The archive of the forgotten

You Must Serve

A lot has changed since Empress Zhu has reigned. She has reigned for four years now, the first year of her reign was....interesting. A lot changed, all men who were young, in important positions who could threaten her regime were killed. I lost a lot of people, in that year, everyone who posed a threat would be exterminated. I understand it, she needed to create respect, create fear. And now, the country is run by women, which to be honest is not that bad, there's a lot of peace, a good economy and a lot of respect towards women, which some boys did not have. The only downside is simple: being a man. 

I understand that this has happened for centuries to the women of our country, but the empress has made it just a bit more extreme. The empress herself was a concubine from the emperor and when the wife of the emperor died she was chosen as the official wife. She became the one who called the shots in the emperial palace. She was a good leader while her husband was the face of the family, but that was threatened when the emperor died. Her eighteen year old stepson wanted his throne, but a week later he drowned at the hands of his best friend, who was excecuted for the murder. Some people The empress had promised to marry him if he'd kill his best friend, which could be possible, the empress is a beauty you would kill for. but I digress.

When you are fifteen you get your courtesy name, women get it when they're twenty new, and boys also get their fate, the beautiful one get the fate: Serve. Unattractive or strong boys get the fate: protect. They'll become soldiers, they'll be trained for the rest of their life. Mostly by women, the military leaders are women too, otherwise a man will have too much power. And the ones serve will need to work in the palace, as handmaids, lords in waiting, but also as other servants or concubines, they'll train for five years before the ones worthy will be sent to the imperial palace, the others will work for other higher class women. About two hundred boys are selected to try to become concubines, about fifty become concubines, and only one can become the imperial concubine. The favourite of the empress.

I am standing amidst two hundred boys, the first round will begin this morning. The choosing can take anywhere from a day up to a week. I take a deep breath as I look at the beautiful srees not far from the imperial palace, it reminds me where I grew up. I haven't been there in five years, since I was enrolled in one of the serve facilities. That is also why I know some of these boys. I have a habit of what my teacher used to call a fox face, I see more resemblance with a bird of prey though. I look slightly down with relaxed while my eyes simply look forward. I shiver as the breeze flows through the delicate robe, all the boys are wearing the same thing, a white delicate silk robe, under it a flowy white silk skirt and than as an upper garment a long jacket you could also classify as a blouse with long wide sleeves tucked into the tight waist of the skirt. The only decoration on them is the slight red colour at the end of the sleeves and the skirt and the kois on the front of the garment, it signifies how rich your family is. I have three koi's on my garment, the most you can get.

I wait till we can finally enter the palace when I hear someone calling my name. But not my courtesy name. "Guangzhi!!" I ignore it, thinking it must be another. "Oh come on you hear me! Yao Guangzhi!!" I turn around, A smiling Jingyun is standing in front of me. I chuckle and embrace him, he was a childhood friend of mine. "Zheng Jingyun! I didn't expect to see you here, I always thought you were too ugly." I joke. He laughs and remarks "Are you trying to distract them with that summer lotus pin?" He says pointing at the pin in my hair holding up the portion that is in a bun." "No, it's just too long to be hanging loose like your short hair." I say with a smirk, "Ah come on! I can't help my hair is not as long as yours!" I shrug, "May the best man win." "As long as we don't have to clean I am happy" he says with a chuckle when we hear a booming womens voice.

All boys immediately kneel and look down. I try to catch a glimpse of the women but I am too scared to lift my head a bit more. "Good morning gentleman., my name Chui huiyin weizhen. I will be the one judging your every move, and I promise you, I notice everything. Do you understand?" "Yes Ma'am." The voices echo. "Guard, Row 14 number seven, he made eye contact, escort him away." Her voice booms. I take a deep breath and don't move as we hear the boy walking away. "Follow me, we will go to your future quarters, well some of you." She says and we follow the woman.