Chapter 4

    Sisi was still not accustomed to being called Concubine Tong.

    Xiaoping and Minmin continued to call her by her usual title without using royal honorifics. However, Xiaoya addressed her with the formal Concubine Dong and used royal honorifics in every sentence, even though Sisi had told her it was fine to speak casually.

    Sisi looked at her three maids bustling about, cleaning the residence, and felt a pang of sympathy. She approached to grab a feather duster to help clean, but Xiaoya quickly intervened with a high-pitched shout,

    "Concubine Dong!"

    She snatched the feather duster from Sisi’s hands, exclaiming, "What are you doing, ma'am?"

    "Just cleaning."

    "You shouldn’t! You are a royal concubine, how can you do the work of a servant!"

    Sisi, looking at Xiaoya’s stern face, could not help but laugh.

    "I’ve done much more than this. You can ask Xiaoping."

    Xiaoping, sweeping the floor, nodded in agreement. Xiaoya looked even more bewildered.

    "Young one, I’ve traveled far and wide for over eight years, braving oceans, deserts, and grasslands. Trust me, dusting is hardly the hardest thing I’ve done."

    "Is that so?"

    Before Sisi could answer Xiaoya’s question, Minmin chimed in, "It's true! Our young lady used to have such fair and delicate skin, but look at her now; she’s all tanned from being exposed to the elements."

    The one accused of having dark skin merely glanced at her maid. She did not want to argue because what Minmin said was indeed true.

    That evening, after dinner, Sisi had someone call the head chef to her.

    The food delivered to her palace came from the third kitchen, which was not intended for the royal household but for the staff, as the Royal Kitchen was too far and the food would cool down by the time it arrived. Thus, she settled for the simpler fare from the third kitchen.

    The meals were basic because the third kitchen only received cheaper ingredients and could only make simple dishes.

    Sisi knew that Xiaoping and Minmin liked to gather information near the kitchens because many servants, eunuchs, and guards ate there. Wanting to make it easier for Xiaoping to access the kitchens, she decided to summon the Head Chef, Zhou.

    When Chef Zhou arrived, her usually flushed, plump face was pale as dough, fearing she was summoned for a reprimand. However, she was taken aback when Sisi said,

    "The food you make is delicious,"

    Sisi complimented Chef Zhou, who despite the limitations with ingredients, clearly put a lot of effort into her cooking. As a businesswoman, Sisi often praised those who worked hard, intending to acknowledge and reward them.

    "Give her a reward," Sisi instructed Minmin, who promptly handed Chef Zhou two bags of money—one for herself and another to share with her staff.

    Chef Zhou, who had never received a reward from her superiors before, bowed deeply, moved to tears, prompting Sisi to quickly ask her to stand up. Chef Zhou left, promising that if the royal concubine needed anything or craved something specific at any time, she would promptly fulfill the request.

    In the days that followed, Xiaoping and Minmin found it easier to access the kitchen, with Minmin, who was particularly sociable, becoming acquainted with nearly all the maids and guards who frequented the far end palace's kitchen.

    She told Sisi about a young cook named Xiaozu, a child who seemed to know everything about everyone. Whether it was due to her youthful innocence, her honest face, or a special talent, people tended to spill secrets to her. Over time, she became a wellspring of palace gossip, though she was a good kid, so she never shared these secrets with others.

    One day, she whispered to Minmin that Concubine Jin's people were embezzling the allowance meant for Concubine Dong. Unaware that her mistresses already knew, she felt it was right to inform them, believing that Concubine Dong, who had been kind to the kitchen staff, deserved to know. Minmin was surprised that the girl knew about this.

    Thus, Sisi arranged for Xiaozu to be transferred from Chef Zhou to her own service, saying she wanted someone on hand to prepare snacks anytime without waiting for the third kitchen. Seeing Xiaozu's diligence and good nature, she chose to take her in. Chef Zhou was more than happy with the arrangement.

    Xiaozu, tall and slender but slightly gaunt at just thirteen, was already a head taller than Sisi, though not unusually so since Sisi was quite petite.

    Sisi explained to Xiaozu that she rarely ate sweets from morning till afternoon, so the girl was free to roam and only needed to return by evening. After her return, she would report her day's findings to Minmin. Xiaozu had an uncanny ability to attract secrets and would bring back tales from around the palace every day.

    After three days of Xiaozhu's arrival, Sisi learned that there was no exemption from morning royal greetings for her. Empress Dowager had sent a eunuch to summon her three days prior, but she had not seen even a shadow of him since then.

    "You must wait half a month before you agree to see me,"

    Empress Dowager Yiren stated, sipping her tea without looking at Sisi.

    "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon, but the eunuch told me that you had exempted me from the morning greetings,"

    “What is the name of that eunuch then?"

    Sisi kneeling on the damp, cold floor, her teeth gritted in frustration. She had not asked for the eunuch's name during his brief visit, and after his departure, he had never appeared at Lianhua Palace again.

    "You're just making excuses. Who would dare do that?" Empress Dowager Yiren eyed the young woman before her. and continued, "I know your palace is far, if you are lazy , you should have told me straight from the start."

    Sisi took a deep breath to calm her anger and responded, "Your Majesty, I never thought that way."

    "Whether you thought so or not doesn't matter now, but rules are rules. You've broken them, and I must punish you according to the palace laws. Go kneel at the front of my palace and wait until dusk before you return."

    Xiaoping and Minmin, who stood behind Sisi, exchanged worried glances.

    That meant kneeling for half a day!

    "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty," Sisi said evenly, bowing deeply before heading out to kneel in the courtyard of Empress Dowager's Hengxing Palace.

    Minmin, following closely with Xiaoping, expressed her concern,

    "Miss! Why has it come to this?"

    "Minmin, compose yourself!"

    Sisi chastised sharply.

    The loyal servant softly replied, 'Yes, Miss,' as Minmin and Xiaoping, initially planning to keep Sisi company, were dismissed to return to their quarters until sunset. When they returned, they were shocked to find Sisi collapsed on the ground, utterly exhausted.

    "Miss! You are awake."

    "What happened?"

    Sisi asked, struggling to open her eyes against the bright light streaming through the window. Her vision gradually focused, and she saw Minmin leaning close with Xiaoping, Xiaoya, and Xiaozu surrounding her bed.

    Her head felt unbearably heavy, making it difficult to rise, so she lay listening as Minmin continued,

    "You fainted from exhaustion. We called the royal physician, and he said you were just overtired and needed rest. But you had a fever last night, and I was so worried. I called for the physician again, but no one came, so Xiaoya and I had to take care of you all night. Now that you are awake, I feel relieved. Do you need anything? Are you thirsty or hungry?"

    With several inquiries thrown at her, Sisi managed a smile and replied,

    "Just some water would be enough."

    Minmin then brought her a bowl of water to drink. As Wu Shi[1] approached, Sisi felt her condition improving. The kitchen did not know she was ill and continued sending the usual food. Minmin had Xiaozu make rice porridge instead, and after eating, Sisi slept through the night. When she woke up at You Shi[2], she felt much clearer mentally.

    This illness made Sisi reflect more on her future life in this grand palace.

[1] The hour of Wu (午) refers to the time period from 11:00 AM to 12:59 PM.

[2] The hour of You (酉) refers to the time period from 5:00 PM to 6:59 PM.