Chapter 6
Gainful Employment
Royal Precinct, Tianjing
From morning until evening, Yasuko's days were filled with all manner of training, but physical training wasn't on the list. If Yasuko wanted to stay sharp, she had to do it on her own time, of which there wasn't much. When she tried asking about getting a more intensive workout than the light calisthenics they did in the mornings, she was rebuffed in no uncertain terms. What use did a young lady of rank have with any exercise beyond the bare minimum needed to maintain an aesthetic-looking figure? Besides, she was berated constantly during the beauty treatments for being too lean and muscly. They wanted her soft and delicate like the other girls, but a soft and delicate girl wasn't going to kill too many Celestials.
About a year ago, Yasuko hit a plateau on her pushups. Ever since, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do more than twenty in a single set. She was certain that if she pushed herself harder, her body would rise to meet the challenge, but it just wasn't working. Even now, she struggled to push herself back up to make that coveted twenty-one, but she may as well have had a hundred tonnes on her back.
The door opened and in walked Yoon-hee. Yasuko's arms gave out and she plopped back down onto the floor.
Yoon-hee sighed. "You are still doing this sort of thing, Miss Yasuko? We will both be scolded."
Yasuko didn't like the thought of Yoon-hee getting punished on her account, but she wasn't going to stop either.
"If anyone gives you any trouble, they'll have to answer to me," she said.
"They answer to your lady mother and to His Highness, Miss Yasuko," Yoon-hee said.
The handmaid knew Yasuko didn't have much weight to throw around, so Yasuko's attempt to play the role of the knight in shining armor didn't get very far.
"Come, Miss Yasuko," Yoon-hee said. "We must get you bathed and dressed. Your lady mother wishes to speak with you."
Now a month into her stay at the Capital, Yasuko still didn't have much interaction with her mother. It wasn't ordinary for her to go out of her way to request time with Yasuko. Maybe she was going to give her a hard time for all the complaints from her tutors, though Yasuko had been improving in almost all over her subjects. She was still completely hopeless with embroidery, though.
"Alright, let's go," Yasuko said.
On days that she didn't have beauty treatments, it was just Yoon-hee who bathed her. Yasuko would just as soon have bathed herself, but you couldn't fight these things. At least Yoon-hee was quick and efficient. She appreciated that Yasuko didn't want to waste much time soaking in the bath after being washed and unlike some of the maids who did the beauty treatments, she wasn't all that handsy either. One maid who seemed to be enjoying herself a little too much at Yasuko's expense during her first beauty treatment got a black eye for it. There were noticeably fewer maids present for subsequent treatments.
While Yoon-hee was shampooing Yasuko's hair, she said, "I do not understand why you do some of the things you do, Miss Yasuko. It often seems like you would rather be a boy."
"It might be easier," Yasuko replied.
"Oh, do not say that, Miss Yasuko. It would be a waste."
"Flattery'll get ya nowhere," Yasuko said, slipping out of the more proper speech the elocution teacher had been drilling into her head.
Once Yoon-hee was done rinsing her off, Yasuko told her, "Let's make it just ten minutes today. I wanna hear what Mother has to say."
"It is a waste of the hot water, Miss Yasuko."
"Then you can soak in it later."
"You know I am not allowed."
Yasuko shrugged.
"Well, there's a lot worse waste goin' on here than a tub a' water."
"Miss Yasuko, your speech..."
"I know, I know, I'm bein' lazy. You can lemme have this."
"I do not wish for you to be yelled at, Miss Yasuko."
"It ain't nothin' new," Yasuko said as she got into the tub.
The chemicals they put in the water tingled, an effect that was even stronger due to the heat. Hot water was such a rarity for her even when she was still living with TÃo Jorge that it seemed like an obscene luxury to have two baths a day. Then again, there were a lot of things about her life here that seemed like obscene luxuries.
"Miss Yasuko, it has been ten minutes," Yoon-hee said.
The time went by before Yasuko knew it. She almost thought about giving herself an extra five minutes but decided against it. The preferred time was between fifteen and twenty minutes, but she didn't like to indulge that long unless she was really worn out. Besides, it being the morning, it would take long enough for her to get dressed, so she would do well to get on with it.
Once she was out of the tub, Yoon-hee rinsed her off again for good measure, then dried her off in the small chamber that connected the bath to the dressing room. Yasuko had to close her eyes and hold her breath while Yoon-hee sprayed on a touch-up coat of the polymer for her skin, then she was dressed in the two layers of undergarments before being sat down so Yoon-hee could do her hair. While Yasuko was criticized for having such short hair, Yoon-hee had confided in her that she appreciated how much easier it was to deal with.
Once her hair was done, it was time to get into her kimono. She envied servants like Yoon-hee who only had to wear one or two layers. There were a couple days when Yoon-hee was unavailable for whatever reason and another servant dressed her, tying the obi too tight so the entire day was miserable. Yoon-hee knew to give her a little more slack to breathe easier but somehow made it look just as secure as her more zealous counterparts.
After all the preparations were done, Yasuko was finally led to where her mother was waiting. It was the same room as when she was first taken into the estate with all the same ritual and ceremony attached to the simple task of speaking with her mother. At least this time Yasuko was more practiced in seiza and her legs probably wouldn't fall asleep.
Yasuko bowed and said, "Good morning, Mother."
"Good morning, Yasuko," her mother replied, which was Yasuko's cue to raise her heard.
Yasuko could appreciate the fact that her mother wasted no time getting to the business at hand.
"Yasuko, I have good news for you," she said. "There is an opening for a lady-in-waiting for the Emperor's Favored Beauty. She is the second among His Majesty's concubines and there is gossip that she may soon become the new Brilliant Companion. Serve her well and it could mean big things for you.
"I wish we had a little more time for your etiquette lessons, but you have been doing so well lately that you should be fine. Remember, you must observe and follow the good example of the other ladies-in-waiting. Do not be quick speak unless you are spoken to and weigh your words twice before speaking them.
"You will go through a period of testing. It could be as short as a month or as long as a year. You will be made to do the tasks of a common servant. Do not think it beneath your dignity. It is to teach you humility and show that you can respect your place among the more senior ladies-in-waiting. Once your talents are discovered, you will be put to work in the manner that best serves the pleasure of your mistress. If you do well, you may attend to her on the occasions when she is summoned by the Emperor. You may even succeed in catching the Emperor's eye."
The thought of catching the Emperor's eye made Yasuko's skin crawl, but as distasteful as the idea was, getting in close to the Emperor could prove to be a golden opportunity.
Her mother's voice became graver as she continued, "I must warn you, though, Yasuko, my name and your step-father's influence will only go so far in the palace. You must be responsible for yourself. Do not lower your guard, not for a moment."
It was one thing for her father to warn her about the dangers of the Capital, but Yasuko took her mother to be the sort that turned a blind eye to it all, the bird in the gilded cage and all that. Maybe it didn't matter how much you were a part of the system. It could devour you the same as anyone else.
Then for the first time, that stern facade of hers weakened and she didn't seem like the lofty noblewoman but an actual mother concerned about her daughter's well-being.
"Yasuko, I love you. I really do. I know I have not been a part of your life for a long time, but that is over now. Perhaps when you have established yourself, we might find the opportunity to truly get to know each other. Good luck, Yasuko. Take care of yourself."
Yasuko didn't know what to say. Why was she doing this now of all times? Wasn't it a little late? She didn't know what to say, so all she did was bow. What else could she do?
* * *
Yasuko had three days of special lessons to prepare her for her new post at the estate of the Favored Beauty. As Yasuko learned, at the lower levels of the Capital, estates were apportioned according to the geographical location of a family's holdings on the surface. For instance, her mother's family had an estate in the Baihu Quarter of the Capital. It was different for the Royal Precinct, though. One quarter was devoted to the Crown Prince and all other children by the Empress, determined by her family's alignment—Xuanwu in the case of the current Empress. The concubines and their children would be settled in the opposite quarter with the remaining two quarters dedicated to the families of the Emperor's kinsmen to one side and the provisional princes who only retained their rank for a limited time on the other. As with everything else in the Capital, it was needlessly convoluted.
Yasuko had to travel all the way from the Xuanwu Quarter to the Zhuque Quarter. Yoon-hee and her mother's bodyguard Jung-hwa accompanied her as escorts.
As they were walking, Yasuko told Yoon-hee, "So I guess they're making me a servant. Hopefully I've learned something from the sterling example you've made."
"You flatter me, Miss Yasuko," Yoon-hee said.
"You must be mindful of your speech and your actions, Miss Yasuko," Jun-hwa warned, "lest you bring dishonor on your house and your lady mother."
"I'll see what I can do."
It wasn't much longer before they reached the Peach Blossom Palace, the residence of all the Emperor's concubines save for the Brilliant Companion, the first among them. At the door, Jung-hwa stepped forward and pressed some buttons on the control panel. No image appeared on the viewscreen, though. Only a voice responded.
"Identify yourself."
"Bae Jung-hwa, delivering Miss Yasuko of House Suzuki to begin her training as a lady-in-waiting for Her Ladyship the Favored Beauty."
"Ah, yes," the voice replied. "We have been expecting you. One moment, please."
The door opened to reveal a slight-looking man who kept his hands folded in the sleeves of his robes. He bowed to them and said, "Welcome to the Peach Blossom Palace."
Yasuko was taken aback for a moment. It was the same voice as before, but she thought it was a woman. It took her a bit to realize that he was a eunuch. She'd heard stories of the eunuch class. For the most part, they were only the manservants serving the women of the Imperial Family and the Emperor's harem, but apparently some nobles kept eunuchs too. She had heard some Charter School dropouts say that they would've gladly given up a few parts for the supposedly cushy jobs the eunuchs were employed in.
A young woman came to meet them. Yasuko noted right away her imperious bearing and narrow fox eyes. She didn't seem to be that much older than Yasuko. Was she supposed to be the Favored Beauty?
Jung-hwa went to attention, gave the young woman a curt bow and said, "On behalf of my lady, I present Miss Yasuko of House Suzuki."
Before Yasuko could bow as protocol dictated, the young woman struck Jung-hwa on the shoulder with a thin bamboo switch she was carrying.
"Who gave you permission to speak!?" the young woman snapped.
As you would expect from a soldier of Jung-hwa's reported caliber, she didn't even flinch, nor did she make so much as a sound. Yoon-hee, however, gasped at the unexpected violence, which drew the young woman's ire.
"You wish to speak out of turn too, do you!?"
Before she could hit Yoon-hee, though, Yasuko caught her wrist. The young woman looked at her in a mix of confusion and outrage. She tried to twist loose, but Yasuko held her fast.
"Go home, you two," Yasuko told Jung-hwa and Yoon-hee. "I'll take it from here."
"Miss Yasuko..."
"Come on," Jung-hwa said, guiding Yoon-hee out the door, "let's go. By your leave, young mistress."
Jun-hwa, however, did not wait for explicit leave to exit. Yasuko was thankful she took the cue to get Yoon-hee out of there before she got any licks from the young woman, who was still struggling to get free of Yasuko's grip.
"Unhand me, you savage!" the young woman screeched.
Only after the door closed did Yasuko let go of the young woman's wrist. Yasuko then folded her hands in her sleeves and bowed. The young woman looked angry and confused still, but then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to regain her composure.
"House Suzuki insults my lady by sending a gorilla wrapped in silk," she said bitterly. "But no matter. Other houses have sent haughty girls before. I like breaking haughty girls."
She whipped Yasuko on the arm and while Yasuko's first instinct was to break her jaw for it, she thought of the trouble it'd cause her mother and more importantly, the advantage of infiltrating this place, so she did her best to emulate the example set by Jung-hwa. The young woman then hit Yasuko's other arm.
"Nothing to say to that?" she asked. "Usually they are not so ugly..."
Another hit.
"...flat-chested..."
Again.
"...with such unseemly short hair..."
And again.
"I almost wonder if the Countess sent us a son instead..."
Again.
"Perhaps a malformed one..."
Again.
"Maybe I should put you with the eunuchs."
Again.
"Are you a eunuch, haughty girl?"
Yet again. All the while Yasuko bore all the blows calmly. The switch had a little bite to it, but Yasuko had dealt with much worse. The young woman was apparently used to getting more of a response and why wouldn't she when her usual victims were soft, pampered Celestial daughters? Up until now the young woman had only been striking Yasuko's body, but this time she hit her across the cheek. Without several layers of clothing for padding, she felt that one more. She didn't let it show, however, straightening up and looking right on ahead like the young woman was nothing. There was little telling what she would've done next if a voice didn't intervene.
"Miss Shui, you know better than to strike the face."
A pretty but lazy-looking woman was leaning over the balcony of the second story. She had loose, wavy hair and was dressed only in a single layer robe which meant she was practically naked by Celestial standards. The young woman who was beating on Yasuko bowed low and said, "It will heal, my lady. It is more important that this one learns her place."
Realizing that the woman on the balcony must be the Favored Beauty, Yasuko bowed to her, saying, "It is a pleasure to meet you at last, my lady. I am Yasuko Suzuki Rodrigues."
Shui smacked her yet again.
"You will speak when spoken to!"
The Favored Beauty gave a dismissive wave of her hand.
"There is such a thing as being overzealous, Miss Shui," she said, "but I appreciate all your hard work." She then told Yasuko, "I cannot abide barbarian tongues. You will be Miss Ling from now on. Miss Shui will be responsible for your training and should you meet with her satisfaction, we will speak more. Good luck, Miss Ling. And remember, Miss Shui, anywhere but the face."
Yasuko and Shui both bowed as the Favored Beauty left the room. When she was gone, Shui gave Yasuko another swat.
"You heard my lady. Until I am satisfied, you will not be treated as a proper lady-in-waiting. I will see that you learn humility first. Contrary to what my lady said, you do not have a name until you earn it. You will be known as 'Shamei'. You will address me as 'Dajie'. We are all sisters here and you are the least of us. Do you understand, Shamei?"
Yasuko bowed and said, "Yes, Dajie."
Shui grinned smugly.
"We will see how long you can keep up the act. You are going to fail and dishonor your entire house. I look forward to that day."
She hit Yasuko once more for good measure. Yasuko could take it, though. She knew how to be patient and she could use that time to get creative on how to properly thank her new 'sister'.