The Scheming Minister's Kitchen Maid

CHAPTER 1

1

I'm the strongest girl in the village.

 

Everyone in Tonghua Village has ten ¹mu of land, and after finishing my own, I can still help Brother Cui finish his.

 

When the uncles and aunts in the village take a break, they always give Brother Cui a thumbs up as he sits under the shed, drinking tea and watching me plow.

 

“Cui Can, you've found such a good wife like Xin Xi.”

 

“This girl is amazing, she can work harder than the village oxen. With her, you won't have to worry about your tuition.”

 

Brother Cui smiled gently, carefully putting away his books, then took a handkerchief and went to the field to wipe my sweat with care.

 

“Xin Xi, plow another two mu of land, then take a break. The sun is so strong today, you're getting even darker. You'll be as dark as the charcoal we burn at home.”

 

I looked up at the scorching sun, then at Brother Cui's fair skin, and quickly pushed him towards the shed.

 

“What are you doing here? Go back and sit down, you'll get tanned.”

 

Brother Cui is always so considerate, he never wants me to worry about him.

Seeing my worry, he covered his face with his wide sleeve and ran back to the shed, not forgetting to wave his book at me.

 

“Xin Xi, don't worry, there are still three hours before sunset. Take your time, I'll read here and keep you company.”

 

I smiled at Brother Cui with relief and, swinging my arms, went back to plowing.

 

I thought we would live like this forever.

 

I had even planned it all out.

After two years, when Brother Cui passed the imperial examination and I was almost 15 years old, we would get married.

 

He would teach in the village, and I would plow the fields, raise pigs, and do farm work. We would live happily ever after.

 

But fate had other plans. A drought, the worst in decades, hit.

 

It didn't rain all year. The river in the village cracked into pieces of dry bread, and the crops in the fields all died from the drought.

The strong men in the village left to find work in order to feed their families, but Brother Cui insisted on staying in the village to study.

 

He was so hungry that he was skinny and his lips were cracked, but he just didn't want to leave.

 

“Xin Xi, I'm going to be a scholar, no matter what. I'm not like you. You haven't seen the world, so you can work like oxen for others, but I can't.

 

My father was a scholar, and he taught me to read and write from a young age. I was born to be a scholar, I'd rather starve than do those dirty, tiring jobs and disgrace my education!” (T/N: Then, starve to die. Please. 😒)

 

Brother Cui has always been ambitious and well-educated, though he hasn't passed the county exam yet.

 

But I believe that one day he will become the first scholar to teach in our village.

 

“Brother Cui, don't worry, you just study hard, I'm here for you! I'm strong, I can do any kind of work.

 

We can't farm now, but the landlords in the village are hiring laborers. I'm sure I can do it, I'll send you money!”

 

Brother Cui was so moved he started to cry, holding my hand gently.

 

“Xin Xi, that landlord is a cruel man. Even if you're strong, he definitely won't give you the money you deserve. And you're honest, you'll definitely be taken advantage of.”

 

I thought about it, and he was right.

 

That Zhou Ba Pi (the landlord's name, literally “Zhou Skin-Remover”) did all sorts of cheating and swindling.

 

No villager who worked for him ever came back without complaining.

 

“Then, Brother Cui, what should I do?”

 

Brother Cui pulled me to sit on a wooden stool and said earnestly,

“Xin Xi, this is what I'm thinking. Since you have to work, and you're so strong, why work in the village?

 

I heard from a scholar who went to the Capital to take the Imperial Examination two years ago that there's a high-ranking official, a Shangshu (Minister), who always needs laborers, year-round.

 

Most importantly, he pays very well, even more than the eunuchs serving the Emperor in the Palace.

 

If you go, you might be able to return home rich in a year. Then, we'll have money for our wedding, and I'll have money for the Imperial Examination.

 

You won't have to work outside anymore, you can just farm, raise pigs, have children, and take care of me. What do you say?”

 

Brother Cui is well-read and has a broad perspective, and I trust his judgment.

 

So, I thickened the soles of my shoes overnight, carried a small bundle, and took some hard biscuits. I traveled for two months and arrived in the Capital.

 

As Brother Cui said, the steward of the Shangshu's Mansion was indeed standing on the street with a sign recruiting servants.

 

Surprisingly, all the women who came to apply were beautiful, but the steward didn't even look at them. Instead, he immediately chose me from the crowd.

 

Only after entering the Mansion did I have a chance to ask the steward.

 

“Sir, why did you choose me instead of all those beautiful girls?”

　　

The steward stroked his beard, looking mysterious.

 

“Only your... demeanor is most suitable for the steady job of tending the fire!”

2

I became the fire-tender at the Shangshu's mansion, earning one tael of silver a month.

 

Because I was as strong as an ox and quick to learn, I often helped others with their work when I had free time, so I was very popular in the backyard.

 

One afternoon, I was sweeping the ground with a broom taller than myself, huffing and puffing.

 

Xiao Cui, who usually fetched water, had been assigned to the front yard to serve the Master yesterday. She happily ate melon seeds all afternoon, spitting the shells into the cracks of the bricks, which were very difficult to clean. It took me more than an hour to clean them up.

 

When the cook called me to light the fire, I happened to see a group of people in black and gold guard uniforms in the front yard dragging something and walking quickly towards the backyard.

 

I thought their uniforms were handsome, making them look strong and imposing, and I thought about buying some fabric with my wages to make one for Brother Cui.

 

If he wore such a uniform to the examination, he would surely have more presence.

 

I was so captivated that I didn't realize until they were right in front of me that they weren't carrying a thing…

　　

It was Xiao Cui they were dragging!

 

Xiao Cui's new floral dress was torn to shreds by whips, the blood obscuring the original pattern. Her face was pale and purple, her eyes wide open...

 

“Xiao Cui, what happened to you?”

 

I took a step forward, but the leading guard stopped me. He glanced at me and hurried away.

 

The cook told me what happened while I was tending the fire.

 

Xiao Cui put drugs in the master's calming tea last night and wanted to climb into the bed.

 

After the Master discovered it, he didn't let her die quickly. The guards beat her all night, and she died in the morning...

 

I remembered her wide-open eyes again.

 

No wonder she didn't respond to me, she was beaten to death.

 

The cook also told me that the Master's name was He Xu, the youngest Shangshu in the dynasty's history.

 

Unfortunately, he had a bad reputation and was not a good person. He was greedy and cruel.

 

But because of his outstanding appearance, he was very attractive to women.

　　

The maidservants who entered the Mansion came one after another, and as soon as one died, a new one would quickly take her place.

 

“So many people have died, why do they still dare to try?”

 

The cook, wielding her spatula and shaking the wok vigorously, spoke as loud as a bell, making my eardrums feel like a bellows.

 

“Well, that's just how people are. If others don't succeed, what does it have to do with them? Everyone thinks they're different.

 

Besides, they're taking a gamble, hoping to rise from nothing. Once they've entered the city, which insignificant person wants to return to the village...?”

 

I thought so too!

 

Thinking of Brother Cui, who was so thin and hungry, I longed to return home.

　　

I wondered how Brother Cui had been eating these past two months, and whether the kind neighbors had helped him...

 

Thinking of this, I started to stoke the fire with all my might.

 

I have to work hard, really hard!

 

I'll send the money home as soon as I get it. I absolutely can't let Brother Cui worry.

3

　　

As a result, before I got the monthly salary, the steward came looking for me.

 

“²Hēi Zi, come here.”

 

The steward stood at the courtyard entrance, leaning against the wall and calling. He called for a long time, but no one answered.

 

I looked around. I've been in this courtyard for two months, and I don't remember anyone called Hēi Zi.

 

“Don't look around, it's you, the dark one, yes, you, the darkest one.”

 

I put down my axe and wiped my hands with my clothes before walking towards him.

 

“What is it? Are you paying wages?”

 

The steward looked at me like I was an idiot, but his tone was gentler than the first time we met.

 

“Hēi Zi, do you want to earn more wages?”

 

Of course I did! I nodded vigorously. Brother Cui was waiting for me to earn money so we could get married and he could take the exams.

 

“Hēi Zi, there's a good job right now, one that could increase your wages several times over. Are you willing to do it?”

 

“I am! I'm strong, I can do any kind of work!”

 

The steward looked pleased. “Are you willing to go to the front yard to serve the Master?”

 

This…

I rubbed my hands and said honestly, “I'm not willing. He kills people, and I still need to go back to the village to get married…”

 

The steward was even more pleased and pulled me towards the front yard.

 

“Well said! It's you then! Don't be afraid, our Master isn't that difficult to serve. As long as you don't try to seduce him…”

 

The steward looked me up and down with disdain, then smiled.

 

“Hēi Zi, your monthly wages will be raised to five taels. If you work for three years, I guarantee you'll return to the village to get married in style.

 

But if you try to seduce him, not only will you lose your money, but your life will also be in danger!”

 

Five taels of silver!

 

Such a good thing!

 

I patted my chest and said loudly, “Sir, rest assured, I have a fiancé, and I would rather die than sleep with the Master!”

4

　　

Three hours, I was almost falling asleep waiting.

 

He Xu finally returned to the Mansion, casually holding a black eagle.

 

The steward bowed and smiled, “Master, this one is absolutely well-behaved, you'll be satisfied.”

 

“Oh, this one is not a human being?”

 

“No, no, no. The previous ones were all restless because they thought they were somewhat attractive. This one is uniquely...unattractive, and very self-aware.

 

Before coming, she swore to heaven that she's so ugly it's appalling, and she doesn't even dare to look in the mirror. She said she wouldn't dare to get close to you even if she died.

 

Moreover, she has a fiancé in the village, and she's afraid of being abandoned because she's ugly, so she dares not act recklessly.”

 

I pouted and looked at the steward angrily.

 

What was he saying? Who is so ugly they don't dare look in a mirror?

　　

As they were talking, the two of them had come closer.

 

The man had a tall and straight figure, wearing a dark blue robe with a jade belt around his waist. His deep features were lazy and indifferent.

 

He lifted his eyelids and glanced at me, his handsome features like moonlight, yet his demeanor was unrestrained.

 

My goodness, he's even more handsome than Brother Cui.

 

“She's so dark, are you sure she's not a Kunlun slave? We don't keep foreigners in the mansion.”

 

“She has a household registration, she's from Tonghua Village. There was a severe drought there, so she came to the Capital to find a job.”

 

He Xu sat down in a chair, lazily playing with the eagle.

 

“Does this official look handsome?”

 

Huh?

　　

Seeing his playful smile, I took a step back, adjusted my trousers, and said insincerely,

 

“Master, I'm promised to someone. My Brother Cui is going to take the Imperial Examination, and he's even more handsome than you, Master. My heart belongs only to him!”

 

The steward gave me a thumbs-up. Seeing that I'd answered correctly, I grinned with relief.

 

He Xu's gaze finally left the eagle and fell upon my face.

 

Then, he closed his eyes and inhaled, his voice tinged with annoyance.

 

“When you serve me, find a cloth to cover your face. Now, get out!”

________________

Glossary:

¹Mu (亩): A mu is a Chinese unit of measurement. Approximately 0.165 acres or 666.7 square meters. To be precise, 10 mu is approximately 1.65 acres.

²Hēi Zi: The meaning of 黑子 (hēi zi) depends heavily on context. While 黑 (hēi) means ‘black,’ and 子 (zi) is a suffix often indicating a small thing or person, the combination doesn't have one single translation.

 

It could refer to:

 

- A black person or child: This is a possible meaning, but it's important to note that this can be offensive depending on the context and tone.

- Something small and black: This is a more general interpretation, applicable to objects or even abstract concepts. The specific meaning would be determined by the surrounding words and situation.

- A specific term in a particular field: There might be specialized meanings within certain games, dialects, or professional fields.

 

　

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