Fanghua curses to himself as he stares down at his attire. Pink and blue stare back at him, the colours of the palace maids uniform. Anger and embarrassment rush through his face as thinks how the crown prince had shoved a bundle of clothing at him before making the guards drag him out. Thank Pangu he had the chance to change in a private area without the guards breeding down his neck. He may be alive now, but if anyone were to find out he was actually a man and not a female, in the emperor's palace itself, he would truly be killed. And that thought chilled him to the bone. He must not get caught. He was in a very serious situation.
"Down these stairs are one of the Maids Quarters. Maids sleep, bath and do their activities here. " One of the guards say in a low voice, pointing to a set of stairs going down into darkness. His face was covered with a white mask with red paint, giving off an eery vibe.
Of course, Fanghua being how he is, had not had the chance to think what being a maid entailed. He swirls around in shock, his sleeves almost slapping the guard on the face who quickly moves backward, his hand reaching to the hilt of his sword.
"You me-mean I have to stay in the quarters of how many women exactly?" Fanghua splutters.
"Ah.. around 15 in this particular quarters?" the guard answers back, confused.
Fanghua almost fainted then and there. How was he supposed to sleep and interact with a room full of females. Sleep, eat and ... bathe?! No, no nooooo.
The guard stares flabbergasted as the beautiful woman in front of him suddenly starts to freak out, her arms flying around frantically. What exactly seemed to be the problem here? Why was her behavior so unlady like. He tilts his head to the side, observing her. Where did the crown prince even find such a beautiful lady. And why make her a maid out of all things? How perculiar.
"Let's go," The guard utters, walking forward and forcing Fanghua to walk down the stairs.
"What is your name?" Fanghua suddenly asks, making the guard halt his steps, not expecting her to ask such a strange question out of the blue.
"My name? Why do you wish to know my name," The guard answers back, his eyebrow raised and cautious. No one had ever bothered to ask for his name before, only referring to him by his title. Of course, the only thing on Fanghuas mind was to seduce the guard into letting him go.
"Can't a woman ask the name of such a handsome man?" Fanghua says in an alluring voice whilst batting his eyelashes.
The guard steps back in shock. What is wrong with her?
"My face is concealed by a mask. How can you possibly know if I am handsome or not?" The guard says suspiciously.
Fanghua suddenly reaches out and grabs the guards arm, feeling up his arm seductively.
"Why, anyone with such a strooong body is bound to have a handsome face to match," Fanghua drawls out, smacking his lips enticingly. Fanghua smirks in his head. No one could escape the beautiful charm of the mighty Fanghua.
Suddenly, Fanghuas arms are flung across his back and tightly secured in an unbreakable bond causing him to splutter in shock. Of course to others, it looked like nothing more than a very feminine gasp of surprise. The guard's eyebrows narrow and he tightens his grasp. This girl was a bundle of surprises. How could she change so quickly from acting like a child to a deadly seducer?
"I am gay you fool. So don't even think you can seduce your way out of this." The guard says in a deathly serious voice before forcefully pushing him down the remaining set of stairs and towards a wooden door. Fanghua's mouth drops open, unable to say a thing.
The guard knocks twice before entering. A row of female heads turn towards them and silence envelops the area for a few seconds.
Fanghua's heart sinks as he sees a group of woman stare at him like hawks as they hold their basins and dirty clothing. They start to whisper amongst themselves as they scan him up and down, their gazes widening. A very pretty looking maid comes towards them and bows her head.
"This young woman will be joining your quarters from now on. Teach her well as she will be the Crown Princes personal maid in a few days time." The guard says
An array of voices speak out, voicing their protests. However one was louder than the others.
"The Crown Princes personal maid? You must be joking. She is obviously new and lacks the training. How could she possibly attend to all his needs. It takes many years, not a few days of training. All she has going for her is her pretty face."
Kai Fanghua glances at the sour voice and his eyebrows slightly twitch. It was the pretty maid that had greeted them. Sure what she said was somewhat true, but something about the maid had caused Kai Fanghua to become angry.
"Hold your tongue maid. This is direct orders from the crown prince himself. Are you calling his orders a joke? The guard scowls, causing Fanghua to hide a small smile that was trying to come out. The maid quickly goes on her knees, bowing her head to the floor.
"I would not dare. Sorry for this maids ignorance." She calls, hiding her angered scowl as she stares at the floor. The guard gives her a harsh stare before giving Kai Fanghua a nod as he leaves.
'No, my brother, do not leave me all alone in a room full of tigers,' Fanghua dramatically thinks as he watches the guards back.
Turning back, he almost screams in surprise when a row of girls run up to him, bombarding him with questions.
"How is your skin so fair?"
"How are your eyes so big and your eyelashes so long?"
"How can you be so beautiful?"
Fanghua's wide eyes dart from one woman to another. Their ages seemed to range from the 16 to late 20's.
"Ah..um." Fanghua begins, unsure of what to say. He had never been in a situation where so many females had asked him directly such questions before.
"Enough," a cold voice speaks out, the room suddenly filling with silence. The girl who protested before walks up to them, her face in a sweet smile. Everyone suddenly bows their head. There obviously seemed to be some kind of power hierarchy here.
"On your knees." She demands
"What?" Fanghua responds back, thinking she had heard the woman incorrectly.
"On your knees," She repeats, nodding to the girls
Before Kai Fanghua could protest, a group of girls grab at his arms, forcing him down onto his knees.
"My name is Yu Yan and there is one thing you should be aware about. I don't care who you are or if you are going to serve the crown prince. I run things here and you will obey my orders. If you do not, you will be punished accordingly. So make this serve as a warning for the next time you question my orders," Yu Yan says, staring at Fanghua with a piercing gaze before leaving.
Fanghua stares at her back, flabbergasted. It seemed he had only been in the room for a mere minute but he had already made an enemy
***
Zhihuan lies on his back, his arms crossed beneath his head as he smirks. Life never felt better. He did not have to meet that obnoxious Princess Changying and he was finally getting his revenge. He wondered what exactly that snake was facing with a room full of girls.
A sudden knock brings him to senses. Lan Min, his eunuch announces his presence before entering with a group of maids.
"What brings you at this hour?" Zhihuan asks confused. Lan Min hesitates, hanging his head.
"Please forgive me, prince, for I had no choice. The queen ordered me to do it, so do not be angry." Lan Min says in a sad voice, gesturing to the maids. They suddenly reappear with a bundle of one of his most fanciest clothing in their hands.
Zhihuan jumps out of his bed, almost flying towards Lan Min.
"What exactly do you mean," Zhihuan states coldly, his head cocking to the side suspiciously.
"Princess Changying has actually arrived today. The queen has just sent an order for you to get ready this instant and meet them in the dining Chamber of Eternal Youth in an hours time. She knew you would plan something so she lied about the date. Forgive me." Lan Min says, hanging his head in shame.
Zhihuan's eyes widen as he takes a few steps back. No, no, no. Anything but her.
***********************************************************
A/N- CAST
Zhihuan as Song Wei Long (Minus the short hair)
His 19 years old too so they're the same age. Of course you don't have to imagine Zhihuan as him, but I feel like Song Wei Long with long hair has a similar look to how I envisioned Zhihuan.
Anyways guys, Its been a while, I know, I am sorry. Things have just been really hectic at uni but wow this book has jumped in reads since the last time I updated, thank yo so much old and past and future readers!
Current read count: 5.6k
^^It was like 1.7k in my last chapter so thank you for the extra motivation everyone :) This was somewhat of a filler but I hope you somewhat enjoyed it nonetheless. Things will start to get very interesting soon.
Pictures
1. https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/831406781185084008/
I couldn't find the original artist but I think it has some link with the show 'Story of YangXI Palace.'
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