Chapter 2: The New Girl and Her First Delivery

On my first day, still unsteady on my feet, stepping into the Palace of Eternal Spring. I thought I would end up standing there dazed in the middle of that vast courtyard for the better part of the morning.

Fortunately, an elderly mama came forward, her face kind and warm, her gentle eyes looking me over before she asked.

"You are Thẩm Thư Đình, are you not?"

I quickly bowed and answered that I was. She smiled, her voice calm and measured.

"I am Mama Tĩnh. From now on, if there is anything you don't understand, simply ask."

Just that one brief sentence, and yet my heart suddenly felt so much lighter, as though a stone that had been pressing against my chest had finally been lifted away.

Right behind Mama Tĩnh, a few young palace maids had gathered together, peering curiously at the newcomer. A girl with a round, cheerful face, smiling bright as a flower, spoke up first on her own.

"I am Xuân Đào."

Then she pointed to the two beside her, introducing them in turn.

"This is Tiểu Lan. And that is Thanh Trúc."

The tension that had been coiled in my chest eased at once. It turned out this place was not nearly so cold as the elders had always warned.

Xuân Đào quickly took hold of my hand, leaning close to my ear to whisper, her tone full of easy familiarity.

"The Palace of Eternal Spring isn't as frightening as people say. Her Majesty the Empress is very kind. As long as you work hard, you'll be fine."

Tiểu Lan, standing beside her, giggled, her eyes flashing with mischief.

"But... if you ever run into Lord Fuheng, remember to get out of his way."

Thanh Trúc nodded rapidly, adding her own voice to the warning.

"That's right. He's terribly strict. They say if he so much as looks at you once, you'll be trembling with fear."

I only murmured a vague response, privately thinking he must be just another difficult official somewhere in the palace.

It was nothing more than an idle warning anyway, since a lowly palace maid like myself would hardly ever have the chance to cross paths with a high ranking guard, so there was nothing to worry about.

Xuân Đào immediately nudged Tiểu Lan with her shoulder, scolding her fondly.

"Don't go scaring the new girl."

The whole group of girls burst into laughter, the clear, bright sound ringing across the courtyard, chasing away entirely the solemn air from before.

Standing there among these new acquaintances, I quietly felt myself fortunate, at least the days ahead would not be so lonely after all.

But the happiness had not lasted long before a young eunuch came rushing over, out of breath, calling out loudly.

"Xuân Đào. The supervisor wants you at the Bureau of Palace Affairs right away."

Xuân Đào flinched, her face changing color at once.

"Oh no."

She turned to look at me, then back at the small wooden box sitting neatly on the table, her expression tangled with worry, unsure what to do.

Tiểu Lan asked curiously what was wrong. Xuân Đào bit her lip, her voice hurried.

"This is the box of tonics Her Majesty the Empress just ordered sent over to the guards' barracks. I meant to deliver it myself, but now the Bureau of Palace Affairs is calling me urgently."

She hesitated, looking at me for a long moment, wavering for a few seconds before finally speaking up timidly, her voice so soft it was barely loud enough for me to hear.

"Thư Đình... could you help me deliver it? Just hand it to the guard at the barracks gate, someone will take it from there. It won't take long at all."

I looked at the small, delicate wooden box in Xuân Đào's hands, then at her pleading expression. I hesitated a little inside, since I had only just arrived and did not yet know my way around the palace grounds.

But seeing how anxious she looked, I couldn't bring myself to refuse, so I nodded and took the box, agreeing to go.

Xuân Đào's face lit up with relief. She reminded me again and again that there was no need to meet Lord Fuheng himself, just hand it to whoever was on duty at the gate, and the people at the barracks would see that it reached the right place.

And so I followed a young eunuch who led the way, leaving the Palace of Eternal Spring for the first time since the day I had been transferred there.

The path wound through several stretches of corridor, crossing a courtyard filled with begonias in full bloom, their fragrance drifting faintly on each gentle breeze.

I walked along glancing around at everything, trying to memorize every turn, silently telling myself that next time I absolutely had to know the way myself, rather than relying on someone to guide me like this forever.

After walking for about a quarter of an hour, the guards' barracks came into view. Tall gray brick walls, a heavy iron gate, carrying an air of solemnity entirely different from the usual peace of the Palace of Eternal Spring.

The soldier on duty at the gate took the box from my hands, glanced at it briefly, then asked curtly.

"From the Palace of Eternal Spring?"

I answered, "Yes."

He nodded, his tone indifferent. "Fine. Leave it there."

And that was that. No one bothered to ask my name, as though I were nothing more than a passing breeze. I thought to myself, so this is what it means to be a palace maid, once the task is done it's done, nothing worth all that nervousness from earlier.

I had just turned to leave when a commanding shout suddenly rang out from within the barracks.

"Continue."

Right after came the repeated clash of weapons striking together. I couldn't help but turn my head to look.

In the distance, a group of guards were practicing swordplay in the courtyard, the sound of barked commands mixing with the ringing clash of blades.

Standing at the front of the formation was a man in guard's ceremonial robes, hands clasped behind his back, standing perfectly straight, silently watching the training.

The distance was too great, I couldn't make out his face clearly. I could only vaguely tell that he was very tall.

The young eunuch beside me leaned in and whispered that this was none other than the Lord Fuheng everyone kept talking about.

I gave a faint hum of acknowledgment, only mildly curious for a moment before letting it go, nothing about it seemed worth dwelling on.

After all, at such a distance, I might never in my whole life have the chance to speak directly with such a busy and important official.

I turned and followed the young eunuch back toward the Palace of Eternal Spring. My mind was occupied only with how quickly I needed to learn my way around, and how many more new rules I still had to master.

Little did I know that this seemingly ordinary afternoon would turn out to be the very beginning of countless encounters yet to come.