As soon as the words were spoken, the unmistakable sound of a blade sliding against its sheath pierced the silence, promising blood—our blood.
"I asked who's there," he repeated, this time more forcefully than before. It was a Northerner, his harsh accent biting through the air.
In the darkness, all I could make out was the maid's doubled-over body along with the faintest outline of the enshrouded corpse. Dreaming of fighting back was impractical, and if we dared to run, the remains of the Chen man would be mercilessly exposed. And under the mask of the night, becoming victims of the blade and accidental ghouls haunting the forest was not an impossibility.
Thump. He took a step.
If it was a guard, how would I ever explain why I was in the forest in the first place, much less dressed as a maid? And if he were an assassin sent by the Prince of Jin to rid me as a background plan, how could I buy myself time?
No matter what, if he saw the scene, the potential consequences would be much more dire than if we showed ourselves and seized the initiative. In theory, it made sense. But hearing his encroaching footsteps, my thoughts went blank.
Creak. He entered into the brush.
A step was a step.
My bet was that the Prince of Jin did not want my life.
And if I was wrong, well—
"Sir, we mean no harm," I whispered, hoping that my perceived weakness would bring down his guard. "I'm going to walk out of the brush now." I announced every step in case he would accidentally bring his sword down in self-defense.
Looking down at the maid, I signaled for her to stay put before making my way through the forest. Still exhausted, each step became akin to trudging through mud as I realized I couldn't muster the energy to lift my feet off the ground.
"The Liang princess?" Upon seeing me, the man immediately sheathed his sword and knelt. "Your Humble Servant was not aware of Your Highness's presence."
Before me was the Sui delegate, and I had severely miscalculated. This was no small feat of confounding an on-duty soldier who only did as commanded. If I had been able to pick up the individuality of his voice behind his thick Northern accent, the scene may have played out differently.
I was surely sinking deeper and deeper into this staged trap.
Looking up, his expression wasn't of sole confusion, instead laced with what could easily be confused as regard. "If Your Humble Servant may, what is Your Highness doing out here this late alone dressed in a maid's clothing?"
Moon-watching? Homesickness? Frustration?
At that split second, a thousand excuses flooded my mind, but none seemed at all feasible. If this delegate put a second's worth of thought into my claims, the gaping holes in logic would be much too obvious.
Unless…
The initial plan I had drafted in case the guards at the door asked seemed to be a potentially viable option, with a twist, of courses.
But just the idea of using such an undignified excuse being internalized utterly disgusted me. Yet then again, my morality was shattered the moment the Chen math took his last breath. If I could willingly do as such, then what was this lie in comparison?
"Good Sui general, there are women's issues that men simply cannot understand," I looked down, feigning a blush. "There's always that ill-fated period of each month where us women are visited by the ghastly spirits and haunted for days."
When these words slipped out of my mouth, I couldn't believe that they were mine. It was simply shameful, bringing up such a sensitive and personal topic in front of an unknown guard.
He was at a loss for words, staring blankly at my face.
"Being with the Sui men, I did not want to cast my temporarily bad fortune on such a joyous occasion. How unfortunate it would appear for me to spread my ill in the case that a Sui soldier saw or accidentally touched such sinister objects? Thus, I could only employ my most personal maid who would join me by the river to wash the blood stains. But instead, she tripped on a bramble." The lie was blatant, but it slipped out of my mouth so easily. Indeed, we were washing out markers of death, but these were not the same to be equated together.
Such was a story that he couldn't investigate further even if he wanted to. Whether it be for ethics or belief of our monthly blood to be vile, this would be a dead-end for him.
Upon hearing my story, the man took a step back, as if to avoid the aura of bad spirits surrounding me during this supposed time of the month. "Fourth princess of Liang, there was no need for such information," he exclaimed, turning around to avoid vision of me. "It is most wrong for Your Highness to be alone with me, and I would suggest asking the maid to come out at once to prove our innocence."
As if on cue, the maid limped out from the bushes, immediately embracing me. "If Your Highness had faults, Your Humble Servant refuses to live as well!" She declared, seizing the moment to whisper into my ears, "the body is under forage."
I took the cue. "Good Sui general, we did not think of such initially, but now that we accidentally griefed you into our conditions, do you think you could stand guard as we proceed with our cleansing? It is most terrifying to be alone here this late" I asked, knowing that his response could only be one and only.
"Of course, but I am afraid I must avert my vision. And I suppose this is as far as I go," he turned around so that his back was facing us. "The Prince of Jin commanded that I defend Your Highness at all costs, but I am no general."
As for that last statement, a shadow of doubt arose. But for now, we were at least safe.
"Your Highness can refer to me instead as Zhang Heng," he added. "Not all members of the Sui court are generals, and I serve simply as a chancellor at the Prince of Jin's court."
Acknowledging his statements, we crept back into the bushes to retrieve the man, carefully lifting him this time as to not raise alarm. The maid limped along, stealthier than before, having regained a portion of her strength despite her fall.
The river was but a few steps away.
Unwrapping the body from the reed covering, I cast a quick glance to make sure Zhang Heng wasn't looking. The body was already rigidifying, gruesome purple and blue marks forming against the skin where previous flesh had been.
As I pretended to scrub the reed mat against itself to create a sound distraction, the maid rolled the man into the river. Hearing the splash, it no longer mattered whether Zhang Heng would be suspicious.
At last, the Chen man sunk, taking whatever secrets of who had sent him down into his watery grave with him along with the horrible humiliation that unfolded mere hours before.