The Little Palace Maid of the Eastern Palace

Xin'er had barely entered the palace as a maid when the Empress Dowager died. The matron sent her to stand vigil outside the mourning hall.

With the moon hidden by clouds and cold winds howling, she trembled with fear. When she saw someone approaching, she assumed it was a young eunuch who had also come to stand vigil. She grabbed the sleeve of his mourning clothes and, trying to sound brave, said, "You look so dashing, Eunuch. You must have plenty of yang energy. Would you keep me company while I stand vigil?" She reluctantly took some silver from her clothes. "How about one tael for the night?"

Eunuchs probably didn't have much yang energy, but two people were better than one. Xin'er figured she could make do.

She made do for seven days, until the mourning rites were over. Then the Eastern Palace called for her by name.

It was well known that the Crown Prince possessed extraordinary talent and had a cold disposition. He especially disliked people getting close to him. The Eastern Palace was always solemn and orderly, and no one dared put a foot wrong.

The first time Xin'er helped the Crown Prince change, she didn't dare look up. The more nervous she got, the more her hands shook, until she tied the sash in a knot she couldn't undo. Just as she thought her life was over, a pair of large, well-defined hands covered hers.

Xin'er hurriedly dropped to her knees to beg for mercy, but when she caught sight of the bronze mirror beside her, she froze.

The tall, imposing man in the python robe reflected in the mirror looked exactly like the young eunuch who had kept her company during the vigil...

Thinking of what she'd done with the "young eunuch" over those seven days, Xin'er wished she could bang her head against the ground.

She had hoped to keep her head down and be a well-behaved little quail from a distance, but the exalted Crown Prince insisted she attend him at all times.

The tea couldn't be too hot or too cold. The pastries couldn't be square or round. In the end, Xin'er had to eat them all herself.

She stayed with him reading until the dew grew heavy, ground ink, lit lamps, fanned him, burned incense, and even had to warm his bed. She had to curl up on the Crown Prince's rosewood bed, too. How could she possibly sleep peacefully?

He really was going to torment her.

The palace attendants all waited to see when Xin'er would be kicked out of the Eastern Palace.

They waited and waited, until the normally composed and restrained Crown Prince lost all his calm and stormed into Consort Xian's palace. Ignoring everyone who tried to stop him, he picked up Xin'er, who had fainted while kneeling in punishment, and carried her back to his bedchamber.

After that, the Crown Prince made exception after exception for this little palace maid, whose courage was smaller than a cat's.

Xin'er had always thought the "young eunuch" had kept her company through those unbearable seven days. It wasn't until she ascended to the position of Empress that she learned those seven days should have been the most stifling and miserable ones for the "young eunuch," too.

In the place where ten thousand lamps go out, I met you, and you became my light.

An alternate setting, sc, 1v1, happy ending.

(Blurb written on May 31, 2023.)

Theme: Keep living with determination.