The Blue House
The Noble Lady to occupy the Blue House would be Lin Mi Lan. Xi Gong Gong announced.
Everyone held their breath and started looking around. It wasn't just because Lin Mi Lan had come from a very prominent noble house but instead of what had happened during the previous week.
Flashback.
A group of girls were resting in a pavilion at the back porch of their accommodation, it was a hot afternoon and there was a window of period for the girls to take a break and settle into their new rooms before the selection process was to begin. There were 12 girls that were assigned to each house. As everyone had already chosen their beds and settled down, they wandered into the back where there was a shallow koi pond and a beautiful Pavillion.
In the midst of them was a girl called Go Yun. Her father was a prominent salesman and their family had been one of the many to pave trading with the people outside of the plains. She had been fuming over losing a window-side bed to Mi Lan who had refused to give it up despite her tantrum.
Lin Mi Lan was a quiet and cold beauty who kept to herself throughout the entire morning. Dressed in a Hanfu that was much more masculine than it was feminine and having her hair up in a ponytail, from far away, many people had mistaken her for a young and handsome man.
She was indeed tall and her face with delicate features could pass for both a handsome man and a beautiful woman. She was poised, calm and many girls and guys alike had found themselves swooning over her back in her district.
For the entire morning ever since she had entered the Lotus palace though, she had kept quiet and refused to partake in any other conversations, replying only in a few words when needed. Go Yun had been seething in rage at Mi Lan's attitude towards her, she thought it was rude that someone was ignoring her.
Strolling up to Mi Lan who was sitting on the railings, Go Yun glared at the girl before her. Mi Lan had one leg up and was resting her head on the beam of the Pavillion, her eyes were closed and she was enjoying the warm breeze that was blowing into the yard. Oblivious to the mischief that Go Yun was about to commit.
Go Yun smirked and decided to tease her. Earlier today she had overheard a maid gossiping about how Lin Mi Lan had lost her mother early when she was a child and was one of the only foster children to have come into the palace for this selection.
Go Yun shoved Mi Lan from the banister and Mi Lan fell back, her eyes opened in shock at the sudden shove, but seemingly very skilled in wushu she merely leaped up and twirled in a circle before landing on her feet. Showing off her Qing Gong. (輕功 \ 轻功, a form of martial art skills.)
"What's with the haughty and delusional stance you have sister? We have spent hours trying to make friends with you but you are so rude that you did not bother to even reply to anyone of us. Is this because you grew up without a mother? Stop walking around with your nose in the air like you are so much better than any of us. A foster child in a noble family is still not noble by blood."
With a haughty laugh, Go Yun pointed an accusing finger at Mi Lan.
Mi Lan clenched her teeth in anger, she suddenly flew up from where she was standing and sent a flying kick towards Go Yun. The other girls screamed in terror at the unexpected response as they watch Go Yun get kicked right in the chest and was sent screaming and falling into the koi pond.
Mi Lan stood there powerfully and lifted her nose up into the air.
"You can mock me all you want, but if you even dare mention my dead parents, I will send you to the doors of Fengdu Cheng myself. (丰都城; 酆都城, is in reference to Fengdu Ghost city of the dead) PUI!" Mi Lan spits
Go Yun's childhood friend XiaoLing was the first girl to rush forward and scream at Mi Lan.
"H-How dare you!! Do you even know who Go Yun's father is!! We can have your entire family punished for hurting his precious daughter!! Don't think you can get away with this and have a good life in the capital anymore!!"
XiaoLing motioned for another girl to help her wade into the shallow koi pond where Go Yun sat crying, they both hurled up the soaking girl and tried to waddle their way out of the pond. It was a hilarious sight to any onlooker.
Mi Lan glared coldly at the group of girls before her and at the wet mess before her. She took a step forward as the other girls around took two steps back each, avoiding direct eye contact with her as they huddled into pairs, choosing to look at the sobbing Go Yun instead.
"Y-YYOU!!! Wahhh!!!!!!! Im going to tell f-f-father *Sobs* about this!!! Your Lin family is ruined!! I-I *sobs*, I will make sure that you will never be able to sell your noodles in our capital ever again." Go Yun wailed
Lin Mi Lan raised an eyebrow before throwing her head back and started roaring with laughter. She clenched her belly and raised her hand to wipe a mock tear from her eyes.
"Did your stupid little pea brain think I am from that Lin family?? The one who sells noodles in various restaurants all over the capital? Pah!" Mi Lan mocks, slapping the table beside her as she hoots in laughter.
The other girls stared at the insane sight before them. There were few noble families with the Lin surname, and even lesser those who had a foster child. If Mi Lan was not from that Lin family then which one was she from?
Lin Mi Lan strode forward boldly and smiled widely at the shivering Go Yun. She procured a fan from her sleeves and opened it in show fashion as she started fanning herself.
"I am Lin Mi Lan, I was adopted by my uncle shortly after my family was murdered by bandits. Do you know who my uncle is? Oh, I think you will find his name very very familiar. His name is Lin Han. The head of the Silver Wolf Clan."
There were a few gasps in the crowd and XiaoLing turned to glare at the direction of where those gasps came from. It took Go Yun a while to wrap her head around as her head was spinning with disbelief.
The Silver Wolf Clans were one of the most ancient and powerful families in the entire kingdom. There are many branches within the clans, with the most famous one being Lin Han, the current head of the clan. He is known as the 2nd most powerful WuLin master in the entire continent and had constantly won every WuLin competition hosted in the western region.
The clan also has close ties with the Royal family as they had provided training for the royal army in times of need and even volunteered their own personal army to the front lines when needed, turning tides and securing many crucial victories.
Many times, the family had been given titles, deeds, land, and even granted marriages from the Emperors themselves in thanks for their service to the country. The most recent and prominent one was granted by the current Emperor, where he had given his younger sister, Princess Yi to the eldest son of Lin Han.
With a princess as a sister-in-law and Lin Han as a father, only a fool who is seeking the HuangQuan roads (黄泉; 黃泉, which refers to yellow spring road, one that the dead takes to hell ) would dare to even offend Lin Mi Lan.
It was an extreme oversight on Go Yun's part because she had assumed, but now knowing the severity of the situation, the other girls fell silent and looked at each other in unease.
XiaoLing fell to her knees before Mi Lan
"Miss Lin please, I beg, don't do anything to my family, if anything, it is because of Go Yun, she is the one who badmouthed you and threatened you.."
Mi Lan raised her eyebrow, she looked like she was pondering.
Go Yun fell to the floor in defeat. Her face blanked of any emotion.
Mi Lan once again roared with laughter.
"My my, look how fast priorities and loyalties can change." She mocks in a sing-song tone.
Mi Lan snapped her fan shut and walked over to Go Yun, she bend down to her face and lifted Go Yun's chin with her fan.
"You better make sure that you take very good care of your stinking attitude in the days that follow. If you so much as step out of line even once, I will make sure your father loses every single last coin he has in his bank and I will ruin your family with my own hands. From today, I want to only see you and not hear your annoying high pitch chirp. If you so much as piss me off one more time, I will send you straight to the MingJie (冥界 Ming Jie refers to the dark realm hell.) Where you can cry out for the rest of your life and only ghosts will answer you."
Mi Lan tilt her head and smiled. She dropped her fan and stood up straight, the other girls couldn't help but swoon a little at the lady before them... she was so.... handsome...
Mi Lan looked down, her smile wiped from her face in an instance.
"That is not a threat Go Yun, that is a promise." She finishes before she swung her hand back, resetting her sleeve and walking back into the house.
The other girls nervously took a peek at the ultimately humiliated Go Yun and sniggered, slowly filling out of the Pavillion. The gossip that were to follow in the next few days were relentless. Go Yun kept her head held high and refused to back down from the other remarks from the other girls.
She knew she had been haughty and had written a letter of apology to Mi Lan secretly, hoping that her father would not be affected because of her.
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Lin Mi Lan bowed and accepted the decree from Xi Gong Gong.
The Empress smiles, she knows how loyal the Silver Wolf Clan has been to the royal family, having Mi Lan here with her would be an added bonus too.
Everyone watched as Lin Mi Lan came to view on the second landing and took her place beside Liu ji Chun. Go Yun looked up at Mi Lan above her and couldn't stop her tears from falling.
Mi Lan met eyes with Go Yun and as though not knowing who she was, coldly turned away and looked somewhere else.
The other girls shuffled nervously, there were already 5 girls that have been picked. There was only room now for one more. The very last house.
Everyone held their breath as Ra-On lifted the paddle.
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