The palanquin landed and someone lifted the curtain. There was a palace in front of them with the words " Jincui Palace " on the plaque at the door. The housekeeper's aunt was already waiting at the door and said respectfully,""Please, little master-"
Huan Pei reached out to help me up. I deliberately paused for a moment before helping Huan Pei down from the palanquin. At this moment, another small palanquin came from behind. A blue-clothed woman came down. I didn't recognize her. The housekeeper bowed when she saw this."This servant Jin Cui Palace's Xu Su greets the two little masters!”
Although Xu Su said this, she still bowed towards me. I was just about to speak when the blue-clothed woman took a few steps forward to welcome me."Auntie, you can't be too polite. Yiyao just arrived and doesn't know anything.”
The servant girl she brought immediately gave her a silver ingot as a reward. Xu Su accepted the reward and said with a steady smile,"Thank you for your reward, little master. This servant is truly defeated. If there is anything you need little master to instruct you, just do it.”
Ring Bell whispered in my ear,"This belongs to Wang Daotai of Xi'an."”
The corners of my mouth curled up slightly, but I didn't say anything.
When Wang Yiyao was led into the main gate of Jincui Palace by the palace maid, Xu Su hurriedly turned around."Little Master Mu, sorry for waiting! This servant has already arranged the place properly and will now lead little master in to settle down.”
Seeing her like this, Wenlang must have given her instructions. I didn't ask much and just smiled."Aunt, there's no need to be so polite."
Jincui Palace was adjacent to Jinhua Palace. It was a very large palace. The young ladies who had been selected and the young masters who had not yet been conferred titles lived here. They were taught the rules of the palace by their upbringing aunts. Because of this purpose, the ten or so courtyards of Jincui Palace, other than the main hall, were not divided into primary and secondary. The landscape and furnishings were almost the same. It was to treat the young masters who had just entered the palace and had not yet been conferred titles equally, so as to avoid the dissatisfaction in the hearts of those who had obtained high positions in the future and cause unnecessary disasters to the stewards and servants of Jincui Palace.
After making a few turns, I followed Xu Su to a courtyard at the northernmost end of the Brocade Essence Palace. It's called the Plum Courtyard, and it's one of the six smaller courtyards in the Brocade Essence Palace. According to the rules, if you are a candidate, six people will live in each of the six courtyards of Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Star, and Moon, and four people will live in each of the six small courtyards of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum. As we have already chosen, due to our different identities, we can bring two maids into the palace according to the rules. Three people will live in the big courtyard, and two will live in the small courtyard.
I was allowed to enter the main hall of the Plum Courtyard. Xu Su personally called an internal supervisor and a palace maid to introduce me," Young Master Mu, these are Qiao Mei and Xiao Yong, who are assigned to serve in the Plum Brothel. They will be at your service. After you are conferred the title in the future, the Internal Affairs Office will naturally allocate the palace and servants according to the rules. I hope that you will be able to forgive me if I am not attentive during this period of time.”
" Thank you, Aunt." I nodded."I wonder which family's sister is staying in this courtyard?”
Xu Su lowered her head.”
I was stunned. I knew that it was probably Wenlang's arrangement, but such preferential treatment seemed too obvious, and it was inevitable that it would attract people's tongues.
Seeing that I was deep in thought, Xu Su said again,"Little Lord need not worry. There are still many halls and pavilions in Jincui Palace. This time, there are a total of more than twenty little lords entering the palace, and they will be staying longer than in the past. Therefore, according to the emperor's instructions, they will be arranged to live more loosely.”
I smiled faintly and sighed in my heart at Wen Lang's painstaking efforts. This kind of small matter arranged by the new little master, let alone the emperor should not interfere, I'm afraid even the empress dowager would not care about it. Therefore, I didn't say anything more. I ordered the ring bell to reward Xu Su with an ingot of gold and sent her back.
I looked at Qiao Mei and Xiao Yong, who were standing side by side in a somewhat reserved manner. They were both young. One was wearing a light green low-grade palace dress, while the other was wearing a light gray ordinary inner supervisor uniform. In the palace, these two kinds of clothes were the most common. From a certain point of view, these dull and monotonous colors also represented this glorious and pale palace.
At the thought of this, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, carrying a hint of mockery and self-mockery.
When I came back to my senses, I looked at the two of them again. They had already turned from being cautious to being a little frightened. They lowered their heads but were still carefully looking at me. I smiled and asked Qiao Mei,"Your name is quite fitting for the Plum Blossom Manor.”
Qiao Mei replied in a respectful voice," Replying to Young Master, this servant's name was given according to this courtyard. Not only this servant, but the other eleven courtyards also have palace maids with the word 'Qiao' in their heads. There are people like Qiao Lan and Qiao Zhu."”
I found it interesting. That's very rare. I wonder who gave you names?”
Unexpectedly, Qiao Mei smiled and said,"How is it rare? The palace maids and internal supervisors of Jincui Palace were frequently changed. Twelve Coincidence was just a name, and the people had changed many times. This servant had received this name for almost three years, but I didn't know who gave it to her. It should be some managing aunt who named the courtyard according to the convenience of taking in the supervisor.”
I was stunned for a moment before I understood. This was the place where the young masters of the previous generation lived. When those women first entered the palace, they would naturally trust the first palace maid to serve them. Once they were conferred the title, they would take the palace maids of Jincui Palace to be the internal supervisors. This was also common sense.
I saw that Qiao Mei was likable and generous, and her words were also clever. I already liked her a little, so I asked her,"The previous Qiaomei must have already risen in rank or left the palace. The previous emperor did not hold a general election for two years.”
He thought that Qiao Mei would answer him directly, but her expression suddenly darkened. She paused for a moment and said,"This servant does not dare to be impatient." He did not say anything.
I was naturally puzzled, but I wasn't in a hurry to ask. That Qiao Mei obviously didn't want to say anything else. She was stunned and I didn't know what she was thinking. It was Xiao Yong who pushed her and said to me,"Little Lord has had a tough journey and it's getting late. This servant will go and serve the food now!”
Qiao Mei also came back to her senses at this time and hurriedly bowed deeply."This servant has no right. Little master, atone for your sins!"
I smiled and nodded." You guys go ahead."”
The two of them retreated, and the ring pendant and ring bell were busy everywhere. I was still thinking about my thoughts and didn't pay attention. It wasn't until Huan Ling called me a few times that I raised my head and heard Huan Pei say,"Miss, everything is packed. Go in and rest for a while.”
I didn't say anything and got up to walk to the courtyard. There were indeed plum trees in the Plum Courtyard. Unfortunately, there were no flowers or fruits in this July scene. I couldn't find any hope even if I wanted to sigh. I could only pace around expressionlessly.
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, making my shoulders feel slightly hot. My body also became hot, and my heart was slightly troubled. Wen Lang had arranged for me to live a quiet life for more than a month. Naturally, it was not for me to live in luxury and recuperate. I still needed to plan carefully and set up a favorable opening.
When Wen Lang succeeded to the throne, he had no concubines, and there was no official concubine in the Forbidden City. This situation could be said to have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage was that there was no suppression on everyone, no need to curry favor, and everyone could show their magical powers. Of course, this was also the disadvantage. It was difficult to determine who was better for a while, and it was inevitable that there would be chaos.
Alright, give me some time to examine everyone so that I can see the future more clearly. Only then will I be able to complete my mission of entering the palace. Since I'm already here, I have to let go of my nameless sorrow. No matter how dangerous or difficult the things I have to do are, I have to let myself face them positively and live well. Only then will Brother Chuan feel at ease.
Thinking of this, my heart gradually cleared up. I narrowed my eyes and looked at the courtyard full of sunlight. I let out a long breath and turned around to look at the somewhat helpless ring pendant and ring bell standing at the side. I revealed a warm smile."Beauties, I'm hungry…"
The two servant girls immediately jumped up and made arrangements to let me into the inner hall. At this time, Qiao Mei had already placed the meals on the table. Seeing me come in and serve tea neatly, her expression was no longer strange. I knew that she must have her story in her heart. I couldn't ask anything since I just arrived. There was no need to rush. There was still time.
After sending Qiao Mei out, Huan Pei and Huan Ling came over and served me to prepare a meal. I called them together, but they refused and sat down. Seeing that I was in a good mood, they started to talk about what they had seen when they first entered the palace. I didn't interrupt and just listened to the two of them chatting enthusiastically. I smiled faintly and ate a mouthful of food.
After the meal, I finally spoke," I'm afraid that this palace isn't as simple as you think it is. Danger lurks everywhere behind this magnificent palace. I don't want to die before I can complete my mission, nor do I want to lose any of you. In the future, we can only rely on each other and become one. Therefore, you must be a hundred times more careful and become my powerful support. I will also do my best to protect you.”
Huan Pei and Huan Ling did not expect this. They stood up hastily after hearing this. The two of them were silent for a moment before Huan Pei said,"Young miss, you are this servant and Ring Bell's only kin. Even if this servant risks their lives, they will always protect young miss, always accompany young miss, and do whatever young miss commands!”
Ring Bell, who had always been clever, was actually speechless at this moment. She only nodded vigorously.
I nodded. Go and inquire about the arrangements for the next few days and the courtyards of the young masters.”
After Huan Pei and Huan Ling left, I called Qiao Mei in to change an ice basin. I sat by the window and casually flipped through a book of poems. After half an hour, Huan Pei came in to report. The Internal Affairs Bureau informed that all the young masters and servants of the Jincui Palace would gather in the main hall in an hour. The steward of the Internal Affairs Bureau and the old nanny in the Empress Dowager Palace would handle the matters in the palace.
I nodded and read for a moment before sitting in front of the mirror to tidy up. Huan Ling helped me re-tie my hair, matched it with a few unremarkable hairpins, changed into a light pink outer robe, and took the two servant girls to the main hall. Outside the main hall, I deliberately slowed down my pace. When I saw the six or seven young masters bring the servant girls into the hall, I stepped in and stood in the crowd.
Chen Yanyu and Ni Lening were still the focus of the crowd. Chen Yanyu's noble aura was fully displayed at this moment. She was surrounded by a few smiling pretty faces. Occasionally, she would smile and respond with a few dignified words. The distance between her words was just right, attracting more flattery and compliments. She enjoyed it herself, and I secretly praised her in my heart.
Ni Lening was still cold and distant. Even so, her huge family background still attracted many faces that she wanted to get close to. For a moment, I seemed to see her frown slightly. I could not help but wonder if Ni Yuening's coldness was due to her nature, or if it was because she was not good at socializing with others that she put on a mask.
Apart from the two of them, the daughter of Jiangnan Governor Yao Dingshan, Yao Qianqian, and the daughter of Cui Shaofu, Cui Ziqi, were also quite eye-catching in the crowd. One was charming, and the other was quick-witted. They were both unforgettable women. Zi Qi also saw me at this time. She still casually pulled Feng Chunsheng towards me."Sister Yu! I was just about to mention you when you arrived."
I smiled faintly and said in a helpless voice,"Big sister…are you still making fun of little sister's young age?”
Cui Ziqi and Feng Chunsheng looked at each other and smiled. Cui Ziqi said,"Silly sister, your age is no longer new!”
She smiled mysteriously and leaned closer to me. Just as she was about to speak, a voice suddenly sounded beside her."Yes, although it's not in line with the selection rules, it's not considered indecent! It was said that someone had a relationship with the former Crown Prince and then entered the palace to serve the Emperor. The court was debating about it!”# Daguan Review Passed: Daguan Time:111420183: 47PM #Cancel Review All: wdd201302 Time:111420185: 56PM #
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