Chapter 2
Useful
The next few weeks were the busiest in Annchi’s life. The upkeep and standards of the Jade Palace were much higher than at her former master’s. Even when she thought it was clean, Ming Shu would make her redo it. After she was done with her cleaning tasks, she would be sent to the storeroom to read and write recipes. She had to help build and fill prescriptions for the house. It was grueling; every mishap or injury in the house was taken care of by the Lady. Annchi had never heard of servants being treated so well. In fact, she knew most servants couldn’t afford care for serious conditions, let alone a simple sprain or a small burn. This was not the case in the Jade Palace; all servants were treated with care, and all needs were met. This meant that there was little grumbling about the high standards or long hours. All the servants knew they could work harder for a master who would treat them poorly. Even Annchi who’s master had been kind, could not provide for her the way Lady Mei Lin did.
Despite knowing this, Annchi let out a sigh as she rearranged the flowers in the vase yet again. She wasn’t sure what she was doing wrong. Every time she had Ming Shu check her work, she was told to redo it. It was annoying because she didn’t understand what was wrong with the arrangement. Annchi looked at the other vases waiting to be filled and sighed. She grabbed three flowers that looked similar and put them in a vase. She heard a dramatic sigh from the other side of the room. Looking up, she saw Ming Jai Lin holding a pile of crisp. Jai Lin looked nervously around the room; when she realized that they were alone, she rushed over to Annchi.
“Watch what I do.” She hissed. “You need to represent the sun, moon, and earth.” She looked at the table for a second. Then she placed a long pine spring in the center around it; she placed three flowers in differing lengths.
“Beautiful and elegant,” pronounced Lady Mei Lin stepping into the room. “As Councilor’s Ming’s daughter, I suppose you were taught the different arts. It is lovely. What other arts have you studied?”
“I learned calligraphy and embroidery. I am practiced in both flower arranging and the tea ceremony. I am a hopeless painter.” She looked at her feet through this entire recitation of skills.
“Why were given to service? With your background, your father could have made a political marriage?” Her tone was still friendly, but there was an edge.
“I am accomplished in the arts, but I fail a basic requirement of a bride.” Jai Lin replied, her cheeks coloring. Annchi didn’t understand, but Lady Mei Lin nodded. She crossed over to them and inspected both girls and flowers.
“Have either of you studied dance before?” Lady Mei Lin asked. Both girls shook their heads. “I see. From now on you both will spend two hours with me a day in practice. Go eat your meal, then meet me in the garden.”
“Yes, My Lady.” They answered in unison, bowing before exiting the room. Lady Mei Lin watched them depart. She picked up the vase and placed it by her bedside. This new batch of girls were very talented. In fact, if she polished the skills they had entered her place with she would owe thanks to the head maid. So far they had all shown great potential, especially Annchi and Ming Jai Lin. Both girls seemed honest and talented.
“Any opinions?” She queried as Ming Shu served her afternoon tea.
“Annchi is a bright girl. She learns quickly and retains the information. All the Madams believe she will be an asset to your house. She is kind to every servant they’ve sent her, even those who need no treatments. Madam Nui is incredibly grateful for the headache tonic she was able to brew for her sister-in-law. Likewise, the morning sickness medication came in handy for Madam Chen. If we can give her access to some more medical tomes, I believe her skills will increase even more.”
“Remember, we don’t want to draw too much attention to her yet, especially the fact she has medical knowledge. Right now, she is only a pawn and can be sacrificed. If we draw attention to her, our enemies could discover her worth.” Lady Mei Lin reminded gently. “What of Ming Jai Lin?”
“I have made some inquires about her. She is Councilor Ming’s third child and oldest daughter. Until this spring, she was his only daughter, but his third concubine gave birth to twin girls. Her mother is his favorite, and she was his only daughter. For this reason, she had private tutors. She was educated in all the arts in hopes of making a political marriage. Unfortunately for her, there are three significant obstacles. The first is Councilor Ming’s wife detests both her and her mother. It is common knowledge that his family forced the arrangement with her and that he had already planned to take Jai Lin’s mother as a concubine from the start. There is only a year between the two weddings. The second is she was born on the fourth day of the fourth month, and the family was told she would bring misfortune to the house she enters as a bride. The third obstacle is the most condemning. According to the sister of a maid to the third concubine when a physician was called to the house three months ago, he said it was unlikely Ming Jai Lin would be able to have children.”
“The poor child.” lamented Lady Mei Lin sipping her tea. “Being born under an ill omen could be combated by finding her a husband from a less superstitious family. She could be shielded from the family mother’s hatred as long as she has a doting father or a smart mother. However, no family wants a bride that can be no children. It would be akin to cutting off a tree’s healthy limb. At least I understand why she was given to me. My household can’t profit from having a cursed child enter it. It doesn’t matter that the child comes from an influential family.”
“Though the girls are both talented, they seem to bring problems. It looks like we were given double-edged blades. The other two aren’t worth cultivating. In the past few weeks, they’ve proven to be shallow, vain, and gossipy. I expect they will turn into spies with a little incentive.”
“Then we must hone these weapons instead. Remember, an orchid can grow in mud, and jade only shows it’s worth once polished. Now sit, let’s have some snacks.”
Annchi and Jai Lin ate their meal in silence for the first time since they had arrived in the Jade Palace. Jai Lan wondered what Lady Mei Lin could mean by teaching them how to dance. It was common knowledge that she had been a performer before entering the Palace. Her skill, grace, and beauty had caught the attention of the Emperor. Her mind had kept it. She had quickly risen through the ranks of the Harem. If she meant for them to dance, maybe she had hoped they could do the same. Jai Lan had little hope for such a chance. Since she was young, it was pounded into her head every day that she was a failure, untalented, ugly, and cursed. If it hadn’t been for her mother and the fact she was the only daughter, she would not have received the education she had.
Now that her family had placed her in service in the Harem, cultivating any more talents would be useless. Lady Mei Lin was kind, but she was not altruistic. If she was going to train them, it was because she would get something out of it. Jai Lan just wished she knew what profit Lady Mei Lin would receive.
“Greeting girls. I hope you had a pleasant rest.” Each girl murmured the expected reply. “You’ve been part of my household for a while now, though I’m not how much you’ve learned. I expect you know I was once a performer. Unlike many of the other ladies, I do not come from privilege or a noble background. I had a powerful sponsor and met the then crown prince by chance. Beauty fades, but talent and virtue can serve you well in life. Each of you has a strong sense of loyalty and honor that is valued. If polished, you can settle into a stable life outside of service.”
“My Lady, if I may be so rude to ask, how is that possible?” Jai Lin asked softly.
“A have cultivated a good relationship with Princess Bi, Consort Meiyong, and the Empress Dowager. It took years, but I am now in charge of the harem talent show and entertainment during banquets. The Empress agrees with this arrangement because I train women already in the Harem. This means no one will enter using the ‘backdoor’; she has little interest in music or dance. She takes the lead during poetry readings and flower viewings.”
“My Lady wishes to train us as performers?” Jai Lin asked incredulously.
“It might be an undignified profession, but it is not frowned up as a pastime. You will earn no money from this. It is simply a service to the nation. If skilled, you will be expected to perform at banquets and entertain dignitaries. As ladies of the court, you will display beauty, grace, and talent. There is no reason to get ahead of ourselves. We have yet to determine if you will have any skill in this field.”
Over the next few hours, Lady Mei Lin tested each girls’ strength and flexibility. She made them stand in different positions until they gave up and would walk around them, correcting their posture, adjusting their stances, and pushing on their limbs to test their strength. Jai Lin often thought that dance was beautiful, but she didn’t understand difficult it was. Only a half-hour into practice, her arms started to hurt. She was scared that at this point, even her over gown was covered in sweat. The thought of being a treasured talent like Lady Mei Lin was appealing, but she never knew it was this much work. After another thirty minutes, she felt as if her arms and legs were on fire. Jai Ming had no idea how she would dance when she was this tired from the Lady making them hold poses.
“Good job, girls. Jai Lin, since you had a tutor, I expect you know your way around musical instruments?” she peered imperiously at the girl before her.
“Yes, my Lady. I am proficient in the zither and erhu. I prefer the zither.” Jai ing was glad she could rest her legs while she played. The song was one of her favorites, this would be her chance to impress Lady Mei Lin. The older woman’s eyes lit up. That was the most confidence the child had shown her so far. It gave her hope because no matter how skilled a lady is without confidence one could not survive the battlefield of the Harem.
“Play the beginning of Spring River.” She motioned to the instrument set up on the side of the yard. “Annchi, watch carefully; you will practice a simplified version of this dance, but the goal will be this.”
As the music started Lady Mei Lin’s demeanor completely changed. It was as if she had shed a cloak. She was no longer the aloft court lady but a joyous maiden. Her expression lightened, and she took on an ethereal beauty. Annchi stared in wonder at the scene before her. Even in her maid uniform Jai Ming was beautiful. As she settled into the rhythm of the song, her face took on a tranquil appearance. Annchi had never seen a performance before since Master Ling never gave her a day off. Even during festivals, he made her stay in because there might be a patient.
“Okay, play it again. Annchi, come here. I want you to practice the first few steps with me.” Together they went through the steps. While Lady Mei Lin had made each movement seem natural, Annchi found them challenging. Each movement seemed to test her limbs. After an hour of tripping, stumbling, and generally embarrassing herself in front of the most gracefully Lady she had ever seen, Annchi’s practice was halted. “I think that will be enough for today. Stretch and go to the bath, both of you. If you don’t, you will be too sore to practice tomorrow, and I will not excuse you.”
Grateful for the reprieve, the girls bowed and exited the courtyard. When they had started their training, the sun had been high in the sky; now it was touching the palace’s western wall. Muscles aching, they made their way back to the maid quarters to collect changes of clothes. It wasn’t until they reached the wash area that Jai Lin broke the silence that had settled over them when they left the courtyard.
“Do you think we can become performers? Lady Mei Lin is amazing. I’m not sure I can be anything like her.” She sighed.
“Of course. Why would she waste time with us otherwise? It’s not like Lady Mei Lin lacks options. She could request new maids and replace us easily. We aren’t part of the household yet. She could also give us cleaning tasks which take no skill.” Annchi shrugged, scrubbing her skin. Despite being a servant all her life, she was used to being clean. It was a requirement when making medicines. “You were a young lady, so you might not know, but servents are an extension of their masters. A messenger is his mouth. A maid is his shadow. A guard is his will. The higher you rise, the more critical you became. A shadow is always changing, so a maid is of little importance.”
“Zheng Ming Shu is a maid, but she is important.” Jai Lin pointed out.
“Despite what nobles think, a servents hierarchy is more complicated than theirs. The closer to the master person, the higher you rank despite the name. Zheng Ming Shu is not only a shadow but also eyes.” Annchi explained, rinsing off. She stared at the older girl wondering how anyone could not understand the basics structure of a house. She sighed, realizing she had gained yet another person to watch out for. “For now, do everything Zheng Ming Shu and Lady Mei Lan say. Be cautious of everyone else. Everyone outranks us except for those who entered the same day we did.”
“I’m not an idiot. I grew up in the Capital and as a Councilor’s daughter. I only had two servants. I didn’t pay much attention to the working inside the house, but I’m not unfamiliar with schemes. I just can’t figure out why she would make us performers.”
“I told you servants are the extension of their masters. Lady Mei Lin was a performer. If you succeed, you will be more important than a shadow. You could become her face. Come on; we need sleep.” Jai Lin followed the younger girl out of the bath, wondering about her statement. Could she really become the face of a great lady?
Comments (0)
See all