“Take it off.”
That night, the entire room was brightly lit.
A delicate fragrance rose from a gilded bronze incense burner in the shape of a lotus, tucked in the corner. It filled the room with a peaceful, soothing atmosphere.
It also made the woman’s voice all the more jarring.
Kan’er’s face instantly drained of color, turning ashen.
“C-Crown Princess[1]The Crown Princess is the principal wife of the Crown Prince, the designated heir to the throne. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, this servant[2]A humble form of self-reference used by servants when addressing their social superiors. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });…”
“If your mistress tells you to take it off, then take it off! What’s with all this nonsense?”
Nanny Pang[3]“Nanny” is used here as a title for a senior female palace attendant, not simply a modern childcare worker. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); snapped.
“If that face of yours weren’t still of some use, you’d never have gotten the chance to serve His Highness! Don’t act ungrateful after getting such a bargain. Hurry up and take it off!”
Nanny Pang was nearly fifty, with a long, narrow face, eyes showing white on three sides of the irises, and two deep creases running from either side of her nose down to the corners of her mouth.
She was the head nanny of Jiarong Hall, as well as the Crown Princess’s wet nurse[4]A woman employed to breastfeed and care for a child. In imperial households, wet nurses could retain considerable trust and influence after the child grew up. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. In the Eastern Palace[5]In imperial Chinese settings, the Eastern Palace commonly refers to the Crown Prince’s residence and household. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, she enjoyed a status no one else could match.
Kan’er, by contrast, was only the lowliest sort of serving maid.
Over the past year, she had suffered every sort of hardship in the back courtyard.
Now, faced with Nanny Pang’s sharp, vicious old face, her body gave an almost reflexive shudder.
She didn’t dare dawdle any longer.
And she certainly didn’t dare ask why they were examining her body again when they had already done so half a month ago.
As one garment after another fell away, the beautiful sight Kan’er usually kept so tightly concealed was laid completely bare to the air.
Her skin was smooth and gleaming, as white as snow.
A slender back and shoulders, a willow waist, and rounded hips.
Her straight legs seemed coated in honeyed oil, their smooth, rosy sheen glimmering beneath the soft yellow candlelight.
She was truly as tender and fresh as new shoots.
Even though Nanny Pang had seen what lay beneath Kan’er’s clothes before, she still couldn’t help marveling inwardly.
Since the time of the founding emperor, women of the Great Jing Dynasty[6]Great Jing is the dynasty named in this novel; it should not be assumed to correspond to a particular historical Chinese dynasty. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); had prized slenderness above all else.
As for those of them who served in the palace—
The older women and matrons were one thing.
But the young palace maids—
Wherever you looked, they were all thin as reeds. Some could see their own toes without even lowering their heads.
And then there was Kan’er.
Her waist was unmistakably slender, and her hips unmistakably full.
Even a skirt that loose couldn’t hide the round, lifted curve of her backside. A gust of wind could press the fabric in at her waist by a good deal!
And her chest—
Full and prominent. No matter how tightly Kan’er wrapped herself in cloth, she couldn’t conceal those high, rounded curves.
Her figure swayed with every step she took.
She was so wanton it was unbearable to look at!
“You little slut.”
Nanny Pang loathed her from the bottom of her heart, and made no effort to hide it.
Kan’er clenched her teeth to keep from crying.
The Crown Princess reclined against the window-side kang[7]A traditional raised platform used for sitting or sleeping, often heated from beneath. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); and gave a slight curl of her lips.
“Walk a few steps. Let me see.”
She had the face of Guanyin[8]Guanyin is the bodhisattva of compassion in Chinese Buddhism, often depicted with a serene, gentle appearance. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });: a round face, fine eyes, and a dignified, gracious bearing. Her voice was as gentle and soft as a spring breeze.
She had all the air of a kind mistress.
Yet the words she spoke were sharper than knives, making a girl who had only just reached fifteen[9]In traditional China, fifteen was associated with a girl’s coming of age, often marked by a hairpin ceremony. The passage does not say whether Kan’er underwent such a ceremony. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); walk back and forth in front of others with not a stitch on.
But could Kan’er say no?
She shut her eyes and forced herself to take a step.
The Crown Princess watched with interest.
But then she remembered that this wretched maid was going to serve the Crown Prince[10]The title for the formally designated heir to the imperial throne. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); tonight—a chance she herself had pleaded for with all her might!
The Crown Princess’s smile vanished.
If the Crown Prince hadn’t stumbled upon what happened a year ago, if he hadn’t come to despise her, she would have borne his legitimate son[11]A son born to the principal wife, whose position in the household and succession could differ from that of a concubine’s son. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); by now.
Why else would she be sending this wretched maid to take her place in his bed?
To bear him a child in her stead!
“Stop.”
The Crown Princess flung aside the bolster.
Seeing her rise, Nanny Pang hurried forward to support her.
Kan’er stopped, clutching her hands as she anxiously watched the woman approach. Her thick lashes trembled uncontrollably.
The Crown Princess came up to Kan’er, her gaze swiftly passing over the girl’s striking yet youthful, timid features.
The disgust in her eyes deepened.
She raised her hand and slapped Kan’er!
Kan’er jumped in fright and instinctively started to drop to her knees and beg for mercy, but for some reason, her movement suddenly faltered, and she took the slap full on.
Smack!
The sound rang out, crisp and sharp.
“If I catch you swaying around like that when you walk again, I won’t hesitate to have your legs broken!”
Kan’er paid no heed to the pain in her face. She hurriedly knelt and said, “This servant was wrong. This servant will obey the Crown Princess’s instruction.”
The Crown Princess looked down at her servile posture, and at last the pent-up anger in her chest eased.
“That’s more like it,” she said softly.
“Don’t forget why you’re going to serve His Highness, or who gave you the chance to get close to him.
“If you think serving His Highness means you no longer have to obey me, or if you bear a child and then go back on your word about letting the child be raised in Jiarong Hall, you’re mistaken.
“You’re lowborn. Your family is dead, and there’s no one in the palace who can stand up for you. You were born to be a servant.”
“Keeping you under my thumb is as easy as crushing an ant.”
“Understood?”
“Yes. This servant understands.”
Kan’er lowered her head and answered respectfully, her long lashes hiding the calm clarity that flickered briefly in her eyes.
The Crown Princess waved a hand and told Nanny Pang to take her away to bathe.
A little over a year earlier, when Kan’er had been assigned to work at Jiarong Hall, it had been the day of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess’s wedding.
She had been assigned a position as a second-class palace maid[12]Palace maids could be divided into grades that affected their duties, status, and privileges. The precise grading system here belongs to the novel’s setting. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, responsible for serving tea and water, standing by the door to deliver messages, and lifting the curtains.
So at the time, Kan’er and another second-rank maid had been given a decent room for two in the rear quarters.
But after Kan’er was sent to the back to do menial labor, the room she lived in changed from a double to an eight-person room.
Then, a month ago, the Crown Princess had sent for her in the front courtyard, saying she wanted to give her the chance to serve the Crown Prince.
That very evening, Kan’er was transferred to the front tea room, and her quarters were changed to a small side room beside it.
When she reached her room, Kan’er went inside and lit the lamp.
Nanny Pang summoned two maids assigned to heavy chores to fetch water.
Once Kan’er had climbed into the bathing tub, Nanny Pang came in with a stern face and set down a freshly made palace-maid outfit.
“Wash properly. Make sure you’re clean, so you don’t offend His Highness’s eyes!”
With that, she shut the door and left.
The room fell quiet.
On a narrow cypresswood table not far from the tub, a small flame burned steadily inside a lampshade painted with green pines and golden cicadas.
Suddenly, there came a soft splash of water.
Kan’er reached beneath the table, felt around in a little compartment, and took out a palm-sized bronze mirror. She held it up before her.
A face like a hibiscus flower appeared in the mirror.
Her features were striking and alluring, yet there was a hint of tender vulnerability between her brows.
The two faint finger marks on the right side of her face only made her look more pitiful and moving, the sort of beauty that stirred one’s sympathy at a glance.
The Crown Princess was left-handed and habitually used her left hand.
Normally, the Crown Princess, born into Duke Shun’s Residence[13]The household of a titled nobleman; “Duke” is a conventional English rendering of a Chinese noble rank, not necessarily identical to a European dukedom. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); and spoiled from childhood, didn’t have much strength in her hands. She wouldn’t easily leave marks on someone’s face.
Knowing this, the Crown Princess had dared to strike Kan’er just now.
What the Crown Princess didn’t know was that Kan’er’s skin was exceptionally delicate.
Fortunately, she bruised easily but also healed quickly and without scarring. Otherwise, she would have been covered in scars by now.
Kan’er climbed out of the tub and held a piece of clothing in front of herself. Then, moving quietly, she went to the window and peered through a crack.
No one was standing guard outside.
She latched the window, returned to the tub, and raised her left hand in front of the mirror. She positioned it over the two faint finger marks and made a few adjustments.
Then—
Smack, smack, smack!
The slaps were crisp, but not loud.
Kan’er didn’t stop until a few thin threads of blood seeped from the marks.
In the mirror, her gaze was calm and composed, without a trace of panic or fear.
Only the tears welling in her eyes and the slight flush at the corners of her upturned eyes gave her a helpless, pitiful look.
This was also one of the things Kan’er had found frustrating when she had just realized she was living her life over again.
She had discovered that all the hardships this body had endured had etched fear of the palace’s noble masters deep into its bones.
And she couldn’t control some of the body’s instinctive reactions.
Yes, reborn[14]Rebirth is a common Chinese web-novel premise in which a character returns to an earlier point in life with memories of a previous life. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3722858_1_14').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3722858_1_14', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Kan’er had lived a previous life.
On this day in her past life, the Crown Princess, Zheng, had also sent her to serve the Crown Prince. The difference was that she hadn’t been slapped.
Not because she’d been brave enough to dodge it.
Quite the opposite.
She had been so terrified of Zheng that, the moment she saw her raise a hand, she dropped to her knees and begged for mercy.
That kneel had naturally let her avoid the slap.
And it had also allowed Zheng to calm down.
Later…
Kan’er let out a breath, put the mirror back on the table, then closed her eyes and plunged into the water with a splash.
Half an hour later,
Nanny Pang came to knock on the door.
“His Highness is in the side hall. Once you’re ready, come with me.”
References[+]