Chapter 75: You Act Too Badly, Let Me (4)
Qi Huang’s mind raced. The pathetic young lady inside was completely spooked. Although Qi Huang had good intentions, if she didn’t find a reasonable excuse, the other party might not appreciate it.
“Imperial Lady Qi, I am a palace maid from the Shangyi Bureau. Madam Zhou saw you hadn’t come to the public kitchen for meals, so she asked me to specifically bring some over for you,” Qi Huang said after a moment of thought.
As expected, Ouyang Tong, hearing this, believed her and showed a look of pleasant surprise on her pretty face. However, after standing up and taking a couple of steps, she hesitated, ultimately speaking with difficulty as she politely declined: “No need, thank you. I’m not hungry!”
‘She’s too scared to even take it?’ Qi Huang was truly speechless. She looked around and then placed the bowl of rice on the windowsill. Only then did she say, “How about this, I’ll leave the food on the windowsill. If you get hungry, take it in yourself. Otherwise, it will be difficult for me to report back.” After saying this, Qi Huang left without hesitation.
Ouyang Tong realized there was no movement outside the window, but she still didn’t act rashly. Soon, however, the aroma of food wafted in through the crack in the window.
“Gurgle…” Ouyang Tong’s stomach audibly growled. She licked her dry lips, a look of longing in her beautiful eyes.
After about another quarter of an hour, Ouyang Tong could no longer resist the temptation. She carefully opened the window and brought the food inside. Ouyang Tong began to wolf down the food as soon as she sat down. Although the meal wasn’t lavish, she found it exceptionally fragrant and sweet, surpassing any delicacies she had eaten before.
Qi Huang had been observing with her spiritual sense and was finally satisfied seeing this. However, soon after, tears continuously streamed down Ouyang Tong’s cheeks, falling into the bowl. She seemed oblivious, mechanically scooping up the food. Qi Huang blinked slightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions. To involve an innocent person for her own selfish desires went against her principles as a person.
‘Don’t worry, with me here, you won’t suffer anymore,’ Qi Huang silently encouraged herself.
Not long after, Qi Huang, along with the other Imperial Ladies, went to another large courtyard for morning class. This was essentially to familiarize themselves with the palace rules under a “Music and Etiquette” teacher, to avoid making mistakes. Qi Huang was not very interested, but she was quite satisfied to be sitting with a group of beautiful young girls, so an hour passed without her realizing it.
At noon, Qi Huang reluctantly left the lecture hall and hurried back to her residence.
“Have you heard? The Inner Administration posted notices all over the palace this morning saying that the specially appointed Imperial Lady has successfully entered the Shangyi Bureau.”
“Really? When did she arrive?”
“Yesterday. The moment she came in, it caused a sensation. Didn’t you know?”
“What’s so surprising about that!”
“How ignorant! She is the first specially appointed Imperial Lady since His Majesty’s ascension to enter the imperial palace alive, and she’s a clone of a cultivator. She’s unprecedented.”
“Yes, and more importantly, she comes from that rat’s nest, Huang Tian Prefecture. This is also the first time ever.”
…
As Qi Huang walked halfway, she vaguely heard a few Imperial Ladies discussing.
‘The notices have already been posted? It seems the inevitable has arrived. Now the entire imperial palace knows about this, and Ouyang Tong’s pressure will only grow.’ Qi Huang’s expression became more serious.
When Qi Huang returned to her bedroom, she found her roommates discussing her.
“Have you heard? That specially appointed Imperial Lady has already arrived at the Shangyi Bureau,” Yang Cai asked.
{I am Yu Jie, a plump girl.} “Of course, I heard. I watched her come in yesterday,” Yu Jie, a plump girl, replied.
“Really? Is she beautiful? How does she compare to you?” Yang Cai asked curiously.
{Yu Jie honestly replied.} “I don’t know. She was wearing a veil at the time,” Yu Jie replied honestly, but then added, “However, her figure looked quite good, and she’s tall with large breasts.”
“Tall with large breasts? Like her?” Yang Cai unconsciously glanced at Qi Huang, her face unable to hide her jealousy.
{Yu Jie also said with some jealousy after carefully observing Qi Huang.} “A bit worse than her, especially her chest,” Yu Jie also said with some jealousy after carefully observing Qi Huang.
“Why are you bringing me into this for no reason?” Qi Huang felt speechless and pulled at her collar.
“Hmph. If her appearance is ordinary, what’s the use of a good figure? She comes from that rat’s nest, Huang Tian Prefecture, so she can’t be a beauty,” the fat girl Tang Lu said disdainfully beside her.
“Then why did His Majesty choose her as the specially appointed Imperial Lady?” The most beautiful Fan Ying retorted.
“You wouldn’t know this. Because Cheng Hong Ling reached the Huashen realm at sixteen, His Majesty values her bloodline, not her looks,” Tang Lu made her judgment, seemingly knowing some inside information.
“But I heard that Cheng Hong Ling tested the Phoenix Selection Token, scoring full marks in all six categories. As a clone, she probably wouldn’t be too bad either, right?” Qi Huang interjected calmly.
“Do you believe rumors? I also heard I scored full marks in all six categories,” Tang Lu mocked. Qi Huang smiled noncommittally, truly not knowing the fear of the unknown.
“Since she’s already here, whether she’s beautiful or ugly, we’ll know when we see her. Why are we guessing here?” Fan Ying spoke up. The others thought this made sense and quieted down.
In the afternoon, Qi Huang again followed the Imperial Ladies to learn musical notation. Having grown accustomed to fighting, it was quite a good experience to enjoy a peaceful life. Of course, whether it was learning etiquette in the morning or musical notation in the evening, Ouyang Tong did not attend. Because she was a specially appointed Imperial Lady, the stewards did not dare to force her, and Eunuch Zhong had also given instructions at the time.
Time flew by, and it was evening. Qi Huang went to the public kitchen again to prepare food for Ouyang Tong and heard many voices discussing her.
“Hasn’t that specially appointed Imperial Lady arrived? Where is she?”
“She doesn’t seem to be here.”
“Speaking of which, she hasn’t shown her face since she entered the Shangyi Bureau yesterday. Not to mention attending classes, she hasn’t even come to the public kitchen.”
“Let’s not talk about classes. Even if she’s exercising privilege, she has to eat, right? Doesn’t she know she’s hungry?”
“You don’t understand. She’s a cultivator’s clone. Although she has lost her cultivation, her physical condition is far superior to ordinary people. Let alone one or two meals, she can go for ten to twenty days without eating.”
“Not eating for ten to twenty days, that’s not cultivation, that’s hibernation.”
“What does it matter to you what she is? Anyway, it’s best not to provoke her.”
“You think too highly of me. That specially appointed Imperial Lady has a boundless future. Who would dare to provoke her?”
…
The Imperial Ladies discussed animatedly, but most of them were just blowing off steam. No one dared to actually act, after all, they weren’t fools. If they wanted to fight, they would find someone of equal strength. To mess with the specially appointed Imperial Lady would be like throwing an egg against a rock.
Qi Huang relaxed a little. From the current situation, it seemed that at least in the Shangyi Bureau, most people would not dare to make trouble for Ouyang Tong. Qi Huang then carried the food back to the courtyard where the Imperial Ladies resided and took it directly to Ouyang Tong’s door.
At this moment, Ouyang Tong was sitting in her room, eagerly staring at her door, like a little dog begging for food, hoping that the palace maid from the morning would come to feed her again.
‘I’m really thinking too highly of myself. I refused her this morning, how could she possibly come to deliver food for free?’ Ouyang Tong smiled self-deprecatingly and then prepared to sleep. “Just sleep on it. Once you fall asleep, you won’t be hungry,” Ouyang Tong comforted herself, and then prepared to sleep fully clothed.
“Da da da…” Just then, a knock sounded again.
“Who is it?” Ouyang Tong instantly flipped over and asked as gently as possible, her beautiful eyes filled with longing.
“Imperial Lady Qi, it’s me. I’ve come to bring you food again,” Qi Huang’s calm voice came from outside the door.
“Thank you. Just leave it on the windowsill. I’ll get it myself later.” Ouyang Tong had tasted the benefits, so this time she wasn’t hesitant.
“Okay, tell me if you need anything else.” Qi Huang added as a reminder. As long as this woman could stay in her room, she could satisfy any request.
“Could you trouble yourself to bring me a basin of water for washing?” Ouyang Tong hesitated for a moment before making her request. She had been hiding in the room for a whole day; let alone bathing, she hadn’t even washed her face, so she felt very uncomfortable.
“Please wait a moment.” Qi Huang smiled with satisfaction and then walked away from the door. For some reason, she felt like she was feeding a small pet, and she felt a great sense of accomplishment.
…
Meanwhile, in the harem, almost everyone knew that the specially appointed Imperial Lady had entered the Shangyi Bureau, so there was a surge of undercurrents for a time. In the Empress’s sleeping quarters, Empress Zheng summoned her informant, whom she had previously placed in the Imperial Lady Guard.
“Xiao Huan, you should know that the Inner Administration posted notices today saying that that Qi Huang has safely reached the Shangyi Bureau,” Empress Zheng asked in a seemingly calm tone.
“Your Highness, this is impossible. I saw the situation clearly at the time. Even Eunuch Zhong said that Imperial Lady was doomed, and we returned to the palace carrying an empty sedan chair,” the palace maid named Xiao Huan explained with great certainty.
“They provided an explanation, saying that Qi Huang had foreseen the danger in advance, so she had her main body recall her. Do you think it’s possible that she arrived later?” Empress Zheng speculated.
“Uh… this… Your Highness… your servant is not a cultivator, so I don’t understand this very well,” Xiao Huan explained cautiously.
“How about this, starting tomorrow, I will arrange for you to enter the Shangyi Bureau. You find an opportunity to see if that is the real Qi Huang,” Empress Zheng ordered.
“Yes!” Xiao Huan took the order and obediently retreated.
“Your Highness, is this necessary? Under the pressure of the Heavenly Tribulation, she couldn’t possibly use her spiritual sense to contact her main body,” an elderly palace maid standing beside her interjected.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry. Only when I confirm she’s fake can I be completely at ease,” Empress Zheng said sternly.
