Ming Yue cursed inwardly at being so careless, and thought quickly. Looking the prince straight in the eye, she responded.
"I spent some time with relatives in the mountains growing up," she said. "While I was there, I was lucky enough to catch the attention of a talented master. He took me in as his pupil."
It was not entirely a lie. Back in Jin, Ming Yue had indeed enjoyed roaming freely in the mountains behind the palace. It was there that she had first encountered Master Zhong. Impressed with her spirit and natural ability, he had gone to the king, Ming Yue's father, and told him that he saw great potential in his only daughter and had offered to train her.
King Huìwén had been only too happy to take up the offer. Master Zhong was well known across both kingdoms as one of the most respected and skilled martial artists living. He was careful to never involve himself in political matters, meaning he was warmly received wherever he travelled, and he rarely took on disciples. King Huìwén was not about to turn down this once in a lifetime opportunity for his daughter, and Ming Yue's martial arts prowess had advanced rapidly from there.
Weisheng gave Ming Yue a long look.
"That being the case," he said, "I am surprised that you would leave your training behind to serve as a palace maid."
Ming Yue responded immediately. Unlike before, her answer to this question had been well-rehearsed.
"After my sister became sick and was no longer able to serve the royal palace, it became my family's duty to provide assistance," she said. "I am the only other unmarried Li daughter, and so the responsibility fell to me to take her place. I do not regret it," she finished.
Looking about her, she resolved to quickly change the subject, as she was finding it increasingly difficult to lie to the prince without feeling extremely guilty, and she was sure her discomfort would show on her face if they continued this particular conversation. The prince was very observant, she had noticed, and also very adept at picking up on the emotions of those around him.
"Your Highness," she said. "We must be only a few miles away from the Jin border." She gestured generally in the direction of her homeland.
"Yes," said Weisheng. "That's why the military training grounds are located here, although I am pleased that there has been no need to deploy large numbers of the army thus far. The peace my father and King Huìwén negotiated has held up to date. My only wish is that the relationship between the two kingdoms was stronger. Ultimately, war is never to anyone's benefit, particularly the innocent civilians who are often caught in the middle."
Ming Yue stayed silent during this short speech. She had been relatively confident that the prince was not one of the palace inhabitants looking to sabotage relations between Jin and Han, but to hear him confirm it was reassuring, and gave her a solid piece of information to report back to her father. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she pressed further.
"Have you spoken to your father about this?" she asked.
"I have mentioned it on a few occasions," he responded, "but I think it's time I took the matter up with him again. The recent flooding in the northern provinces has already taken its toll on the Han people. Building a solid relationship with Jin and preserving the peace between us is now more important than ever."
Ming Yue smiled widely at Weisheng, and her face lit up.
"Your Highness is both wise and kind," she said. Weisheng looked at her to see if she was mocking him, but he saw no hint of irony in her face. Instead, he only saw pleasure, and what looked like a touch of relief. He urged his horse forward alongside Luo Jian once more, and noticed the man's eyebrow raised in query.
"Her explanation for the martial arts was plausible," he said, quietly. "But I'm not so sure. Why would someone with Ming Yue's disposition give up all that freedom to enter the palace as a maid? She may be many things, but a timid, tamed wallflower is not one of them. I think she would rather die than allow herself to be restricted in this way."
Luo Jian grunted in agreement, unable to think of a response that would satisfy the prince. Realising he would get no help from his friend, Weisheng sighed, and turned his attention back to the road ahead of them.
***
It was well past midday when they returned to the palace, and the staff at the prince's mansion were scurrying around preparing his lunchtime meal. The prince having no further need of her for the moment, Ming Yue took advantage of the bustle of activity to slip away to the orchard behind the main buildings. Reaching into her robes, she took out a tiny scroll. The message to her father was brief – "Second prince pro-peace," it said. "He will speak to his father. Qian Jin." She used her father's term of endearment for her. Anything else would only increase the risk to all involved.
Ming Yue stretched out her mind and silently called out to the falcon that was lazily circling above. I t slowly descended and rested on a sturdy branch not far from where she stood. This was Zhenli, Ming Yue's partner in the palace, and she was comforted to see him as she lightly stroked his soft feathers. She had seen him flying far above her from time to time, silently accompanying her on her various travels, but this was the first time she'd had need of his assistance.
She tied the small scroll to Zhenli's thin leg and pushed an image of her father in the gardens at the Jin palace towards him. "Home," she thought. "Then come back to me."
After one last look at her with his head cocked, Zhenli spread his impressive wingspan and took off in the direction of the border. Ming Yue smiled sadly. Whilst she was pleased to have some positive news to report back to her father, she would miss the bird's reassuring presence, and it would be several days before he was able to return, needing to rest for a while before the long flight back.
Turning around, Ming Yue made her way back to her room. She was so deep in thought that it never occurred to her that she not yet eaten lunch, or even breakfast. In fact, she had been so preoccupied with reading the prince's report on their visit to the northern provinces the evening before that she had not eaten then either. If she had even spared a thought for the matter, she would have realised that her last meal was well over twenty-four hours previously and, unfortunately, forgetting to eat was a rather bad habit of hers.
Ming Yue was not a weakling, and there had been many times training with Master Zhong when she had gotten by on a diet of little to no food for a period of time, but today the sun was hot, and she had exerted a lot of energy sparring with the prince that morning. Experiencing a slight spell of dizziness when she reached her room, she put it down to the hot weather and drank a few glasses of water. Feeling immediately better, she headed off to the prince's study to be assigned her tasks for that afternoon.
The prince looked up when Ming Yue entered. She looked a little paler than usual, he thought, and her step was not quite as light. He motioned her towards him.
"Did you read the report on our trip?" he asked.
"Yes, Your Highness," she said. "It was very comprehensive. I had nothing further to add."
This was the truth. The document had struck a fine balance between accurately recording matters of relevance to the kingdom and glossing over the more sensitive details of their trip. It was a masterclass in drafting.
"Fine then," Weisheng said. "You can take it to the Hall of Records tomorrow morning. Ask them to show you around while you are there. You should be familiar with the place."
Ming Yue nodded.
"Also," the prince continued, "I have had new clothes made for you. Now that you are my secretary it is not appropriate for you dress like that. I may send you on errands to other parts of the palace, and I cannot have people mistaking you for another maid and ordering you off on some menial task. A different outfit will get you greater respect so that you can fulfil your duties more effectively."
Weisheng gestured to his side, where a pile of material sat on the table next to him.
Ming Yue moved forward to look more closely. The outfit that had been prepared for her was similar to those of the palace eunuchs in terms of colour, but it had been tailored for a woman's shape. The material was darker and heavier than the flimsier palace maid outfits, and it suited Ming Yue's style much more. She ran her hands lightly over the soft fabric and beamed at the prince.
"Thank you, Your Highness," she said. "It's perfect."
"Really??" Weisheng asked a little too eagerly, losing his composure for a moment. He recovered quickly.
"It's nothing," he said. "It is appropriate for my secretary to wear this."
"Now, moving on to other matters," he hastily changed the subject, "the queen's birthday feast is approaching. Father always expects my brothers and I to have some hand in organising the festivities. He feels it makes the occasion more personal, and it's another way of showing our respect for Mother."
Ming Yue nodded. They did something similar for her father's birthday in Jin also.
"This year," Weisheng continued, "I am responsible for the entertainment, so we will need to start vetting musicians and dancers. I don't want it to be the same old thing we had last year or the year before, so make some enquiries and find out who the most exciting new talents in this area are."
Clearing his throat, Weisheng got to the crux of the matter.
"Obviously," he said, "I want to keep this a secret from Mother for as long as possible, so we cannot bring the entertainers into the palace to audition them here. Consequently, we may have to make several trips outside of the palace to watch them perform in their own environment before deciding which of them is best."
Ming Yue suppressed a small smile.
"Of course, Your Highness," she said. "That seems like the most sensible way of keeping the matter under wraps. I will support Your Highness with whatever he needs."
"Excellent," said Weisheng. "Start preparing a list of possible candidates. Perhaps ask some of the other staff as well. I am sure every dancer in the capital would declare themselves to be the best in the kingdom so, on this occasion, the local gossip is likely to be more reliable."
Ming Yue nodded vigorously in agreement, but the sudden movement sent a wave of dizziness washing over her. She swayed on her feet and, before she could even process what was happening, her legs gave way beneath her.