The Little Palace Maid's Rise to Power

Chang'an has a famous tofu shop. Its tofu is silky smooth, with a rich, fragrant bean flavor, and absolutely delicious. Their signature specialty is tofu in sweet fermented milk, topped with tangy-sweet strips of green plum. One bowl is never enough. Wealthy families often order enough for the whole household and happily take it home.

In contrast to the shop's fine reputation, the Yuanniang of the family is round as a ball. She's just turned eight, a plump, well-rounded young lady.

Early one morning, her mother tied each of her younger siblings to a pillar with a rope, then told her eldest daughter, who was wasting food at home, that someone had to go out and earn money. As the eldest sister, she was like a mother, so she should go apply for a courier job at a shop by the Luoshui River.

Yuanzhu could only swallow her fifth mutton steamed bun, then wobble over to wave goodbye to her father, who was outside pushing a tofu cart. By a strange twist of fate, she ended up in the palace.

Back then, eight-year-old Yuanzhu knew that once you entered the palace, it was like falling into a bottomless sea. The lives of palace maids and eunuchs were worth nothing. The Song family was utterly distraught. But who could have guessed that years later, the Song family would be famous? Their tofu shop produced an empress, and not just any empress: a young empress whom the ministers denounced with anguished cries as a calamity who had brought ruin to the nation!

Theme: Being able to eat is a blessing. Don't be too clever, or your cleverness may backfire. Keeping things simple is best.