Broken Wheelchair

"Maiden Qing." I jumped as someone called me from behind.

I was on my way to the West well, a letter in my sleeve and a bucket in hand. Han had said that he would get someone to check for my messages every two weeks, after curfew.

Today marked my second week in Shen Li Gong, and I had written a message to let Han know that the steamed dumpling plan was a fail. Too many people had tried it.

After hearing from Xiang, it appeared that the Crown Prince's current most favoured consort was originally a servant. She managed to climb into his bed by serving him steamed dumplings and rice wine. I nearly crashed my head against the wall hearing that. There was no way it would work a second time!

Han had to tell me more about his specific schedules, in case I could bump into him. The Imperial Gardens were filled with girls and consorts alike every three days, but the heir had not stepped into it for the two weeks since their return from the Summer Palace.

Yi Liang caught up to me, taking the bucket in my hand.

"You could have asked me to get water for you. It is quite heavy." He spoke very formally. I stopped in my tracks, wracking my brain to try and think of a way to get rid of him.

"You don't have to. I am strong enough, thank you." I made to take the bucket back but he walked on, heading towards the well. I had no choice but to chase after him, cursing in my head.

"I hope you can stop being afraid of Sire," he said suddenly as we walked down the corridor. The sun was setting, so there was still light. The light shone down on Yi Liang, and I was once again struck by how alike he looked to Yun.

"I'm not - not afraid..." I trailed off, knowing that was untrue. I was terrified. He was the most unpredictable man I've known, his ability to change expressions faster than I could douse a flame in the river.

Yi Liang gave me a glance. "You are one of the few people who enter Shen Li Gong to take him seriously. But. You should not avoid him like he is a wild animal."

"He is a Prince, after all." I was a little flustered by his words. Yi Liang gave me a smile, and I suppressed every question at the tip of my tongue.

There was no recognition in his eyes, no sign that he was my beloved. I looked away to stem the heartache that was spreading in my chest.

"Here." I plucked the blue handkerchief from my robes. I had washed it clean of blood and folded it neatly, waiting for a chance to return it to him.

"Oh." Yi Liang took it back without question and flashed me another smile. We arrived at the well. The sun was sinking past the horizon.

Yi Liang took my bucket and tied it, tossing it down to get a bucketful of water. I fretted internally, wondering what I should tell him.

When he had picked up the bucket and was ready to head back, I decided to use sympathy. The Prince and Yi Liang knew of where I came from, while the others only believed that my name change came from a place of superstition.

The name "Lan Ying" had the same characters as one of the Emperor's consort, and the Prince thus bestowed me another name to avoid any future conflicts.

"People in Yin Shang believe that... When the sun sinks below the horizon, you can make a wish by a well for it to come true."

Father had told me this when I was younger. I wasn't sure if this was true or just Father's way of consoling me when Mother passed away, but I turned to Yi Liang. "Could you... Let me make this wish alone?"

Yi Liang's eyes widened. "I - I see. Sorry. I will return to Shen Li Gong first." He nodded his head and left. For fear of him watching from the distance, I gripped the well walls, closing my eyes as I faced the sun.

"Please. Please let my family be safe." My whispers were desperate even to my own ears. My fingers found the loose brick, and I shoved my letter into the wedge as my body covered the action.

The sun had went down by the time I was done wishing. I turned and headed back to Shen Li Gong, passing by no one on the long corridors.

Loneliness was like an ache that wouldn't go away. I could only embrace it.

***

The left wheel was bent out of shape, as though someone had taken a weapon and hacked at it.

Fury rolled off the 18th Prince in palpable waves, and I couldn't help but feel the need to cower from him. "Who did this?" His voice was contained, but everyone tensed at the question.

"Your servant saw Lan Ying come out from the kitchen when a spade, Sire." Shan, Mei's roommate, piped up. I whirled around with a glare.

No one new had been sent in from the bureau, so the number of servants in Shen Li Gong has gone down yet again. The Prince left his wheelchair outside the main hall on days when he would be expected to leave early in the day.

It was only dawn, and Prince Zheng sat on another immobile chair, having been informed that his wheelchair had been tampered with.

"Your servant did not," I began but Prince Zheng raised his hand to stop me from speaking.

"Forget it for now. I need to visit Royal Father. The wheelchair must be fixed." Yi Liang squatted down beside the wheel, observing it.

It was made of metal, almost as though it was made for the sole purpose to be uncomfortable for someone to grasp on hot days. It was also easy for the metal to bend and dent on uneven roads.

"Hot water." My mouth opened before I realised it. "Use hot water to soften and mould it back into shape. It won't be as good as it was, but it will be good enough to use before getting a replacement."

Prince Zheng turned around, his eyes narrowed at me. "How do you know this?" It was a chilly tone, filled with suspicion.

"I - I accidentally left a knife in the fire and it expanded." I lowered my head, trying to look guilty. He didn't have to know that I used to observe the blacksmiths who made swords for Father's army.

No one spoke for a moment. Then Yi Liang headed for the kitchen. "Worth a shot, Maiden Qing." He gave me a nod as he passed me.

Eunuch Cui and Xiang circled the chair, worries frowns on their faces. Matron Ji, on the other hand, stood by the Prince's side.

"Sire... Please do not be so angry." Her eyes were scrunched up in her heartache, and in that moment, I didn't doubt that she saw the 18th Prince almost like he was her own son.

Prince Zheng didn't answer, staring at the wheelchair. The palanquin was waiting outside. Of course, Yi Liang could carry him out for the seat-bearers. But it was moving around the Emperor's room that would be problematic.

It would also be inappropriate for Prince Zheng to be carried around in Yi Liang's arms. The Emperor was bed-ridden, after all.

"Maiden Qing?" I headed over to the wheelchair with Yi Liang, who had a kettle in his hand. I bit my lips as I thought about touching the horribly hot metal. It was my idea after all, so I should be the one to bend it back.

I kneeled next to the wheel. Yi Liang poured the water over the wheel, which popped as the metal began to expand.

When Yi Liang stopped pouring, I reached out without hesitation and squeezed, gritting my teeth as the heat made my skin sizzle.

When it was pulled to a rounder shape, I released it, my palms pounding. "M-maiden Qing," Yi Liang stammered. I looked at him, shaking my hands in effort to cool them.

"I meant only for you to... To check its shape when I bend it back. You did not have to..." The guard dropped the kettle with a loud clank onto the floor, grabbing my inflamed hands. I flinched, my flesh tender and raw.

"Better you than me," I answered. I guess I was sincere, for Yi Liang looked mortified. I looked up, finding everyone staring at me. Only Shan rolled her eyes, mouthing 'slut' when I glanced at her.

Prince Zheng looked more livid when I turned back to him, and he straightened his back against the chair as he glared down at me.

"Matron Ji, tend to Qing'er. We will be late to meet Father if we do not leave soon." The Prince hurried along, and I was left alone with Matron Ji.

She didn't speak, only guiding me to the kitchen. Her hands were gentle as she poured cool water onto my palms, and I bit my lips in the hopes to stem the groans of pain trying to escape me.

"A Palace staff's hands are very important," she said after a long bout of silence. She was applying a salve on my hands, which burned but soon cooled, soothing my skin.

"You need them to do everything. You cannot afford to break them if you wish to serve your master with loyalty." The older woman looked up at me. "You do not need to prove yourself to Sire if you have nothing to hide, Qing'er. He will see your sincerity sure enough."

She tied clean cloths over my palms to protect the wounded areas, pursing her lips.

"Silly child." The tone in which she admonished me was like a mother to a child. My heart twinged. But I had everything to hide. I couldn't assume to trust anyone here...

"Now rest. Sire wants you to. I will head over to the Heavenly Hall. Stay here to rest." Matron Ji reached out and touched my head, patting me. I felt my face flush and I stepped away. My homesickness had never been stronger.

She gave me a kind smile and went on her way, straightening her back and raising her chin. I watched her go, reminded of Grandmother. I suppressed the heartache and returned to my bare room.

***

"Did you do it?" I knelt by the Prince's feet, head down.

"No, sire." There was barely any strength in my voice as I said it.

I had laid in bed for the period when Prince Zheng was at the Emperor's, staring at the ceiling and trying to think of ways to get to the Crown Prince. It seemed impossible.

The 18th Prince didn't speak. We stayed like that for a while. The sun was going down, and it was getting dim in Shen Li Gong.

"Get up," the Prince finally said. I did, both relieved and terrified.

"I trust that you didn't do it. Xiang'er found a hammer amongst Shan'er's belongings. She thinks she may have requested for one from one of the guards."

My brows furrowed at that. "Why would she do that? What does she gain from ruining Sire's wheelchair?" I glanced at him.

He was staring into the distance, appearing unemotional. A rush of sympathy washed through me.

"It would be humiliating for me to go anywhere without it. Most people think it permissible to make me a fool, since the Crown Prince does it so often." Hearing him say that filled me with indignation.

"There is nothing foolish about you. They're such horrible -" I broke off, feeling my cheeks heat as I realised my outburst. Prince Zheng looked up at me, a deprecating smile on his face.

"You don't have to pretend, Qing'er. You're avoiding me because you're embarrassed to be serving a degenerate master."

It was then I realised that that was why Yi Liang sought me out the previous evening. He was trying to tell me that my reluctance to get close to the Prince was being understood wrongly.

"That is not true in the slightest." There was a waver in my voice that came from trying to suppress my desire to shout at him.

I didn't want to get close because forming trust with him would only serve to swerve me from my mission. I couldn't risk it. But that didn't mean that I saw him as any less of a person!

"I don't need your pity. Most maidens who come to serve their time just do their part and leave when they can. You don't have to injure yourself to serve me. I do not like being indebted to someone."

He jutted his chin out at my bandaged palms. "I will let you leave at the earliest chance possible. I can at least promise you this upon our hopefully short fate as master and servant."

I was struck speechless by what he had said. Han had not told me enough about the 18th Prince's personality - something I should have asked him, in hindsight.

"Alright, you are dismissed." Prince Zheng rolled himself away from me, his broken wheel creaking as it went across the floor.

I could only make my leave, wondering why my heart ached even more than it had.