Qing Lan was resting on the bed, the soft embroidered curtains of the peony-carved canopy bed gently draped around her, while a calming styrax incense curled from the lotus-shaped burner. Chun Ling tiptoed to the wardrobe, opened it, and whispered to Xianglan, "From now on, the concubine's clothes and needlework will be under your care. This wardrobe holds seasonal garments—the upper layer for jackets, the middle for BeiZi, and the lower for skirts. Autumn and winter clothes are stored in the camphorwood chest." She opened the chest, pointing out each item: which were fur-lined, which were brocade, which were for daily wear, which were for receiving guests, which were for paying respects to Taitai and the ladies, along with various fine fabrics, and so on.
Xianglan nodded, committing each detail to memory.
Chun Ling retrieved a large tray from the wardrobe, holding two stacks of clothes, and said, "These are clothes Concubine Lan has gifted, made just last year. Though slightly worn, they've been laundered and are spotless—one set for Xiao Juan and one for Yin Die."
Xianglan examined the garments: one set was a silver-white plain satin skirt with cold-blue trimmings, and the other was a cinnamon-colored BeiZi with matching skirt, both adorned with delicate embroidery. The fabrics were of excellent quality, and the subdued colors made them suitable for wearing during Old Madam Zeng's mourning period.
Soon after, Chun Ling brought out another tray with two porcelain dishes, each containing jewelry for Juan and Die. "These are also from Concubine Lan," she said. "She mentioned the brighter flowers and ornaments should be worn after the mourning period." Xianglan saw one dish held two red velvet palace flowers, two blue velvet palace flowers, a silver-plated hairpin, a crystal-inlaid silver hairpin, a pair of silver bracelets, a pair of jade bracelets, and a pair of green jade earrings. The other dish held similar items, though the hairpins and earrings differed in design.
Chun Ling smiled softly. "As a second-rank maid, you naturally receive something different. Concubine Lan instructed me to prepare special gifts for you." She then presented an ivory-collared, jade-green BeiZi with a hidden plum blossom pattern, a dark blue gold-threaded brocade long jacket—both nearly new—along with four gauze flowers, two aged silver hairpins, a small agate-inlaid gold hairpin, a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of delicate ivory bracelets, and a pair of coral earrings.
Chun Ling thought to herself, "I heard Xianglan's family is modest, and she previously served under Cao Lihuan, so she must not have seen such fine things. Seeing such generous gifts from the concubine, she must be stunned." Yet she noticed Xianglan merely glanced at the items, lightly touching the fabric of the clothes. Though she smiled, she showed no overwhelming delight, saying instead, "The concubine is truly kind. When she wakes, I’ll go and thank her properly for these gifts."
Chun Ling was taken aback but smiled. "You’re clever and sincere. I’m sixteen, likely older than you, so I’ll presume to call myself your elder sister. Let’s get along well from now on."Xianglan smiled in agreement, and after exchanging a few lighthearted words, the two carried their trays back to the room, handing the items over to Xiao Juan and Yin Die. Xiao Juan was overjoyed and immediately slipped the bracelet onto her wrist. Xianglan also sat on her bed to examine her share, carefully folding the clothes and inspecting each piece of jewelry one by one. She thought to herself, "Mother has never had much jewelry. If I save these pieces to bring back for her, she’ll surely be delighted. It’s just a shame the clothes are a bit small—otherwise, I could have given them to her too. Ah, since entering the household, I’ve only gone home once. When I get the chance, I’ll ask for leave to visit again. When Father and Mother hear I’ve been promoted to second rank, they’ll be so happy..." As she mused, she remarked aloud, "Concubine Lan is truly generous. To give us so many things upon our first meeting—she must be easy to get along with."
Yin Die was also sitting on her bed, examining the newly bestowed items. Seeing that Chun Ling had stepped out, she sneered, "What’s so special about this? My sister serves in Miss Ling’s quarters, and the rewards there are real gold and silver, pearls and jade. The clothes aren’t just made of fine fabric—even the embroidery patterns are fresh and exquisite. Don’t be so easily impressed, acting like these measly gifts are some grand favor. Last time, my sister received a gold ring from Miss Qian, set with a gemstone as big as a soybean. She barely glanced at it before giving it to me to wear for fun. Compared to that ring, the things we got today might as well be scrap metal." She then sauntered over to Xiao Juan’s side to inspect her rewards, only to notice that Xianglan’s clothes were of better quality, the Palace Flowers fresher, the crystal on her hairpin more translucent, and the jade earrings more lustrous. This left her feeling sour.
When she drifted over to Xianglan’s side and saw the hairpins, bracelets, and rings spread out on the bed, her eyes widened in shock. "Why did you get so much more?" she blurted out, her envy flaring. Assuming Xianglan had no one to rely on and was meek enough to be easily bullied, Yin Die declared, "I like these coral earrings of yours. Since you don’t even have pierced ears, just give them to me."
Xianglan froze, but Xiao Juan hopped down from her bed and said, "Fine, then trade them for your silver bracelets and that jade earring of yours."
Yin Die scowled. "I was talking to Xianglan. What’s it to you?"
Xiao Juan plopped down beside Xianglan, swinging her feet. "You’ve got some nerve, shamelessly demanding things from others. I don’t like it, so I’ll say something. What are you going to do about it?"
"You—"
Xianglan tugged at Xiao Juan’s sleeve and glanced at Yin Die. "I’m saving these earrings for my mother. Since your sister gets so much gold and silver jewelry from Miss Ling’s quarters, why don’t you ask her for something even nicer to wear for fun?" With that, she packed away the clothes and jewelry, pulled out a chest from under the bed, locked the items inside, and turned to Xiao Juan. "Didn’t Chun Ling ask you to embroider handkerchiefs earlier? Do you want me to help you sketch the patterns?"
Yin Die stamped her foot. "Stingy and petty—keep them if you want. I don’t even care." She flounced back to her own bed in a huff.
Just then, Chun Ling walked in. Yin Die’s eyes darted craftily as she tattled, "Sister Chun Ling, what’s Xianglan doing? Did you forget to assign her any tasks? And why did she get more things than the rest of us?"Chun Ling glanced at Yin Die and said calmly, "Xianglan is second-rank, of course she's different from you two. In the future, she'll be in charge of Concubine Lan's clothing and needlework. Once you finish making the sachet, show it to her."
Yin Die was dumbfounded, secretly regretting her misjudgment of the situation. She had thought Xianglan was an easy target, but who knew she was actually a rank higher? If Xianglan decided to make things difficult for her later, it would be troublesome. She resolved to curry favor with Xianglan from now on. When Xiao Juan heard that Xianglan had been promoted to second-rank, she felt somewhat uncomfortable, but ultimately she was happy for Xianglan and winked at her. Xianglan curled her lips and secretly winked back at Xiao Juan.
When they were alone, Xiao Juan quietly asked Xianglan, "How did you end up coming to Concubine Lan's place... I heard Miss Huan was driven out by Taitai. Is that true? What did Miss Huan do to get expelled?"
Xianglan looked at her wide-eyed, eager expression and burst out laughing, tapping her forehead. "You're so slow at embroidering handkerchiefs, but you're so energetic when it comes to gossip."
Xiao Juan grinned cheekily and hugged Xianglan's arm. "Be a dear, tell me, tell me." She raised three fingers in a vow. "I won't tell anyone else."
Unable to resist her pestering, Xianglan relented. "I'm not entirely sure what happened, but she must have angered the old madam and Taitai, so they sent her away. Don't bring this up again, lest it reaches Taitai's ears and causes trouble."
Dissatisfied with the answer, Xiao Juan shook Xianglan's arm, wanting to press further. Xianglan quickly changed the subject. "I came here because Miss Huan left and Concubine Lan needed more hands. What about you? Weren't you originally in the First Madam's quarters? How did you end up serving here?"
Xiao Juan counted on her fingers. "Three of Concubine Lan's original maids—one fell ill and was sent home to avoid spreading the sickness, another fell down the stairs and went home to recover, and the third lost her father and went home to mourn. Since Concubine Lan is with child, the masters thought it inauspicious to have someone associated with death around, so she wasn't allowed back. The east wing was short-handed, and many maids were eyeing the position. I never thought I'd get it, but then Master intervened, and in the end, I was chosen." She smiled happily. "It must be fate that we're together now. It couldn't be better. I just wish Sister Tinglan could have come too." She sighed, glancing at Yin Die's bed. "Who knew I'd end up rooming with this troublemaker."
Xianglan sat at the desk, carefully tracing a floral pattern for Xiao Juan. "Just ignore her from now on. Don't cause any discord—it'll reflect poorly on both sides."
Xiao Juan pouted. "She's the one who keeps provoking me. It's hard to avoid her. She used to serve Miss Chunyan, and that mistress was already difficult, but Yin Die is a hundred times worse. Living with her is going to be a trial."
Just then, Yin Die entered the room, and Xiao Juan immediately fell silent.
That evening, Xianglan washed up early and let down the bed curtains to rest, while Xiao Juan and Yin Die were still washing up and removing their makeup. Xianglan took out the pouch Qin Shi had given her and, by the faint candlelight outside the curtains, poured its contents into her palm. Inside were four gold ingots, a pair of gold earrings, and a gold-inlaid jade ring.Xianglan played with each item, feeling a wave of nostalgia. In her previous life at Shen Jia, during festivals, the mistress of the household would take out scattered silver and gold to be melted and crafted by artisans into various ingots—shaped like ruyi scepters, peonies, crabapple blossoms, or the Wenchang brush, some even engraved with auspicious characters like "fortune," "prosperity," "longevity," and "joy." Large or small, they filled several trays, gleaming gold and silver, a dazzling sight. She had used them for gifts or rewards, but deep down, she never truly appreciated them.
Only now, understanding the hardships of life, did she realize the importance of cherishing one's blessings.
Xianglan carefully packed the items back into the pouch and tucked it away securely. She pulled the soft rhombus-patterned quilt higher and suddenly felt the days ahead brightening. Breathing in the fresh fragrance from the sachet by her pillow, she drifted into a sweet slumber.
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Apologies for not updating yesterday—something urgent came up, and I didn’t have access to a computer.
Thank you to Huaxiyuexi for the two Peace Talismans, Yueyueaiyueyue for the Peace Talisman, Huashan Lüshuizhou for the PK votes, bubu8915 for the PK votes, and Huaxiyuexi again for the PK votes! But everyone, no need to spend on PK votes for me—let’s not play that game, it’s too pricey, hehe. Special thanks to my diligent deputy moderator, Aomanyu21yu21 =3=
There’s a thread below where you can sign up to be a character in the novel. Feel free to check it out if you’re interested ^_^
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