The day after her audience with Empress Celestia began with a tension so thick Li Mei could practically taste it in the air. The palace seemed to hum around her, every whisper carrying weight, every footstep a possible trap. Servants who had barely looked her way now stole glances like she were a fragile artifact, a curiosity, or perhaps a target. Some whispered to each other, eyebrows raised: The Empress chooses the lowly maid? What game is this?
Li Mei's stomach twisted as she moved through the corridors, her tray of tea wobbling precariously. She could feel the invisible eyes of everyone in the palace, watching, waiting, calculating. Even the carved dragons coiled on the pillars seemed to glare at her with judgmental majesty.
Bao'er stuck close, her round face pale. "Li Mei… this is dangerous. Really dangerous. Are you sure the Empress isn't just… testing you?" she whispered, glancing nervously at a passing supervisor.
Li Mei snorted. "Testing me? Bao'er, I'm about two steps away from dying in my sleep. This isn't a test, it's a thriller with no commercial breaks."
Bao'er's grip tightened on her sleeve. "Then we need a plan. Rules, survival—something."
Li Mei sighed, adjusting her tray with shaking hands. "Step one: don't spill the tea. Step two: don't annoy anyone who can end my life on a whim. Step three: remain sarcastic without dying. Easy, right?"
Her joke earned a nervous chuckle from Bao'er, and a sharp, disapproving glare from a nearby maid who seemed particularly fond of formality.
By late morning, Li Mei found herself in the Phoenix Hall, standing just outside the Empress's chamber with a tray of steaming tea. The room smelled of sandalwood and polished wood, sunlight filtering in through paper screens painted with lotus blossoms. Every detail felt designed to intimidate. The Empress, poised like a predator on her dais, seemed to glow with both beauty and danger.
Li Mei took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. "Okay, Mei. Don't trip. Don't spill. Don't—oh, who am I kidding? I'm doomed."
She stepped inside. The Empress's silver eyes flicked up at her, sharp and knowing. Every movement Li Mei made was under scrutiny. The tea cups, the tray, even her breath seemed too loud. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple, and she wiped it quickly, praying the Empress wouldn't notice.
Celestia's gaze was quiet but intense. "You've served before, I assume?" she asked, her voice a soft, lethal melody.
Li Mei shook her head slightly, careful not to tilt too much or offend protocol. "I—uh… Yes, Your Majesty. I've… observed. Extensively."
The Empress arched a silver brow, a subtle smirk tugging at her lips. Li Mei's heart skipped. Was that amusement—or calculation?
The first task was deceptively simple: pour tea into a cup for the Empress without spilling a drop. Li Mei's hands trembled so violently that the porcelain clinked dangerously. She adjusted, exhaling through her nose, muttering under her breath. "Do not die. Do not die. Do not die. And if you do, please let it be quietly, thank you very much."
Celestia leaned back slightly, as if testing Li Mei's composure. "Careful, Meiyun. Precision reflects character."
Li Mei nearly choked on the words. Character? She was about two seconds from character failure. But she balanced the cup carefully and placed it in front of the Empress without spilling. The Empress's eyes flicked briefly toward her hands, then back up, unreadable.
[Special Event: First Task in Phoenix Hall.][Quest: Serve Tea Without Mistake. Reward: Unknown.][Failure: Immediate reprimand, reduced survival chance.]
Li Mei exhaled, but the relief was shallow. Around the room, other maids were watching, some with envy, some with suspicion, others with barely concealed amusement. Whispers floated through the air: Did you see how she nearly tripped?Is this new maid even qualified?The Empress favors her already?
Bao'er whispered from beside her, "Ignore them. It's better to stay invisible than to be noticed—unless the Empress notices you, obviously."
Li Mei gritted her teeth. "Invisible, but marked by a Phoenix. Sure. Makes total sense."
The Empress moved with slow, deliberate grace, inspecting the room like a hawk circling prey. She paused near Li Mei and ran a gloved hand lightly along a scroll on the table. Her gaze flicked up, meeting Li Mei's with an intensity that made her blood run cold.
"You intrigue me, Meiyun," Celestia said softly. "Do not disappoint me."
The words were simple, but Li Mei felt them in her bones. A warning, a promise, a test—all wrapped into one delicate sentence.
After what felt like hours compressed into minutes, Li Mei was dismissed. She stumbled out of the hall, gripping Bao'er's arm for support. "WHAT just happened in there?!" Bao'er hissed.
"I think," Li Mei whispered, dragging her hands down her face, "I just got adopted by a tiger. A very elegant, sharp-toothed tiger."
They walked the long corridors in silence. Li Mei's mind raced, reviewing every flick of the Empress's gaze, every subtle movement. She had survived the tea task, survived the first encounter, and yet… she felt as if she were only halfway through a labyrinth designed to break her.
That night, as she lay awake under the thin blanket, Li Mei catalogued her fears in grim detail. The palace was alive in ways her dorm room never had been. Footsteps echoed through the halls; lanterns swung gently, casting shifting shadows; somewhere far off, a guard muttered commands. The palace was watching her, the walls were alive with whispers, and every choice she made had weight.
Her thoughts flicked to the Crown Prince. His eyes had not left her completely untroubled either. She shivered at the memory, but it was not fear alone—it was anticipation, danger, chaos, all tangled in a confusing knot.
Li Mei whispered into the darkness, "Rule one: avoid Crown Prince. Rule two: do not disappoint the Empress. Rule three: survive, by any means necessary. Step four: get a real bed one day."
The System pinged. [Note: Survived initial trials. Danger level: elevated. Opportunities: unknown.]
She hugged her knees and stared at the ceiling, imagining the Phoenix's wings stretching above her, marking her path, guiding—or perhaps hunting—her. The weight of the mark pressed against her chest, heavy and thrilling all at once.
Somewhere deep in the palace, fate was stirring. Li Mei had no idea what came next. But one thing was certain: there was no returning to noodles, late-night dramas, or ordinary life. Her reincarnated world had begun in chaos, and from the looks of it, the next chapter would demand every ounce of wit, luck, and sarcasm she could muster.
Li Mei's mind whispered fiercely:I didn't survive noodles to die from etiquette. I will live. Somehow. Even if it kills me more slowly than the Crown Prince's glare.
And with that determination, mingled with terror and reluctant excitement, she finally closed her eyes—while the palace seemed to hold its breath, waiting for her next move.