klisemfg Chapter 383 Entering the Palace (1)
Chapter 383 Entering the Palace (1)
Shangguan Qingyue was recruited into the palace by the Emperor, not for any other reason, but because Emperor Mingde had always been thinking about renovating his imperial study!
Wan Linglong jumped down from the carriage lightly. The little maid who had been raising her arms waiting for her mistress to lend a hand could only put her arm back with embarrassment.
She lowered her voice and said in a whisper:
"Miss, we are about to enter the palace. Before we came, Madam gave you many instructions and told you to remember the rules.
Why did you jump down directly just now?"
The little maidservant stamped her feet in anxiety, and her little face flushed.
Being scolded by her own maid, Wan Linglong stuck out her tongue a little embarrassedly, moved to the side of the maid, tilted her head and said:
"Chun Tao, it's not appropriate for me to jump directly off the carriage, and it's also not appropriate for you to stamp your feet in public, right?
We are the same as master and servant, so let's not laugh at each other."
When the little maid heard this, her cheeks, which were originally flushed, turned completely red. She grunted for a long time but in the end couldn't utter a word.
At this moment, a clear and pleasant voice came from not far away.
"Sister Linglong!"
Although the voice was not too loud, it seemed very abrupt coming from the mouth of a noble lady from an aristocratic family.
The young eunuch who was waiting outside the palace gate stumbled and almost fell forward when he heard this.
He looked in the direction of the sound out of curiosity, and saw a petite woman in green clothes jump off the carriage and run to another place holding up her skirt.
This scene is simply disgusting. How can a lady from a noble family be so rude as to run away holding up her skirt?
Coincidentally, a tall girl suddenly appeared on the other side, also running with her skirt lifted up.
The young eunuch was stunned for a moment. Could it be that he was ignorant? Have the girls in the capital become so casual now?
Although Wan Linglong does not know martial arts, she deals with things like wood and stone every day, and has long since developed a lot of strength.
She picked up the petite person who was flying towards her and happily spun around several times before putting her down.
Shangguan Lan was riding on a horse, and when he saw this scene, he couldn't help but cover his face and laugh.
Seeing that the eunuch not far away looked like he was about to faint, he had no choice but to jump off his horse and walk quickly to the two of them.
"My two little aunts, do you know where this is?
Do you believe that within an incense stick of time, the news of the two of you hugging and spinning around outside the palace gate will reach the Emperor and the Empress?"
Shangguan Qingyue's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are these people so idle? They have to rush to the emperor to complain about such a small matter?"
"What is 'fart'... Where did you learn such a vulgar word, little girl?
Brother, I am warning you, be careful, or you will be punished if you make mistakes after entering the palace."
Shangguan Lan felt his eyes go dark. It seemed that he had been too indulgent to his sister. Now he regretted it very much.
My younger sister is going to be a princess in the future. It's okay to be so unruly at home, but as a member of the royal family, there will always be a time for her to enter the palace. If she doesn't pay attention, she will suffer a lot in the future.
A long sigh suddenly interrupted Shangguan Lan's wandering thoughts. Just as he came back to his senses, he heard his younger sister say in a deep voice:
"Oh~, I understand, brother. I will be careful with my words and actions and try to be a puppet without emotions."
After that, she took Wan Linglong's hand and said:
"Sister Linglong, let's go quickly. The eunuch in front looks impatient."
Several people followed the eunuch who led the way and went straight to the imperial study. The scenery of the imperial palace along the way was naturally beautiful, but Shangguan Qingyue always behaved well and never looked around.
She said that although the scenery in the palace was beautiful, it looked too rigid and gave her a feeling of depression.
Wan Linglong was also secretly glancing around with the corner of her eyes.
The Queen Mother did not like crowds, so the families of these ministers rarely entered the palace.
In addition, she was young in previous years and was not good at dealing with the people, so her mother would not take her even if Concubine Jing's palace held a banquet.
So, this is her first time entering the palace!
As for Shangguan Lan, it was the Queen Mother who suggested that he come along.
After all, it would not be appropriate if there were only two little girls. If Wan Linglong's brother had not been on duty thousands of miles away, he would have been called as well.
The emperor and the empress were both in the imperial study at this time. One was busy reviewing memorials, while the other was lying on the beauty couch beside her reading a book.
When she saw the person coming, Queen Chen couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Ayue, when did you become so obedient? It's really awkward to watch. Did you learn the rules at home in advance because you entered the palace?"
Emperor Mingde also smiled and agreed:
"Haha, the Queen is right. I feel awkward too. Qingyue girl, you should just be like you were when we were in the Summer Resort. You don't have to restrain your temper."
As he spoke, he looked at Wan Linglong, who was also sitting with her head bowed in a proper manner. He thought that a little girl who dealt with wood and soil all day long must not be a reserved person, so he said:
"Miss Wan is the same. If she is always so reserved, won't she become timid in doing things?
My imperial study is counting on you two to show your talents! As for the important task of taking care of the two girls, I will leave it to Shangguan Aiqing."
Shangguan Lan was somewhat flattered. He was just a small sixth-rank official who was not even qualified to attend the morning court. How could he deserve the emperor to call him "my dear minister"?
So he knelt down in fear and trepidation, and said "yes" repeatedly.
The Imperial Study consists of two parts: one is the outer hall used to receive court ministers, and the other is the inner hall which only the emperor, empress and a very small number of close people can enter.
Shangguan Qingyue and Wan Linglong’s task is to renovate the inner palace.
Looking at the corals, agates, precious jades, valuable calligraphy and paintings placed everywhere, Wan Linglong took a deep breath and called the eunuch assigned to them by the emperor.
"Eunuch Xi, our most important task today is to temporarily move the treasures in this inner hall.
If anything gets bumped or dented, I can’t afford the compensation even if I sell it!”
The eunuch called Eunuch Xi was very young, probably only fourteen or fifteen years old. When he smiled, he had two big dimples on his face, which made him look very funny and cute.
Hearing Wan Linglong's words, he immediately bent over with laughter and laughed in a shrill voice:
"Oh, Miss Wan, you are such a wonderful person, how come you speak so interestingly!
I will go find the steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs right now to register these items and temporarily put them back in the warehouse. Don't worry, no one will be touched!"
Shangguan Lan couldn't help but touch his nose. Somehow, he always felt that this Miss Wan was somewhat similar to his own sister.
Both of them, well, are different from those ladies from wealthy families, and are very approachable.
The two asked the palace maid for a piece of rice paper. Shangguan Qingyue took her usual charcoal pen and started to sketch on the paper. Wan Linglong occasionally put forward her own ideas and added a few strokes on it.
This went on for nearly two hours until the palace maids from Yingyue Palace came and interrupted them.
Seeing the two silly girls who were so dusty that their original appearance was almost unrecognizable, the palace maid couldn't help but exclaimed, and a hint of contempt soon appeared in her eyes.
The appearance of these two at this moment was really sloppy and vulgar, even worse than the lowest-ranking palace maids!
However, that hint of contempt was quickly covered up, and she bowed with a faint sense of superiority and said:
"Greetings, ladies. I am here on the orders of the Queen to invite you and this gentleman to have lunch at Yingyue Palace.
but……"
She looked them up and down for a few times before she continued:
"Looking at the state you two are in, you should follow me to bathe and wash yourself before going to see the Queen. Otherwise, it will be bad if you offend the Queen or the nobles in this palace."
Wan Linglong and Shangguan Qingyue looked at each other and scratched their heads at the same time. Their already loose hair had become even more messy, making it look even more horrible.
The palace maid turned away with some disgust when she saw this, and the expression on her face happened to be seen by Shangguan Lan.
He suppressed his anger and said coldly:
“The girls in our family never bathe or wash themselves outside casually.
I'd better ask this sister to take us directly to the Queen's Yingyue Palace. I'm sure the Queen will make the arrangements by then."
The palace maid was so angry that she almost laughed when she heard this. She was so kind and the other party didn't even appreciate it.
Humph, then she would take these two crazy girls around the palace and let everyone laugh at them!
"Since the lord has said so, I will not interfere. But if the queen blames me, please do not throw the dirty water on me.
Then follow me."
After saying this, she turned around gracefully and walked out of the hall with light steps. From behind, she looked like a proud peacock.
The maids beside the two girls all looked indignant. They quickly helped their young ladies to tidy up their hair and took out handkerchiefs to wipe their hands and faces.
Although it can't be compared with when I first came here, it's still acceptable.
After a brief tidying up, a few people followed silently, walking calmly on the spotlessly swept bluestone road, which shocked the jaws of the palace servants passing by.
Where did these wild girls come from? Two of them?!