The tale of the hungry ghost in the palace!

Princess Ye'er suddenly woke up in the middle of the night. Her stomach growls stubbornly and the more she ignored it, the more it make noise.

I have to do something otherwise, Im going to die! 

She step out in her room carefully not to make any noise. Xin'er is just in the other room a slight move will wake her up. 

There is only one place in the world who doesn't run out of food. She grin wickedly. The thought of it, makes her stomach jolt in excitement, she was tip toeing in the hall way when her tummy growled to loud.

"What is that?"

One of the guard startled while the others fall down in his sleep when he accidentally knocks him down.

"What?"

He asked annoyingly.

"I heard someone in that side!"

She froze. I have to do something, I have to do something! 

She heard a footsteps coming toward her, it was almost too late, when she suddenly saw a cat sitting above the wall. 

Meoowwh. .meoowwh. .meowh

"It's just a cat you idiot!" 

She sigh. Then without a second thought she runs out while  Memecking the sound of the cat toward the other side, where the walls connected to the west wing of the palace.

She may sound like an idiot but she had no choice! 

Just before she could reached the wall, another two guards come. They were squeezing their eyes, she stood frozen for a while and thought of something, since she's wearing her white gown, she covered her long hair in her face and suddenly stood infront of them like a ghost.

When the two guards realized her presence, they froze in horror and pass out in fright.

"Ghoooosst. ." 

The two of them collapsed in fright.

"Weeeey. . do I really look like a ghost?"

she asked touching their faces. When she was sure they were not conscious she painstakingly drag them on the side.

"What a troublesome, fellow!" She sighed.

She climb up easily as if she's been doing it for many times. did I come here before? She sits in the wall for awhile listening the sorroundings.

It was in the middle of the nights and the imperial guardsmen were patroling.

Then something jump behind her that makes her move out of fright. She fell in the other side in an upside down position, her head hits the solid ground and felt like seing a bunch of stars incircling right above her head.

Stupid cat! though she did not see a cat but what else could that be? She sat up and was about to moved when she heard the guards gossips about something.

She sit still and listened to them.

"I don't want to come near the kitchen"

"Why?"

"They said— there's a ghost in there!" 

The guard voice sounds so frightened.

"Nonsense! How could that be?"

While listening, she also had doubts. if the thing that jumps beside her was really a cat. what if it's really a ghost? Her tiny hair raised in fright.

"You're new thats why you don't know! If you're brave then why don't you go? And also—"

He come a little closer but still his voice was loud enough to hear.

"They said that all the food in the kitchen, are all gone in the morning."

"Really?" 

The other one seems to be amused and did not believed.

Then again her tummy growl.

"What was that?" One of the guard asked.

"I told you there's really ghost in here!"

They both look up in the sky and look in each other as the moon hid behind the clouds.

Looking at the two of them, A sudden idea comes into her mind, when the moon hid behind the clouds she suddenly howl like a wolf. 

The groups of guardsmen stops in fright, looked in each other with a question when they heard it. Frightened by the sound, they run in haste in two different direction, that makes them collide in motion as their groups meet it between and bump their heads with each other.

They all  fell on the ground, she was laughing at the scene. 

"A bunch of cowards, how old are they to believed in a ghost story!"

The looks on their faces makes her laughed out loud.

When the guards was out of sight. She runs fast towards the imperial kitchen. She opened it slowly. Inside were so dark and eerie,

the smell of the dust were all over the places.

She wave her hands in front of her face and cough.

Through the lights that pass through the windows, she saw that the place seems to be deserted and really haunted! 

The ambiance was enough to make your tiny hair raised up.

The thought of it made her had a second thoughts. Coming her was probably a mistake! She realized one of her foot was already inside. 

Princess Ye'er decided to turn arround when her tummy growled again. Damn it! the sound of her stomach is more scarier than that ghost itself. She went inside and through the glimps of light she manage to find the food.

Her eyes widen in excitement, her mouths watered. There's a lot of food! It was a good idea after all. 

She was feasting a whole chicken when she heard something. 

Something or someone is here? She wondered what was that when all she knew, she was all alone. 

Alone in the place you're not supposed to be with, Idiot! Her thoughts scolded her. 

She summoned up all her courage and crawled in the place where she heard the noise. Slowly, slowly, she even counted until she felt a flesh touch in her butt.

Something behind me! 

Ye'er eyes widened in shocked. When that someone realized another presence, she slowly turn arround that makes her heart stops.

oh please! not a ghost, not a ghost!  

She closed her eyes and turn slowly when she opened it, she saw someone in front of her. Her face was pale as paper and white as a. .ghost.

Ghost!

They both scream in horror, and out of fear that someone might heard them. they both automatically stuff the chicken leg in each others mouth. 

"You scared me to death!"

That someone complained.

"You almost give me a heart attack!"

Ye'er retorded back.

"So you're the ghost they were talking about?"

They were sitting awkwardly in the floor. Both legs were stretch out, they were panthing heavily.

The girl suddenly touch her face and removed all the dirt from it.

"Princess Ye'er?" 

The girl infront of her excitedly scream and she then, blinks her eyes too many times when a realization hits her. She looks Confused.

"You are not supposed to be here?"

"Why? How did you know me?"

"It's me!"

She then removed all the white powder she puts in her face.

"Princess Xiang!"

When she recognized her she suddenly felt the feeling of longing, she hug the princess. 

"I miss you!"

They both said in chorus while, tears were in their eyes.

"How are you, why you're here?"

Princess Xiang pout her lips

"I'm good but still, they keep on starving me to death. I could not even eat my favorite food. Chu momo always restrained me from eating!"

She laughed. They both have the same problem that's why the two of them first met in the imperial kitchen. Thinking about the humored ghost in the imperial kitchen were actually made by the two of them! Ye'er suddenly laugh by the thought of it.

"I'm already at my marriageable age. Sooner or later my father might send me away!"

She suddenly voiced out her worries.

"Its impossible, His Majesty won't send y—"

"It's not father but those old geezers!"

She meant those old ministers that against the crown prince.

"I'm their biggest threat!"

She said sobbing while munching the chicken in between.

"Why is that?"

"I'm known supporter of Prince Ching. I don't know, but everytime I look at him I felt like we are one. It was as if I'm looking at myself!"

"How is that possible?"

She thought. Princess Xiang is Prince Zhangwei's twin sister, but on the other hand, looking on it they're not even look a like!

"Oh yeah—I remember something, by chance do you know how I end up in the imperial library?" 

She asked ignoring her little rants. Princess Xiang nodded even before she finished her sentence.

"That night I saw you being chased by two people."

"Where?"

She casually pointed her pointy finger up in the roof.

"Up there!"

"What?"

Her eyes widened in surprised. How could that be possible? why would I go in there?

Princess Xiang shrugged her shoulder.

"We both came from here, that night and you're supposed to go home!"

There was a slight accusations in her voice.

"How and what happened to you—I'm not really sure. They lost track on you in the imperial library thats where I found you. I instructed my men to watch you then I send a message to Xin'er first thing in the morning."

"Stranged! why would I run—"

"If you really want to know what happened to you that night, then why don't you—"

"Good, Idea!"

Princess Ye'er said with out finishing her speech. She steps outside and jump up in the imperial kitchen's roof.

Princess Xiang's jaw drops when she realized what Princess Ye'er meant.

"What an Idiot!"

She shake her head in disbelief as she saw her jumped one roof to another. 

Princess Xiang was supposed to say that she should investigate it, not another way arround and definitely not running in the roof like a complete psycho.

She immediately leave the kitchen and run off to find and informed her brother the Crown Prince.