Chapter 23 was punished again.

Song Zhimian was speechless. How did she end up being targeted by Prince Qi again?

Song Zhimian didn't speak, she just kept her head down.

Xiao Huaijin was still standing there, and just as he was about to say something more, Song Zhimian saw a man in a blue official robe stop in front of her.

Why hasn't Your Highness left yet?

Song Zhimian immediately recognized the voice as that of Ye Yunshu, the Inspector General who had brought her into the position of female official.

"Oh! Wait for Lord Ye."

Alright, Song Zhimian, you didn't answer my question. I'm punishing you by making you copy the Imperial Household Regulations once.

"Master of Ceremonies, please keep an eye on things. No one is allowed to leave the inner palace until they finish copying everything today!"

After Xiao Huaijin finished speaking, he took a step forward.

Ye Yunshu glanced at Song Zhimian, said nothing, and followed Xiao Huaijin away.

Song Zhimian...

Is she at odds with this Prince Qi, or is there some kind of grudge between them?

Why is the King of Qi always targeting her? Last time, she didn't say anything, but he punished her by making her copy the palace rules and inner court regulations.

This time, I still didn't say anything, and I was punished again...

The other female officials looked at Song Zhimian with some sympathy.

Previously, everyone was a little envious of Song Zhimin, the legitimate daughter of a marquis, whose marriage was personally arranged by Eunuch Xue...

Now……

Forget it, it's better not to be envious.

So many palace rules and regulations could make anyone dizzy from copying them all…

"Alright, His Highness Prince Qi is so capricious that even His Majesty can't handle him."

"But... we still have to copy it. We can take our time copying it when we get back, no rush!" Yue Siyi said to Song Zhimian with a bit of helplessness.

Song Zhimian nodded, said nothing more, and followed everyone back to the inner courtyard of the mansion.

...

"Why are you always targeting Song Zhimian?" Ye Yunshu asked Xiao Huaijin as they walked.

Xiao Huaijin tried his best to keep a distance of half a body length from Ye Yunshu.

"Today, Consort Wu will be accompanied by the Palace Attendant to examine the candidates for female officials," Xiao Huaijin said, only this one sentence.

Ye Yunshu understood.

Although everyone already knew that the second daughter of the Song family was going to marry Wu Jiande.

However, it is also a fact that Consort Wu failed to get Song Zhimian out of the village.

Consort Wu, who is always concerned about her image, will definitely make things difficult for Song Zhimian on this occasion.

Making things difficult for Song Zhimian in public could lead to her being expelled from the inner palace if she's not careful, or worse... she could be beaten on the spot.

Now that Xiao Huaijin has punished Song Zhimin by making her copy the inner palace regulations, it can be considered a form of protection.

After all, Xiao Huaijin was the son of the late Empress, and wasn't Consort Wu always known for her good manners and conduct?

How could she possibly disregard Xiao Huaijin's feelings in front of everyone!

"You've put your heart into it."

"Once she becomes a formal lady-in-waiting, Consort Wu won't dare to make things difficult for her anymore," Ye Yunshu said with a smile.

Xiao Huaijin chuckled.

"Alright, Lord Ye, His Majesty is waiting for us! Once we hand over this task, I won't have to run to your Censorate every day."

Ye Yunshu glanced at him, snorted, and strode past Xiao Huaijin toward the palace.

...

Song Zhimian ground ink again, preparing to copy the regulations of the Imperial Household Department.

The other female officials in the running all looked at her with pity.

"Zhimian, do you really not need us to help you copy some?"

"I... can imitate other people's handwriting, although it's not perfect, it's at least 70% similar." The round-faced girl who was close to Song Zhimin quietly leaned closer.

Song Zhimian shook her head.

"Gantang, let's just forget about it! If the prince wants to punish me, then I can only accept it."

If he finds out, won't you be punished too?

It's okay, I can definitely finish copying it in two nights.

Thankfully, the palace rules weren't copied along with it, otherwise...

Gan Tang thought about it and agreed. If that Prince Qi was petty, he would definitely be punished along with him.

"Indeed, we were unlucky today. We ran into Prince Qi and Lord Ye on our way back."

Even if you're a little late, you won't be able to meet them.

Zhimian, from now on, we should keep our distance from King Qi whenever we encounter him. I always feel that he is unpredictable.

Why do you always wander around the Inner Palace for no reason?

"You copy first, I'll go get you some tea!" Gan Tang said as she went to get tea for Song Zhimian.

only……

Song Zhimian did not receive the tea that Gan Tang had brought her.

The other female officials selected for the Tian Shu and Tian Ji academies were all summoned away by Yue Siyi.

The gatekeeper's maid said that Consort Wu is now in charge of the inner palace, and she specifically took the time to check on the quality of this batch of candidates for female officials...

Since Song Zhimian was punished by Prince Qi, Master Yue did not call her.

Song Zhimian seemed to understand something.

This Prince Qi, Xiao Huaijin, was actually helping himself...

Suddenly, the image of that blue official robe that had flashed before her eyes earlier that day flashed into Song Zhimian's mind...

That was the robe of a fourth-rank official in the Censorate. Song Zhimin had heard Aunt Shangfu mention it when she was giving a lesson to everyone.

The official robes of the Inspectorate were specially made by the Imperial Household Department, featuring a blue color and bamboo pattern.

What Song Zhimian remembered was the undergarment beneath the blue official robe.

That fleeting glimpse of the peony-patterned Tencel satin...

Song Zhimian remembered clearly that the aunt in charge of clothing had said that the inner garments were made of Tencel satin sent from the Baizhifang in Jiangnan.

Previously, the Tencel satin from Baizhifang was prized for its bright yellow and rich purple colors, making it a tribute item that could only be enjoyed by the most distinguished members of the royal family.

Previously, the rich purple Tencel satin was almost exclusively reserved for the Empress Dowager.

Later, Baizhifang improved its craftsmanship and presented a plain-colored Tencel satin with hidden embroidered lotus flowers.

Because the embroidery skills are extremely demanding, only about ten pieces can be produced each year.

Apart from the Imperial Concubine and a few other noble ladies who had princes or princesses, everyone else could only watch.

But this Lord Ye actually had such material made into an undergarment to wear underneath...

Song Zhimian was a little surprised.

Ye Yunshu dared to wear it, so she must not be afraid of people asking questions, but the fact that she wore it underneath shows that she didn't want anyone to know anything...

Song Zhimian couldn't figure out what the relationship was between this aloof Lord Ye and the palace...

Thinking of the rumors circulating outside, Song Zhimian became even more curious about this Lord Ye.

He showed no respect to anyone, not even to Consort Wu.

When they investigated the Imperial Household Department, didn't they just arrest one of Consort Wu's associates?

And then there was the day I first met her; she told the King of Qi to leave, and he obediently left...

Song Zhimian thought that there must be many unknown things hidden in the palace.

Even more shocking than my sister-in-law opening the door and me saying "I'm my brother"...

...

Outside the palace, Princess Yongxin, who was watching the song and dance performance with boredom, also widened her eyes.

"What? Xiao Huaijin punished that young lady from the Song family by making her copy palace rules and regulations again?"

Miss Song has really offended him badly!