Chapter 1

Chapter 1

God only knows how much effort I put in to become a first-rank senior maid.

Old Madam loved vegetarian temple fare, so I stayed up through the night for four whole months learning how to make it.

Old Madam wanted to hear a parrot mimic human speech, so every day I carried it outside and taught it to talk. In the end, both the parrot and I had memorized the Heart Sutra.

Old Madam thought the newly married Young Madam had too much of a temper, so I ran back and forth smoothing things over between them until my legs were about to wear thin. Only after all that was I finally promoted to first rank.

Yiyu, who had entered the manor at the same time as I had, pointed at me in front of everyone and said, “Just look at this little minx. She can’t even eat a meal without embroidering a handkerchief for Old Madam. I bet she even dreams about currying favor with her masters at night!”

She had always been this willful. We knew each other too well and were used to fooling around, so I only smiled and went on with what I was doing.

Instead, Donggui, the other first-rank maid and a little older than us, spoke up for me. “Go on, be jealous all you like. You think currying favor with the masters is easy?”

Donggui came over to watch me embroider, then continued,

“Take embroidering handkerchiefs, for instance. All of you only fight over the big pieces, thinking those are the ones that stand out. What you don’t know is that, year in and year out, the things Old Madam uses most are these small items right in front of her.

“Once Old Madam uses one, she’ll remark that it’s Nianfeng’s work. And just like that, hasn’t Nianfeng walked ahead of the rest of you?”

Yiyu came over too and, without another word, snatched the handkerchief from my hands. She laughed and said, “Then today I’ll embroider a handkerchief too, so Old Madam can mention me for once.”

I shook my head helplessly and simply set my work aside to eat.

Seeing that I was in low spirits, Yiyu said to me, “Don’t go all silent on me. You know I’m only teasing you.”

I turned my head and looked around. Afraid there were too many ears nearby, I only gave her a meaningful glance.

Yiyu understood at once. She helped carry my bowl into the inner room, saying as she walked, “Lady Nianfeng, would it please you if I served you tea inside?”

Once we were inside and away from the others, I caught her hand and told her to stop fussing, then had her sit beside me.

“Nianfeng, you’ve been down for two or three days now. What’s the matter?”

I smoothed the stray hairs by my temples and said to Yiyu, “I just turned sixteen last month. Young Madam heard about it and said she wanted to find me a good family and send me off.”

Yiyu’s brows drew together, and her voice rose before she realized it. “You’re the one Old Madam can least bear to part with. Why is Young Madam in such a hurry to-”

I hurriedly shushed her, and only then did Yiyu lower her voice.

“What is Young Madam in such a hurry for? It’s not as though you have any thoughts of going to the Young General’s room.”

I shook my head. All I could do was sigh.

Seeing this, Yiyu had no choice but to comfort me. “You’ll have to speak to Old Madam about it more. Beg her to keep you. Girls of our background only get a few easy years in a manor like this. Once we’re married off, who knows what kind of life awaits us?”

This was a topic that filled every young maid among us with worry whenever it came up.

Back when Old Madam chose me and brought me into the manor, she had gone to Huai’an Temple as a great benefactor making donations. I was a wretched child begging outside the temple with my mother.

It was only because I gave all the congee and rice the monks brought out to my mother that Old Madam noticed me. She then sent someone to lead me over so she could speak to me.

At the time, she asked me why I would not eat when I was already starved down to skin and bones.

Flustered, I clutched the tattered corner of my clothes, lowered my head, and answered softly, “My mother is still carrying my little brother. I’m afraid if she doesn’t eat well, my little brother will go hungry too…”

I had not expected Old Madam to invite me so kindly to sit beside her.

She bent down and asked me again, “How do you know the child your mother is carrying is a little brother?”

I bit my lip and answered, “My father said that if she can’t give birth to a son, he’ll make my mother keep giving birth. Her health is already terribly weak. I-I’m afraid she…”

Back then, I could not hold it in. Tears came pouring down. Mixed with the dust on my face, they ran in muddy streaks.

Including me, there were already four daughters in our family. I was afraid that if my mother gave birth again, she would lose her life.

Seeing this, Old Madam quickly took out her handkerchief and wiped my tears for me.

I instinctively shrank back and said, “I wouldn’t dare, Old Madam. Please don’t dirty your things.”

She smiled kindly, drew me over, and carefully wiped my face. Then she said, “Then in the future, you can embroider a few more handkerchiefs and repay me. Wouldn’t that do?”

I froze for a long moment. In the end, it was a young guard accompanying her who could not help speaking up.

That young guard had fair, rosy skin and bright eyes. Even when he was not smiling, sweet little dimples showed at the corners of his mouth. “Old Madam means to take you back to the manor. Aren’t you going to thank Old Madam for her grace?”

That young guard must have been following the Young General. He had just been speaking to me with such eager excitement when the Young General sternly stopped him. “Get back! In front of Old Madam, who allowed a servant like you to run your mouth?”

Even beneath the open sky and drifting clouds, even on temple grounds devoted to the Buddha, nothing could suppress the hostility clinging to the Young General.

He glanced at me indifferently, so faintly there was no emotion in it at all, as though he were looking at a cat or a dog.

So later, I respected him, feared him, obeyed him, and yielded to him-but the one thing I did not do was love him.

Unfortunately, Young Madam did not think so.

She believed he was the most valiant and unparalleled young talent in the world, and that any woman would surely admire him.