1 1: A regular day of work

'It's quite out there. Has the Imperial Harem ever been this quiet during the day? I should enjoy this rare peace until it lasts.'

The cold and quiet morning was rare in the ever-busy Imperial Harem.

The morning was usually busy for the servants, with everyone running around to prepare for the day.

Dull black eyes looked up from an equally dull face painted with powder and other resources.

Only a fool would wake up this early and lose an extra hour of precious sleep to paint their face. But one such idiot was Sui.

'I should get this done quickly. I cannot let my roommate discover what I am doing.'

Sui finished with her face and quickly closed her cabinet shut and locked it at the first sign of wakefulness from her roommate.

Thankfully, Sui's roommate only stirred and did not wake up.

Sui had almost an hour left before she needed to report for duty, and she was not going to work early. 

'Looks like I will have enough time to look around my field today. I should prune the weeds so that my plants can grow.'

With that decided, Sui headed toward the back garden she had claimed as her own.

She spent an hour on her far, cleaning it up, among other things, before it was time to report for duty.

The life of a servant was hard, but it was fulfilling. 

But most importantly, it helped Sui live an everyday life and not stand out, just as Sui's mother had wanted for her.

'An ordinary life is the best life. I should reinforce the rules in my mind - do not get close to the Imperial Concubines, but don't ignore them. Be mindful of my manners and do nothing to stand out.'

Simply put, Sui needed to be an ordinary lady and live like one.

...

Sui pushed the kitchen door open and was not surprised to see the cook already there.

The old lady in charge of the kitchen was a perfectionist and liked to start early.

"Sui, are you here? Rika, you can tell Sui what to do and ask her for help. Finish the preparation work soon, and we can get to cooking."

Rika looked unhappy at being ordered around and rolled her eyes as the head chef ordered her around.

'Let's ignore Rika and her actions. The less I pretend to see, the better for me.' 

"Rika, are you doing your work properly? I cannot hear your hands working."

The head maid spoke, causing Rika to flinch before she went back to work.

Sui knew what to do in this situation so she did not feel awkward in the kitchen.

Instead, she took the small batch of vegetables lying on the side and decided to clean them up.

Rika's eyes continued to glare daggers into her, but Sui was unbothered by her behavior.

The head cook watched them for some time, but she finally relaxed once breakfast was in the preparatory stages and no accident occurred.

"You are free to head out now, Sui. I will handle things from here. Where are you posted today?"

Sui had to think about her work for the day.

Sui did not have one, unlike regularly employed servants with a set schedule. So, she was sent wherever the Imperial Palace was short on hands.

"I think I am posted in the Li Hua Palace. Concubine Cherubini is in poor health, and they need more hands. People expect it to be good news."

There was always some kind of gossip in the royal palace, and someone was always feeling under the weather with a harem as big as 100 beauties.

Gossip about being pregnant was also common. 

So, no one wanted to conclude anything too soon.

"Oh my! This is great news. But the timing is a little…"

The head cook trailed off while speaking, and Sui knew why.

There were rumors that the emperor wanted to welcome a new top concubine sometime next month. 

"It looks like there will be a power struggle next month. Do not get caught up in it; you can even lose your life. Remember, the only way to survive in the royal palace is to-"

"-Either keep your head down or become a royal's favorite. But realistically, keeping our heads down is the better option, right? The emperor does not have a type, and the princess…"

The head cook slammed her knife on the table to shut the gossiping people.

"This is enough. Other servants are starting to come in now. Good luck in the Li Hua palace, and stay safe."

The head cook was a good person who cared for Sui when she was younger. At this point, she is like Sui's mother.

"Understood. I will take care of myself. Then, I should get going now."

Sui opened the door before the kitchen servants could open it.

They all looked spooked and fell as soon as Sui opened the door.

These people had been leaning against the door and spying inside the kitchen.

The head cook was one of the oldest servants with the most knowledge about the inner court.

"W-We were not trying to listen in. I-I just felt a little faint, so I was trying to lean against the door and relieve my fatigue. Isn't that right?"

The other servant asked her fellow workers, who all looked reluctant to agree with her.

But in the end, they were all similar, so they decided to band together.

"This is right! You do not need to tell anyone about what happened here."

'This feels like these workers are interrogating me. Let's keep my head down and get out of here.'

"You are right! Nothing happened here. I shall head out because I have something very important to get done."

The trio looked conflicted, but they finally noticed the headmaid standing behind Sui and decided to keep their mouths shut.

The less they speak, the better it would be for them now.

"Oh, I assume your 'condition' is also why you arrived late here? You all better have an excuse ready for me."

Sui quickly ran away before her curiosity got better, and she got into trouble.

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