In April of the seventh year of the Zhengde reign, the east wind blew the land green, and the flowers were in full bloom under a clear sky.
In the most remote Yanxi Palace among the Six Western Palaces, even the light filtering into Yanliang Pavilion seemed to carry a chill.
Huo Qinghe was half-pushed into Yanliang Pavilion. The maid behind her seemed to be supporting her respectfully, but in reality, she was pinching her arm with considerable force, and she suppressed the pain between her lips and teeth.
Jinzhan supported her, and said in a low voice with a forced smile, "Second Miss, don't forget what the mistress told you before you entered the palace. Although you didn't get the Xianfu Palace from the eldest young lady this time, your every move is under her watchful eye. Don't have any wicked thoughts."
Her constant use of the honorific "you" showed absolutely no respect whatsoever.
Huo Qinghe lowered her eyes: "Jinzhan, you should call her Madam Huo."
Upon hearing this, Jinzhan reacted as if a cat had its tail stepped on, a fierce glint flashing across her face: "Could it be that you still want me to call you 'Little Lady Huo'? Second Miss, don't daydream. What is your status, and what is the eldest Miss's status? You're nothing more than someone who entered the palace to compete for the eldest Miss's favor."
Jinzhan wasn't satisfied with just saying that, and continued incessantly, "The eldest young lady is a Noble Consort Yi, a third-rank official, and currently the head of Xianfu Palace. Don't you even know your own status? I advise you, second young lady, to stop daydreaming."
Huo Qinghe entered the palace through the imperial selection, but only held the rank of a seventh-grade beauty, which was indeed vastly different from that of her elder sister, Huo Yiyun.
Huo Qinghe did not argue with Jinzhan at all, nor did she offer any advice when the two of them crossed the steps together.
She even used a clever trick when stepping over the stairs to avoid being pulled down when Jinzhan fell.
And so, Jinzhan, who had been talking nonstop in Huo Qinghe's ear, fell flat on her face.
And it happened in front of all the palace maids and eunuchs of Yanliang Pavilion.
Huo Qinghe didn't know which of these palace maids and eunuchs were her elder sister's spies like Jinzhan. She just smiled kindly and looked down at Jinzhan, who had fallen to the ground.
"How could you be so careless? Get up! Go and rest. You don't need to serve me today."
Jinzhan was in so much pain that she couldn't speak. At this moment, she was no longer the same as before. When she looked up, she could only see Huo Qinghe's toes.
She felt a little embarrassed, and she didn't know if she had twisted her ankle or what. For a while, Jinzhan was unable to stand up, but she hadn't forgotten her mistress's instructions.
"You illegitimate child..." Just as Jinzhan was about to curse, Huo Qinghe calmly raised her hand and pointed at the two palace maids beside her.
“You, come and help Jinzhan. Is her leg injured? Quickly help her down to rest. There’s no need to apologize to Jinzhan. You are my servant, and I won’t blame you for such rudeness, but you absolutely cannot do this in public.”
Huo Qinghe acted very amiably, and she concealed the sharpness in her words very well.
After a moment of surprise, the two palace maids who were called upon quickly stepped forward to help Jinzhan down.
Huo Qinghe watched as Jinzhan was helped down before withdrawing her "concerned" gaze.
"I'm a little tired from coming to the palace today. You can all go about your own business. There's no need for you to serve me here." Huo Qinghe went into the inner room, leaving these words behind, ignoring the maids and eunuchs outside who were looking at each other in bewilderment.
With Jinzhan around, the rules she sets now are of little use.
With no one in the room, Huo Qinghe was finally able to take a deep breath, and her shoulders and back relaxed.
Huo Qinghe is the second daughter of the Huo family, who is the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Jinzhan kept mentioning that the eldest daughter was her elder sister.
Huo Qinghe and her elder sister Huo Yiyun were not born of the same mother. Huo Yiyun was a noble legitimate daughter, while Huo Qinghe was a lowly concubine's daughter who could not be seen in the light of day.
Huo Qinghe never dared to dream of becoming a concubine in the palace, but she had no choice in the matter.
She didn't understand why her elder sister wanted her to enter the palace as a concubine. Jinzhan and her stepmother gave the same explanation, saying that she was to enter the palace to help her elder sister win favor. Huo Qinghe didn't believe it, but she had no other choice.
She herself might have been willing to die a violent death, but she had a younger brother from the same mother.
My younger brother is thirteen years old and studying at the Imperial Academy in Beijing. He is just waiting for the provincial examination at the Imperial Academy in two years.
Everything from the past flashed through Huo Qinghe's mind like a fleeting glimpse, with her last memory settling on the wealthy face of her stepmother before she entered the palace.
"This time when you go to the palace, just listen to your eldest sister. Good child, as long as you do your best to protect your eldest sister in the palace, with her message, Jinghe will be able to study safely with Jingzhi at the Imperial Academy."
His words, spoken in a seemingly gentle tone, were actually laced with threat in every single one.
When Huo Qinghe opened her eyes again, her eyes were still flushed with rouge. After her stepmother passed away, she and her younger brother were the only ones left in the Huo family. For Jinghe's sake, she could not disobey her stepmother and elder sister about entering the palace.
Jinghe is still under her stepmother's nose, so she has to endure it for now.
But it wasn't about blindly tolerating it; at least, someone like Jinzhan beside her couldn't be kept.
Before entering the palace, the eldest daughter-in-law had already replaced all the servants around her. When she was finally selected to enter the palace, she personally arranged for Jinzhan, a second-class maid, to serve her.
On the surface, it's all about serving, but in reality, it's all about surveillance.
Now that she has entered the palace, at least the eldest daughter-in-law's influence can no longer reach into the palace. So, she has three urgent matters to attend to.
Remove the eyeliner and the golden chrysanthemum, humbly serve your elder sister, and... compete for favor.
Having sorted out her thoughts, and seeing that it was almost noon, Huo Qinghe just got up when she heard the voice of an unfamiliar palace maid coming from outside.
"Madam Huo, having learned that you are entering the palace today, Lady Yi of Xianfu Palace invites you to a gathering."
The fact that Huo Qinghe and Consort Yi were sisters could not be kept secret. Long before Huo Qinghe was selected to enter the palace, she was already being called "Little Huo" in the palace. However, the palace servants naturally dared not call her that in front of Huo Qinghe.
However, since Huo Yiyun had a title, the palace referred to her as Lady Yi to avoid confusion.
Huo Qinghe was surprised that her elder sister was so restless. The nine selected ladies-in-waiting had only entered the palace one after another, and Huo Yiyun was already in such a hurry to see her.
What exactly is the reason?
Huo Qinghe suppressed her doubts, stood up, straightened her skirt, and walked out.
An unfamiliar palace maid stood outside.
"This servant, Cuiqiao, the head palace maid of Xianfu Palace, greets Lady Huo. Knowing that Lady Huo is entering the palace today, our lady has been waiting for quite some time. Now that Lady Huo has just entered the palace, please follow me."
The palace maid named Cuiqiao in front of me had a slightly long face, and she spoke with an affectionate smile on her face.
The stepmother and stepsister were indeed mother and daughter; the palace maids they trained spoke just like them. Their words sounded extremely respectful, but in reality, they were just as demanding and brooked no refusal.
Huo Qinghe seemed oblivious to the threat in her words. She nodded slightly, extremely respectful: "I can't keep you waiting, elder sister. Let's go now."
Upon noticing Huo Qinghe's address to her wife, Cuiqiao twitched the corners of her mouth, as if she felt disgusted or something else.
She looked around and asked, "Why don't I see Jinzhan serving you, Madam?"
Huo Qinghe once again showed a "concerned" expression: "She accidentally fell just now, so I let her go down and rest."
Cuiqiao didn't know whether she believed it or not, and she spat.
“This girl is still so ignorant of her place even after entering the palace, and she is so negligent in serving her mistress. If Lady Yi finds out, she will be in big trouble.”
Inside Huo Qinghe's Yanliang Pavilion, Cuiqiao acted as if she were in an empty place. After cursing Jinzhan, she went to the servants' quarters at the back.
Huo Qinghe didn't seem inclined to follow and look; she stood there, simply smiling gently.
"It's because my sister cares about me that she's so attentive to everything I do. From now on, you must all be more respectful to Cuiqiao when you see her."
The four maids beside him quickly bowed and agreed.
Huo Qinghe also took this opportunity to observe the changes in the maids' expressions.
Cuiqiao returned quickly from the servants' quarters at the back; she was alone.
“That girl Jinzhan is really careless. I’ve already scolded her. Now, I will accompany you to Xianfu Palace.”
Huo Qinghe still showed no sign of refusing: "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Cuiqiao."
Cuiqiao finally looked up and gave Huo Qinghe a proper look, but that one glance stunned her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com