped closer, her tone softening into pleading sweetness.
"This handsome brother, please...could you help me?"
Li Xuan froze. This close, he could see the faint shimmer of moonlight in her eyes and catch the soft scent of her hair. He wasn't used to women standing so close, especially ones looking at him like that.
He cleared his throat and took a small step back. "What do you want?"
Ruyan instantly dropped the fragile act, her tone flipping within a second. He stared at her amused.
"I know you're familiar with this place," she said, eyes glinting mischievously. "So… could you perhaps find me an unguarded door? I'll slip out quietly. No one will ever know."
She clasped her hands together in a dramatic plea. "It'll be our little secret, hm?"
When his silence lingered, she decided to double down. A fake sniff. She brushed of an imaginary tear.
"Please… I have an old mother waiting for me. Even a dog hole would do!"
Then, as if sealing the deal, she reached out and caught his hand between her palms, looking up at him with the full force of her teary-eyed desperation.
Dog hole huh? You want to escape that badly? He smirked.
Under the bright full moon, two shadows moved stealthily along the palace walls.
They crouched behind rocks, pillars, and flowerbeds, inching closer until they finally reached their target.
Panting, Ruyan pressed one hand to her back and the other to her chest as she closed the distance to where Li Xuan stood.
It was a plain wall too high for her to climb, with nothing special. There was no ladder nearby to use. So what was he planning?
Ruyan looked around and then back to him. "Where's the door?" She asked confusion etched on her face.
He simply lifted his arm and pointed down. Following his hand, she stared at what the 'helpful man' was pointing toward.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. Words failed her- all she could do was point at it, as if saying, "This… this…?"
"Here is your dog hole," the man said, expressionless.