Falling Snow

Chapter 12

Xue walked into the neatly organised chamber, everything was decorated in green silks. The wooden desk in the centre was decorated in emerald colored velvet. Normally, green would remind her of forest and tranquility, but the dark green in the palace just reminded her of the rigidness and the sterness of the palace. The color of poisonous hearts.

Madam was sitting behind the green velvet desk, her eyes was closed peacefully, like she was deeply in her thought. Xue quietly stood by the door, not wanting to anger Madam by interrupting her thoughts. She wondered about what would Madam wanted her to do. The most dreaded thing she could think of now was that somehow she knew about her mistake. If Madam or the master even suspect that her identity might be discovered, they won't hesitate to get rid of her.

Suddenly Madam's eyes snapped open, and locked onto Xue. Her eyes are back to as tough as steels. It took all of Xue's will power to stand still. Madam stared at her for a while, like searching into her soul. Then she waved her hands, signalled Xue to come forward and closed the door. Xue slowly walked forward, trying to find some clue as to what she would face, but Madam's stone face revealed nothing of her thought.

"You finally came, Xue. I have been waiting." Madam said in the same cold and stern voice. Xue dipped her head in a sign of apology. "I am sorry, Madam." She said quietly as she knelt down in front of Madam.

"Master is impressed with your ability to complete the task, Xue. And I am too. " Madam said in steely voice, even if her words suggested a compliment, her harsh voice denied it.

"It is a wonder how the two of you came up with the plan to disguise as a servant, or should I say, you did, Xue. Lian is not smart or bold enough to come up with such a plan. " Xue frowned. How did Madam know about that, she made sure that everything was hidden properly.

"Don't be scared, I found the servants dress in the wooden panels by your bed. I must say, that was clever, a job well down. Mei was still working on her assignment, and yet, you have time to relax." She commented as if she could read her mind. Xue was awed by the ability of her mentor. She always seemed to know everything.

"As I said, master was impressed by your ability, so I have another assignment for you, and you alone." Madam said as she pulled out something from her drawer, it was a scroll fastened by strings in a velvet cover. Xue almost let out the breath she was holding when she heard that she was not here for the punishment of almost being discovered, but when she heard that she had another mission, her lungs felt like rocks, blocking her air.

"Hand this to General Zhou who is currently resting in the army house by the citadel gates, and try to impose this scroll as a family letter. A servant maid from General Zhou's house hold won't be suspect as much as a soldier or a courier. You already have the servant's dress ready, so I expect this scroll to be delivered in a day." Madam explained to her about the assignment. Xue listened carefully, trying to remember every information.

Madam carefully handed her the scroll, and Xue fixed her eyes on it. The scroll was obviously been well crafted, and the velvet was very expensive. But the scroll itself was not really well concealed. There was no lock or mechanical designs that was hard to open. It was a smart decision, Xue thought, it looked exactly like a ordinary family letter, and no one would suspect a thing about this normal looking scroll. Unless, of course, you know exactly what to look for.

"Be careful, Xue, this scroll is very important to the master, and if you lost it, you will pay with your life and your friends' lives. So do not tell anyone, not even Lian, unless you want to see her in a grave. " Madam said seriously, and she gazed Xue with burning glares.

Xue nodded quietly, as she hid the velvet scroll in her long sleeves, carefully concealing any trace of it. Then, she stood up quietly, she bowed once more as she heard Madam's voice ringing in her ears.