After a good two or so hours of just standing there and having fabric draped around her.
Jade was absolutely blown away by the dress.
Sunsets and pink with flowers and branches. Looking over at Meiying surprised to see Old Madame Zhang standing there too. Both women looked extremely stunned. While Old Madame Zhang had a glint in her eyes unlike Meiying who seemed in awe.
Hook,line, and sinker.
Jade thought as she made eye contact with Meiying. She was certain she now had Meiying in her corner. Unlike Old Madame Zhang who seemed more like a plotting women. Clearly someone who sees a new opportunity and jumps on it the first chance that she gets. It was clear to her from the beginning that no matter what she did she was disposable as far as Old Madame Zhang was concerned so she wasn't going to bother with necessarily staying on her good graces.
"Well don't you look absolutely stunning Meiying take her to go get her hair and makeup done. He only have half an hour before the dinner is happening we wouldn't want to talk special guests to be late now would we."
Meiying nodded before slightly bowing as her mother walked past her. Looking up once again to thankimg Madame Lu. Give a dismissal grunt and hand wave essentially telling the girls to leave.
With one last bow Meiying gently grabbed Daiyu's elbow guiding her out of the room once more. This time instead of going through the winding hallways that never seemed to end she took her to what she can only assume or the servant always. It took them a lot less time to make it back to the Lotus room.
Gone was Meiying's sweet and slightly shy demeanor as she started giving out instructions to the other maids there. She didn't have the fact that Daiyu I was going to be the lucky girl chosen from the lotus to be the special guest for their sector.
Something that the other girls that were getting ready picked up on and quickly started to whispering to their friends that had entered or were leaving the room. She knew that within seconds it would spread throughout their entire sector overlooked by Old Madame Zhang and she would have to deal with jealous girls trying to either sabotage her or use her for their own social game.
Daiyu didn't even have time to sit there and contemplate this or mourn the loss of any kind of normalcy at least for the beginning of her duration here. As she was quickly swept away in the frenzy of me trying to get her hair and makeup done perfectly.
(The flowers are green and yellow)
(The make up look)
As she said there she listened in on the conversations happening around her. Specifically the conversations happening months to meet and a handful of the girls who decided to wait in her room.
Old Madame Zhang truly does know how to pick favorites doesn't she?
Now you know why the prince was looking at our section.
I must say this lady truly is beautiful. Her face so young and beautiful.
Maybe we should be friend her she doesn't seem as if she's actually interested in the Crown Prince. But he's clearly interested in her.
Old Madame Zhang is it absolute menace I heard. I didn't understand how I was able to be picked into her section but now I'm thinking if I attached myself like honey to this girl maybe I'll have a better chance of surviving Palace life.
Did you know all of us here are commerce? How could a girl as beautiful as her feel commoner there must have been a mistake she's so pale !
It's not like she's any competition. Because pretty shoes we're all on the same we'll see how well she does when we have to start doing the test especially the etiquette she looks like she'd be nothing more than a Savage!
I like this Mrs she doesn't seem to be as ignorant as the others I hope she makes it pretty far.
I've never hoped for girls to pass these passwords to be picked by one of the princess before my life but I say we hope this one out she doesn't seem as arrogant as the others.
Meiying & Old Madame Zhang seemed helpful is taking a liking to this one. I say we tie ourselves to her too maybe finally we can get out of here and become needs of a higher up wouldn't that be so nice.
Daiyu sat there and listened to all this conversations going on around her. She was happy to be able to check off the fact that at least four to five of maids / servants here were willing to work with her and for her rather than against her. Something that it seems the other girls around her unaware of Palace life can be easy or can be hard and most of the time it depended on how the servants saw you. If they liked you they did everything they could to make sure that you never got in trouble even if you did do something wrong if they didn't like you well they know more about the palace than anybody else will know exactly what to say what to do what to hint at to get you kicked out.
She was also pleasantly surprised to take in the fact that maybe only a handful of girls there I'm planning on using her. She's even surprised to see that some of them genuinely thought of her as a safe and Grace to some degree not to mention the tone of which they talked / spoke about her said a lot. She can hear that envy and jealousy in the voices of some while others genuinely just sounded scared frightened as if they just wanted someone to enchant you that could genuinely help them in furthering their career or social status.
Daiyu knew that she was going to have to weed out which ones were which dealing with she was only able to hear them and not see them. It was like going to be a gruesome task that would take quite a while to achieve especially as she'll be busy studying and making sure that she's passing everyone with the test and exams to come her way. Speaking of which she knew that they only had two weeks time before the first minor test was to be taken one to just further proof that they actually knew what they were there for and not just there for shits and giggles or to capture the eye of one of the princes.
She was also aware that this was the first change in the storyline. From what you remembered from the novel Old Madame Zhang did not have her section picked out of the 10 sectors to go to the opening feast. Originally there was only three sectors that went sector 1 2 and 3. Them having the most beautiful women and ones of noble status who wish to further their families social stature or capture the heart of someone who worked within the palace being a prince a royal guard or someone else.
It was also evidence that there was a high possibility of her running into ZhuZhu much earlier now. As it was stated a few chapters in that Daiyu during her second conversation with FeiFei learned about her friend being invited to several of the royal dinners.
Even though she was not part of any of the three sectors. She always thought it was quite odd when reading the book somehow in the favor of ZhuZhu during the second half dealing that the girl seem to be as smart as a bag of rocks.
But now that she was in the novel itself and the gossip that she's heard she wouldn't be surprised if one of the staff maybe a maid or servant or even a group of them had latched themselves on to her. FeiFei may not be the brightest or the sharpest tool in the shed but she was considered very beautiful. Something that people working in the palace would take note of and know that there is a high possibility that if the old emperor didn't take a liking to her then possibly one of the princes would.
And ZhuZhu bless her poor naive stupid heart will think nothing of it. She would just assume that somehow they saw potential in her and wanted nothing more than to help her out not that they were probably scheming for themselves to have a higher position within the palace.
If she was being honest it was the one thing that pissed her off throughout reading the novel it was how naive the two youngest girls seem to be. FeiFei seem to understand the concept that the palace was nothing more than a game of chess everyone was there trying to get as close to the queen or becoming the new empress so no one could truly be trusted unless tested and proven time and time again. But sadly she did not have enough time to spend with her younger sister and her younger friend to teach them any of this plus she was too busy being swept away and drunk on Love I finally being free of her demanding parents and lifestyle that honestly she doesn't even think the girl thought twice about it her younger friend was and how close she was her little sister that the two would find each other figure it out and make it on their own.
On one hand she definitely has a bone to pick with FeiFei how could one be so naive and stupid to assume that two young sheltered girls one with illusions of romance written in the stars and the other just wanting nothing more than to be of help to her empire.
how does one expect either one of them to not have tunnel vision for what it is that they want. Especially dealing that everything about the beginning of the novel every little flashback every small detail that you learned in the first half following Daiyu just showed that neither one of the two younger girls really understood how life worked outside of their small village.
There wasn't any competition there the wealthiest of families were kind to the poorer ones. No one went without shelter or food the community works together they didn't see it as competition even when it was announced that the women of the Kingdom the empire we're now going to be allowed to have higher up positions education and jobs. The Richer families in the village worked alongside the girls who wanted to sit there and go to the palace and try to become a officiant, seamstress, Royal maid.
There was never any sabotaging or backstabbing everyone was nothing more than one giant family to think that taking two girls who grew up with that concept that everyone helped everyone else out and then throwing them into the ocean outside of their small little pond and expecting them to understand that sharks exist and they were more than willing to eat the little guys kind of a stretch.
Thankfully she was here now. Hopefully she can help those that deserved it and want to be working at the palace and maybe very small slim chance maybe help out ZhuZhu.
As the finishing touches was put on to each of the girls. She sat there and waited noticing how the veils were not brought out once more. She assumed it's because the only people who would be at the dinner or the nobles and elites of their empire.
Which made her once again internally roll her eyes at the stupid little rule. Young girls unmarried and untouched having to wear veils to cover half of their face. That way they were not tempting the men around them a very stupid rule if you asked her one that was completely disregarded by Noble women and those of nobility. The higher upper status the better your freedom none of the women from section 1 2 or 3 had on veils while all the rest of them did. It truly did show The divide in how the world were how they were treated and why so many would do whatever it takes through whoever they needed to to the dragons in order to climb up the social ladder.
"Ladies! Now I am aware of the fact that you are all commoners. No matter of fact you are worse than commoners you are at the low of the low the very bottom of the food chain you are nothing more but daughters of laborers farmers people that are dime a dozen and very much so disposable. Yet you were smart enough to be able to pass the first three exams to even enter this Palace and I expect each and every one of you to be on your best behavior."
Old Madame Zhang stated as she walked up and down the hallway. Her eyes flickering and watching the girls as they all lined up outside of their rooms. There was this glint in her eye that almost spelled a world of trouble have any of them were to embarrass her or step on a line. Daiyu was positive that the heaviness in the air and the almost suffocating feeling in her chest it was probably so much worse for some of the other girls. As she spotted a few of them seeming to even be troubling as they try to stand as straight as they could. It was once again where it kind of hit her that much like her old life her old world everything here was business a game with the stakes speaking life or death.
Those are you standing there looking around with the other girls that she saw the other sectors walking past and that's when she spotted her ZhuZhu.
ZhuZhu to be walking on my arm with one of the ladies from sector 1. It would seem that she wasn't exactly too far off with the idea that someone had decided to take the Young naive looking girl under her wing sadly she had underestimated who it was. Daiyu was almost positive now that there would be no helping the poor girl. She wanted to survive to make it through this become that female official and possibly even help make actual changes of benefit everyone in this empire the last thing she needed was to be on the bad side of some spoiled rich kid who decided that they wanted to fuck around with ZhuZhu.
Just the Old Madame Zhang stopped in front of her and smiled.
"Some of you though are worth the hassle. As I'm standing in front of the very woman that is allowing any of you sorry excuses for humans even be able to be in the presence of a nobleman and the prince's."
Sharply turning around she made sure to stand slightly to the left of Daiyu. Continuing on with her speech and making sure to make as much eye contact as possible with all of the other girls especially those that she sees / saw as being feeble and weaker than the others not fit for Palace life whatsoever.
"When you first arrived you all were possible. Yet as soon as the beauty next to me had arrived every single one of you showed your true colors uneducated scum. Look I do not normally care for most of the girls in my sector for the sheer fact that I am aware that another one of the Madames husband spreading sauce rumors about myself that I'm sure most of you have heard of. How I am always sending girls away crying well what you have not understood is that I don't send them away crying I give them a wake up call this is the Royal Palace no one here is your friend everyone here is your competition if you want to make friends then be smart about it because I know for a fact that even among those of you here half of you are only here in order to try and seduce a god and officiate or even shooting for the stars and trying to become the next empress."
With a motioning hand Old Madame Zhang smiled slightly as Meiying walked over.
"Many of you are aware that this is my daughter that she is the half sister of the Prince's. Many of you are probably dumb enough to think that you could use her to try and get to them but that's where I'm here to stop you because as much as my daughter is an amazing woman she is nothing as far as the empire is concerned. Do you really think that I just fell into the emperor's bed no I was whined and dined and seduced like many of you will probably be by the Royal guards maybe even one or two of the princes if you believe that none of those men have children than you are sadly mistaken there's probably one or two of the prince's who has not seduced and impregnated several of the girls who come here in order to become efficient just for them and their children to be thrown into the farthest wing of the palace and locked away from public eye because it is very hard not to notice a child who looks so much like the Royal family. And that is what will happen to you unless you can get these Royal gods or higher status men to legitimately put a ring on that figure to talk to the emperor himself asking for permission to marry you you are to keep your legs closed. I am not being harsh when I tell you this because this is how you are seen you are women who are trying to make it in a cutthroat career path. You are trying to infiltrate a position that has been held by nothing but men for many millennials."
Meiying nodded along what her mother was saying. A odd look on her face a mixture of pity, hatred and even sadness. Daiyu not wonders if this was a speech that was given in the original novel something that was left out or not written about it. If so then it would make everything else that happened in the novel genuinely seems stupid. Daiyu was so thoroughly warned about the dangers of the palace yet seem to almost ignore everything she was told. Maybe ZhuZhu and the original host of his body were way more sheltered and ignorant than she originally thought.
"And if you are raised the way that the noble women are so you are unaware of the fact that you being existing as a woman is both your biggest weapon and downfall. This is the first time in the several years of me being in charge of a sector that I feel the need to try and teach any of you anything. In the past years when I've done this those were the years when girls were leaving the sector like flies crying a little eyes out because they couldn't comprehend or they wouldn't listen to what I was teaching them so you better listen and listen well. Do not allow for these men to seduce you matter of fact turn it on them you should be seducing them having them chase after you it'd be even better if you have multiple of them doing so that way while they're too busy trying to measure each other's dicks you are rising up in status you are showing the other Noble women that you are someone to pay close attention to."
With a quick motion of her hand Meiying stepped forward to speak as her mother stepped back. Now standing directly next to Daiyu.
"Mother is correct. You have to be smart and cunning willing to do whatever it takes to survive in the palace. Nothing here is for free no one is going to help you outside of your sector just to help you. That even goes for the help now some of you have been very rude to myself and the ladies working under me and I'm here to tell you that that ends today the only people who are going to be looking out for you in this Palace is those who are serving you if you think for a second if any of the other maids or servants approach you that work for a different sector or other nobles are only trying to help your son mistaken. The normal men and women especially the women love to play mind games with the new girls who arrive and come in. If anyone from sector 1 through 3 approaches you understand that they see you as nothing more than a pet and entertainment none of the girls in those sectors have to worry about not becoming an official because they come from well-off families them even passing the exam to get into the palace is enough of a boost for their social status that they would easily be able to marry off to any of the noble men that are still single or guards."
Meiying's voice I'll let her mother's but still sweet sounding lyrical and the way that she spoke. Even with the sharper tone and edge that towed the line between being harsh or concerned her voice seem to resonate a lot easier with the girls in the room. It's quite a few of them seem to stand up straighter a couple of them making eye contact a few of them looking a bit worried most likely girls who had already been approached by Royal guard to what talked to by those in sector one through three.
"As harsh as it is mother is correct when she says you are disposable you are the bottom of the social chain and you are nothing more than scum because that is exactly how the nobles see you all. Well yes you are needed because without the farmers and the hard workers there would be no food for anyone to truly eat it does not mean that they see it that way. You have to understand that the nobles don't care for anyone outside of their own social circles. If you cannot be a means to getting closer to the Royal family than you are disposable and the guards are the exact same way. Most of them are nothing more than men who do not wish to get better jobs and thought why not use their brute Force instead the life of a guard is not hard outside of the physical demands they have quite a lot of free time free time that they use to sew their seed into as many impressionable young women as they can matter of fact there is a competition that goes on in this Palace where the guards try to see how many of the young impressionable girls that they can get impregnated with their child I've already seen quite a few of you talking to head to Guard Yibo. I want to make all of you very much so aware of the fact that he is currently in the lead with last year getting 25 of the girls that came in for pregnant and that is only a fraction of the children that he has fathered all which mean absolutely nothing to him the fact that he has probably about a hundred bastard children did nothing to affect him as a man matter of fact he's going to be retiring and stepping down from his head guard duty alongside his nephew. Himself getting married off to one of the cousins of the emperor. Well his nephew bless his soul being one of the few decent gods has found himself a lovely woman FeiFei to settle down and marry. And if anything she should be an example for all of you FeiFei is and was a farmer's daughter like most of you are. Yet she denied any temptation from the men in this Palace matter of fact when her and her soon to be husband first met she didn't even give him the time of day regardless of the fact that she did find him attractive and liked him. She made him work for her time and attention she had that man begging and groveling for months before she finally paid him any mind he sat there and ignored every woman who threw themselves at him for 7 months and then when she gave him a fraction of attention he made sure to do everything he could to prove himself worthy enough of having her never once did she sleep with him or any of the other men she focused on her studies and doing well. When he finally decided at the end of her last exam that she failed to approach her with the letter from the emperor blessing their Union and she said yes he then did everything that he could to make sure that he had bought a proper house that she approved of in a place that she liked and that they had acres of land and she does still enjoy planting and gardening. She understood what she needed to do yes the two of them had known each other before but that was many years ago people changed you might run into a boy or girl who you might have known possibly even played with as a child who is now working as a servant or guard in the palace understand that they are not the same person you grew up with as Palace life will change you it will make you more sneaky cunning devious everyone is looking out for themselves first and foremost."
Meiying looked around. Much like her mother making eye contact with a few of the girls who she most likely had already spotted speaking or talking to the guards or other servants. Quite a few of them sitting there and looking down around one or two brave enough to even whisper something to each other. It would seem that the excitement and the ideology that they'd be able to interact with these nobles at the dinner tonight and weasel their way up in status was shattered for many. Now their eyes were being open to the fact that this wasn't going to be some fairy tale or easy conquest but instead of battlefield one that honestly none of them were equipped for.
"If you were here for nothing more than to find a match a husband then let us know. As the eyes and ears and help of the palace we will actually be able to help you and secure in a proper nobleman or guard who can become your saving Grace do not try and go after ones that you are attracted to understand that the most popular guards in the palace are the ones with the most bastard children the ones who enjoy impregnating young girls watching as their child grows in them and then disposing them as if they were dirty chopsticks. If you truly are here to become a female officiant let us know we will do everything that we can to help you and guide you in what you should be looking forward to what you should be studying reading up on brushing up on and more importantly who you should be interacting with. That it is nothing more than your brain and your knowledge that will get you this position that is stupid to believe. It is a combination of that with a long-sided your manners your beauties and your appeal to the male gaze. The lead female efficient every single year has always been someone that was poised beautiful and smart enough to have been a noble lady in another lifetime. That being said understand that this is not a competition among those of you in this sector you're only competition is the women and girls in the other sectors. You are for all intents and purposes sisters here family will you need to be doing is making sure that each and every one of you are able to achieve and reach your dreams and goals because only if you all work together will they be a higher chance and possibility of every single one of you leaving this section of the palace happier and with your goals achieved."
With that she stepped back as her mother stopped forward once more. Every single one of the girls looked around making eye contact with each other. Daiyu could almost feel the shift in the atmosphere the hostility the jealousy that she felt before almost seemed to evaporate into the air. Each one of the girls looking at each other with a sense of camaraderie and that's where shared words spoken through nothing but facial expressions and at the end of it all every one of those girls hurt each of them looking at her. A determined look on their faces and that is when she knew she wasn't going to have to worry about the girls in her soccer anymore not really. It would seem that they all have taken what was said to heart but more importantly they all had taken the favoritism that Old Madame Zhang have shown her into consideration.
It looked as if they had all agreed that clearly she was on to something. If she herself along with the emperor and Crown Prince saw something in her then they should help her out as much as they could. Most of them saw this as a stepping stone and helping themselves out as was just explained to them if her goal was to marry into the royal family then they would be on her good graces her good side she'd be able to give them partnered and paired up with noble men and guards to make them go from being seen as the scum on the bottom of the nobleman's shoes to their equals. If she was aiming to become the next number one female official then she would have ties within the palace ones that she can use to help these girls out whether they were trying to become officials themselves or to marry off rich. As she would have to be rubbing elbows and shoulders with the higher up nobles but more importantly she'd be moving children half of which currently were single and many that were looking to settle down she'd be a surefire in for those who wanted nothing more than to no longer be a farmer's daughter.
"That being said ladies it is time for us to now depart. Remember what you were taught just now while that was a lesson officially it was still a lesson nonetheless. Keep your head high be graceful do not fall for the tricks of seduction going away and more importantly have each other's back. Now this might be a dinner and it might be one of the first fancy dinners that you were going to but I'm well aware of the fact that every one of you have had etiquette classes remember what you learned if you forget stick with one of the girls from the sector do not separate yourself do you understand me? You are all to stick together in pairs or trios if one of you must use the chambers then the other two will follow do not go anywhere alone because if you are alone they will strike."
With that being said Old Madame Zhang turned around and started to head out. She was followed by the maids and the girls as they each grouped up into pairs or trios. No one was left alone. Daiyu noticed that she was paradox is one of the three girls she was rooming with. Liu Jia a bastard child herself the daughter of a nobleman and a farmer's daughter.
Daiyu remembers her from the memory but the original host had. Jia had visited her small farming town a few years ago probably about three or four years before FeiFei had left. The two of them had met during one of the exams to make it to the Palace in the first place.
Unlike most of the girls there she did have some kind of proper training to be a noble woman her father didn't completely abandon them. He was truly in love with her mother but he was already betrothed to another.
When you found out that his true love had fallen pregnant with his child he sent her away to a farming village. Making sure to send the money monthly along with a visiting anytime he had to leave the palace knowing that would be the only time you get to spend with his daughter teaching her the way of the nobles hoping and wishing for nothing more than an opportunity to arise where he could bring her into the palace and integrate her into their life. Of course once it was announced that they were no longer only going to take notebook girls to become female efficients but instead open up the position to any female in the Kingdom who is smart enough to pass the exams he jumped on it making sure to teach his daughter everything that he knew even getting help from a few of his of his officiant friends.
Jia had has exam the first time around but because of how young she was she was turned away. Told that they will hold a spot for her for once she's old enough to join.
So here she was. Meiying was standing on Daiyu's other side slightly behind her. Once more showing to any of the other maid's and servents that she was the Old Madame's favorite.
Quicker then she would have liked they were standing in front of the court doors.