Under the Bamboo Parasol

"My dear sister, I've come to see you." A voice that belonged to that of a young maiden who genuinely cared for her sister sounded within the confines of the cold palace.

The voice was so wholesome, so pure, such that had it not been spoken within the confines of the deserted cold palace, many would have mistaken it for an innocent young maiden visiting her sister.

After speaking, Madam Lin remained silent. Her eyes continued to watch over the woman who was on the bed, as though searching for signs that she had woken up. Her gaze brightens up as she sees the woman has a slight twitch. Her lips slowly pull into a frown as soon as she sees that the woman had decided to pretend she is still unconscious.

Indeed Ye Yuying, or rather consort Ying as she had been known in her old glorious days had awoken upon hearing someone call out to her. But she remained with her eyes closed and wrapped in her tattered quilt in hopes the sound would go away.

The sound was exceedingly innocent and it sounded very familiar, but her first thoughts had gone to the innocent young women she had to plot against in order to keep the emperor's favor. Their cries in her dream, begging for their lives to be spare had continued to haunt her dreams. Their eyes filled with tears and brimming with hatred as blood flowed from their lips, as their hands with long red nails would reach towards her in hopes of dragging her to the depths of hell along with them.

It wasn't unusual that she would wake up from a horrible nightmare. But this night, the voice was so real, as though there was a female ghost right beside her. Could it be that the ghosts were no longer living in her nightmares, but had truly become part of the real world? In that case, they may very well be cable of dragging her down with them.

She could not blame them for wanting to exact revenge on her. She only regretted that she could not see Xian'er for the last time.

Seeing Ye Yuying still curled up in the quilt, Madam Lin tried again this time poking the back of the thin quilt.

"Sister, get up." She called out. This time, she called a little louder.

The woman's eyes opened as she was shocked. The touch held a bit of warmth that no one would expect from a sprit. After concluding that the other party was s living human being, there was no need to fear. After the person called out to her, she was certain the other party did not intend on claiming her life, after all an assassin would not announce their presence, instead, she would have already been dead with a blade pierced through her heart already.

Madam Lin watched as the woman roll towards her side. A hand reaches out from the quilt and grabs on to her wrist. The woman's pale face smiles, the gaze in her eyes is unfocused as though something was off about her. Added on to her disheveled hair, she looked more like a madwoman.

Madam Lin was slightly shocked, at the way Ye Yuying had reacted. But her emotions never showed through and pasted on her face was an excited expression. She hurriedly cried out "Elder sister, you're awake!"

Hearing that voice still innocent and that exciting expression, Ye Yuying's unfocused gaze nearly faltered. She had spent the last ten years or so pretending to be mad. Could it be that someone even madder than her had come along? Yet still, she still latched on to the person's wrist without saying a word, she carefully inspects the intruder with what little light there is. Perhaps it is because of her habit scanning the room when night comes, as in the darkness her eyes could make out the intruder to be a woman.

Perhaps it was one of the palace ladies who sought to punish her. That wasn't right, palace ladies rarely made their rounds out in the cold palace, and especially at night. She rarely even saw palace ladies in daylight, yet from this woman, she felt a sense of familiarity.

As she was seizing the person up, she was also being inspected herself.

It had been a while since Madam Lin saw this sister of hers. Back in the day when Ye Yuying was the eldest young miss of the Ye family, she would rarely be able to see this elder sister of hers'. Whenever she did, it would usually be at large events or family gatherings. Even then they did not converse, yet she could remember the eldest young miss' servants attempting to find fault in every move she made.

Not bad, even after being thrown into the cold palace, Ye Yuying's acting had gotten better. It is unfortunate that there is no one to watch how much she has improved. Then again, it didn't even matter if she was good at acting or not, the favor the emperor bestowed on her was not a result of this acting, it was merely to please the old patriarch of the Ye family, being good at acting was merely a greater advantage. However, once the Ye family fell, Ye Yuying was discarded as well.

When she saw the state that Ye Yuying was in, she couldn't help feeling a slight pity. Thinking about it, Ye Yuying's personality was laced with arrogance, but that had stemmed from the family's teachings, as the eldest miss, she was to look down at all those around her, after all, since her birth it had already been decided that she was to marry a prince, who may be the future ruler. Her fate had been decided since birth, and she grew up with her mother and family constantly reminding her that she would be the noblest of all ladies. This perhaps had given her the pride to look down on others.

As she was reflecting on the past, she barely noticed that Ye Yuying twisted her head to the side, her face revealed a smile, "Do I know you?" she asked, her voice hoarse from disuse.

Her gaze was still that unfocused gaze of a madwoman. But, she still latched on with no intention of letting go. It was not meant to hurt the intruder, after all, with the ability to come and go in the well-guarded palace as one pleased, this intruder had to be skilled at a certain level, such that a grip using her entire strength would not hurt them the slightest.

Since she had already decided to play her role, there was no turning back.

Madam Lin coughed lightly "Do you want me to grab a candle? And you can slowly observe if you know me or not." It would seem that Ye Yuying decided to stay in character. In that case, she will accompany this play until the end.