The Second World in Ancient Times

That day, I was sorting out the follow-up materials for receiving foreign envoys when Wanqing came running over, looking a little flustered.

"Si Qing, have you heard? There is a new concubine in the palace. I heard that she is as beautiful as a fairy. She bewitched the king as soon as she entered the palace." Wanqing whispered to me.

I frowned slightly. "Oh? So sudden. So who is this new concubine?"

Wanqing shook her head. "I'm not quite sure yet, but judging from the situation, it's not simple. It's all spreading around the palace now, and everyone is speculating about her background."

I put down the documents in my hand and said, "It seems that the palace will be in turmoil again. We must be careful."

A few days later, the new concubine appeared in the palace. I ran into her by chance in the garden, surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs. It was quite a grand occasion.

I bowed to her along with the surrounding maids: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The new concubine said in a gentle voice: "Everyone, stand up. Are you Si Qing? I have heard of you. You performed well when receiving foreign envoys."

I replied respectfully, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. This is all my duty."

The new concubine smiled slightly: "Hmph, it's my job? You need to have the ability to do that. Unlike some people who just spend their days in the palace." Her eyes swept over the several palace maids around her, and those palace maids lowered their heads in fear.

I was startled. This new concubine seemed kind, but her words were sharp.

Afterwards, I went to see Lady Zhao, with whom I had always had a good relationship. Unexpectedly, her attitude was rather cold.

"Sister Zhao, what's wrong with you? Why do I feel like you are a little distant from me?" I asked in confusion.

Zhao, the female official, glanced at me and said, "Si Qing, it's not that I want to alienate you, but the situation has changed. That new concubine is favored, and the family behind her is very powerful. We all have to be careful."

I was a little angry: "Sister Zhao, are you going to ignore our friendship just because of this?"

Ms. Zhao sighed: "Si Qing, in this palace, friendship is sometimes the least valuable. You'd better take care of yourself." After saying that, she turned and left, leaving me alone in a daze.

I decided to find out the family power behind this new concubine. I found an old eunuch in the Imperial Household Department who was well-informed.

"Eunuch, do you know which family the new concubine belongs to?" I handed him a purse with some silver in it.

The old eunuch accepted the purse and said with a smile, "Si Qing, the new concubine is the daughter of the Prime Minister's family, Su Wanrou. You know the influence of the Prime Minister in the court. Now that Su Wanrou is favored, the Prime Minister's family will be even more powerful."

I was shocked. Prime Minister's Mansion? No wonder it was so grand.

During the preparation for a palace banquet, I had a conflict with Su Wanrou's maid.

I was directing the maids to set up the banquet venue when Su Wanrou's maid Cui'er came over and said arrogantly, "You haven't decorated it well here. Our queen likes more flowers. There are too few flowers here."

I explained, "This is arranged according to the overall style of the banquet and cannot be changed at will. Besides, the other ladies have their own preferences, so we have to take them into consideration."

Cui Er was unyielding: "Humph, our queen is the most favored now, so of course we have to follow her preferences."

I was also a little angry: "This is a palace banquet, not your Prime Minister's family banquet, not everything can be done according to your wishes."

Cui Er snorted and turned away: "Wait, I'll go tell the Queen."

Not long after, Su Wanrou arrived. She looked at me gloomily, "Si Qing, I heard you disobeyed my orders? You're so bold."

I knelt and saluted: "Your Majesty, I arranged the banquet according to the palace rules and the overall plan. I cannot disrupt the overall harmony because of one person's preference."

Su Wanrou sneered: "Rules? I am the rule now. If you don't do as I say, watch out for your head."

I was furious, but I managed to hold it back: "My Lady, please don't embarrass me."

At this time, several other concubines also came and saw this scene, watching from the side.

One of the concubines stood up and said, "Sister Su, there are always rules for the arrangement of this banquet, and Si Qing also follows the rules. Please don't make things difficult for her."

Su Wanrou glanced at the concubine and said, "Sister, are you speaking for her? Sister, don't forget that the king loves me the most now."

The concubine's face was a little grim, but she still said: "Even if my sister is favored, she can't break the rules."

Su Wanrou snorted: "Humph, rules are made by people and can be changed. Today's banquet must be arranged according to my wishes."

The other concubines were angry but dared not speak out. I knew that the current situation was not favorable to me.

After the banquet, I went to see the Queen, hoping to get her support.

"Your Majesty, today Your Majesty Su Wanrou has given me a hard time with the banquet arrangements. Please help me." I knelt in front of the Queen.

The Empress looked dignified. "Si Qing, I know you've been wronged. But Su Wanrou is in favor now, so we can't act rashly. Don't get into a conflict with her for now. I'll find a way."

I thanked the Queen: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will be careful."

As Su Wanrou gained favor, the power dynamics within the palace began to reshuffle. Some officials, palace maids, and eunuchs who had previously relied on other concubines began to move closer to the Prime Minister's Mansion.

I saw many familiar faces in the palace, all of them surrounding Su Wanrou. I felt sad that the palace was changing so fast.

I said to Wanqing, "Wanqing, look at the current situation. We really need to be more careful. We can't let this force get to our heads."

Wanqing nodded: "Yes, Siqing, we must stick to our own heart and not get involved in their fight."

The head of the Imperial Household Department came to me and said, "Si Qing, due to changes in the palace situation, I have a new mission for you. The palace is hosting a marriage banquet with the surrounding tribes. This mission is very important, and you must ensure that it goes smoothly."

My heart sank. It was easy to imagine how difficult it would be to hold a marriage banquet under such circumstances.

"Master Steward, I will do my best. But as for Empress Su Wanrou now..." I said with some concern.

The steward frowned. "Don't worry about her. Just do your job. If anything goes wrong, no one can protect you."

I began to prepare for the marriage banquet, starting with the venue arrangement.

I told the palace maids, "This marriage banquet should reflect the friendship between our country and the surrounding tribes. We can use more colors that symbolize peace, such as white and green. The decorations should also incorporate elements of the two cultures."

The palace maids nodded and began to get busy.

I went to the head chef again and said, "Master Li, the dishes for this banquet should take into account the tastes of the surrounding tribes. They like to eat meat and dairy products, so we need to prepare some special barbecue and dairy dishes."

Master Li replied, "Don't worry, Madam, we will prepare it. However, we still need to research the production methods of some dairy products."

When preparing for the performance, I discussed it with the officials in charge of the performance.

"This performance should show the integration of our country's culture with that of the surrounding tribes. We can arrange some fusion programs of tribal dances and our country's court dances, as well as music ensembles of the two countries," I said.

The official raised the question: "Lady, the style of tribal dance is very different from our court dance, and it may be difficult to integrate them."

I thought for a moment and said, "We can first let the dancers learn the basic moves and rhythms of tribal dance, and then gradually integrate them. We must create a harmonious and friendly atmosphere."

Just when we were busy preparing for the marriage banquet, Su Wanrou came to disrupt things again.

She sent someone to tell me, "Si Qing, I want to arrange a few programs for this marriage banquet. You can't refuse."

I said helplessly: "My Lady, the banquet program has been carefully arranged and cannot be added at will, otherwise it will affect the overall effect."

Su Wanrou's maid replied, "Hmph, you dare not listen to our queen? Just wait and see."

I knew I couldn't let Su Wanrou ruin the marriage banquet. I went to find the Queen again.

"Empress, Empress Su Wanrou wants to forcibly add programs to the marriage banquet, which will affect the progress of the banquet." I said anxiously.

The Empress thought for a moment and said, "Si Qing, don't panic. I will talk to her and we can't let her do anything reckless. This marriage banquet is related to state affairs and we can't let anything go wrong."

Amidst the turmoil at the palace, I felt immense pressure. But I knew I couldn't retreat. I had to uphold my duties, ensure the success of the marriage banquet, find my place in this complex situation, and not be consumed by these unwarranted struggles. I said to myself, "Si Qing, you can do this. For the palace, for the country, you must face it bravely."