0 In the eighth year of Emperor Xander’s reign, I spent my last winter in the servant quarters of the imperial palace. “I knew it was you who stole it, you little thief! Kneel here for three hours, not a minute less!” the matron yelled as she walked past, kicking me for good measure. I instinctively wanted to dodge but forced myself to stay still and take the blow. If I avoided it this time, there would just be worse punishment later. “How dare you, you insolent wretch! From now on, you’ll kneel here every day. When you finally die kneeling, we’ll roll you up in a ragged mat and toss you in the paupers’ graveyard like your dead mother!” The snow was falling heavier, piling up on my shoulders as if trying to push me into the ground. I stared blankly at the distant snowy landscape, lost in thought. I knew this would only enrage the old hag further, but over the years I had tried every approach – meek submission, fierce resistance. None of it made any difference. They would never let me have peace. I was the daughter of a disgraced official. If my family hadn’t fallen from grace, I would have been their mistress. Once that line between mistress and servant was crossed, we became enemies. Class hatred knew no bounds. “Who’s kneeling there?” “Your Highness, it’s likely a maid being punished for some wrongdoing.” Most of the time my mind was in a fog, but on that day, breaking through the crowd of palace attendants, I looked up and met those eyes. Beautiful eyes sparkling with life, an exquisitely painted flower adorning her forehead – the only splash of red amidst the heavy snow, piercing through the bitter cold of deep winter. But those eyes merely glanced over me before moving on. I lowered my head again, counting the footsteps of the departing entourage. “Get up and come with me.” At last, I was leaving this place where human life was cheaper than dirt. The thick snow quickly covered the footprints I left behind. Little did I know then that in the vast imperial palace, the servant quarters were just one small corner of the man-eating machine. I followed the palace maid for a long while before arriving at a magnificent palace surrounded by red plum blossoms. “This will be your bed. Unless Her Highness summons you, just do some sweeping and cleaning outside the hall,” she instructed. “Yes, I understand.” I gently touched the first real bed I’d had in years. The servant quarters were far behind me now. For the next two weeks, I kept my head down and focused on my work. Eventually I learned that my new mistress was Duchess Keera, who had recently entered the palace. Though a newcomer, she was already highly favored by the Emperor. “Just look at all these plum blossoms – Her Highness clearly loves lively scenes. We must make sure the flowers bloom as vibrantly as possible,” said Luna, the maid who slept next to me. She was refreshingly warm and lively. “But with the weather so cold, surely Her Highness won’t come out to admire the blossoms?” I wondered. Luna sighed. “Even if Her Highness doesn’t come out, how else will she know we’ve taken such good care of the plum blossoms?” “Senior Flora picks plum blossoms for Her Highness every day. The flowers do make it into Her Highness’s chambers.” “You’re quite carefree about it. I wonder when I’ll get to serve inside the chambers.” It was only after leaving the servant quarters that I realized even the lowliest palace maid had clear life goals and plans to achieve them. I had always drifted through life in a numb haze, never thinking about the future. But now I just wanted to tend these plum blossoms well for Her Highness. Perhaps Luna’s constant grumbling moved the heavens. One day the weather suddenly turned fine, and we heard Duchess Keera had invited the other consorts to come admire the flowers. Luna had been inspecting every branch in the garden since dawn, even praying for the blossoms to bloom more vibrantly. She put on the new uniform she’d been saving and the hairpin she’d asked the eunuch buyer to bring back last month. “Once I get to serve inside, I’ll make sure you eat and drink well too. We’ll be able to casually eat or toss out those fancy cakes from the imperial kitchen without a second thought.” Before she could finish daydreaming, the servants preparing for the gathering told us to move further back. Though disgruntled, Luna had no choice but to retreat with me behind the crowd. “Look how arrogant they are. Palace maids really are divided into different ranks. Don’t take it lightly.” I smiled and shook my head, my gaze drifting to the distance. I had never truly seen Her Highness up close. That fleeting glimpse on that snowy day – I felt the entire garden of plum blossoms couldn’t compare to half of Her Highness’s beauty. 0
“Take them away!” I had been sleeping fitfully when I was jolted awake by the commotion outside. Opening my eyes, I saw a group of guards bursting into the room. They grabbed Luna and me, then started ransacking the place, searching for something. My heart sank. In the past, the matron would order people to grab me like this, then always manage to find her belongings in my quarters. After a while, they did indeed find what they were looking for. From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse – it was Luna’s new hairpin. We were escorted to the main hall. There, I saw Her Highness and… the Emperor for the first time. I was forcefully pressed to my knees. In front of me, a large group was already kneeling. The hall was deathly silent, the air heavy with the smell of blood and a woman’s agonized screams. The Empress Dowager set down her prayer beads and asked, “Whose hairpin is this?” I heard Luna trembling as she answered, “It… it’s this slave’s, Your Majesty.” “Forgive me, Your Majesties. I have failed in my duties. The Noble Consort has gone into premature labor. The only way to save her life now is to terminate the pregnancy, but I’m afraid she may have difficulty conceiving in the future.” “So be it. It’s fate,” the Empress Dowager sighed softly, approving the imperial doctor’s recommendation. She then turned to look at the Emperor. “Beat her to death,” he ordered. From start to finish, those were the Emperor’s only words before he left. “No… no! Your Majesty, please spare me! Empress Dowager, please have mercy! This slave knows nothing, truly nothing!” Luna struggled desperately, her eyes filled with disbelief and despair. But she was quickly dragged away by the guards. The last time I saw Luna was when she was rolled up in a grass mat and tossed onto a cart. I secretly retrieved her hairpin and placed it in her hand. The hairpin, trampled beyond recognition, had become as dull and lifeless as its owner. This place was still the servant quarters after all. Duchess Keera’s palace lost its former liveliness overnight. Though it was determined that the incident was caused by the hairpin’s scent mixing with the plum blossoms and driving the Empress’s pet parrot into a frenzy that crashed into the Noble Consort, Duchess Keera’s maid was still implicated. Now even the plum trees in the garden had been cut down. Palace dwellers always curry favor with the powerful and step on the weak. Rumors spread that Duchess Keera had offended the imperial heir as soon as she entered the palace, causing the Emperor to completely lose favor with her. With no more duties, I had time to overhear many rumors. Some said the Noble Consort threw a fit after waking up traumatized. Others claimed the Empress Dowager and Empress had been copying Buddhist scriptures for over a month to pray for the lost child’s soul. There were even whispers that the Empress had secretly copied scriptures for the executed parrot as well. But for me, not much had changed. If anything, I had more chances to see Her Highness now. Her Highness often stood at the hall entrance admiring the snow. She would stand there all afternoon, only returning inside after repeated urging from her personal maids. “Do you think Her Highness is heartbroken because His Majesty doesn’t visit anymore?” “Most likely. Our mistress has clearly fallen out of favor. The household department used to be so eager to please, but Senior Flora said she got quite an earful when she went to collect coal today.” I listened to the two young maids whispering in front of me. I had been hearing such talk for days now – surely it must have reached Her Highness’s ears as well. But Her Highness continued to admire the snow and drink tea daily as if nothing was wrong. I privately felt she wasn’t too troubled by it all. One day as I was sweeping snow in front of the hall, I heard a commotion in the distance. “Keera, you poisonous witch! Come out here!” A woman in resplendent palace robes was storming towards the hall with a large group of attendants, clearly intending to barge in. Her Highness happened to be coming out just then. I watched as the woman raised her hand. I knew my chance had come. Slap! I flew forward to block the slap aimed at Her Highness’s face. Noble Consort Liliana sneered, “So you’ve trained yourself a loyal dog!” She raised her hand to strike again. The attendants on both sides finally snapped out of their shock and moved to restrain her. Of course – Noble Consort Liliana. The one who had lost her child and had been causing trouble in the palace for over a month now. The commotion was finally stopped by the Empress, who rushed over. “Liliana, I know you’re devastated by your sudden miscarriage. But His Majesty and I have thoroughly investigated the matter. Duchess Keera was not involved at all. You shouldn’t have made such a scene today.” The Empress sat in the main seat, patiently trying to reason with Liliana. She reached out to take Liliana’s hand in a gesture of comfort. But Liliana violently pulled her hand away. “I lost my child in her palace! It was her maid who did it! How can you say she wasn’t involved at all?” “His Majesty and I personally conducted the investigation. Noble Consort Liliana, do you have any objections?” The Empress’s tone turned cold and stern, all previous gentleness gone. “To think I considered you a newcomer and showed you extra care because of my old friendship with your sister. You invited the entire harem to admire flowers, and I came despite my pregnancy. Keera! Do you have no conscience? My child was only four months along!” Liliana cried hysterically. After a while, she just kept mumbling softly, “My child never even got to call me mother… my poor child…” The Empress looked utterly exasperated. She ordered attendants to carefully escort Liliana back to her palace, then spent quite some time comforting Duchess Keera before finally departing. “Does she make such a fuss every day? Has His Majesty not intervened at all?” “There seem to be urgent matters in court. His Majesty hasn’t entered the harem for over two weeks now.” Duchess Keera nodded in understanding, then turned and asked me to raise my head. She studied me carefully for a long while. Her gaze was still as light as clouds drifting across the sky. “What’s your name?” “This slave is called Aria, Your Highness.” “That’s a good name. From tomorrow on, you’ll be called Morning Dew.”
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