The Second World in Ancient Times

After experiencing the Empress and Imperial Concubine's attempts to win me over and harass me, I knew more clearly that I had to remain clear-headed amidst the whirlpool of palace infighting. I called Wanqing to my side and said solemnly, "Wanqing, I've made up my mind. No matter how the Empress and Imperial Concubine threaten and bribe me, I will remain neutral and must not get involved in their disputes."

Wanqing looked at me worriedly: "Siqing, this is not easy. They are so powerful, and we will get into trouble if we are not careful."

I held her hand. "I know, but this is our only way to survive. We can't become pawns in their fight, or we'll be doomed."

That day, I was checking the costumes prepared by the palace maids for the banquet when the nanny beside the Queen Mother came.

The nanny said with a forced smile, "Lady of the Imperial Court, the Empress has invited you over again. You are truly blessed."

My heart tightened, but I still smiled and replied, "Mammy, please lead the way."

When I arrived at the Empress's place, she was discussing matters with several of her trusted ladies-in-waiting. Seeing me, she smiled and said, "Si Qing, you're here. I've recently come up with some interesting ideas, and I need someone as smart as you to help me."

I knelt and saluted: "Your Majesty, I don't know what this is about. But if it involves a palace struggle, please forgive me for not being able to obey your order."

The Empress's face darkened. "Si Qing, you're not giving me face? Do you think you can get away with it?"

I raised my head and looked at the Empress. "Your Majesty, that is not my intention. I simply do not want to see the palace in chaos due to fighting, and the Emperor also hopes that we can maintain peace. I only want to do my job well and serve the court."

The Empress stared at me for a moment, then smiled. "Hmph, you're quite good at talking. Well, I don't want to force you, but you'd better not stand on the wrong side."

A few days after I left the Empress's office, the Imperial Concubine sent someone to look for me again. This time, it was a maidservant beside the Imperial Concubine, who said arrogantly, "Si Qing, the Imperial Concubine wants you to come right now, so don't delay."

I followed the palace maid to the imperial concubine's palace. The imperial concubine was sitting on the couch, looking at me with unfriendly eyes.

"Si Qing, you are so brave. How dare you refuse me? Do you think the queen can protect you?" The imperial concubine said coldly.

I replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I don't rely on anyone. I simply don't want to get involved in a fight. I don't want to offend either the Empress or the Imperial Concubine. I just want to live a peaceful and stable life in the palace."

The imperial concubine sneered, "You wish. In this palace, if you don't choose a side, you will be the enemy of everyone."

I quickly said, "Your Majesty, I dare not. I will do my best to serve the palace. Whether you or the Empress need anything, as long as it does not involve fighting, I will help."

The imperial concubine snorted, "I hope you can keep your word, otherwise you will be in trouble."

I became more cautious in handling palace affairs, carefully considering every decision and every arrangement, fearing that I might leave room for suspicion.

Once, when I was arranging the palace cleaning for the maids, I specifically reminded them: "Sisters, we must do our work very carefully and not make any mistakes. Especially those places that are easily exploited, such as the palaces where the Empress and the Imperial Concubine often pass through, we must be especially careful."

A maid asked, "Sister Siqing, why are you so cautious? Can't we just clean normally?"

I shook my head. "The situation in the palace is complicated right now. We can't give anyone with ulterior motives an opportunity to take advantage of us. If we get dragged into a fight because of a small mistake on our part, it would be troublesome."

I was also meticulous when checking the purchase list. I told the eunuch in charge of purchasing, "Sir, the quantity and quality of these items must be strictly controlled. There must be no problems. If there are any abnormalities, please let me know immediately."

The eunuch nodded and said, "Don't worry, Madam, we will be careful."

One day, I noticed something strange about the meal prepared for the Empress. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the ingredients in one dish appeared to have been tampered with. I was horrified. If the Empress ate this, something terrible would happen.

I didn't say anything, but quietly called the imperial chef in charge of the meal over and said, "Master Li, take a look at this dish. Is there something wrong with it?"

Master Li took a look and his expression changed drastically: "Madam, this... this is not the ingredient we prepared. Someone has replaced it."

I quickly said, "Master Li, don't panic. We have to find a way to solve this problem without letting the Empress know."

We prepared a new meal, and I kept the replaced ingredients as evidence. I knew this might have been done by someone from the Imperial Concubine's side, and I needed to find the right opportunity to let them know I wasn't someone to be trifled with, but I couldn't make a big deal out of it, lest it cause a bigger dispute.

Besides dealing with the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, I was also extremely careful when interacting with the other concubines. One concubine was quite straightforward. She asked me, "Si Qing, why have you been avoiding us lately? Is there something on your mind?"

I smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am not hiding from you. It's just that the palace is not peaceful right now, and I don't want to cause you any trouble."

The concubine nodded and said, "I know that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine are fighting fiercely right now, and it's not easy for you to be caught in the middle. If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. Although I don't have much power, I can still help you with some advice."

I said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will be careful."

In the palace, there were always people who wanted to use me to achieve their own goals. Once, a young maid said to me mysteriously, "Sister Siqing, I've heard a secret. Someone is trying to poison the Empress's tea. Go and tell the Empress."

I looked at the little maid, my mind aroused with suspicion: "Where did you hear this news? Why did you tell me?"

The little maid was a little flustered: "I... I heard it by chance. I think you are a good person, so I told you."

I didn't trust her easily, but instead secretly investigated. It turned out to be a trap. If I had told the Empress, I would have been falsely accused of being the mastermind behind the poisoning. I summoned the young palace maid and sternly asked, "Why are you framing me? Who ordered you to do this?"

The little maid was so frightened that she knelt down and begged for mercy: "Sister, I was wrong. A eunuch asked me to do this. He said that if I could drag you into this, he would give me money."

I knew that my every move in the palace would not only determine my own life and death, but could also affect my family. Once, I received a letter from home in which my parents urged me to be careful and not to get involved in palace infighting.

I read the letter, tears streaming down my face. I said to Wanqing, "Wanqing, I can't let my family worry about me. I must survive in this palace and not bring disaster to my family."

Wanqing comforted me, "Siqing, we'll be fine. As long as we're careful and don't let them take advantage of us, we'll be able to get through this."

Although the Empress and the Imperial Concubine no longer openly tried to win me over, their people would still make things difficult for me from time to time.

Once, a portion of the banquet decorations I was responsible for were vandalized. Instead of panicking, I calmly examined the scene. I found some suspicious footprints and traces, and following these clues, I found the maids responsible.

I called them aside and asked, "Why are you doing this? You know it's against palace rules."

A maid said, "We are just following orders. Don't blame us."

I looked at them and said, "I know you have no choice, but if you do this, you will not only hurt me, but also yourselves. If you can tell me who ordered you to do this, I can forgive you."

The maids hesitated for a moment, then told me that it was a lady-in-waiting from the Empress's household who had instigated this. Instead of going directly to that lady-in-waiting, I subtly disclosed the matter to the Empress, allowing her to handle it herself. This resolved the issue without offending her.

At a palace banquet, various factions gathered. I was in charge of the logistics of the banquet, and I was walking on thin ice.

I said to the palace maids and eunuchs, "Everyone, be alert. Nothing can go wrong during the banquet. Especially the supply of wine and food, we must ensure safety."

During the banquet, I kept a close eye on the surroundings. A eunuch accidentally spilled wine on a concubine's dress. I rushed over to deal with it. "Your Majesty, this servant is damned! We didn't arrange it properly. Please change your clothes first, and we'll take care of it for you right away."

The concubine was a little angry: "How do you do things? You are so careless."

While apologizing, I asked someone to take the concubine to change clothes, and at the same time checked whether there were similar problems in other places to avoid major conflicts caused by small mistakes.

I always maintain an impartial attitude when dealing with matters involving the Empress and the Imperial Concubine.

Once, the Empress and the Imperial Concubine simultaneously requested an increase in the supply of a certain rare flower, but the supply was limited. I didn't take sides, but explained, "Your Majesty, these flowers are scarce, and we can't currently meet both of your requests. I will arrange for someone to find more flowers as soon as possible. Please forgive me in the meantime."

The Queen said dissatisfiedly: "Si Qing, can't you satisfy me first?"

I replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has the same needs. If I take sides, it will cause unnecessary disputes. I hope Your Majesty can understand."

After hearing what I said, the imperial concubine was still a little unhappy, but she didn't make things difficult for me anymore.

Rumors were always rampant in the palace, and the rumors about me were growing. Some said I was two-faced, trying to play the game between the Empress and the Imperial Concubine.

After hearing these rumors, I didn't argue with them. I told Wanqing, "The more we explain, the more likely they will believe them. We just need to do our part, and over time, the rumors will naturally dispel themselves."

However, if some rumors were more influential, I would choose the right person to clarify them. For example, I would find a very prestigious old maid in the palace, tell her the truth, and ask her to speak on my behalf at the appropriate time. This effectively curbed the spread of rumors.

I am well aware that the palace has its own rules, and I will use them to protect myself. When faced with unreasonable requests and challenges, I will respond by citing the palace's regulations.

Once, a maidservant of the imperial concubine asked me to give her special treatment, such as reducing her working hours.

I said to her, "Sister, the palace has its own rules, and we must abide by them. I cannot give you special treatment just because you are close to the Imperial Concubine. This would be unfair to the other palace maids and would also violate the rules."

The maid was a little angry: "Don't use the rules to pressure me. If you don't agree, I will tell the imperial concubine."

I smiled and said, "You can go tell the Imperial Concubine, but I believe that the Imperial Concubine is also a reasonable person and will not support your behavior that violates the rules."

Although I want to protect myself, I also don't want the palace to become chaotic due to fighting. I will do something to promote peace in the palace when the time is right.

For example, I organized the palace maids to make small ornaments in their free time and give them to the masters of various palaces. I told the maids, "We hope these small ornaments can bring good mood to the ladies and make the palace more harmonious."

When I gave the ornaments to the concubines, I would say, "Your Majesty, this is a small gift from us palace maids. We hope you will be happy every day. The peace of the palace needs everyone to maintain together."

The concubines were all very happy after receiving the ornaments, and the atmosphere in the palace was improved to a certain extent.

In this complex palace, I remain vigilant at all times. I know that the court struggle will not end just because of my neutrality, and I must continue to act with caution to protect myself and those I care about.

I told Wanqing, "We can't let up even a little bit. Every day is a battle. We must persevere until we find the peace that truly belongs to us."

Wanqing nodded firmly: "Yes, Siqing, let's go together."

I looked at the sky above the palace and prayed silently in my heart, hoping that this cruel palace struggle would end soon and allow the palace to return to its former peace.