The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 4: The Lotus

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

   The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 4: The Lotus

   Wei Yingluo shift her eyes and felt a brightness before her eyes, as if a dark fragrance was floating around the corner and a white lotus was gently blooming in the pool.

   The rarest thing was the softness of her look, as if she was holding her heart in her hands.

   But this is a harem and there are very few women who can appreciate the beauty of another woman in peace and that does not include the woman of the Draft, Wuya Qingdai.

   “Lu Wanwan, shut up!” She turned her head and glared away saying, “I didn't ask you!”

   The white the Draft woman shrank her shoulders, seemingly intimidated by her and at that moment a Douli the Draft woman beside her tugged at her sleeve and whispered in her ear, “You really, it's not worth getting angry with Sister Wuya over an unintelligent servant.”

   Lu Wanwan opened her mouth and finally swallowed her words back.

   “Save someone to the end, what's this about her?” Jinxiu lowered her voice and complained.

   Wei Yingluo gave her a look, Lu Wanwan at least said a word for Jixiang, what can you expect from someone like you who doesn't even dare to stand up and say a word?

   Seeing that Lu Wanwan was repulsed by her own words, Wuya Qingdai was even more pleased with herself and she returned her gaze to Jixiang, with a fierce glint in her eyes but a sweet smile on her face: “Tsk, a new palace maid, no wonder she is so unruly! Since you have soiled my clothes, use this hand to pay for it!”

   At these words, one foot crushed heavily on the back of Jixiang's hand.

   The pain was so intense that Jixiang was sweating coldly, her eyes were black and she couldn't hide, so she could only lie on the ground and cry out, “It hurts, it hurts! Zhuzi spare my life, Zhuzi spare my life!

   Zhuzi had no intention of sparing her at all but instead took her cries as a matter of amusement and actually snorted out a laugh.

   The laughter sent chills down Jixiang's spine and for the first time in her life she realized that there are people who base their happiness on the pain of others.

   “Father ... Mother ...” After all, he is a child and when he is sad, he cannot help but turn to those close to him and say, “Help me, help me, Fang Gu, Xi'er, Jinxiu ... Yingluo!”

   Suddenly the pain in the back of her hand disappeared.

   At the same time, there was a sucking sound in the ears.

   What's happening ...

   Jixiang looked up blankly, her eyes hazy with tears and it took several seconds before she could see clearly what was in front of her and couldn't help but let out the same intake of breath as the next person.

   Only Wei Yingluo was seen kneeling beside her at some point, holding a foot in her hand--Wuya Qingdai's foot.

   “Wuya Xiaozhu...” Wei Yingluo hung her head and said in a respectful voice, “Please raise your feet high.”

   Wuya Qingdai looked down at Wei Yingluo with a chilling smile on her face and said, “How dare you, a mere court maid, try to ask me for mercy?”

   She looked Wei Yingluo up and down for a moment and as she had said before, she had never been a woman who could appreciate other beauties and with a flash of jealousy, she smiled and said, “That's not impossible, how about you for her?

   “If Xiaozhu wants the hand of a slave, I will naturally offer it willingly.” Just as the crowd thought that Wei Yingluo was going to be unlucky, they heard her turn of phrase and say, “Only, today is the day of Xiaozhu's palace election, which is a great joy, so it is not advisable to add blood to it and stain Xiaozhu's good mood and good fortune.”

   Wuya Qingdai frowned and swept the other the Draft women out of the corner of her eye.

   Being herself a person who likes to trip up in secret, she thinks that others are like her.

   Stepping on the hands of two young palace maids is a minor matter but I am afraid that someone will report behind her back, saying that she is carrying the aura of blood and this is a bloodbath, so it is not appropriate to face the sage ...

   It was just a little disheartening to let these two go like that, so I said coldly, “You're quite a talker but now these shoes are dirty and I'm not happy about it!”

   Wei Yingluo glanced at Jixiang's hand.

   On the back of a chubby white hand, black and blue, branded with a black lotus flower with petals and stamens, all oozing blood outwards.

   Wei Yingluo's heart was cold with frost but her face was even more respectful and meek and she hung her head and said to Wuya Qingdai: “Xiaozhu is so ingenious that she deliberately carved the soles of her shoes into the shape of lotus flowers.”

   “Oh?” Wuya Qingdai said with a raised eyebrow, “How do you share your worries?”

   Wei Yingluo untied the scented bag at her waist and shouted without looking back, “Linglong, where's the scented bag on you?”

   The maid whose name she called was taken aback.

   “Give me that.” Wei Yingluo said as she untied the scented capsule and poured the rose scented powder inside onto the floor.

   Although she didn't want to stand up for herself at this time, Linglong reluctantly stepped forward in full view of everyone and handed over the scented bag: “Here.”

   The powder of the same color was poured together and tired into a tiny rose-colored mass and Wei Yingluo knelt down and cupped her hands upwards and said: “Please, Wuya Xiaozhu, lift your feet.”

   A soft laugh came from overhead before an embroidered shoe with a bloody sole landed in the palm of her clean hand.

   Wei Yingluo held Wuya Qingdai's embroidered shoes in both hands, then dipped her scented capsule in the powder and evenly applied it to the soles of Wuya Qingdai's shoes with a concentrated look, as if she was doing something extremely important.

   “Huh...” Looking at the side of her face, Lu Wanwan eeked and said, “Sister Nalan, this little palace maid is quite good looking.”

   The one she called Sister Naran was the Douli the Draft woman named Naran Chuxue, who had stopped her from helping Jixiang earlier. Sister Wuya's life.

   “All right.” Wei Yingluo put down Wuya Qingdai's foot and respectfully said, “Please Xiaozhu try walking two steps.”

   “What the hell are you up to ...” Wuya Qingdai took a few steps and said with a grim look on her face, “If you don't tell me what you're up to, I'll take care of you today or I'll come back ...”

   “Oops.” Lu Wanwan, in spite of Naran Chuxue's stopping her, covered her lips with her fan and said in a helpful voice, “Step by step, the lotus is so charming, look back.”

   Wuya Qingdai froze at the words and she looked back to see a meandering trail of lotus marks on the green stone slab she had just walked across.

   “I have not read much but I heard from a scholar that the Marquis of Dongxiu made a golden lotus for his favorite, Pan Consort and that Pan Consort was as beautiful as a lotus in her footsteps, so she was highly favored. Today, Yingluo has taken the trouble to embed rose powder into the sole of her shoe to wish Xiaozhu all the best!”

   Wuya Qingdai glanced at her, shook her fan again and took a few steps back and forth.

   Lotus after lotus on the green stone slabs, like white flowers slowly blooming in a green lake.

   Wuya Qingdai was in no hurry to punish the two little court maids but only wanted to let His Majesty see the scene quickly; later, who knows if those foxes would follow her example and make a field of roses and peonies.

   “All right, all right.” So, she waved her hand indifferently and said to Wei Yingluo, who was still on her knees, “I'll spare her life for being such a pug!”

   Having said that, she did not stay any longer and left in a hurry, stepping on a field of lotus flowers.

   As soon as she left, there was nothing else to see, so the Draft women left one by one and Lu Wanwan turned back to Wei Yingluo with a kind smile halfway through her walk.

   It's just a pity that she was standing and Wei Yingluo was kneeling, so this smile was not seen by Wei Yingluo.

   Only when the footsteps were far away did Wei Yingluo slowly get up and go to Jixiang, who was still kneeling on the ground and with a deep sigh, reached out to help her up, shivering and said: “Jixiang, it's all right.”

   “Oh, oh ...” Jixiang seemed to have not yet recovered from what had just happened, soulfully responding to Wei Yingluo's words.

   “I'll bandage you briefly first.” Wei Yingluo took out a clean handkerchief and carefully bandaged her up, saying, “I'll take you to the doctor later ...”

   Being treated so tenderly by her, Jixiang's heart slowly settled, like a drifting duck in a lake gradually coming to shore and with tears in her eyes, she replied: “Yes ...”

   “Jixiang, you're so clumsy!” An untimely voice rang out but it was Jinxiu walking with her arms crossed and her thin lips spitting out a sarcastic remark, “Almost got us all killed!”

   “You still have the nerve to say that!” Jixiang puffed up both cheeks and said, “If you hadn't pushed me just now, I wouldn't have made a mistake at all!”

   “All right, all right, stop it!” The Grand maid stopped them both and taught them, “To be hired as a maid, you have to pass two tests: broom holding and embroidery.

   All the court ladies, including Wei Yingluo, bowed their heads and answered, “Yes!”

   The long procession followed the Grand palace maids, like a pool of fish, swimming in the water where they should go. Halfway through the procession, Wei Yingluo's sleeve is tugged and she turns her head to see Jixiang looking around, wary as a mouse, obviously frightened by what has just happened and now she speaks in a lowered voice for fear of being overheard.

   “Yingluo!” She said with a hint of innocent childish dependence, complaining adorably, “how can you help her win the election when the Wuya Clanswoman is so bad?”

   “Winning the election, is she?” Wei Yingluo pauses in her tracks.

   Jixiang gave her a puzzled look, then followed her gaze.

   At some point they had walked to the Orchids Gardens Pavilion.

   The orchids are everywhere, fragrant and fragrant, yet Wei Yingluo's eyes are not on any of them.

   What she was looking at, was a well.

   Jixiang shivered, not knowing if it was her illusion but she was so far away but she could feel the cold air wafting out from the well, cold and biting, like the evening wind blowing through a chaotic graveyard.

   ... Perhaps it is not the well that is cold but the gaze of Wei Yingluo at this moment.

   “... Only the old man will know whether he will win or lose.” Wei Yingluo smiled faintly, a smile that dispersed the gloomy chill under her eyes as she took Jixiang's hand and continued on her way saying, “By the way, Jixiang, you looked a lot like the old me when you were crying out for me just now.”

   “Eh?” Jixiang was flabbergasted.

   “I used to be just like you, always getting into trouble and crying for my sister when I couldn't handle it myself.” Wei Yingluo turned her back on Jixiang and said, “She would come to my rescue every time.”

   “Your sister is so nice.” Jixiang responded innocently, “So, jealous that you have such a sister.”

   “No, it is I who envy you.” Wei Yingluo's voice was getting lower and lower saying, “When you call out to me, I will respond to you but my sister .... will never respond to me again.”

   The back in front of me was sullen and lonely, like a leaf withering in winter, a million times reluctant but helpless to leave the tree in which it had grown.

   Just looking at such a back, Jixiang felt sad inside and couldn't help but hold her cold hand tightly, wanting to warm this hand and warm this heart.

   “It's okay, I'll stay with you...” Jixiang said softly, “I'll stay with you. Sister Yingluo.”

   

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》CHAPTERS