A Lonesome Fragrance Waiting to be Appreciated 1

47

"Sis Pingting, Master wants you to sit on the carriage with us and I don't know where Master is."

Only one answer could be given to every ten questions, the journey passed by without incident until they arrived at another residence. It seemed to have been secretly prepared by House of Jing-An several years ago.

Suspicious, Pingting couldn't help but forget about Chu Beijie, studying her surroundings instead.

Her uneasiness increased.

She hadn't seen her master yet and she hadn't realized what was happening before, but now she did.

"Where's Sir, the Duke?"

"The Duke doesn't know that we're here yet."

"Where is this?"

"I don't know."

Realizing that the maid really knew nothing, she tried to go outside to find her master, but she was blocked outside. "I'd like to see Master, please let me go."

To which she received blank stares, "Master is away, he will find Sis when he comes back."

She didn't see He Xia for the next couple of days and she received little news. Pingting couldn't see her surroundings, beside or in front. Everything was blurry.

She couldn't help feeling chilled. How could things have changed so much in such a short period of time?

Was the Residence changing or was she?

Soon her sickness from last year returned.

Pingting woke up in the middle of the night, coughing. She sent for a doctor and he was busy all night.

He Xia finally re-appeared that day.

"Why are you sick again?" He Xia frowned, accusingly saying, "You never look after yourself properly. See, you've wrecked your body again. What's the point?" He personally brought and spooned the medicine to her.

Pingting stared at He Xia then broke into a smile. "Master sure is busy these days, I don't even get to see you anymore."

"I'm afraid that I'll upset you. I'm afraid that you'll work too hard, so I've hidden everything that'll upset you and make you overwork."

"About the future of the Royal House and ours, have you discussed it with the Duke here?"

"See, see. I told you I always make you worry. I'll organise everything."

Pingting propped herself up to drink the medicine, and she closed her eyes. He Xia didn't leave in a hurry. He sat beside her instead, gently rubbing her shoulder. "Go to sleep, you're as thin as bone. More food and sleep will do you well. You're so quiet these days, but it reminds me of the time when we were younger and you used to throw plates into the well."

"Being young and innocent is so nice."

"We're still good."

A smile spread across Pingting's thin face, when she suddenly thought of something. "Master, Chu Beijie once told me something."

"What did he say?"

"He said I am He Xia's maid yet I didn't know that he was a famous general. What is famous, you say? It isdistinguishing between what's important and what's not. The life of Bai Pingting is...insignificant in comparison to five years of peace."

He Xia shook his head, "Stupid girl. You believed his words all along?"

"He may be an enemy general, but I do believe in his words." Pingting looked tenderly at He Xia's face, whispering "Master is a famous general."

He Xia didn't answer.

"Pingting, ever since coming back, you've never told me anything about the Duke of Zhen-Bei."

"Chu Beijie was suspicious of me from the start; though I was often in the room while he read official documents, I couldn't read a single word on them."

There was no point in dwelling over the past.

Just like the shabby walls of the Gui Le's once-beautiful Jing-An Ducal Residence.

Defeat lay ahead, so how could one's virtues not change?

"Gui Le now has five years of peace, during these five years, the King can form a stronger army to fight against Dong Lin. Every step we take, are worthy to our country. No matter what He Su says, he is Gui Le's King, if he doesn't like us, we can't do anything about it. From now on, House of Jing-An no longer exists, for we are going to retreat into the mountains and never appear in public again." He Xia paused, then added, "But the problem is that House of Jing-An has many adversaries. Many people would love to kill us, including our King. Therefore, our secrecy will rely on one thing, that is, our location."