I Became a Mother in Another World

The next day, she did not have the luxury to have breakfast with her son, since all the concubines had to drag their asses to the Empress’s Palace Tianfenggog in the morning to give her the morning greetings.

Manu would have to have his breakfast alone and go to his lessons on his own. Samaya left the duty of escorting her to Maid Lian while she told Ah-Liu to follow her along with Su and Min. The rest were left in the courtyard.

She thought she had left the days of waking up in the crack ass of dawn behind. But apparently, the duties of a concubine included getting up, getting decked out in all their beauty and luxury, only to go bow to the Empress.

Unless they spent the previous night with the Emperor, then they could avoid going to Tianfenggong in the morning.

So … never.

The more than 20 minutes of trek was not much for her and Ah-Liu but she could see the two little maids huffing and puffing behind them.

She called Su with her to go inside, telling Ah-Liu to stay outside. It was clear that he wanted to go inside with her but she did not see any eunuch except those of the Empress. She was pretty sure she would break some kind of rule if she did take Ah-Liu inside with her.

The ritual was the same as before, minus the intense stares and questions. She took a seat beside Fu Caiyi with a nod and a smile. It was mostly uneventful. They all talked among themselves, so Samaya kept conversing with Fu Caiyi, ignoring the glares she got from Han Wanyi and Liao Huimei.

The Imperial Consort was as calm as still water with no ripples, as if nothing had happened yesterday. The Empress was even more serene, as if she could not even be bothered with the trivialities of the concubines.

Those were the kind of women she had to look out for.

“What happened yesterday?” Fu Caiyi finally asked. “I heard you were summoned by the Empress.”

“Yes,” she replied. “Apparently Ladies Han and Liao thought it fit to complain about me to the Imperial Consort, who in turn took it to the Empress.”

“Are you alright?” She asked. “Nothing happened, right?”

She shook her head. “No. I was just told to transcribe the harem rules.”

Fu Caiyi seemed to sigh in relief. “That’s good. You got off easy.”

“I know.”

“You should be more careful from now on. You are new here, stuck in here with them … you are the easiest target for some, even below your rank.”

Resisting the urge to chuckle, Samaya nodded, pursing her lips slightly. It would be better to say that they were stuck in here with her. Easy target? Samaya was sure they thought she was. It was good for her. The more they underestimated her, the better she would be able to protect Manu.

“Lady Qing,” the call of her name snapped her out of her thoughts, making her look up.

She found the Empress looking back at her. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

A pause.

“Two Senior Palace Attendant has been chosen to teach you and your son the etiquette and rules of the Imperial Harem. Palace Attendant Yu will teach Prince Xu in the morning, while you come here for the morning greeting since he will not have time any other time of the day. While Palace Attendant Li will go with you from here every day to teach you for one hour. Your lessons start tomorrow.”

Two older women stepped forward and bowed toward Samaya, and she nodded back. She then turned to the Empress, bowing as well.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank the Imperial Consort. She was the one who suggested you be taught properly about the Harem etiquette.”

“Of course.” Samaya turned toward the Imperial Consort, not missing the cold glint in her eyes. She did not know what the woman was planning but …. Oh, well, she would deal with it when the time came.

Bowing once again, Samaya expressed her ‘gratitude’.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

She, at least, knew how to address them properly.

The Palace Attendants stepped back into obscurity, and everyone went back to talking with each other, done watching the drama.

Samaya sipped her tea, while her eyes swept over to the concubines opposite to her. Most of them were talking amongst themselves, some of them throwing the occasional glance at her. Her eyes then fell on the one exactly opposite to her, whose eyes had been on her before and averted slightly the moment Samaya’s gaze fell on her.

She frowned. “Lady Fu,” she leaned towards the woman, “who is that again?”

Lady Fu took a moment to glance in the direction Samaya was looking before answering. “Ah, that’s Ren Siyun. Empress faction, remember? She is from one of the lower noble families from a border Province. She was chosen in last year’s Concubine Selection and was the only one from that group to be promoted to a rank.”

“Huh.” Samaya was thoughtful for a moment. “Do you think she hates me for some reason?”

There was a pause from Fu Caiyi, which prompted Samaya to look in her direction. Fu Caiyi had quite a dry look on her face.

“Lady Qing, I think we can safely say that half the harem hates you just for being here.” The words were harsh, but the tone made Samaya smile. Fu Caiyi continued, “And as for Noble Lady Ren, she might hate you, but she is not the kind of person who would spend unnecessary time and energy acting on that hate. Unless she is ordered by the Empress, she prefers to stay out of Harem politics.”

That was … sensible. It was the best someone without any power or connections could do.

Maybe the woman was just curious and Samaya was being paranoid.

Samaya turned her head to look at Ren Siyun again, but this time something else caught her eye. She was not glancing at her. Ren Siyun was glancing at something behind her and … so was the maid that stood behind Ren Siyun.

Samaya frowned again and turned her head slightly to see what they were looking at.

Su. They were looking at Su. And Su … she was glancing at their directing every now and then before averting her eyes, her cheeks dusted red.

No … Su was not looking at Ren Siyun … she was glancing at that maid behind Ren Siyun. That was Rin, wasn’t it? Min’s sister.

It did not take a genius to figure out what was happening.

Of course, she had to witness a young love blooming here while she was alone and frustrated as fuck. Why not?

She pushed down that line of thought. There was no need to remember that frustration. Whatever love lives her maids had, that was their own business. It had nothing to do with her.

…. Who was she kidding?

She was drilling Su and Min the moment she got back to the courtyard.

Her mood turned lighter and she chatted with Fu Caiyi for the rest of the time she was there. The lady apparently noticed the exchange between Su and the other mermaid too and sent a knowing smile her way.

Despite the morning session ending on a much calmer note than yesterday, Samay felt refreshed the moment she stepped out of there. She turned to Su and smiled.

“You can say goodbye to your friend if you want.” She nodded at the maid.

Su looked up at her and sputtered, her face flushed. “My lady-”

“It’s fine. Go.”

Su nodded and bowed before walking up to the other maid. Ren Siyun seemed to know her intention. Her lips curled in a half smile as she stepped away just a bit, allowing the two of them to meet.

Samaya approached her, and she bowed upon noticing her.

“Lady Qing.”

“Lady Ren.” Samaya nodded in answer. “I suppose this is the reason that you kept staring at me.”

Ren Siyun paused, before nodding. “My deepest apologies if I have offended you, Lady Qing. But … I consider Rin a dear friend. She has been a loyal companion since I entered the palace. I have always known that she has … affections for Su. I find it somewhat strange … but I wish for her to be happy. Su worked in the kitchens until now. Now she has a new master. I did not know whether Lady Qing would allow her to …”

This was a surprise. While homosexual relationship was not uncommon here, they were certainly frowned upon, especially among women. It was honestly surprising to find someone accepting of it.

Samaya allowed herself a smile. “It’s none of my business who Su has feelings for. I will not interfere.”

Ren Siyun seemed to sigh softly in relief. “Thank you, Lady Qing.”

With that, she walked away. And Samaya decided she liked this woman. After all, how many of these concubine would come to plead on behalf of their maids? Ren Siyun did not seem naive or stupid. But perhaps she was the type of person who tried to make the best of everything.

Su was done soon enough and trotted back to Samaya’s side, a skip to her step. Well. it was at least gratifying to see the usually composed kid so happy.

“You can go find her when you have free time,” she said as they started to walk, Ah-Liu following them. “Just let me know beforehand.”

Su beamed. “Yes, my lady!”

Samaya chuckled softly, feeling much lighter than before.

Maybe she would not have to spend every waking moment here guarding against every single person in the harem. Maybe she could find some people to be on her side as well.

---

Manu was not as excited for this particular class as he had been for his other classes. But his mama said he had to learn the etiquette of the harem since he would be living here. So here he was, having finished his breakfast, waiting for his instructor.

Head Maid Lian was waiting there with him.

A few moments later, he heard unfamiliar footsteps approaching the courtyard. He walked forward and stepped outside the door to see an elderly woman approaching. Her greying hair was tied up in a tight bun with a single piece of headpiece securing it in place. Her eyebrows were raised slightly but the space between them seemed crinkled in a permanent frown, her lips curling downwards. She gave off the aura of someone severely stern. Manu felt an inexplicable nervousness rise in him, which he had not felt even when he was sent to his lessons for the first time.

The woman stopped once she reached him and looked down at him over her nose. “Prince Xu,” she greeted. Manu picked up a soft noise of disapproval coming from Lian who was standing behind him, but he had no time to pay attention to that because the woman continued speaking. “I am the Senior Palace Attendant sent to instruct you on Palace and Harem etiquette. You may call me Instructor Yu.”

Manu nodded. “Yes, Instructor Yu.”

The woman’s frown deepened and Manu had the feeling he had done something wrong.

“Let us go inside.” She walked past Manu.

Sighing softly, Manu walked after her, Lian following them. But then, Instructor Yu paused and turned around.

“Not you,” her eyes are on Lian. “All the maids and servants are to stay out of the residence. You will distract him otherwise. You may stand guard at the courtyard entrance.”

Lian frowned and hesitated. Mama had told her to keep an eye on him after all.

“But -”

The woman did not even let Lian start speaking. “I have been given leave by the Empress herself to teach the Prince in a proper environment as I see fit. Are you challenging the Empress’s orders?”

Lian panicked and immediately bowed. “This slave does not dare!”

“Good,” the woman said curtly. “Stay outside. Come, Prince Xu.”

Lian had no choice but to throw a reassuring smile at the maid before going inside. The woman led him to the table at the farthest corner of the room, sequestered in a space made by carving out the wall.

“We will study here.”

He nodded and went to sit in one of the chairs. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

“Before that, Prince Xu, roll up your sleeves and hold out your hands.”

“Huh?”

Manu was dumbfounded for a moment, looking up at the woman in confusion and bewilderment. The woman’s frown deepened.

“Answer this, Prince Xu. Who am I?”

“You are my … instructor?”

“Correct. In other words, I am your teacher. Not only that, I am your elder. You have already learned how to greet a teacher, have you not?”

Manu frowned slightly and nodded. A salute and half bow. But … that was only for his Tutor … Teacher Chen.

“Then, did you greet me that way?” She asked.

Manu slowly shook his head.

The woman leaned down, her eyes shining coldly as they bore into Manu’s. “This is not the streets or the slums, Prince Xu. This is the Imperial Palace. And the Palace has rules. Do you know what happens to those who disobey the rules?”

Manu was quiet this time, a quiet realization snapping into place in his mind, and a substantial amount of dread curling in his gut along with it.

“They get punished.” The woman straightened. “Now roll up your sleeves and hold out your arms.”

Manu did not move, feeling that there was something terribly wrong with all this, despite her words making a lot of sense.

Her lips curled in disdain. “I suppose I should not have expected much from a street urchin. Listen to me, Prince, and listen well. You will be punished quite a bit in this Palace. You must endure, and endure quietly, and learn from your mistakes. It is a must because you have to learn proper manners and discipline in order to be a proper Prince. Otherwise, it is you and your mother who will suffer. You will be abandoned as a failure while your mother will be scorned and punished for giving birth to a failure like you. Do you want that?”

The dread was now accompanied by fear, fear for his mother, and what would happen to her in this stupid Palace if he made a mistake. He gulped and frantically shook his head.

“N-no, Instructor Yu,” he whispered, his voice cracking.

“Very well. So, roll up your sleeves, hold out your arms, and take your punishment with grace.”

Manu ducked his head and stayed still for a moment. Just when the woman was about to open her mouth again, he gently rolled up his sleeves and extended his arms in front of himself. The woman’s lips curled in a soft but satisfied smirk. She took out a thin, wooden rod from her sleeve and raised it high.

Manu clenched his eyes shut. But it did nothing to lessen the burning sting as the rod came down and sunk into his fair, delicate skin.

---