The Ant Woman Ch. 06

Wen didn't want to see the beating, but she did consider casually walking by that palace's gates one morning, just to remind herself of the punished woman within. Wen was a spiteful woman. She knew it. She'd never denied it, at least not to her family.

After Wen gave her solemn thank you, the Emperor gently told her to leave. Once she was close to the room's exit, Wen looked back for only a second or so. The Emperor was still standing, holding the book she'd written, his eyes lazily tracing her words.

***

The next morning, Wen went to the Hard Labor Department with Moto at her side. Both women had the most serious faces. The manager had all the best maids lined up, or she said they were the best maids. Wen chose a maid who, to put it crudely, looked permanently done with everyone's shit. Wen wouldn't normally think of such a phrase, but when she looked at this maid, that phrase rang in her mind, and she felt a similar feeling. Wen too often felt done with everyone's shit.

Her name was Luh Lien. Wen suspected she might be part human because while her ears had points, they were very subtle, and the ears themselves were quite short. Even by elven standards, Lien was unfortunately thin. Her work uniform was baggy and her bones protruded almost everywhere. Her height was fairly average, though. Her reddish-brown hair was so fine that it looked thin. Her eyes were downturned, deep set, and so dark that they were almost black.

Settling Lien into her new position wasn't too difficult. She was obedient and quiet, but there was also a coldness to her. Moto couldn't get her to smile. After Lien finished dusting a few things and sweeping the apartment, Wen asked her sit down and tell a few tales from the Hard Labor Department.

Lien's voice was like a naked orange wedge that had fallen into sand, something sweet that had been coated in grit. Her existence in the Hard Labor Department didn't seem to be the same. It was more like a pail of sand with no sweetness to be found.

"Well," Wen said after a time, "if you don't want to go back there, or experience a worse fate, then I suggest you follow the rules the best you can."

Wen didn't want other "Nuan" situation to happen. She didn't want to get in the way of love, but goodness, even someone of Wen's sheltered status understood that one didn't need to risk pregnancy to keep a man pleased! She later thought to herself, "It really was as much Nuan's fault as it was her lover's. She should have kept her thighs crossed. Nobody forced her."

Although, if Nuan had been beaten, then Wen did think her lover should've gotten a beating too. Since he was from a higher ranking family, he was able to escape that punishment regardless.

Unless she was working as a prostitute, a Junshun woman had to worry about chastity. Typically, men didn't have as many worries about chastity, especially if they were high class. That was how it was.

Not only that, a Junshun man could keep concubines along with his wife. A wife who dared to do something similar would usually be killed, or if her husband was kind she might be divorced, no matter her status.

This was how men and women lived in Junshu.

This was how the rich and not so rich people lived in Junshu.

And in many ways it was worse in the Tree Cage.

***