The hunt was arranged for a week later.

And it was quite a busy week.

Word of the trial spread across the harem like wildfire. And with it, the news of the dozen new additions to the harem, the reason for the addition, along with it. It was a given that people would talk. Samaya found no lack of derisive and humiliating words directed at the poor women. She shut it down among her own maids and the people she usually interacted with. At least, those lower in rank than her.

She took vicious pleasure in shoving it in Kang Yuxin's face that these 'used' women were the same rank as her, however. She wanted to remind her that they gained the titles by exposing her brother, but that would make things more difficult for the women. As if they were not already difficult.

The new Noble Ladies were then assigned as ladies in waiting. Now, ladies in waiting were usually only assigned from among unranked concubines and to only the Consorts. But according to the Emperor, assigning the women as ladies in waiting would not only be an effective way to ensure that they learned the ways of the harem - the ways of concubines - as soon as they could but also would ensure their protection when the Empress herself announced such assignment. Or, at least, that was what the Emperor told her. Apparently, it was the Empress's idea.

Samaya was impressed.

So, the Empress announced the assignments at the morning tea. The frequency of the morning greetings had decreased, but it was still held at least once a week. The Empress had stopped sitting on cushions and instead had a large, luxurious couch in its place. And that was where she presided now.

The Eunuch announced the names.

Three of them were assigned to the Empress, three to the Imperial Consort, two to Virtuous Consort Song Yuhan, two to the Beautiful Consorts Yi Yingxiu and Hou Tianjian, of the Empress and Imperial Consort faction respectively.

Now, that only amounted to twelve. According to Samaya's calculations, there should be fourteen women.

"And the youngest, Ladies Yin and Sayi, shall be ladies in waiting for Virtuous Lady Qing Samaya."

Samaya blinked, and was acutely aware of the heads turning towards her.

Her eyes flicked to the Empress, who remained expressionless. For a woman who wanted her to lie low, she sure knew how to put the spotlight on her.

"Lady Qing, Lady Yin, Lady Sayi, kneel and accept the decree!"

Cursing in her heart, she knelt, the two young girls - and they were girls; they could not be older than 15 - behind her, murmuring her acceptance the way she had seen the other do. These were things that had been taught to her in her etiquette lessons, and she had just seen the Consorts accept decrees. So she was able to complete her own ceremony without any mishap.

That day, she collapsed as soon as she got to her room because what the fuck?

She did not even know what the ladies in waiting did! And it was not like she could pull out Google to ask it.

For now, though, she told them to freshen up and rest, saying, "You've had a long day. We will discuss … this," she gestured around, "later."

They bowed, and Samaya had her maids take them to the guest room, feeling uncomfortable leaving them alone. The residences here may be tiny compared to Tianfengong, but they could still house a few guest, even excluding Samaya, Manu and the maids.

Samaya let 0ut a long-suffering sigh as she pulled Lian aside.

"Lian, what am I supposed to do with this?" She asked, feeling somewhat helpless. This harem was determined to throw one curveball after another at her. Lian could not exactly elaborate, but the Senior Attendant Li - her tutor - could.

It was a good thing she had a lesson today. And so, Senior Attendant Li stayed an extra ten minutes - half an incense stick time, if she had to count the ancient way - to elaborate on the duties that ladies in waiting might be assigned.

First, they acted as personal attendants, helping their mistresses with dressing, hairstyling, and even bathing. They made sure their lady always looked perfect for any occasion.

Then there were the ceremonial duties. Whenever there was a court banquet, a religious ceremony, or any royal event, these attendants had to be there, making sure everything ran smoothly and that their mistress was properly presented.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

They also handled household management. You could think of them as the behind-the-scenes organizers - overseeing food preparation and embroidery work and keeping track of other palace servants.

Some ladies-in-waiting were trained in education and entertainment. They learned to play musical instruments, write poetry, or practice calligraphy. Apparently, their job wasn't just about service but also about bringing culture and refinement to the palace. It had a great effect on any guests who may grace their mistress's residence.

And then, there were the ones who had political influence. These were usually from noble backgrounds and had gained a lot of trust from their mistresses. They acted as advisors, spies, or intermediaries between powerful figures in the court. If a noblewoman or an empress needed to send a secret message or gather information, a trusted attendant could do it for her.

When asked if that made Lian and the other maids her ladies in waiting, Senior Attendant Li merely shook her head.

"No, Lady Qing. They may perform many of the same duties but they are not ladies in waiting by rank. They are mere palace maids, albeit of higher rank than the common maid because they serve a concubine directly. Lady in waiting is a specific rank and must either be earned or bestowed, before being assigned to a Consort or the Empress."

Samaya nodded along. It made sense. A lady in waiting was usually someone serving the Consorts or the Empress very closely, and they could gain influence, using their position as a stepping stone. Not just anyone could become a lady in waiting. The fact that these commoner maids were able to become ladies in waiting was due to their unique circumstances, and they would probably be excused from that position after a sufficient amount of time had passed since they were already Noble Ladies.

Assigning already ranked concubines as ladies in waiting was unusual enough, but it could be excused due to the extenuating circumstances. What really turned heads was the assignment of two of them to Samaya. As a Virtuous Lady - a low ranking concubine, for all intents and purposes - she was not supposed to have ladies in waiting. She could not, for the life of her, figure out why they would be assigned to her.

She had to ask the Emperor. The Empress would probably rather choke on tea than answer her.

She turned her thoughts to what duties she could assign Yin and Sayi. It did not take much thought, however. She decided they would rotate between being her personal attendant and household management. That should be enough to teach them how to conduct themselves appropriately as well as how to manage a household.

She explained to the girls their duties and gave them a day of rest.

"You can start your duties tomorrow. On days we have morning greetings with the Empress, you will go there first and then accompany me here. On the other days, you will come here directly, though you can take a bit more time. Your duty will be until lunch. You have your own household, and you cannot neglect it. After lunch, you can go back."

The two girls exchanged glances, and Samaya could see the hesitation in their eyes.

She tilted her head. "What's the matter?" She asked before leaning forward. "Whatever it is, you can speak without fear."

After another moment of hesitation, Sayi, the younger one, spoke with a trembling voice. "We do not wish to go back to Qingrengong. It is … people stare, they point, they speak … we cannot … it is suffocating."

Samaya paused. It was understandable. These poor girls had already suffered so much. They came forward on their own, but not everyone had the ability to shrug of harsh, humiliating remarks society reserved for 'defiled' women.

She sighed and looked at the two. "You cannot hide forever," she reminded them gently. "You are ranked concubines now. At the very least, you need to keep up the appearance of maintaining the duties your position demands of you."

The two girls seemed to wilt like flowers without sunlight.

She took a deep breath. "But I understand your misgivings. How about this, for the next week, I shall allow you to stay until sunset. You must go back for dinner. I shall send one or two of my maids back with you for the foreseeable future. Have you been assigned eunuchs yet?"

As far as she knew, all the ranked concubines were assigned eunuchs.

The two girls nodded.

"Your eunuchs will be your companions and trusted aides in all matters. So, you must build trust and friendship with them. The eunuchs assigned to you are likely new, low-ranked eunuchs. They may resent you. But do not let that deter you from trying to get them on your side. Eunuchs are valuable … friends."

She was about to say assets, but that would be too … TEA … of her. The two girls nodded, but Samaya knew it would be difficult for the maids to do it alone. She might need to give a push. She would need to remember to send Ah-Liu to give all those eunuchs a stern talking to.

She talked with the two girls, even pulling Su and Min with her. They bonded over shared experience and their shared hatred for the Kangs. It was only when talking about Kang Yanxin being dragged away that the two girls seemed more lively than before.

Samaya left them to their devices and went to 'rest', though her mind was swirling with the thoughts of the investigation into the Kang household. She truly hoped something would come up, she hoped whoever was … or were … involved in both the attack on her and the death of Rin, would be brought to justice. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the entire Kang household - or, at the very least, Kang Yuxin and her father - were at least indirectly involved in this crime. Kang Yanxin got his punishment. Even without any punishment from the Emperor, she was satisfied. But the others … they needed to get their dues for systematically endorsing and covering Kang Yanxin's actions.

The conversation between the girls easily lasted into dinnertime. Samaya had the kitchen prepare a simple affair, and they all shared the table at her insistence. It was a bit crowded, with the maids and Ah-Liu all squeezing in at the same table, but it was warm. It was … people.

Her people.

She would kill for them. No questions asked.

The realization did not surprise her at all. She smiled at some old story from Lian's hometown and continued eating.

The next week passed in a blur.

Before she knew it, it was the day of the hunt.

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