The chief attendant of the Empress was a kind-faced, slender eunuch named Cao Cheng. He managed palace affairs, conveyed the Empress's decrees, and served as the ceremonial usher—holding the prestigious position of Grand Steward with an official rank of two thousand dan. Under him, apart from palace maids, he also supervised numerous Yellow Gate Commandants, junior palace attendants, and Central Yellow Gate Attendants. However, the Empress, being naturally serene and dignified, neither meddled in court politics nor enjoyed frequently summoning noblewomen for gossip. Thus, Grand Steward Cao's duties were rather light, consisting mainly of overseeing the daily operations of the vast palace and organizing a few grand banquets for the Empress each year.
Though the Empress had no complaints about Cao Cheng, she preferred simplicity and often resolved trivial matters within the inner palace promptly. However, as Zhai Nanny grew older and less energetic, and Luo Jitong's wedding approached, leaving her with increasingly little time in the palace, the Empress also intended for Shao Shang to learn decision-making and personnel management. Thus, under the perfect alignment of circumstances, Shao Shang naturally stepped into the role.
Initially, Shao Shang had been uneasy in the palace due to unfamiliarity and the overwhelming social status of the imperial couple. Making a mistake in front of a gang leader might earn her a beating or expulsion from the billiards room, while a teacher's reprimand would at worst result in a scolding or a written confession—perhaps even a school-wide notice. But the Emperor and Empress were the supreme rulers of the realm; truly angering them could mean dire consequences with no mercy shown.
Now that her efforts had earned their approval, her cautious fear gradually faded, and Shao Shang's true nature began to emerge. Though unintentional, traces of her personality inevitably surfaced in daily interactions. Over time, everyone in the Everlasting Autumn Palace came to realize that the seemingly delicate and frail Cheng Niangzi was, in fact, a mischievous and cunning individual.
Once, two palace maids fought, each claiming the other had struck first. Without hesitation, Shao Shang ordered them to reenact the fight for her. Both tried to appear weaker, throwing slow, gentle punches as if in a slow-motion replay or a tenderly choreographed martial arts exchange, leaving the onlooking maids and junior attendants clutching their stomachs in laughter.
After the mock fight, Shao Shang asked if they still wished to lodge a complaint. When they insisted on her judgment, she cheerfully handed them over to the Yellow Gate Commandant under Cao Cheng responsible for disciplinary actions—as if she’d fall for their act. She might lack experience, but she wasn’t stupid. No matter how gentle the Empress was, one couldn’t take liberties with her authority. In a place like the palace, if maids quarreled privately yet rushed to make it public, did they think she hadn’t seen such tricks before?
Another time, two maids tending the outer courtyard’s flowers argued over a beautiful young tabby cat. One claimed she had found it by the palace wall and raised it with care, while the other insisted she had saved her own rations to feed it. Both pleaded passionately. Shao Shang declared, “This is simple. Both of you make valid points. How about we split the cat in half—each of you gets a share.”
She then called for a eunuch to fetch a knife. The maids froze in shock, and one immediately fell to her knees in tears, admitting the cat wasn’t hers and belonged to the other. The second maid hesitated, unable to speak.
Channeling the gravitas of Judge Bao, Shao Shang solemnly ruled that regardless of original ownership, the cat would go to whoever loved it more, and her court would entertain no further appeals.
Watching from the side, the Empress couldn’t help but mutter, “You do have some quick wit.”
Shao Shang: Too kind, too kind. She merely stood on the shoulders of children’s literature. Another fifteen or sixteen palace maids had been secretly fuming over trivial matters, splitting into two opposing factions. For days, they exchanged cold remarks and sharp words in endless disputes. Such situations were particularly vexing—neither escalating into outright conflict nor allowing the palace atmosphere to remain undisturbed.
Shao Shang had someone fetch a hemp rope as thick as her slender wrist, nearly a hundred feet long. She then divided the two factions into mixed teams and had them compete in a tug-of-war.
For the first round, she bet five Wu Zhu coins for each member of the winning team.
The girls were reluctant to cooperate with their recent "enemies," pulling half-heartedly until one team happened to synchronize better and won.
For the second round, Shao Shang raised the stakes to ten coins per winner.
Seeing the victorious team jingling their newly acquired coins, the other girls widened their eyes in envy. Shao Shang reshuffled the teams—still mixing members from both original factions—and this time, both sides strained with all their might.
For the third round, she increased the reward to twenty coins per winner.
The girls' eyes turned red with determination. Even in the palace, this was no small sum. Now, those grouped together forgot past grudges, standing shoulder to shoulder, feet braced, pulling in unison.
A minor hiccup arose. Though Shao Shang had recently come into unexpected wealth, she hadn’t brought it with her and had to borrow from Zhai Nanny for the prizes. By the third round, Zhai Nanny’s purse was empty, forcing Shao Shang to send someone home to fetch more. Moments later, a junior palace attendant arrived beaming, carrying a heavy chest half an arm’s width wide, filled with nearly three hundred Wu Zhu coins.
"...Lord Ling has heard of the matter. He said empty promises would spoil the fun, so he sent this for you. If it’s not enough, he’ll have someone fetch more swiftly."
Holding the chest, Shao Shang froze. So, she had finally reached the stage of spending her boyfriend’s money?
After three rounds of tug-of-war, the girls were exhausted, too tired to hold grudges and pleased with their modest winnings. Even the four unluckiest, who hadn’t won a single round, received five coins each from Shao Shang. Then, with a stern face, she lectured them on unity, friendship, mutual respect, and support—so eloquently that most maids were moved to tears, nearly rivaling the speeches of the legendary salmon league branch secretary.
After dispensing kindness, it was time for discipline.
Shao Shang singled out the ringleaders from both factions and punished each with ten strokes of the rod as a warning.
Initially, she had merely followed her plan. But as the tug-of-war grew heated, junior attendants and maids gathered to watch and cheer, some even waving fists for their friends. Even the Empress couldn’t resist stepping onto the corridor to watch with amusement, laughing at the exciting moments. Seeing Shao Shang resolve the issue with a mix of rewards and penalties, she turned to Zhai Nanny and said, "Don’t worry. Eleventh Master’s household will never fall into disorder."
As she turned back to the inner hall, the Empress noticed Shao Shang still standing quietly under the corridor, holding the half-empty chest, her expression cool and distant. For a moment, the Empress barely recognized her.
In truth, this girl wasn’t always so decisive and resourceful when handling affairs.A few days ago, a young palace maid was grieving for her deceased family and wept incessantly at night. Shao Shang stopped the eunuch who was about to cane her and patiently asked where her hometown was. She then drew a simple map of the province and pointed to the maid’s place of origin, telling her that the ravages of war were gradually fading there. Though there might still be some hunger, as long as people farmed diligently in the future, there would no longer be parentless children displaced and trafficked.
—Of course, reality was not so simple. The Empress, having lost her father young and experienced the chaos of war herself, knew the ways of the world too well. How could there be no human traffickers? But in the lonely depths of the palace, a few words of illusory yet beautiful comfort were enough to give a young, friendless palace maid the courage to keep living.
The Empress looked at Shao Shang again. She had two delicate eyebrows, neither too thick nor too faint, arching gracefully over her snow-white skin like traces of misty rain. Her clear, beautiful eyes seemed to ripple with liquid light when she gazed at someone. After just one short summer, the young girl’s beauty had grown even more striking. Paired with such a contradictory and complex temperament, no wonder she had captivated her foster son.
…
After her midday nap, Shao Shang was ordered to fetch two bamboo scrolls from the outer hall of the Department of State Affairs. After respectfully bidding farewell to the Huangmen Attendant in charge of the archives, she strolled leisurely back. Unexpectedly, she encountered Yuan Shen in the palace corridor—someone she hadn’t seen in many days.
In truth, since she had entered the palace for her "studies," this was already the third time she had run into Yuan Shen in the palace corridors.
The first time, she and Ling Buyi had been walking slowly, one behind the other, when Yuan Shen stepped aside to let them pass, then cast them a cold glance without a word. The second time, Ling Buyi had been gripping her hand firmly as they walked side by side. Yuan Shen met them head-on, letting out a few short, mocking laughs at the sight of their clasped hands—only for Ling Buyi to return a gaze even colder than his laughter. Shao Shang had turned her head away, unwilling to watch the two of them.
This time, as she encountered Yuan Shen, Shao Shang had just been stopped by Liang Qiu Fei, who came running up behind her. The young guard was sweating from his sprint and handed her a flat lacquer wood box adorned with intertwined branches. The moment Shao Shang took it, she nearly dropped it on her foot. Opening it, she found fifty neatly arranged gold ingots—lustrous, pure gold, each cast into thumb-sized Horse Hoof Gold, small and exquisite, gleaming brilliantly. Her mouth fell open in astonishment.
Liang Qiu Fei grinned. "...The Young Master said that since you now have many duties in the Everlasting Autumn Palace, copper coins might suffice for rewarding palace maids, but not for eunuchs with official ranks. You can keep these in the palace for whenever you need them. Just entrust them to Zhai Nanny for safekeeping."
"This... this is too much!" Shao Shang gasped, laughing dazedly—when a boyfriend buys you bags or clothes, you can righteously refuse, firmly insisting on financial independence before marriage. But what if he outright transfers a house to you? She felt her resolve wavering.
Liang Qiu Fei frowned. "Female Lord, please don’t say such distant things. Last time you refused those two fine horses, my elder brother got an earful from the Young Master. This time, don’t make trouble for this humble subordinate."
"Don’t worry, I won’t," Shao Shang sighed helplessly.
After Liang Qiu Fei left, Yuan Shen, dressed in light robes with an air of effortless grace, approached slowly just in time to see the girl’s face bathed in the golden glow of the ingots. Unable to resist, he asked. When the eunuch behind Shao Shang answered for her, he let out another cold laugh. "I never thought you’d be so fond of such base metals."Shao Shang immediately retorted, "This box only contains gold ingots, all yellow, none white. Don't speak nonsense!"
Yuan Shen choked on his words: "...So you were bribed then? Putting on this virtuous and demure act all day. Now the entire Capital City is praising you, saying you've finally been taught proper manners by the Empress."
"Bribed? What an ugly way to put it." Shao Shang handed the box to the eunuch beside her and signaled for them to step back.
"Even without these gold ingots, couldn't I learn to be virtuous and demure? Besides, this was given by my future son-in-law. Why shouldn't I spend it?" Some words indeed grew more justified the more one spoke them. "And what business is it of yours whether I'm virtuous or bribed! Did I eat your grain or use your wealth?"
This time, Yuan Shen didn't get angry. Looking at her, he said, "Have you noticed that since we've known each other, what you've said to me most often is 'what business is it of yours.'"
Shao Shang paused... that did seem true. "That's because you always meddle in my affairs for no reason!"
Yuan Shen adjusted the jade belt at his waist and said quietly, "Are you... happy now?"
"Of course!" Shao Shang smiled proudly. "The Young Lady Cheng whom everyone used to look down upon, who had people jumping out to call her crude and illiterate, rude and unreasonable whenever she attended banquets—does that still happen now? Now when I come and go from the palace, even princes and princesses treat me politely. None of those people dare trouble me anymore!"
Yuan Shen hummed in acknowledgment. "Actually, I thought you were fine before."
Shao Shang scoffed. "Young Master Shanjian, let's stop here. You yourself pick and choose when selecting a wife—'a clan matron's virtue,' 'proficient in etiquette'... Why should I have to stay crude forever?"
"Just put on an act in public. Who asked you to actually learn all that etiquette?" Yuan Shen said resentfully.
Shao Shang suddenly understood and teased, "Oh, so that's how it is. One face in public, another in private. Young Master Shanjian, is this how you conduct yourself?... Hmm... Why should I learn to be proficient in etiquette? What does that have to do with me?"
Ignoring her provocation, Yuan Shen asked again, "You still haven't answered me. Are you truly happy? Not in public, but in private? Are you happy in your heart?"
Shao Shang looked up at the palace walls and said lightly, "I know what you're asking. But I'll tell you this—no matter what, I'll always make sure I'm happy. That has nothing to do with others, with anyone at all."
Yuan Shen gazed at her for a long time. "These days, there are more and more young girls who love to boast. Very well, I'll wait and see."
Author's Note:
The transitional chapter ends here. The next chapter will advance the plot.
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