"You, come here."…
The Empress had dispatched the Imperial Household Department to select numerous candidates for the Eastern Palace these past few days, yet without exception, all were turned away by the Crown Prince. Two spies she had intentionally placed near the Prince were reportedly dragged out and executed for being clumsy in his presence.
The Empress was furious, but beneath her anger lay a tinge of trepidation.
Had the Crown Prince discovered something?
That shouldn't be possible.
She prided herself on having fulfilled her duties meticulously over the years, at least maintaining impeccable appearances—no one dared voice any criticism.
The two palace maids she sent were particularly discreet in their assignments.
Never mind. The most pressing matter now was to placate those veteran ministers from the previous court, making it clear that she, as the mother, had done everything possible. The outcome, however, was beyond her control.
It was a pity that the previous useless agents couldn't even get close to the Crown Prince and ended up in such a state.
The thought gave the Empress a headache.
It was Mama Qin who offered a solution: "In my humble opinion, that maid who served the medicine last time was quite bold and clever, with exceptional looks. Despite all the commotion, the Crown Prince spared her life. It seems she has some fortune—perhaps… she could be of use to Your Majesty."
Reminded of this, the Empress recalled that charming, delicate face and felt a stir in her heart.
"Go, bring her to me."
…
Yun Kui was a person with strong self-awareness. Her intuition told her that the Empress summoning a lowly ant like her was anything but simple.
Even though she had been rewarded for her service in administering medicine, this time, it was undoubtedly related to the Crown Prince.
Sure enough.
The Empress sat on a golden-threaded peony soft couch. Upon Yun Kui's arrival, she set down her tea and smiled gently. "Last time at Cheng Guang Hall, if not for your merit in serving the medicine, the Crown Prince wouldn't have recovered so quickly."
Hearing the words "Crown Prince," Yun Kui felt a vein throbbing at her temple. She could only brace herself and reply, "This humble maid's trivial skill is not worth mentioning."
The Empress glanced down at her, sneering inwardly. She had seen many women like this—yearning to climb high yet obsessed with wealth, such individuals were easiest to control.
"Rise first."
Yun Kui complied. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The Empress looked her over and smiled with satisfaction. "Indeed, a beauty in the making. I see you as a bold and meticulous girl. Working in the kitchen is truly a waste. With the Crown Prince still ill and the servants below proving useless—unable even to feed him medicine—I thought of you."
Yun Kui's heart sank. Could the Empress be intending to assign her to Cheng Guang Hall specifically to serve the Crown Prince his medicine?
The Empress stated her purpose clearly: "I intend to promote you to a bedside maid. From now on, you will serve by the Crown Prince's side. What do you think?"
"B-bedside maid?" Yun Kui was visibly shocked, almost doubting her ears.
The Empress chuckled lightly. "What, you're unwilling?"
Cold sweat drenched Yun Kui's back, and she stumbled over her words. "This humble maid is incompetent, only fit for menial tasks in the kitchen. I… I don't know how to serve in the bedchamber."
She longed for a secure future, but she understood the saying "staying with the emperor is like staying with a tiger"—especially when that tiger was a murderous Crown Prince. This was practically a death sentence.
The Empress said, "With your looks, serving medicine is beneath you. As for matters of the bedchamber, I will have someone teach you. Becoming the Crown Prince's companion promises a boundless future."
Though the Empress appeared amiable, Yun Kui detected an unmistakable tone of finality in her words.
She attempted one last struggle, "I fear His Royal Highness the Crown Prince might find this humble maid clumsy and unworthy…"
Seeing her repeated reluctance, the Empress grew displeased. Noticing her mistress's changed expression, Mama Qin stepped forward with a stern face and declared, "This is the Eastern Palace—an honor everyone dreams of but cannot obtain! Her Majesty intends to elevate you. This is fortune you wouldn't encounter in eight lifetimes! Why aren't you promptly expressing gratitude?"
Mama Qin thought to herself: When serving medicine before, this girl exerted every effort, yet now she's putting on this coy, reluctant act.
With no room for refusal, Yun Kui could only kneel and give thanks.
This was the Empress before her—the mother of the nation—not some accommodating stewardess they could negotiate with daily. Since the Empress had summoned her personally, there was no changing this outcome.
Her worst fear had finally materialized in the most terrifying way.
Remembering the cruel and bloodthirsty Crown Prince, and recalling the corpses dragged out of Cheng Guang Hall, cold sweat broke out on her back.
The Crown Prince dreamed of strangling her to death. If she entered Cheng Guang Hall, she'd likely be carried out horizontally before half a day passed.
But the matter of peering into dreams belonged to the supernatural—something that couldn't be explained to others. People would think she was spouting nonsense to save her life, or even label her a monster.
Returning dazedly to the kitchen, the stewardess informed her she no longer needed to sleep in the common dormitory—she had been assigned new quarters.
Yun Kui thought: …There's no need to rush the moving process.
Her head might relocate before she even settled into her new residence.
Dan Gui held her hand, tears in her eyes, and said, "Don't worry, I'll burn plenty of paper money for you someday. You won't suffer in the underworld."
Yun Kui felt even more like crying.
Her ten taels of gold hadn't even warmed in her hands yet!
For the first time in her life, she truly understood what it meant to have money but no life to spend it.
Though chambermaids held the lowest rank, they were still graded female officials. She would reside in the side hall behind Cheng Guang Hall alongside Si Yi, Si Men, and Si Zhang. The four were primarily responsible for trivial matters in the Crown Prince's bedchamber: making the bed, folding quilts, washing up, changing clothes. Despite different titles, it was tacitly understood they were all potential concubines for the Crown Prince, awaiting his summons at any time.
Under normal circumstances, this would represent an opportunity for low-ranking maids like them to rise from rags to riches—being in close proximity, should they bear children, it would mean lifelong wealth and honor.
But they had drawn the short straw with this particular Crown Prince. The Eastern Palace might as well be King Yama's Hall.
Yun Kui felt utterly helpless, wanting to cry but having no tears left.
The three other maids assigned with her all came from Moon Embracing Pavilion. Si Yi was accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; Si Men excelled at pipa; Si Zhang was skilled in dance. Only she… possessed nothing but a pretty face, completely useless.
Yet it was evident that before the Crown Prince, even the most beautiful appearance was worthless.
Every maid dragged out and executed from Cheng Guang Hall had been exceptionally beautiful—the Crown Prince showed no mercy when killing.
In the afternoon, Mama Qin came to instruct them in etiquette.
The so-called etiquette mainly concerned matters inside and outside Cheng Guang Hall.
Of course, with the Crown Prince seriously injured, the most crucial task was attending to his illness.
Aunt Wei specially summoned a medical woman to teach them how to bandage wounds, apply medicine, feed water and meals. She personally demonstrated all duties: serving tea and water, making beds, arranging flowers, burning incense and candles—making them practice each task repeatedly until satisfied.
"The heart must be calm, the hands steady, and the posture proper. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince prefers tranquility—when serving in the hall, you must not make any noise, let alone cause any commotion. There must not be a speck of dust on the bed, desk, or curtains…"
Yun Kui had already folded the quilt over twenty times, inwardly groaning in distress.
Was it possible she wouldn’t even survive long enough to tidy the Crown Prince’s bed?
She might very well be dragged out and beaten to death with clubs just for stepping into Cheng Guang Hall with her left foot first.
So what was the point of learning all these rules?
But Yun Kui was an honest slacker. Even if she was unwilling and resentful, she wouldn’t openly rebel. She was the type who never strove to excel but never sank to the bottom either—a middling loafer. So in front of Aunt Wei, she remained obedient, like a puppet whose soul had long departed, numbly repeating the motions over and over.
After all, these were likely the final days of her life. Even if they were exhausting, they were still worth cherishing.
After several days, all four of them were utterly worn out.
The Si Zhang palace maid finally couldn’t hold back and asked, "Aunt Wei, when will we get to serve the Crown Prince?"
Aunt Wei, who was teaching them the rules, shot her a glance. "What’s the hurry? The most important part hasn’t been taught yet."
With that, each of them received an illustrated book.
Aunt Wei declared, "The previous rules were merely to ensure you could stay alive in front of His Royal Highness. What comes next are the bedroom secrets that will win you the Crown Prince’s favor."
Curious, the four opened their books only to discover that Aunt Wei had given them illustrations of sexual techniques.
Si Men and Si Yi, being shy, immediately shut their books in horror at the sight of the entwined figures. Even the usually outgoing Si Zhang blushed crimson.
Seeing everyone else’s embarrassment, Yun Kui felt she shouldn’t reveal her genuine interest, so she pretended to close her book as well.
Aunt Wei explained, "His Royal Highness is over twenty yet still has no one by his side. You were all carefully selected from the palace and must serve him well, striving to earn his favor. Now that His Highness is severely injured and has limited mobility, it’s even more crucial for you to diligently study these intimate arts and take the initiative to ease his burdens. Understood?"
All four bowed their heads in unison and acknowledged the instruction.
When night fell and no one was around, Yun Kui hid under her blankets, pulled out the booklet, and began reading with great relish.
In truth, she was no stranger to matters of the bedchamber. Though her dream-walking ability offered little practical help in daily life, it had opened a door to novel experiences—she occasionally witnessed vivid, intimate scenes in her dreams.
The subjects of these dreams were often people she knew, like Auntie Bi Zan and the Ceremonial Guard commander, who frequented her dreams. Sometimes, due to the positions, she could only see the backs of men and women and hear muffled, indistinct moans.
She later realized these were what people called erotic dreams.
Out of politeness, even in her dreams, she never deliberately moved closer but watched from a respectful distance, gradually gaining some understanding of the affairs between men and women.
However, since she worked in the inner palace and usually interacted only with palace maids and eunuchs—and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices officials who dealt with the kitchen and the outer palace guards didn’t often have erotic dreams—she had few opportunities for close observation.
The eunuchs’ dreams were dull, and she found the lustful, pot-bellied men distasteful.
Having seen so little, she couldn’t help but feel a growing curiosity stirring within her.
That night, as she flipped through the illustrations of sexual techniques, the postures depicted overlapped with the images she had seen in her mind. Only then did she understand what "Dragon Coiling," "Mandarin Ducks Joining," and "Butterfly Fluttering in Air" truly meant… In short, the mysteries were endless, and the ultimate pleasure of the mortal world lay within these pages.
Yet as she turned the pages, a wave of sorrow washed over her.
No matter how much she yearned, it was useless—soon she would no longer be able to experience the joys of the human world.
Aunt Wei was truly kind to have given her this book before her death, allowing her to spend a brief but pleasant evening. However, the skills she had learned would likely never be enjoyed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Once she entered King Yama's Hall in the afterlife, she might as well try to charm a few handsome male ghosts.
She wondered if the pleasures of humans and ghosts differed at all.
Ah, she felt like crying…
Early the next morning, Aunt Wei personally led the maids to dress and groom them, then escorted them into Cheng Guang Hall.
As soon as they stepped inside, the thick scent of blood assaulted their nostrils, and everyone instinctively held their breath.
Yun Kui kept her head lowered the entire way, eyes fixed on the tips of her shoes, her palms slick with cold sweat.
When Aunt Wei came to a halt in the hall, Yun Kui’s entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Aunt Wei bowed respectfully to the man on the couch and said, "These are the four beauties specially selected by the Imperial Household Department for Your Highness. From now on, they will serve by your side."
Yun Kui and the other three promptly knelt and bowed, greeting the Crown Prince in unison.
But the man on the couch gave no response. The hall fell so silent that only the crackling of the candle flames could be heard.
The Crown Prince sipped his tea, his dark lashes half-lowered, his deep, ink-black eyes shrouded in shadow, making his emotions unreadable.
Seeing that he didn’t even bother to glance their way, Aunt Wei felt somewhat awkward. Remembering Mama Qin’s earlier instructions, she forced a wide smile and said, "Your Highness, these girls are all quite clever, especially this one named Yun Kui. When you were unconscious and couldn’t take medicine, it was she who came up with a solution…"
Yun Kui: "…"
Seriously? Are you trying to shorten my lifespan?
It felt as though, to please a ferocious beast in a cage, someone had specially prepared a fresh piece of meat and flatteringly tossed her right into its jaws—"Here, taste this one, it’s the most fragrant!"
The Crown Prince toyed with the black jade thumb ring on his finger, then lazily lifted his eyelids. "Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, yes," Aunt Wei hurriedly replied, then instructed, "Yun Kui, raise your head and let His Highness see you."
There was no way to play dead any longer.
Yun Kui stiffly moved her neck and finally resigned herself to lifting her head, meeting those gloomy, ink-dark eyes.
That one glance sent a chill down her spine.
Perhaps due to extreme tension and fear, her mind went completely blank at that moment.
The Crown Prince sat on the edge of the bed, a sinister light gleaming in his eyes, like a fierce beast eyeing its prey. He lifted a finger and gestured toward her.
"You, come here."
His voice held no emotion, yet its low, gravelly tone carried a chilling, ominous undertone.
Trembling, Yun Kui numbly crawled forward. Hundreds of pleas for mercy raced through her mind, but she was too tense to utter a single word—
"Wait, no one ever said the Crown Prince was this handsome!"
Hearing her inner thoughts, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes with a dark, penetrating gaze.