The Empress's Twin

Chapter 2: Know Your Place

The carriage rode in the dead of the night, and crickets could be heard.

Linhua looked at her sleeping children with pity.

Now that they are entering the Imperial Palace and taking their rightful place, their life will be restricted and controlled, often facing dangers.

Flashback...

Springtime came, and the flowers were in bloom. Three people lay at the side of the road with hoods on, which showed they had a weak stature.

Until a young lady, with a scar on her forehead down to her lip, gave them one bowl of rice and a cold soup.

Nevertheless, the woman with the hood thanked the young lady and said to her, "You have shown compassion, and therefore, I shall reward you with a great and a scary gift."

Flashback ends...

"Your Majesty, we need to head to an inn. The rain is getting heavy." A maid said with a fearful face.

Linhua raised the curtain and gave a slight nod with recognition.

'It seems like someone can't wait to get rid of me, and I haven't even arrived yet.'

Linhua's lip rose withease as her eyes glimmered in the night like a star in the sky.

"The war has begun."

Linhua walked in with her children by her side, and the maids and nannies followed behind.

"Mei mei, Pay for two rooms and a carriage rider, and have the maids and nannies sleep in the expensive room with coats on." Linhua told her closest maid who had been hiding amongst the palace maids.

Mei Mei looked confused but obeyed her mistresses will.

Linhua walked with her children as Mei Mei led the way.

Put the children to sleep and put them in the less expensive room on the otherside of the inn. Give me some silver." Linhua said with a straight face.

'Why is her majesty acting wierd, is there something I should know about.' Mei Mei thought as she handed her mistress the silver and took the children to the room.

"Now, it's time to get rid of the peasants." Linhua said with a smile.

In the expensive room...

"Her majesty really gave us the expensive room. It shows that she really knows her place, a low-life prostitute." The first maid said.

"Let's enjoy this and drink expensive wine. We'll never get this opportunity ever again." The second maid said with envy.

At 3 a.m. at night, men dressed in black, jumped from roof to roof, and entered the inn.

On the ground floor of the inn, Linhua was talking to a child.

"Kid, if a man dressed in black comes in, ask him if he is looking for someone and tell him that an expensive room was paid for upstairs. Make it look natural. Okay?"

"Why should I say that? You're not my mommy!" The kid said with a frown.

"How about I give you a silver." Linhua bargained.

"Three!"

"Two. Final offer."

"Okay, two then. My mommy will still be proud." The kid screamed and left.

Linhua laughed and sat at a table, asked for some wine, and waited.

Masked men barged into the front door with blades longer and bigger than a butchers knife.

"Has anyone seen a beautiful woman with many maids come in here." The man shouted.

The people in the inn gasped in horror. And screamed for dear life.

One of the masked men came forward and said,"If no one can inform me, I guess I'll kill whoever fits the description." And gave a wicked smile. Bloodlust literally dripping from his eyes.

"I have information." A small hand rose up with fright.

The masked men looked looked toward the person. It looked like a kid who seemed to be ten years old.

"And what would you know about it." The man asked.

"Well, I saw a lady with a bunch of maids behind her, and she asked one of her maids to pay for an expensive room." The little boy said.

"What did she look like." The man asked.

"I don't know. The woman and all the maids wore the same hood." The child said with an innocent face.

Looking at the child with great interest. He studied the child and determined that he was too small to know much and left it at that.

"Ha! She came prepared, didn't she." He laughed, and the dozen men in black rushed towards the stairs.

Everyone in the hall ran out screaming. But the screams weren't loud enough to engulf that of the women upstairs.

The masked men kicked down the door and slaughtered every woman in the said-expensive room till one remained.

"You must be the so-called empress, right? The man with a wicked smile said.

"No, no. I'm really not."

"Shut up, you are the one here with the most expensive looking hanfu." The man barked.

The woman looked in horror.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. Just kill her off, but first, let's have fun. It's nor everyday you get to taste the body of a former empress." The masked man said with a horrible voice said.

"No, no, noooo!"

"Anyway, the lady you should thank for this gift is Imperial Noble Consort Shu. She just got promoted by the Empress Dowager. In the afterlife, give her your thanks." The man said as clothes tearing and screams could be heard.

...

On the roof, a woman sat there in deep thought and said, "Imperial Noble Consort Shu, you've made yourself visible and have shown your cards."