Chapter 34 034 Recalling the magnolia tree, he was dressed in a blue robe
It wasn't until the moon hung high in the sky that Qingli and the others were allowed to return to the Jingsi Palace. That day, the nanny spoke kindly, but she made them learn the rules in a real way.
Jiang Yue saw that her mistress was almost asleep in the chair, so she hurriedly went out to fetch a basin of hot water to help her relax. However, she was gone for half an hour and returned with half of her skirt wet.
Qingli lay on the bed, talking to Granny Huaying about the day's events. Granny Huaying said thoughtfully, "The palace doesn't fear tormenting people, but it fears being fawned over. If a palace nanny does this, she will surely have a great reputation when choosing playmates for the princess."
Qingli thought so too. Putting aside the shady dealings, she felt relieved. Hearing the door open, she turned her head and hurriedly got off the bed. "What's going on?"
Jiang Yue stood by the door, sobbing and unable to speak. She was gentle by nature, so she must have been very wronged.
Knowing the methods of ostracism in the palace, Granny Hua Ying turned around and took Jiang Yue's clothes from the couch outside, making her change before saying, "In the palace, hot water is a scarce commodity, and the maids fight over it."
After a moment's thought, Qingli understood. The Jingsi Palace housed ten of them, and their food, clothing, and daily necessities were all fixed. The young ladies were used to being carefree, so why would they feel wronged?
Jiang Yue changed into a dress and drank a bowl of medicinal soup. This soup was prepared by Xi Ziyu of the Imperial Hospital at Qing Li's request a few days ago, in order to deal with this situation.
Jiang Yue's nostrils were ringing as she angrily said, "The eunuch said to take it in order, one bucket per person, but that maid from the Feng family stood in front of me and asked for two buckets. If she takes them all, we won't have any left. I was so angry that I reached out to take ours, but she pushed me away and splashed me all over."
"That eunuch pointed at my nose and cursed me, saying I was greedy and caused trouble...it was clearly..."
It was clearly the Feng family's maid who was greedy, but the blame was placed on Jiang Yue.
As soon as I entered the palace, a complex and oppressive feeling enveloped me.
The atmosphere in the room turned cold and somber.
Granny Hua Ying comforted her, "It's alright. We're new here, and encountering difficulties is common. I'll share some experience with Jiang Yue later and smooth things over, so this won't happen again."
Before entering the palace, her grandfather sent Song Yuan with a thousand taels of silver, which was enough to bribe officials. She instructed Jiang Yue, "These little devils are troublesome, so just do it this way. Don't worry about the silver; it's better to avoid trouble."
Tang Shuqing probably heard about this too, so she sent a maid to bring half a bucket of hot water. That would be enough for Qingli to wash her face and get ready. With Granny Huaying on night duty, she told Jiang Yue to go and rest early.
Although she was supposed to be on night duty, she wasn't used to the maids and nannies sleeping on the floor and insisted that Hua Ying sleep on the couch.
The night inside the palace was very quiet, without even a sound, but one could faintly hear rustling sounds. Upon closer listening, one could only hear the hollow sound of wind echoing in the long palace corridors.
A thin mist hung in the air, making the moonlight hazy and indistinct. Qingli was about to think about the things that had happened during the day when she suddenly fell asleep.
In the distance, Granny Hua Ying looked up and glanced at the scene. She had long since adapted to the darkness. After seeing clearly, she lay back down and touched the dark blue embroidered lotus purse tied around her waist. The edges were already torn, but they had been carefully patched up, and it was still clear that it was quite old.
After a brief pause, Granny Huaying slowly got up, glanced at Jiang Yue before leaving, tears welling in her eyes, and occasionally let out a sob.
Amidst the commotion outside, Qingli immediately opened her eyes, sighed softly, and realized that even after only one day in the palace, the tension in her mind had already been immense.
Breakfast was brought by the maids of each room. When Jiang Yue returned with a smile on her lips, Qing Li felt relieved.
When they arrived at Xundao Courtyard, the sun was just beginning to rise. In the blink of an eye, golden rays pierced through the thin layer of mist and shone brightly on the red walls and black tiles. The palace seemed to come alive, with the sounds of carriage wheels and eunuchs and maids walking around.
They repeated yesterday's routine, but their legs were more sore than yesterday, and they all gritted their teeth and persevered.
At the end of the day, the palace maid nodded in satisfaction and said respectfully, "Ladies, please rest well today. Tomorrow, the Empress and the noble ladies will summon you in the back garden. I congratulate you all in advance."
Qingli lowered her eyelashes, pondering whether she would be able to see her aunt tomorrow.
The next day, even earlier than the previous morning, the sounds of bathing and dressing could be heard. Granny Hua Ying chose a dark blue brocade dress embroidered with butterfly patterns, with a cotton lining inside. She was slender and did not appear bulky at all.
Meanwhile, Granny Huaying was still giving instructions, "Keep your back straight, relax your shoulders, lower your head and lower your eyes, and be concise in your reply."
Jiang Yue whispered, "Granny, those words made me nervous."
Granny Hua Ying's face stiffened for a moment before she said, "Oh, this old servant has already realized it."
Qingli glanced at Huaying, whose words were exactly the same as those of the palace rules nannies. Then she thought that the clothes she wore to enter the palace were all approved by her, all of them were light blue, and even Tang Shuqing's clothes were made in light colors such as lake blue, light blue and moon white. She heard from Qiu that Huaying had stayed in the palace for more than ten years.
For a moment, the room fell silent.
It's called a back garden, but that's not entirely true. It's just a greenhouse in a corner of the back garden. The greenhouse is spacious and warm, like springtime inside. It's covered with a layer of glass, which makes it bright and airy inside. All kinds of flowers bloom in full glory, filling the air with their fragrance.
Qingli knelt in the last row and shouted in unison, "Greetings to the Empress."
A calm, unchanging voice sounded from above, "Get up."
Empress Cai was already in her fifties. From a woman in the inner palace to the empress of the country, the emperor had been fighting all the way, and she had been busy with her children and making plans. Her mind was no longer on the beautiful women. However, the good looks in front of her could still make her feel a little happier.
The Empress sat upright in a carved rosewood armchair with a single screen, her hands resting on a light brown satin cushion. She glanced over indifferently. She had only one son and no princess. The matter of choosing a companion for the princess was just a casual remark made by the second princess. However, the second princess was clever, quick-witted, and spoke frankly, which made her quite favored by the Emperor.
Since the Emperor had given the order, she had no choice but to go through the motions, even if she didn't want to get involved.
Sometimes she envied Consort Mu; how could such a dull and uninteresting person give birth to such a clever daughter?
At this moment, the eunuchs outside announced, "Your Highness the Imperial Concubine, Your Highness the Virtuous Consort, Your Highness the Consort He, and the Grand Princess have arrived!"
They automatically knelt in two rows. Qingli was positioned towards the back, at the left doorway of the greenhouse. She could only see the colorful hem of a skirt fluttering by. Then they greeted her in unison. When she looked up again, she was already surrounded by shadowy figures and the air was filled with fragrance.
The Empress said to the visitors, "His Majesty, with the heart of a loving father, seeing that the princess is bored in the palace, has specially summoned a young lady from a prestigious family to come into the palace to keep her company. You may also come and take a look."
Consort De had a round face, and her smile was full of joy. She replied, "His Majesty is most concerned about the princess. This winter will surely be even more lively."
Consort De gave birth to two princesses. Although this matter was not caused by her, she benefited the most. As she spoke, her eyes swept over the young ladies below. The eldest princess was already old and would be getting married next year. The choice of her companion should be based on family background and status. It would be better if she could provide assistance. The fourth princess was young and needed someone with good manners.
As she was thinking, her eyes moved from right to left. Before she even reached the last person, she had already chosen someone. So when her gaze finally fell on the last person, her eyelashes had already drooped, but she suddenly raised them, as if she still didn't believe it. She leaned forward slightly to stare intently, then suddenly jerked her head back and gasped for breath.
Consort De's heart was pounding like a drum. She pressed her chest lightly, but her face still turned pale. She subconsciously looked to the side.
Consort Liu only had one son, the Second Prince. She was only here to watch the show. Otherwise, given her rivalry with the Empress, she would have definitely made some choices. Hearing Consort De's abrupt actions, she looked over listlessly. When she saw who was sitting below her, her hand, which was loosely resting on the armrest of the rosewood chair, suddenly withdrew.
The gold filigree double coin patterned armor made a screeching sound as it scratched against the sandalwood, leaving visible marks. The Empress's gaze fell on the armrest, then slowly and indifferently swept over the ground.
The servants were already silent with fear, standing with their heads bowed.
For a moment, apart from Consort He's bewilderment, the flower room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and there seemed to be faint sparks burning.
Finally, it was the Empress who broke the silence, saying, "Rise, all of you."
As the atmosphere eased, it was as if everyone's shrugged shoulders slowly lowered.
Qingli stood up and stood at the back. She heard the Empress summon Feng Yuchan to speak to her and praised her, "She is indeed a quiet and dignified person."
Feng Yuchan's eyelashes trembled slightly. She restrained her arrogance, stood with her hands clasped, and became exceptionally docile. She curtsied respectfully and said shyly, "Before entering the palace, my mother instructed me to be careful with my words and actions, hoping not to lose face. With your words, I will honor your golden words and return to report."
Her coquettish and charming words rekindled the warmth in the warm room. With the help of the palace maids and nannies below, the Empress asked several young ladies about their studies in poetry and literature before stopping.
As everyone knows, the four princesses were chosen from among those who asked the questions.
Although Qingli knew in her heart that with her current background, she was not even considered Meng Qingshan's direct sister, and it was unlikely that she could stay in the palace, she was still somewhat disappointed that she did not see her aunt.
Just as everyone stood up, Consort Liu raised her finger and pointed to the back. In a flash, An Shulan, who had been unusually quiet these past two days, stepped forward and curtsied to answer. She had a smile on her lips, gentle and serene, and her soft figure made her look exceptionally charming.
Consort Liu, dressed in a crimson brocade dress embroidered with twin lotus flowers in gold thread, her bright red nail polish dappled onto her forehead, looked at An Shulan kneeling before her with slight annoyance and rebuked her mercilessly, "Miss An... are you blind?!"
An Shulan used to be praised and carefree, but ever since her brother's accident, everyone instantly disliked her and stayed away from her. Now, being reprimanded by the Imperial Concubine in front of everyone, her face turned red and white, her body trembled, and she slowly crawled back on her knees.
A snicker came from somewhere, and Qingli saw An Shulan step back to her side. In the blink of an eye, a patch of the patterned velvet carpet on the ground was soaked.
Qingli guessed that something must have happened at the An family. Before she could think further, she heard an impatient voice from above her head, "You, the one in blue."
She was the only one in the room, dressed in a light blue dress. Qingli stepped forward.
"Raise your head." Perhaps the light was too bright, Consort Liu squinted and looked her over. Her skin was as white as snow, and her eyebrows were like moon eyebrows and starry eyes. She looked five points more like the person before.
Consort Liu was lost in memories, so distant that she could only recall him standing under the magnolia tree, dressed in a blue robe, with his hands behind his back, his eyes sparkling with spring-like light, which stirred the hearts of the noble ladies.
Where are you from?
Consort De's words were tinged with urgency and resentment.
A flash of white light appeared in Qingli's mind, but it vanished in an instant. She replied respectfully, "I am the cousin of General Dingyuan, Meng Qingshan. I am from Qingping County, Taiyuan Prefecture. My father is a merchant who sells silk threads."
"Heh..." Consort Liu chuckled softly, stared at the scene for a moment, then looked away as if she found the place repulsive. She got up and walked out without saying a word.
The Empress's expression remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. She simply said, "Princess, please stay here and enjoy your time with the young ladies."
When the Empress spoke, Consort De and Consort He also stood up.
Inside the greenhouse, everyone's eyes were on Qingli, sensing something different about her.
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