Story of Yanxi Palace

Chapter 4 Lotus

Wei Yingluo stole a glance and felt dazzled, as if a faint fragrance was floating in the air, just like a white lotus blooming in the pond.

It was a beautiful girl in white, far surpassing the pretty ladies around her. Most remarkably, there was a subtle gentleness in her glance, which made her look even more pitiful.

"Lu Wanwan, shut up!" She turned her head and glared at her. "I didn't ask you!"

The girl in white shrank back, seemingly frightened by her. At this moment, a graceful beauty beside her pulled on her sleeve and whispered in her ear: ""It's not worth it for a silly slave to make Miss Wu Ya angry."

Lu Wanwan opened her mouth, but eventually swallowed her words back down.

"What does she mean by doing that? Saving people should be done to the end," Jinxiu said in a low voice, complaining.

Wei Yinglu looked at her, at least Lu Wanwan had spoken up for Ji Xiang. What right did someone who couldn't even stand up to say a word have to be so demanding of her?

Seeing Lu Wanwan was put off by her own words, Wu Ya was even more pleased, turning her gaze back to Ji Xiang, her eyes flashed with a cruel light but her face still carried a sweet smile, "Tsk tsk, newly arrived palace maid, no wonder she is so undisciplined! Since you have dirtied my clothing, you can use your hand to compensate for it!"

With that, she stomped heavily on Ji Xiang's back of the hand.

Pain surged through her, Ji Xiang was drenched in cold sweat as she swayed and almost fainted. She had no choice but to kneel on the ground and cry out, "It hurts! It hurts! Spare me, master! Please!"

But Wu Ya simply regarded her cries as something amusing and snorted with laughter.

The laughter made Ji Xiang's heart chill, for the first time in her life she realized that some people built their own happiness on the suffering of others.

"Dad... Mom..." She was still a child and when she was sad, she couldn't help but ask for help from those close to her, "Save me, help me, Aunt Fang, Xi'er, Jin Xiu... Yingluo!"

Suddenly, the pain on her back disappeared.

At the same time, she heard a sharp inhale.

What happened...

Ji Xiang was dazed as tears blurred her eyes. It took her several seconds to see what was happening before her, and she couldn't help but let out a gasp like everyone else.

Wei Yingluo was kneeling beside her, holding a foot in her hand - it was Wu Ya's foot.

"Wu Ya Highness," Wei Yingluo said, her head bowed, "Please go easy on Ji Xiang."

Wu Ya looked down at Wei Yingluo, her face showing a chilling smile, "You, a little palace maid, also dare to ask me for a favor?" As said before, she never appreciated other beauties.

After looking her up and down, she added with a hint of jealousy, "It's not impossible, how about you exchange for her?"

"If young master desires my hands, then I am willing to offer them up," Wei Yingluo spoke up before anyone could feel sorry for her. "However, today is the day of young master's selection, a time of joy and celebration. It should not be tainted with bloodshed and ruin young master's good mood and luck."

Wu Ya furrowed her brows and glanced at the other beauties with a corner of her eyes.

She enjoyed playing tricks on people in secret, and she assumed that the others were like her.

Stepping on the two maids' hands was just a small matter, but she was afraid that someone would accuse her behind her back, claiming that she had a bloody scent, which was a sign of a bloody disaster, and should not be faced in front of the saint...

However, just letting the two go like this, she felt a little unwilling, so she said coldly, "You sure know how to talk, but now my shoes are dirty, and I'm not happy!"

Wei Yingluo looked at the auspicious hands.

The white and fat palms were blue-black, branded with a black lotus flower, the petals and stamens were all exuding blood.

Wu Ya furrowed her brows and glanced at the other beauties with a corner of her eyes.

She enjoyed plotting in secret and do bad things, and she assumed that the others were like her.

Stepping on the two maids' hands was just a small matter, but she was afraid that someone would accuse her behind her back, claiming that she had a bloody scent, which was a sign of a “bloody disaster”, and should not be faced in front of the saint...

However, just letting the two go like this, she felt a little unwilling, so she said coldly, "You sure know how to talk, but now my shoes are dirty, and I'm not happy!"

Wei Yingluo looked at the auspicious hands.

The white and fat palms were blue-black, branded with a black lotus flower, the petals and stamens were all exuding blood.

Wei Yingluo's heart was as cold as frost, yet her face was even more respectful and gentle. She bowed her head to Wu Ya and said, "The craftsman thought carefully and specially carved the sole of the shoe into the shape of a lotus flower, but it was missing something. I, a servant, dare to offer to ease your worries."

"Oh?" Wuya raised her eyebrows, "How do you propose to ease my worries?"

Wei Yingluo took the sachet from her waist without looking back and shouted, "Linglong, where's the sachet on your body?"

The palace maid, who was called out by name, was taken aback.

"Give it to me." Wei Yingluo said as she opened the sachet and poured the rose-scented powder onto the ground.

Although she did not want to stand out at this time, Linglong had to reluctantly come out under the gaze of everyone and took out the scent pouch to hand it over: "Take it."

The same colored powder fell together, forming a small rose-colored group. Wei Yingluo knelt on the ground and raised her hands upwards: "Please lift your feet, Miss Wu Ya."

A light laugh came from above, and then a shoe with blood on the sole fell into her clean palm.

Wei Yingluo held the embroidered shoes of Wu Ya in her hands, then dipped the fragrance bag in powder, and evenly applied the powder to the sole of the Wu Ya shoes. She was focused, as if she was doing something very important.

"Huh." Looking at her profile, Lu Wanwan exclaimed, "Nalan sister, this little palace maid looks pretty good."

The girl called Nalan Sister, who had previously prevented her from helping Ji Xiang, was named Nalan Chunxue. She shook the palace fan in her hand and said lightly, "Being beautiful doesn't matter, she was born a slave, destined to be a shoe-lifter for Miss Wu Ya."

"All right." Wei Yingluo put down Wu Ya's foot and bowed respectfully, "Please take a few steps, Young Master."

"What are you trying to do..." Wu Ya's dark eyes walked a few steps, her face grim, "If you can't explain it..."

"Oh." Lu Wanwan, ignoring Nalan Chunxue's resistance, covered his lips with a fan and helped her out, "Lotus blooms with every step, it's so elegant. Look back."

Wu Ya was stunned at the words she heard. She looked back to see that a series of lotus prints were left on the green slate that she had just walked on.

At the same time, Wei Yingluo's voice came to her ears: "Servant has little education, but has heard that when the Marquis loves the most favored Pan concubine, he made golden lotus patches on the ground for her. When Pan concubine walked on them, it was as if each step produced a lotus, incomparably beautiful. So she was loved deeply. Today, Yingluo used her craftsmanship to embed rose petals into the bottom of her shoes, wishing the mistress that her wishes would be fulfilled and her career would rise step by step".

Wu Ya cast a glance at her and gently waved her fan and walked around.

Lotus flowers, one after another, were blooming on the green slate like white flowers slowly blooming in the green lake.

“Wu Ya didn’t rush to punish the two little palace maids, she just wanted to let the Emperor see the scene quickly. Who knows if foxy seductress will imitate her and make a rose or peony flowers.”

“Forget it.” She waved her hand carelessly and said to still kneeling Wei Yingluo, “For this sake, I’ll spare her life!”

Having said that, she left at once, stepping on lotus flowers.

With her leaving, there was no more show to watch. All the beautiful girls followed her and left. When Lu Wanwan was in the middle of leaving, she turned around, smiled at Wei Yingluo.

Sadly, she was standing while Wei Yingluo was kneeling, so Yingluo didn't get to see the smile.

After the footsteps faded away, Wei Yingluo slowly got up and came to the still kneeling Ji Xiang. She sighed deeply, then reached out and helped her who was still trembling, to stand up: "Ji Xiang, it's alright now".

"Oh, oh..." Ji Xiang seemed to still be in shock from what just happened, mumbling in response to Wei Yingluo's words.

"Let me bandage you up quickly first". Wei Yingluo took out a clean handkerchief and carefully bandaged her up. "We'll get a doctor for you later..."

She treated her so gently, and her heart settled down slowly, like a drifting lotus in the lake gradually approaching the shore, and she replied with tears, "Hmm..."

“Ji Xiang, you are so clumsy!" An inappropriate voice sounded, it was Jinxiu, who walked over with her hands on her hips and said sarcastically, “You almost got us all into trouble!”

“You have the nerve to say that!” Ji Xiang's cheeks puffed up. “If you hadn't pushed me, I would've never made the mistake!”

"Alright, enough bickering!" The Grand Palace Maid scolded them both, "Palace maids must be evaluated before they are employed. It's not enough to just talk; you have to have real skills. Now, go!"

The palace maids, including Wei Yingluo, all bowed their heads in unison and said, “Yes!”

The long line of maids followed the Grand Maid, like a school of fish, swimming in the direction they were supposed to go. Halfway there, Wei Yingluo's sleeve was pulled, and she turned her head to see that Ji Xiang was looking around nervously, like a scared little mouse. Her voice was several decibels lower in fear of being heard.

"Yingluo!" She complained cutely, with a hint of childish dependence, "Why did you help Wu Ya get chosen?"

"Chosen? Her?" Wei Yingluo stopped in her tracks.

Ji Xiang looked at her in confusion, then followed her gaze.

Suddenly, they arrived at the Orchid Garden.

The orchids were blooming everywhere, fragrant and sweet. However, Wei Yingluo's gaze was not on any of them.

She was looking at a well.

Ji Xiang shuddered involuntarily, not sure if it was just her imagination. Despite the distance, she could sense the chill emanating from the well, like a cold breeze blowing over a graveyard.

...Maybe it wasn't the well that was cold, but Wei Yingluo's gaze.

"… Only Heaven knows whether she is selected or not." Wei Yingluo said with a faint smile, which dispelled the chill in her eyes. Taking Ji Xiang's hand, she continued walking, "By the way, Ji Xiang, when you were crying and calling me before, it was very much like me before."

"Hmm?" Ji Xiang was puzzled.

"I used to be like you, always making trouble, unable to solve it myself, and crying out to my sister," Wei Yingluo said, facing away from Ji Xiang. "She would always come to save me."

"Your elder sister is so kind," Ji Xiang replied innocently. "I envy you for having such an elder sister."

"No, I envy you," Wei Yingluo's voice grew quieter. "When you call me, I will respond to you, but my elder sister... will never respond to me again."

The figure in front of him was desolate and lonely, like withered autumn leaves, reluctantly leaving the tree where it was born.

Just by looking at her back, Ji Xiang felt a heavy heart, and she couldn't help but hold her cold hands tightly, wanting to warm this hand, to warm this heart.

"It's okay, I will stay with you."Ji Xiang said softly, "I will stay with you... Sister Yingluo."