Li Shutiao blushed as she accepted her monthly stipend from Lin Momo. Her soft fingertips pressed against the pouch, feeling its unexpectedly heavy weight—far exceeding what a Tea-Serving Maid should receive. Her clear eyes suddenly brimmed with visible confusion, and she lowered her head, about to open the pouch to inspect it.
But Lin Momo, smiling, grasped her hand and pressed it down until both hands and the pouch were concealed beneath her sleeves.
Only then did she speak cheerfully: “The Tea-Serving Maid holds the position closest to the Emperor in the entire Qianqing Palace, second only to Eunuch Liang. Work diligently, devote yourself to your duties, and you will surely be well rewarded in the future.”
The implicit meaning in Lin Momo’s words was: Perform well, let the Emperor notice you. Everything Guo Luoluo Qingyao possesses now, you too shall have someday.
Yet Li Shutiao failed to grasp the underlying message entirely, for she still had no idea how she had ended up in the Qianqing Palace in the first place.
Mistaking Lin Momo’s words at face value, she immediately straightened her posture, tensed her back, and with a gaze as firm as if taking an oath before the national flag, declared earnestly and clearly, “Rest assured, Momo, I certainly will!”
Observing her demeanor, Lin Momo felt an inexplicable twinge of concern rising from deep within. Did she truly understand?
…
From that day onward, Li Shutiao changed her usual lazy attitude, no longer content to idle about.
Knowing that Song Fuwen would never allow her to handle any matters related to the Emperor, she chose not to compete. Instead, she arrived early at the Imperial Study’s Tea Room each day, meticulously wiping the tea tables and Display Shelves, washing the tea sets, replacing the water left by the previous shift, and sweeping the floor.
If she finished cleaning with time to spare before Song Fuwen arrived, she would flip through the tea ledger, memorizing the types and remaining quantities of tea leaves on the Display Shelves.
When Song Fuwen brewed tea, she would silently note the steps and procedures.
—This was all preparation for the future, in case someday Song Fuwen was unavailable and couldn’t attend to the Tea Room.
If that happened, she would be the only maid on duty in the Tea Room. She couldn’t afford to be completely clueless, knowing nothing and unable to do anything, could she?
If the Emperor’s tea were delayed, and Liang Jiugong held her accountable, how would she defend herself?
“Be mindful of potential dangers in times of peace”—this was a lesson her Chinese teacher had taught her.
Li Shutiao dared not forget.
Time flew by, and Li Shutiao gradually adapted to her routine working in the Tea Room.
One day, just as she was about to end her shift, Liang Jiugong’s figure suddenly appeared at the Tea Room entrance, startling everyone inside who was changing shifts.
Li Shutiao tightened her grip on the leisure travel book she had been reading to pass the time; Song Fuwen nearly tripped over a small stool at her feet; one of the other two attendants dropped a tea tongs in shock, while the other almost mislabeled a tea canister.
Liang Jiugong stood at the doorway, holding a horsetail whisk, coldly observing the commotion inside. His expression was inscrutable, his presence unnervingly imposing.
He didn’t seem to be there to offer praise, but rather to conduct a surprise inspection, ready to nitpick and find faults.
Realizing this, Li Shutiao quickly hid the travel book behind her back, trying her best to appear innocent and clueless.
Song Fuwen hurriedly scrambled up from the floor and, along with the other two, moved to the entrance to bow and greet him.
Li Shutiao stood in place and also performed a curtsy.
Liang Jiugong gave an “Mm” of acknowledgment, his indifferent gaze sweeping around the room before finally settling on Li Shutiao.
Li Shutiao: “?”
Her mind raced—what had she done these past few days? It seemed… she hadn’t made any mistakes.
Just then, Liang Jiugong spoke, “The rest of you, carry on with your duties. Li Shutiao, come with me.” His tone betrayed no emotion, but since he hadn’t reprimanded anyone on the spot, it clearly wasn’t a disciplinary visit.
The group secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Only Li Shutiao, who had been singled out, stiffened all over.
After speaking, Liang Jiugong stepped outside and stood quietly waiting by the entrance of the Imperial Study nearby.
Song Fuwen and the others, having relaxed, simultaneously turned their eyes to Li Shutiao, with Song Fuwen’s gaze being particularly hostile.
She first glanced back to check Eunuch Liang’s position, confirming he couldn’t overhear their conversation, then approached the rigidly standing Li Shutiao and whispered threateningly, “You know what to say.”
What was all this? Li Shutiao blinked in confusion, feeling that her straightforward self was utterly out of place in this world of constant Palace Intrigue and petty schemes.
She furrowed her brows and retorted irritably, “What does Sister Song want me to say?”
Her tone was full of annoyance and displeasure.
She truly had no intention of tolerating Song Fuwen any longer. At worst, they could have it out—who was afraid of whom?
Song Fuwen was taken aback by her retort and was about to scold her when she suddenly regained her composure. Remembering that Eunuch Liang was waiting just outside, now wasn’t the time to confront Li Shutiao. So, she bit her lip and muttered, “Just watch what you say—no tattling!”
Or else…
Before she could finish her threat,
Li Shutiao directly pressed a hand against her shoulder and shoved her aside, “Move away, don’t stand so close to me. You’re blocking my way, don’t you know!”
“Did your E-niang never teach you that a good dog doesn’t block the path?”
As she spoke, she swiftly sidestepped and tossed the travelogue into a small wooden basket nearby. Song Fuwen was too busy glaring at her to notice the quick movement.
The other two palace maids did notice, but recalling Eunuch Liang and the matrons’ favor and kindness toward Li Shutiao, they exchanged glances and decided to hold their positions for now, continuing to watch the fight from the sidelines. Then they turned and went back to their posts to resume their work.
Song Fuwen was absolutely furious! She opened her mouth, ready to unleash another round of insults.
Unexpectedly, Li Shutiao couldn’t be bothered to engage further. After hiding her travelogue, she sidestepped past Song Fuyen, quickened her pace, and hurried toward the door, looking as though she couldn’t get away fast enough. This only stoked Song Fuwen’s anger even more.
Meanwhile, Li Shutiao had already stepped out of the Tea Room and approached Liang Jiugong. She bent her knees and bowed respectfully, her voice sweet as she said, “Greetings, Eunuch Liang.”
It wasn’t that she was deliberately acting coy, but… Liang Jiugong usually attended to the Emperor and rarely left His Majesty’s side. Tasks like serving tea were handled by subordinates.
On her first day at Qianqing Palace, Liang Jiugong had taken advantage of the Emperor being in court to personally come and assess her. And the two times he had come since then—perhaps there was some matter that required his personal attention?
Li Shutiao thought uncertainly.
Then came this time—he didn’t even enter the door, his expression cold and stern, and as soon as he spoke, he demanded that she follow him.
Li Shutiao was worried. Could it be that she had truly made a mistake unintentionally? Or had Liang Jiugong heard someone’s complaint about her… Or perhaps her slacking off in the Tea Room had been discovered?!
She couldn’t make up her mind, her heart restless and uneasy, drifting about without settling. In the end, she decided it might be best to behave obediently, hoping Liang Jiugong would take that into account…
Just as she was thinking this, Liang Jiugong spoke, his voice still deep and low, “It’s Lady Guo Luo Luo who wishes to see you.”
After saying this, he turned and led the way.
Li Shutiao: “…”
She couldn’t believe such a pleasant surprise had come so suddenly.
She stood frozen in place for a while longer before quickly catching up, staying about two steps behind Liang Jiugong. Feeling nervous and flustered, she asked incoherently, “Qingyao—I mean, Eunuch Liang, why does Lady Guo Luo Luo want to see me?”
“How has she been lately? Also, is it her turn to attend the Emperor today? How is she allowed to see me?”
What about the Emperor? Isn’t attending the Emperor meant for Qingyao to accompany him? Why did she suddenly think of me?
…Actually, what she really wanted to ask was whether the Emperor was with Qingyao. If he was, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for her to go? If he wasn’t, then where had he gone?
But fearing it might seem like she was probing into the Emperor’s whereabouts, she cautiously refrained from asking that last question.
Liang Jiugong, with his back to her, walked at a steady pace, patiently waiting until she had finished all her questions before replying leisurely, “His Majesty summoned Lady Guo Luo Luo to attend him today, but just a moment ago, Nala Concubine from Yanxi Palace sent someone over and requested the Emperor’s presence.”
“Originally, we intended to send Lady Guo Luo Luo back, but she mentioned she hadn’t seen you in a long time and wished to meet. His Majesty permitted it, so I was ordered to fetch you.”
“So that’s how it is.” Li Shutiao suddenly understood, her steps growing more buoyant.
Immersed in the touching realization that her close friend hadn’t forgotten her, she unconsciously walked faster and faster, gradually closing the distance between her and Liang Jiugong.
At that moment, Liang Jiugong suddenly stopped.
Li Shutiao: !
To avoid crashing into him, she forced herself to halt, her body lurching forward uncontrollably. She barely managed to stop just before touching Liang Jiugong’s back. Her posture, however, became rather comical—her upper body leaned forward, hands clasped and hanging in front of her abdomen, while her lower body tensed stiffly.
She balanced precariously on the tips of her toes, her heels completely lifted off the ground.
As Liang Jiugong turned around, she swiftly straightened her upper body, stood on tiptoe, and smiled at him. “Eunuch Liang?”
“We’ve arrived.” Unaware of her antics behind him, Eunuch Liang turned with a hint of puzzlement—since when had the young girl grown so tall?
The thought lingered only for a moment before fading away.
He turned back around, pushed open the door in front of them, then stepped aside and said, “I must hurry back to attend His Majesty. You may go in by yourself.”
“You’ll be notified when it’s time to leave.”
With that, without waiting for Li Shutiao to respond, he left without looking back.
Li Shutiao lowered her heels and let out a long exhale. That had truly frightened her.
The flustered emotions were soon overshadowed by the joy of seeing Qingyao. After calming her feelings for a while, Li Shutiao cheerfully walked through the main gate, bypassed the screen embroidered with landscapes, flowers, and birds, and peeked inside from the doorway of the side room. Seeing only Qingyao and Lingluo inside, she entered without hesitation.
“Qingyao, Lingluo, I’m here!”
Hearing the voice, the mistress and maid inside simultaneously turned their heads toward her.
Li Shutiao’s steps faltered instantly: “…What’s going on here?”