"Imperial Concubine Han will receive three hundred taels of silver, three bolts of brocade, five bolts of silk, and a pair of gold earrings," the Empress declared, her voice booming, loud enough for everyone to hear.

I respectfully kneeled, and unintentionally smiled from ear to ear. In this place, I felt like a hero, like I was brought here to correct it. Was I selfish and self-absorbed to say this? Perhaps. But I felt honoured to be on my knees receiving materialistic awards. As I listened to the Emperor's speech, I gave Jaxon a kind look. His dimple appeared when he beamed at me. He thrust a thumbs up.

It's funny how I've been in this hall frequently. It brought a certain type of attention and I loved it.

"It shocked me but seeing you defend yourself, I was intrigued," the Emperor began. "I've been fooled. Perhaps I thought you were a delicate flower in a garden, but you were a unique flower that could never be harmed no matter how much the wind blows. If you were a male, I could have possibly made you my Imperial guard."

I cocked my eyebrow. "I can be a female Imperial guard, can't I, Your Majesty?"

"Women aren't supposed to be Imperial guards." another guard uttered. I saw his enraged glare at me from the corner of my eye. I'm sorry I was the one who saved the Emperor, better luck next time, pal.

"You can change history with that, Your Majesty," I stood up bravely. I narrowed my eyes and pressed my lips together. "Women can do things men can! Men and women are not the same, however, we deserve to be equal. Although I am your Noble Consort, I refuse to let—"

"Enough," the Emperor said, quite calmly, and waved his hand in front of him.

I kneeled frantically. My palms whitened due to the pressure of them leaning into the ground. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty, I was just standing up to my beliefs!"

He closed his eyes as he leaned back on his throne. He looked rather calm. There was pin-drop silence in the room. Everyone had their eyes open. They refused to miss a dialogue between the Emperor and me. Here, everyone loves drama. The Emperor took a deep breath and slowly released his stress build-up. "This is new information I obtained today," he spoke with power, puffing up his chest with a proper king-like posture. "I will look into your suggestion. There aren't any women that would want this role—not that I am aware of. You may be the first, but I am too selfish to have you as my royal guard... You came into the harem and you will stay in the harem."

"I ask for forgiveness from Your Majesty," I kowtowed. "It was rude of me to sound as if I was more knowledgable than you. If that is your wish, I will gladly oblige."

"Please get up, there is nothing for me to forgive," he motioned for me to rise. There was just a tiny hint of a smile on his face, but not so much for anyone from afar to notice. "There are new ideas every day, it is up to me to keep up with them. You made me understand that there are suggestions not only my advisor can provide for me. Your future suggestions will be considered and I will filter out what does not serve our nation. In this case, women are weaker than men, by default biologically, however, does that mean they cannot do the things men can do? Hm... The answer is more complicated than that. Women are delicate, dainty things that deserve to be protected and provided for. Can they protect and provide for themselves? I've never seen it. Does it mean it is not possible? No. Anything can be possible. Ying Yue, I will take your suggestion into consideration."

When the Emperor finished, the room was awfully quiet.

I wore the gold earrings shortly after. I struggled to put the last earring in. I spent at least five minutes because I was shaking from what had happened. The Emperor was kind enough to acknowledge me. The concubines will have to respect me now—the Empress must respect me now. Well, I do hope so. Calling the Emperor out made me so nervous that my palms were still sweaty. When I finished putting the earrings in, I heard murmured whispers coming towards my chamber. I immediately faced the noise.

A woman in the front kneeled. The others followed. "Lady Ying Yue, we are your palace maids and are here to serve you. We are pleased to serve you and be with you."

"I thought I told the Emperor that I wanted two maids," I mumbled.

"Yes, but His Majesty thought you were attempting to be humble," another one chimed in. "Forgive us. Her Majesty originally assigns six maids for your ranking. Her Majesty was respectful in your request."

The four girls kneeling down to me looked clean. I always thought maids in the palace would look untidy and unkempt. As I examined the maids in a non-creepy way, I realised they were still kneeling. "O-Oh! Please get up."

They obeyed me.

"T-this was a very unexpected visit... I clearly do not know how to function with so many people around me, haha. There are so many things I enjoy doing alone. The crowdedness of four people may hinder what I do... But, you four seem... um... friendly! Yes!" I stammered in embarrassment. I fidgeted with my jewellery anxiously. As the maids bowed with a gentle smile, I felt power in my hands and I couldn't grasp the idea of it. "Shall I know your names?"

The four maids looked surprised. Their eyes widened with such confusion that they had to glance at each other to find the answer to my eccentricity. I wasn't the weird one, technically they were... I let them process what had happened for a moment. You don't get to have four maids and be a weirdo in front of them often, do you? Finally, they looked at me. The one maid in the front, which was perhaps the head maid, attempted to stifle a nervous laugh. "We apologize. We're a little bit shocked because we don't usually get asked about our names, milady. Thank you for getting to know us, we appreciate it deeply."

"Well, I want to know them anyway. It's respectful. Hm... Strange... Shouldn't you know the names of your maids? What a rude place we live in," I concluded as I got up from my chair. "I order you four to tell me your names."

"Now," Jaxon whispered to me.

I giggled as I covered my mouth with my hand. "I'm scared!"

Both of us were sneakily walking towards the Imperial kitchen. As we arrived, Jaxon ushered me near the doorway, raising his eyebrows every time he shooed me away. "I swear to—"

"Alright, alright! Someone's a little bit impatient today. I wonder why?" I taunted.

I casually walked in and gave everyone working a stiff smile. I awkwardly watched them bow to me like I was someone important. Which I was, of course... "I-Uh... I want bird nest soup, please."

A faint snicker from behind me caused my lips to curl. I wanted to laugh. The workers looked at me and blinked continuously like I said a two-minute math word problem. I shifted my legs while my body swayed slowly. I gave them a fumbled grin. I slowly regretted my decision. "I... Birds nest soup? I want to drink.. it. Please?"

"O-Of course, Noble Consort Han." A maid obeyed.

She had her eyebrows knitted and she studied my face as if I was sick and disoriented. The rest of the assistant chefs went on staring at me with wonder. They started to gather equipment immediately but they were lost in thought. If only Hua Er was next to me... She would know what to do. They were very quick on their feet, however, and I was fascinated by the environment of the kitchen. As I continuously stood there and watched them like a complete idiot, a medium-height chef with a large belly and neatly groomed facial hair approached me with pure happiness on his face. His eyes shrunk in size when he greeted me. He bowed gently. His friendly expression was very comforting because he reminded me of my father. As I scanned his face, his appearance truly began to resemble my father, which completely threw me off. He looked as if my father and the Laughing Buddha morphed into one person.

"Usually you'd let your maids know this, milady. If you are wondering why they are confused at your presence here, that is why," he laughed cheerfully at my ignorance. "What brings you here? You don't need to step inside again, it's not a very short walk!"

I chewed my bottom lip in confusion. "Sir, I deeply apologize for disrupting the kitchen."

"No worries! You are always welcomed here. May I ask why you want such a sumptuous dish? Does Her Majesty know? Is that why you are coming in here in person, so Her Majesty doesn't know? What a sneaky woman you are!" he let out a chortle.

"It would be unpleasant to lie... so—"

"It's not like I care! Whatever you want, I can do that for you. You aren't supposed to be here, make sure no one is watching next time you come," he smiled. "The brutal battle you had with those assassins was amazing to hear. Everyone has their own little stories about you. One guard said you walked off in such a way that His Majesty had a big smile on his face! And you decapitated a man's head? Is that true? Wow! Surprising! I look up to you. I can't imagine fighting assassins in the kitchen. Good thing all I do is cook, haha!"

"Thank you! That's very kind of you," I grinned. "I don't recall it being a brutal battle. It was more like a street fight. Those assassins aren't highly skilled. If I fought some that were skilled, maybe I'd lose. I'm grateful they weren't good."

He paused. "A what? What is a street fight?"

"Nevermind, I—What shall I call you, chef?"

"Uncle Bin is just fine, milady! Perhaps... You can call me 'chef.' It is informal but it sounds glorious! Like I was a royal guard, fighting eight soldiers at the same time. Like I was a hero, like—"

I bowed. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Bin. You seem very into this... fighting thing. And war... May I ask... why you're not a royal guard?"

"Well, look at me"— Uncle Bin gestured his hands to his body—"I've lost my shape, milady. Besides, it's too bloody... It's not for me. I just like to fantasize about it, to be completely honest with you. I enjoy daydreaming. Every day I make great meals for you all, the food tastes great because I daydream and enjoy it. Positive cooking results in positive food. If you cook with such a frown, your food will taste like the dirt outside. Daydreaming is fun. I just want to be a hero in a story," he looked out in the distance of the kitchen. "I want to be known to do good deeds in the Palace too! Just like you, protecting His Majesty from those assassins. It should be the other way around! I'm surprised His Majesty was not embarrassed. Haha, just kidding. Anyway, I'm an old man. I could never fight!"

Uncle Bin was wholesome. I listened to him talk. He enjoyed talking a lot. Or, maybe he had no one to ramble and talk to here. As his eyes shimmered while he talked about the war books he read, I felt almost sorry for him. He never got to chase his dreams. He was maybe in his late 50's, but still passionate about violence like a ten-year-old boy. Uncle Bin spoke about how his own father used to read him stories about battles that the late emperors had fought. He spoke about different war tactics and how he enjoyed learning about them. I thought about The Art of War by Sun Tzu but never brought it up, just in case Sun Tzu's most famous work was not released yet. It was truly refreshing to have a kind soul in this place, so I might as well befriend him quickly.

"Here's your bird nest soup, Lady Ying Yue." A maid handed me a medium-sized, porcelain bowl of soup, bowing as she gave it.

"Thank you," I said and held onto the bowl with both of my hands.

I peered down into it with curiosity. The soup bowl looked extremely unappetizing, but I have an urge to try it. I thanked the staff kindly and made my way out of the kitchen.

"What took you so long?" Jaxon was patiently standing outside. He took the bowl from my hands.

"I had a conversation with the head chef," I replied. We started to walk out of the Palace, ready to part our ways. "His name is Uncle Bin. He was quite funny, he was like a little child. I enjoyed his rambling on battles and fighting and I sort of pitied him. Such hopes and dreams and could never fulfill them. Still, he's a happy soul. One can find happiness even though he feels unfulfilled—through daydreaming, I guess. But, it's good to live in the present. Anyway, his eyes sparkled when he recognized me! I think me and him will be quite close!"

"He's old," Jaxon countered with a teasing laugh.

"Shut up! We both know I didn't mean it like that..." I pushed him gently. I couldn't help myself, I laughed as well.

We gave each other a wave when we parted our ways. I walked back into my chamber. I set the bowl down on my table and had my eyes on it for as long as my attention span could handle.

Where did my life come to?

I still couldn't process my surroundings. I'm in ancient China, living in the Imperial Palace with other girls that love the Emperor and only the Emperor. I'm in a place filled with people that are way different than me, and strange customs that I still can't get used to it. It still frustrates me that I'm here putting effort and doing more work than I've ever done before. I want to go home so terribly bad. The experience of being here overwhelms me with delight and wonder, but I can't imagine having to stay here permanently. What will become of me? I'll rot away here, birthing children for a man that has more women than I have of my fingers and toes. This is not a life I want to be living in, and I don't understand how these women do not sit in their chamber like me, and question what they want from their interactions with the Emperor. What a strange world we live in. The world continues to be strange every century—always the same.

I carefully brought my spoonful of soup up to my lips and sipped. I savoured the taste in my mouth, then swallowed the warm liquid. The soup wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It did taste different, but very appetizing. It was known to be a delicacy and is quite expensive. I was so excited to go back home and tell Cherry I tried it, but the melancholy soon hit me. I may never see her again. Unless I get the ingredients fast. The wetness of my cheeks tempted me more. As my eyes produced an excessive amount of tears, some ended up falling into my soup. Regardless of my salty tears fusing with the expensive dish, I began to take little sips of it.

A disaster. Whichever car hit us, will pay. If I go back, I will make the driver of that car kiss my shoes and kneel down to me. As I dazed off with a noticeably glum look on my face, I dropped my spoon and exhaled all the oxygen stored in my lungs. I reached to take the vessel designated to hold all the ingredients and poured the remaining soup into the bowl. I didn't drink a lot. I craved alcohol at this point. But I cannot get my maids to fetch me wine at this time. They already think I am an alien and I don't want to raise any more suspicions. I shall settle down with just tea right now, then.

"Lady Ying Yue!" A eunuch walked into the room, bowing with a grim expression on his face.

I quickly hid the container behind the dresser. I stood up and walked closer to him. "What is it?"

Do these people ever knock?

"The Emperor and Her Majesty are making an announcement, please hurry to the Grand Hall!"

"I'll be there, thank you."

I quickly redid my makeup and fixed my hanfu. What does the Emperor want? Does he live off attention? Doesn't he have things to do, like solve political issues? They have a lot of political issues here, I can guarantee that. My maids hurriedly entered in my chamber without announcing themselves. They bowed gracefully and guided me out.

The hall gave me negative energy. Everyone looked like they went to war and lost twice. I gulped loudly as I entered, kneeling next to Su Yin. I whispered, "What's going on?"

Before Su Yin could answer, the Emperor asked for silence. I kowtowed nervously. I felt like someone died, it had to be. Everyone looked strangely upset over something. I was confused as ever.

"Now, all of you may be wondering why I have escorted you all out to come here," he somberly spoke. "The Empress's mother has passed away."

A few gasps were heard, but some stayed still. Wow, I was right! There were slight whispers amongst people but strangely enough, I heard chuckling from Su Yin. No one could tell she was delighted about a person's death but me. I wanted to know why.

The Empress had her head down. She looked extremely vulnerable. Her frown, her eyebrows slanting up, how she avoided the audience, she looked so innocent. I wanted to laugh. I didn't know her mother, and her mother could have been the sweetest lady, but I couldn't help but laugh. The Empress was vicious. If she slapped me just for being here, she would've done worse to the girls in the harem. As I look at the gloomy expression on her face rather than her usual hateful smirk, I wanted to question it. It seemed so unreal, yet satisfying.

After attending the funeral, the concubines and consorts went to the small river to make lanterns and wish well to the Empress and her deceased mother. I gently placed the lantern on the water and headed back. Su Yin approached me when I did. "I'm so happy that wench is gone."

"I hope you have a good reason as to why you are happy because that is not a very good thing to say," I said.

"The Empress and her delusional mother plot against the concubines if they feel that they might threaten Her Majesty's rank, you didn't know that?" she tilted her head in shock.

"No... Wouldn't the Emperor know about that?"

"Oh, Lady Ying Yue, you have so much to learn! Her Majesty is feared, as you can see. Her Majesty has people to do her dirty work, that's why many concubines and consorts in the harem are scared to go against Her Majesty. Even the Imperial Noble Consorts," she brought her curved hand next to her lips like she was going to whisper something to me. "The Imperial Noble Consorts are afraid of her!"

I covered my mouth and laughed. "What could Her Majesty and her mother possibly do? Oh, this is so embarrassing for me. I am so ignorant about these harem affairs."

"That is alright! There is so much to learn and I am glad you are learning from me. Lady Ying Yue, they're insane! You have so much to learn in the Imperial harem. There's schemes, lies, and betrayals," Su Yin explained. "There was a Noble Consort, I can't bring myself to remember her name, but she was pregnant and pregnancy—in case you don't know—is a major accomplishment that gets you promoted."

"Yes, continue." I nodded.