The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 21: Lotus Root Meatballs

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》Yanxi Gonglue

   The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 21: Lotus Root Meatballs

   Whether or not you're pretending to be stupid is not evident in person but only in person.

   Zhilan carrying a hexagonal palace lamp out of the Chuxiu Palace.

   The wick was deliberately pinched so dark that it could only shine an inch in front of itself, so as not to spook the snake.

   Taking a shortcut, Zhilan exited the Chuxiu Palace before Wei Yingluo and then ambushed her on her way back to the Embroidery Workshop.

   As soon as she heard the sound of footsteps, she blew out the palace lamp in her hand.

   Immediately a darkness fell around her and Zhilan hid herself behind a large tree, the shade of which fell like a dark cloud of mist around her, wrapping her so tightly in darkness that she could no longer be distinguished with the naked eye.

   Soon the sound of footsteps approached, accompanied by a loud hiccup.

   “Oh no!” The sound of footsteps suddenly stopped.

   Zhilan was quick to holding her breath, listening to what she was trying to say.

   “If I take the balls back like this, what if the guys want me to share them with them?” But then I heard Wei Yingluo say in anguish, “I don't want to share such delicious food with others, so ... Why don't we just eat it now?”

   Under Zhilan's dumbfounded gaze, she picked up the bowl and swallowed heavily, only to suddenly spit out the bowl with a loud gasp, along with the portion she had eaten at the Chuxiu Palace.

   Zhilan thought she felt aggrieved but instead she heard her sigh and say, “Why did it all come out, hey, it's wasted, wasted ...”

   This man, this man really is a fool!

   Zhilan could not bear to look at it, for fear that to continue would be to dirty her eyes and ears, so she spat and turned her head back to her duties.

   Behind him, the vomiting was still intermittent.

   Wei Yingluo picked at her throat with all her might, knowing that the more she vomited, the faster Zhilan would leave.

   “Cough, cough ...” Wei Yingluo slowly raised her head, her eyes burning with two fires as she vomited so violently that crystalline tears permeated the corners of her eyes.

   Playing dumb.

   Noble Consort Hui's outburst came so suddenly that in her desperation she had to come up with this solution.

   Playing the fool is something anyone can do but precisely because it is something anyone can do, it is all the more difficult. The hardest bit is how to quickly dissipate Noble Consort Hui's killing intent.

   You know that this Zhuzi is a snake with a heart of gold and that even the Concubines and Consorts of the harem are free to do as they please, let alone a humble court maid like her.

   So, these seven bowls of lotus root flour dumplings, she ate just the right amount.

   I'm sure that Noble Consort Hui, who thinks she's a smart person, won't be wasting her time on her “stupidity” for a long time to come.

   “Noble Consort Hui would not have approached me for no reason.” Wei Yingluo wiped the residue from the corner of her mouth and said with a sneer, “Who snitched to her?”

   That person, I'm sure, is hiding not far from me.

   After all, she was the one who knew and she had led Zhilan to the Embroidery Workshop but she couldn't find any evidence for a while. There are three other people who don't get along with her and who talk badly about her behind her back, like at the moment.

   Three days had passed since they returned from Noble Consort Hui, when the court ladies of the Embroidery Workshop and the Gold and Jade Workshop were suddenly called to one place and told that the Grand Eunuch had something to tell them to do later.

   When there are many people, there are many mouths.

   Only to see the three come together in a group, whispering in voices not too high or too low, just loud enough for those beside them to hear, one of them saying, “Wei Yingluo came home late last night oh--”

   “Wasn't Zhilan called to the Chuxiu Palace?”

   “Zhilan” After she's done with her orders, do you want to keep her for dinner? You're silly, she went on a rendezvous right after she came out of the Chuxiu Palace! Her lover is one of the Royal Guards of the Forbidden City!”

   They spoke as if they had seen it with their own eyes and ears and half of them believed it, while the other half, though they did not believe it, listened to it with great interest.

   Everyone looked sideways and Wei Yingluo couldn't help but clench her fists.

   “Eunuch Li arrives!”

   The little eunuch's singing and drinking stopped the crowd's words for the moment.

   Wei Yingluo only looked up for a second before quickly dropping her head.

   She recognized the Eunuch Li who was walking across the street but was he the same eunuch who had accompanied the Emperor last time?

   Eunuch Li did not recognize her, it was a bit hot today and there was no need to speak, just to stand in the sun for a while and then his back was full of sweat, a few attentive eunuchs were busy carrying a chair to the shade of the tree, serving tea and fruit plates, Eunuch Li drank two sips of water and then ordered: “Who is it?”

   “It's the Embroidery Workshop and the Gold and Jade Workshop's new court maid.” A small eunuch on the side returned as he fanned him.

   Eunuch Li nodded and said, “Still the same as the other day, let's begin.”

   He folded his arms in front of his belly and lay back into the chair with his eyes closed in a false sleep but not really asleep but with both ears raised high.

   “Come, line up one by one and speak.” And the little eunuch commanded, “Just say, I was scratching the sacred tree!”

   What kind of words are these?”

   The court ladies looked at me and I looked at you, all confused as to what this meant.

   “Hurry up, don't waste Eunuch Li's time!” The young eunuch urged with discontent.

   It was then that one of the court maids stepped out stiffly and said: 'I give the sacred tree ...”

   Before she could finish her sentence, Eunuch Li, who was lying in his chair, shook his head slowly and the young eunuch, who had been watching his every movement out of the corner of his eye, immediately said: “Next.”

   “I was scratching the sacred tree.”

   “Next.”

   “I was scratching the sacred tree.”

   “Next.”

   “I was scratching the sacred tree.”

   “Next.”

   There are fewer and fewer people in front of us and Wei Yingluo's face is getting sweaty.

   “Sister Yingluo, are you very hot?” Jixiang handed over a handkerchief and said worriedly, “I'll lend you the handkerchief, you can wipe your sweat.”

   Without a word, Wei Yingluo took the paddle, raised her hand to wipe the sweat and suddenly her body shook and collapsed towards the floor.

   Jixiang was startled and was quick to jumping on her: “Sister Yingluo, Sister Yingluo what is wrong with you.”

   There was so much noise that Eunuch Li slowly opened his eyes and said: “What happened?”

   The little eunuch went over to check and came back to him and said, “Eunuch, it was a little palace maid who fainted from the heat.”

   Eunuch Li looked up at the sky and even though there was a cascade of shade overhead, a few rays of sunlight fell through the gaps between the leaves, hitting one as hot as boiling water.

   “This weather is quite unbearable.” Eunuch Li raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead and ordered down, saying, “The one who fainted from the heat will be sent back first, the rest of you stand in the shade and continue.”

   “I was scratching the sacred tree.”

   “Next.”

   “I was scratching the sacred tree.”

   “Next.”

   “I was scratching the sacred tree.”

   “Next.”

   The conversation grew distant and Wei Yingluo, who was being half carried, half assisted back by Jixiang, opened her eyes and quickly closed them again with a sigh of relief.

   I don't know why Eunuch Li wanted her but it was a good thing she hadn't shown her face that day and she was wearing the ordinary clothes of a maid, with no special embroidery on the collar and cuffs--the rights of the Grand court ladies and Gugus and Momos.

   Eunuch Li could only find her in the small court and only by the sound of her voice.

   The Leather Works Workshop, the Embroidery Workshop, the Gold and Jade Workshop, the Ruyi Pavilion ... He had thousands of other voices to listen to, only to forget how she sounded as he listened.

   “There's no rush on that for now.” Wei Yingluo thought to herself, “The most important thing is to deal with the gossip around me...”

   It is Zhang Momo, who feels the same way.

   When the work of the Embroidery Workshop was finished, she left Wei Yingluo alone, closed the doors and windows to shut out curious ears and asked with a serious face: “Is it true that everyone says you are in love with a Royal Guard?”

   Wei Yingluo laughed and said: “Momo, have the rumors reached you?”

   “The Embroidery Workshop is full of such rumors.” Zhang Momo said, “I don't believe it but three men make a tiger and rumors can be very damaging, so watch out for yourself.”

   They were silent for a while before Wei Yingluo asked gently, “What's the worst that could happen?”

   “The worst that can happen is that the rumor reaches Manager Wu's ears.” Zhang Momo Road.

   Wei Yingluo asked herself if she knew Manager Wu better than Momo, who had been in the harem for more than ten years and asked for advice. If, in the worst-case scenario, the rumors reach Manager Wu's ears, will he deal with me indiscriminately?”

   “That's not true.” Zhang Momo thought about it, shook her head and said, “That Manager Wu is a man who does practical work and will most likely still look into things that fall into his hands carefully, unlike the other eunuchs who dispose of people casually in order to quickly put things to rest.”

   “I see ...” Wei Yingluo was thoughtful.

   If you have an enemy, deal with it sooner rather than later, don't keep it in the shadows so that it could come at her at any time. After coming out of the Embroidery Workshop, a plan was already taking shape in Wei Yingluo's mind, only one thing was missing ...

   Suddenly her footsteps stopped and she turned her gaze across the canal.

   Several artisans are pushing a cart through.

   One of the younger artisans felt something and when he turned his head, he saw Wei Yingluo smiling faintly at him and his whole face turned red. Who knows if she's a noble woman ...”

   Several people hurriedly lowered their heads and pushed their carts away in a panic.

   Because of the movement, a lot of white crumbly soil was spilled where the wheels ran over.

   A pair of white embroidered shoes paced slowly over, then a beautiful hand dropped down to pick up a handful of broken earth.

   Looking down at the broken earth in her palm, Wei Yingluo's face slowly blossomed into a beautiful smile.

  

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》CHAPTERS