Respect Without Pampering

Story introduction Grandma said, don't let people see when you are scared. When I was sixteen years old, a letter from my father's political enemy sent me from Liuzhai, Suzhou, to Hejia in the capital. I thought it was just a temporary stay, but I learned to laugh there, learn to recite the Songs of Chu alone across the flower wall, and put a bamboo stick with the words "The road is dangerous and difficult, I will come alone" into the bottom of the dowry. Later, I entered the palace together with the He family and his daughter. Having no heirs is not considered the most favored, and has never fallen out of favor. I watched batch after batch of new people come in, young, bright and ambitious. I was also jealous. That night when I looked at the bronze mirror and noticed the fine lines at the corners of my eyes, I sat alone for a long time. The sisters in the palace treat me well, some sincerely and some falsely. Everyone who has harmed me has their own reasons - they want to protect their family, they want to fight for their son, and they have no way out. I don't hate them. I learned one thing: when the blade is turned towards others, there will be no blood on my hands. Fifty years later, I was sitting on the corridor of Cining Palace, with my own "Lantai Old Stories" spread out on my lap. The wind blew up the last page, and there was only one line on it: "The white-headed maid is here, sitting around and talking about Xuanzong." In fact, where is sitting around? I have spent my whole life sitting like tea. But when the tea is cold, someone will remember to refill it for you.