The Second World in Ancient Times

Chapter 43: Palace Struggle, First Involvement

The atmosphere in the palace has been getting increasingly strange lately, and I can clearly sense several undercurrents surging towards me. Ever since I was promoted to a lady-in-waiting for exposing the conspiracy, all kinds of troubles have been surrounding me like sharks smelling blood.

One day, I was sorting out business files in my room when a little palace maid came running in: "Lady in charge of empathy, the Empress wants to see you." I was startled, knowing that this was not a simple matter.

When I arrived at the Empress's palace, she was lazily leaning on the couch. Seeing me coming, she smiled slightly and said, "Si Qing, you're here. You've made a great contribution this time. I have always admired children like you who are smart and loyal."

I quickly knelt down and saluted: "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty. This is what I should do."

The Empress sat up straight. "Si Qing, the palace situation is complicated right now. You should know that I need talents like you. If you are willing to serve me, you will certainly receive benefits in the future."

I was shocked. This was an attempt to win me over, but I didn't dare to agree rashly. "Your Majesty, your kindness is so great that I am overwhelmed. I am just a lowly female official. I am extremely lucky to be able to work for the palace. I dare not have any other unreasonable expectations."

A hint of displeasure flashed across the Empress's eyes, but she quickly regained her smile. "Go back and think carefully about this. I hope you can make the right choice."

A few days after leaving the Empress's office, the Imperial Concubine also made moves. I was supervising the flower pruning in the Imperial Garden when a gorgeously dressed palace maid approached, "Lady of the Imperial Court, the Imperial Concubine invites you over for a chat."

I arrived at the Imperial Concubine's palace, where she was admiring her jewelry in the mirror. Seeing me come in, she smiled and said, "Si Qing, you're here. Come and take a look. What do you think of these earrings?"

I replied respectfully, "Your Highness, these earrings are exquisite and suit you perfectly."

The imperial concubine put down her earrings and looked at me. "Si Qing, I know you are a discerning person. Right now, this palace may seem calm, but in reality, it is turbulent. I think you are a talent that can be used. If you follow me, I will definitely not treat you unfairly."

I looked embarrassed and said, "Your Majesty, I am grateful for your esteem, but I just want to do my job well and don't want to get involved in these disputes."

The imperial concubine's face darkened. "Hmph, you think you can stay out of this? In this palace, if you don't choose a side, you will only die faster."

I returned to my residence, distraught. Wanqing saw me like this and asked me what was wrong. I told her how the Empress and the Imperial Concubine had tried to win me over.

Wanqing frowned: "What should I do? It's not good to offend anyone."

I said helplessly, "Yeah, I'm in a dilemma now. I don't want to get involved in their fight, but they won't let me go easily."

"Then we have to think of a way. We can't let them use you as a pawn." Wanqing said.

Just as we were discussing this, another young eunuch came to tell me that some other powerful concubines had also expressed "concern" for me, which gave me even more headaches.

The next day, I ran into a lady-in-waiting who was close to the Empress in the palace corridor. She said with a half-smile, "Lady-in-waiting, please don't let the Empress down. If you were smart, you would know what to do."

I was about to respond when I bumped into a maid from the Imperial Concubine's side. She looked at me provocatively and said, "Si Qing, don't refuse a toast and then drink a forfeit. The Imperial Concubine is not to be trifled with."

The maids and eunuchs around me were secretly watching me, and I felt like I was being roasted on a fire. I knew I had to make a decision quickly, otherwise the pressure would crush me.

I decided to seek the advice of the highly respected old maid in the palace. After listening to my story and pondering for a moment, she said, "My child, palace struggles are incredibly cruel. If you make the wrong choice, you'll be doomed. You must think clearly. The Empress has her power, and the Imperial Concubine has her tactics. You can't just focus on the immediate benefits."

I asked anxiously, "Mammy, what should I do?"

The old nanny patted my hand and said, "You need to find a way to remain neutral in this conflict, or to find a way to protect you. Perhaps you can start with the palace rules and the emperor."

As luck would have it, a few days later, the Emperor held a banquet in the palace, and I was among the invited guests. At the banquet, the Emperor suddenly asked me, "Si Qing, I heard that you've been very busy in the palace lately, and everyone is trying to win you over. What are your plans?"

I quickly knelt and replied, "Your Majesty, I am truly terrified. I only want to serve the court wholeheartedly, and have no other aspirations. However, the Empress and the Imperial Concubine both have expectations of me, and I don't know what to do."

The emperor smiled faintly. "You are a clever child. I do not wish to see the palace thrown into chaos by these disputes. You must uphold justice and consider the peace of the palace."

My heart moved, and the emperor's words seemed to give me a direction: "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

After returning from the banquet, I decided to make my position clear to the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. I went to the Empress first.

"Your Majesty, I came here today to express my feelings to you. I am grateful for your kindness, but I cannot participate in court struggles. I only want to follow the emperor's will and maintain the peace of the palace." I knelt on the ground and said sincerely.

The Empress's face was gloomy: "Are you going to go against me?"

I kowtowed quickly, "Your Majesty, I dare not. I simply do not want to see the palace in chaos due to fighting. I hope Your Majesty can understand."

The Queen sneered: "Hmph, I hope you won't regret your decision."

Then, I went to the Imperial Concubine and said the same thing. The Imperial Concubine was so angry that she threw the teacup and said, "You are such a jerk! You think you can escape from my grasp? Let's see!"

Since then, I have been threatened and harassed by the Empress and the Imperial Concubine. The Empress's side deliberately found fault with the affairs I was managing, saying that the maids I had arranged were not doing their job well, resulting in some palaces not being cleaned properly.

I argued, "These maids were working according to their schedule, and I checked before, and there was no problem. Someone must have deliberately sabotaged it afterwards."

But the other party refused to listen to my explanation and reported it to the Empress, who ordered me to be grounded for three days.

The Imperial Concubine was also busy, tampering with the items I prepared for the banquet. I found that the wine and drinks had been replaced with inferior products, and I knew it was another trick of the Imperial Concubine.

Faced with these difficulties, I did not sit idly by. I went to the eunuch in charge of palace discipline, explained the situation to him, and requested a re-examination.

The chief eunuch was a fair man. After investigation, he found that someone had deliberately framed me. He explained the situation to the Empress and the Imperial Concubine, which temporarily freed me from the predicament.

But I knew they wouldn't give up, and I had to be more careful.

Just when I thought things were calming down a bit, a new force came to win me over. This was a young concubine who was quite favored by the emperor. She had a gentle personality and did not seem as aggressive as the empress and the imperial concubine.

She called me to her palace and said, "Lady of Love, I know you've been through a lot lately. I don't want to get involved in those boring fights. I just want to live a good life in this palace. I think you and I are on the same page, and we can help each other."

I looked at her, feeling a little moved, but still asked cautiously, "My Lady, why did you choose me?"

The young concubine smiled and said, "Because I can see that you are a kind and upright person, and you are capable. I don't want to see you being bullied by them."

I hesitated, unsure whether to trust this young concubine. Wanqing reminded me, "Siqing, we can't trust others so easily anymore. She might have ulterior motives."

While I was still thinking, the Empress and the Imperial Concubine seemed to have noticed the young concubine's intentions, and they began to put pressure on her.

The young concubine came to me and cried, "Si Qing, what should I do now? I just want to be friends with you, but they won't let me go."

I comforted her: "My lady, please don't worry, we will think of a solution."

But I knew in my heart that the palace struggle was becoming more and more complicated, and I felt that I was falling into a deeper predicament.

I decided I couldn't deal with these problems alone anymore, so I looked for allies. I found some reliable people I had made while uncovering the conspiracy, including those close to the old prince.

I told them, "I'm caught up in a palace feud. The Empress and the Imperial Concubine are trying to make things difficult for me. I need your help."

They expressed their support for me and gave me some ideas, such as uniting with some neutral forces to fight against those who wanted to take advantage of the court struggle to gain benefits.

Through everyone's efforts, we formed a neutral alliance, including some concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs who did not participate in the struggle. We agreed to support each other and jointly maintain peace in the palace.

Once, the Queen Mother's people came to harass a palace maid in our alliance. We united together, produced evidence, and proved to the Queen Mother that it was a misunderstanding, leaving her speechless.

Through these actions, we gradually gained a firm foothold in the court struggle, making it difficult for those who wanted to use me to achieve their own goals to act rashly.

However, palace struggles are always full of uncertainties. One day, a senior official came to the palace and made a suggestion to the emperor, hoping that the emperor would rectify the harem and reduce the fighting so as not to affect the former dynasty.

The emperor listened to the advice of his ministers and decided to take some measures. He ordered the strengthening of palace management and strictly prohibited the concubines from forming cliques. Any violation would be severely punished.

This news was like a ray of light in the darkness for me. I knew this was a turning point, and we could use the emperor's power to restore peace to the palace.

The members of the Neutral Alliance and I actively responded to the Emperor's orders and assisted the palace administration in strengthening management. We publicized the new palace regulations to the palace maids and eunuchs, letting everyone know the consequences of fighting.

Thanks to our efforts, the atmosphere of infighting in the palace gradually subsided, and the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine no longer dared to fight as openly as before.

As I watched the palace gradually return to peace, my heart was filled with hope. I knew the road ahead was long, but as long as we uphold justice and maintain the peace of the palace, we would be able to overcome this difficult time.