Inside the imperial palace... more than desolated cold palace where unfavored consorts are left to die... more than the imperial court where ministers look at each other like prey... and more than the inner palace itself where you would be stabbed at the back by beautiful faces... What Tang Mei fear the most is the artificial water of the imperial lake.
When the sunlight reach for the surface, the water would glister like the sparkling beauty of jaded stones. It was clear, without any ounch of corruption. It was like a mirror in this golden world. Reflecting the sky, reflecting every life pa.s.sing above it, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
And also awfully cold and unforgiving. Not knowing how deep it is. Not knowing what"s in the depths of it. A small slip and just a moment of inattention, her mistress was swallowed whole just like that.
The fear and the sense of loss adding the desperation she felt at that time would be carried by her forever. Just being near it send her on edge. She feels like any moment, the empress would be grabbed to the bottom ot it once more.
Ever since, despite how healthy her majesty is, sickness would easily follows her. Still, the empress like going to the imperial lake. As if looking at it all day would keep her awake.
Tang Mei let out a heavy sigh.
Entering the lake pavillion, she easily spot the empress sitting in a slouching position. She wasn"t even holding the brush properly.
"Your majesty," Tang Mei greeted, putting down the rest of materials on the table. "This servant wasn"t sure if we"re allowed to take official doc.u.ments outside. What if someone stole them."
"You worry too much Ah Mei. This ones are not that confidential and just idle reports. A good weather is rare these days. Let"s take advantage of it," Wei Yi Yi said.
In the times where she slowly got familiar on how to run the inner palace, there are times where she wanted to endlessly scold "Wei Yi Yi". Rather than the four arts, her knowledge lingers around the structure of the imperial court or military strategies. She indeed study things that could have supported Jiang Yu"s lifestyle... if she"s a man!
Alright, it"s not like Wei Yi Yi supports the ideology that women should only be a housewife and there are things that only a man can do. Heck, she"s a modern woman alright! It just that, the line of work that "Wei Yi Yi" picked up have nothing to do with the course she took up! No wonder the inner palace is a mess, does she thought that she"ll be Jiang Yu"s security guard after marriage?! Dude please, you married to be the empress.
Thankfully, Wei Yi Yi have accounting skills. And even it is as good as being non-existance, she at least have a pitiful management skills.
Putting down the brush, Wei Yi Yi turned to hold Tang Mei"s hand. In a teasing tone, she said, "Are you putting the ointments properly? A single scratch is not allowed. What are we going to do if our Ah Mei can"t be married off anymore?"
After the incident, Tang Mei acted like she committed the greatest crime in her life. She kept apologizing on harming the empress to the poing Wei Yi Yi felt like she sullied someone so innocent. Having zero comforting skills when needed, Wei Yi Yi end up joking about the serious situation and teased Tang Mei about it. Suddenly, after the empress kept making fun of her reactions, Tang Mei felt she was silly for begging for punishment from her mistress.
"It"s bad to tease this servant." Tang Mei"s tone is scolding but her expression is smiling. As a slave, Her majesty"s laid back personality is also a form of kindness for her kind.
"I don"t know if Tang Mei is also a young maiden that think of marriage as happiness. It"s not bad to be careful. Ah Mei is just too serious," Wei Yi Yi loved teasing Tang Mei. If it"s Xiao Yuan Xi... he"ll end up crying in embarra.s.sment with just a few words and he"ll run off to trouble Xiao w.a.n.g Xi with his tears.
Suddenly, Wei Yi Yi noticed a different booklet atop of the piles of paper that Tang Mei brought. Picking it up, Wei Yi Yi asked, "What"s this?" while she scan the contents.
"Ah, that... This servant was told that it"s some sketches of the ministers" furens. Liu w.a.n.g ordered this servant to show it to the empress. The prince was asking---"
"The fudge is wrong with him?!" Wei Yi Yi blurted out, cutting Tang Mei off.
"What"s wrong empress?" Tang Mei asked, startled.
Wei Yi Yi was not able to answer her as she kept scanning the content, unable to believe her eyes.
The booklet indeed contain small portraits of madames with a few information in them. It was carefully put in order according to rank, with the princesses in front, followed by the ranked women.
It just that.. they are... kind of... really unsettling?
"Is Da Xian women this ugly--- cough! cough!"
Wei Yi Yi have some doubts. The beautiful portraits that Jiang Liu used to "open her eyes" on what a "good" painting really is were claimed as his personal masterpieces. She never saw him actually finis.h.i.+ng a piece but in the few times that she saw him sketching, Wei Yi Yi have no doubts that he really painted those beautiful pictures.
If he really created this one then are they really offensive to the eyes or Jiang Liu have some grudge with them?
To say that they"re ugly is overstating but saying that they looked like ladies of n.o.ble birth is also kind of offensive when compare to the beautiful consorts of the imperial palace.
Maybe Wei Yi Yi just got use to the fluttering of skirts and a.s.sulting perfumes that in her eyes, ordinary women are kind of lacking?
Suddenly, Wei Yi Yi thought of something. She slow down from turning the pages and ultimately stop at a certain page.
Cheng w.a.n.gfei, Wen Yang.
It was Jiang Chen"s birth mother.