The Empress and Her Servants (2)
Cassia looked around, hesitating slightly: "I don't know any of them, I feel bad asking them to be my servants..."
Fitness instructor Zhong Xiaoying said, "I'll be your servant. I'm in good health and I usually do all the work myself, so taking care of you is no problem for me."
Cassia took Zhong Xiaoying's hand: "Thank you!"
The wealthy heiress Xu Yunhong said, "I want to be an empress too. I can't be a servant and wait on people. I'd rather just lie down and enjoy myself."
Jian Tanxi felt that the identity of the Empress might not be as easy as it seemed. She was not afraid of hardship, so she chose to become Xu Yunhong's servant.
Anyway, she knew Xu Yunhong and knew that Xu Yunhong was easy to get along with, so she shouldn't make things difficult for herself.
Xu Yunhong was also very happy to be in a group with Jian Tanxi.
All that's left are white-collar worker Ouyang Ling and Professor Pan.
The two had no choice but to have Ouyang Ling become the empress and Professor Pan become her servant.
The referee said, "Now that everyone has made their choices, the game shall officially begin..."
The "empresses" were all dressed in magnificent palace attire. The "servants" were also dressed in the servants' uniforms from period dramas.
Cassia looked at her pink palace dress with great excitement and twirled around several times. She said, "Your Majesty's dress is so beautiful! It's the first time I've ever worn one."
Xu Yunhong suddenly asked, "Wait, if you become an empress, does that mean you have to serve the emperor in bed?"
Referee: "The Emperor will not appear in this game."
Xu Yunhong: "That's great, that's pure enjoyment..."
Qin Man asked with some concern, "Referee, what if the servants don't obey instructions?"
Referee: "The servant will be punished."
"What if you can't understand it?"
“Any servant who does not do as Your Highness commands will be punished, regardless of the reason.”
Qin Man's worry deepened. Getting Qu Chen to follow orders was simply a pipe dream.
Jian Tanxi was also a little worried, so she asked, "Under what circumstances can a servant not work?"
The referee said, "Unless the Empress gives any instructions, or if one is too ill to get up, one may not have to work."
Jian Tanxi and Qin Man exchanged a glance. Although they didn't speak, they both had the same thought: Did they have to make Qu Chen so sick that he couldn't get out of bed?
But how can we control this? What if we go too far and Qu Chen dies?
Jian Tanxi asked, "Can Your Highness beat the servants? Or make them go hungry and cold?"
Referee: "Of course. Your Highness can do anything to your servants, and they can only endure it."
Jian Tanxi thought that if Qin Man let Qu Chen catch a bad cold, Qu Chen might not have to work. She just didn't know if Qin Man would be willing to do that.
The guard Aaron said, "Now, the game officially begins. All ladies and servants, please return to your palaces. From this moment on, servants, please address your mistresses as 'Your Majesty.' If you address them incorrectly, you will be punished."
Everyone received a slip of paper with the name of the palace and directions to go.
The note that Jian Tanxi and Xu Yunhong received read "Hanzhang Palace," and it was the third palace to the east.
Everyone went their separate ways.
Xu Yunhong and Jian Tanxi walked towards Hanzhang Hall.
Xu Yunhong whispered to Jian Tanxi, "Jian Tanxi, don't worry, I won't torture you. At most, I'll ask you to bring me food when I'm hungry, or to sweep the floor when the room is messy. Otherwise, you're free."
Jian Tanxi said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
"Pfft, you're already putting on an act?"
“This servant is sincere; it’s not an act.”
Xu Yunhong wasn't so cautious; she was carefree and treated the game as just another murder mystery game.
Soon, the two arrived at Hanzhang Palace.
Xu Yunhong stepped into the main hall, and the door immediately closed.
She tried to open the door, but found she couldn't.
Before Jian Tanxi could even go inside, she reached out and pushed the door open easily.
Xu Yunhong said, "That's really strange..."
Xu Yunhong wanted to go out and take a look, but an invisible barrier appeared at the doorway, trapping her inside. Every time she touched the barrier, she was bounced back.
Xu Yunhong said, "Jian Tanxi, why don't you go out and try?"
Jian Tanxi walked out of the door and came back in, repeating this several times without any hindrance.
Xu Yunhong murmured, "It seems the rules are correct. The Empress cannot leave her room, but the servants can move around freely... But it doesn't matter, I'll stay in this room for ten days. This room is so spacious, I have enough room to explore."
Jian Tanxi felt there was dust in the room, so she took a cloth and wiped it clean.
However, there are too many decorations here, and it would take a lot of work to wipe them all clean.
But there was no way around it; the rules stated that the Empress's room must be kept clean and tidy.
When Jian Tanxi had cleaned about a third of the room, Xu Yunhong couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Jian Tanxi, stop working. I feel bad that you're working here while I'm sitting and resting."
Upon hearing this, Jian Tanxi initially wanted to politely decline, saying it was alright and that this was simply her duty. However, she suddenly remembered that she was now a servant and had to obey the Empress.
Xu Yunhong told her to stop working, so she had no choice but to stop.
So Jian Tanxi put down the rag and washbasin and stood quietly.
Xu Yunhong said, "Don't stand there, sit down with me."
Jian Tanxi thought for a moment and felt that servants shouldn't sit with the Empress. But it was Xu Yunhong's order, and she could only obey.
Therefore, she walked over to Xu Yunhong and sat down.
Unexpectedly, the inkstone on the table suddenly flew up and hit Jian Tanxi hard on the head.
Jian Tanxi was stunned by the blow and only felt the pain a few seconds later. Then, she felt a bump on her head and blood flowing down her face.
A mechanical voice rang out from the air: "Servant Jian Tanxi has violated the rules and will be punished once."
Xu Yunhong was puzzled and asked angrily, "Jian Tanxi didn't break any rules, did she? I was the one who told her to sit down!"
The mechanical voice said, "It is common sense that servants cannot sit with their masters."
Xu Yunhong: "But this wasn't one of the rules we just heard."
“I said, this is common sense, it doesn’t need to be explained. Just like there’s no need to emphasize that you have to walk on your legs.”
"Aren't you just setting me up?"
"Everything is done according to the rules. A lady is a lady, and a servant is a servant. The distinction between master and servant is clear. If a servant makes a mistake, he or she will be punished. There is no problem with that."
"But isn't it also a rule that servants obey the Queen?"
"There is such a rule. Servants must obey the lady, but they cannot go against common sense."
Xu Yunhong: "..."
Xu Yunhong was a little confused.
Jian Tanxi came to her senses. If Xu Yunhong had asked her to sit and she hadn't, she would have been punished for violating the rule that "servants must obey the mistress."
If Jian Tanxi actually sat down, she would be punished because she violated the common sense that "servants cannot sit with their masters".
Under the circumstances at the time, Jian Tanxi would be punished no matter what she did.
The only way to avoid punishment is for Xu Yunhong's instructions not to contradict common sense about hierarchical systems.
For example, if Xu Yunhong stopped asking Jian Tanxi to sit with her or eat with her, she could avoid the situation that just happened.
Jian Tanxi explained this method to Xu Yunhong, and Xu Yunhong finally understood: "I think I understand... I can order you to serve tea and water, to sweep the floor and wipe the table, but I can't order you to sit with me or sleep with me, or do anything that violates the master-servant hierarchy. Otherwise, you will definitely be punished for violating the rules."
Jian Tanxi nodded: "That's right, that's exactly it."
Xu Yunhong: "Then I'll listen to you. I understand what to do..."
Unexpectedly, the inkstone on the table flew over again and hit Xu Yunhong hard in the face.
Xu Yunhong screamed, covered her left cheek, and looked pained.
Jian Tanxi asked instinctively, "Empress Xu... are you alright?"
Xu Yunhong: "It hurts so much... What happened this time?"
A mechanical voice announced: "Xu Yunhong has violated the rules. Only servants obey the Empress, not the other way around. Please be mindful of this in the future."
Xu Yunhong was both in pain and confused, and asked angrily, "What do you mean!"
Jian Tanxi understood and said, "Your Majesty, it must be because you just told me, 'Then I'll listen to you,' which violates the rules between master and servant. Because Your Majesty cannot listen to your servants."
Xu Yunhong: "So strict? Holy crap... what kind of crappy game is this? I'm not playing anymore!"
At that moment, a knife flew out from nowhere and slashed heavily on Jian Tanxi's back.
Jian Tanxi collapsed to the ground in pain. Having no other option, she had to take a healing pill.
Otherwise, given her current condition, she wouldn't be able to continue working for Xu Yunhong.
Jian Tanxi was also confused and asked, "What is the reason I was punished this time?"
A mechanical voice announced: "Servant Jian Tanxi has been punished for failing to maintain the cleanliness of the room in a timely manner."
Xu Yunhong couldn't take it anymore: "Are you all sick? I saw Jian Tanxi working too hard cleaning and told her not to clean! Is it wrong for her to listen to me?"
Mechanical voice: "She violated the rule that 'the Empress's room must be kept clean and tidy,' so she must be punished."
Xu Yunhong was speechless: "This... I... does this mean I can't feel sorry for her anymore, and I have to treat her like a real servant for you to be happy?"
Mechanical voice: "She was originally your servant."
"Damn, where did this feudalistic patriarch come from... Aren't you foreigners? You also talk about hierarchy and status?"
"We are aliens, not foreigners. Since there is a clear distinction between master and servant in this game, you must play your respective roles well. In short, as long as you don't break the rules, you won't be punished. Good luck."
Xu Yunhong: "..."
Jian Tanxi: "..."
Xu Yunhong understood that she couldn't speak carelessly from now on, otherwise she might cause Jian Tanxi to break the rules and be punished.
Jian Tanxi also understood what made this game so terrifying.
First of all, it's too easy to commit a foul. You can commit a foul without even realizing it, and it's very easy to get killed.
Secondly, if the "Empress" wanted to torture her "servant" to death, it would be very easy; she could simply keep making the servant do things that put him in a dilemma.
For example, as just now, if a servant is forced to sit on the queen's stool, eat the queen's food, and sleep in the queen's bed, the servant will be repeatedly punished for violating the common sense of "distinction between master and servant." After being punished several times, he will almost certainly die.
The rules of this game do not state that people cannot die.
Therefore, if the player playing the "Empress" harbors ill intentions towards their companion and wants to kill them, it is incredibly easy for them.
After your companion dies, his tools and such will naturally become yours.
So, this is actually a game of mutual destruction.
If it weren't for the fact that several players knew each other and had no ill intentions towards one another, the game's difficulty would probably be several levels higher.
Most players would have been fighting tooth and nail by the time their identities were confirmed. Being a queen gives you a huge advantage; you can do anything to your servants, even kill them outright.
If a servant resists, he will be punished to death by the rules.
In other words, servants are almost certain to die, unless the relationship between the empress and the servant is like that of Qin Man and Qu Chen, who are mother and son; or like that of Xu Yunhong and Jian Tanxi, who are friends.
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