The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 3: Entering the Palace

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

   The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 3: Entering the Palace

   When you go to the palace, some people like it and some people avoid it.

   Not every family is willing to send their daughters to the palace to earn that illusory future.

   The government's policy is to have a policy, so there are people who claim that their daughters have a disease and are afraid of passing it on to Noble Lady, so they voluntarily cut off their eligibility to enter the palace. Although this is not legal, it only needs to be dealt with up and down and most importantly no one will denounce it, then the people at the top will also turn a blind eye.

   And the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander had to take care of it when it went out into the street, like Wei Yingluo did.

   “Say it!” the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander said in a stern voice, “What's going on here?”

   “This, this ...” For a moment, Wei Qingtai could not find a reasonable explanation.

   “It's better for me to explain.” A soft female voice rang out behind Wei Qingtai.

   Wei Yingluo, tied with ropes and unable to walk, came to the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander on her knees and raised her face, her blood-stained features reflecting the brightness of her eyes.

   “My Lord the Banner Commander, I am Wei Yingluo, this year's maid of choice.” She said with a calm face and a straight face, “My father spoiled me too much to send me to the palace, so he declared that I had lost my mind and then forced me to marry far away ...”

   “Enough!” the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander no longer wished to hear this but felt that even he had become a joke amidst the people's pointing and who was to blame for this? He glared at the culprit in his heart, Wei Qingtai and said in a solemn voice, “The Internal Affairs Ministry the Three Upper Banners Bond Servant, all the girls born in the court have to be alternative court maids and once they marry each other privately, not to mention you and me, even the governor and the seneschal, all of them will be punished. If you marry a girl of your own birth, not only you and I but also the governor and the seneschal, will all be convicted.

   “I ... I ...” Wei Qingtai I was halfhearted but at last I could only slowly bend my knees and kneel down towards him, knocking my head to the ground and saying, “A thousand wrongs are my fault alone ...”

   The matter has come to this point, he can only take all the blame on himself, lest he drag the whole clan down. Besides, if he didn't take the blame now, the clan would turn around and pin all the blame on him and the methods would only get more ruthless and desperate, lest he have a chance to turn around and accuse the others ...

   “Pity the heart of the parents.” But I heard Wei Yingluo sigh tersely and kneel beside Wei Qingtai, knocking her forehead to the ground as well, the blood on her forehead staining the bricks on the ground and praying, “My father does not want me to enter the palace as a white-headed court maid and I do not want my father to be condemned because of me.”

   The word filial piety has touched the hearts of people most since ancient times.

   Immediately someone sighed and said, “What a filial daughter, Your Excellency, you will spare them this time.”

   “Yes, pity the world.”

   “I also have a daughter and I couldn't bear to see her marry far away, let alone enter the palace, that's really once you enter the palace door, it's as deep as the sea, it's hard to see her again in this life.”

   The Pale-Yellow Banner Commander glanced at Wei Yingluo with a complicated look.

   With these words, she gave everyone a step down. Wei Qingtai is not breaking the law but is a father and daughter and he is not negligent but can instead use this opportunity to comply with public opinion and be a green master.

   “All right.” the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander nodded slowly and said, “For the sake of so many people pleading for your mercy, this officer will spare you this time, you must not make any more mistakes, do you understand?”

   “I understand.” Wei Qingtai bowed and said that he could only understand, had to understand and even had to personally send Wei Yingluo to the palace in order to show his repentance.

   “Father, I'm sorry.”

   Wei Qingtai turned his head to see Wei Yingluo looking at him with determined eyes, repeating the words she had said earlier when she was in the Yizhuang Building and said: “I must go to the palace.”

   What could Wei Qingtai do now but to say in anger and rage: “Go, you go! I don't care if you live or die, I don't care anymore!”

   He could only blame the gods for letting the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander cross the street at this time.

   Just, did the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander really happen to be passing by?

   In the crowd and in the direction where the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander appeared, a middle-aged woman raised her hand and pressed the hat on her head, which draped a black veil, hiding her face, otherwise Wei Qingtai, seeing her face, would have questioned “AJin, what are you doing here?”

   There are not many coincidences in this world; many coincidences, when reckoned with afterwards, are artificial.

   “Miss, I have brought the Pale-Yellow Banner Commander here as you ordered.” AJin looked through the light veil in the direction of Wei Yingluo and said with a soft sigh in her heart, “I hope I'm not doing you a disservice by doing this and that you do get what you want and don't follow in your sister's footsteps ...”

…

   Wei Yingluo walked with her new maids through the Royal Gardens on the second day of the second month of February in the sixth year of the Qianlong reign.

   Most of the palace maids were fifteen or sixteen years old, the most innocent and curious grade in life, each looking left and right, attracted by a peony flower, by a pink butterfly, except Wei Yingluo who did not look at anything but Wei Yingluo, who looked at everything coldly.

   Even wondered if the flowers bloomed so beautifully because they drew my sister's blood?

   “What are you all chattering about?” The leader of the Grand palace maid could not stand the chattering of these sparrows and said with a cold snort, “This is the Forbidden City, the most honored place in the world, where you can look and talk nonsense? Get out of here!

   Wei Yingluo was about to follow when a palace maid tugged at her sleeve, lowering her voice but enough for the young palace maids around her to hear her say, “Look, over there!

   Wei Yingluo couldn't help but frown, thinking that the other girl was a bit unsettled. The Grand palace maid had just told them not to look or talk and she was making such a fuss the next day and not just by herself but by everyone else ...

   By the way, she remembered that the girl seemed to be called Jinxiu.

   She has a pointy face, a water snake waist and a head-to-toe style that is worthy of a name as flamboyant as Jinxiu.

   A group of small palace maids followed the sound and saw several the Draft women coming from the depths of the peach blossoms, each with a beautiful appearance, more delicate than the flowers, with a small fan in their hands waving gently, a fragrant breeze seemingly from afar, with jasmine and roses, which was refreshing.

   A small doll faced court maid blinked and said, “Sister Jinxiu, who are they? Are they fairies?”

   That's childish and the girl looks like a child too, Wei Yingluo remembered that she was the youngest of them all, only fourteen and her name was Jixiang.

   Again, the man is as his name suggests, a New Year's Eve doll like figure that screams festivity when you look at it.

   “Those are the Draft women who have passed the reelection and are ready for the Palace election.” Linglong's face was envious and her eyes seemed to be reaching out with two hands to strip off her clothes and jewelry, her hairpins and earrings and put them all on herself.

   “What a beautiful dress.” Jixiang also looks envious but this envy is completely different from Linglong's. She looks like the little sister next door looking at the candy cane in your hand with a longing look on her face and said, “If only I could wear such beautiful clothes.”

   Jinxiu snorted at her words and said: “Those are noble girls from famous families, who are Zhuzi when they enter the palace, even if we pass the test, we are just palace maids to serve them, you “

   She elbowed Jixiang and said, “Stop daydreaming!

   “Beware!” Wei Yingluo was too late in shouting. Jixiang was already young and weak, so she needed two hands to lift the barrel she was using for cleaning and she was struggling to lift it, so she was wobbling just standing up. The bucket fell to the ground with a clatter and the water inside splashed out like ink onto the skirt of one of the Draft women.

   Jixiang was terrified and rushed to the other man's feet saying: “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll wipe you up now ...”

   Pop!

   Jixiang was slapped to the ground and rolled around, all black with sewage, like a miserable stray dog.

   “Bastard servant!” The Draft woman said with a stern look on her face, “I bought this fragrant veil from the south of the Yangtze River to prepare for today's election and now you've made it dirty, what do I have to wear to meet His Majesty!

   “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it.” Jixiang crawled over in tears and fumbled for a clean handkerchief,” I'll wipe it for you, I'll wipe it for you right away ...

   “Get lost!” The Draft woman kicked out with a disgusted face, this kick was hard and fast and did not treat Jixiang as a human being at all, like a dirty stray dog, directly to the face of the opponent, Jixiang rolled out with a whimper and crawled back on her hands and knees, with a bloody nose, kowtowing like a garlic, “Sorry, sorry ...”

   “Humph!” the Draft woman looked to the Grand court maid and said, “Do you think I should spare her?”

   The court maids were all looking at the Grand court maids with expectation, hoping that the Grand court maids would speak up for Jixiang. When they heard the Draft woman's words, they all looked at the Grand Maid with expectation, hoping that the Grand Maid would speak up for Jixiang.

   Yet Wei Yingluo knows that this is not possible.

   How would the Grand ladies, who have been in the world for a long time, offend the Draft women who might be Consort in the future, for the sake of an ordinary maid?

   As expected, the Grand maid said with a smile: “Wuya Xiaozhu, these maids are new to the palace and are as stupid as pigs, you can beat them or scold them but don't be angry with them!”

   The palace maids smiled, either with disappointed faces or angry eyes and then their mouths were shut tighter; everyone was wise and what the Grand palace maids did not dare to do, they dared not do even more.

   At this moment, the only person who can speak for Jixiang is perhaps the Draft woman, who is of equal status.

   “Sister Wuya.” A timid voice rang out and said, “She didn't mean it either, just give her a break...”

   ... Is there really a Draft woman who will speak for Jixiang?

  

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》CHAPTERS