The next day was Lunar New Year's Eve.
The entire Qing palace was filled with jubilation. Joyful smiles adorned the faces of the concubines, maids, and eunuchs. The concubines were busy adorning themselves, hoping to capture the Emperor's attention at the upcoming banquet, while the maids and eunuchs were delighted by the kindness and gentleness of their mistresses and head maids.
From the beginning to the end of the New Year, there were taboos in the palace: one could not reprimand or punish the palace servants, and one could not utter words like "death" or "killing." Everyone wore a smile on their face, each one like a bodhisattva in the mortal world.
Wan Anran was also quite happy.
The reason she was happy was that from New Year's Eve to the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the use of scissors and needles was forbidden in the palace, lest any bloodshed occur in the coming year. This also meant that Wan Anran's insole business was temporarily put on hold, and she could relax for a while.
Thinking back to last night, when Haitao, Zisu, and Jubai took turns nagging and ruined her appetite, Wan Anran's face lit up with a relaxed and cheerful smile. She excitedly began reciting the menu: "Let's have something light today. Have the kitchen make hot noodle soup with thickly sliced braised meat and a boiled egg, plus some greens and fried tofu..."
Haitao had to interrupt her mistress's rambling: "My mistress, have you forgotten? Today's lunch is vegetarian dumplings!"
Wan Anran's face suddenly froze.
She had completely forgotten about it. In the palace, there was a family banquet at the Qianqing Palace in the evening, while during the day the Emperor received civil and military officials at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and the Empress, while serving the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, also received the wives and noblewomen.
As for the remaining concubines, they were watching a small play in the palace, eating vegetarian dumplings and pastries, and waiting for the palace banquet to arrive that evening. It is said that many of the concubines did not eat anything all day in order to show off their figures and avoid losing face in front of the emperor!
Wan Anran responded: "I cannot do that!"
She nodded listlessly: "Then I'll serve one, no! Three bowls of vegetarian dumplings: one steamed, one with chili oil, and one with sour soup!"
Haitao hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
In the end, she still didn't say anything—seeing that her mistress ate so much every day but didn't seem to gain weight, Hai Tao figured she should just let her mistress eat.
As the old saying goes: Knowing how to eat is a blessing!
After lunch, Wan Anran resumed her daily copying. At first, writing was just homework and something she had to do, but in the last two days she has begun to enjoy writing.
Just as Wan Anran was engrossed in her thoughts, Hai Tao pushed open the door and entered: "My lady, it's time."
Before going to the Qianqing Palace to attend the family banquet, the concubines had to go to the Kunning Palace to pay their respects to the Empress, and then follow the Empress to the Cining Palace to pay their respects to the two Empress Dowagers. Afterwards, the concubines had to serve the two Empress Dowagers before going to the Qianqing Palace.
This also means one thing.
Apart from the Empress, Consort Xuan, and Noble Lady Nara, Wan Anran was finally able to see the other concubines.
Wan Anran was still a little excited when she said this!
With the help of Hai Tao and the other two, she changed into a dark blue auspicious robe embroidered with eight floral patterns, and wore high-soled shoes with tassels and embroidered Tang grass patterns—the high-soled shoes with phoenix heads were much more stable to walk in than the flowerpot-bottom shoes, and probably felt like the thick-soled shoes of later generations.
Even so, Wan Anran walked with a graceful and swaying gait, adding an extra touch of beauty. Of course, that wasn't all; the most important thing was her hair and makeup. They spent a full half hour just working on her hair and various jewelry before Haitao and Zisu solemnly stopped what they were doing.
As for Ju Bai, she could only watch and learn from the sidelines.
Next came the makeup, which was mainly light and elegant, with delicate willow-leaf eyebrows and slightly upturned eyes that made her look pitiful. Of course, there was also a unique petal-shaped lip makeup... Well, Wan Anran could tolerate everything else, but she really couldn't stand this.
She stopped Hai Tao from applying lipstick and chose to apply it herself. Wan Anran wasn't exactly a makeup expert, but she did know how to do the famous gradient lip look. Her lips, applied by herself, were light on the outside and dark on the inside, looking delicate and petal-like without appearing artificial. Her superb technique captivated Hai Tao and the other two.
Wan Anran felt smug.
She pursed her lips to make the color look more natural, then proudly raised her chin: "How is it? Not bad, right!"
Hai Tao nodded repeatedly, praising without reservation: "Your Highness is truly amazing! Such makeup will surely attract the Emperor's attention."
...The way you put it makes me want to erase it.
Wan Anran hesitated, then looked expectantly at Zisu and Ju Bai. Zisu couldn't hide her smile and quickly echoed the praise, "Your Highness is so skillful; this servant is ashamed of my own in comparison!"
Before Wan Anran could even smile, Ju Bai beside her said with a smile, "If you can create such a beautiful makeup look, then shoe insoles must be no problem for you."
Wan Anran: ...
No, these are completely different things!
Haitao and Zisu nodded repeatedly.
They looked at their young mistress expectantly, as if they could already see her success.
Wan Anran rejected their expectations.
She coughed and straightened her face: "Let's go, it's about time."
Hai Tao and the other two immediately stopped laughing. They responded in unison, and Zi Su and Ju Bai escorted Wan Anran to the door of the east wing, watching their mistress hurriedly head towards the front hall with Hai Tao.
Xu Changzai arrived early.
She had a kind smile on her face... but the gentler Xu Changzai's smile and the more attentive his attitude, the more Wan Anran felt her hair stand on end and she felt completely uneasy.
Fortunately, Lady Nara arrived soon after.
Wan Anran quickly moved two steps closer to Consort Nara, and the two whispered to each other for a moment while discussing their makeup. Wan Anran even helped Consort Nara change her lip color.
Consort Xuan, however, remained rather indifferent to this.
Seeing that Nara Guiren and Wan Changzai were ready, she nodded and said, "Let's go."
The Kunning Palace was even more lively than the last two times I visited.
Inside the hall, many concubines were already sitting or standing. Consort Xuan was led to the front to sit down and rest. As for Noble Lady Nara and Wan Anran, there was no place to sit. Hai Tao and the other palace servants were not allowed to enter and were led into the tea room to wait. The servants in the side hall were all from Kunning Palace.
Nara was the type of person who didn't like to talk when she was out.
Instead of seeking out the other noble ladies who were chatting in twos and threes, she stood behind Consort Xuan with Wan Anran, listening attentively to the conversation between the concubines with their heads bowed and hands raised.
Wan Anran looks honest.
She stood upright, but her eyes were curiously looking around.
The one sitting in the first seat should be Consort Tong.
Unfortunately, they were too far away to see more than a silhouette. Perhaps because so many eyes were on Consort Tong, she didn't notice Wan Anran's gaze. Instead, a concubine in blue standing on Consort Tong looked up.
She had a beautiful face with red lips and jade-like skin, soft eyes and a peach-blossom smile. She smiled slightly at Wan Anran, possessing a beauty that could shame the moon and flowers. She was clearly a rare beauty, and Wan Anran usually enjoyed being close to beautiful women, but the moment this person smiled at her, Wan Anran's heart skipped a beat, and a surge of resentment welled up inside her.
How could this woman be someone I have no grudge against...?
Could this resentment come from her predecessor? Wan Anran's gaze was somewhat unfocused, so much so that Nara Guiren noticed her abnormality. Nara Guiren slightly raised her head, glanced warily at the person, and then gently pinched the back of Wan Anran's hand: "Wan Changzai? Wan Changzai?"
“…Sister Nara.”
"Why are you suddenly lost in thought?" Noble Lady Nara asked with a troubled expression. She pulled Wan Anran a few steps away and whispered, "What's wrong with Noble Lady Wuya?"
Noble Lady Nara had long harbored doubts.
Wan Changzai is innocent and romantic, with a gentle and lively temperament. She is very easy to get along with and treats people sincerely. It is hard to imagine that before this, Chengqian Palace had said that she was arrogant, ambitious, and competitive.
As for the reputation of Consort Wuya, it is completely different.
Despite sharing the same palace as Consort Wan, Consort Wuya was universally praised, with everyone saying she was respectful and courteous to the Imperial Concubine, kind and gentle to the palace women, and generous and considerate in her dealings with others.
Lady Nara didn't initially think there was anything wrong with it.
But after spending more time with Wan Changzai, upon reflection, one could discover the oddities involved, and there must be some little-known issues. Her face straightened slightly, and as she looked up, she happened to notice Consort Wuya walking towards them. Consort Nala instinctively shielded Wan Changzai behind her: "Consort Wuya."
Noble Lady Uya nodded: "Sister Nara."
She didn't want to talk much with Consort Nara, so she slightly raised her head to look at Consort Wan: "Sister Wan, it's been a long time. I've been wanting to visit you ever since I heard you recovered, but unfortunately..."
Noble Lady Wuya frowned slightly, her expression wistful.
Wan Anran blurted out, "Is Consort Wuya very worried about me?"
Consort Wuya nodded: "Of course. Before we became imperial concubines, we lived in the same room, and after we became imperial concubines, we lived across the hall from each other. We are much closer than other people."
So you shouldn't be close to me?
Noble Lady Nara's expression darkened slightly. Just as she was about to speak, Consort Wan spoke first. Wan Anran looked puzzled and said in a clear voice, "But I've been ill for so long, and I haven't seen Sister Wuya come to visit me? I haven't even seen any of her palace servants?"
“That’s because…” Consort Wuya looked troubled, hesitated, and glanced at Consort Tong out of the corner of her eye.
Wan Anran suddenly realized.
She nodded emphatically: "It must be that Sister Wuya's palace servants were disobedient, right? After all, Sister Wuya cannot leave Chengqian Palace at will without Consort Tong's permission. You must have instructed the palace servants to help you, but those servants forgot about your matter and embezzled all your money!"
Wan Anran was filled with righteous indignation.
She clenched her fists, her voice filled with anger: "This matter cannot be left like this. I will go and tell Consort Tong to do justice for my elder sister."
Wan Anran's voice drew the attention of many palace concubines.
Seeing that it was Consort Wuya, Consort Nara, and Consort Wan, the other concubines exchanged knowing glances and eavesdropped on their conversation with great interest.
Wuya was startled.
She instinctively reached out and grabbed Wan Anran, forcing a smile as she said, "My sister will reprimand her palace servants later. There's no need to alarm Her Highness the Consort over such a trivial matter..."
Wan Anran looked shocked.
She clutched her chest, her face filled with heartbreak: "This is no small matter. It has clearly ruined the sincere friendship between my sister and me. To put it mildly, it has damaged our relationship. To put it more seriously, it has destroyed the harmonious atmosphere of the harem! Not only should we tell the Noble Consort, but I think we should also tell the Empress and severely punish these palace servants who acted on their own initiative!"
Good heavens!
The powerful voice and the selfless, fearless attitude startled the surrounding concubines. Not to mention Consort Nara, who couldn't help but burst out laughing.
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