Ming Cheng, huddling by the candle, wondered if he should say something to the ghost behind him, considering that she was the reason that he was in this mess.
He didn't know, in the darkness and the cold, whether the ghost was some kind of spiteful and malevolent being, and had done that on purpose.
He hardly knew much about her anymore either, considering the recent transformations that she had gone through and her disappearances.
All the bravery that he had paraded around before was all gone, and now alone to face her with only an easily extinguished candle for defence, there was no way he would possibly survive if she grew angry.
The most sweet and kind women were often the most terrifying killers, keeping their smiles wide as their hands were covered in the blood of the men who had tried to wrong them.
If Ming Cheng was ever going to broach the topic of what had happened in the afternoon, then he would need to try and do this by lightly prodding the ghost, not directly addressing her of what he really wanted, but ask her instead more for auxiliary information.
"I saw you today outside. Where did you go?" he asked her, turning his body slightly around to face while keeping as much of himself as he could behind the candle, making sure to illuminate his face and make his eyes look as big as possible.
People were much more willing to take pity on the cute rather than the ugly, and it was a good thing that Ming Cheng was a cute child.
"I went to Concubine Jing's palace to try and find more information about her, after your meeting at the banquet," the ghost replied well and directly, internally startling Ming Cheng.
Not that he would let her see it.
"She will not be bothering you for a while. She is far more concerned with the ambassador's upcoming visit, and ensuring presentation for it," the ghost went on to elaborate, lifting her arms up to try and act out some of her words, even as her voice remained, tonally, completely and utterly flat with only a tremor of worry.
Ming Cheng heard it loudly and well, and quickly put together that the fear that he had heard within the ghost's voice came directly from the incident.
The notion was only further strengthened when the ghost suddenly closed her eyes, bit her lip for a second, and dropped her arms, before taking a deep breath and looking away back to the door, as if she were hoping for Lan Chang to return and save her from the situation that she was in.
Ming Cheng, preferring to never hear the terrifying and terrified screams ever again for as long as he lived, looked at the ghost, as strongly and as kindly as he could, and told her, keeping his voice as level as possible to not betray his own fear," Keep as safe as you can."