Chapter 6: Chapter 6: The servants’ quarters is often the most comfortable place.

When Min Li left the servants’ quarters after having dinner to go to her newly given room, it was already dark.  

Feng, whom Min Li had learned the name of from their last encounter when he was an accomplice to the crown prince’s crimes against Min Li, led Min Li to her room. She squinted at him. He too would run her over for the crown prince. He too was a foe. 

“It’s this way. Over to the left your highness.” 

Min Li was confused for a couple of reasons.  

First, she didn’t know why he was calling her your highness. That hadn’t even been done when she was a child and considered to be as good as the queen’s daughter. 

Second, the man’s voice was higher than she could have ever expected it to be.  

In their two previous meetings, Min Li had never heard the man’s voice. He usually only whispered advice in the crown prince’s ear or bowed when he received instruction.  

She considered searching for a mouse on the floor. She was sure that the sound they produced was almost identical, but she thought better of it; she didn’t want to be rude.  

She looked down subconsciously, but not to look for a mouse. She wondered whether he was a eunuch or if secondary sex characteristics had failed him. 

She surmised that the latter was true but only for his voice. 

Feng had quite a big beard and was everything of a man in every other way. He looked as if he would fit in with the crown prince in battle. Potentially a soldier giving his stature.  

As her walk came to an end she looked around and realised there was a big problem.  

It wasn’t just any room near to crown prince’s that she was gifted. She hadn’t thought it through originally. It was the consort’s room. The crown prince’s future wife’s room. The mother of his children’s room.   

He couldn’t just give it to her. That was to abandon all morality and thoughts of tradition. It was to spit on his ancestor’s grave. It was to disregard all of the long line of consorts upon which he was a descendant.   

Feng ushered her in seeing her reluctance squeaking, “Check it out first.” 

Min Li walked into the room. She saw the comfy big bed. She saw the lacquered wooden oak floor. She saw the thick sheep skin rugs. She saw the great big mirror framed with gold in the corner. She saw the great big wardrobe brimming full of the promise of the most expensive clothes in all the land.  

Then, she thought about her current, no former, lodgings. Of sharing space with over twenty women. Of Lily’s snores, Rose’s flatulence and the girls’ affinity for opening window drapes so that the sun shines on her face in the bright of the morning.   

She decided.  

Of course, he could just give it to her. He was the crown prince after all. Tradition was dead. Progression was needed. A modern world, a modern woman. It was the CROWN PRINCE’s right to give her whatever he pleased. He was going to be king after all.   

She laughed merrily. She was so happy, she thanked the man who had escorted her to the room, previously a foe now a friend, with a hug.  

“Ahem, ahem,” somebody cleared their throat behind them. She swung around. The crown prince standing just behind the opening of her door. He must have been worried about his parent’s image again due to the hug.  

He looked slightly miffed, but then smiled expectantly as if he too were deserving of praise. 

Logically, that could have transpired since he had been the one that bestowed the room to her. But Min Li didn’t want to thank him.  

So, she didn’t thank him.  

The crown prince’s expression dropped as Min Li made her way to the door, ushered Feng out, shut it in the crown prince’s face and dusted her hands off with a couple claps.  

                …….

 The good reason why Min Li hadn’t wanted to accept the magnificent chamber when she had first realised that it was the crown prince’s future wife’s room were apparent in the morning after her good night’s sleep.  

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She had dusted all her worries under her sheep skin rug, but now they were coming back and coming back to bite.  

It was transparent what all the other maids had thought given their gasps of horror when they had seen her tumbling out the room. The servants that had heard the crown prince commanding her to stay in a room near his own were obviously under the same assumption as she originally was. That the room the crown prince was going to give her wouldn’t be such a grand one.  

The whispers had started, and they weren’t showing any signs of stopping. Word spread as quick as a fire, and she thought she could never get away from the rumours.  

Min Li worked hard in the morning gardening trying to drown out the mummers.  

By that time, she had already tried to calm an enthusiastic Lily, which was half a job in itself. She had told Lily that because she and Fenhua had grown up together, he was keeping a close eye on her so that she didn’t embarrass the family name.  

That excuse had worked for a second, until Lily renewed her excitement by speaking about how close two people had to be in order to keep an eye on one another. According to Lily not as close as the room right next to each other. In the back of her mind, Min Li agreed.  

By noon, head maid Betti had appeared from wherever she was bossing people about in the palace grounds to also give Min Li a speech. Betti had informed Min Li that she had to stay in the chamber that the crown prince had given her, but also warned her that she should stay as far away from him as humanly possible. Min Li thought that given their proximity it would be harder said than done. 

The workday had nearly finished, and Min Li was glad that she would finally be able to get some rest away from all the judgement. She plucked some weeds from around the edges of a pond when she heard many steps in quick succession coming up behind her. 

Min Li spun around quickly slightly afraid that she would be subject of some poking and prodding on account of the crown prince by his band of wishful admirers. But the scene was not what she had expected to see.  

The queen along with her many servants and companions had visited Min Li. The queen consort was smiling as she as looking at Min Li, she always did. But this time the smile was different, more predatory in nature. The queen wanted something that much was clear, but it left Min Li to think what was it that the woman could be looking for? 

After greeting each other warmly, Min Li followed as the queen led her to a nearby table under a pavilion in the crown prince’s garden.  

There in front of her was an array of colourful snacks. Osmanthus jelly and mung bean cake of all different colours were just some of snacks put in front of her. All the snacks happened to be her favourite. 

There was also a tea set made of very fine pieces of handcrafted china, usually only taken out on very special occasions.  

Min Li hesitantly took a sip of her tea and she nearly moaned out loud at the taste. It was oolong tea infused with rose, her favourite yet again.  

The queen had come prepared. She definitely wanted something.  

There the queen started by taking Min Li’s hand in hers, she asked for all the details of how Min Li found herself living in the future queen’s chamber.  

She aaahed and ooohed as Min Li relayed the story. She was quite a keen listener; Min Li gave her that.  

When Min Li had finished the queen stroking Min Li’s head beamed saying, “What a joyful day this is. My daughter is finally back in a room she deserves.” 

Suddenly, the queen stepped it up a notch. She took Min Li in her arms, hugging her tight. And cried aloud nearly the very same thing, “MY DAUGHTER WHO I DEARLY LOVE IS FINALLY IN A ROOM BEFFITING HER.” 

The woman was being so dramatic that Min Li opened her eyes still in the hug. The reason for her change in act was clear. The crown prince had just walked past. 

Straining her ears, Min Li heard Fenhua mutter, “shouldn’t she be working?” 

Not liking his utterance and not allowing him the final word, Min Li took the example of her foster mum and pretended to weep bitterly. “OOH, THEY HAVE ALL DONE ME SO WRONG.” 

 

Author’s note:

WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILER.

I am yet to have added many of the main characters that will turn the story the way I want it to go and will start on the main story line.  The next couple dozen chapters will be like a prequel, Min Li's introduction before the main story line.

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