Princess Man Yue!!!
"I'm sorry, Your - I mean, Miss," she said hurriedly.
"It's alright........ just don't do it again," you added
with a warning look on your face. "What exactly are we doing here
- er - "
You tried to sound as though you had momentarily forgotten the girl's
name.
"Hua, Miss," the girl supplied helpfully ('hua' meaning
'flower').
"Yes, Hua. So what exactly are we doing in Central Bejing?"
"Have you forgotten already?" Hua asked, speaking in a low
voice. "We've just escaped from the palace. You said that you
were getting sick of being boxed into the palace walls, and how you
just want to break out and see what the outside world is like!"
Hua lowered some of her cloth packages down onto the ground, and
dabbed at her forehead with a hanky, looking around her surroundings.
"I hope we're not being followed," she added anxiously.
You shot a glance behind you, and quickly scanned the crowded street.
But at the corner of your eye, you could clearly see the edge of a
grey robe disappearing around the corner of an alleyway. Your stomach
jolted, and Hua looked slightly worried.
"Miss?"
"Do the people at the palace wear grey robes?" you asked.
Hua looked startled.
"Why, yes - and you know that full well!"
Suddenly, a tall grey-robed figure darted out from the alleyway and
sprinted right toward you, pushing people aside in the crowd.
"Move!" the person shouted. You grabbed several of the
packages that lay on the dusty ground, and tugged at Hua's arm as she
hurriedly scooped the rest up.
"Run!" you yelled, dragging Hua along as the figure sped
closer. "Run!"
You stare at her, trying not to look astonished.
