Chapter 43

The Abandoned Palace

"It's cold." Of course, Jongin had not meant to say that out loud. Especially when he's standing in the court room with hundreds of officials and generals. It's just that he couldn't help it when all he could focus on was his younger brother's cold face and demeanor throughout the entire court meeting. He knew Sehun was a cold person towards a lot of things since young, but the boy was never this murderously cold. This was probably what Baek meant when he said Sehun threw away his own morality. Jongin let out a shivering sigh, feeling the cold from Sehun's stares. He accidently blurted that out as he wonders if this brother of his is planning to make Korea into a land of winter.

Of course, every eye would be on him if he blurted out something so nonsensical in the court room. Especially when it's something on everyone's mind but no one dared to voiced it. Jongin look around the room and shrug. Sehun scowl and angrily left the room without bothering to dismissed everyone.

Baekhyun sigh, "Someone bring the First Prince a blanket, he must have caught something in the middle of a hot summer like this to have been so cold."

Chanyeol rubs his temple tiredly after Baekhyun dismissed everyone and left the room. Jongin walks over to him, "Do you think he's planning to run everyday court meetings like that?"

Chanyeol looks up at the sky, questioning the creators why he must exist in the same world as these troublesome idiots. "I thought you were fine with however he wants to run the kingdom. Is that no longer the case? Are you starting to care now?"

"I don't really care. It's just… must he make it so cold every day?"

Chanyeol was done. He walks away, "Do something about it yourself or bring a blanket each day then."

"Ya! Channie! Where are you going? How about a drink?!" Jongin shouted after Chanyeol, but the young general ignores him.

"He's getting good at pretending to be deft," Jongin mutters to himself.

"Today is that special day, he won't be able to join you for a drink." Chanyeol's second in command said from behind Jongin, causing him to jump a little.

"You scared me…"

"Here."

"What's this?"

"The blanket that Prime Minister Baekhyun ordered for you."

Jongin glared daggers at him. "You think this is funny? Whose subordinate are you anyway? Chan or Baek?"

He bows to Jongin, "I am a humble subject of the Kingdom."

Jongin flicked the boy's forehead in annoyance, "The two of them raised you well huh? You're just as annoying as they are." Jongin turn back towards the direction Chanyeol disappear from. "So, it's today. I totally forgot about it. Baekkie must be having a hard time as well."

Chanyeol's second in command nodded and turn to leave. Jongin quickly hook his arm over the boy's shoulder and pull him down in a choke hold. "Taeho, where do you think you're going? I have a favor to ask."

Taeho taps Jongin's arm, signaling for him to let go. "Who asks for favors like this?!"

Jongin smirks and pull out a report with his other hand. He dangles it in front of Taeho, "Help me submit this report to the King. This will be your job after each court meeting until I tell you to stop. Got it? Dear humble subject of the Kingdom?"

"Your Highness, this is bullying! You're supposed to submit your own report to the King."

Jongin hit Taeho's head with the report, "So you listen to those two but not me? I'm warning you. You don't want to face my wrath."

Taeho stop tapping Jongin's arm and take the report. Jongin smile and let him go. Taeho asks, "Why don't you give it to the Prime Minister instead?"

Jongin shakes his head, "He nags too much. Now that it's officially a part of his job description, he'll be nagging more than usual."

Taeho thought about it for a bit and said, "Everyone has been saying how you've all changed so much since the incident with the former King, but to me it seems some things never change no matter what happened."

Jongin look amusedly at the boy. "What are you talking about huh? Hurry up and go turn in my report!"

Jongin watch Taeho run off, happy to see how much the boy have grown. Taeho was an orphan kid that Chanyeol and Baekhyun found when they were little. The boy has been following them like a loyal puppy since then. Baekhyun was teaching him how to read and other academics but then realized that he's an airhead with better talent in sword fighting. So, Chanyeol takes over and teaches him the sword and trained him to become a general. Taeho still runs back and forth between the two of them even after Chan and Baek breaks apart.

---

Chanyeol watch from afar as Baekhyun finish paying respect to the grave. He waited until Baekhyun left, then make his way to the same grave. He places a bouquet of flowers in front of the grave, "Seoyeon… it's been a year since I last visit you. Looks like I'm your last visitor again for this day."

He begins weeding around the area. Not that Baekhyun's family doesn't do a good job of keeping up Seoyeon's grave site, it's just that Chanyeol wanted to contribute something out of guilt. Over the years, it became a habit and he always make sure to be the last person to visit on her death anniversary, and made sure that even the surrounding area of the grave is spotlessly clean.

As he pulls the weeds, he would talk with her about random things that happened since the last time he visited. "This year has been quite hectic. I wonder if Baekhyun told you what happened in the royal family? Jongin and Sehun went through a lot. Do you remember them? We all used to play together when we were younger. I remembered you yelled in their faces that you didn't like them because Jongin was a jerk and Sehun was too cold faced," he chuckles, "you know they're that way even now. Even after all that they've gone through. They've both matured a lot though. Do you remember Taeho? The orphan kid you gave your rice to? He's all grown up now too. He got promoted this year as my second in command and he did really well during the last battle. Baekhyun got promoted too. He's the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Korea. You must be really proud of him. Sehun threw a celebration party for him, a lot of people congratulated him…" Chanyeol felt a gentle breeze and turn to look at Seoyeon's grave. He smiles and make his way back to it. He gently pats the grave stone, "Is that you being happy for Baekhyun's promotion? Or did I ramble too much? You know I only talk this much with you. I…"

"Get your hands off her grave!"

Surprised, Chanyeol whips around to find Baekhyun glaring angrily at him. Baekhyun stomps over and pushes Chanyeol away from the grave stone. He stands protectively in front of it, "Leave. You don't have the right to be here."

"Baekhyun, I…"

"Is this some cruel game you've been playing behind our backs all these years? Looks like you have some really sick nerve to dare show up in front of her. You bastard. Leave. Leave and never come back." Pure anger radiates off of Baekhyun, no trace of even that fake nicety he has always shown can be found. If Baekhyun hadn't spotted Seoyeon's favorite wild flower on his way back home, he wouldn't have turn back around and he wouldn't have found out what Chanyeol has been doing.

Chanyeol looks away in guilt. He wasn't playing any kind of game. It hurts that Baekhyun would think of him in that way, but Chanyeol was never the type to explain himself very well. He was already a sinner, one more charge being added on top won't make any difference.

"Sorry," Chanyeol mutter and turn to leave.

"Sorry?" Baekhyun scoffs, "Seems that's the only word you could ever say in front of her. The same exact word that caused her death. The same exact f**king word you said when we buried her!" He threw as hard a punch as he could at Chanyeol's face.

Chanyeol regain his balance easily as Baekhyun's smaller built did not give his punch the capabilities to do much damage. "I'll leave," Chanyeol said and quickly walk away. Not that he couldn't or wouldn't take a beating from Baekhyun. It'll just hurt Baekhyun more than it does Chanyeol, and Chanyeol doesn't want to see that. He doesn't want Seoyeon to see that either.

Baekhyun takes in deep breaths to calm himself down after Chanyeol disappear from sight. He turns around and looks down at Seoyeon's grave, "I don't know if it makes you happy to see him or not… but you probably didn't want to see him hurt... If you hadn't chose him, then maybe you wouldn't have… I'm sorry, I just couldn't stand it." He picks up the wild flowers he tossed aside earlier and place them in front of her grave stone. He half wanted to throw out Chanyeol's bouquet but he felt a gentle breeze and decided to let it be.

---

Yueyin and Ruyi was on their way back to their own palace after visiting Liufei. They were both in a hurry as they've just received a very wonderful gift from the Princess. As they pass through the imperial garden, they were stopped in their tracks when the sixth prince and his eunuch block their path.

"Hello, Lady Zhang. I am Wu Geming, the Sixth Royal Prince. It is such a pleasure to run into you today," Geming introduced himself as he scans Yueyin's body from top to bottom.

"Greetings, Your Highness." Yueyin and Ruyi bow to him then tried to walk past him.

He quickly moves to block their way again. "Hold on, what's the hurry? Can't you spare me a few minutes? Isn't it rude to just leave?"

"Your Highness, it is inappropriate for us to meet like this. So, to avoid harmful rumors to our reputations, I must promptly return to my place."

Geming chuckles amusedly, "A graceful figure and a beautiful voice to boost... Lady Zhang, how can you call this chance meeting inappropriate? Besides, with the current situation, you are without a fiancé. How will it harm our reputations if it's simply a meeting between an unmarried man and a once-betrothed woman?"

"Whether it's by chance or not, you know it best. You're leaving quite an impression for our first meeting, Your Highness," Yueyin was irritated and she's not trying too hard to hide it. She was in no mood to waste time here with this Prince, plus she hates the look in his eyes. It's as if he wants nothing more than to unveil and undress her. It's not as if she has not noticed some men looked at her that way before, but no one has ever outright display it as proudly and openly as this Sixth Prince. "I will remain a betrothed woman to the Crown Prince until the betrothal is officially dissolves by the Emperor himself. I asked that you do not make such inaccurate statements and act with more honor befitting your status, Your Highness. It's in your best interests to not walk around talking as if you couldn't be happier with the Crown Prince's disappearance, neither the Emperor nor the Empress will be very pleased if they caught wind of it."

Geming smirks at her, "That's quite an interesting attitude you have towards me. It's not as elegantly sweet and gentle as rumored." He extends his hand towards her "Lady Zhang, I'd like to make an offer for you. If you take my hands now, accompany me to my palace and discuss with me about our future, I will guaranty your safety from what's coming for you."

Yueyin and Ruyi exchange a quick look with each other. Whatever Geming suggests that's coming for her does not sound good, however, she strongly believes it's not as horrifying as a future with someone such as him. "I respectfully decline," she bows to him then quickly walk away, followed by Ruyi.

Geming's personal eunuch was about to attempt to stop them, but Geming raised his hand to signal for him to let them go. "If that is her choice, then let her suffer. Once she can't take it anymore, she'll come to me begging and crying like every other woman. Some just likes to act like they're special when they're just all the same." His eyes still trails after them as they disappear from sight, "I can't touch the noble Lady Zhang just yet, but that maid by her side," he his lips and smile, "is quite a beauty as well."

His personal eunuch understood and bow to him, "I will find the right opportunity, Your Highness."

---

When Yueyin got back to her place, a large group of imperial guards was waiting for her.

"What is going on?" Ruyi asks.

"By the order of the Empress, Lady Zhang is to be move to a different palace in the inner court. The servants of this palace are to be dismissed and reassign to other places," one of the guards announce loudly.

Ruyi, Xiaobai and all the other servants gasp loudly in shock, then turn to look towards Yueyin with panic in their eyes. Yueyin was equally shock, but she tries to not show it. She stood tall and calm, unwilling to show even a hint of worries in her eyes. She has accepted her fate as a palace woman the moment she passed its gate, and she was ready to face whatever is thrown at her. As long as it does not stop her from finding out the truth of her father's death, she does not care about where the Empress wants her to stay. She smiles at her maids and eunuchs to calm them, "It is alright. I will not forget my promise to you. No matter where you are assigned to, do your best to survive until we meet again."

They were all moved by her. At this moment when she should be panicking about her own safety, she's comforting them. Though they've not been serving her for a long time, but she has always treated them well unlike their past masters. They all got on their knees and bow deeply to her in respect. They promise to themselves that if the opportunity ever rises, they will serve her again with all their hearts.

Ruyi smiles at the scene. She understands well how they feel as someone on the receiving end of the Zhang's kindness.

"I want to go with you, My Lady!" Xiaobai shouted out loudly, surprising everyone.

The same guard that spoke earlier spoke up again, "By the order of the Empress, every servant in this palace is to be reassigned. Only the personal maid of Lady Zhang may accompany her."

Xiaobai got on her knees in front of the guard, "I will take however many whippings or whatever punishments the Empress wishes! Please, just let me continue to serve Lady Zhang. I beg of you to overlook this. Wherever she's going, as a noble lady, she should at least have more than one maid."

"It is not my call to make," the guard answered then raise his hand, getting ready to signal to the other guards, "but if you continue to make trouble, I will have no choice but to carry out punishments as instructed for those who resist the order."

Yueyin rushes over, pull Xiaobai up and blocks in front of her. "I'm sure the Empress does not want to make this into a bigger scene; hence she sent her personal guards to carry out this order. Are you sure one extra maid cannot be accepted for my use even when I'm willingly accepting this order as quietly as I'm able? Will the Empress be happy if I make a scene here and bring this unjust order of hers to the attention of the Emperor?" She questions the guard. There was no way she would let Xiaobai be punish.

The guard hesitate and slowly lower his hand. The Empress did instruct him to do his best to make Lady Zhang move as unnoticeable as possible, hence the reason they came for her at a time of day when not many will frequent the area. Imperial guards in the area have also been thinned out and most was already replaced with the Empress' guards. He has taken all the precautions needed, but there was no guaranty that it'll not reach the Emperor's ears if she were to make a big deal out of it. Especially when all these servants seem hesitant to leave her. He would have to silence them all to be sure they won't spill anything, but that will just make this become more troublesome than it should be. Plus, Lady Zhang is still the future Princess Consort in name. Letting her have one more maid versus going through more trouble or having the Emperor involve? The guard knew which is the better option, he'll just have to report it carefully to the angry Empress.

"Very well. Lady Zhang, you may take one extra maid with you."

"Thank you, Sir. You have my gratitude," Yueyin gave him a slight bow in thanks.

He bows back to her in acknowledgement. "Now, please follow me. I'll have the other guards deliver your belongings later."

"We cannot even pack our own things? Must we move right away?" Ruyi asks.

"Yes, now is the best time to move, and we were instructed to not let you bring unnecessary things so it's best we do the packing."

"Very well, let us get going then." Yueyin turn to give the others one last look before following the guard out. Xiaobai and Ruyi wave goodbye to them and turn to follow after her. The Empress' guards that were left behind started to instruct the left-over servants what to pack for the three of them.

After a very long walk to a more secluded area of the inner imperial palace, they arrived at an old looking palace. The outer appearance seems a little more run down than the other palaces, but they were not expecting a completely messy, dirty and broken appearance on the inside.

"What in the world?! How could anyone expected to be living here?" Xiaobai exclaims. She is shock because not even the servants' quarters are this bad, and they're expecting a noble lady to stay here?

Ruyi glance around, "This is obviously an abandoned building."

The guard bow to Yueyin, "I am only following orders. This is your new home until further notice. There will be guards stationed outside for your safety. Residents of this palace are not allowed outside its gates and no visitors are allowed in. I've conveyed all that I need to. I'll excuse myself now."

"Wait! You can't leave us here like this!" Xiaobai calls out as he turns to leave.

"It's alright," Yueyin spoke up. "You may take your leave, but I hope you can have someone bring us plenty of cleaning supplies and tools? As you can see, this place will need quite the cleaning."

He nodded and promise her cleaning supplies and tools. He bows again to her in respect for her calmness and gratitude for making his life easier by being so cooperative even in this situation. Then he left, and the guards outside shut the gates.

"My Lady, why did you go through with this? We could have turn to the Emperor for protection against the Empress' mistreatment" Ruyi asks.

Yueyin walks around the courtyard and looks around, "The Emperor is currently too occupied with finding the Crown Prince and dealing with other matters of the Empire related to his missing son. I'm sure he does not have the time or the mentality to be caring about a subject's daughter. Besides, the Empress has already planned for this perfect moment to act and the inner court is currently her domain. Who will dare to go against her and speak up for us when even the Emperor is seemingly turning a blind eye?" She bends down to pick up a fallen chair then dust off her hands, "Besides, it's not like I'm unaware of the malicious rumors about me being born with an evil spirit. The Empress was already against this betrothal from the beginning, so it's no surprised how much angrier she is with me after the disappearance of her son. Maybe she'll back off once he's found."

"I can't tell if you are being optimistic or not" Ruyi said.

Yueyin chuckles, "Well, if you think back to our original goal, isn't this a better place for operation now that I'm out of sight and not standing out so much?"

Ruyi frowns, "We're not allowed outside the gates remember? How will this help our goal?"

"There's always a way out of every guarded room."

"Let me guess, you learned this from the Second Young Miss. May I remind you that she's a martial artist and we can't even tie up a chicken."

Yueyin smiles at Ruyi, "Who said I've not joined her in digging holes in walls or climbing trees?"

Ruyi shakes her head, "My Lady, I've always thought you were born with that elegant demeanor, but looks like even you have quite a wild childhood. I wonder how Xiaolan or Madame Lin handles the two of you."

"Um..." Xiaobai finally speaks up after listening in on their confusing conversation, "may I ask...what goal are we talking about? And are we really going to dig holes in the wall?"

Yueyin and Ruyi broke out into laughter. Yueyin shakes her head as the laughter dies down, "Thank you for choosing to stand by my side even in times like this. We'll explain things to you soon Xiaobai. For now, let's get cleaning so we can have some place to sleep tonight."

The three of them managed to clean out one room and after getting changed out of their dirty clothes, they gathered around a small table in the room. Yueyin and Ruyi took turn to explain everything they've been doing in secret to Xiaobai. Then afterwards, Yueyin tell Ruyi to take out the gift they've received from Liufei that morning. Ruyi has been hiding it in her clothes since their run in with Geming. She unfolded the paper and spread it across the table in front of them.

"This is the imperial guards staffing information for that day. Liufei somehow managed to get it from the Seventh Prince," Yueyin explained.

"Wait, the Princess also know about what you're trying to do?" Xiaobai asks.

Yueyin nodded, "It seems she overheard a conversation between Ruyi and I from one of her visits. She managed to guess what was going on and decided to help us. I am not sure if it's a good idea to get her involved, but I know that we can trust her to keep it a secret."

Xiaobai bite her lips nervously, "I don't know… I think you two needs to be more careful. If someone else can easily overhear your conversations like the Princess or catch wind of what you're digging into, it'll not end well for you. Especially, when you have so many enemies in this imperial palace. Look where you end up now despite them knowing you have the Emperor as your backer. Even if he wants to save you… he still can't possibly revive a dead Lady Zhang who have somehow died due to some sort of sudden incurable illness, unexplainable incident or foolish act of suicide… anyone can easily mysteriously disappear one day without a trace in this place…"

Ruyi shivers a bit in fear, "Such a scary place…"

Yueyin pats Ruyi's shoulder to comfort her, "Thank you Xiaobai for your warning. We promise to be more careful from now on. I understand if you no longer want to be a part of this, I can speak to the guard outside to have them let you go back to…"

"My Lady…" Xiaobai cuts her off, "that was not my intention. I've said before that I want to stay with you. I've sworn my loyalty and I will follow you wherever you go. I was just worried for you, please don't send me away…"

Yueyin reaches across the table and held onto Xiaobai's hand, expressing her gratitude. "As long as I am alive, I promise to protect both of you." She then smiles "Don't worry, I won't just quietly disappear without a trace. My willful sister wouldn't let me anyway."

---

Empress Ziyi had Yueyin's old palace close and guarded. Only some of the original servants were instructed to stay and operate as usual to make it seem like Yueyin is still in there but was not allowed out and no visitors allowed in. Princess Liufei came looking for Yueyin a couple times but was denied access by the guards at the gate on orders of the Empress. Liufei was angry but knowing her royal mother is sad and worry about her brother, she didn't want to start trouble. She just inquires about Yueyin's wellbeing with the gate's guards and left after they told her that Lady Zhang was just loosely confined in her own palace so she's completely fine.

Yixing received some news from Ningzhou and quickly rushes there to join in the search, leaving Luhan and the other Princes to take care of the palace. Before he left, he told Dahai to tell Tao that he does not need to join him in Ningzhou and to take some time off. Daihai hesitated about letting Yixing know of Yueyin's situation since all of his master's attention is on finding the Crown Prince.

Dahai secretly investigate on his own and was able to locate where Yueyin was moved to. He used his connections and bribed the maid that deliver food once every two to three days to Yueyin's new place. Since the maid was not allowed inside and was only instructed to dropped off the food to the guards at the gate, Dahai had Tao's letter secretly tuck away inside a secret compartment of the food carrier.

When Xiaobai brought the food carrier into the room and opened up the lid to take out the food, Yueyin immediately noticed the strange depth of the food carrier. She ran her hand along the inside and found the way to open up the secret compartment. She retrieved the letter from the compartment and open it up to read.

Lady Zhang,

I am Dahai and the loyal servant of his Highness the Third Royal Prince. I am writing to let you know that Young Mister Huang Zitao has been trying to get in touch with you. It seems it concerns Second Young Miss Zhang. The Empress has your palace closed and guarded so no one know of the fact that you've been moved to a different place. Although I've learned of your predicament, I am unable to notify the Third Prince. Please forgive me as he's currently preoccupied with finding the Crown Prince and has headed to Ningzhou. Upon his return, I will immediately let him know so he can find ways to get you out. The next page is Young Mister Huang's letter to you. Please write a response to him or one to your sister so that the two of them can be reassure. Place it back in the secret compartment and the maid that collects the food carrier will deliver it to me.

Yueyin then move on to read Tao's letter.

Xiaoyin is extremely worried about you. I am afraid if we still do not hear from you, she might act rashly and get herself into trouble. Eunuch Dahai is someone we can trust. Please let us know of your situation and if you need help. If possible, try to request for a visitation and meet up with Xiaoyin.

Ruyi looks into the secret compartment and pull out a small set of paper, brush and ink. "Looks like Eunuch Dahai has prepared everything. You best hurry and write to the Second Young Miss."

"I was planning to find a way soon but looks like a good chance already presented itself."

She quickly settles down and write her response. In the letter, she asks Dahai to help her hide her situation from Yixing, Tao and Meiyin. Should she need Yixing's help, she will let them know immediately. The only help she asks for right now is the continuation of exchanging letters so that her sister will not be so worried. She also writes a separate letter to Meiyin, letting her sister know that she's alright. She asks for Meiyin to be patience as things are very tense inside the imperial palace, so they cannot meet up until this storm passes.

---

A couple of months passes by but there was still no news of the Crown Prince. Yixing has returned to the capital during this time, bearing no news for the worried royal family members. Emperor Taizao has started to return to his duties but it's obvious that he has also became increasingly depressed. Luhan and Yixing often finds themselves accompanying their Royal Father either drinking or working late into the night. Between cups of liquor, Taizao would recount tales of his youth and fond memories of his children.  When he is sober, he would work himself tirelessly to drown out the guilt he has. Through all this, Luhan and Yixing has finally understood their Royal Father more. His tough love might not have been pleasing to accept but he had meant well for them. Seeing how he changes now saddens them.

Each day that passes without news of Yifan, is another day of increasing worries for Luhan. As the second eldest child, it's very likely that he'll be made the next Crown Prince. It is not what he wanted to be, but when the decisions are made, it'll not be up to his choice. He'll be lying if he has no fleeting thoughts of escape. Luckily for Luhan, Taizao has banned the mentioning of crowning a new Crown Prince. He might appear cold and uncaring to his subjects, but inside he's still hoping to find his son, whether alive or dead.

More time passes and now the mentioning of the missing Crown Prince is like a taboo throughout the Empire. The existence of the future Princess Consort also became forgotten. Because no one dares to mention the Crown Prince so the mentioning of his fiancé is also a taboo. Empress Ziyi continues to keep Yueyin locks up in that abandoned palace, wanting for her to suffer in there until her death. Ziyi eventually cuts off the deliveries of any food and supplies. Overtime, even the guards outside the gates became lazy and lacks the will to guard the abandoned palace.

What Ziyi doesn't know is that out of gratitude for her kindness, Yueyin's former servants has been sneaking her food and supplies through a small hole in the wall. Through them, she has built a small network of communications and information gathering in the imperial palace. Now that her existence has become minimal enough, with the help of Ruyi and Xiaobai, she opens up a secret passage that allows them to travel unnoticed within the imperial palace. Aside from building her secret network, Yueyin has also been writing letters back and forth to Meiyin and Liufei. She assures them of her wellbeing but reveal nothing more.

Author's Notes:

Sooo…many things happened and it kind of made it a bit difficult for me. I've been recovering from a car accident and then COVID. It took me many many months just to hack out this chapter. Updates will be super slow but I will do my best. Thank you for your understanding and for your love for this story!