CH 9

Aunt Fang led the new palace maids to their living quarters.

“Those who pass the cleaning and embroidery assessments become true palace maids,” she said, sweeping her solemn gaze through the crowd. “From now on you will all live here under my supervision.”

The eyes of every palace maid darted around, taking in their new residence. The windows were free of dust, and the dormitory lacked neither tables nor chairs. Hanging from the wall was a painting of Guanyin¹, countenance benign and hands holding an immaculate vase with a few shoots of willow. It did not seem like a place where servants lived, on par with the personal rooms of young misses from decent civilian families.

Guanyin

Especially with the two basins on the table, one holding yellow split peas desserts², the other filled with kidney bean cakes³. In terms of taste and quality, the desserts from the royal kitchen were light years ahead of civilian pastry shops’. Each treat was cute and bite-sized. Clear and exquisite. Upon closer inspection, there was an image of a bird on top every dessert, its feathers vivid, comparable to a work of art.

Yellow Split Peas Dessert (Wāndòu huáng)

Kidney Bean Cake (Yúndòu gāo)

Jixiang swallowed the saliva threatening to dribble down her mouth. Her family was poor and they had sent her into the palace for that reason. To decrease the mouths needed to be fed by one. She had endured hunger many times in her short life, and because of this, these two basins of desserts attracted her attention more than Noble Consort Hui’s jadeite bracelet did. Eyes glued to the treats, she asked, “Aunt Fang, are these our evening snacks?”

“Yes, these were prepared for all of you.” As soon as Aunt Fang said this, Jixiang’s face brightened with joy.

“But you can only look at them, not eat.”

Once she comprehended Aunt Fang’s additional words, Jixiang blurted, “Why?”

“You entered the palace to serve others, not to be served like young misses,” Aunt Fang lectured, her tone cold enough to freeze. “Your hands and feet must be nimble at all times, and your appearance must be kept neat. You must especially not have any foul odor. Or else, it will disrespect our masters. In that case, you will be punished, and I will not fare well either. Therefore, foods like fish are forbidden, and you can only eat until eight parts full. Otherwise, you will be using the bathroom too often.”

This basically implied that they could not satisfy their hunger completely, much more indulge in an evening snack.

“It’s no longer early. Go to bed.” Aunt Fang observed every palace maid in the room, her gaze landing on Jixiang for a moment. She narrowed her eyes. “If I find even one piece missing tomorrow morning…”

Jixiang lowered her head, pushing down those dangerous gluttonous thoughts.

Everyone else followed in dropping their gaze until Aunt Fang left, like puppets with their strings held motionless. Then they ran for the beds, trying to stake their claim on their desired spots.

“I’m sleeping here!”

“No, I was here first!”　　

“So it’s yours since you said you wanted it?”

Jixiang was a go-getter. As everyone was still fighting for the beds near the windows, she already leaped on top a warmed bed⁴, one in the best position in the room. With a smile, she waved. “Come on!”

This translation is the property of Sleepchaser at https://sleepchaser.wordpress.com. If you read it anywhere else, it’s stolen.

“Okay!” said Linglong, thinking Jixiang was calling for her. She thought it a blessing that they were from the same village. That Jixiang would take care of her. Just as she was about to lift her foot and walk over, she saw Jixiang waving her hand again and again, shouting, “ Yingluo, hurry over! I helped you grab a good spot!”

Linglong’s leg froze mid step. Embarrassment swelled within her. She felt as though every person in the room was looking at her, her face flushing as red as a tomato.

Wei Yingluo caught sight of this scene. And she felt helpless. While Jixiang had a good heart, she had no filter; just a careless word and she would offend others. As such, Wei Yingluo decided that in the future, she would warn Jixiang about this. Unfortunately, she had been too busy today. Too exhausted. Grabbing her luggage, Wei Yingluo climbed on top the warm bed that Jixiang had saved for her, and Jixiang reached for her luggage to put it away. An affectionate smile tugged at her mouth as she said, “Yingluo, thank you so much for today.”

“How big of a deal was it? You’ve already thanked me for a whole day.” Wei Yingluo continued to scan the room. “Oh right, are there only new palace maids living here?”

“Yes. What about it?” Jixiang asked doubtfully.

“Nothing.” A slight smile graced Wei Yingluo’s lips. “I’m just thinking it’ll be nice if they were one or two older palace maids here. They could teach us more about the rules. That way, we’ll be less likely to accidentally commit a taboo in the future.”

“You’re right.” Jixiang’s eyes shone with trust toward Wei Yingluo’s words, an unshatterable kind. She sighed softly. Once again, her eyes trailed to the two basins of desserts on the table. “If I weren’t afraid of committing a taboo, I would have gobbled them all up already…”

A snicker. Such a mean-sounding laugh was unique to its owner. Both Wei Yingluo and Jixiang turned to the source of the sound. They did not know when Jinxiu had arrived at their side. Jinxiu sent a smile Wei Yingluo’s way, before turning to Jixiang. “Are you really going to believe whatever she says?  The way I see it, she’s not interested in asking for rules at all. She just wants to ingratiate herself with Aunt Fang!”

“It’s late,” said Wei Yingluo, not even sparing Jinxiu a look. She turned to face Jixiang. “Let’s set up our beds and go to sleep.”

“Okay!” In that moment, Jixiang resembled an obedient little girl, and immediately helped Wei Yingluo set up their beds, aligning their pillows straight and next to each other. And the two of them settled into slumber. Even if they did not immediately fall asleep, they were at the point in their relationship where they could whisper a conversation into the night.

Jinxiu would have preferred for Wei Yingluo to retort than ignore her. She felt as though she were a clown talking to themselves. She dared not turn her head, afraid that if she did, she would catch sight of everyone laughing at her. Quickly, she reached for Wei Yingluo’s arm, her voice hot with anger. “Answer me!”

“What are you doing?” Jixiang shoved her away from Wei Yingluo. “You’re annoying! Big sister Yingluo’s already tired, so can you just let her rest early?”

“You don’t have to speak for her,” sneered Jinxiu. “Do you really think she’s helping you out of the goodness of her heart? Let me tell you, she was only using you to look better in front of General Manager Wu! You’re just another stepping stone for her. We’re all her stepping stones!”

“You’re lying!” A hot-headed person, Jixiang hopped off her bed in the blink of an eye. Rolled up her sleeves. It looked like any moment and punches would go flying.

“Did I say anything wrong?” Jinxiu was unwilling to step into a physical altercation with a fool. These kinds of people would not hold back in a fight. She herself was delicate. So she quickly changed the topic of the conversation to Wei Yingluo. “If you don’t believe me, then ask her. Today she was praised so heavily for helping you. Wasn’t it done for her own sake?”

Wei Yingluo shot Jinxiu an indifferent gaze. She was such a sneaky person, fond of scheming for benefit. It was impossible for Wei Yingluo not to see right through her.

If she denied using Jixiang, then Jinxiu would spin a whole story to retort her. If she confirmed it, then she would have walked right into Jinxiu’s trap. Therefore, Wei Yingluo continued to ignore her. She spread and laid out her duvet. Crawled underneath it. Her somewhat tired voice could be heard in such a position. “Come here, Jixiang.”

“On my way.” Like a pet returning to her master, Jixiang swiftly left Jinxiu in the dust. Kicking off her shoes and socks, she also crawled under the duvet.

This translation is the property of Sleepchaser at https://sleepchaser.wordpress.com. If you read it anywhere else, it’s stolen.

“Okay, so you’re afraid to answer, right?” Once again, Jinxiu felt like she’d become the air, totally invisible. Finally losing reason, she rushed toward the table with the desserts. Besides the two basins of desserts sat a large kettle, a shade of green so dark it almost appeared black. Holding the kettle, she approached the curled up figures of Wei Yingluo and Jixiang. And poured the tea all over Wei Yingluo.

“Ah!” Jixiang leaped out of the covers. “Jinxiu, what are you doing?!”

“This is what she gets for using us as stepping stones!” Her lips were twisted into a huge grin. Finally, she turned around to address everyone. “Tell me, isn’t it right for me to do this?”

From all over the room, the sound of laughter erupted. Each palace maid had something to say. “Yeah, that’s completely warranted!”

“Who told her to use us like that!”

“She made our work look like trash!”

“From now on, you should remember this well! Don’t use us as stepping stones anymore! Do you think by doing this, you can grab a quick promotion?”

Wei Yingluo slowly crawled out of her duvet. She stroked the covers. They felt cold and hard to the touch, water having already soaked through its entirety. The night chill was nothing to scoff at, and the fog lay heavy. Using such a wet duvet might cause her to fall ill.

After draining a moat to stop a fire, it was the fish that perished⁵. Because of Wei Yingluo’s actions, innocent people were harmed. Namely, Jixiang, whom was also hit by the tea. Luckily, only a corner of her covers was drenched. She glared at the rest of the crowd. Pulled Wei Yingluo’s arm close with her voice lowered. “Big sister Yingluo, come sleep with me. We can share a duvet.”

Wei Yingluo squeezed her duvet a few times. Suddenly, she lifted her head toward Jixiang. She smiled. “Wait a second for me.”

As soon as the words left her lips, she dropped the wet covers from her hand. Slipping on her embroidered shoes, she pushed the door open and left the dormitory. Once the door swung closed, the laughter permeating the room finally faded. Everyone shared a look. Apparent on their faces were their fear and guilty consciences.

Before, Linglong did not help Wei Yingluo out in front of the crowd. At this time, she finally couldn’t bear it anymore, and turned to Jinxiu with a worried frown. “Why did you start trouble with her? I think she’s going to report us to Aunt Fang.”

Jinxiu felt distressed in her heart. But she still had a bit of smarts. Her pupils darted left and right, before she loudly said to the crowd, “Hasn’t she already used enough stepping stones today? Would she still have the guts to complain? We’ve got so many people here. Why should we be afraid of her?”

The eyes of every palace maid flashed with agreement. This explanation was reasonable enough.

What the majority said became the truth, even if it wasn’t in actuality⁶. Similarly, three people can become a tiger⁷. As long as everyone in the room said the same thing, that Wei Yingluo drenched her own duvet and framed Jinxiu for her own actions, then they wouldn’t take the fall.

She was only one person, whereas they were a crowd. Especially since Aunt Fang and Wei Yingluo had no prior relationship, who would Aunt Fang rather believe, but them?

“Jinxiu, you’re too vicious!” Jixiang was so angry that she jumped off the bed, unable to restrain her sudden burst of energy. “I hate you!”

“Is it me who’s vicious or is it your big sister Yingluo who was born to be an eyesore?!” Jinxiu covered her smile with a hand. “What do you guys all think?”

“Of course it’s Wei Yingluo that’s an eyesore!”

“She’s been an eyesore from the start!”

“It’s only natural that such an ambitious and despicable⁸ person would exploit us like this…”

Laughter and shouts erupted throughout the room. Although Jixiang tried to argue with them, the strength of her two hands couldn’t overcome the strength of two people. Much less, such a large crowd. Not to mention, Jixiang was not an eloquent speaker. She was terrible at debating, and couldn’t beat them in spewing harsh words⁹. In the end, she felt like she had almost argued herself to death, her face flushed red. Breathing hard, she said, “Y-you guys…”

“What about me? What are you trying to say?” Jinxiu shoved Jixiang into the wet covers. Furious, Jixiang pulled a fist back to punch Jinxiu in the face when she heard a splash. 

“Ah!” Now Jinxiu resembled a drowned chicken.

She turned her head and saw Wei Yingluo holding a bucket. Jinxiu felt her blood boil. “What the hell are you doing?”

Yet Wei Yingluo merely graced her with a slight smile. The bucket she was carrying was still half full. She splashed it as she ran, soaking everyone’s covers. The sounds of screams filled the air. One by one the palace maids hopped off their beds and yelled, “Yingluo, are you crazy?!”

“You’ve gone too far!”

“Right, we only said two words to you, but you retaliate like this?”

“Let’s go inform Aunt Fang!” Jinxiu brought a hand to her face to wipe off the water. She was wet from head to toe, beads of cool liquid dripping down her body. Her glare was sharp enough to cut. As she lifted her leg to step out the door, she said, “I’m going to see how Aunt Fang reacts once she’s learned what you did!”

Now that the situation had come to this, Jixiang rushed to deescalate it. “D-don’t go everyone! Yingluo was just acting out of impulse! She didn’t do this on purpose! Yingluo, hurry up and say something!”

Wei Yingluo loosened her grip on the bucket’s handle. The wooden bucket fell to the ground, already empty, rattling as it rolled towards Jinxiu’s feet.

“Let them go,” said Wei Yingluo with another smile. “Since they’ll be the ones getting into trouble, not me.”

Whew. Yingluo’s so badass here haha. So I think I’m going to set a more consistent release schedule. It’ll be 4 regular chapters a month, released on the weekend.

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