"Pack the essentials. We will move before nightfall," Concubine Wei said stiffly.
Murmurs spread across the courtyard.
"We're to go there?" one maid said in shock. "That place hasn't been used in years!"
"I'm not sleeping in a ruin," another said, crossing her arms and shaking her head.
"Let the cursed one live there. It suits her," a third laughed.
No one stepped forward and no one obeyed.
Consort Wei's hands shook in rage at her sides. "You heard my lord. We move."
"Then you should go, Concubine," a maid said. The others laughed softly. They turned away from her, some left, others lingered for a while.
Lin Yue stayed next to her mother, she counted her breaths slowly,*one...two...three...* trying to calm down.
At that moment a young maid named Qing stepped forward. She was thin and small, carrying a neat bundle of clothes and other minor objects.
"I have packed what I could," she said quietly.
Consort Wei's eyes looked hopeful. "You will come?"
Qing nodded. She spared no glance toward the others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~♡
Qing had no parents.
They died when she was young, leaving behind a house she could not keep and debts she could not repay.
For a while, she stayed at that house, until the food ran out.
Hunger came slowly, dull at first, then a constant gnawing at her insides. It made her limbs heavy and her thoughts slow.
With no other choice she went out into the streets.
At first, she stood near the market, watching others, waiting blindly, hoping some good person would see her and take her in or maybe give her anything to eat.
But no one did, so she learned to ask.
"Please," she said, her voice small and weak. "Just a little."
Most people didn't stop. Some glanced at her, then looked away quickly.
One man waved her off with the back of his hand. "Go somewhere else."
Another kicked her when she stood too close.
"Don't block the way! Stupid girl"
Once, someone threw a handful of dirt at her. It caught in her hair and eyes, it burned horribly.
She learned quickly, which streets had kinder shopkeepers, which stalls would throw scraps at the end of the day and which people to avoid entirely.
But the food wasn't enough, and there was no shelter. That winter was harsh, so she sold herself before it got too cold to bear. At least this way, she would survive.
The first household took her in without questions. The work was constant, no mistakes were tolerated.
She learned more this time, which footsteps meant anger, which voices meant trouble, when to speak and when to disappear.
Watching carefully meant fewer punishments, not none; there were many times she was beaten.
A year passed that way, moving from household to household, each one different but not enough to matter.
By the time she arrived at the Shen household, she understood what to look for: Who held power, who could be ignored, and who would not be protected.
She saw it quickly, and she adjusted. When she entered the Shen household, she was given clear instructions. Madam Zhou, Lady Han's close maid, spoke to all the maids to be sent over directly.
"You will all keep your distance from Concubine Wei if you know whats good for you," she said. "And the child, ignore her. If she causes trouble, you report it."
Qing had lowered her head along with the other maids. "Yes."
She understood what that meant, not just distance, mistreatment, if needed. She had seen it done before in other households.
She followed orders where she had to, but not all of them.
When no one was watching, she set aside small things. A piece of steamed bun or a handful of dried fruit, she had seen how the maids ignored Lin Yue, watched Concubine Wei ignore her needs.
"Eat this," she said once, placing the food quietly beside Lin Yue.
Lin Yue looked at the food , then at her. "For me?"
*Is this real?*
Qing nodded. "Eat it fast before someone sees."
Lin Yue looked at Qing for a second before taking it.
It became a habit, small things given without drawing attention.
Qing also watched how the other maids treated Lin Yue.
"Don't stand there," she murmured one day, passing by Lin Yue without stopping. "That maid...she's in a bad mood."
Lin Yue moved to the side a moment later, just before the maid turned the corner.
Another time.
"When they smile like that," Qing said quietly, fixing Lin Yue's clothes, "it means they're about to say something unkind."
Lin Yue listened carefully, and she remembered.
Qing didn't explain in detail, she didn't need to, watching was enough to learn.
Over time, she found herself noticing the child more often than she intended.
Lin Yue moved carefully and spoke very little. She watched everything.
It was familiar.
She reminded Qing of someone. Her younger self, standing at the edge of a street, waiting for someone to look her way.
The thought felt wrong.
*She is the daughter of this house.*
*And yet—She feels closer to a beggar.*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~♡
The Western Courtyard sat at the edge of the Shen estate.
The walls felt higher than the other courtyards; they had been darkened by years of rain. Moss crept along the base, thick in the corners where sunlight didn't reach. The wooden doors sagged on their hinges, opening with a dull groan when pushed. The roof tiles lay cracked above, leaving gaps where wind slipped through at night.
The dampness settled into everything; charcoal turned soft and gray, crumbling at the edges. Their silk robes grew heavy with condensation, carrying a faint sour scent.
No lanterns were hung unless Lin Yue lit them herself; no fresh flowers were sent; even the clothes delivered were old, their colors washed out and seams worn thin.
Inside, the rooms were narrow and dim. The screens had faded to dull brown shades, their patterns barely visible. The brazier burned low. Coal was not delivered regularly, so each piece had to be used carefully.
When it rained, the smell of damp spread through the rooms, settling into everything it touched.
Lady Han had made her attitude clear; nothing would be given to the western courtyard.
On their first night in the western courtyard, all that was given was a small sack of rice and a basket of half-wilted vegetables.
Qing set down the small sack of rice, the grain inside looked grey.
"I will measure it carefully,"
Consort Wei let out a short bitter laugh. "Measure it? For what? To count the days until we starve? You think your little rituals will save us from the cold?"
Qing did not react, she had learned long ago that to show a face was to invite a blow. She started carefully counting the grains.
*If we eat one bowl each, it will last four days*
*If we eat less... maybe we can survive this winter.*
Later, the three of them stepped into the courtyard. The ground near the walls was full of weeds pushing through the cracked stone. Lin Yue crouched, her small hands pulling at the dry stalks mindlessly, the silence was heavy.
"Will Father forget us?"
Qing's hand paused. She looked at Lin Yue's small innocent face. "He forgets many things."
The words were like a spark in a room full of oil, Concubine Wei's patience snapped.
"He forgets you!" Wei shrieked, suddenly looming over Lin Yue.
Lin Yue tried to scramble back, but she wasn't fast enough. She never was. Consort Wei was in her face in an instant, her eyes wide and wild.
"Why are you asking such stupid questions?" Wei screamed, her spit hitting Lin Yue's cheek. "You think you're so important? You think your little feelings matter? Look at this place!" She grabbed Lin Yue by the hair forcing her to look around. "Look at what you've done!"
Lin Yue curled into herself, small sobs escaping her, she tried hard to hold it in, to hide her emotions but it was too much.
There was no furniture to push against the door this time to keep her mother out, there was no way to escape.
"Answer me!" Wei banged her fist against the stone wall next to Lin Yue's head, the sound echoing like a drum. "You're just like your grandmother, always staring, always judging! Why can't you just be normal!?"
Lin Yue didn't speak. She focused on the cracks in the stone, telling herself over and over *I am not human, I am not here*.
She waited for her mother to grow tired of the silence.
Consort Wei stood over her for a moment longer, her chest heaving, looking at her daughter with a deep, cold disgust.
"No one likes you because you don't smile," Concubine We whispered into Lin Yue's ear. "You are a inconvenience, I should have left you at the gates."
She walked away, leaving Lin Yue shaking up against the wall. Lin Yue didn't move. She just stared at her shaking hands trying to force herself to calm down.
Qing, who had been watching quietly from the side, ran up to Lin Yue the moment Concubine Wei left. She held Lin Yue tight, whispering to her that the words she heard were lies and to ignore them.
That night, the room stayed dim.
Qing sat near the brazier, repairing torn clothes. The thread moved slowly through worn fabric.
Under her breath, she counted.
"How much is left…"
"Two handfuls less tomorrow…"
"If the rain continues…"
Her voice stayed low, almost blending with the quiet, and beside her was Lin Yue, curled up in Qing's lap, sleeping.