If She Had to Serve Someone, it Could Only be Her

Fen Hua sat outside of her quarters in a small garden that separated her area from the main gate and the maids quarters. No one could ever say that she had the pick of the litter when it came to choosing locations for living quarters.

The smell of rain filled the air. Though it hadn't started yet it was just a matter of time. It had been three weeks since Fen Hua talked to Jingfei. She now waited with anticipation for her to come everyday. Sometimes she would bring a little extra snack, other times she would just sit and talk with Fen Hua giving her little tidbits of gossip about the various goings on within the house.

She spotted her coming around the corner from the main house. Her eyes lit up.

Jingfei waited until she was far enough from the main house to not be noticed before she pulled up the hem of her dress with one hand, the other held the tray, and moved faster then was considered proper for her to do. The two girls went into Fen Hua's room and took a seat in their usual spots. Fen Hua could tell that Jingfei had something juicy to tell her.

"These are almond cookies made by my mother," she said pulling out a small wrapped satchel. "She told me to tell you that if you want any other flavors she will be happy to make them for you."

Fen Hua snatched a cookie and nibbled on it.

"Mmm very good."

"Ok now we can get to the good stuff." She moved the tray of food to the side and leaned in closer to Fen Hua setting her elbows on the table and leaning in. Fen Hua followed suit leaning in closer as well.

"The wedding date is set. The first Miss will be married off by the end of the month. The rumor is that the groom will be leaving for an important trip shortly after they wed, and he asked for them to be married before he returns."

"Do you know where he's going?"

Jingfei grabbed a cookie and broke it in half setting one down and biting the other.

"No one really knows what goes on in the Emperors army. But I do think he want's to latch onto your fathers coat tails now while he is begining to rise in power again."

She had mentioned that her father was regaining favor with the Emperor over the last year and had finally had a break through. He was not as high ranked as he had been, but he was moving up in the right direction. Even Fen Hua had witnessed the grandeur of the ordeal. A trope of eunuchs in clean maroon robes and black eunuch hats followed by at least ten maids walked along the streets. A separate higher ranked eunuch rode in a grand carriage in the middle of the procession. Two of the walking eunuchs held round brass pans that they would hit with a cloth covered stick ever so often causing a loud clamor and getting lots of attention.

It was all obviously for show. The Emperor was giving her father back some of his status, and the best, fastest, way to do that was to let others see his favor. Once they had all entered the yard they were brought into the house. Fen Hua had to wait for Jingfei to tell her what had happened next. The main eunuch had brought out a scroll and loudly read out the emperors decree. The entire ordeal was over in a matter of minutes and the procession made their way back to the palace.

The house had been so happy for the events that happened that even Fen Hua was sent a better dinner then usual that night. Weather that was her family's doing or Jingfei's she wasn't sure.

"So now that my father is regaining status suddenly his daughter is not as repugnant anymore?" Fen Hua couldn't help but take a little guilty pleasure in knowing this marriage would be far from a love match.

"Yes, and that's not all. According to Head Maid before the eunuchs left they asked about your mother. Where she had been buried."

"Why do they want to know that?" Fen Hua puzzled her brows.

"We don't know yet, and all we could do is guess. But I find it strange that they would take an interest in her and offer your father back some of his status so close together. Something about it feels..."

"Connected?"

"Yes, maybe connected. I don't know exactly what it could be, but perhaps the Emperor is missing his deceased son and granddaughter. It seems only right that even an Emperor would miss his children, even if he is the one that had them killed." Jingfei looked up abruptly feeling bad for saying things so bluntly. It did sting Fen Hua a little, but it wasn't something that she wasn't able to handle. Especially since she knew that Jingfei wasn't saying it in a way to hurt her.

"It is strange," she agreed. But it didn't seem to matter either way. Both of them were dead now. There was no reason for him to feel sorry now.

The two nibbled on cookies for a bit longer mulling over the things they had talked about. It was easy to find anything interesting if you had nothing to do all day but think.

"Oh! I almost forgot," she rubbed her hands against each-other brushing away any leftover crumbs and pulled out a small bundle of fabric from her sleeve. She laid it out on the table opening it up so that Fen Hua could look at it's contents.

"This one was made by Head Maid," she pointed and a cloth sample with a set of simple but elegantly embroidered borders.

She laid another cloth over that one, "This was done by Second Miss, she gave it to Luli, my room mate, but I asked her to borrow it." This cloth had a bright and vibrant bird, slightly faded from washing and wear. It was well done, but there were very subtle mistakes that were noticeable if one stared at it long enough.

"This last one is from my mother's own collection. She didn't keep many of her items when we lost our previous lives, but she couldn't part with this." She patted this cloth gently over the others. She rubbed it smooth being extra gentle not to cause any unneeded wear. "My father bought this for her from that famous embroider I told you about before. It was a gift for her shortly before he lost his life." She let out a sad sigh. "I sometimes wish that he would have never helped arrange the trades with that awful country. Many would have died, but he would be alive."

She looked away embarrassed by her honesty.

"How did it happen?" Fen Hua asked after a moment.

"After the trading was done, and the worst of the famine was over. My father became a target from those people. They accused him of being a spy. It was only a matter of time before he was killed on one of his many trips to the neutral territory. It is illegal to kill in the neutral territory. A law recognized by all the nations, but they found a way to get to him before he entered it." She shook her head. "After that our house fell quickly. The Emperor did not reach out a hand to help us. He must have felt equally as distrustful of my father. The animosity between our countries is just too big. Even I know this. After the house fell we had no choice but to become maids."

Fen Hua reached out and patted Jingfei's hand.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," she said sincerely. Jingfei recognized the sincerity in her voice. She saw the empathy and compassion for her in Fen Hua's eyes. It was at that moment that Jingfei decided that if she had to serve someone, it could only be her.