'Yin, please, listen to me! Let me go in your place, you're not ready to go there!' Xia pleads with the stubborn woman. For over an hour since Yin woke up this morning Xia had tried to make her see she couldn't leave for the palace... Yin wouldn't listen to her plan, a plan where Xia goes in Yin's place and Yin would stay at home. 

'Xia, I am going and that is final! Maybe it's for the best that I'm leaving for that hellhole,' Yin says decisively, while grabbing the last of the stuff she would be taking with her. One basket contained her grandfather's helmet and sword, together with the armor and drawings of her dear friends. Other weapons she took with her hidden between her clothes. None of the baskets contained jewelry, she didn't bother, not that she possesses good looking jewelry. 

Why on earth would I try to seduce a man I don't know... or rather, a man I don't want anything to do with?!

Hate for that man is rooted deep within her and she would do her best to either be as discreet or misbehaving as possible. Maybe he would send me home if I annoy the crap outta him...

Together with the imperial edict came a dress, a dress all women that would become his concubines should wear. The sight of the soft pink hanfu strikes fear within her, even though she was just as courageous as the late General of the South. But, Yin wasn't afraid of becoming his concubine or slipping up, she was afraid of all the women... They would be insufferable, she knows out of experience, and she wasn't looking forward to all their quarrels and their bitchiness. A dreadful and panicky feeling settles in the pit of her stomach when she thinks of the little time remaining. When the image of her frightened mother flashes before her eyes, she clenches her fists in anger. Because of her...

'Yin, you'll have to wear the hanfu, you know that right?' Xia asks when she notices the dread Yin feels towards the thing [https://em.wattpad.com/5eb86a446781dadc1bb238930e557dd340de4d75/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f30615251477973315648504e39513d3d2d3336383733373034392e313461303763333464393335313030613331323932363232383837362e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

'Yin, you'll have to wear the hanfu, you know that right?' Xia asks when she notices the dread Yin has towards the thing. 'I know pink is not your favorite colo-'

'You're right, it's a horrendous color and I refuse to wear that abhorrent thing!' Yin cuts her off mid-sentence. Xia was supposed to help her dress, but Yin refuses her help every time she offers it. Yin was dead-set on wearing her mourn-clothes while going to the palace, not only for her friends, but also for the end of her somewhat peaceful life, for she was about to enter the lion's den. Besides, this would be her first act of rebellion, a perfect way to make a statement.

'Yin, please, what would they do-'

'I don't care, the only thing these bitches can do is talk and even if they plan on doing something else... they won't know what's coming for them,' Yin says with a grin plastered on her face.

Xia snickers and says: 'You're right, why am I even worrying for you, you'll be fine. Besides, you have become more alert and your body has strengthened quite a lot already...'

'I know you're worrying about something, I can hear it in your voice. What is it?' Yin asks her last remaining friend with curiosity.

'The only thing you haven't been doing is stopping with the drinking. I mean, what if you're drunk and the Emperor calls for you?'

Yin shrugs. 'Not my problem, that would be his problem, it would he his fault for calling me in the first place... if I'm drunk, he'll have to deal with it.'

Xia sighs and face palms. How could she be so intelligent while also being so dense? She's just like her mother in this regard.

The same servant that had come to get Yin when her mother had called for her, turned up on the doorstep of her room to announce the carriage had arrived.

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'Yes, I will be coming shortly, you may leave,' Yin says like she is right on top of things, while on the inside, she was panicking and damning the Emperor for ever calling her to come to his palace. The last thing she does is placing a necklace with her grandfather's seal around her neck, the hanfu was stuffed in one of the baskets. As one of the servants carry down her baggage Yin puts a wide, bamboo hat on top of her head to protect her from the bright light outside.

'Are you ready to go, Miss Wei?' the courrier asks when she's downstairs. He knew she couldn't say 'no', so he didn't wait for an answer and turned around.

Yin curtly nods to the courrier that was already turned around. With a painful heart she gazes over the house of her youth that she would leave behind for ever. She had just said her goodbyes to all of the servants, including Xia and she was ready to go. The courrier picked up her baskets beside her and she took it as her que to get inside the carriage. When she's inside, she pushes aside the curtains hanging in front of the little window. Deep in her heart she knows she was hoping to see her mother waving goodbye, but in her mind she was just sad for leaving and somewhat disappointed. The carriage pulled away and she straightened, dropping the curtain. You are the granddaughter of Wei Liang, the late General of the South, you know the Jade General, conqueror of the Wastes of Pyquan, she keeps on repeating in her head to keep strong and it seems to work. 

Without Yin knowing, her mother, with a painful heart, had watched her only daughter leave, through the gap between the window and the windowsill.

---

Not soon after Yin's departure, the shaking of the carriage and high adrenaline levels had rocked Yin into a peaceful slumber. She woke up to hearing: 'Miss Wei, Miss Wei, please wake up, you're late! Miss Wei!' , right beside her. Her head shot up and her eyes were wide open within seconds.

'Late? What for? I'm not in a warzone am I?'

'Warzone? Miss Wei, what are you talking about? The Jade General has brought peace upon the land...' the courrier says while scratching the back of his head. 'Anyway, you should quickly go inside, the other girls are waiting for your arrival.'

'Why didn't you tell me sooner?'

'Uhm, I tried, but you were asleep, Miss Yin.'

'Right, sorry,' she says while coloring beet-red in her face.

Yin steps outside, letting her eyes adjust to the bright light of the late midday sun that reflected of the tiles and stretches with a loud yawn. The man beside her looks at her with surprise, a concubine-to-be being so unladylike?

'So, do I... go in there, or something?' Yin asks him.

He shrugs while making an uncertain sound, facing one of the many palace entrances together with her, both of them in awe of the grand building in front of them and the riches it holds.

Without the man noticing, an elderly woman approaches them. 'You must be Miss Wei,' she says while turned towards Yin, 'please follow me, you're quite late, if I may say so.'

Yin snorts and shakes her head, typical palace manners: always aggressiveness coated in politeness.

'And you are?' she asks as impolite as possible, just to irritate the woman.

'Excuse me, young lady, do you have any idea who you are talking to,' the elderly woman says flabbergasted.

'Well,' Yin draws, 'that is the reason I asked you...'

To her surprise, the woman burst out in laughter. Although her face was wrinkled, as an indication of fighting the many ordeals of life, her charcoal eyes and laughter were as clear as the crisp winter mornings that this empire knew. 

'I like you, Miss Wei, your witty remarks and clever answers will certainly be to your favor.' The woman eyes Yins reaction intently and sees what she expected to see: a form of distaste or even disgust. 'Yin, you will most certainly be one of His Majesties favorites, even though you might not want it.'

Did I really make it so clear? Wait... how does she know my first name? She isn't supposed to.

'How do you know my first name, old lady?'

'Old lady! What a way to address your elder-' the woman points out with devastation.

'You just said it yourself!' Yin points out with a wrinkle on her nose.

The old lady cracks up again, 'You are very clever, Yin. Now, about your name... I knew your grandfather and father.'

This bit of information has Yin dumbfounded and she stops dead in her tracks. The wheels in her head are turning and she goes over every possibility until the answer was found. She analyses the woman's features, her ways of talking and the slight dialect seeping through her formal speech, the way she stands and acts... it all pointed out to one thing:

'Grandmother?!'

'You finally noticed, Yin? I thought you'd be flying me around my neck crushing me in a-'

Just at that moment, Yin did what she had thought of her to do. Her arms around her grandmothers fragile frame, her head buried in the curve between her neck and shoulder.

'How I've missed you! Mother was becoming so insufferable...' Yin swallows and changes the subject, 'what should I call you, I mean, it's probably not a good idea to show them women we're related.'

'Well, for them, I am Lady Wei-Xiang, but you may call me grandmother whenever we're alone.'