The rumours that Yuchen and Yuxi were evil spirits were soon suppressed by the Duke of the State Residence and Marquis Pingqing Residence.
Just as Yuxi thought the matter was finally over, she didn't expect that Song Guifei, the favoured concubine of the Six Palaces, summoned Yuchen with Yuxi to the Imperial Palace by an Imperial Edict.
Yuxi felt that there must be something wrong with her ears. "What did you say? Song Guifei wishes to see San Jie and me, so she summoned us to enter the Imperial Palace tomorrow?" What kind of wind had whipped this Song Guifei for her to wish to properly meet with them?
In Yuchen's mind, it was only a matter of time before she entered the palace, so she wasn't surprised, scared, or nervous. When she noticed Yuxi's appearance looked like this, she even laughed. "Yes! Tomorrow you and I will go to the Imperial Palace together! Don't read your book tonight. Go to bed early."
Yuxi nodded as she said, "Okay!" After a pause, she asked, "San Jie, shouldn't we make any preparations?" She was still a little nervous, by the way.
Yuchen smiled and shook her head, "No need. Just get up early tomorrow." She and Yuxi's rules and etiquette were taught by Momo Gui and Momo Quan, so there would be no problems for them in this aspect.
Yuxi looked at the calm Yuchen and felt how lame she had been.
After sending Yuchen off, Yuxi went into her study again. She was holding a book in her hand, but she was unable to read it. In her last life, not to mention the Imperial Palace, even the Prince's Official Residence she had never stepped her foot into. She never thought that she would be able to go to the Imperial Palace in her present life.
The news of Song Guifei's Imperial Edict regarding Yuchen and Yuxi's visit to the Imperial Palace quickly spread inside the State Residence. Among the young misses of the residence, Yuru was the calmest, as she knew that the Imperial Palace was not a place she could easily go. Since she was not envious of this and had the time, it would be better for her to make a pair of shoes for her Mother.
On the other hand, the most annoyed one in residence was Wu Shi. "Didn't they say the two were evil spirits outside? So why did Guifei Niangniang still want to officially summon them to the Imperial Palace?" At first, Wu Shi was relieved to hear the rumours about Yuchen and Yuxi outside, but she didn't expect such a big twist.
Although Yurong felt uncomfortable with the news in her heart nevertheless, she had to disagree with Wu Shi's words, "Mother, people outside can spread the news, but you can't. If Father hears about this, he will become angry with you again."
When Wu Shi thought of the last time Han Jingyan had hit her, her face instantly remembered the burning pain. She couldn't help but say, "From Hebei to the capital, I never have a comfortable day." In many cases, the stepmother was the one who would tenaciously suppress her stepdaughter. However, in her case, it was the opposite. It was really her eight lifetimes of bad luck to meet such two stepdaughters.
Yurong agreed with this, as they lived a free and easy life in Hebei. But when they came back to the capital, they had to bind their hands and feet whenever they did anything. "Mother, please be patient." They had no other choice but to endure.
Wu Shi touched Yurong's face and said, "Mother is fine, but you've been wronged." People only knew Third Miss and Fourth Miss from the residence, but Yurong's presence had turned a little transparent and forgotten by others.
Yurong smiled, "Mother, I'm not in a hurry. There's still plenty of time for me anyway." She was only ten years old this year, so she still had plenty of time.
Soon after, the Old Lady asked her maid to call Yuxi over. She mainly talked to Yuchen and her about things to pay attention to when they went to the Imperial Palace.
After saying that, the Old Lady saw that Yuchen looked quite calm, while Yuxi was looking a little nervous. She smiled and comforted, "Don't be nervous. When you go to the Imperial Palace, as long as you abide by the rules, you will be fine." She remembered the first time she entered the Imperial Palace. She was quite nervous too back then!
Dinner was then served in the Main Courtyard.
It was just getting dark when Yuxi returned to Taoran House. Zisu urged her to have a bath and then went straight to bed. "Miss, you're going to the Imperial Palace tomorrow, so you should go to bed early today."
Yuxi looked at Zisu and said, "It's not even half past xushi. How can I sleep?"
Zisu was a little frustrated, "Can't a day go by without you reading a book?" She had never seen anyone so fond of reading as if they would feel uncomfortable without doing it for a day.
Yuxi chuckled as she said, "I can't immediately fall asleep even if I lay in bed. Instead of lying in bed and thinking about it, I rather spend the time reading a book." After saying those words, she went back into her study and closed the door.
As the study door closed, Zisu could only stomp her foot. It wasn't until two quarters to haishi that she called Yuxi to bed.
Yuxi thought that she would not be able to sleep, but she didn't expect that she would fall asleep shortly after she climbed into her bed. She did not even need to use her medical books.
The next morning, Yuxi got up early to freshen up and put on her makeup. It took most of an hour to get it done. As Yuxi looked at the person in the mirror, she smiled softly and asked, "Is this still me?" The person in the mirror was a radiant one. [+]
Zisu complained, "Miss is merely too lazy on ordinary days." Yuxi usually didn't like to put on makeup. The most makeup she ever applied on her face was either some pearl powder or cucumber. She never needed to put on rouge or lipstick during the day. Thus she presented herself confidently to the Emperor, without makeup all day long.
Yuxi touched her smooth and delicate skin and said, "I'm only twelve years old this year. What's the point of wearing rouge and powder every day? Too much of that stuff is bad for your skin." Twelve years old was the age of youth, and one was just as beautiful without using any rouge.
Zisu muttered, "No matter what I said, the reason is always on Miss' side."
After tidying herself up neatly, Yuxi went to the Main Courtyard for breakfast. Once she entered the room, she saw Yuchen and smiled at her. Even when Yuxi was dressed gloriously and beautifully, just by standing next to Yuchen, it was enough to turn her into a foil.
The breakfast was very rich, but since they would be going to the Imperial Palace, they couldn't drink soup or goat's milk for fear that they wanted to go to the toilet when they got there. After they had enough eating and drinking, they went to the palace in one carriage.
Yuchen looked at the unusually calm Yuxi, then she smiled and asked, "Doesn't Si Meimei feel nervous?" Although Yuchen was looking calm on the outside, she was still a little nervous inside.
Yuxi shrugged her shoulders and stated, "Guifei Niangniang is not a man-eating demon. She also has two eyes, one nose and two ears, so why should I be nervous?" Yuxi was not nervous because she thought she was just a foil. So, Song Guifei's attention obviously would not be on her.
Yuchen smilingly said, "You can't be so blunt. When you arrive at the palace, don't open your mouth if no one asks you. If Guifei asks you, think about it once through until you feel that you can give a proper answer." Yuchen felt that Yuxi's usual performance was good, but she would always like to drop the chain when it came to critical moments. It didn't matter much if it happened at home, but it would end disastrously if this happened at the Imperial Palace.
Yuxi said with a roguish look on her face, "I'll just follow San Jiejie anyway."
Four people got off the carriage and took the palace sedan chair at the palace gate. About a quarter of an hour later, they got off the sedan chair and started walking.
Yuxi kept her head down and walked without looking around, just like a peaceful looking white rabbit. In the inner courtyard of the Imperial Palace, only those who were senseless would spend time looking around!
They had been walking for a little over half an hour. Instead of feeling sore on her legs, Yuxi felt that sweating on such a hot day could ruin her makeup and when the time comes, she would look unsightly, just like a hua mao. [T/N]
Just as Yuxi was worried about this, she heard the palace maid who led the way said, "Momo Si, the two young misses from the Han family are here."
Yuxi raised her head and took a glance at Momo Si, who was looking very kind. Then, Momo Si smiled and said to the two of them, "The two young misses, please come in with me."
It had been widely rumoured outside that the Liuli Palace where Song Guifei resided was magnificent. Still, it was a pity that Yuxi had been lowering her head all the time, and she did not dare to look at the legendary palace.
After walking for a while, Momo Si said, "The two young misses, please wait here for a moment. I'll report your arrival to Guifei Niangniang."
Gold Bricks
"On the floors of Chinese palaces, tiles that have been trodden on by millions are called jinzhuan, literally “gold bricks.” They’re not gold but clay. However, the cost is astronomical — around one tael of silver in ancient China and 26,000 yuan (US$4,050) for just one piece today." - Zhu Ying, Shine
Image Credit | Zhu Ying (The gold that lies beneath your feet, June 23rd, 2018)
"On the floors of Chinese palaces, tiles that have been trodden on by millions are called jinzhuan, literally “gold bricks.” They’re not gold but clay. However, the cost is astronomical — around one tael of silver in ancient China and 26,000 yuan (US$4,050) for just one piece today." - Zhu Ying, Shine
Image Credit | Zhu Ying (The gold that lies beneath your feet, June 23rd, 2018)
Yuchen saw that Yuxi hadn't dared to look up ever since they entered the Imperial Palace. Thus, she went to her side to nudge her as she whispered, "Don't be afraid, it's all right." She thought that Yuxi was not afraid of anything, but it turned out that she was just pretending to be strong. This girl really liked to drop the chain when in a critical moment.
Momo Si came out. She said to the two of them, "Guifei Niangniang allows the two young misses to enter!"
As soon as the two of them entered the palace, they right away smelled a whiff of a sweet and smooth fragrance. After they moved forward a few paces, they knelt on the white jade floor and kowtow. Then they heard a pleasant voice say, "Raise your heads."
Yuxi looked up only after she heard these words. She had long heard about Song Gui's beauty, and she was taken aback when she saw the real person. Yuchen was also very beautiful, but Yuchen's beauty was raw and flawlessly pure. While Song Guifei's beauty was enchanting, charming, and could summon one's spirit. [+]
After a quick glance, Yuxi quickly lowered her head, acting both cautious and reserved, very much in line with her current status. However, it was clear that she was indeed thinking too much of it, as Song Guifei's attention was all on Yuchen.
Song Guifei had seen many beauties, who were either demure, lovely, delicate or sweet, but she was still amazed when she saw Yuchen, "What a beauty."
When Yuchen heard this compliment, she softly said, "Niangniang has wrongly praised. On appearance, chen nu and Guifei Niangniang are like the light of firefly and the bright moon." There was a saying about how could light from a firefly compete in brightness with the bright moon.
When Yuxi, who had her head down, heard these words, her teeth became somewhat sour. She didn't know that Yuchen, who always set herself high above the masses, would be this flattering. One really couldn't judge a person by appearance, just as one couldn't measure the sea with a dou measure.
Song Guifei chuckled at Yuchen's praise, and it was clear that she very much enjoyed the praise. "Come, come to bengong side."
Yuchen sat next to Song Guifei, while Yuxi did not receive this treatment as she continued to kneel on the ground. Fortunately, today was already the beginning of the eighth lunar month. If it was winter, Yuxi estimated that she would want to cry.
Song Guifei spoke affectionately with Yuchen. Yuchen didn't say much, but whatever she said was always on point, which led Song Guifei to praise her some more.
Just when Yuchen and Concubine Song were chatting happily together, while Yuxi was kneeling on the ground and eventually forgotten by them, a person walked in from outside.
Yuxi, who was still kneeling on the ground, didn't dare to look up. She only saw a pair of embroidered shoes, decorated with pearls, among which there was a thumb-sized one in the middle on each of the shoes. One did not need to guess. No other person could run wild in Liuli Palace except Song Guifei's own daughter, Qinxin Gongzhu. As far as Yuxi knew, Qinxin Gongzhu was the same age as her, which made her also twelve years old this year.
When Qinxin Gongzhu saw Yuchen, she was somewhat surprised that she asked, "Mu Fei, from which alleys did you get such a beautiful jiejie ah?" As long as one heard these words, one would know that Qinxin Gongzhu had been well protected by Song Guifei. Otherwise, she would not have been this guileless.
Song Guifei smiled and introduced, "This is the Third Miss of the Han family." By the time she wanted to introduce Yuxi, she had realised that she was so focused on talking with Yuchen that she forgot that Yuxi was still kneeling on the floor. She immediately smiled and allowed Yuxi to rise to her feet.
Yuxi bowed very respectfully again and said, "Thank you, Niangniang."
Song Guifei complimented, "She is also a lovely girl."
Ps (the Author): (*^__^*) hee hee......, does everyone like the pure and likeable Yuchen or the bewitching and charming Song Guifei?
きつね: I choose Yuxi. (˵¯͒〰¯͒˵)
NB's Musing & Next Chapter Mini Preview
Song Guifei complimented, "She is also a lovely girl."
She gave me the Big Black Wolf from Red Riding Hood vibe here.
Yuxi will meet the famous Princes next and...the infamous Monk Liao Tong.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi