"Who is the lead attendant?" Shen Shixi asked, scanning the group.
She was born with an exceptionally bright and charming beauty. Her skin was fair, tinted with a faint pink hue; her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her peach-blossom eyes shimmered like spring water. Her figure was perfectly balanced, neither too thin nor too plump, and her elegant, ethereal poise held a hint of a "sickly beauty's" fragility that instinctively evoked protective feelings in others.
Yet, upon closer inspection, there was a flash of sharpness between her brows that warned others not to underestimate her.
Seeing their mistress for the first time, the four servants were overjoyed.
In the palace, who didn't want to serve someone with a future? One needed to be both beautiful and clever. With a mistress of such caliber, why would they ever need to worry about her not gaining favor!
A palace attendant and a palace maid stepped forward.
"This servant, Lan Ying, greets the Baolin!"
"This servant, Chao En, greets the Baolin!"
Lan Ying was the head palace maid, and Chao En was the head eunuch. All four of them were decent-looking and seemed quick-witted enough.
The other palace maid was named Chunhua, but Shen Shixi found the name unrefined. She renamed her Lan Tan and told the other eunuch his name would be Chao Yu.
"Follow me, and I won't make grand promises about your future—I can't even guarantee my own. But I can promise you one thing: if you work diligently and remain loyal to me, I will certainly protect you.
"If you do your work with all your heart, I will see it. If you try your best but make a mistake or two, I can be forgiving. However, there is one rule: if anyone dares to betray their master, there is only one end for them in my service—death!"
The four of them shuddered. "We wouldn't dare!"
"Good that you wouldn't," Shen Shixi said. "I know some aren't afraid of dying; there are plenty who view death as a homecoming. But in this world, there is another way to live, called 'a life worse than death.'
"I do not wish for us to reach such a point after serving together. I will give you a chance: if anyone does not wish to follow me, speak up now, and I will find a way to transfer you to a better place."
All four shook their heads. "We are willing to serve our mistress with total loyalty!"
"Willing to stay?" Shen Shixi nodded. "Then from this day forward, if I fare well, you will fare well. If I do not, you will only suffer more than I. Remember this at all times, and you will not lose your way."
After this display of authority, Shen Shixi had Bai Pin reward the two leads with five taels of silver each, while Lan Tan and Chao Yu received four taels, and the junior attendants outside received two taels each.
This was nearly half a year's salary for them. The entire Zhaoyang Palace felt as festive as the New Year.
The art of leadership was nothing more than balancing grace and authority; reprimanding and rewarding were things Shen Shixi had always handled with ease.
Once they had the money, it was time to work.
"Pull up all the flowers and plants in this courtyard. Dig three feet down. We’ll plant vegetables on this side and corn on the west! Get the seeds from Bai Pin. As for the lotus pond out front, clear out all the withered lotuses and weeds, then build a hexagonal pavilion beside it."
She had traveled the world before she was sixteen; after sixteen, she just wanted to "lie flat." Now she had been placed in a retirement position, holding a "golden rice bowl" of wealth and glory with a government-backed post, never needing to worry about being laid off.
If she had married into a noble household as a primary wife, she would have to manage the household accounts, deal with concubines, and raise children. Not only would she be working like a dog, but she’d also have to worry about the "family business" going bankrupt. If she encountered a husband with overweening ambition, she’d even have to worry about the family being purged and executed to the ninth generation.
The Great Zhou Dynasty had only been established for thirty years, and Li Yuanke did not look like the type of ruler who would lose his kingdom.
While the deep palace had its risks—life is endless, and the palace infighting never stops—it also had its own peculiar charms.
Under the eaves were several "Great Peace" water vats. She had them cleaned and refilled with water to plant water lilies. She reserved a patch in the corner to plant grapes and set up a swing. Along the length of the wall, she had a patch of roses transplanted so they could climb the masonry, waiting for the season to bloom.
Shen Shixi then sent Chao Yu to the Imperial Household Department to fetch some silver-red "Soft Smoke Gauze" to replace the window screens. The current ones were a "rain-over-clear-sky" blue, which looked far too stodgy.
The large red lanterns under the eaves were replaced with adorable rabbit palace lanterns covered in silk. They let more light through than the originals, casting a bright, snowy-white glow.
The interior of the hall was cleaned at least three times, and the furnishings were rearranged according to Shen Shixi's specifications. The ugly and gaudy items were tucked away, replaced by pieces she had obtained from the Imperial Household Department using her own silver. Once rearranged, the space appeared noble yet understated, comfortable and elegant.
The quarters for the maids and eunuchs were also cleaned and inspected three times, with Shen Shixi sending Bai Pin and Bai Kui to perform a final check.
Only then did she settle in comfortably, also allowing her subordinates to see exactly what kind of person their mistress was.
After a busy day, evening came. Shen Shixi handed out rewards: a tael of silver for the hardest workers, and at least half a string of coins for the rest.
A new home required a sense of ceremony.
She sent Chao En with money to the Imperial Kitchen to order two banquet spreads and a jar of good wine—one table for herself, and one for her subordinates—to hold a lively housewarming feast.
Morale in Zhaoyang Palace was high, and the atmosphere was joyful.
A light rain fell that night, which would help the crops take root and break through the soil. Listening to the sound of rain hitting the glazed tiles, Shen Shixi decided she would go fishing all day tomorrow and brew some fish soup in the evening.
She woke up early and went to bed early every day, exercising diligently. During the day, she thought of ways to get good food. The delicacies from the Imperial Kitchen left her intoxicated, making her briefly forget where she was.
Three days passed like this. It was time for the new concubines to attend to the Emperor. The first one chosen was the ninth-rank Cainü, Li Sihe—the one who had winked at the Emperor during the grand selection.
The next day, Li Sihe was promoted to the eighth-rank position of Xuanshi.
In the early days of entering the palace, one would usually be promoted after their first night of service, but further promotions would be difficult. One would either need to contribute by bearing heirs, have their maternal family perform great service, or wait for the Emperor to grant a general promotion to the harem.
Shen Shixi didn't care about any of that.
Rising at the hour of the Rabbit, Shen Shixi first did a set of stretching exercises, then ran about eight hundred meters in the courtyard. After resting for two quarters of an hour, she began her breakfast.
She placed great importance on maintenance and her health; after all, this was an era without penicillin, where a simple cold could be fatal.
The rank of Baolin belonged to the lower three tiers. Today, she hadn't sent silver to the Imperial Kitchen to order specific dishes. The standard-issue breakfast was somewhat hard to swallow—few varieties, poor presentation, and mediocre taste.
Shen Shixi was very dissatisfied, but she couldn't spend her own silver for every meal. What was the point of having a man then?
The best solution was to get her own small kitchen.
That was a short-term goal. Her long-term goal was to reach a point where she could choose whether or not to pay respects to the Empress at her own whim.
For now, she didn't need to go. Concubines only performed the formal greeting to the Empress on the morning after their first night of service.
However, two days later, near dusk, a eunuch from the Office of Imperial Affairs arrived. Standing at the entrance, he announced, "By the Emperor's decree, Baolin Shen shall attend to the Emperor tonight!"
Shen Shixi was stunned. This was announced loudly enough for the whole palace to hear. Did concubines have no privacy?
"Congratulations, Baolin! Blessings to the Baolin!"
Everyone in Zhaoyang Palace looked as if they had just struck it rich. Shen Shixi was speechless. What was there to be so excited about?
She had been in a "dry spell" for over a decade in her past life. Facing a handsome man tonight, she was merely… curious.
"Mistress, let us begin preparations now. First a bath, then we'll dress you up beautifully. The Emperor will surely be stunned when he arrives!" Bai Pin said.
"I'll take the bath."
As for the dressing up, forget it. Who sleeps with a head full of jewelry and a face full of powder?
Naturally, she would do whatever was most comfortable. As for whether the Emperor was satisfied, that wasn't her concern. Regardless, she would likely be promoted whenever he did a general promotion of the harem anyway.
After bathing, she performed a full-body skincare routine using an all-natural cream she had concocted herself. She smelled wonderful, and her skin was soft and smooth; she even found herself a bit mesmerized by her own reflection.
After dinner, Li Yuanke arrived. Walking to the entrance of Zhaoyang Palace, he looked up. "Zhaoyang Palace"—the name was correct, but he didn't recognize the place inside or out.
A hexagonal pavilion had appeared by the pond at the entrance. Not a single flower or ornamental plant remained in the courtyard. Half-dead looking plants were climbing the walls, and rabbit lanterns under the eaves were spinning in the breeze, seemingly waving at him.
"Your Majesty, Baolin Shen had the servants renovate the place today. It looks… much clearer now!" Li Fude, the head eunuch of Qianyuan Palace, noticed the Emperor's confusion.
Clear was one way to put it; the courtyard had been stripped bare!
This Baolin Shen certainly knew how to stir things up.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
A eunuch announced his presence outside. Shen Shixi led her servants out to greet him. "This servant welcomes Your Majesty!"
Shen Shixi looked up at Li Yuanke. The fading light of the sunset fell upon his sharply defined face. He was strikingly handsome, with a noble and cold aura.
A line of poetry came to her mind: I have searched the world over, and though there are many jade trees on the immortal steps, none compare to you; such as you are rare in the mortal realm!
【With looks this peerless, sleeping with him isn't a loss!】
Li Yuanke’s reaching hand paused mid-air. He narrowed his beautiful phoenix eyes slightly. "Baolin Shen, do you have any grievances about being brought into the palace?"