Outside the Imperial Palace, a patrol of guards passed by. The one leading the group shouted, "Who goes there?"
Tan'er straightened up, wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve, and said breathlessly, "N—is this the Imperial Palace?"
The lead guard sized her up, noticing she was just a young maid, then frowned and said, "This is a heavily guarded area. Idle individuals are not allowed near!"
Upon hearing that she hadn't gone the wrong way, Tan'er let out a long breath of relief and said, "I'm not an idle individual… I just came to find someone… once I find them, I'll leave."
The lead guard was about to drive her off when another guard walked over and asked Tan'er kindly, "Little girl, who are you looking for?"
Tan'er said, "I'm looking for my sister. She entered the palace."
The guard asked, "Is she a palace maid or…?"
Tan'er replied seriously, "My sister is not a palace maid! And she's certainly not an Imperial Concubine!"
