The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 31: The Last Embroidery

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

   The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 31: The Last Embroidery

   No one cries over someone who doesn't matter.

   At first there was talk of Jixiang's death but a week later there was talk of what to eat at night, of some Royal Guard being young and handsome but no one was talking about Jixiang.

   Even when someone mentions it, it's only six short words, “Oh, that thief ...”

   These six words have turned out to be the epitaph of an innocent young girl, her last memory left in the hearts of the world.

   A life in a hurry is a passing one, with whom can I tell you of all the hardships?

   “Yingluo!” Zhang Momo threw a garment at her head, hitting Wei Yingluo squarely in the face and said, “What's wrong with this garment! The stitching and the color scheme are all wrong, how the hell did you work?”

   The crowd stopped their needlework and watched the scene in amazement.

   Zhang Momo rarely loses her temper like this, especially with her favorite Wei Yingluo, what has she done to her clothes?”

   “I'm sorry, Momo.” Wei Yingluo's face was red from the blow and she hugged her clothes in her arms in a panic, as if she was afraid of being seen and hung her head and said, “I'll change it right away ...”

   “What is this this satin, by you tearing it down and reworking it? Yingluo, you are such a disappointment to me!” Zhang Momo scolded her and then sighed and said, “We all know that you're reporting to the Changchun Palace at the end of the month and this is your last job at the Embroidery Workshop ...”

   Also, the best live.

   The embroiderer who was originally in charge of His Majesty's regular clothes is ill and can't catch up on work, so someone needs to help out with the rest of the work.

   The dress is mostly done, only a dragon tattoo on the chest remains.

   Even if I leave the palace when I'm older, I can still use my qualifications to find a good job, whether it's as an embroiderer in the Jiangnan Weaving Bureau or teaching embroidery to rich girls, I'll be worth more.

   “Momo.” Linglong said without moving her voice, “Perhaps because of Jixiang, Yingluo has been a little unmotivated lately and has gone off the rails for a while, so please be generous and don't take it personally with her. If not ... I'll take care of this.”

   “You?” Zhang Momo looked her up and down and said, “Are you any good? Embroidering a dragon is not like embroidering a cat ...”

   A chorus of snickers rang out from all sides as Linglong's fingers tightened under her sleeve, her sharp nails digging into her flesh.

   It is not as much work as a dragon robe or a court robe and my embroidery work has improved greatly, so I am sure I can do it. Linglong was moved by a glance at Wei Yingluo, who was distracted and said, “Shall I compete with Yingluo?”

   “Oh?” Wei Yingluo slowly turned her face, in just seven days, she had lost a straight circle, her cheeks, which were still with some doll fat, had now become a melon face, with two bruises under her eyes, she looked at Linglong and said with a sly smile, “How do you want to compare?”

   In any other day, Linglong would not have dared to make this suggestion.

   But today is not like the old days, look what Wei Yingluo has embroidered!”

   Perhaps Jixiang's death was so devastating that she embroidered the dragon as a snake and to call it a snake would be an exaggeration. What a joke.

   Linglong would not let go of such a good opportunity to step on people's toes and said confidently: “It's up to you to decide whether your embroidery work is good or bad, let's both embroider a set of regular clothes at the same time and let Momo choose, whoever does a good job will be the one to present to His Majesty, do you dare?”

   Wei Yingluo stared at her for a while before she let out a chuckle and said, “Fine, you asked for it.”

   The two lines of sight met in the air, like a clash between blades, sparks flew and killing hearts arose.

   Linglong withdrew her gaze and looked down at the embroidery bandage in her hands, saying to herself, “Just wait, I'll prove to you, to all of you, that I can't just embroider cats all my life, I can embroider dragons too!”

   Linglong gave her all for this game.

   Every day she rises at dawn and while the others are still asleep in bed, she is already dressed and heading for the Embroidery Workshop. Three meals a day, while others chewed slowly, she swallowed her plate of food in three or two bites and did not even drink much water throughout the day, so as not to waste time by going out of her way.

   “Linglong is so desperate.”

   “But the problem is that Yingluo is even more desperate than she is.”

   After a busy day, Linglong dragged her tired body back to the court maid's house and heard these words, she froze slightly, then looked around and said with a frown: “Yingluo ... Hasn't she come back again?”

   The court maids were washing their faces and feet and some of them were quick enough to finish washing their faces and feet and were now lying on their beds, chattering away.

   “Did you say Yingluo? I passed by the Embroidery Workshop earlier and saw her still working in there.” A court maid who was washing her feet returned her.

   “Yah, it's so late and she's still here.” Another palace maid marveled.

   After all, it is the work of the Yangxin Hall. The palace maid wiped her feet and said with a grimace, “We used to make the spring clothes of the servants in the palace and at most the clothes of the Consorts and Concubines but never the work of the Yangxin Hall? She was determined to win Linglong!”

   The door clanged open and the two looked in unison and said with an ahhh, “Ah, Yingluo, you're back.”

   Wei Yingluo was standing at the door with a garment folded so neatly that no one could see what was embroidered on it, when Linglong, moved by a thought, came forward and said: “Yingluo, how is your embroidery, bring it to everyone.”

   Said the woman, while nonchalantly extending her hand.

   Wei Yingluo sidestepped her hand.

   Linglong froze in her movements and said with an aggrieved face, “I'm not robbing you, I'm just looking, you ... Are you that afraid of me?”

   “Afraid of you?” Wei Yingluo giggled as if she had heard some big joke and made Linglong laugh until she shook her head and gave her a look of pity and contempt, “You are too proud of yourself, everyone in the Embroidery Workshop knows that ... You only embroider cats.”

   He hee.

   And I don't know who puffed out a laugh.

   Linglong turned her head quickly but saw a group of palace maids either bowing their heads to wash their feet or make their beds and while it was clear that everyone was not looking at her, she felt that every pair of eyes was secretly laughing at her.

   I'm not! Linglong mentally cried out, “I can embroider dragons too! I'm not limited to embroidering cats for the rest of my life!”

   “If not, bring out your embroidery and show it to the group ... Let me see.” A soft hand stretched out before her and Wei Yingluo smiled at her and said, “Let's see if you've embroidered a pair of dragon's eyes, or a pair of cat's eyes.”

   “Wei Yingluo!” Linglong couldn't take it anymore and said, word for word, “I'm warning you, don't humiliate me again!”

   “Did I say it wrong!” Wei Yingluo's attitude was even tougher than hers, sneering and saying, “: To paint the eyes of a dragon, the eyes of the dragon are the most important and the eyes of a dragon are about having a divine form, can you--embroider it?”

   Words did not go together and the two eventually broke up and after extinguishing the candles, slept with their backs to each other.

   It's just that Linglong can't sleep at all.

   Tossing and turning repeatedly for a few moments, she finally could not resist and untied a blue cloth bundle placed on the inner side of the bed and took the nearly finished standing clothes out of it.

   By the light of the moon, I shook it open and wondered if it was because of Wei Yingluo's earlier remarks, which actually looked more and more wrong.

   “How did this happen ...” Linglong looked down at the dragon embroidered on the chest of her regular clothes and said as her fingers gripped the shirt tighter and tighter, “How do you ... So, much like a cat?”

   A golden dragon but born with cat's eyes.

   A living, breathing pair of cat's eyes, filled with all the effort to please, hoping that onlookers will love it, worship it and acknowledge its talent.

   It was not the dragon but the cat in her heart.

   Linglong looked at the eyes before her without moving and suddenly rubbed her garment with such force that she seemed to be trying to rub into pieces something she could not bear to look at.

   Her chest rose and fell slightly for a moment and she called out with some unsteady breath, “Yingluo.”

   The house was silent, only the sound of long breaths.

   Linglong called a few more times but when no one answered, she crept out of bed and went over to Wei Yingluo's bed.

   A pair of cat like eyes in the darkness of the outstretched night, staring deadly at Wei Yingluo on the bed.

   After that, one hand gently reached for her regular clothes pressed under the pillow.

   Taking without asking, the act of a thief.

   This is not the first time Linglong has been a thief, the first time was stealing peacock feather threads, the second time was stealing regular clothes.

   It's like taking back what's rightfully yours, taking back the life that's rightfully yours.

   With his regular clothes in hand, Linglong retreated back to his couch, then couldn't wait to unfold it and take a look, unable to resist a harrumph of utter mockery.

   “Jixiang, see, she doesn't care much for you, either.” Linglong laughed jealously and mockingly, “A few days ago she was upset about you and made a lot of mistakes but now that she has a chance to stand up to Noble Lady, she's forgotten all about you and is all about this.”

   How could you embroider such a mighty golden dragon if you were not single minded?”

   Fluttering like a gossamer, graceful like a swimming dragon, especially the pair of dragon eyes, as if looking down from the clouds, overlooking all beings,

   All mortals shall bow down under this gaze.

   “This is the dragon's eye.” Linglong, holding the garment in her hand, murmured, “This is what makes me a dragon's eye ...”

   A sleepless night.

   The next day the court maids in the palace got up one after another.

   “Huh...” A maid suddenly eeked and said, “Where's Linglong?”

   Linglong's bed was empty and when the person next to her reached out and touched it, the comforter was cool and there was not a trace of heat in the bed.

   “Huh?” At the same moment, outside the Embroidery Workshop, Zhang Momo looked at the person sitting on the steps with some surprise and said, “Why are you here so early today?”

   As if she had not slept all night, she sat up until dawn and Linglong's clothes and hair were covered with morning dew.

   The body is cold but the heart is hot.

   “Momo.” Linglong raised her face, which was slightly red from excitement and said with a smile, “My garment is embroidered.”

   She handed over the garment clutched tightly in her arms, which was--heck--the regular clothes stolen from under Wei Yingluo's pillow.

  

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》CHAPTERS