The two palace maids turned around and saw a small, thin girl dressed in a blue palace maid's qipao standing behind them on the palace path.
The little girl looked very young, probably only eleven or twelve years old, but she had fair skin, a small oval face, delicately arched eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth, making her exceptionally beautiful. At such a young age, she was already a beauty in the making; I believe that in the near future, she will grow into a stunning beauty.
The two palace maids, A and B, turned around and saw the little girl. They were momentarily stunned. Although they had seen that face many times, they were still amazed every time they saw such a beautiful face.
"Hehehe, I know, Shuangxue. Thank you for reminding me. Let's hurry up and get to work." Palace maid A smiled at the little girl named Shuangxue, indicating that she understood, and pulled palace maid B, who still wanted to continue talking, to get to work.
Before long, the palace path was cleaned up, and the three of them took their belongings and slowly returned to the laundry storehouse.
On the way, the palace maid continued the conversation that had just ended. "Consort Wuya is really lucky. She was chosen by the Noble Consort to serve His Majesty. Now that she is a mistress, she doesn't have to do any work."
Looking at her hands covered in chilblains, she was filled with envy. "If only I could be a mistress, with endless delicious food, countless beautiful jewelry, and someone to wait on me hand and foot. That would be so wonderful."
The maid looked her up and down, her tone mocking, and shattered her illusions with her first words: "That concubine Wuya is so beautiful that His Majesty took a liking to her. With your appearance, His Majesty would not be interested."
"You, you..." Palace maid B was furious and pointed at palace maid A, retorting, "Although I'm not good-looking, you're not much better. Humph, I'm not good-looking, but you're just as bad-looking."
The palace maid A wasn't angry at all. She nodded generously and admitted, "I know, I'm not pretty either. Unlike you, I don't have unrealistic fantasies. I just want to do my job well and not think about anything else."
He reached out and tapped the forehead of the palace maid B hard. "You should keep your little thoughts to yourself. You'd better not think about anything else, or you might make a mistake and lose your life."
"Heh, I was just saying, I'm not really going. Why are you making it sound so scary?" The maid was quick to anger but also quick to calm down. Clutching her chest, she knew her thoughts were wrong, but she didn't want to be so petty and still stubbornly retorted.
Seeing this, the maid A stopped talking, and both of them lost interest in their previous conversation and fell silent. After walking for a while, the maid B suddenly started a conversation. She leaned close to the maid A and whispered something.
"Based on my earlier thoughts, if His Majesty really takes a fancy to that palace maid, Shuangxue has the best chance. If you ask me, I have never seen a palace maid more beautiful than Shuangxue. If she really becomes a concubine, she will definitely be the most beautiful one among all the ladies and consorts."
The palace maid A patted her outspoken friend, who dared to say anything without thinking, and said helplessly, "Shut up, don't say anymore. Shuangxue doesn't have those kinds of thoughts. She just wants to leave the palace and get married when she reaches a certain age. Don't let her hear what you just said and make her angry."
Sticking out her tongue, the palace maid B said a little embarrassedly, "I know, I'm not stupid, I won't let Shuangxue hear me. Besides, I was just saying whatever came to mind, it doesn't matter if she hears me, she's not that petty."
"Even if Shuangxue won't be angry, you can't say things like that. It's not good if others hear it; it could harm them."
The palace maid nodded, "I understand, I understand, I won't tell you, okay?"
For the rest of the journey, the palace maid remained silent, completely quiet.
Wei Shuangxue walked ahead with a broom, not joining the conversation of the two women behind her. She paid no heed to their treasonous talk about Emperor Kangxi and the concubines in the harem. She also didn't hear the maid behind her speaking so softly.
Chengqian Palace
After breakfast, Wu Yaxin Yue leisurely reclined on the chaise lounge, holding a sketchbook in her hand. Ever since the imperial physician diagnosed her with pregnancy a few days ago, Yu Yin had stopped her from doing mentally taxing activities such as writing, playing chess, and embroidery.
She said it was too mentally taxing and would be bad for the fetus. That's why she changed her usual quiet and elegant demeanor and showed such a relaxed side, which was rare for her.
A moment later, Yu Yin came in, carrying a bowl of freshly cooked chicken soup. Since Wu Ya Xin Yue became pregnant, her appetite had been particularly poor, and she ate much less than before. Yu Yin was worried that she wouldn't get enough nutrition, so she went to the imperial kitchen every day to ask for a bowl of chicken soup to nourish her mistress.
Before, a bowl of chicken soup every day would have been impossible, but now that Wu Yaxin is pregnant and has been promoted to the rank of Consort, the Imperial Kitchen is too busy currying favor with them to refuse their requests.
Yu Yin carried the bowl of freshly made chicken soup to Wu Ya Xin Yue's side. "Master, you didn't eat much for breakfast again today. How can the fetus grow well if you continue like this? Quickly drink this bowl of chicken soup to nourish your body. But just drinking chicken soup isn't enough. You still need to eat more to ensure the fetus thrives."
Wu Yaxin didn't actually want to drink it, but Yu Yin was right. She wasn't eating enough and wasn't getting enough nutrition. If she didn't get more nutrition from other sources, how could the fetus grow properly?
She sat up, forcing herself to suppress her nausea, and drank the chicken soup in one gulp. Then she slumped back onto the bed. Although the chicken soup was delicious, she had no desire to savor it. She just wanted to finish it quickly, otherwise she would be unable to stop herself from vomiting.
Gently stroking her belly, which was still not showing after more than a month, Wu Yaxin felt a slight pang of reluctance. She had known from the beginning that Consort Tong had brought them out to adopt their child.
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