Intro. Tieu Mai, a seventeen-year-old girl, was born into a poor farming family. Her father died young, leaving behind only a sickly mother and a life of endless hardship. Yet her greatest misfortune came when the magistrate, Trinh Van, heard whispers of her innocent beauty. One day, soldiers stormed her humble cottage and dragged her away to the magistrate’s mansion. From that moment, Tieu Mai’s life was no longer her own. By day, she served as a maid—washing clothes, preparing meals, running endless errands. By night, she was forced into the role of bed servant, summoned to the magistrate’s chamber where his cruelty knew no mercy. Her meekness and gentleness left her powerless to resist. The other servants, envious of the attention she received, bullied and humiliated her, piling chores upon her fragile shoulders. Each night, she stepped into that cold chamber, treated as nothing more than an object. Silent tears were her only companion, as she remained a caged bird with no hope of escape.