Lessons in Shadows
The laundry court became Lianhua's world. Days blurred into one another: scrubbing, hauling, folding, and enduring whispered cruelty from older servants who had survived decades of palace life. Every motion was observed, every mistake cataloged.
Yet, amidst the toil, Lianhua learned to watch. Eyes that avoided the Empress Dowager's gaze were safer. Words that were spoken softly often carried the sharpest knives. And silence, above all, was both shield and weapon.
It was on the fifth day that she first felt the Dowager's attention.
Lianhua had bent over a steaming tub, scrubbing a gown embroidered with gold thread, when a shadow fell over her. She raised her eyes cautiously and saw Empress Dowager Xu standing there, fingers lightly resting on the edge of the basin. Her gaze was cold, unblinking.
"Most children fear the water," the Dowager said softly. "They fear what burns, what scalds, what corrodes. You… do not."
Lianhua lowered her eyes. "Your Majesty," she said, voice steady.
The Dowager leaned closer, her face a mask of silk and steel. "Do you think endurance is enough to survive here?"
Lianhua's throat went dry. She did not answer.
The Dowager's lips curved into a faint smile, one that did not reach her eyes. "Very well. We shall see how long you last."
Then she stepped back and vanished as silently as she had come.
That night, Lianhua lay on the cold floor of her quarters, counting the hours of labor and the bruises forming on her wrists. Yet, amidst the ache and exhaustion, a thought took root. She would endure. She would survive.
But she would also learn to fight.
Because in the palace, there were no accidents. Every whisper, every glance, every command was part of a game she did not yet understand. And the Queen Mother—Empress Dowager Xu—was both its player and its master.
Lianhua closed her eyes, imagining the scales of power tilting slightly in her favor, just a fraction. One day, she told herself, she would not only survive the palace… she would own it.
The first lesson in shadows was clear:
To bend without breaking was not enough.
One must also see the knife before it strikes.
And from that night forward, Shen Lianhua began to watch everything, noting the fears, the ambitions, and the secrets that would one day be her weapons.