"Oh my gosh, Hua, what happened to you?"
Hua Ling pretended to be surprised as one of the newest servants stared at her. Slowly, a few more came over and gave her the same puppy dog look. It was pathetic. It made Hua want to smile.
"What . . . what do you mean?" she asked innocently.
The first to notice gently touched Hua's face. "Who abused you up in this manner?" The others began to nod, wondering the same thing. Hua turned and looked in the mirror behind her.
The bruises and cuts on her face and neck were expertly drawn. Years of practice had taught Hua how to blend colors and add just enough detail to make the paints seem real. So her father's artistic skills and boring lessons had paid off after all. And here she had thought he would amount to nothing. But even her father was now helping carry out her plans. Excellent.
"Oh, it's nothing ladies," she said with a weak tone. "Just don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"This is not fine!" one of the girls said, raising her voice just enough to draw the attention of nearby servants. "No one should treat you in this manner." The others began to flock over, carefully touching the painted bruises and asking her who the culprit was. Hua kept her best innocent face through the whole ordeal. Now there was only one thing left to do. She just hoped someone would be stupid enough to do it.
"Hua, you must tell us who did this! You deserve revenge!" You could always count on the new ones to raise their voices loud enough for the royal family to hear. Hua could see over the servants' shoulders as Sun Jian looked towards the group, causing a ripple effect as the room quieted and everyone looked in their direction. Sun Jian slowly got to his feet, the usual scowl plastered on his face.
"What's going on over here?" he asked, even his voice bearing the presence of annoyance. The servants all looked at each other, not sure where to begin. "Come now; tell me the meaning of this interruption."
There was a moment of dead silence before one of the older women slowly took Hua Ling's arm and helped her to the front of the group. She gave a slight bow and rose, but kept her head low. "My Lord, something terrible has happened to Hua Ling here. She has been abused most foully by some unknown culprit, as the marks on her body show. Lord Sun Jian, she has been one of your most loyal and faithful servants all these years, and we all agree that she at least deserves some kind of revenge for this ill deed."
Perfect.
Sun Jian took a step off the platform where he and his family were seated. With his hands behind his straight back, he looked Hua over from a distance. Then he slowly raised one hand and motioned for her to come forward. With a bit of a limp, Hua walked forward and dropped to her knees as she reached him. There was a slight gasp in the room from the servants, and a few of the officers slowly stood.
"Hua Ling, I want you to tell me, with all these people as witnesses, what happened." Sun Jian's voice echoed through the large room, but no one said a word or moved a muscle.
Hua took a deep breath. "Please, my Lord, I don't want any trouble. Not for you or anyone else here."
"There is nothing wrong with seeking justice, Hua Ling," he said, letting his voice soften slightly. "Please tell us what happened."
"She came at me like lightning across the sky. With one swift motion she pinned me against the wall, her hot breath burning on my face. I could feel her arms crushing my own, and my feet barely touched the floor. She drew her weapon and pressed it against my face. I could feel death coming for me. Then, she put it away. 'Death is too good for you,' she snarled at me. Without a seconds beat, she brought her fist across my face and dropped me. Within two more seconds her feet were in my stomach, like they were trying to kick the life out of me. With one final blow, she brought her elbow on top of my head, and everything went black. When I woke, I was still in the garden, just inside the palace walls. I quickly washed my face and made it back to my quarters in time to change my clothes and get back to work without anyone noticing."
If the silence was bad before, it was deafening now. Even the breathing sounds had stopped. The rest of the Sun family was on their feet with general concern on their faces. Zhou Yu was trying to study Hua's face, Lu Xun looked shocked, and many of the other officers weren't sure what to make of this situation. Gan Ning was the only one who showed now concern, passed out cold in his seat. At least he wasn't snoring. But even his wife wasn't paying attention to him.
Sun Jian bent over a little, and Hua looked up at him. "Hua, who did this unspeakable act?"
Hua's heart beat faster. This was finally it. She was going to expose her for the fink she was.
"Her." She pointed her finger with deadly accuracy at Li Tai. Several more gasps erupted as Li rose to her feet, shock and confusion written all over her face. And was that a touch of . . . hatred? Hua suppressed a smile. This was absolute gold.
"What?" Li Tai stammered, unsure of what to make of this. Sun Jian turned back to Hua.
"Surely you are mistaken. That is Lady Li Tai."
"I would know that face anywhere, my Lord. It was indeed she."
Zhou Tai and Lu Meng quickly rose to their feet, each putting a hand on Li's shoulders.
"I would trust Lady Tai with my life," Sun Jian said. Hua bowed her head again.
"Maybe you should be wary of new acquaintances, my Lord. They can be deceiving."
The crowd began murmuring as Sun Jian turned to look back at Li. She could feel Lu Meng's grip on her shoulder tighten. "My Lord, there is no proof of this, except her word. The word of a servant." The officers nodded to each other. He did have a point.
"She, too, used to be a servant, Lord Meng," Hua said from the floor. "You would trust her word. Yet you did not know her when she was of a lower class. She detested me, and did whatever she could to make my life miserable. She is not the woman you think you know. I need no proof."
Li Tai was afraid that Lu Meng was going to pop a vein. "But I need proof. She has told me of her life in servitude, trusted me with those secrets. I think I know her just as well as you do." He turned sharply to face Sun Jian. "I will get the proof of Li's innocence, my Lord. Just wait." He then turned again and marched out of the room, leaving everyone in stunned silence. Sun Jian gave Li a sad look after the doors had closed.
"Li, what do you have to say about this?"
Li was on the brink of tears, but she held them in like a true warrior. "Yes, I detested Hua Ling as a servant. She has a knack for telling lies and spreading rumors. I kept my distance as much as possible, to avoid her wicked tongue. But I never laid a hand on her. In fact, the only people I have hit were in the training yard. I am appalled that any of you would I think I am guilty of this."
Without another word, she turned and left through the same door as Lu Meng. Zhou Tai gave Sun Jian and Hua Ling a hard look before following after her. The rest of the room murmured and whispered to each other about what had just happened. Sun Jian looked back at his family, then at Hua, before addressing the crowd.
"One of you servants, please take Hua Ling back to her quarters and make sure her wounds are dressed and cared for. The rest of you continue with your meals. I will go and speak to Li in the morning, when everyone has a clear head and a good night's rest. There was a general nod as things slowly went back to normal. Sun Jian sat back down and stared at his plate. He could feel his family looking at him, but he did not return the glare. He let out a sigh before giving up on the food and leaving the room. This wasn't exactly how he had wanted to return home.