Chapter 2: Escort the Imperial Carriage

Zhou Bingchen came and went in a hurry. After receiving the news, he left the Haunting Fragrance Pavilion. Qinghe and Qingmei regained their senses and knelt down to congratulate Xie Ning together.

"Congratulations, lady," Qinghe was more excited than the heroine herself, with tears in her eyes. "You finally made it!"

Xie Ning still felt particularly unreal.

"Please get up."

Qinghe and Qingmei stood up, but they were still unsure how to feel. On one hand, they were thrilled that their lady had finally caught the eye of the emperor. On the other hand, they were keenly aware of the palace's insatiable appetite for new favorites. Their lady was already in a precarious position, and it was only going to become more challenging from here on out.

Although the reason why the emperor suddenly showed interest in Lady Xie was unknown to them, they were certain that Zhou Gonggong was trustworthy and truthful. They assumed that it was because the emperor was captivated by her when he saw her in the imperial garden moments ago.

Upon returning from the imperial garden, Qinghe still had a glimmer of hope. Perhaps, Lady Xie could take advantage of the emperor's gaze and change her fortune and being chosen by him? Despite being aware that this was a remote possibility, she never expected that Zhou Gonggong would arrive so quickly with such exciting news.

They must prepare well for the lady!

Following their initial exhilaration, the two of them felt disoriented and uncertain. What should they do to prepare for this? They had no prior experience in this matter! What kind of clothes should they dress Lady Xie in, and how should they style her hair? What else do they need to prepare? They had learnt the rules for entering the palace, proper decorum, and how to serve their lady, but when it came to serving the emperor in bed, they were clueless.

Xie Ning was even perplexed as they were. Zhou Bingchen would never make a joke like this. Making fun of a mere Lady of Talents was not worth his time as a deputy manager of the imperial harem.

But why did the emperor suddenly take an interest in her? It was impossible. If he had taken an interest in her, he would have done so when she first entered the palace. How could he suddenly become interested in her after more than two years? Was it just because he caught a glimpse of her in the imperial garden today?

She didn't even bother to dress up today; she only drew her eyebrows and didn't put on any makeup. Even if she had applied heavy makeup, the emperor arrived while she was already kneeling from a distance, so he couldn't have seen her clearly, right?

After a bland lunch, Xie Ning was relieved to be joined by Chief Palace Attendant Luo and four palace attendants. They quickly took over the duties of Qinghe and Qingmei, preparing hot water and assisting Xie in her bath. Each and every part of her body was meticulously cleaned during the repeated washing, giving Xie Ning an unusual feeling that Luo was in charge of the imperial kitchen rather than the Chief Bedchamber Officer. Was she being scrubbed clean and prepared as the emperor's dinner?

When Xie Ning felt like her whole body was becoming wrinkled, Luo finally said, "Done." Thank goodness, she could finally climb out of the bucket.

Upon coming out of the bath, Luo selected a dress for Xie Ning. Understanding that Lady Xie's wardrobe was limited, she didn't dwell on the issue and quickly picked out a light blue palace dress with embroidered lotus leaves and flowers, complemented by a snowy white water ripple skirt. Once the dress was selected, Luo did Xie Ning's makeup herself, using the cosmetics from her little boxes.

The delicate little boxes were a novelty not only to palace maids like Qinghe and Qingmei, but even Xie Ning had never seen anything like these before. The boxes were exquisitely crafted on the outside, and upon opening them, the contents of rouge, water powder, an eyebrow pencil, and fragrant ointment inside were even more breathtaking. Xie Ning sat still as Luo applied her makeup, arranged her hair into a bun, and pinned a fresh peony from the imperial garden onto it. After a few steps back, Luo nodded in satisfaction and said, "Lady is born with natural beauty and is sure to receive grace."

Xie Ning felt her face stiffen, and was afraid of messing up her hair, so she could only nod slightly and thank Luo: "Thank you for your kind words, Chief Palace Attendant."

Luo signaled for a palace maid to bring over a bronze mirror. She turned her head slightly to look in the mirror.

The room was slightly darker than outside, and Xie Ning had been sitting in front of the window since earlier, with the light coming in through the window shining on her. In the bronze mirror, Xie Ning's appearance was reflected as if she was enveloped in a layer of pearl-like halo, and her facial features were not very clear, but one thing was certain.

That is beauty.

Even though she couldn't be seen clearly in the mirror, just one look made people feel in their hearts, ah, truly beautiful.

Luo was also very satisfied with the results.

Before she came, Deputy Chief Eunuch Zhou had sent someone to pass on a message, asking her to make more effort. Actually, even without Zhou’s special reminder, she would not have neglected Lady Xie.

The incident in the Imperial Garden had already spread like wildfire, and it was probably already known throughout the harem. The emperor had spotted Lady Xie of Talents in the crowd at the imperial garden, and before noon, the chief eunuch by the emperor's side, Bai Gonggong, had ordered someone to convey the decree that the emperor would summon Lady Xie to accompany him tonight.

Under these circumstances, even if Luo had ten times the courage, she would not dare to neglect this task.

She had been observing Lady Xie since earlier.

Of course, Xie's appearance was very good. If she wasn't, she wouldn’t have been selected into the palace during the last round. Among nearly a thousand selected girls, only a few dozen was ultimately selected. Those with flaws and those who were not outstanding could never have made it through all the rounds and remained in the palace.

However, the palace was never short of beautiful women. Not to mention the batches of beauties who entered the palace, even the palace maids were carefully selected, and any one of them could be described as having well-defined features and being somewhat charming. What is it about this Lady Xie that caught the emperor's attention?

Luo couldn't figure it out, so she could only attribute it to chemistry. Sometimes people want something sweet, sometimes sour, and sometimes spicy. It's unpredictable. Now she was being attentive and thoughtful, and if Lady Xie was really lucky, she might also get some of the spotlight. Even if the emperor forgot about her after this, she wouldn't lose anything.

While she dressed Xie, she explained in detail the precautions to take when serving the emperor, and Xie Ning listened with a confused expression. "Do not speak too much, do not move recklessly, do not damage the emperor's health, be gentle, make the emperor happy..."

Realizing that she might have said too much, and fearing that Lady Xie would not know how to behave when the time came, Luo added, "Just remember one thing, follow the emperor's lead and obey his commands."

After everything was packed up, Xie Ning was surprised to find that the entire afternoon had slipped away without her even noticing. The sky was turning dark, and the sedan chair that was supposed to take her to the emperor was already waiting outside the Haunting Fragrance Pavilion with four eunuchs carrying it and palace maids leading the way.

As Xie Ning climbed into the sedan chair, Luo bid her farewell, her mission complete. Xie Ning turned to look back, realizing that Qinghe and Qingmei, her closest maids, were not permitted to follow her.

She felt a wave of panic.

It was then that Xie Ning remembered she had forgotten to bring a handkerchief. What if she became nervous and broke out in a sweat? Should she wipe her face with her sleeves? That would be indecent. But if she didn't wipe her face, the sweat would ruin her makeup, which would be even more improper.

And what if she needed to use the bathroom?

The emperor was a complete stranger to her. What should she say to him when they met? Was she supposed to assist him with his clothing and accessories or simply lay there and wait to be slept with? And what if she accidentally farted on the emperor’s bed... would that be seen as a grave offense, and would she be beaten to death?

For a moment, various thoughts of being sent to the cold palace or being beaten to death with a stick flooded Xie Ning's mind. She indulged in these wild musings throughout the journey, completely unaware of where she was being carried in the sedan chair.

Eventually, the sedan chair came to a halt and the palace attendants courteously assisted her in getting off. As Xie Ning lifted her head, she caught sight of the four large words "Hall of Eternal Peace" on the plaque above.

This was the famous Hall of Eternal Peace - the emperor's sleeping quarters. Although Xie Ning had never eaten pork before, she had seen pigs walking before. She had heard Lady Liu of Talents, who had not yet moved out of the Haunting Fragrance Pavilion, often mention this place. In her words and heart, Hall of Eternal Peace was the place she longed for day and night.

Although Xie Ning did not share this longing, she was very curious when Lady Liu talked about it. She wondered what kind of place Hall of Eternal Peace was. Was the palace towering and magnificent? Were the chambers and halls exquisite and beautiful?

Now that she had arrived at Hall of Eternal Peace, Xie Ning had no time to admire its architecture or design.

After being led into the inner palace by a palace maid, she was told to wait for the emperor to arrive. The maid bowed and left, while she sat on a red wooden stool, too nervous to move a muscle.

Before long, she heard footsteps outside and quickly stood up to bow when the emperor entered. His steps were brisk as he passed by her, and he spoke in a calm tone, "Please rise."

Feeling tense, she tried to control her breathing and kept her eyes fixed on the carpet's pattern under his feet. The emperor then removed his outer robe with the help of a eunuch and called her over, saying, "Come here."

As she approached, she almost stumbled over her own feet. With the guidance of the eunuch, she took over the task of assisting the emperor in changing clothes. The emperor's voice was neither harsh nor gentle as she helped him with his clothes, and he asked in a calm tone, "Have you had your dinner yet?"

She replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I haven't eaten yet." She couldn't help but notice her nervous tone, which had become high-pitched and mouse-like.

The emperor casually instructed, "Bring some food. I haven't eaten either." The eunuch quickly obeyed and went to summon the meal.

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