Chapter 1
Welcome to the Palace
Annchi listened carefully to Baozhai's speech. The head maid's voice perfectly matched her appearance. Baozhai had deep brown hair that seemed to gleam with a red tint every time it caught the sunlight, and her coal-black eyes seemed to burn with fire anytime she caught a girl fidgeting. Her warm voice with its sharp tones seemed to confirm the fiery nature. After hearing Baozhai speak for a few second's Annchi first day serving the Palace, her only desire was to go unnoticed. She peeked carefully around the courtyard. Everyone was staring intently at the head maid. It seemed as if no one wished to anger their boss on their first day.
"Annchi, Mao Mao, Jia Lin, and Ming Zhu, you will be moving to the Jade Palace. The Emperor has rewarded Lady Mei Lin for her recent attendance. Carry those boxes and bolts of cloth with you. She was award six bolts of silk, five bolts of cotton, two jade bracelets, and an embossed chest. Follow Eunuch Chen to the Palace. There your new Lady or head maid will assign you with your new task." The other girls looked excited to be let out of general maid service. Annchi was nervous, but she knew how to handle someone with the Head Maid's personality. It was like her own mother's. Moving to the Jade Palace meant would have to learn both her new master's and the maids' personalities. She could only hope that they were reasonable, unlike the Ladies in the Golden Pavilion. Ann Chi had heard that many newer maids were punished upon entering because they were too beautiful. One was even sent to wash Consort Leí handkerchiefs on scalding water in hopes to roughen her skin.
It was a long walk from general maid quarters to the Jade Palace's courtyard. Along the way, Annchi realized why the Palace was referred to as its own city. Before this, she had only been in her small village. When the edict was announced that each village in their province was to send the most beautiful girls to work in the Palace. She was volunteered not because she was beautiful, but because she had no family to mourn her loss. It was well known even in her pedestrian village that a sentence to serve in the Palace was a sentence to death. Unknown girls with no family support could not succeed at court no matter how beautiful. A common saying in her village was the fatter the cow, the quicker it dies. Annchi would keep that in mind to survive this den of tigers.
The Jade Palace was the most beautiful and spacious place she had ever seen. The gazebos were bright red with green inlaid stone designs. There was even a pergola surrounded by small ponds full of white and orange fish. Standing there in the courtyard was yet another beautiful lady too young to be Lady Mei Lin, but old enough that she had risen in ranks from a lowly maid to a personal attendant. She was just as slender as Ming Zhu. And the pale pink dress she wore made her tanned skin glow. She was pretty but would never rival her master's beauty.
"My name is Zheng Ming Shu. I am Lady Mei Lin's personal attendant. I will give you a list of chores every morning. You will complete these tasks by the end of the day or you will be punished. I will give you the same advice Madam Lufeng gave me. Hard work, discretion, and loyalty are the key to survival in the Harem. Our mistress is a kind, gentle, and virtuous woman. Now follow me." We closely followed her through the maze of paths that made up the Jade Palace. The longer we walked the more I felt like I was in a dream. Soon we were standing in front of our new mistress.
The chamber was just as beautiful as the outer courtyard. The dark wood was juxtaposed pale paper screens and pale silk banners. The room was decorated with porcelain and jade vases, yet everything paled in comparison to the women who stood before us. Lady Mei Lin was not pale, diminutive, nor did she express another "virtue" of beauty; nonetheless, no man would say she was not a beauty. She was as tall as any man, and her skin held faint gold tan like a fresh dumpling. The pale green gown showed her off her willow-like statue and made her black hair shined like a lustrous pearl.
"Welcome to Jade Palace little sisters. This will be your new home. Before your new assignments, introduce yourselves." It was the girl farthest to the left that stepped forward first.
"This lowly one is called Chu Ming Zhu. I am eleven and from Yangxi village. My family runs a tea house along the river there." She gave a slight bow and stepped back in line with us. Now we had an order.
"This one is called Lin Moa Moa. I am fourteen. My family is from Tianjin. I am the third daughter Lord Lin." She gave the Lady a more profound bow than Ming Zhu had and backed into line. The next girl stepped out.
"This lowly one is Ming Jai Lin. I am the daughter of Councilor Ming from his second concubine." Her bow matched that of Moa Moa. Next, it was Annchi's turn.
"This unimportant one is called Shui Annchi. I am ten, and I worked as a maid for Physician Ling Dou Min outside of Xi'an." She mimicked the bows she had seen Lin Moa Moa and Ming Zhu give. Then she stepped back into line with the rest of the girls.
"Nice to meet all of you. I hope that each of you remembers that despite coming from different houses you all belong to my family. You are new here, and no matter what or who you were in the outside world in the Harem, you are nothing but an ant." Her gaze cooled when she looked at Moa Moa and Ming Zhu. "Ming Shu, Lin Moa Moa and Ming Jai Lin will be tasked to my bower. As ladies they should know their way around a needle. Chu Ming Zhu can help in the kitchen. Annchi will be your shadow until we find a use for her. I'm sure you will find a use for her somewhere."
"Thank you, Lady Mei Lin. Girls follow me; I will show you where each of you will be working from now on. First is the kitchen." She led the girls quickly through the courtyard and into a side chamber. "Madam Nui, this is your new helper Ming Zhu. Today is her first day within the Palace, and she has never been in service before. You will need to enlighten on rules, etiquette, and most likely the basics of cooking. Now you two are next." Back through the maze they went. Annchi was starting to lose track of the different pavilions, yards, and rooms. Finally, she stopped in a small room in the far corner of Palace.
"Madam Ling Chin, these are your new helpers Lin Moa Moa and Ming Jai Lin. They apparently are ladies with great needlepoint skill. I would suggest they work on the new set of curtains for Princess Bia. Now you follow me." Again they went back to the maze until they were standing at the central pond right in front of Lady Mei Lin's room. Ming Shu circled around the younger girl looking her up and down. "Okay, I think I know what to do with you; follow me."
"This is Lady Lin's medical room. Most of the ladies of the Harem are taken care of by the Imperial College of Physicians. However, maids and servants will not be treated unless their master is generous enough to send for one. Unlike the court ladies, we have to pay for treatment. Lady Mei Lin is popular, but she can not afford to send all of us to the doctor. Most of the items she is granted are used to maintain the Jade Pavilion. Before entering the Harem Sister Mei Lan was a dancer. She does not have a family to help with expenses or safeguard her from schemes. That is why we keep our own medical supplies. Each of the Madams has a little medical knowledge and is extremely loyal. Before entering the Palace I was medical trainer our Lady's troupe. Since you were previously a doctor's assistant, you should know the basics, but I will still test our knowledge. I want you to make three potions one for nauseous, one for headaches, and one for lethargy. I will give you three hours to make them. Now I must go about my chores."
With that she exited leaving Annchi in the storeroom. Annchi walked around the room touching the plants. She tried to memorize where each item was located. Master Ling had lectured her endless on the importance of organization. Making medicine was time-consuming, but the patient can not always wait. If you can't find the ingredients, your disorganization could cost someone their life. She had made the mistake and of rearranging his stores once. It resulted in a punishment she would never forget. Master Ling rarely beat his household, but that time he pushed her by striking the bottom of her feet until they were red. Afterward, he sent her to the now rearranged storerooms to make her own cure. Each extra minute she spent searching increased her pain. The experience taught her to never mess with a physician's store.
Now that she knew where everything went, she began building the base of her potions. First, she placed three different bowls. She would make them in the order Ming Shu listed them. Two the first two bowls she added lǜ chá yè.To the third, she added zhōng guó xūn yī cǎo. Annchi took a small shell off the table and put a little bit of rén shēn powder in it. She carefully measured it into the second and third bowl. Pausing, Annchi considered who would be taking this medicine. So far, she hadn't seen any men or eunuchs in Lady Mei Lin court. It was unlikely that she would prepare anything for a man. She searched the shelves for the fu ling she had seen earlier. When she first saw the large amount in store, she thought it must not be used often, but then she realized that Ming Shu must use it to make the medicines more palatable to the ladies. Now that she had measured everything out, it was time to prepare it. Annchi rushed to grind the ingredients, build three different fires, and boil the mixtures.
Annchi was working on the last concoction when the door opened again. Ming Shu said nothing when she first walked in. She watched Annchi's ever movement with bright eyes. Her expression gave nothing away. Annchi could not tell if she approved of the concoctions.
"Well, I smell what you have used, but I want you to explain them to me." Madam Nui requested. Annchi was shocked by the women's voice; it was a complete contradiction to how she looked. She was stocky and plump. She expected her voice to strong like the Headmaid, but instead, it was light and delicate.
"I used lǜ chá yè, dù zhòng, and jú huā. Since the tea is bitter, I choose to use sweet herbs, eunommia bark and chrysanthemum flowers. They both have cooling properties and help calm nerves." Ann Chi explained nervously.
"Good, it is a decent tonic. However, until you meet the patient, you should choose herbs that are neutral rather than hot or cold." Madam Nui advised. Her tone turned that delicate voice into a sharp razer. She sipped the tonic. After drained the bowl, she set it back into the row with the others. "Still, it is a nice blend. There may be hope for you."
"The next one is for nausea; made with lǜ chá yè, dāo dòu, ròu dòu kòu, shēng jiāng, and fēnɡ fánɡ." Annchi explained, worried she would get another rebuke. A different lady stepped forward. Annchi hadn't seen her before. Unlike Lady Mei Lin, she was a traditional beauty. In fact, she was the only person Annchi had seen on par with the Lady. Her hair was so dark that she felt like she was looking at the deepest indigo when it caught the light. Her eyes large eyes were bright and intelligent.
"Lovely combination. Good for either tension, indigestion, or morning sickness. It's a good blend to have on hand." It was the first praise Annchi had received since leaving Master Ling. The beautiful woman gave her a slight smile and then stepped back.
"The third one on is for lethargy. It has bái zhú, rén shēn yè, fú líng, gān cǎo, bái sháo, and shēng jiāng." Madam Ling Chin stepped forward. This time Annchi's description was met with a frown. She sniffed the mixture, gave it a swirl, then a small sip.
"Barely passable. The mixture is pungent. Which is not bad. Life needs both the bitter and the sweet, but you couldn't make up your mind. You used a mix; they are fighting each other. Medicines need to work in harmony. You need to learn balance." By the end of her lecture, the pride Annchi had been feeling vanished.
"Thank the Madams for their advice." Ming Shu commanded.
"Thank you for the lesson," Annchi responded promptly with a bow. The three women left, leaving her with Zheng Ming Shu. As soon as the last woman left, she graced Annchi with a smile.
"That went better than I hoped. Obviously, your previous master must have had high hopes for you. The last person who had that test only made one barely passible tonic. She works under Madam Nui now. You will work with me waiting on my Lady. Usually, it would take time to work up to this status, but you're the only one with no family connections out of the new maids. Do not make me regret this. Follow me." The rest of the day was spent Annchi acted as Ming Shu shadow. She followed her around the quarters as she checked in with the different Madams. She helped her collect and move materials. The entire time Ming Shu repeated the rules of the Harem. When night came, Annchi was exhausted. She knew serving a lady was different from being a common maid, but she Usehadn't been prepared for the number of rules that had been thrown at her by Ming Shu. Terrified she would make a mistake, she spent the night repeating herself.
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