Duties at the Qianqing Palace had always been the most crucial assignments within the entire Forbidden City.
These duties were further divided into peripheral and inner court positions. Peripheral roles were held by maids like Li Shutiao, who worked in the outer areas—anyone could order them to perform tasks. Besides requiring hard work without complaint, these positions were characterized by high turnover, with almost complete staff changes every three months.
In modern terms, it was akin to outsourced labor.
Meanwhile, the maids and eunuchs serving in the inner court held official, permanent positions—the most coveted goal for all palace staff.
Previously, Jiya Momo had assigned Li Shutiao to guard the warehouse partly due to Guo Luoluo Qingyao’s influence, with a slight intention of giving her a boost. She didn’t actually intend to use Li Shutiao to achieve any particular goal but rather saw her as a stepping stone to foster goodwill with Guo Luoluo Qingyao.
Little did she expect Li Shutiao’s fortunes to rise so dramatically.
In just a few days, Li Shutiao had bypassed her entirely and secured a formal position in the Qianqing Palace tea room.
—Though the title of Tea-Serving Maid might sound ordinary, it was in fact an official palace maid position. In previous dynasties, such roles even held official ranks. Although no strict ranking system existed in the current dynasty, the position remained highly sought-after by all Qianqing Palace staff because it allowed unrestricted access to the Imperial Study and the closest proximity to the Emperor.
And unexpectedly, it had fallen to Li Shutiao.
At this moment, Jiya Momo’s feelings were indescribably complex. It had taken her a long time to mentally prepare before coming to notify Li Shutiao.
As she spoke, her attitude was uncharacteristically gentle and kind—a rare sight in a century. The corners of her lips remained upturned for what felt like half an hour without drooping, the wrinkles at her eyes layering upon each other from her forced smile, and her voice was pitched so unnaturally it was almost frightening.
Li Shutiao grew pale with fear, her fingers nearly tearing through her sleeves.
She stammered, “M-Momo, could you… please speak as you normally do?”
“What nonsense are you talking, child?” Jiya Momo’s voice remained shrill.
Li Shutiao fell silent, feeling chills run down her spine. Her mind grew dizzy, her large eyes blinking repeatedly, unable to form a complete sentence for quite some time.
Jiya Momo: “…”
After a moment of silence, she abruptly straightened her upward-curved lips and returned to her usual expressionless state.
Only then did Li Shutiao relax, letting out a sigh of relief and patting her chest. “Momo, the way you were acting earlier truly scared me to death.”
“Bah! Using that word in the palace—do you have a death wish?” Jiya Momo raised her hand to scold her but, remembering Li Shutiao would soon be serving in the Qianqing Palace, held her hand mid-air for a long moment before lowering it.
Li Shutiao observed her actions and chuckled boldly, leaning closer to Jiya Momo almost coquettishly. “Momo, may I ask… have you ever seen the Emperor before?”
Jiya Momo nodded. “A few times, from afar.”
Li Shutiao let out an “oh,” disappointed to realize she wouldn’t get any useful information from her.
Jiya Momo glanced at her sideways. “If you want to learn about the Emperor’s temperament, why not ask Rong Momo?”
Li Shutiao shuddered again at her words. “Huh? Wh-why her?”
Jiya Momo: “I heard Rong Momo used to be close with Ling Momo.”
Ling Momo? Who was that?
Li Shutiao tilted her head in confusion, the tassels of her velvet flower hairpin swaying against her cheeks, lending her an air of innocent charm.
Seeing her like this, Jiya Momo’s eyes softened with some unspoken thought, and she became more talkative. “You’ve been in Qianqing Palace for a year, yet you don’t know who Ling Momo is?”
Li Shutiao guiltily bit her lip.
Jiya Momo sighed and lowered her voice to remind her: “The Crown Prince’s wet nurse is Ling Momo.”
After whispering this into Li Shutiao’s ear, she quickly stepped back to maintain distance.
Li Shutiao finally understood, “Oh…”
She remembered now.
Immediately, she beamed and curtsied gracefully to Jiya Momo. “Now I know everything. Thank you for telling me, Momo.” After a pause, she added sincerely, “I will never forget your kindness in mentoring me!”
Her features were naturally lovely, radiating a bright and proper aura. Her dewy eyes, often shimmering with clear, gentle waves, easily evoked fondness and closeness when she gazed at someone with genuine expression.
Jiya Momo twitched her fingers slightly, taking in every word carefully. Her expression grew even more kindly.
…
After Jiya Momo left, Li Shutiao hurried to the Warehouse with a nervously pounding heart.
She treated Rong Momo with even more reverence than Jiya Momo—where she’d slightly curtsied to the latter, she nearly knelt and kowtowed to the former.
When she finally returned to her room after receiving instructions, her heart swelled with the joy of having survived an ordeal.
But before she could rest, waves of curious palace maids arrived with astonished questions.
Fortunately, Jiya Momo arrived promptly and shooed away the maids crowding her doorway. Only then did Li Shutiao have time to sort through the previous occupant’s leftover jewelry and clothes, packing two large bundles handed to a eunuch from Qianqing Palace to arrange in her new “dormitory.”
The next morning, she woke early and followed behind Jiya Momo, head bowed meekly as they passed through corridor after corridor, climbed stair after stair, finally stopping before a spacious courtyard.
A soft, clear male voice spoke: “So this is her?”
Jiya Momo hurriedly replied with a smile: “Reporting to Chief Liang, this is Li Shutiao.”
“Hmm, she appears to know her manners. Lift your head and let me see.”
Jiya Momo gave Li Shutiao a push.
Remembering Rong Momo’s instructions, Li Shutiao only raised her chin slightly, keeping her gaze fixed downward toward the ground.
Seeing this, Liang Jiugong’s satisfaction grew. When he fully saw the young maid’s appearance, even someone as composed as him couldn’t help a quiet internal gasp.
Such remarkable beauty.
With a mix of admiration and curiosity, Liang Jiugong mused wryly: he wondered what mindset had driven whoever recommended her to Qianqing Palace—were they truly unafraid the Long Live Lord might take a liking to her?
The thought flashed through his mind, leaving no ripple behind.
Liang Jiugong flicked his horsetail whisk and quickly resumed a calm expression. He tossed a glance at Jiya Momo: “Since you’ve delivered her, you may leave.”
Jiya Momo promptly withdrew.
Only Li Shutiao and Liang Jiugong remained in the courtyard.
Li Shutiao secretly clenched the hem of her garment, feeling quite nervous inside.
Liang Jiugong quietly observed her subtle movements, then glanced up at the sky. Noticing it was nearly time for the Long Live Lord to finish court session, he waved his hand and signaled to his apprentice following behind him, “Take her to get settled first. Bring her back to report this afternoon when I have some free time.”
“Yes, Master,” the young eunuch replied with a bow.
Liang Jiugong quickly turned and left.
Yet Li Shutiao didn’t dare relax in the slightest, still maintaining her posture with chin raised and eyes fixed on the floor.
The young eunuch left behind by Liang Jiugong saw his master off, then promptly returned to her side and said softly, “Miss Li, the master has left. You may relax now.”
Only then did Li Shutiao release the “battered” hem of her garment, her stiff shoulders relaxing slightly, though she still didn’t dare let her guard down completely. She smiled at the young eunuch and asked, “Might I ask your name, sir…”
“Please don’t stand on ceremony, miss. You may call me ‘Xiao Quanzi.’ Please follow me this way.”
“Quan? Is it the ‘quan’ meaning ‘all,’ or the ‘quan’ meaning ‘spring water’?” Li Shutiao asked as they walked.
The young eunuch politely replied, “The ‘quan’ for spring water.”
Li Shutiao nodded, then suddenly realized something and slowly widened her eyes. “Spring water… you’re literate, sir?”
The young eunuch also nodded and said with a smile, “I’ve learned a bit from my master.”
“That’s quite impressive!” Li Shutiao praised sincerely.
Xiao Quanzi could tell the admiration in her tone wasn’t feigned and couldn’t help but glance at her. He quickly turned his head back, feeling somewhat pleased, and his tone became more lively. “You’re the most impressive one, miss.”
To be personally selected by the master to work in the tea room—if that wasn’t impressive, what was?
Unaware of his implied meaning, Li Shutiao beamed even more brightly upon hearing his praise. Her clear, dark eyes glistened with moisture, and her fair cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, showing a mix of pride and shyness.
As they chatted, they soon arrived at Li Shutiao’s new “dormitory.”
The bundle sent over yesterday had already been unpacked, with everything placed in its proper position.
After entering the room, Li Shutiao looked around and noticed the room was generally larger than the one she had lived in before. It was divided into an outer chamber and an inner chamber. The outer chamber contained a round table with four round stools, and against the wall stood a row of curio shelves and a set of drawers with cabinets.
A screen separated the outer and inner chambers. Walking around the screen, against the far wall was a wooden bed made up with light green bedding. To the left of the bed stood a small wardrobe, and to the right was a dressing table with a chair. Besides these, there was a wooden stand holding a copper basin in the corner, but no other furniture.
Li Shutiao walked in and out, looking around, but didn’t see another bed. She couldn’t help but feel surprised and asked Xiao Quanzi, “Do I live here alone?”
Xiao Quanzi smiled and nodded. “Yes.”
Li Shutiao couldn’t resist asking further, “Do all the palace maidens in Qianqing Palace receive this kind of treatment?”
This was far better than the environment in the Palace Maidens Quarters—almost as good as Qingyao’s, which made Li Shutiao somewhat suspicious. Could there have been a mistake?
Xiao Quanzi’s smile froze when he heard her question. After a moment, he replied, “Not everyone receives such treatment. It’s mainly because you’re going to serve His Majesty. If it were another assignment, the treatment would be different.”
Only then did Li Shutiao show an expression of sudden understanding, drawing out a long “Oh” in a leisurely tone.
Xiao Quanzi hurriedly explained some details about the shift handover procedures, concluding by telling her to rest well and that he would return in the afternoon to take her to meet his master.
Just as he was about to leave, Li Shutiao suddenly called out to him, “May I ask, Eunuch Xiao Quanzi, who is my direct supervisor… that is, which lady will be in charge of me in Qianqing Palace?Rong Momo had told her yesterday that there were four supervising matrons in Qianqing Palace, three of whom were difficult to deal with, and only one with the surname Lin was relatively approachable.
Therefore, before going to sleep last night, Li Shutiao had specifically knelt on her bed with hands clasped, praying for nearly half an hour that she would be assigned to this Lin Momo.
She really didn’t want…
Before she could finish her thought, Xiao Quanzi smiled and said, “Oh, you’re asking about that. Don’t worry, since Master personally requested you, naturally he will be the one to supervise you himself!”Oh, as long as it wasn’t one of those three old ladies.”
Wait, who did he say?
Liang Jiugong??
That Liang Jiugong? The one who had remained by Kangxi’s side for decades, the current Grand Eunuch of Qianqing Palace?
Li Shutiao’s pupils trembled violently.