"Fourth Miss?" A'bao called in a whisper, shaking Xuanling lightly.
"Fourth Miss, wake up. You are scaring me," her eyes were already tearing up, glistening in the dim light of the ancestral hall.
Xuanling groaned lightly, stretching her stiff body a bit before fluttering her eyes open. The cold stone floor had left her limbs aching, and the faint scent of old incense still clung to the air.
"A'bao?" She puzzled, her voice hoarse. "Is that really you or am I hallucinating?"
"It is indeed I, Fourth Miss," A'bao answered, helping her sit up a bit with gentle hands.
"Here, eat something." She handed her some properly wrapped steamed buns that she had hidden under her sleeves.
"Oh, thank you so much, A'bao." Xuanling took the buns from her, quickly unwrapping them and munching hungrily on them. The warm, soft dough and savory filling felt like a lifeline after hours of emptiness.
"I got you some water too." From the layers of her clothes, A'bao took out a small water-filled costrel and handed it to her.
Xuanling took the water and swigged it down her throat, feeling a bit revived as the cool liquid soothed her parched mouth.
"How did you get in?" She asked, wanting to know how A'bao had succeeded in getting past the guards at the entrance of the ancestral hall. She was sure her father had made it clear that she was to see no one, so how had A'bao made it in and even risked bringing her something to eat?
"Fortunately, today is the auspicious date of the ancestral hall cleaning. I simply asked Shen Bi to let me relieve her of her duties today and she agreed. Look, the broom and cloth are over there," she pointed at the cleaning items that had acted as her ticket in.
"They instructed that I clean everywhere else, apart from the altar, so I don't come close to you. I would have brought you real food, but I have no idea how to make it past the guards. The snacks were the only thing I could sneak in; please forgive my incompetence, Fourth Miss," she sounded sad, then bowed her head, ashamed of her limitations.
"It is alright, A'bao," Xuanling lifted her head up gently. "You have done so much already by bringing me these; I would have starved to death honestly."
"I am so sorry you have to go through this, Fourth Miss, but what exactly happened?" A'bao asked, wanting to know the truth about what happened. There was certainly no way she was going to buy the story of the Fourth Miss being a heartless person.
"Apparently, the Crown Prince has someone who has already fallen head over heels for him and she plans to eliminate me from her way by all means," she spoke with her mouth full, the anger still simmering beneath her exhaustion.
"What?" A'bao gasped, still cautious about keeping her voice low. "Who is that, Fourth Miss?"
"Su Ninghe," she called her name with so much hate. "Imperial Concubine Long's adopted daughter."
"She deliberately stumbled on her own and fell into the pond just to frame me and make me look despicable in the eyes of everyone," she explained, still eating the steamed buns and looking visibly angry.
"She tried to frame you? Of all ways to frame you, why would she fall into the pond?" A'bao was not making any sense at all out of what she said.
"I thought that too. I mean, falling into the pond was so unnecessary and she could not even swim. However, I later learned from my father that she has a severe cold condition. She actually risked her own life just to frame me," she scoffed, the bitterness clear in her tone.
"She is probably under the meticulous care of Concubine Long and maybe even the Crown Prince himself while I stay here and wallow in self-pity," she hissed.
"I am so sorry, Fourth Miss," A'bao's expression looked sad. "That Su Ninghe must be a devil for doing this to you." She did not like seeing Xuanling suffer at all, not even one bit.
"Yu'er and I are so worried about you; that is why I had to take this risk to come see you and be sure you are okay. You did not have dinner last night and it is noon already but you still have not had anything to eat. How are you going to go through this, Fourth Miss?"
"I have no means to go against my father, A'bao. I guess I will obediently stay here till dusk," she exhaled, the weight of resignation heavy in her voice.
"But Fourth Miss…" A'bao was not happy she was just going to give up.
"It is alright, A'bao," she smiled faintly at her. "I will be fine. Just go back to cleaning the hall, okay?"
A'bao nodded slowly and stood up calmly to go back to her broom, but then Xuanling called her back almost immediately.
"A'bao?" Her eyes lit up with a spark of excitement.
"Yes, Fourth Miss," A'bao turned to her.
"How about we swap identities for a while?"
"What?" A'bao could not understand what she was trying to say.
"Give me your clothes, and I'll give you mine. I'll go outside wearing a handkerchief over most of my face, pretending to have a bad cough, and get something decent to eat. Meanwhile, you stay here and pretend to be me. You won't have to do much — just lie face down like I did before. Do you understand?" she asked, her eyes full of pleading, hoping A'bao would grasp her desperate need to escape and help her.
"Of course, Fourth Miss," A'bao nodded. Pretending to be the Fourth Miss should not be that hard; at least there would be no one coming to find her here since she was actually serving punishment. Her only worry was if the Fourth Miss would be able to mimic her properly. She did not really see her as much of an actress.
"Good," Xuanling smiled. "Now give me your clothes and put mine on."
"Alright."
The both of them began to undress immediately, handing their clothes to each other. They were right about the same size, so it was a perfect fit.
Xuanling helped dress her hair with all of her fancy glittering hairpins but hesitated when it was time to place the particular special one her mother had gifted her.
"No one is going to see me anyway, Fourth Miss. I think you should keep it for yourself," A'bao said as she noticed her hesitation.
Xuanling breathed and put it under the layers of A'bao's clothes she had on already for safekeeping.
"You should keep yours too," Xuanling flinched when she was about to bury her own hairpin in her hair.
"They were both gifted to us by our mothers, too precious to share. Keep it. I will not be long anyway."
"Okay," A'bao nodded slowly.
She went ahead to bring the broom and cloth, giving them to Xuanling, who in turn took them and made for the door.
"Stay safe, Fourth Miss," she whispered one more time behind her.
"I will be back before you know it," Xuanling assured, making her way to the entrance door…