The summons came quietly. A junior maid handed Chun'er a small scroll.
"Lady Yue is to assist in preparing ceremonial gift boxes for the visiting Marquis family," she said. "Report to the Red Crane Hall before sunset."
It sounded simple.
But I know it's not that simple.
Chun'er closed the door behind the maid, then rushed to me.
"You can't go," she whispered. "It's a trick. I know it. That's not a normal task for someone with your rank."
I didn't look up. I was sewing a tiny pearl onto a handkerchief.
"Exactly," I said. "It's not normal. That's why I'll go."
She knelt beside me. "What if they blame you for something? What if they hide poison? Or gold? Or… or worse?"
"They won't hide gold," I said softly. "That's too easy to trace."
She went quiet.
Red Crane Hall was filled with long tables, red boxes, silk ribbons, and fine scrolls of calligraphy. A few concubines were already there, including one I recognized—Min Yao, a sharp-tongued girl who often served tea at Lady Qiao's gatherings.
I was assigned Box 12.
When I opened it, I knew something was wrong.
Inside was a bundle of herbs wrapped in paper. Light gray, faintly sweet-smelling.
Forbidden incense. Burned by certain banned sects which is illegal in the capital. If this was delivered to the visiting noble family, it wouldn't matter who packed it—the one who sealed it would be blamed.
That was the point.
I slowly looked around.
Min Yao wasn't watching me. She was laughing with the girl next to her.
I softly smiled.
Then I went back to work.
I packed Box 12 beautifully.
I smoothed the paper, added the ribbons, adjusted the positioning so everything looked just right. I even placed a sprig of plum blossom on top.
Then, when no one was looking, I removed the wax seal from my box…
…and placed it on Box 7, the one Min Yao had packed earlier.
They looked nearly identical.
But Box 7 was clean.
Mine was not.
So now… she had packed the wrong one.
The boxes were taken away by the eunuchs. No one had noticed the switch.
Well not yet anyways.
The next morning, a shout echoed across the servants' courtyard. Then more voices.
Then the screaming.
Min Yao was dragged from her room by two guards.
"Someone planted that there!" she yelled. "I didn't touch anything illegal! Ask Lady Qiao! Ask—"
But no one listened.
In the palace, you only get one chance to look innocent. And she missed hers.
That afternoon, I sat beneath the plum tree, fanning myself slowly. Inside the folds of my fan was a hidden note.
I had written it to myself weeks ago when I came into this body. It's a reminder not to rush.
"Only prey waits in the open.
Hunters wait in the dark."
I smiled behind the fan.
Then closed it.