"So… are you certain Lady Te Gaogui would take me in?" the expelled maid asked, uncertainty clouding her voice. She secured the small sack over her shoulder, careful not to lose the few belongings she still possessed.
"I hope so," Mayumi replied, though wavered.
Jin Lian's action had been predictable. Shortly after Shan and Mayumi departed the Ximen Palace, the servant had been dismissed without mercy, punished for failing to harm the guest's bodyguard when ordered. For a Lower Ring worker fortunate enough to find employment in such affluent quarters, losing one's post meant having the very root of livelihood hacked away. Out of gratitude for the maid's quiet defiance, Mayumi felt compelled to seek help from a certain young heiress.
"I want to thank you again for helping me," the maid said. Though this was not the first expression of gratitude, Mayumi offered the same modest reply as before. The girl had no lineage as a shield, so she could easily have obeyed the cruel command and justified it as Ximen family's mistreatment. Yet a faint solidarity between retainers had prevailed. It is a pity that this minor yet courageous act is rewarded with punishment.
"I don't understand, why choose to work for the Ximen family at all?" The question slipped out before Mayumi could restrain it. In her understanding, the Ximen clan deliberately hired their menial servants from outside their own fief, lest their private troops take offense at seeing kinsmen relegated to degrading labor. Although Ximen family servants, according to the girl's words, are known here for earning twice the wages offered by other great Upper Ring families, Mayumi could not fathom whether any salary was worth the humiliation. Rumors thrived, some unproven and others grotesque. The enduring debauchery of Ximen Qing alone was more than most could stomach, even for a newcomer to this city. No doubt the scoundrel hid even greater excesses behind his palace walls.
"I came from outside the walls," the maid finally confessed. "I'm… all that remains of the group I travelled with."
Silence fell. Mayumi's next words were softer, assuring that Lady Te is far more magnanimous than most noblewomen, certainly more so than Jin Lian.
They continued onward until they reached a double-storied estate. Though Lady Te is known throughout the Upper Ring as its most radiant beauty, her residence lacked the ostentatious grandeur of the ancient local families. The building is finer than Shan's modest single-courtyard home, yet it paled beside the miniature palaces occupied by entrenched clans. Still, the Te family are not natives of Ba Sing Se, so their holdings remained humble here. Their ancestral lands in distant Zigan lay far beyond the city's defensive bastions. With the Earth Kingdom fractured and the nation's countless territories slipping into the hands of warlords, Mayumi wondered how the Te clan managed their small domain while their heiress lives here.
Mayumi stepped forward and knocked gently on the door. The reply came slowly. The absence of a carriage suggested the coachman is away. At last, Te Gaogui's trusted confidant, Aunt Ayi, greeted them.
After Mayumi briefly explained the plight of the maid beside her, the older woman received them with mild hesitation. Such reluctance is understandable, Upper Ring households seldom entertained guests from lower strata.
"Well… we were not prepared for visitors," Ayi admitted.
Recognizing that pressing further might be unwelcome, Mayumi began to excuse themselves.
"It's quite all right, Aunt Ayi," Mayumi assured her. "Please send Lady Te my regards."
They had just begun to turn away, perhaps toward Grandma Jin's eatery when an elegant voice drifted down from within the courtyard, tracing to the second floor.
"It's all right. Let them in."
Ayi beckoned them inward, and as Mayumi crossed beneath the lintel of the courtyard manor, the air seemed to shift as though the house itself is drawing breath. From the upper floor, Te Gaogui emerged, descending the staircase with the unhurried solemnity of a figure stepping out of legend, each footfall tapping softly.
The residence did not flaunt wealth as the Ximen Palace had, with latter embracing blinding goldwork and ornamental excess. Instead, it radiated a nobler, earthbound majesty. Here, splendor is not proclaimed, it was grown. The walls rose like canvases of the soil arrayed with clay mosaics, carved reliefs, and vessels shaped by artisans whose craft stretched back through the long memory of the Te clan. These works bore no porcelain sheen or gilded veneer, yet they possessed a deeper brilliance forged not from opulence but from the labor and quiet triumph of a people rooted in their land. One might say that true beauty resides not in ornament but in the unvarnished self, and so it was entirely fitting that the lady of the house stepped forth without cosmetics or silken finery, her unadorned presence outshining any crafted splendor.
"I apologize for intruding without notice," Mayumi said, bowing deeply. "The fault for disrupting your day lies entirely with me."
"I requested no alteration to my day, Kyoshi Warrior," Te Gaogui answered. Her demeanor was more relaxed than during their first encounter, almost simpler. "There's no need for such formality. We are not strangers. Both of you, raise your heads."
The invitation extended to the maid as well. Hesitantly, both straightened.
"Thank you, Lady Te," Mayumi said.
Ayi soon returned with a tray of tea, and they settled in the courtyard with a kettle of steaming oolong. Each region of the Earth Kingdom produced its own character of leaves. Zigan tea carried a gentle, earthen fragrance, deepened by the clay cups crafted from its soil by master artisans.
"To ease your minds, I am genuinely pleased to receive you both," Te Gaogui said, savoring her drink with careful attention to her inconvenient long nails. "As heiress to the Te clan, it is refreshing to host someone outside the usual thongs."
Mayumi attempted to follow the shift in conversation. "If I may ask… who exactly are these usual—"
"Suitors," Te Gaogui interrupted, exhaling a weary sigh.
The reaction was unexpectedly relatable. Her unadorned appearance felt far more honest than the meticulously staged meetings with powerful households. Perhaps that explained why a surprise visit from a recent acquaintance, one who did not hail from the Upper Ring, felt like a welcome relief.
"As an unannounced guest, I am deeply grateful for your kindness. And I do understand the difficulty of your circumstances." Mayumi emphasized, omitting the rather consequential detail that she is the daughter of a village chief. From the household's humble preparation, she could tell that the lady of the house had been caught off guard, a simple robe and unbound hair are probably the most convenient attire available on short notice. Yet even without the layers of ornamentation, jewels, or elaborate coiffure expected of ladies in Ba Sing Se, this noblewoman possessed a startling natural beauty that far surpasses that of a certain over-adorned paramour residing in the Ximen Palace.
"You honored me, all I have done is offer the most basic courtesy, and brew a few humble herbs in boiling water," Te Gaogui lifted her cup again, warming her hands. Though the tea is not the famed White Dragon Bush, the simplicity of the moment was more pleasant than any ostentatious ceremony. "My father does not wish for me to mingle with… commoners," she added carefully, weighing that final word. "Yet compared to the young men of the Upper Ring, I find ordinary folk far more bearable. Many among them display the virtues the Earth Sages praised, while the so-called gentleman scholars merely recite those tenets without embodying them."
"How so, my Lady?" Mayumi asked, recognizing an unexpected familiarity with her own experience.
The heiress spoke of a lifetime spent enduring sniveling, pompous young men who fancied themselves paragons of sagacity, men who cloaked their shallowness in ancient idioms and elaborate rhetoric. In contrast, she found the straightforward speech of common citizens, coarse as it may be, quite refreshing. At least the latter struggled to conceal any ulterior motives.
Their conversation drifted naturally into the hostess's own weary grievances, matters she could scarcely confide to other youths of the Upper Ring without inviting judgment. By custom, suitors were expected to notify a household prior to their visit, granting the family time to marshal layers of ornate attire and arrange an array of ceremonial decorations with which to receive the guest. Such preparations often amounted to a small domestic upheaval, a ritual that consumed many hours and shattered any semblance of ordinary life.
Mayumi, even as an outsider to these lofty circles, found the whole affair needlessly exhausting. Stripped of its lacquer of propriety, the practice seemed little more than a performance whose purpose had long since eroded. Perhaps, she thought those oblivious young men might one day reflect on the futility of what they demanded. Yet the aristocratic mind remained an enigma to commonfolk, its whims and traditions shaped by a world far removed from the needs of ordinary people.
The noblewoman sighed, an unguarded, inelegant sound rarely heard in public.
"Even with all my past setbacks, I am content with what I have now," she said with quiet conviction. "I failed to claim the highest rank in the Civil Service Examination, but this life is still far preferable to the one originally planned for me."
Before Mayumi could ask what she meant, Lady Te gently warned against pursuing that line of curiosity, but nonetheless divulged some details.
"It would have been an existence stripped of meaning," the noblewoman said. "I once believed I would spend the rest of my days behind the walls of the Royal Palace, surely you know what that implies. But the path I walk now is an unprecedented departure from that fate. How many noblewomen in the Earth Kingdom can call themselves graduates of the Keju? How many have even the qualifications to be named magistrate of a county?"
After those words, Mayumi felt a sudden jolt of realization, she had vastly underestimated Te Gaogui. Given the customs of past dynasties that still influences the present, there is only one destiny this heiress could be referring to.
The Imperial Harem.
It had long been customary for Earth Kings to maintain an imperial harem from which heirs to the throne would emerge. Throughout the millennia, thousands of women were drawn into this institution, most of them originating from illustrious households or the families of high-ranking officials. In Shan's view, the same patrimonial logic that governed the wider bureaucracy extended seamlessly into the Royal Family. A general might dispatch his daughter to the capital in hopes that she would catch the sovereign's eye, and a minister might aim to step closer to the throne by doing the same. To win the King's favor is to elevate an entire lineage, a political triumph coveted by ambitious clans. Yet the odds are vanishingly small. To rise above thousands of rivals and ascend as the official queen is a feat rare enough to carve one's name into the annals of history.
For the vast majority, however, the fate awaiting them within this gilded system is far from enviable. Surrounded though they were by luxury, most lived out their days as attendants or low-ranking concubines, wives to the Earth King in name but invisible in practice. The monarch seldom learned their faces, let alone their stories. Only a tiny handful among the multitude could hope to come anywhere near the throne, much less benefit from its proximity. A woman like Lady Te, born of a provincial clan far removed from the influence of Ba Sing Se would almost certainly find herself relegated to one of the lowest tiers, scarcely distinguishable from a servant despite the ceremonial title bestowed upon her. Absent a compelling reason of statecraft, why would the Earth King's household raise a daughter of the Te clan to a more prestigious rank? In a world where lineage is currency, only those backed by formidable political weight could expect to climb the hierarchy at all.
No matter what rank they were granted, the women of the harem rarely, if ever, saw their families again. In the oldest dynasties, the death of an Earth King even demanded a terrible accompaniment, where every concubine would be entombed alive beside him, condemned to continue their service in the afterlife. Some ancient catacombs across the world can still find lavish tombs flanked by a legion of skeletons in fine silken dresses.
Mayumi pondered these customs in silence. Perhaps she was reading too deeply into the shadows of history, but the faint tremor she glimpsed in Te Gaogui's eyes told her that truth lingered in every word. To escape such a fate, to avert a life wasted behind sealed walls and instead rise to become one of Ba Sing Se's most discerning scholars, who would not feel pride in such a triumph? If Lady Te spoke of her achievements with confidence, it was a privilege she had earned through intellect and tenacity.
"Te Gaogui," Mayumi said gently, invoking the noblewoman's full name. "You were a hen who fought to become a phoenix. I know you are not a warrior, but your scholarly brilliance is something I can only admire from afar." Despite having been raised by a scholar, the Kyoshi Warrior could only dream of reaching such academic mastery.
"I appreciate your praises, but I have no desire for adulation," Lady Te replied frankly. "Speak as you normally do, here there are no patience for ornamental praise."
They shared another quiet cup of tea. When that interlude naturally concluded, Lady Te steered the discussion toward the true purpose of the visit.
"Father is not home," she said. "But perhaps I can address whatever request you carry."
Mayumi set her cup aside. "Your insight does not disappoint."
A woman like Te Gaogui is far too discerning to be misled. Surely, from the moment they had appeared at her threshold, and with a nervous maid in tow, she had deduced that a delicate favor would be asked of her. Mayumi had once refused the offer of a residence, but now circumstances had left her with no choice. Lady Te, perceptive and politically shielded, is the only one who could navigate this dilemma.
"Once again, I ask for your forgiveness," Mayumi said. "I understand completely if you refuse. This is a burden I brought upon your household."
"My ears are open," Lady Te replied, lifting her cup toward her lips. "Speak freely, without restraint."
Mayumi nodded and explained the girl's predicament. Te Gaogui listened with measured interest. Though impressed by the maid's courage, the mention of Jin Lian and the Ximen family brought an unmistakable crease of concern to the heiress' brow. Jin Lian's reputation as a seductress had always been distasteful in the Upper Ring, worsened by her association with the ever-disorderly Ximen Qing.
"I can see she treated you cruelly," Te Gaogui said at last, addressing the girl with a quiet authority. Rumors of abuse behind the opulent walls of the Ximen estate had circulated for years. One wondered when Jin Lian had cultivated her habit of belittling the staff, though even such indignities were tolerated for the sake of the higher wages the Ximen household provided.
The maid bowed deeply. Mayumi then asked the question she had been preparing since the moment they arrived, whether Lady Te might consider taking another servant under her roof.
Lady Te reflected in silence. Sensing hesitation, Mayumi added. "I know it is unreasonable. It is shameful of me to entangle you in this mess."
"There is no need to defend yourself," Lady Te replied, deciding to head straight to the point. "I would be more surprised if you did not take this course." She turned to the girl. "What is your name?"
"Ya Huan," the maid answered meekly.
"Then from this moment, I will take you under my wing," Te Gaogui said, rising and lifting Ya Huan gently back to her feet. "I just so happen to require a new lady-in-waiting. Aunt Ayi will also welcome the extra pair of hands."
"Yes, milady," Ya Huan said, bowing with heartfelt gratitude. Te Gaogui promptly instructed Ayi to show her new charge to a proper room.
When they are alone once more, Te Gaogui leaned close to the guest and whispered.
"I trust you understand," she murmured. "I cannot place my full faith in Ya Huan, not yet."