Chapter 1, The Courtyard

Thinking of this, I cannot help but sneer. The emperor and the various kings seem to be displaying their benevolence and kindness everywhere, while the ministers strive to demonstrate their loyalty to the monarch and love for the people. In this back-and-forth political game, today’s victor may be tomorrow’s vanquished. Yet, we, the women confined in the inner chambers, remain oblivious to what is happening outside, forced to atone for the sins of our fathers and brothers for a lifetime, even if some enter this place still in swaddling clothes. Looking at the mountain of clothes piled before me, I went to fetch water. The entire courtyard has only one spring in the southeast corner, where we drink and wash our clothes. I carefully carried the water bucket, stepping over a woman lying motionless; she must be dead. The work in the courtyard is arduous, and the atmosphere is heavy with resentment. Every morning, someone takes their own life, unable to endure the exhaustion and the pain of being scolded. After their suicides, these wronged souls transform into an indelible resentment that fills the inner palace and resides in everyone’s heart, creating more tragedies. The courtyard was established by the founding emperor specifically to imprison the families of those guilty of treason, rebellion, or deceiving the sovereign. There are no men here; they have all been executed or exiled. Women over the age of thirteen either follow their husbands into exile or are forced into military prostitution, while those underage are brought into the courtyard as lowly slaves, never to rise again.

My grandfather was the great Han founding minister Xiao Qing. Due to his effective contributions in battles alongside the founding emperor, he was appointed as the Left Chancellor. The late emperor had many offspring, but the empress Lu's legitimate son was only Liu Ying, who was weak in character and did not resemble the late emperor. The late emperor was displeased and favored the young son of his beloved concubine, Lady Qi, Liu Ruyi. Several times he considered deposing the crown prince and replacing him, causing great fear among the officials, who knelt long outside the palace gates to offer written advice to the emperor. Additionally, the empress cleverly resolved the situation with the help of the four sages of Shangshan, forcing the late emperor to abandon his plans. However, he vented his anger on my grandfather, accusing him of arrogance and intimidating the palace gates. He ordered the confiscation of the entire family’s property, and my grandfather, father, and younger brother were exiled to Lingnan. All females in the household over the age of thirteen were conscripted as official courtesans, while the rest were sent to the palace as slaves, and the remaining servants in the household were sold on the street. Although I had reached adulthood, the Left Capital Commander in charge of the confiscation was a former disciple of my father, who reported my age as one year younger, allowing me to escape this calamity and enter the palace with Jin Mo and my cousins.

"Take me out, please take me out!" "For goodness' sake, take me out!" The accompanying eunuchs drew their whips from their waists, and in an instant, the sounds of whipping, cries of anguish, and curses intertwined, each sound piercing the ears. The eunuch reading the imperial edict covered his nose and kicked fiercely at a child of a few years who clung to his leg. The child fell to the ground with a thud, lifeless. Everyone yearns to go out; who wishes to die here? I lay on the ground, my trembling hands digging into the laundry stone, looking up at the sky, allowing the increasingly large raindrops to strike my face, laughing out loud, tears mingling with the rain as they streamed down my temples. The eunuch reading the imperial edict covered his nose and kicked fiercely at a child of a few years who clung to his leg. The child fell to the ground with a thud, lifeless. Everyone yearns to go out; who wishes to die here? I lay on the ground, my trembling hands digging into the laundry stone, looking up at the sky, allowing the increasingly large raindrops to strike my face, laughing out loud, tears mingling with the rain as they streamed down my temples.

The Four White-Haired Hermits of Shangshan are four reclusive figures who dwelled in the Shangshan mountains, retreating to the forests to escape the chaos of the Qin dynasty. According to unofficial historical accounts, Empress Lü sought the counsel of Zhang Liang to secure the position of her son, the Crown Prince. Zhang Liang devised a plan to summon the Four White-Haired Hermits of Shangshan, thereby enhancing the Crown Prince's stature in the court and ensuring he was supported by esteemed figures, making his position unassailable. Subsequently, it was rumored that these four individuals were impostors arranged by Empress Lü.

I have been here for five years. This five-year period has awakened me to the reality that we are not palace maids, and there is no palace rule allowing us to return home at the age of twenty-five to look forward to. In such days, no one will help me; I can only cherish myself. Though life may be as fragile as a blade of grass, it does not mean I must abandon it. Even if I am like a cockroach, I must struggle to survive among the hay, so no matter how bitter or difficult it gets, I will not seek death; I must endure this world. The once sprawling white clouds suddenly seemed to be stained by spilled ink, pressing down abruptly, and in the blink of an eye, the rain began to fall, gently dripping onto my face. It is raining. Well, it is a rare opportunity for a bath. I pour the water I have drawn into a wooden basin and sit peacefully in the rain, rubbing and beating my clothes. The pile of clothes before me is a daily task that must be completed; otherwise, there will be no spoiled food to eat. Even though it is hard work, I cannot stop for a moment, not even to catch my breath, and sometimes it is impossible to finish everything. Women like us, who are a bit older, are imprisoned here to wash clothes for the coarse eunuchs or workers from the repair department. The pile of clothes before me is a daily task that must be completed; otherwise, there will be no spoiled food to eat. Even though it is hard work, I cannot stop for a moment, not even to catch my breath, and sometimes it is impossible to finish everything. Women like us, who are a bit older, are imprisoned here to wash clothes for the coarse eunuchs or workers from the repair department. Younger ones can be assigned to the flower planting bureau. Although it is also the lowest of tasks, the ability to move freely makes it enviable. Jin Mo is there.

"Naturally, just wait." The eunuch responded perfunctorily with a couple of hums. After receiving the bribe, he intended to turn and leave, but was seized by numerous dark, withered hands that clutched at the corners of his clothing, their wailing cries echoing incessantly.

Those women had disheveled hair, with some parts tangled and mixed with grass clippings. Their tattered clothes revealed skin that was dark and shiny from years without bathing, and their nails, filled with mud, were repulsive. I, too, was equally unpresentable. My body was infested with lice, which was quite bothersome. This is not a cold palace. Such a good place is what we envy. The aging and faded concubines who have offended the emperor at least once enjoyed the wealth and favor of a prosperous era. We are merely women whose fathers and brothers have been implicated in crimes against the court, and regardless of our backgrounds, we receive the same treatment. My body was infested with lice, which was quite bothersome. This is not a cold palace. Such a good place is what we envy. The aging and faded concubines who have offended the emperor at least once enjoyed the wealth and favor of a prosperous era. We are merely women whose fathers and brothers have been implicated in crimes against the court, and regardless of our backgrounds, we receive the same treatment

I am filled with mixed emotions, experiencing moments of joy and doubt. I do not know what awaits me ahead, but the freedom I have longed for is clearly laid out before me.

Jin Mo is my younger sister. When our family was persecuted, she was only eight years old. Now, among the sisters who entered the palace with me, only the two of us remain. The others have either died from illness or disappeared. In this vast imperial palace, making a person disappear is as easy as blowing on a feather.

Outside the wooden fence gate, there was a cacophony that seemed unrelated to me, as I continued to hammer the garment in my hands. The cracks on my frozen hands throbbed painfully with each strike. With a loud clang, the large lock of the fence gate was opened, and Zhao, the old woman, looked at the person outside with a fawning expression. The Laundry Department of the Imperial Court seldom had visitors, and the rewards were scant. The chaotic footsteps approached from afar, yet I still did not raise my head. "Xiao Qingyi, receive the decree!" A sharp, piercing voice rang in my ears, and I numbly looked at him, my disheveled hair falling down and blocking my view. The surroundings had already collapsed into a flurry of kneeling figures. Zhao waved her stick, knocking down several women in front of her who were somewhat dazed, and hurriedly came to my side, yanking my stool away and pressing my head down to force me to kneel. The heavy rain had soaked my clothes, clinging to my body and restricting my movements, making it difficult to bend down with the force applied. My mind was a chaotic mess. "By order of the Empress Dowager, Xiao Qingyi, being the descendant of a meritorious minister, has fallen into the Imperial Court. Today, on the occasion of the Emperor and Empress's grand wedding, she is granted a special pardon under the decree of Tianhe *Tu* *Shu*, and is commanded to bring her sister, Xiao Jinmo, into the Weiyang Palace to serve the new Empress." After reading, the eunuch immediately covered his nose with his hand. It seemed he was not accustomed to the smell here.

Instinctively bowing my head, the eunuch presented the imperial edict. I rose to receive it, only to find that my legs had lost all sensation, and I was feeling extremely dizzy. Although the distance was mere inches, I could not make out the face of the eunuch delivering the decree, nor could I grasp the piece of silk that promised me freedom.

1 Yeting: Also written as "Yeting" or "Yeting". Refers to the Eternal Alley. Generally inhabited by palace maids. During the Han Dynasty, it was also used to detain women sentenced to severe punishment

Madam Zhao hurriedly took it, smiling as she deeply bowed to the eunuch. "Master, do not forget the old woman when there are benefits in the future." She grinned, secretly slipping a large silver ingot into the eunuch's embrace.

The text is a slightly modified excerpt from "Falling in Love with a Tang Dynasty Ghost" by Xiling Xue

I have been in the Yeting for five years. Every day, I can only see a palm-sized sky surrounded by the corners of the palace walls and flying eaves. Fortunately, there is often sunlight. The term "dilapidated" is insufficient to describe this place; the ground is covered with slippery mud, cotton fluff drifts everywhere in the wind, and the air is filled with a foul odor. "Get up, get up, time to work!" In the distance, a plump woman shouts while using a wooden stick to prod the women lying around. Due to the lack of housing, the women here simply gather straw to sleep on. "Get up, get up, time to work!" In the distance, a plump woman shouts while using a wooden stick to prod the women lying around. Due to the lack of housing, the women here simply gather straw to sleep on. She is Zhao Ao, in charge of the laundry department.