Hopes and Accusations

Chapter 1

Bai Shen Ting's pov:

The rising of the sun always brought about a fresh kind of trouble for me. It was harsh knowing no matter what I did or did not do, I still would get lashings for everything. Getting up from the straw bed I sleep in, I walk towards my worn out dresser to look at my already packed belongings. After washing and patting myself dry with leftover rain water, I put on my maid's outfit which could only be called that at this point.

Years of patch work and washing has rendered the blue dress to a rather cloudy color. Rumor had it that the dress wasn't originally hers. It belonged to a maid who spent the night with the King and was later mysteriously killed by the plague. The real truth was that the Queen wrought with anger killed the King's one night stand. She stripped the maid and threw her naked into a pit and locked her in there with a bull drugged with a strong aphrodisiac. The loud beggings and screams from the maid lasted all night until her voice grew weaker and she breathed her last.

The thought of that made me wince and left a bitter taste in my throat. I got out of my reverie and out of habit checked my appearance.

I practiced my calm expression in a broken bronze mirror knowing that a sign of happiness would bring me trouble and of anger or haste would put me in the line of harmful pranks and mischief in the palace.

'it's finally happening'

After suffering in the royal palace for ten years I could finally redeem my freedom and leave this accursed kingdom.

I fished out my jade pendant father had given me the day to his execution

"Papa, do you see? I'm finally leaving this place. I know you had hopes for me but I'm sorry this daughter of yours was unfilial".

Tears started pooling in my eyes but a noise caused me to blink it away fast.

A loud crash quickly alerted me to hide my pendant in my dress and clean away stray tears with my torn sleeves.

"Where is that ungrateful wench?!"

I quickly presented myself to the head maid.

She eyed my appearance with disgust and greeted me with a slap.

"Guards!, drag this malformed wench out and give her 20 lashes!".

I was dragged out by two burly eunuchs who served as guards and pushed on a stone bench outside the servants quarters. The commotion had drawn a small crowd of servants and other eunuchs. My dress was roughly pushed up revealing my knickers and hole ridden socks

Not long after, the first whack of a wooden padded stick smacked painfully between my legs and calf causing a sharp bloody sting.

The only reason for this beating even on the last day of my servitude was only because the Queen ordered it. Although I am a slave, I was once a high ranking noble. Even the palace head maid wouldn't dare to act rash or do anything to me unless ordered by the Queen .

After the beatings, I was tossed unceremoniously on the ground bleeding.

Even with my situation, some of the other maids were still making fun of my clothes with their side snickers.

"You'd better behave today or you wouldn't be able to celebrate your little freedom".

The head maid threw the robe she was holding towards me.

"Quickly get changed, the crown prince is hosting a banquet for the nobles and you are to serve there".

Shen Ting knew there was no way a mere washing maid like herself could serve at a high ranking banquet.

'so she won't even let me leave in peace'

Honestly after ten years of torturing and making my life miserable, I thought the Queen would have lost interest in me.

I gingerly stood up and staggered into my room wincing at the sight of the broken door then slumped on the straw bed stolen from the stables. From the whispers and murmurs outside it sounded like the crown prince wanted to choose a child bride.

'isn't he too young?'.

But remembering she was also once a child bride to the seventh prince she smiled at herself as a typical case of like father like son.

Time flew quickly to the evening where the grand throne room was decorated to shabbily according to the Queen 's gaudy taste, you could tell it was done in a nouveau riche fashion not benefitting the status and elegance of a Royal. Honestly even with ten years passed, a peasant would still remain a peasant. But this was only the mutterings of the nobles for it could cost them their lives if they dared in any fashion remind the Queen of her peasant upbringings.

The hall was quickly drawn to a hush as the royal family entered. In the past, whenever it was a banquet or a celebration, the royal family would enter in an orderly yet positioned manner but after the massacre that happened ten years ago the royal family was reduced to just the King, Queen and their crown prince. Even the two concubines the king had before ascending the throne and their children had mysteriously died of the plague and hay fever.

"Greetings to his majesty the King, greetings to her majesty the Queen and the crown prince" The whole hall bowed and chorused.

"You may raise my subjects. Today is an informal event so everyone should relax and enjoy the banquet" the King smiled.

But who didn't know that behind that smile was a tyrant who killed all his brothers including their families, slaves and killed off any potential heir that could threaten his rule. He went as far as to sell his sisters off to old dying men all in the name of marriage alliances for the throne.

The Queen signaled the eunuch who immediately ushered a train of maid servants with wine.

"Today I specially prepared wine from the Northern kingdom of DaQi so everyone can enjoy it".

"Thank you niang niang*" Everyone bowed to the Queen but inwardly scorned her decision. Even the King furrowed his brow but quickly faked a smile in an instant.

The kingdom regularly receives edicts, reports and letters from the war front daily begging and pleading to the King about the soldiers starving and the horses falling sick and dying due to hay fever but here we have the honorable Queen , splurging on wine and festivities.

Not to mention, the anniversary of the late King was approaching but instead of giving to the masses or volunteering to the temple to gain the favor of the people, she threw a 'colorful' banquet.

The train of maids silently filed in holding all manner of delicacies on their trays. From the positioning, Bai Shen Ting noticed she was the only person to serve the royal family.

'my last act of humiliation'. The Queen 's pettiness still hasn't changed, but Bai Shen Ting didn't care at this point. She would gladly sign her soul to any demon if it meant leaving this accursed palace.

The Queen 's first ranked maid signaled her with her eyes to start serving to which she promptly obeyed. Just as she was retreating to the back room after pouring wine for the crown prince, a glazed porcelain cup smacked her on the face, spilling wine all over her face and causing a bump on her head. The loud shatter of the cup brought the banquet to a hush.

"Who allowed this disfigured wench to serve the royal family?!".

Eunuch*- a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace.

Niang niang*- Queen , empress.

A/N: Hello lovelies. Don't forget to like, comment and refer my story.