Life’s paths diverge north and south; even generals, ministers, and immortals must be born from ordinary folk.
It is said that in Jinan Prefecture, Shandong, there once lived a family of local gentry surnamed Fu. They owned two lacquerware shops and, though not among the wealthiest, had chests full of gold and silver and granaries overflowing with grain.
Master Fu had a son and a daughter. The son showed remarkable talent in his studies, passing the county-level imperial examination at the age of fourteen. Seeing that the Fu family was prosperous and the young man handsome and dignified, the prefect betrothed his beloved daughter to him. By the time the son turned twenty, the prefect had left his post in Jinan and returned to his hometown, Ji’an. Fu Dalang thus traveled to Ji’an to fetch his bride.
Though not a man of romantic inclinations, Fu Dalang kept several maids in his chambers: Chunhua, Qiuyue, Xiahe, and Dongmei. Among them, Chunhua, now twenty-two and in the prime of her youth, was the most capable and reliable.
Yet, at this very age, she no longer resembled her former gentle and lovely self. She now lay lifeless on a wooden plank in the firewood shed, a pool of blood beneath her, her eyes still wide open.
That very night, she was carried out in a manure bucket and discarded. After all, such matters could not see the light of day for the Fu family. To marry the prefect’s daughter, they could not allow their son to have an illegitimate child before the wedding!
With one of the four maids dead, the remaining three were terrified into silence. All three had been taken by the young master, and if any of them were to become pregnant, they feared they would meet the same tragic fate as Chunhua.
Qiuyue and Xiahe had entered the Fu household together, and their bond was unusually close. Xiahe could not help but sigh, “How could Sister Chunhua die after just one dose of medicine? Didn’t they say Granny Yu’s medicine was effective?”
Qiuyue sneered, “Such medicine that harms one’s virtue—how could it be good? Even the contraceptive medicine we take, I suspect, is no good either.”
“Sister Qiuyue, I’m scared,” Xiahe said, recalling the bloody scene.
A gust of wind blew, and Qiuyue felt a chill. Hearing Xiahe’s fear, she offered advice, “You and I are different. You were sold here during the famine and still have a brother and mother. Not like me, who was abducted when I was too young to understand, not even knowing my own name, and forced to depend on this place. Why not have your family take you away?”
Xiahe lowered her eyes. “Go back? What kind of life would I have back there? Times are hard at home too. Besides, the young master… he’s still good to me.”
Seeing her like this, Qiuyue said no more. If she spoke further, Xiahe might think she was trying to drive her away.
It must be known that Xiahe was naive and lively, speaking her mind freely, and exceptionally beautiful—the most striking among the four maids. When Fu Dalang was angry with her, he was truly furious, but when he indulged her, he showed her no restraint, favoring and spoiling her greatly.
A month later, Fu Dalang brought home his bride. The First Young Mistress was merely plain in appearance but carried the imposing air of an official’s daughter, commanding respect without anger and enforcing strict rules.
Qiuyue sensed trouble and avoided the front quarters whenever possible. Even when assigned extra tasks by the First Young Mistress’s people, she remained silent. She understood clearly that the newly appointed mistress was looking to make an example of someone.
Yet Xiahe stumbled right into it. No, Xiahe had indeed tried to keep a low profile, as Qiuyue had advised. But how could she help her innate, dazzling beauty? Her striking looks became a thorn in the side, especially after the First Young Mistress’s monthly discomfort arrived. When the young master summoned Xiahe to the study to assist with his writing, the room was left in disarray.
Not long after leaving that study, a jade bracelet that had gone missing from Old Madame Fu appeared in Xiahe’s trunk. Dishonesty was a grave offense for servants; not only was she whipped thirty times with a horsewhip, but she was also driven out.
Two months later, Qiuyue asked someone to inquire and learned that Xiahe’s mother had refused to treat her daughter. Xiahe’s injuries were originally only superficial, but a severe cold worsened her condition, and she passed away.
Of the four maids, only two remained. Even though Qiuyue and Dongmei had not been on good terms before, they now shared a bond of mutual sympathy.
The young mistress became pregnant within a few months of entering the household. During this time, Fu Dalang, who appeared to be a gentleman on the surface, could no longer restrain himself in private and sought release with the maidservants. With frequent physical contact, intimacy naturally grew. Qiuyue paid it no mind, but Dongmei began to harbor hopes.
After the young mistress gave birth to a daughter, her health suffered. Old Madame Fu then hinted that the maidservants who served as concubines should take the initiative. Those who could bear children would later be honored as concubines with a formal status through a celebratory feast.
Qiuyue knew Dongmei was tempted, as she noticed Dongmei had skipped the contraceptive brew several times. Dongmei indeed had some luck and soon became pregnant. Unfortunately, after giving birth to a son, she was driven out while still in her postpartum confinement.
This time, it was Fu Dalang himself who expelled her, because he wanted a child born to the principal wife. This child, presented as the young mistress’s son, would hold a higher status.
Of the four maids, in the end, only Qiuyue remained.
Qiuyue was both frightened and fearful. She dreaded being the next one to meet such a fate. She did not know her age, her hometown, or her parents. If she were to die like this, her life would have been in vain.
She was unwilling. She had not yet found her birth parents, had not yet married, and had not even begun to live her own life. Even though she was now a maid, appearances could be deceiving, and one’s potential could not be measured. She always felt her life should not be like this.
Taking a deep breath, she turned a corner and saw the Fu family’s young lady.
The Fu family’s young lady, named Zhenzhen, meaning “the treasure of the Fu family,” was delicate, lovely, innocent, and carefree. Yet even someone like her could not control her own destiny. To prevent the rise of powerful maternal relatives, the dynasty selected commoners as imperial consorts. In previous years, selections were limited to the capital region, but this year, the scope was expanded to include virtuous maidens from Henan and Shandong. The Fu family, hoping for their daughter to marry into a higher status, had spread rumors far and wide, so local officials had already submitted her name.
All that remained was for the palace eunuchs to arrive, conduct a face-to-face selection, and then she would be sent to the capital.
From then on, she would be far from her parents and family, spending the rest of her life deep within the palace.
Shaking her head, Qiuyue dragged her heavy steps forward and saw Diao Si, the son of Old Madame Fu’s personal maid, leering at her. Qiuyue glared at him and hurried past.
Just then, the young mistress sent someone to summon her. Qiuyue was puzzled to see several matrons inside but later learned that the young mistress intended to betroth her to Diao Si. Indeed, Old Madame Fu believed the young mistress had driven Dongmei away, causing some tension between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. To secure her own position, the young mistress wanted to marry Qiuyue off to Diao Si in exchange for his mother speaking favorably of her to Old Madame Fu.
Qiuyue felt as if struck by lightning, yet she forced herself to bow excitedly in gratitude: “This servant thanks the young mistress for your grace.”
When she walked out of the main house, she was still in a daze. Although Diao Si was not old, he was a man who indulged in drinking and gambling, committing every evil imaginable. Marrying him would be like jumping into a fire pit.
She had already been careful enough, but this couple still wouldn’t let her go. Qiuyue thought that since marrying Diao Si would mean her own death anyway, she might as well have these noble people accompany her to the grave!
She was usually good at weighing pros and cons, but when it came to taking action, she would erupt in silence.
…
The next day, after delivering dinner to the main house, Qiuyue returned trembling like a sieve, taking a long while to calm down.
That night, she slept restlessly, plagued by nightmares one after another. It wasn’t until news came from outside that the young master and his wife had died suddenly that Qiuyue felt the shoe hanging over her head had finally dropped.
She didn’t try to escape. Instead, she immediately got up, dressed neatly, and waited for the Fu family to come and arrest her.
Even though Qiuyue remained calm, her heart pounded uncontrollably.
But she had no regrets…
Just as she awaited death, a turning point arrived—someone from the palace had come. The elderly Fu couple, having lost their son and daughter-in-law, naturally did not want their only daughter to enter the palace. They needed to find a substitute, but it couldn’t be someone too unworthy.
Qiuyue thought this might be her chance, so she volunteered herself. “Master, Madam, I am an orphan, indebted to the Fu family for taking me in. As the saying goes, a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude. I had originally intended to serve the young master for a lifetime, but now that he has passed away, my greatest concern is for the young lady. If my life can secure the Fu family’s happiness, I will not hesitate to offer it.”
Old Madame Fu looked at Qiuyue. Among the four great maids back then, Qiuyue’s status was second only to Chunhua. Though she wasn’t as strikingly beautiful as Xiahe, her skin was like honey, her demeanor graceful, and she was skilled in needlework and literate. Even now, standing before her, she spoke clearly and with conviction.
Most importantly, she carried the air of a young lady, unlike others who cowered in fear.
Time was pressing, so Old Madame Fu made the decision on the spot. Qiuyue was immediately dressed and made up. As a maid, she had always been plain, but now, adorned, she radiated elegance and spirit—just the right look.
The initial selection eliminated those who were too tall, too short, too fat, or too thin. Qiuyue passed this round easily. The second round weeded out those with poor physical coordination, and Qiuyue passed this as well. As for the third round, it required traveling to the capital.
Once in the capital, she would undergo inspections for health, scent, and even virginity. As long as she passed these, she could stay in the palace. Even if she wasn’t selected as a consort or princess, she could still serve as a palace maid.
But now, all she cared about was escaping, no matter the cost.
Just at this moment, Old Madame Fu heard rumors that her son and daughter-in-law’s sudden deaths might have been caused by poisoning, and the suspects were either from the kitchen or Qiuyue. When she confronted Qiuyue, the latter remained unruffled.
“Old Madame, how can you suspect me based on a few words from others? If I truly wanted to harm your family, I could have told the eunuchs that you deceived the emperor. That would have doomed your entire family. Would I have needed to resort to poison?”
Old Madame Fu dared not press further. Qiuyue curled her lips into a faint smile.
In March, Qiuyue entered the capital. She had thought that, having been with a man before, she wouldn’t pass the matrons’ inspections. Unexpectedly, she slipped through by discreetly placing the fifty taels of silver the Fu family had given her in her sleeve.
She grew more resilient with each setback, and in the end, she successfully became an imperial consort. Though she was only a low-ranking eighth-grade Cairen, sitting at the very bottom of the hierarchy, she was content.
Because she was now a mistress, the Fu family of the past could no longer hold power over her life and death!
Though she didn’t know whose daughter she was or what her real name might be, none of that mattered. From now on, she could decide for herself who she wanted to become.