"Manager Wu! Wei Yingluo cheated!"
"What?" exclaimed Zhang Momo.
"I saw with my own eyes that Jixiang's cloth had blood on it. Wei Yingluo swapped it and finished it for her! The Palace has rules," Continued the girl, "If two people cheat, then both are to be thrown out."
Manager Wu turned gravely to Yingluo, "Is this the case?"
Yingluo swallowed, she couldn't possibly get thrown out, not when she'd gotten this far!
"I-" Began Jixiang, hurrying to her knees in front of the two seniors, "I..."
"What is it? Don't dither, spit it out."
Jixiang sniffled, "Zhang Momo, this was all my fault-"
"Who said we cheated?" Interrupted Yingluo, "Don't admit to things we haven't done!"
She showed Manger Wu the two pieces of embroidery, "This one," She smiled, "Was an embroidered peony, but because it took so long, it needed both myself and Jixiang to work together to complete it."
"But-" Began the girl,
Yingluo cut her off, "When I gave the peony to Jixiang, was it completely finished? No, there were only a few stitches to finish off, and when I took Jixiang's it was the same case; it was only missing a few stitches. Isn't that so?"
No one could say it wasn't, Yingluo had clearly said 'finish it off for me' when they had traded- in fact, the whole workshop had heard.
"Since both were incomplete, how can that be cheating?"
"Indeed," Agreed Zhang Momo, "I have never seen anything quite like this. Manager Wu, take another look."
Manager Wu scrutinised the embroidery with narrowed eyes. Then he smiled, "Very good, it is a good idea to work together."
They had passed!
"Now all of you remember this, when you work in the palace you must say little, work more. The concubines hate tale-telling." He glanced at the girl, "Take her away, strike her off."
The girl immediately fell to her knees, shouting for forgiveness as the eunuchs hauled her away, Jinxiu lowered her eyes, recalling how close she was to a similar fate had she said another word.
As the girl's shouts faded away, Zhang Momo turned to Jixiang, "Get up now."
Yingluo offered a hand, pulling her up. Manager Wu smiled at them, "These two girls are not only extraordinary embroiderers, but they will also remain here as seamstresses."
Yingluo and Jixiang shared delighted smiles, her hands still bloody from the encounter with Lady Wuya.
----
Mingyu walked down the silent halls of Changchun Palace, the Empress' residence, with a tray of tea.
The Empress was sitting at her table with Erqing who was removing her heavy pieces of accessories. She was tired from the exchange with Noble Consort Gao and kneaded her shoulder uncomfortably.
Mingyu set down the tea and tray, "Your Majesty, you are far too forgiving! Watching the Noble Consort today, she was so full of herself! Whatever boundary or line she completely ignored it! And all her snide comments! Are you not angry at her?"
"You have been in the palace for a few years now," Said Empress Fuca, calmly picking up her tea, "Do you still not know what kind of person she is? Today was the selection ceremony, we cannot afford to dispute over such trifles."
"What trifles?!" Exclaimed Mingyu, "Your servant just cannot stand her arrogance! You are the mother of the nation, mother of all under heaven- and what is she? She just wants to be the mistress of Changchun Palace!"
"Mingyu." Warned the Empress.
She lowered her head, "Niang-niang... I'm just indignant for you..."
The Empress sighed, "Take a step back, examine the great sky and control yourself. In the Palace, if we squabble over everything, how can we live?"
"But the Emperor favours you the most, his grace is gifted to niang-niang more than everyone else. Why should you put up with this?" She pressed.
"Mingyu." Erqing chastised, massaging the Empress' shoulders, "Niang-niang is tired."
Just then, a group of palace maids filed in, carrying a rolled-up painting and a board of writing. Erqing's forehead creased, this was the worst time for a disturbance.
The leading maid curtseyed, "Your Majesty, his Majesty instructed us to bring you a board and a painting of 'Lady Taisi Instructing her Son'. Would niang-niang like to view them?"
The Empress, emotionally tired, said nothing.
"Okay, you can take them away." Erqing hurriedly ordered, the sooner they were out of sight, the sooner niang-niang could relax.
"But the board... and the painting..."
The Empress reluctantly gave her orders and the maids scurried out, taking the things with them. She turned to the two handmaidens, "You two can go now, I want to rest by self for a while."
Out in the hallway, Erqing turned to Mingyu, grabbing her arm urgently.
"What are you doing?"
"Shhh!" She turned to Mingyu, "Can't you see our mistress is unhappy? What are you playing at?"
Mingyu tilted her head, "But the Emperor gave her a painting, how can she be unhappy?"
"Do you know what 'Lady Taisi Instructing her Son' signifies? Taisi was King Wen's concubine, King Wu's mother. She was intelligent and virtuous, noble and moral, and was loved by the king and it's people."
"But isn't that a good thing?" Said Mingyu, "It means that the Emperor wants our mistress to be like Lady Taisi!"
"Somewhat." Erqing corrected, "Ever since the Second Prince died, the Empress became depressed, nothing makes her happy. The Emperor is reminding her of her duty to the country."
Mingyu adamantly disagreed, "He's reminding her that no matter what, she will always be head of the Inner Palace. Ever since Second Prince died, niang-niang has distanced herself from the Emperor. But don't forget, his majesty still cares the most about Changchun Palace!"
----
Here another update! The Empress is one of my favourite characters, she's so soft and gentle which totally subverts the usual representation of Empresses.
Niang-niang - This is used by servants to their female masters and is also used by lesser concubines to those higher up the harem, as you can see here between Mingyu and the Empress It's a term of respect and essentially means your highness or your majesty or something like that.
Momo - the title given to middle-aged or elderly maids in the Forbidden Palace
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I couldn't find anything to explain today, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and I'll add the explanation here.
CHARACTERS
Wei Yingluo - our fast-thinking, witty and headstrong main character! You'll find out more about her as we move on.
Jixiang - slightly air-headed but sweet fellow embroidery maid of Yingluo's
Jinxiu - Also a fellow embroidery maid, she asks Manager Wu to check Yingluo's embroidery out of spite.
Zhang Momo - The senior maid who is in charge of the embroidery workshop
Manager Wu - a senior eunuch who is in charge of several things in the palace
Girl - She is one of the first girls to be rejected from the embroidery unit, she is then dragged away for 'telling tales' on Yingluo and Jixiang
Empress Fuca or Fuca Rongyin - A gentle and benevolent Empress who likes tending to her flowers more than attending imperial ceremonies. She is the mother of the Second Prince, Yonglian who died before the story began
Mingyu - She is a blunt, bubbly and fiery personal handmaiden of Empress Fuca, she is quite outspoken and is incredibly loyal to the Empress. She openly shows her dislike towards Noble Consort Gao with some restraint otherwise, she'd probably find herself dead.
Erqing - a soft-spoken personal handmaiden of Empress Fuca, she's a lot less outspoken than Mingyu and a bit more thoughtful. She is the main handmaiden so she spends the most time with the Empress.
Noble Consort Gao or Gao Ninxing - A arrogant consort who holds the highest seat among all concubines and is second to the Empress. She is painstakingly beautiful and she and the Empress are the main two sides in palace fights. She was only mentioned in this part.
Qianlong Emperor or Asingoiro Hongli - The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. He is a good Emporer and we will learn more about him as time goes on. There is a big Wikipedia article on him so if you're interested, you can always go and read it. He was only mentioned in this part.
I think I'm going to start to post longer sections as I feel like the sections are too short, tell me what you prefer though, it'd be nice to hear from you. As usual, if you have any questions or spot anything I've gotten wrong, don't hesitate to let me know!