The first time in history

"Are these maids like this all the time?" Qian Mingduo smiled and asked softly.

"Yes, they are usually like this too."

"This is even more awesome than modern society," Qian Mingduo said to himself.

"Among these maids, is there anyone you like?" Qian Mingduo turned the guard 180 degrees so that his face was facing the palace maids directly.

"Your Excellency," the guard's face turned red with embarrassment, "No."

"Since there is none, then stop peeking." Qian Mingduo turned the guard around again. "You've been looking for a long time, and you've become so horny, and there's no one you like here for you to vent your desire. What's the point of looking for a long time?"

"Yes, I won't watch it anymore."

"You have to look if you want to." Qian Mingduo grinned. "If you don't look, then those maids are just twisting their legs and shaking their breasts in vain." Qian Mingduo walked away slowly. "Just don't let me see you peeking."

He walked around the hall, chatted with each guard for a few words, and then left Guanwa Palace.

Qian Mingduo passed the gate of a palace and took a few steps forward when he heard a voice behind him calling him: "Lord Ling, please stay."

Qian Mingduo turned around and saw a woman dressed as a maid walking towards him.

"Master Ling, my queen wants you to come over for a moment." The maid said in a low voice.

"Your queen?" Qian Mingduo asked, "Who is your queen?"

"My Lord," the maid looked around and whispered, "My queen is Zheng Dan, the Concubine Zheng."

The "hazy beauty" of last night suddenly flashed through Qian Mingduo's mind.

"What does your mother want from me?"

"I don't know." The maid lowered her head.

"There is one thing I don't know, I hope you can teach me?" Qian Mingduo knew from history books that from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Pre-Qin and Western Han Dynasty, although there were a few eunuchs in the palace, most of the people serving the palace were normal people. It was not until the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty that all the people in the palace were replaced by eunuchs. However, Qian Mingduo was not sure whether the historical records were correct, so he needed to confirm with this palace maid.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I wonder what you are asking?"

"Although the ladies in this palace are not all served by eunuchs, but...can I enter and leave the ladies' quarters at will?"

"This..." The maid looked up at Qian Mingduo and said, "I heard from the queen that Lord Ling has just entered the palace to serve. It seems that Lord Ling has not understood the affairs of the palace."

"What do you mean?"

"The eunuchs in the palace mainly serve the Queen Mother, the King, and the Queen. Although there are a few eunuchs in the residences of the ladies, they do not serve in person. The ladies still have servants like us to serve in person."

"So that's how it is." Qian Mingduo nodded. "Then can I come and go as I please?"

From Qian Mingduo's tone, the maid thought that Qian Mingduo was unwilling to go, but she didn't know that he really wanted to find out the situation in the palace.

"Of course, outsiders are not allowed to enter the majesties' residences at will, but you are the leader of the palace guards, and you are an inner minister. Although according to palace rules, you are not allowed to meet with concubines privately, but you went to the majesty's residence in broad daylight. So..."

The maid glanced at Qian Mingduo and said, "There is no such thing as a private meeting."

"Then...it seems I have to go there?"

"Please come in, sir," the maid bowed sideways.

"Please lead the way, young lady. I don't know where your mother lives." Qian Mingduo put his hands in his pockets and looked around.

Compared with Xi Shi's Guanwa Palace, Zheng Dan's residence was obviously much inferior.

There are two slightly mottled palace gates, and there is no plaque on them. It seems that Zheng Dan lives in a residence without a name.

Qian Mingduo looked at the screen wall without any paintings or words. After the maid gently closed the palace gate, he followed her into the palace.

A large square courtyard with no corridors, no perfumed stream, no scented path...only a palace which still has no plaque.

"Please wait outside the hall, sir." The maid lifted the veil and walked slowly into the hall.

Qian Mingduo stood on the high stone steps and looked back at the empty yard. The whole yard was paved with bluestone, with no flowers or grass, except for a lush but short locust tree in a corner.

"It seems that Lady Zheng, whose beauty is no less than Xi Shi, is not as favored as Xi Shi!" Qian Mingduo sighed in his heart.

"Sir," the maid quietly walked behind Qian Mingduo and said softly, "The Queen wants to see you."

The maid in the hall lifted the veil, and Qian Mingduo stepped over the high threshold. The floor was still paved with bluestone, and because it was often wiped, each bluestone looked smooth and shiny.

"Sir," the maid at the palace door said softly, "Please take off your shoes."

"What?" Qian Mingduo asked in confusion.

"Anyone who enters the Queen's palace," the maid bowed her head, "must take off their shoes before entering, and the king is also subject to this."

"Empress Zheng has such rules," Qian Mingduo muttered.

Qian Mingduo wore ancient official boots with very thin shafts. He had to work very hard to put on and take off the boots.

After standing for a long time and failing to take off his official boots, Qian Mingduo turned around to take a look. He sat down on the high threshold, holding the boots with both hands, and tried hard to take them off.

At the moment when the boot left his foot, he was caught off guard and lost his balance due to excessive force. With a "thump", he fell outside the threshold.

The maids inside and outside the palace couldn't help laughing and covered their mouths.

Qian Mingduo angrily threw the official boots in his hand to the ground, looked at the maids, sighed, and sat on the doorstep again, preparing to take off the other official boots.

"Stop laughing, help Master Ling take off his boots." A gentle voice came from the window. Qian Mingduo vaguely saw a figure leaning on the beauty chair behind the gauze curtain, and he also heard that the voice was also trying to hold back a smile.

Several maids forcibly helped Qian Mingduo, who was sitting on the threshold outside the hall, into the hall and forced him to sit on the threshold again.

Several people hurriedly lifted his feet and prepared to help him take off his boots. At this time, the maid who had just called Qian Mingduo at the palace gate came behind her, knelt on her knees, and hugged Qian Mingduo in her arms.

"I'm holding you, so you won't fall hard again this time." She said with a smile in Qian Mingduo's ear.

After another round of laughter, a maid took Qian Mingduo's official boots out of the hall and placed them neatly under the threshold together with his own official boots.

Looking at the people who were laughing, Qian Mingduo followed their gaze and looked at his feet. The big toe of his right foot was exposed outside the socks.

"No wonder they made fun of me again." Qian Mingduo ignored them. He turned around and looked at the maid who had just hugged him.

Since the official boots were indeed difficult to take off, during the repeated pulling, Qian Mingduo's back felt the firmness and softness of the maid's chest again and again.