The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

42. A’Chou’s Trouble

Translator: Iris Guo

“Ah, awful memories. I’m just very unlucky.” A’Chou’s raw nerve was touched. She sat on the bed, nagging about her unlucky experiences these years while cutting Zhong Mingwei’s beard.

A’Chou wasn’t born to be a maid. Actually, she was from a decent family, a government official’s daughter. However, she didn’t have the chance to enjoy a happy life. In the 20th year of Jiasheng Reign, when she was four, her father, a stubborn Imperial Remonstrator, spoke bluntly to his superiors and offended them. Thereafter, her luck had run out. Her parents were killed. Besides, she was enslaved in the Imperial Washhouse and began to do heavy laundry every day although she had just learnt how to speak and walk.

There was no way for a four-year-old child to do laundry well. Fortunately, the Senior Imperial Maids and Mummies of the Imperial Washhouse took good care of the parentless girl, and she grew up without any trouble until she turned 13.

Further, at the age of 14, A’Chou got a break eventually. Because she was honey-lipped, she was recommended to work at the Yanxi Palace, where the most beloved Imperial Concubine Zhao lived. Although A’Chou was still a maid doing laundry, at least she had a rank and salary, even if it was only one qian of silver ingots per month. Moreover, her life in the Yanxi Palace was much better than that in the Imperial Washhouse. She not only could have better food and clothing, but also got rewards on festivals. She could save almost two liang of silver ingots every year, since there was almost nothing for her to spend money on, and she had been frugal.

However, A’Chou was not favored by fate all the time, and her good luck didn’t last long. Two years later, on the Lunar New Year’s Eve in the 30th year of Jiasheng Reign, there was an annual firework display in the Imperial Palace. According to the hereditary system of the royal family, all the Imperial Servants and Maids could watch the event on site, and most of them couldn’t wait to do that, except A’Chou. She had been in the Imperial Palace for eleven years, so she was already tired of watching the fireworks. Instead of coming along for the ride, she might as well cover someone’s shift and earn two qian of silver ingots for one night.

Moreover, A’Chou didn’t have any wicked ideas like other maids who were seductively dressed for the purpose of attracting the royal members’ attention. She thought that she had to bear the blame for the rest of her life.

However, things were contrary to what A’Chou expected. The Jingren Palace was on fire that night when she dozed off in the wing room. Then, she was awakened by a crackling sound, so she walked out to check and found the raging flames. The Jingren Palace was next door to the Yanxi Palace. Naturally, she couldn’t sit back and watch but rushed there with water.

Two hours later, the fire was finally put out with the efforts of a group of Imperial Guards and Servants. A’Chou was severely burnt, and the burn expanded all the way from her right wrist to her right arm then to her shoulder and neck, and even her chin. She gritted her teeth, tried to endure the pain, and returned to the Yanxi Palace. Although she was in great pain, she still indulged in fantasy that she might be rewarded since this was a blessing in disguise: she had just pulled a person out of a sea of fire, who was dressed like a royal family member.

The next morning, Cuiping, Imperial Concubine Zhao’s personal maid, came to see A’Chou as she expected. However, A’Chou wasn’t rewarded but praised indifferently for her absolute loyalty and bravery, and Cuiping left before she could understand what was going on.

Later, one of A’Chou’s roommates secretly told her that she got into trouble.