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At dusk, Yue Zhi entered the west annex palace. Seeing no one outside, she quietly latched the door from within. She crawled under the bed, moved aside a loose brick, and glimpsed the glittering gold and silver inside, unable to help but smile with satisfaction.

Carefully, she placed the silver coins she held into the hidden compartment, covered the bricks back, restoring everything to its original state.

A month ago, she was just a lowly embroiderer in the palace embroidery room. By the favor of becoming the goddaughter of the Crown Prince’s wet nurse, she gained the chance to serve in the Eastern Palace and was later personally selected by the Crown Prince to become a close attendant.

Now, her monthly allowance had doubled, and the rewards were generous—within less than a month, she had amassed quite a pile of gold and silver.

Attending the Crown Prince was ideal: she had a private room in the annex, food and necessities were provided without needing to ask, and the daily work was neither much nor taxing.

There was only one issue—she was not the only close attendant to the Crown Prince besides her godmother, Madam Zhang; there were also two palace maids personally assigned by the Empress, Xiu Yu and Cai Ying.

In the palace, success depended on whose backing was stronger. Madam Zhang could not compete with the Empress’s power, so naturally, Yue Zhi dared not defy Xiu Yu and Cai Ying. From time to time, they would demand she embroider handkerchiefs or sweat towels.

Fortunately, Yue Zhi was clever. She would slowly embroider one handkerchief over the course of a month. Even if Xiu Yu and Cai Ying were displeased, they had to admire the exquisite embroidery she produced. Thus, they managed to keep a fragile peace.

Overall, Yue Zhi was quite satisfied with her current life.

She took out her embroidery basket and, while the sun had not yet set, began sewing a few small trinkets to please the Crown Prince.

Suddenly, the side door was pushed open. She assumed it was her godmother returning from the next room and gave it little thought—until footsteps hurried toward her door.

“Yue Zhi, the Crown Prince is crying. Go comfort him,” said Xiu Yu’s voice, anxious and reluctant.

Yue Zhi was puzzled. Though young, the Crown Prince was precocious and well-behaved; why would he cry for no reason?

She hesitated as she opened the door. “But I’m embroidering a handkerchief. Didn’t you say if I don’t finish it by tomorrow, you’d make me pay for it...?”

“Take your time with the handkerchief. But you must help me with this now,” Xiu Yu said, frowning, pulling her along.

Outside the Crown Prince’s chamber, Yue Zhi saw Cai Ying standing under the corridor, watching them like a spectator, though her gaze lingered more on Xiu Yu.

It seemed Xiu Yu had also sought Cai Ying’s help, but Cai Ying refused and was just waiting to see how things unfolded.

Yue Zhi could not fathom the scheming between the two. Xiu Yu pushed her into the Crown Prince’s chamber and the door slammed shut behind them.

“Sister Xiu Yu, I’m not on night duty tonight,” Yue Zhi pleaded softly against the door.

Xiu Yu snapped, “Enough nonsense. Serving the Crown Prince is your duty. You dare bargain? Say another word and you’ll anger the Crown Prince—don’t blame me if you suffer the consequences!”

Yue Zhi had no choice but to step away from the door and move inside.

The chamber was lit by bright candles; incense smoke curled gently from the burner. From the wide bed came low sobbing, drawing Yue Zhi closer as she closed the inner door.

Approaching the bed, she lifted the sheer, delicate curtain and saw a small mound beneath the covers.

She bent down and gently touched it. “Crown Prince, what’s wrong?”

At her voice, the curled-up Pei Heng sat up, threw off the quilt, spotted Yue Zhi, and clung to her, crying harder.

Pei Heng was made Crown Prince at eight. The Emperor had originally allowed the Empress to keep him by her side for two more years’ upbringing, but the Empress insisted, “The heir should gain more experience and shed childishness early,” and sent him to the Eastern Palace.

Now, Pei Heng was still only nine years old.

Yue Zhi was six years his senior. Not only did she revere him as the Crown Prince, but she also regarded him as the child her godmother had nursed with great care, thus showering him with affection and concern.

She gently held his back, soothing his breathing. When he had cried enough, she took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his face.

“You were fine during the day. Why suddenly cry so fiercely? Did His Majesty scold you again?”

Pei Heng shook his head. “Not Father.”

He sniffled, his tear-streaked face flushed, and whispered, “It’s Xiu Yu. She touched me...”

Yue Zhi was puzzled. “As she attends you closely, she might have accidentally touched you, perhaps playing tickle games?”

Hearing this, Pei Heng glared at her stubbornly. “Do you believe her or me? She did it on purpose—touched my leg and tried to pull off my underpants. She’s rude and disrespectful, not fun at all.”

Yue Zhi’s eyes showed confusion.

It sounded like Xiu Yu was trying to steal the young eunuch’s duties?

But the allowance for palace maids and eunuchs was roughly the same. Xiu Yu, known for laziness and cunning, would gain neither reward nor favor from angering the Crown Prince like this. What was she after?

Yue Zhi couldn’t understand and didn’t probe further. She took a small cloth fish from her waist—a palm-sized red koi embroidered with golden thread, its eye adorned with a half black bead, exquisite and beautiful—and offered it to him.

“The poem you taught me yesterday, Your Highness, I’ve memorized it. Teach me another today; once I learn it, I’ll give you this as thanks.”

Pei Heng, being a child at heart, was captivated by the new toy. He couldn’t take his eyes off the embroidered koi, and joy instantly filled him.

Scheming, he bargained, “You only memorize by rote and slowly. You must learn it in one night, or one fish won’t be enough.”

Yue Zhi smiled faintly, leaned down, and hid her head under the quilt, signaling him to come in.

Pei Heng crawled inside and was astonished to see the koi’s eye glowing faintly in the dark, with tiny black stones sewn along the edges that also shimmered softly.

The exquisite cloth fish was now a treasure fish radiating golden light, lighting up Pei Heng’s eyes. He eagerly agreed.

“I’ll write it now to teach you—you must memorize it before sleep.”

Excited, Pei Heng fetched ink and brush. Yue Zhi put away the cloth fish, delighted to see him forget his earlier unhappiness.

Her godmother had taught her that whatever Xiu Yu and Cai Ying did was often under the Empress’s orders. Even if they acted on their own and made mistakes, it was best to keep the peace; otherwise, if matters reached the Empress or the Emperor, she and her godmother would suffer.

Today, it was Xiu Yu who angered the Crown Prince, but it sounded like a minor squabble. Yue Zhi did not understand and dared not act rashly.

Pei Heng copied the poem silently, then brought out the low stool he usually gave Madam Zhang and gestured for Yue Zhi to sit.

The two sat before the bed, one tall and one short, by candlelight, reading lines and meanings, pointing at characters, reciting poems.

After two hours, Yue Zhi successfully recited the poem fully. Pei Heng, exhausted, could barely keep his eyes open, clutching the new cloth fish as he fell asleep.

They both had a good night’s rest.

*

In the morning, Yue Zhi tidied their bedding and was about to call the young eunuch to dress Pei Heng when he stopped her.

He got out of bed, took a small package from the wardrobe—no larger than two fists, plain in appearance, and light—and handed it to Yue Zhi.

“This is a reward for you. Take it and play.”

A gift from the Crown Prince must be valuable. Yue Zhi’s heart glowed with joy as she accepted it with both hands, kneeling to thank him. “Your servant thanks Your Highness for the reward.”

Outside the chamber, Xiu Yu and Cai Ying were nowhere to be seen—probably still sleeping or visiting the Empress’s palace.

She didn’t want to see them anyway, so she hurried back to the west annex, latched the door, and opened the package.

Inside was a full pouch of round pearls!

Each pearl was as large as a longan fruit, with a white, lustrous sheen—top-grade quality. A single pearl could sell for several taels of silver.

Yue Zhi couldn’t stop smiling. The dolls, sachets, and knee guards she made for the Crown Prince were worth far less. It was either the Crown Prince’s kindness or his benevolent grace that earned her such treasures.

Previously, when she received jade pendants or bolts of cloth, she secretly entrusted fellow villagers in the palace to smuggle them out for sale, converting them into easily hidden gold and silver.

Now, with so many gold, silver, and pearls, the hole beneath the bricks was almost full. She needed a new hiding place.

Just as she thought this, the side door opened.

Quickly, Yue Zhi hid the pearls under her pillow and peeked through the door crack. It was Madam Zhang.

Her face brightened even more. She went out to greet her, “Godmother!”

Madam Zhang, supporting her knees, walked slowly. Yue Zhi saw the bitterness on her face and hurried to close the side door, helping her inside.

“Where have you been, Godmother? You didn’t return last night, and today your knees hurt so badly?”

Madam Zhang shook her head silently and only spoke after entering the room.

“Yesterday, the Empress summoned me, found some excuse, and made me kneel all night. I’m afraid I can no longer stay in the Eastern Palace.”

“Why?” Yue Zhi was alarmed, speaking with urgency. “You did nothing wrong. Why would the Empress drive you away? If the Crown Prince knew, he would surely plead for you to stay.”

“Foolish child,” Madam Zhang rubbed her head.

“The Crown Prince is the Empress’s lifeline. Since he moved into the Eastern Palace, the elders around him have either been transferred or expelled. The newcomers were all personally chosen by the Empress.”

“Now, I am the only elder left by the Crown Prince’s side. Aside from a few young eunuchs, you are the only one not planted by the Empress... After I’m gone, it will probably be your turn.”

“Ah?” Yue Zhi was instantly disheartened.

No noble in the palace was easy to serve.

The Emperor was violent and reclusive; the Empress was a cold and ruthless statue; the Imperial Noble Consort and Consort Li were lively and generous but could not tolerate palace maids with even a hint of remarkable beauty. No matter how good a person was, they would be worn down to dullness.

Most princes and princesses were either spoiled and unruly or eccentric and odd. Only the Crown Prince was soft-hearted and good-tempered. Even when displeased with Xiu Yu and Cai Ying, he rarely scolded or punished them.

Returning from the Eastern Palace to the embroidery room meant day and night exhaustion; serving other masters was even more nerve-wracking. Yue Zhi dared not imagine how bitter her life might become.

She looked at Madam Zhang, not knowing where she would go, but realizing her godmother was truly being driven out.

Suppressing tears, Yue Zhi tended to Madam Zhang’s knees and helped her lie down to rest. Then she returned to her room and fetched three gold ingots.

“Godmother, I have nothing to offer you as a dutiful daughter, and I don’t know if I will have the chance to do so in the future. Please accept this small token. No matter where you go, having some money will give you peace of mind.”

She pressed the gold into Madam Zhang’s hand. Though reluctant, Madam Zhang accepted with red eyes.

“From the moment I saw you, I knew you were a good child. There are few good people in the palace. In the future, when I can no longer protect you, you must protect yourself.”

“Mm,” Yue Zhi wiped her tears.

Madam Zhang also dabbed her eyes, holding Yue Zhi’s hand. “Good child, don’t cry. No one can predict what the future holds. Whether life is bitter or sweet, you must live on, endure until you are twenty and receive an edict to leave the palace. Then we will meet again.”

“Mm, I will live well,” Yue Zhi promised, wiping away her tears. She found needle and thread and sewed the gold ingots into Madam Zhang’s shoes, ensuring she could carry them without anyone stealing them.

Within two days, the Empress issued an edict, angrily reprimanding Madam Zhang for crudeness and misconduct, ordering her to be beaten twenty times and expelled from the palace.

To avoid suspicion, Yue Zhi did not see her godmother off but entrusted fellow villagers to bring her some medicine and a letter, hoping she would be well outside the palace.

*

Madam Zhang had been a first-rank figure in the Eastern Palace, second only to the Crown Prince. From close palace maids to eunuchs, all respected her for her hard work and praised her generosity and kindness.

After she left, the Eastern Palace continued as usual. No one mentioned her, as if she had never existed.

Within days, Yue Zhi saw the coldness and warmth of human hearts.

She was grateful for the Crown Prince’s favor, which protected her from being bullied after losing her backing. But before Xiu Yu and Cai Ying, she was undeniably inferior.

Though it was not her night duty, the two forced her like a duck to be pushed into the Crown Prince’s chamber.

Yue Zhi appeared wronged but was secretly pleased. Because she comforted the Crown Prince, she had the low stool inside the chamber to sleep on during night duty, unlike the two who could only sit on outside benches.

Especially after Xiu Yu was chased out crying by the Crown Prince last time, she had to sleep in the corridor on cold, hard ground during her shifts—an unbearable hardship.

As long as the Crown Prince was there, Yue Zhi felt life still held hope.

As usual, Pei Heng quietly wrote poetry to teach her. He wrote earnestly, while Yue Zhi ground ink and served him.

Seeing him write slower and with a somewhat gloomy expression today, Yue Zhi asked with concern, “Is this piece hard to memorize? Maybe the Crown Prince can teach me in small parts?”

“It’s not hard,” Pei Heng sighed, put down his brush, and turned his small figure toward her with a sorrowful gaze. “You didn’t tell me about Madam Zhang’s matter?”

A pang struck Yue Zhi’s heart.

The Empress drove Madam Zhang away and forbade anyone from telling the Crown Prince. Whenever asked, they only said Madam Zhang went home to visit relatives.

She could tell Pei Heng the truth but was afraid. Afraid of angering the Empress, being punished, or sent to hard labor. Madam Zhang was the Crown Prince’s wet nurse and could leave the palace intact. She had no such protection.

Seeing Pei Heng’s slightly resentful expression, Yue Zhi’s eyes reddened. “I have no one in the palace. If the Empress is displeased, she will drive me away too.”

Hearing this, Pei Heng’s eyes were moist. He hugged her tightly.

“I won’t let them drive you away… You are the only trustworthy person by my side.”

His voice was low, making Yue Zhi’s nose sting. She bent over and embraced him, and they cried together.