Another palace maid thoughtfully took Jiang Shuyue's red fox cloak and followed.
As I stepped out of the dining room, I saw Qiuju waiting outside.
"Miss, shall we go over now?"
Jiang Shuyue glanced at Qiu Ju's lips and saw that the lipstick was almost invisible, confirming that she had already eaten lunch.
She took the cloak from the maid behind her and draped it over her shoulders. "Well, let's go see the princess first."
They walked through the garden and out along the covered walkway, neither of them noticing how many moon gates they passed through.
The palace maid pointed to the mythical beast on the upturned eaves in the distance and said, "We're almost there. Bixia Courtyard is right there."
"I didn't realize the palace was so big, much bigger than I imagined. Luckily, it's right in front of me."
"It looks close, but it's not actually close."
Listening to the conversation between the mistress and servant, a palace maid said, "What you said is right, young lady. After passing through the stone forest, we still need to go up."
Upon arriving at the Stone Forest, one finds jagged rocks, some as high as nine feet, lining both sides of the road.
The stones in the Stone Forest have smooth surfaces, as if they had been polished.
Some are as sharp as a sword's edge, while others are as round as a stone ball.
Thick snow had piled up in the cracks between the rocks, and not a single blade of grass or tree could be seen inside.
Jiang Shuyue looked at the strangely shaped stones and marveled at the wonders of nature.
After leaving the stone forest, a long staircase comes into view.
The group climbed the stone steps, and Bixia Courtyard came into view.
"You two can stop here. We won't trouble you further." Jiang Shuyue stopped and gave Qiuju a look.
Qiuju took out two silver ingots and stuffed them into the hands of the two palace maids, smiling as she said, "Thank you both for seeing us off. There are too many people and too many eyes ahead, so we'll just go in ourselves."
They were all people who worked in the palace, so they naturally understood what was meant.
The two palace maids curtsied to Jiang Shuyue in unison, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Miss. We have never seen you in the inner palace before."
"Thank you, that's for the best."
The two palace maids bowed again before leaving.
Qiuju watched as the two figures disappeared into the stone forest.
"Miss, these two palace maids are truly well-behaved, as expected of those trained by the Imperial Household Department."
Jiang Shuyue chuckled, "Serving in the palace is not easy. If you don't keep your mouth shut and don't have any sense of propriety, you won't even know when or how you died."
Qiuju was startled by this. "Miss, it's better to work in our household. We don't need to be so cunning."
"Why bother with so many schemes? Isn't it exhausting? If you follow me, we'll eat simple meals, have no fame or fortune. Even if you have a lot of schemes, it won't make a difference."
Jiang Shuyue gave Qiu Ju a coquettish glare.
Qiuju pinched her chubby cheeks and teased, "Miss's 'simple meals' are the most nourishing. I've even gained weight recently."
The servants in the Jiang household ate meat and vegetables every day, and when the household ate chicken, duck, fish and meat, the master did not have the habit of eating alone.
Jiang Shuyue looked at Qiuju carefully. The little girl's cheeks were much rosier, and her full breasts were much fuller than before.
"You're just saying that love makes you content with water. It's all thanks to your Gao Mu. What you eat doesn't matter."
The master and servant chatted and joked as they walked toward Bixia Courtyard.
Jiang Shuyue had no idea that her red fox fur cloak was so eye-catching that it attracted everyone's attention from halfway through the garden.
The girls in the courtyard, in groups of three or five, all looked at her.
Some people whispered among themselves, "This woman is stunningly beautiful. If she were to participate in the imperial concubine selection, the position of empress would undoubtedly be hers."
"Sigh! We've already lost before the audition even started."
The narrow-minded woman's jealousy was palpable.
"Hmph! So what if she's beautiful? Her fate is incompatible with the Emperor's and she's a hindrance to the nation's fortune. Even if she enters the palace, the Emperor will at most best bestow upon her the title of 'Beauty'."
Someone said something, and someone else chimed in, "That's right, Master Huiyuan's words are not a joke. Even if the Emperor is attracted to her beauty, he wouldn't dare to gamble with the fate of the nation."
Women's jealousy is truly terrifying; they can attack someone just from a distance if they see that another person is more attractive.
As Jiang Shuyue approached, someone exclaimed, "Isn't this Yue Niang, the owner of Juxian Pavilion Restaurant?"
Someone muttered under their breath, "What qualifications does a female merchant have to participate in a talent show?"
"That's right!"
"Are we mistaken? She knows medicine and runs a clinic. The princess must have ordered her to serve everyone."
"No, she wasn't entirely a merchant's daughter. Does everyone remember the day the top scholar rode through the streets on horseback?"
A woman's curiosity was piqued, and she pressed for details: "What did that have to do with her? The top scholar is the real young master, and the Jiang residence is just closer to the real residence."
A woman living near Guixiang Street recalled the scene from that day.
"If I remember correctly, the people from the Ministry of Rites went to Zhen's residence to pick up the top scholar and then went to Jiang's residence."
When this matter was brought up, someone shared what they knew about the rumors.
"I heard that the third-ranked scholar is a cousin of the Jiang family."
"He's not the third-place scholar, he's the second-place scholar, and his looks are just as good. I think his surname is Su," a woman who had seen the parade corrected.
"Ah! So she wasn't a merchant's daughter after all."
"That's right. In the capital, which noble family doesn't have shops and estates under their name? Yue Niang's shops are just more numerous than ours."
In Wanling Kingdom, officials are not allowed to engage in commerce, but it is legal and reasonable for wives of noblewomen and unmarried women to own shops.
Hearing the murmurs, Cui Yudie, the daughter of the Right Chancellor, went over and gave a greeting to the noble ladies, showing respect to those of equal rank.
She said softly, "Moon Lady's medical skills are superb. With her around, we can get timely treatment if we catch a cold or cough. This is a good thing."
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