Chapter 75: You Act Too Badly, Let Me (1)
“You lunatic, what’s it to you how much someone wears? Why do women have to make things difficult for women?” Yaoyao cursed, unable to stand it any longer.
“Oh my, you hit the nail on the head. I am indeed a lunatic, so you don’t need to pay attention to me.” Qi Huang was unashamed, taking pride in it instead.
“What a bizarre way your mind works. I am more human-like than you are.” Yaoyao was completely speechless.
Qi Huang smiled with satisfaction. What she wanted was a quiet environment to slowly admire beautiful women.
Qi Huang quickly followed the palace maid to the main hall of the Shangyi Bureau and then handed over her waist token and tooth token to a steward for registration.
“Why are you wearing a veil?” The female steward, who served as an Official of Ceremony, frowned slightly. She wore a waist token with her name on it, Meng Chengyu.
“Reporting to Steward Meng, I caught a cold on the way, so it’s better to cover up.” Qi Huang’s casual excuse. As she had decided not to reveal her identity yet, she would keep her face hidden as much as possible.
Meng Dianzan looked at the tooth token and then at Qi Huang. She found that their facial structures were roughly similar, and the beauty mark between their eyebrows was also conspicuous. Thus, she didn’t insist and let it be. Being able to enter the Imperial Palace meant that the other party was definitely not a problem, as the guards were not incompetent.
“Although you are an Imperial Concubine, you do not yet have a formal title. You cannot stay in this Shangyi Bureau eating and drinking for free. Therefore, every morning at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), you will wake up to help with cleaning and cooking. At the hour of Si (9-11 AM), you will study the palace rules. At the hour of Wu (11 AM-1 PM), you will rest. In the afternoon, from the hour of Wei (1-3 PM) to the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), you will study etiquette and music. During this period, you must wear the attire of an Imperial Concubine, which I will give you later,” Meng Dianzan instructed.
“Understood,” Qi Huang nodded.
“Alright, this is the certificate issued by our Shangyi Bureau. Hand it to the constables who brought you here, and they can report back,” Meng Dianzan handed Qi Huang a certificate stamped with the seal of the Shangyi Bureau.
Next, Qi Huang gathered her belongings and was led by Meng Dianzan to her accommodation. Since the Shangyi Bureau only had a few courtyards, and there were as many as one to two hundred Imperial Concubines this time, it was impossible to assign each person a room. It was even impossible to provide each person with a bed. Therefore, most of them slept in communal rooms with five to six people sharing a room. Qi Huang was impersonating someone else, so she couldn’t expect special treatment. She was assigned to a room already occupied by five other Imperial Concubines.
“Imperial Concubine Chen, forgive my rudeness, but what kind of powder are you using? Why do you smell so good?” Meng Dianzan suddenly asked on the way. She said this partly out of curiosity, but more importantly, she wanted to take this opportunity to build rapport.
“It’s nothing, just natural,” Qi Huang casually replied. She wouldn’t tell the truth, as the Golden Life Flower was too precious.
“What? Natural?” Meng Dianzan was somewhat surprised, but then she gave a noncommittal smile, clearly not believing Qi Huang’s words. “I am also a woman. How can I not understand women’s conditions? In this world, where can a woman’s natural fragrance be so strong? Save that for tricking naive men,” Meng Dianzan secretly thought.
The two soon arrived at a large courtyard, which was where the Imperial Concubines lived. “Our Shangyi Bureau isn’t large, just these two courtyards. You’ll have to make do with sharing with them for now. After all, it’s almost the first day of the lunar month in a few days,” Meng Dianzan explained very gently after bringing Qi Huang to the outside of a room. Although she was a female official, she dared not be too cold towards the Imperial Concubines.
“It’s not making do! Not at all! Even more people can fit,” Qi Huang replied excitedly. Because her main body was in charge in the HongHua Sect, she had not yet “integrated” into the female group after so long of feminization. Now was an excellent opportunity.
Meng Dianzan gave Qi Huang a puzzled look. She didn’t understand why this Imperial Concubine was inexplicably excited. Qi Huang walked into the room, and the scent of makeup mixed with the unique sweet fragrance of girls filled the air. Three Imperial Concubines in cross-collared robes were engrossed in practicing their calligraphy, painting, music, and chess. After all, to stand out from the crowd, one could only improve themselves as much as possible. Bloodline, appearance, and fragrance were determined by nature. The only thing they could do was spend time honing their talents. Therefore, entering the Shangyi Bureau was no different from entering a regular academy.
“Ladies, this is your new roommate. Her name is Chen Yuzhu. I hope you will all get along harmoniously,” Meng Dianzan introduced Qi Huang. The Imperial Concubines glanced at Qi Huang perfunctorily and then returned to their own tasks. Qi Huang suppressed her excitement and observed the situation in the room. She noticed that along both walls were communal beds, each about three beds wide. The one on the right was already covered with bedding, and only the outermost space among those on the left remained. So, she walked over and placed her luggage there. After doing all this, Qi Huang reluctantly left the room, preparing to hand the certificate to the five constables waiting outside the main gate.
“Hurry back after you go out. From now on, without the permission of Steward Zhou, you are not allowed to step out of this Shangyi Bureau even half a step. Do you understand?” Meng Dianzan warned very seriously. After all, the Imperial Concubines were all newcomers and completely unfamiliar with the palace rules. What if they caused trouble by going out casually? Qi Huang indicated that she understood, then walked out of the main gate and handed the certificate to the five constables. Upon receiving the certificate, the five constables felt as if they had been granted a general pardon. They repeatedly promised to keep it a secret and left overjoyed. Qi Huang also joyfully returned to her bedroom and began to lay out her bedding, but her eyes occasionally scanned the other Imperial Concubines. Although she hadn’t seen anything too stimulating yet, she was already very satisfied psychologically to be able to blend in. The other Imperial Concubines also looked at Qi Huang from time to time, their expressions gradually showing displeasure. After all, entering the palace while still wearing a veil was like being a walking exhibit of self-confidence.
“I say, sister or sister, the palace is safe enough, and we are all girls. Isn’t there any need to keep wearing that veil?” a tall and thin Imperial Concubine couldn’t help but remind her. She was the prettiest among the three. “Ah? Oh! Sorry, I didn’t mean to wear it. It’s just that I recently had a wisdom tooth removed, and my cheek is a bit swollen. Taking it off would be unsightly,” Qi Huang hastily replied. Since she had to stay here, she couldn’t use the excuse of having a cold anymore, or she would have scared these young girls to death.
“You really are carefree. The first selection is coming up, and you still go to pull out wisdom teeth? What if the Phoenix Selection Token gives you a low score for your appearance because of it?” another Imperial Concubine reminded her. She was the most voluptuous. Coupled with the uniform pink cross-collared robe she was wearing, her chest was exposed, and every subtle movement caused a mountain-shaking, earth-shattering effect. Qi Huang’s gaze struggled to look away. She had to admit that the Imperial Palace had something. This uniform Imperial Concubine attire, with its low-cut design, could maximize the display of a girl’s figure, making it clear who was superior and who was inferior.
“Mind your own business. What does it have to do with you how she does things?” the last, shortest girl said with some disgust. She was the most ordinary-looking among the three. “There’s no other way, the pain was unbearable,” Qi Huang casually replied, her eyes constantly wandering towards the voluptuous Imperial Concubine. Hearing Qi Huang say that, the three Imperial Concubines all showed contempt, but their wariness was greatly reduced.
“See? Like that woman showing off her chest, I must find an opportunity to take pictures of her evidence,” Qi Huang explained to Yaoyao with some guilt. “Did I say anything? Why are you explaining?” Yaoyao replied calmly. Qi Huang hit a wall and could only awkwardly shut up. Next, Qi Huang laid out her bedding while secretly observing Ouyang Tong. As long as the other party was not at risk of being exposed, she was too lazy to fret over it. Meanwhile, Ouyang Tong was still hiding in her room. She had been scared and didn’t dare to go out. “I’ll stay in my room these few days. No matter who calls, I won’t go out. Let’s see who can recognize me then,” Ouyang Tong gritted her teeth secretly. She understood that her acting skills were not good, and the only way to safely get through these six days was to be a shut-in. Unfortunately, she overlooked one thing: everyone has urgent needs, and no one can solve all their problems within their room.
