When she woke up, it was already noon, and breakfast had become lunch. Shi Mingyue didn't have much of an appetite, so she asked the kitchen to make some light vegetable porridge with some appetizing pickles.
After dinner, she went to see the parrot. The parrot was very excited to see her. It jumped up and down in its cage and called out, "Hello! Hello!"
"You are good too!" Shi Mingyue released it and touched the feathers on its head.
Pippi stood on her finger, turning his little head around, looking very proud.
That afternoon, someone came to the palace again. This time, they didn't ask her to come in, but brought two pieces of cloth.
"Princess, these are two pieces of cloth given to you by Concubine Cen. Please accept them." The person who delivered the cloth was a eunuch with an unfamiliar face.
Although Shi Mingyue was a little puzzled, she accepted it and gave the eunuch a reward, asking him to return to express his gratitude to Concubine Cen. After returning to her room, she unwrapped the cloth and was surprised to see the material. Concubine Cen gave her the Jiangzhou specialty brocade!
In her previous life, she had worked at the Xinzhou Weaving Bureau, and thus possessed a certain understanding and research of many fabrics. These two pieces of fabric: one was a sky-blue brocade with a golden lotus leaf and peony pattern, and the other was a pale pink brocade with a golden phoenix and lotus pattern. Jacquard weaving is always difficult, and the weaving process of Jiangzhou brocade is even more complex, requiring at least a year to weave a single piece. Named for its cloud-like brilliance, brocade is now exclusively used by the imperial family, presumably only by the emperor and his concubines.
Yet, Concubine Cen generously gave her these two pieces of brocade. What was her intention?
Shi Mingyue didn't understand. Lu Lingjing happened to come looking for her at that moment. When she saw the two pieces of brocade, her eyes lit up: "What beautiful cloth!"
"Yes, it was given by the Imperial Concubine." Shi Mingyue said.
Lu Lingjing asked, "This cloth is so beautiful. What kind of clothes are you planning to make into it?"
Shi Mingyue thought for a moment and said to Lu Lingjing, "Let's make a dress with wide sleeves and a cross collar. We have plenty of fabric. What style do you want? We can make them all at once."
Lu Lingjing couldn't let go of the pink brocade and kept stroking it. After hearing what Shi Mingyue said, she said happily, "Thank you, sister-in-law! I only need to make a horse-faced skirt, and I want this pink one."
Shi Mingyue asked Hongyin to take the cloth and make it. Concubine Cen gave her such precious cloth, so she had to think about what gift to give her in return.
"Sister-in-law, what are you thinking about?" Lu Lingjing asked when she saw that she seemed to be deep in thought.
Shi Mingyue said in embarrassment: "These two pieces of brocade were given to me by Concubine Cen. I don't know what gift to give in return."
After hearing her words, Lu Lingjing couldn't help but feel puzzled. Someone like Concubine Cen would definitely not be interested in ordinary treasures. She was really at a loss for ideas on what kind of rare treasures to come up with.
"How about pearl powder?" Lu Lingjing thought for a long time. "Pearl powder nourishes the skin and whitens the skin, and is good for the body. I brought a few boxes of pearl powder with me when I came here, and there are still two boxes left untouched. I'll give them to the imperial concubine."
Shi Mingyue said, "That's fine." When Lu Lingjing came to the palace, she gave her a pearl necklace and two boxes of pearl powder, but she didn't like the smell of the pearl powder, so she refused. Pearl powder is a beauty treasure, and it wouldn't look cheap to give it to Concubine Cen.
The next day, she sent someone into the palace to deliver two boxes of pearl powder to Concubine Cen. The servant brought back a message, which was nothing more than some words of thanks.
A few days passed, and the unpleasant things in the palace were soon forgotten. The new clothes were also ready. Shi Mingyue asked someone to call Lu Lingjing, and they both tried on the new clothes.
Shi Mingyue made a top out of pink fabric and a top and skirt out of blue, testing out the pink top and blue skirt first. She also wore a gold necklace embroidered with ginkgo leaves. When she showed it off to Hongyin and Lu Lingjing, both praised its beauty. The pink dress accentuated her delicate, fair complexion, and the gold necklace around her neck added a touch of playfulness and cuteness.
She changed into a blue top, which made her look more mature than the pink one. When she stood in front of the mirror, she realized that her current body was still very young, just a sixteen-year-old girl.
The time of youth is always short. She should cherish her youth now. Don’t always look serious or think about depressing things. Smile more and show her beauty to the fullest.
Lu Lingjing also tried on her pink skirt and spun around in place with great satisfaction. The hem of her skirt bloomed like a flower as she moved, showing off her beauty and charm to the fullest.
Not long after she tried on the clothes, someone came from the palace. Concubine Cen invited Shi Mingyue to go to the palace to appreciate the flowers the next morning.
"It's only been a few days, why is she going to the palace again?" Lu Lingjing couldn't help but ask. Shi Mingyue had barely been in the mansion for a while, spending almost every day in the palace. After her last class, she finally had a few days of peace, so why did it start all over again?
Shi Mingyue smiled and said, "I'm just going to appreciate the flowers. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Please take good care of Pipi for me." She still had to go to these necessary social activities. She was basically not familiar with any of the concubines in the palace, so she had to get to know them one by one.
"Okay, don't worry, I will take good care of Pippi!" Lu Lingjing was very enthusiastic about teaching Pippi to speak, and she must teach it words other than "hello".
The next day, Shi Mingyue donned the brocade dress gifted to her by Concubine Cen and entered the palace early. A palace maid took her to the Imperial Garden. At the end of July, the lotus flowers in the palace pond were in full bloom, creating a scene of boundless green lotus leaves reaching the sky, and a striking crimson lotus blossom reflecting the sun.
Walking across the pond, she could see many concubines of varying sizes standing under the long corridor and the pavilion connected to it, as well as the familiar Huo Qiurong, the eldest princess and the second princess.
As Shi Mingyue entered the pavilion, she noticed everyone's eyes were on her, or rather, on her clothes. There was surprise, and also envy. She felt suspicious, but didn't show it. She bowed to Concubine Cen and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the Yunjin brocade I received."
As soon as she said this, the others looked at her and Concubine Cen in disbelief. Shi Mingyue was even more confused. Was there something wrong with what she said?
Concubine Cen didn't seem to notice the other people's gazes. She smiled and said, "As long as you like it, I can't wear such a pink color."
Shi Mingyue couldn't help feeling embarrassed. She was not a person who was good at speaking. Concubine Cen was obviously making fun of herself that she was no longer young. No matter how she responded, it would be inappropriate.
Fortunately, Concubine Cen spoke again: "The purple star and crabapple in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom. Let's not stay here all the time. Let's go and take a look."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and three or two of them who got along well together acted together. Shi Mingyue didn't know anyone, so she could only follow Concubine Cen and Huo Qiurong.
What was strange was that when the concubines passed by her, they all cast strange looks at her. Even the eldest princess and the second princess looked at her strangely, and there seemed to be a kind of hostility in their eyes.
What on earth was going on? Shi Mingyue wondered, could it be related to the brocade on her body?
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