Chapter 25
The world was unpredictable.
Previously, Wei Yingluo had advised Jinxiu many times not to be close with the imperial guards. Especially Fucha Fuheng.
Seemed like fate wanted to play a huge joke on her.
“Big Sis Yingluo, who are you looking at?” asked Jixiang softly by her side.
On the paved path leading to the main hall was a crowd of patrolling imperial guards. A total of six people. Fucha Fuheng and Qingxi were also among them.
The palace maids who had thoughts of rising to the top from the bottom wasn’t just Jinxiu alone. It’s just that none of them were as brave as her, putting thoughts into action. Most of them only dared to stop what they were doing with their hands, gazing at the imperial guards from afar and chatting among themselves. A palace maid noted how tall one of the imperial guards was. Another one pointed out to a different imperial guard as more handsome. At the end, each of them had red faces, hearts pounding.
“I’m not looking at any of them. Let’s go.” Wei Yingluo retracted her gaze. She turned to Jixiang with a smile. “Come on. We should return to the embroidery workshop. Word has it that the young seamstresses will be kept busy working on the emperor and empress dowager’s casual clothes. By chance, the empress’ birthday will be next month. Each palace and department will have to prepare a birthday gift. Our embroidery workshop will follow precedent and prepare a set of imperial robes for the empress. However, it’s unknown who the main embroiderer will be…”
Two hours later, everyone arrived at the embroidery workshop.
Granny Zhang swept her gaze through the crowd. She slowly said, “The main embroiderer is—”
Everyone watched her with much expectation, especially Linglong. To the point where she could not help but stand on her toes. As if by standing taller than the rest, she would be more easily seen, and attract Granny Zhang’s gaze over.
Granny Zhang’s gaze was in fact attracted to her. Linglong’s face revealed extreme joy. But her smile quickly vanished. Because Granny Zhang’s gaze slowly left her, and in the end, fell upon Wei Yingluo.
“Wei Yingluo!”
The heels of the feet that had their toes pointed came back to the ground.
Sighs came from all around. Linglong tried enduring it, yet she could no longer do so. “Granny, whenever something good happens, your honored self always thinks of Yingluo. What about us?”
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Granny Zhang turned to her. “You think I’m biased?”
Linglong was scared silly. Lowering her head, she said, “I don’t dare…”
“You don’t dare, not that you don’t believe it.” Granny Zhang shook her head. Then she said to the crowd, “How about this? You’re good and the others are too. If anyone finds this unfair, thinks their work is better than Yingluo’s, then come out. I will definitely give this task to you!”
The crowd shared a look.
If it was only about skill in embroidery, there were some people who had wild ambitions and dared to come out. However, Aunt Fang had just been expelled from the palace yesterday, and even Jinxiu, who was the second best in embroidery among them, had been thrown into the hard labor department. Not to mention, General Manager Wu had a good opinion on Wei Yingluo. At this moment, this was Wei Yingluo’s biggest moment in the limelight. Who would dare to compete with her?
So in the end, no one left the crowd.
Even Wei Yingluo herself found her time in the limelight too bright. Once the work in the embroidery workshop had been completed, thinking that everyone returned to the dormitory, she went to find Granny Zhang alone. A sigh escaped her lips. “It takes a long period to accumulate experience and skill in the embroidery workshop. Yingluo is too young. No matter how skilled I am, there will be a limit. The palace seamstresses and the masters hired from the outside are more skilled than me by a large amount… Granny, you take care of me too well.”
“There are rules among the palace maids. The birthday gifts for the empress and noble consort are to be made by palace maids who have just entered the palace. On those days, the masters would be in a good mood, and most of them will give hefty rewards. If it’s not done well, they will not punish too severely. This task is just to give you new palace maids hope. An opportunity to show off your talents.” Granny Zhang finished talking in the manner of an official. Suddenly, she turned to Wei Yingluo and blinked. “Not to mention, your silly elder sister was the apprentice I was proud of. To give her face, I have to take care of you well.”
Wei Yingluo felt grateful. She thought of what to say, but even after thinking for a long time, she could not utter a suitable word.
“Enough. Palace maids should not reveal such a sad expression. No matter the situation, they must have on a smile. Come.” Granny Zhang smiled. “Smile and let me see.”
Dazed, Wei Yingluo gazed at her. She seemed like a baby who had just learned how to smile. She tried to tilt the corners of her mouth up, forming a smile that seemed unripe. Slightly stiff.
Such a smile naturally was unpleasant to the eye.
But this smile was not used to please the noble personages, nor to paralyze her enemies. It was a smile from the heart.
This was her first real smile after she had learned of her sister’s death.
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A few days later, the materials needed to embroider the empress’ imperial robes arrived at the embroidery workshop.
Silks and satins abound. The most eye-catching item was the box of thread made of peacock feathers in Granny Zhang’s hands.
Peacock feather thread, also referred to as Phoenix thread sometimes in this chapter.
It appeared to be the beautiful tail feathers that had just been plucked from the peacock. But in the imperial palace, everything must be exquisite. Labor and materials should not be skimped on, especially for the items that were to be presented to the noble personages.
“Peacock feather thread is made with peacock feathers, golden thread, and silver thread, all spun together. A very experienced and talented weaver can only weave 1 cm per day.” With much care, Granny Zhang handed the box to Wei Yingluo. She said, “You need to be careful when using this. Make sure not to make a mistake, because there will be no surplus thread to give you.”
Wei Yingluo wasted no time in receiving the box.
She cracked open the lid. At that moment, a ray of sun landed inside. What lay within did not seem to be fabric. Rather, it more resembled precious jewels. It gave off a rainbow glow, as if it belonged in a dream. The same feeling one would experience when finding an oasis in the desert.
Everyone seemed intoxicated by its beauty. No one was prepared for a voice ringing in an inappropriate moment. “If a mistake is made, what would happen?”
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The person who had spoken was hidden in the crowd. In fact, they had altered their voice when speaking. Although Wei Yingluo looked in the direction of the voice, she could not find the person.
Granny Zhang’s expression grew unsightly. What was hated the most in the palace was such disheartening words. Quick as lightning, she yelled, “Who was that? Come out now.”
She called out three times, but no one showed their face.
Seeing that things had progressed in such a way, a smile cold enough to freeze quickly slid across Granny Zhang’s face. “This is a birthday gift that will be presented to Her Majesty, the empress. If anything happens to it in the process, we will all lose our lives!”
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Some believed those words. Others didn’t.
However, Wei Yingluo did not care what most people thought.
She only cared about the opportunity before her.
I cannot take the initiative to be close to Fucha Fuheng. There are too many eyes on him and too many eyes on me. If I’m too pushy about it, it would only give others a weakness of mine to take advantage of. In front of her embroidery frame, Wei Yingluo picked up an end of the peacock feather thread and played with it. The only thing to do now is to do something to the people around him… Looks like Granny also feels this way. So she gave this task to me. If I complete it well, I will naturally be able to leave an impression on Fucha Fuheng’s sister, the empress.
Many people who steadily progressed in promotion obtained this chance by leaving an impression.
Wei Yingluo concentrated hard as she started her embroidery. Because she was too attentive, she lost track of the time. Until someone shook her shoulder, that was. She turned her head and saw that it was already dark outside the window. Jixiang held an oil lamp as she stood next to her. Her voice held traces of blame as she said, “Big Sis Yingluo, I’ve called you three times but you didn’t answer.”
“Sorry about that. I was too focused on embroidering.” Wei Yingluo smiled, before lifting her hands and rubbing her tired eyes.
“It’s already dark outside and the lights have yet to be lit. Do you not want you eyes anymore?” Jixiang placed the lamp down in front of her. Under the light of the candle, the peacock feather thread in the box gave off a resplendent shine, dispelling the darkness from all around, making it seem as if it were daytime. Even Jixiang, who had eyes only for food, could not help but be attracted to the sight. A while later, she finally came back to her senses. “Are you hungry? Let’s quickly have a meal.”
Wei Yingluo’s belly had long since rumbled. Yet she smiled as she said, “No. I’m not hungry. How about you casually grab me a snack? I’ll eat it at night.”
One could not have a malicious heart. One must not have too trusting of a heart. Today that voice that rang in an inappropriate time made her realize that others were envious of her.
Envy was akin to a dagger. When it would stab her in the back was anyone’s guess.
Wei Yingluo suspected that someone would mess with the phoenix thread. Such as stealing a few threads. And once such precious materials was missing a small quantity, there would be nothing else that could replace it.
That’s why the best method to guard against this was to use all of the thread before the other party acted. Finish the imperial robes and hand it into Granny Zhang’s hands.
“You… Are you actually going to continue embroidering?” Jixiang drew her brows together. Her gaze fell upon the peacock feather thread, and she did not seem to like it as much as before. Rather, she gave off a feeling of annoyance. “It will take at least more than a month to finish embroidering these imperial robes. Rushing everyday, do you still want to keep your life?! How about this? Go get some food first. I’ll help you embroider some of it!”
Although she was full of good will, Wei Yingluo would not place this task into her hands. After all, she was someone who could turn phoenix thread into chicken thread…
“Since there are only two choices, you can either let me help you or come eat with me!” Jixiang held on to Wei Yingluo’s arm as she shook it. Half peremptory and half nagging, she said, “It’s only going to take at most fifteen minutes! Come on, come on!”
“Ah, ah, fine!” Wei Yingluo was nagged until the point she could not endure it any longer, and got up to leave with her.
Tonight’s dinner had an abundant display of dishes. Pumpkin congee that had been prepared for so long that it was refreshing, sweet, and delicious. Cold cucumber salad, refreshing and tasty. Rice noodle with fatty meat, yet could not be considered greasy. What a pity that Wei Yingluo’s thoughts were stuck on her task. She only picked at a bit of the dishes and finished her bowl of rice quickly, before placing down her chopsticks. “I’m finished. I’ll be going first.”
“That quickly?” Jixiang still had a mouth full of rice noodle and meat. She looked at the dishes on the table that were barely picked at. Food muffling her voice, she said, “What a waste… Wait for me! I’ll finish eating very soon!”
Wei Yingluo returned to the embroidery workshop in long, quick strides.
She carefully thought back to before. That statement held some truth to it.
“If there’s a mistake, what would happen?”
If they deliberately made it so that Wei Yingluo made a mistake, what would happen?
“The kitchens rarely make rice noodle with meat. I still have half a basin that I haven’t eaten yet.” Jixiang sighed. “Tell me, why are you rushing? The things won’t just fly away…” Her complaints suddenly were caught in her throat. Jixiang froze at the doorway of the embroidery workshop. She looked over Wei Yingluo’s shoulder. Gazed inside the room.
It seemed as if a storm has passed through the embroidery workshop. Embroidery frames, embroidery cloth, and even the imperial robes had been cast to the floor. Wei Yingluo took a few steps forward. She only saw that the imperial robes that she had just started to embroider had large holes cut into it, dark like smiles of ridicule trying to swallow up her future.
“…Oh no!” At that moment, Wei Yingluo’s expression changed. She rushed to open the box containing the peacock feather thread.
The candle stand was still there. The box was also. But when she lifted the lid, it was dark inside. Nothing within.
The peacock feather thread… was nowhere in sight.