A Love Written In The Stars

She was missing, and the silence of her abandoned home screamed of danger Mei couldn't ignore.

———

Mei stepped inside Yu Jin's small home, her eyes scanning the rooms for her friend.

"Yu Jin?" she called out, peering down the hallway but no answer came.

Stepping further inside, Mei saw Yu Jin's children playing quietly in the corner. "Jie where is your mother?" she asked gently.

The children only looked up at her with wide, confused eyes. They were too young to understand.

Mei grew more worried. Yu Jin was always home by this time to care for her family. Hesitant to leave the children alone, Mei went next door to the neighbor's house where she found an elderly woman busy in the front yard.

"Good day ma'am, Have you seen Yu Jin?"

The neighbor frowned. "Not since she left for work some days ago. She never came home since then."

Mei felt alarmed hearing those words. Could the Minister have found out that Yu Jin knew about his crimes?

The neighbor spoke softly. "Poor woman. After all she's been through, I wouldn't blame her if she decided to run away. Her children have been staying with me. They're well cared for, but they miss her a lot."

"Thank you for looking after them. This disappearance is so strange. Yu Jin would never leave without saying anything."

"Let's hope she comes back soon," the neighbor said, though her worried expression suggested she wasn't sure.

After leaving the neighbor, Mei paced nervously, watching the sun set. At night, her worry only intensified. She barely slept, tossing and turning, and woke up feeling exhausted and tense.

The next day, her young son started crying, likely sensing her distress. This jolted Mei into action, she realized she couldn't sit around any longer while her friend was still missing.

Quickly, Mei took the children back to the neighbor's house. "Please, look after them for a few more days," she asked.

"Of course, leave them to me!" Madam Lao said with a kind smile, taking the children in her arms. "You find Yu Jin, and I'll make sure they're safe."

She expressed her gratitude and hugged the children tightly before leaving. She planned to go to the Minister's estate to look for Yu Jin, but she wondered how she could get in.

Without wasting any more time, Mei began searching through Yu Jin's belongings for something that could help her. Her eyes landed on a plain but neatly folded maid's uniform, and an idea came to her mind. If she was going to get into the Minister's estate to find clues, she couldn't be seen as a concerned friend. She needed to blend in as a servant—it was her best chance.

She changed into the slightly too-big uniform, tucking her long hair under a simple mobcap. Mei glanced at her reflection in a polished brass mirror and was surprised by how ordinary she looked. She appeared just like any other servant—unnoticed, invisible.

Mei straightened her back, took a deep breath, and stepped outside. As she walked toward the Minister's estate, she prayed she wasn't too late to find her dear friend.

The estate was vast, surrounded by high walls and filled with many servants and staff. To the side were the servants' quarters, and at the far end, near the main house, stood a washhouse, with lights flickering inside. Pulling her old hanfu tightly around her slender frame, Mei glanced around before entering the servants' quarters.

The room was large but welcoming, with roaring fires heating massive kettles of boiling water. She saw several women calmly folding linens by lantern light, steam rising around them.

Trying to stay calm despite her nervousness, Mei began helping the nearest washerwoman, taking damp sheets and folding them neatly. It didn't take long before a sharp-eyed woman looked up at her. "You're new. I don't remember seeing you before."

Mei bowed politely. "My name is Qin. I'm here to find work with the housekeeper." She motioned to her plain clothes, similar to the others. "Is she still awake at this hour?"

"She retired not long ago, I'm afraid. But you're welcome to stay and help if you want. We could always use extra hands." The woman smiled kindly, surprising Mei, considering she was a stranger.

Mei let out a sigh of relief, she had found a way in, and with some patience, she might uncover what had happened to Yu Jin.

"My sister, Yu Jin, used to work here," Mei said casually. "She always spoke so kindly of how the other women treated her... I'm not sure if you know her."

One woman nodded. "Of course we do. Yu Jin was such a kind soul. She helped most of us when we had too much work."

"I was sad when I heard she resigned a few days ago."

Mei was shocked by this news, but she did not break character.

"How is she, by the way?" one woman asked.

"Tell her we miss her," another added.

Soon, the women finished the laundry, and Mei followed them outside.

She moved carefully, avoiding attention as she looked through every room. Voices from a room ahead caught her ear. She peered through a crack in the door and saw several men drinking by the fire.

Mei stepped outside, feeling disappointed. She was about to leave when a loud crash nearby startled her. Following the noise, she found a laundry maid who had knocked over a rack of linens.

As Mei helped gather the scattered clothes, she asked gently, "Excuse me, have you seen my sister Yu Jin lately? She used to work here."

The maid shook her head. "I'm new here, but I've heard that Yu Jin took leave to care for her family."

Feeling more discouraged, she quietly left the estate.

Stopping in the darkness, Mei looked up at the moon. Everything pointed to the Minister silencing her before she could reveal his secrets, how could she solve the mystery of Yu Jin's disappearance when all leads seemed to disappear?

Then, she remembered their last conversation—Yu Jin had discovered some hidden documents. Mei hoped those papers were still at the place Yu Jin mentioned, or somewhere connected to it.

She needed to get those documents, but sneaking in again would be nearly impossible. She would have to come up with a different way.