*Knock knock*

"Come in." The mother coughed.

"Mother, are you alright?" Xu Yan became concerned.

"Coughing only, I'm fine, what are you here for?" She asked.

"This won't do... ZHEN HUAN!" Xu Yan shouted their head of maid's name. Zhen Huan was the first ever maid Mi Yue took in. The mother picked her up from the street from a young age and has been serving her for years.

"Xu Yan! I'm fine." The mother coughed again continuously.

"Mother! Lay down. And stop raising your voice please." Xu Yan said helping her tuck in the blanket.

"My Lady, I'm here." Zhen Huan said kneeling down on her knees.

"Get up, take care of mother for me." Xu Yan said standing up.

The mother sat up, "[worriedly] Ah Yan, ever since this morning you have been behaving strangely. Yelling and caring for me. These days you were just causing trouble, getting spoiled and lazed around."

XY in her mind: "Was the old me that bad..." [forces a smile]

"What's wrong for a daughter to care for their own mother?" Xu Yan asked.

Zhen Huan smiles to herself, "Like mother, like daughter indeed."

"It's just that you've never behaved like this. This is abnormal. Are you sick?

"Well, I've decided mother, that I want to start behaving maturely. Making up my past mistakes..." Xu Yan held her mother's warm hand.

"Mature? You've been yelling all day." The mother laughs.

"Okay. I won't do that anymore." Xu Yan says calmly as she smiles.

"Are you going somewhere?" The mother noticed the bag on the floor and stared at it.

"I want to work at the palace."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"What?!" The mother and the head maid both yelled shockingly.

"Crazy girl. Isn't life at home good enough for you? You do understand what it means to work in the palace right? Plus are you really going to leave me and your father?" The mother said.

XY in her mind: "It's impossible to balance everything out. But I cannot tell her the truth in order to protect them...and to meet Yun again I must enter the Forbidden Palace...before I will get married off to him."

"Don't worry I can endure it. I want to learn new things, mother. Please let me." Xu Yan said, kneeling on the ground.

"Xu Yan, get up." Her mother said holding onto her arms.

"But I can go right? The palace will be interviewing for maids soon. And I'm going to attend the meeting." Xu Yan said.

"It's like a new person in front of me." The mother held her face and said, "My, you are all grown up now...You're really gonna be the death of me one day, Ah Yan..." The mother sighs.

"Take care of yourself and don't worry too much otherwise you'll grow more gray hair mother." Xu Yan stood up and ran out. "Goodbye!" She yelled excitedly.

"Don't worry about me! Take care of yourself!" The mother shouted.

Xu Yan ran back to her mother's room and whispered, "Sorry, I meant goodbye mother!" Without yelling this time. "Don't be too strict on the maids."

Zhen Huan leans closer to the mother and says, "Madam, you have raised Xu Yan well."

"Look at her acting 'mature'." The mother laughed and coughed.

"Madam, are you getting worser?" Zhen Huan looked at her in concern. "I'll go get your decoction for today."

~~~

"Ming Ming go prepare a carriage for me." Xu Yan instructed.

"Yes miss." The male servant obeyed.

*INSIDE THE CARRIAGE*

"My lady!... my lady!.." A familiar voice calls her as she is halfway to the palace in her carriage. Xu Yan pulled the curtain aside to see who was shouting her name. It was Li Qin, her maid from when they were both kids. She came after Xu Yan with a horse.

"[shocked] Qin Qin, how come you're here?" Xu Yan gasped.

"I heard you were gonna work at the palace, my lady!" Li Qin said. "The madam is worried about you, so she asked me to come along. Plus, I couldn't bear to leave you." She smiled.

"You need to look after our home, Li Qin." Xu Yan said sighing. "Return."

XY in her thoughts: "I can't bring her along again. I can't have her suffer in a miserable death like once..."

"Zhen Huan and the others will. Don't mind my stubbornness, I have learnt a lot from you miss [chuckles]" Li Qin said. "You can't convince me to return, please miss."

XY in her thoughts: "At this point, I can't even persuade her. Whatever. Let's just bring her along first. I'll try my best to protect Qin Qin.

Xu Yan chuckled, "Alright then...you can accompany me like always." She said closing the curtains.

"Yes, Xiao Jie!" Li Qin said excitedly. "I even bought your favorite osmanthus cake for you."

Xu Yan whispers to herself inside the carriage, "Li Qin, I owe you a lot in the past. Please please do not get involved with the 'Noble Consort' again..."

#extranotes#

! The title is "Forbidden Path" which implies a journey that is off-limits or forbidden. It represents a path that leads to dangerous consequences- as for Xu Yan, there will be consequences for her to face as she chooses the path to enter the tragic Palace once again.