The Second World in Ancient Times

Before daybreak, I was woken by my roommate and hurriedly dressed, sleepily. The mornings in the palace were like clockwork, forbidding even the slightest slack.

"Si Qing, hurry up. If you delay the master's washing, we will all be in trouble." The palace maid in the same room urged.

"I understand." I answered as I fixed my hair accessories and walked quickly to the room where the toiletries were stored.

I fetched water, prepared towels, and laid out the toiletries—each step I mentally reviewed several times. This seemingly simple task required no sloppiness. The water temperature, the softness of the towels, the slightest error, and the master's wrath would spell disaster.

"Oh, isn't this Si Qing? Newcomers are the ones who take things seriously." An old palace maid walked over and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Sister, you're joking. I'm new here and I'm afraid of making mistakes. I still need to learn more from you sisters." I quickly replied with a smile.

"Hmph, don't just talk nicely. In this palace, you have to put your heart into doing things. It's not enough to just rely on sweet words." The old palace maid rolled her eyes at me and turned away.

I took a deep breath, told myself not to take it seriously, and continued with the work in my hands.

After helping the master wash up, it was time to serve tea and water. I followed an experienced palace maid to the tea room and watched her expertly brew tea.

"Si Qing, brewing tea is a science. The water temperature, amount of tea leaves, and steeping time all need to be tailored to the master's preferences. Remember, for example, the Empress likes to drink Biluochun. The water temperature should be around 80 degrees Celsius, and the tea should be steeped for two and a half minutes for the tea to have the right aroma."

"Thank you for your guidance, sister. I will definitely remember it." I watched her every move carefully, as if I was learning a profound martial arts secret book.

My heart was in my throat as I walked towards the Empress's palace, carrying the tea tray. I had to take each step steadily, without letting the tea slosh even a little.

"Greetings, Her Majesty, please have some tea." I knelt on the ground, raised the tea tray above my head, lowered my head, and did not dare to make any unnecessary movements.

"Well, get up." The Queen's voice came.

I slowly stood up and stepped aside, keeping my eyes on the ground but my ears alert to any movements around me.

In this palace, interpersonal relationships are like a complicated web, and if you are not careful, you will be entangled.

Once, I was pruning flowers in the garden and heard two palace maids whispering.

"Look at that Si Qing, he's been putting on airs all day. I don't know what tricks he used, but he's already so popular with the maids just after arriving."

"That's right, I've disliked her for a long time, and I have to find an opportunity to teach her a lesson."

I was shocked. I hadn't expected to become someone's thorn in my side. I continued to prune the branches calmly, but in my mind I was thinking about how to respond.

At this time, Ling'er came over, and she seemed to have heard what the two palace maids said.

"Sister Si Qing, ignore them. They are just jealous of you."

"Ling'er, I know, but we can't make enemies easily in this palace." I sighed helplessly.

"Sister, what should we do?" Ling'er looked at me worriedly.

"Let's do our own thing first and try to avoid them. If they insist on causing trouble, we can't be afraid." I clenched the scissors in my hand, and a hint of determination flashed in my eyes.

The hierarchy in this palace is as strict as a mountain, making it hard to breathe.

Once, I accidentally bumped into a palace maid of higher rank than me in the corridor.

"Are you blind? Why don't you watch when you walk?" she cursed.

"I'm sorry, sister, I didn't mean it." I quickly knelt down and apologized.

"Humph, is that all you need to say sorry? Do you know how precious my clothes are? If they get dirty, can you afford to pay for it?" She was relentless.

I lowered my head, not daring to say a word, tears welling up in my eyes. I knew that any excuses at this moment would only make the situation worse.

"Forget it, I'll let you off this time. If you do this again next time, you'll be in trouble!" She shook her sleeves and walked away arrogantly.

I stood up and wiped my tears, feeling aggrieved. But I told myself I couldn't give up just because of this little grievance, as I still had my family's mission to fulfill.

Every night we had to learn the court's code of conduct, which was more tiring than working during the day.

"Si Qing, look at the way you salute. Raise your arm a little higher and look more humble." The nanny in charge of teaching pointed out my mistake sternly.

I practiced repeatedly according to Madam's instructions, and my arms became so sore that I couldn't lift them anymore.

"Sister, I'm so tired. It seems like I can't learn anything at all." A little palace maid next to me complained to me.

"Hold on a little longer. We must learn, otherwise we won't be able to survive in this palace." I encouraged her.

At this time, Cui Er came over and said with a smug look on her face: "Oh, some people are just stupid. They can't even learn such simple movements. It's better for them to go home early."

"Cui'er, don't go too far!" Ling'er couldn't help but speak for me.

"I'm going too far? I'm just telling the truth." Cui'er snorted and turned away.

I grabbed the angry Ling'er and said, "Don't bother with her. Let's continue practicing."

While serving at a banquet, I encountered a big trouble.

At the banquet, with singing and dancing, I was in charge of refilling the wine bottles for the ministers and dignitaries. Suddenly, a drunk minister bumped into me, and I almost dropped the wine jug in my hand.

"What's wrong with you, little girl? Don't you have eyes?" the minister cursed drunkenly.

I knelt down quickly and said, "Please forgive me, sir. It was my fault for not being careful."

At that moment, all eyes were on me. My heart was pounding, and my palms were sweating with nervousness. If I didn't handle this well, not only would I be punished, but my family might also be implicated.

"Sir, please calm down. This little girl is new and doesn't know anything. You are a magnanimous person, so please don't bother with her." A kind eunuch came to my rescue.

"Hmph, forget it this time. Be more careful next time!" The minister waved his hand.

I breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the eunuch with gratitude, and secretly felt lucky that I had escaped danger.

Serving the master is the most daunting thing in palace life, because you never know when the master will suddenly get angry.

One day, the Queen Mother seemed to be in a bad mood, and I brought her tea as usual.

"Why is the tea so weak? Have you been lazy?" the Queen asked with a frown.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I will make you another cup." I knelt down hurriedly and replied.

"No need, please leave." The Queen waved her hand impatiently.

I retreated trembling, feeling aggrieved. I had clearly brewed the tea according to the standard, but what could I do about my master's capricious mood?

When I got back to my place, I couldn't help but confide in Ling'er, "Ling'er, I feel like no matter what I do, it's not right. It's really hard."

"Sister, don't be discouraged. We will slowly understand the master's temper." Ling'er comforted me.

In this palace, it seems like eyes are staring at you everywhere.

I found that no matter where I went, someone was secretly observing my actions. Once, I whispered a few words to Ling'er in a corner, and not long after, a palace maid came to ask us what we had said indirectly.

"Si Qing, what are you and Ling'er whispering about there? Is there some secret that you cannot tell anyone?" asked a palace maid.

"Nothing, just chatting for a while, don't take it too seriously, sister." I replied with a smile.

"Hmph, that's better. Don't do any tricks in the palace, otherwise you will be in trouble." The palace maid warned me and left.

I realized that we have no privacy here and must be more careful.

The people in the palace come from all over the world, each with different personalities and backgrounds, and getting along with them is also a science.

There was an old eunuch who had been in the palace for many years. He was knowledgeable and was happy to tell us newcomers some stories about the palace's past.

"Little girl, do you know? This palace seems calm, but in fact there are undercurrents. You newcomers have to be smart." The old eunuch said to me earnestly.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will definitely keep it in mind." I replied respectfully.

There are also some new palace maids like me, and we are growing up slowly with mutual support.

"Si Qing, the nanny scolded me today. I'm so sad." A new palace maid cried to me.

"It's okay, we all make mistakes. Just be more careful next time. We have to encourage each other to survive in this palace." I comforted her.

Although palace life was full of hardships and dangers, I never gave up trying to fit in.

Every day, I carefully observed the behavior of the experienced palace maids and eunuchs, learning how they handled various situations. I also tried to memorize the preferences and taboos of each master, striving to avoid mistakes when serving them.

"Sister, you have become more and more skilled recently. I believe we can survive well in the palace." Ling'er said to me with a smile.

"Well, let's work together. I must gain a firm foothold in this palace and complete the mission entrusted to me by my family." I looked into the distance, my eyes full of determination.

Food distribution in the palace was also a troublesome matter and often caused unrest.

Once, the palace maid in charge of distributing food deliberately gave us less.

"What's going on? Why do we have so little food?" the palace maid in our group asked dissatisfiedly.

"That's all. Eat it if you like." The palace maid distributing the food replied arrogantly.

"You can't do this. We work so hard every day, and this little food is not enough." I couldn't help but say.

"Hmph, so what? If you have the guts, go talk to Madam." She looked at us provocatively.

Meanwhile, some of the other maids in the other groups were watching the show from the sidelines, while others were whispering about it. I knew that if this got out of hand, it would be bad for us.

"Forget it, let's eat first and don't bother with her." I said to the palace maids in the same group.

Although everyone was reluctant, they had no choice but to swallow their anger. After all, in this palace, less trouble is worse than more.

When there are palace festivals and celebrations, we are even busier.

They have to decorate the palace, prepare celebration supplies, help the masters change clothes, etc.

"Si Qing, go hang up those colorful lanterns. Make sure they are neatly and beautifully hung." The palace maid in charge of the celebration arrangements directed me.

I climbed up the ladder and carefully hung the lights. This was no easy task, as I had to pay attention to both safety and the effect.

"Be careful. If you fall and break something, don't blame me for not warning you." The palace maid below shouted.

"Got it." I replied while concentrating on my work.

When the celebration began, looking at the magnificent palace and the happy crowd, I felt a little relieved in my heart, after all, I also contributed to it.

Rumors in the palace spread as fast as they could.

For a while, rumors about me suddenly increased. Some said I was a spy sent by the family, some said I seduced the master, and all kinds of rumors made me very upset.

"Sister, don't listen to those rumors, they are all nonsense." Ling'er said angrily.

"I know, but these rumors will affect my reputation in the palace. I have to find a way to clarify them." I said with a frown.

I decided to keep a low profile and use my actions to prove the rumors were false. I worked harder and treated my master with even greater respect, hoping to gradually eliminate the negative influence.

Sometimes, we also have to participate in palace patrol missions, which is a really scary job in the palace at night.

In the dark corridor, only the lanterns in our hands emitted a faint light.

"You guys, keep your eyes open. If you see anything unusual, report it immediately." The eunuch leading the team said in a low voice.

I clutched the lantern tightly, my heart pounding. The palace at night always evoked a sense of mystery and eeriness, as if unknown dangers lurked around every corner.

Suddenly, there was a slight noise ahead and we all became nervous.

"Who?" the leading eunuch shouted.

After a while, a cat darted out from the corner, and we all breathed a sigh of relief. But this false alarm also made me realize that in this palace, any small movement could cause a big panic.

In this cautious palace life, I often feel lost. I don't know how much longer I can hold on, nor do I know what the future holds.

But whenever I think of my family and the expectant eyes of my parents and younger brother, I am filled with hope again.

"I can't give up. I must find useful information for my family in this palace and protect the safety of my family." I said to myself silently in my heart.