The Second World in Ancient Times

The rules of the palace are like a dense web, binding each of us tightly within it. As soon as I stepped into this hall of learning rules, I was shocked by its complexity.

"Listen up, everyone!" The stern voice of the teaching nanny echoed in the room. "In the palace, if you salute incorrectly, it is a great disrespect to the master."

The other new palace maids and I stood at attention, not daring to blink. The nanny began demonstrating different etiquettes for different occasions, saying, "When meeting the Empress, you should perform the kowtow ceremony, touching your forehead to the ground for three seconds. Your movements should be steady, without the slightest movement. When meeting ordinary concubines, you can simply perform the dunshou ceremony, but don't be careless."

I watched the nanny's movements and memorized them silently in my mind, but when I really did it myself, I still encountered many problems.

"Si Qing! Look at the way you bow your head. Your forehead touches the ground so hard. Are you trying to disturb the Empress?" The nanny's scolding voice came.

I quickly knelt down and apologized: "Mammy, I know I was wrong. I will practice again."

A palace maid next to me whispered, "You're so stupid. You can't even learn something so simple." I gritted my teeth and secretly vowed to learn it.

When I learned about the dress code requirements, I realized how many tricks there are involved.

"Palace attire has different color and pattern regulations for different ranks of masters, and you palace maids can't wear anything you please," the aunt in charge of clothing said, holding up a palace maid's uniform. "The material, color, and pattern of this clothing are all very particular. You've been in the palace for so long, don't forget this."

Once, I wore the wrong color belt in a hurry and an old palace maid pointed it out to me.

"Si Qing, the color of your belt is wrong. It's taboo. If the master sees you like this, you'll be in trouble." The old palace maid kindly reminded me.

I looked down and immediately felt annoyed: "Sister, I'm so confused. I'll go change it now."

After changing my clothes, I found the old palace maid and asked her for advice: "Sister, this costume is too complicated to wear. I always can't remember it. Do you have any good suggestions?"

The old palace maid smiled and said, "You, after getting up every day, recite the dress regulations in your mind and pay more attention to them when you do things. After a long time, you will naturally remember them." I nodded gratefully.

The choice of words when serving the master is a big deal, and saying a wrong word may cause disaster.

Once, when I was serving tea to a concubine, I accidentally said, "Your Majesty, this tea is good for your health."

The imperial concubine frowned and said, "Humph, you little palace maid are really good at preaching. Do I really need you to tell me whether it's good for my health?"

I was so scared that I knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. That is not what I meant. I just hope that Your Majesty is in good health."

The imperial concubine snorted and said nothing more. I was shocked and broke out in a cold sweat. Afterwards, I consulted an experienced palace maid.

"You should be careful when speaking in front of your master. You can't use a didactic tone. You must use humble and respectful words. For example, 'Your Majesty, this tea is fragrant and sweet. I hope you will taste it.'" She told me patiently.

I kept it in mind and paid extra attention to my choice of words when serving my master in the future.

Even in the palace, there were strict regulations regarding eye contact. One couldn't look directly at their master for too long, as that was offensive; but neither could one always keep their head down, as that would appear unruly.

During a training session, Mammy checked our eyes when we were serving the master.

"Si Qing, your eyes are too wandering. The master will think you are absent-minded. Also, when you look at the master, you should lower your head slightly and look with awe." The nanny pointed out my problem.

"Mammy, I always can't find the right balance. What should I do?" I asked with some distress.

"Go back and practice in front of the mirror. Imagine that there is your master in the mirror and find that feeling." said the nanny.

I returned to my residence and practiced repeatedly in front of the mirror. Ling'er watched me and gave me advice from time to time.

"Sister, your eyesight is much better now. If you focus a little more, you will be more perfect." Ling'er said.

I kept adjusting it until it felt right.

While learning these rules, I was often punished for minor errors. Once, because I misplaced my hands slightly during a salute, Mammy made me stand in the scorching sun for an hour.

I felt like I was going to get a heat stroke, but I told myself I couldn't give up. Wanqing came to see me secretly and brought me some water.

"Si Qing, what's wrong with you? You're about to faint. How about I go and ask the nanny for help?" Wanqing said with concern.

I shook my head: "Wanqing, no need. This is my own fault. I must accept the punishment, and I must learn these rules well."

Another time, when I was learning a court dance, I messed up my steps and was hit on the palm of my hand with a ruler. My palm burned, but I held back my tears and continued practicing.

"Sister, you work so hard." said the little palace maid who practiced dancing with me.

"It's not hard. Only if we learn these well can we survive in the palace." I said firmly.

In order to better adapt to these rules, I often ask the old palace maids for advice.

There was an Aunt Lan who had been in the palace for many years and was familiar with the rules and regulations. I approached her and said respectfully, "Aunt Lan, I'm having a hard time learning palace etiquette and would like to ask for your advice."

Aunt Lan smiled and said, "You are a thoughtful little girl. If you have any questions, please tell me."

"Aunt, are there any special requirements for the costumes and etiquette of us palace maids in the palace banquets in different seasons?" I asked.

Aunt Lan patiently explained to me, "At spring banquets, elegant colors are often used, and accessories can be floral. When performing a salute, the movements should be more graceful, like the spring breeze blowing through willows. Meanwhile, at winter banquets, clothing should be thick and warm, but not lacking in aesthetics, and salutes can be a bit more solemn..."

I listened carefully, taking every detail into my mind.

Every day, I set aside a lot of time to practice these rules. In the morning, before daybreak, I would get up and practice the salute posture, facing the moonlight, repeating the movements over and over again until I was satisfied.

While cleaning the palace, I would also practice my eye contact and choice of words. If I met an old palace maid or eunuch passing by, I would try to greet them in an appropriate way and observe their reactions to improve myself.

Once, when I was practicing the etiquette of serving the master at a meal, I accidentally knocked over the simulated tableware.

"Si Qing, why are you so careless? If you act like this when you're actually serving your master, you're done." The maid who was practicing with me scolded me.

I quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I'll try again."

I didn't let these setbacks discourage me; instead, I practiced even harder.

In the process of learning the rules, there is both competition and mutual help among us palace maids.

Cui'er always goes against me. When she sees me being punished for making mistakes, she will sneer at me.

"Hey, Si Qing, aren't you very smart? Why do you always make mistakes? It seems you are not suitable to stay in the palace." Cui'er said sarcastically.

I ignored her, thinking that one day I would impress her.

Friends like Ling'er and Wanqing will help me when I'm in trouble. Once, when I was reciting the etiquette of a palace banquet, I couldn't remember it.

"Sister Siqing, you can compile the process into a mnemonic, which will make it much easier to remember." Ling'er said.

I followed her method and really memorized it quickly. I said to them gratefully, "It's great to have you. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would do."

Sometimes we encounter special situations in the palace that require us to apply the rules flexibly.

Once, a distinguished guest suddenly arrived at the palace without prior notice, and we palace maids had to prepare to receive him immediately.

"Everyone, don't panic. Prepare according to the etiquette for receiving the wife of a foreign official." said the maid in charge.

I quickly adjusted myself, recalling the details of the etiquette for receiving a foreign minister's wife. While serving, I was always mindful of my words and actions. Although nervous, I successfully completed the task.

Afterwards, the nanny said to us, "Your performance was pretty good, but there are still some shortcomings. For example, when serving the tea, your movements could have been a little more graceful. You must remember that no matter what the situation, you must never forget the rules."

I took Mama's words to heart and planned to do better next time.

In the process of learning these palace rules, I discovered that they contain rich cultural connotations.

An old maid, while explaining etiquette, said, "Our court etiquette is more than just a formality; it carries the history and culture of our dynasty. Every gesture and every word has its origin."

I asked curiously, "Mammy, what are the origins of these things?"

The maid smiled and said, "Take the kowtow ritual, for example. It expresses the highest respect for those in higher positions, and it's been passed down from our ancestors. It's a form of respect and heritage, and you should appreciate it with your heart."

After listening to Nanny’s words, I gained a deeper understanding of these rules and worked harder to learn.

Every time I make a mistake, I reflect on it carefully, find out where the problem lies, and then work hard to improve.

Once, when I was sorting clothes for the Queen, I didn't fold them in the prescribed order and was discovered by the senior palace maid beside the Queen.

"Si Qing, why are you so careless? How can you treat the Queen's clothes so casually?" The head maid scolded me.

I quickly knelt down and apologized: "Sister, it's my fault. I was distracted for a moment."

The Queen heard the noise and asked, "What's going on?"

The senior maid replied, "Your Majesty, Siqing is not organizing the clothes properly."

The Queen looked at me and said, "Be careful next time and don't make the same mistake again."

After thanking the Empress, I returned to my residence and carefully reflected on my mistake. Not only did I relearn the proper order for organizing clothes, but I also mentally reminded myself to focus on what I was doing and not make such a simple mistake again.

Occasionally, new rules are introduced in the palace, which brings new challenges to us.

Once, the emperor promulgated new banquet etiquette, adding some new dance moves and etiquette links.

"Everyone must learn the new rules as quickly as possible. There will be an important banquet soon, and we can't make any mistakes." The teaching nanny said seriously.

We started learning new dance moves that were more complex and difficult than the previous ones.

"Si Qing, I always have trouble turning around, how about you?" a palace maid asked me.

"I find it difficult too, but let's practice a few more times," I replied.

I worked hard with other palace maids, helped each other, and mastered the new rules little by little.

The rules of the palace also affected our interpersonal relationships. Because of the strict hierarchy, we had to follow the corresponding rules when interacting with people of different levels.

Once, I was working with a palace maid who was of a higher rank than me, and I accidentally spoke first, which violated the rules.

"Si Qing, do you understand the rules? You can't talk casually without my permission." She scolded me harshly.

I quickly apologized: "Sister, it was my fault. I won't do it again next time."

Since then, I have been more careful about my words and actions in front of different people to avoid offending others because of rules. At the same time, I also use rules to maintain my relationship with my friends. When someone bullies us, we will use the rules to defend ourselves.

After a long period of hard study and repeated practice, I became more and more proficient in mastering the court rules.

At a small palace gathering, I was in charge of serving tea. My gestures were perfect, my hands were elegant, my words were appropriate, and my eyes were perfectly angled.

An old maid saw this and nodded at me, "Si Qing, you've made great progress recently. It seems you've put in a lot of effort."

I replied respectfully, "Thank you for the compliment, Madam. I will continue to work hard."

Wanqing was also happy for me: "Siqing, you are awesome! All your hard work has paid off."

I was also very happy and felt that my hard work was not in vain. I finally found some ways to adapt to this ocean of palace rules.

Although I have gradually adapted to some of the palace rules, I know that this is far from enough. The palace is like a bottomless ocean, and the rules are just the tip of the iceberg.

"I can't be satisfied with my current achievements. There is still more for me to learn and adapt to." I said to myself.

I continued to work hard, holding myself to higher standards every day, whether it was more complex etiquette, more refined clothing requirements, or more subtle rules of speech and eye contact, I worked hard to master them. Because I knew that only in this way could I survive in this palace and fulfill the mission entrusted to me by my family.