Summoned to the Palace

"Mother is thinking wrong. If my daughter can gain some face in front of His Majesty by entering the palace this time, it will indeed be a good thing that will benefit my father and brothers. Do you really want to watch my eldest brother and third brother live their whole lives in a muddle? Being suppressed by the people in the West Wing and never having a chance to make a breakthrough?"

After hearing her daughter mention her two sons and their future prospects, Dong finally stopped crying. Her eyes were full of apology and reluctance when she looked at Lin Wanyi.

"Don't worry, my daughter is not a reed that can be rubbed by anyone. Besides, as Second Aunt said, isn't there an elder sister in the palace to take care of me? You and I know what they are planning. Since they want me to help her consolidate her favor, they will naturally find a way to keep me safe."

These words comforted Dong's anxious heart.

At this point, crying is useless. It's better to think about what to prepare for her daughter.

So she wiped her tears and began to pack her luggage. That night, Lin Wanyi said goodbye to her parents, talked with her elder brother and younger brother for a while, and then went to bed.

When the room was dark with only one lamp left, she lay on the bed and thought about how she would spend the rest of her life.

The words she said during the day were just words to comfort her mother. Everything after entering the palace was unknown to her.

She tossed and turned for a long time before she fell asleep only when it was a little light in the sky.

She was still dozing in the carriage to the palace. The maids Chunqi and Xia An who accompanied her looked at the dark circles under their young lady's eyes and the palace walls that were getting closer and closer. They were so nervous that they didn't know what to do.

Young lady, young lady..."

Hearing Chunqi's familiar voice, Lin Wanyi woke up from her light sleep.

"Are we there?"

"The palace servant outside said that we are at Shunzhen Gate, and this carriage is not allowed to enter."

Lin Wanyi nodded, took a deep breath, and lifted the curtain to get off the carriage.

All around were high red palace walls, with the plaque of Shunzhen Gate hanging in front of them. The palace attendants in charge of picking people up stood in front of the carriage in an orderly manner. There were three of them, all wearing cloud silk shirts that were ink-colored with green that was thick as dark moss.

"I am Xu Guangping, the steward of the inner court, to greet Miss Lin. Hello, Miss Lin."

"You are polite, Eunuch Xu."

"I am ordered to wait for you here. I will take you to Chuxiu Palace later."

Since you have entered the palace gate, you should follow the instructions. Lin Wanyi was not arrogant. She followed the eunuch Xu and entered the palace through the side door.

After the palace gate slowly closed, Lin Wanyi took a look outside the city. When she turned around, she had already walked firmly and had no distractions. After entering Chuxiu Palace, a series of strict inspections were waiting for her. The maids checked her from head to toe and even her hair. It took about half an hour to complete the inspection.

"Please forgive me, young lady. These rules are required for concubines entering the palace."

"It's okay. Has the maid checked?"

"Well, after you change into your palace clothes, there will be a palace maid to lead you to Yihua Palace."

After all the trouble, this is not the real place to stay. However, since you are here, you might as well make the best of it. Lin Wanyi didn't have many complaints. After changing her clothes with the help of the palace maids, she went to Yihua Palace.

The palace walls are majestic and the palace rules are strict.

Along the way, they met several groups of palace maids and eunuchs, all of whom bowed their heads and saluted in accordance with the rules. Such a scene made Chunqi and Xia An, who were following behind Lin Wanyi, swallow their saliva. They were very alert, fearing that any mistake would harm their young lady. They were so nervous that they even forgot which doors they had walked through and which palaces they had passed. When they reacted, the master and servants had already stood in the east hall of Yihua Palace.

The one who led the way was an elderly maid, who said sternly.   

"Ms. Lin, this hall on the left is where you will live in the future. It is well decorated. If there is anything missing, just ask the maid to go to the inner court to get it."

"Thank you for your advice, Madam."

After saying that, she asked Xia An beside her to hand over a heavy purse. The madam was not polite and accepted the purse without leaving any trace.

Her tone was much kinder than before, and she even kindly mentioned it.

"Ms. Lin entered the palace a month later. There is no concubine in Yihua Palace, so the main hall is still idle. But the highest-ranking lady among the selected girls lives in the back hall, Chu Guiren. Her father is General Huwei in the northwest, and Mu Yingying lives in the hall on the right. Her father is the magistrate of Huaiyin. She has the same position as you, so you don't have to greet her"

As expected, money makes the world go round.

The madam explained the identity and background of the people living in the palace without leaving any trace, which solved Lin Wanyi's doubts.

"Madam, you are so thoughtful."

"Young lady, please take a rest first. A palace maid will come to summon you later."

After that, she bowed respectfully and turned to leave the left hall.

After she left, Chunqi and Xia An relaxed and looked around curiously.

"Miss, is there anyone else coming later?"

"It's probably someone from the Imperial Concubine's palace. Since we are entering the palace for the first time, we must meet them."

She was not originally a concubine nominee and had not participated in the march selection. If it weren't for the Imperial Concubine and Princess Rongkang's manipulation behind the scenes, I'm afraid she would not have entered the palace at this time in April.

Since she entered the palace, of course she must meet her. Chunqi nodded as if she understood, but Xia An beside her reminded her.

"After entering the palace, you can no longer call Miss 'Miss'. You have to call her Little Master like those maids."

Chunqi stuck out her tongue awkwardly, "I forgot, Miss... Oh no, Little Master, what should we do next?"

"Put away all the things I brought."

"Don't we have to meet other people in the Yihua palace?"

"The rules of the harem are strict. Empress Xu has been dead for three years. Now the palace is ruled by the Imperial Concubine. Naturally, we have to pay our respects to her first. It's not good to break the rules."

Lin Wanyi explained patiently.

There is nothing big in the palace. It's just serving the same man with a bunch of women. But women's hearts are like needles in the sea, especially in the palace. If they make a mistake, they will attract the attention of many people, so Lin Wanyi dare not take it lightly.

Fortunately, she has been "reading the eyes" at home for several years, so she won't break the rules. Let Xia An light the agarwood, smelling the familiar smell, it relieved a lot of tension for the three people.

They didn't bring much things, and they put them away in less than a moment. The room on the left is the study. Most of the books on the antique shelf are the miscellaneous books that Lin Wanyi likes to read, and some clever toys that her father prepared for her to kill time before she entered the palace.

On the right is the bedroom. The yellow pear wood bed is carved with crabapple flowers, and the top is hung with autumn fragrance-colored laundry covers. If you look closely, even the light that penetrates becomes soft.

When Chunqi was asking Lin Wanyi what to have for lunch, She heard someone coming outside.