The Red House
With the empress's permission, Xi Gong Gong proceeded with taking up the second scroll. The entire crowd of girls held their breaths as they waited eagerly for his reply. The answer they got came in the form of Zheng Mei Xi, the younger sister of Zheng Mei Yun. Everyone in the crowd seemingly gasped out loud upon hearing the answer.
It seemed unfair, that of the several limited slots, 2 of them were given to siblings, especially the Zheng Family. In the crowd was a young girl named Chen Xi. She stood up amidst the rest of the girls as she loudly declared, "This selection process seemed biased and unfair. How is it that within the group of us ladies, both concubines chosen belong to the same household? Is there perhaps something inconsistent with this result? Perhaps Xi Gong Gong had announced the wrong name?"
There was a moment of silence as Chen Xi's accusation was sounded. Although every other girl had been thinking that, it was only Chen Xi who had the bravery to speak out about it. Ra-On, the Empress's first attendant pursed her lips as she took in this rude outburst.
Chen Xi stood bravely against the court of attendants, guards, and the Empress herself as she waited for an answer to her question. She glared back at Xi Gong Gong's humiliated face, who was currently purple in anger.
"Have you perhaps no respect? Have your parents not taught you that cutting into an announcement - especially an official one like this - comes with consequences? " Xi Gong Gong asked, truly upset that this girl had just humiliated him.
He tried his best to keep his cool as he turned and bowed to the Empress who seemed amused by the sudden turn of events.
"Your majesty, my Empress this girl has a horrid temper. She is rude and lacking, we must not let this act go unpunished." He urges.
The Empress who was residing in her chair glared down with a hint of amusement at the daring girl before her.
"Guards, seize her and bring her forward so that I may see her face clearly" the Empress ordered.
The guards nodded their heads as they stormed forward and grabbed Chen Xi by her arms. They marched her up onto the center of the arena and shoved her to the ground in front of the steps, causing her to wince as a few others gasped. Chen Xi grits her teeth as she slowly stood up and dusted off her dress. Haughtily, she looked up with defiance towards the Empress.
"My Empress, surely I speak the truth and only voiced the concerns that the other girls may also have. It just seemed extremely unlikely that both of the girls would be from the same household... I mean no ill will nor am I suggesting that you had taken a bribe, I just wish to clarify just in case there may be a mist-"
Xi Gong Gong slapped Chen Xi harshly across the face before she could even finish her sentence, causing her to yelp in pain as her mouth fell open. In her 17 years, she had never been slapped. Not even by her own parents. She glared at Xi Gong Gong who met her glare with a smirk and with an air of vengeance, he swirled his cape, turning around to face the Empress before bowing deeply to her.
"Your Majesty, My Empress, please do not be offended by this lacking girl. As you can tell, she is very young have apparently has not been taught the basic manners by her house. She truly is a disgrace, My Empress, please help clear this up" Xi Gong Gong pleaded.
The Empress sat up straight and pointed an accusing finger at her.
"Child, do you think that my choice is unfair? Do you assume that for every decision I make, I do not take into account the consequences? That for everything I do, that I do not keep in mind the regards and well being of not just my Emperor, your king but also that I do not bear the weight of my people on my heart? " SoHye questioned with an unexpected softness.
"Perhaps to explain a little deeper my child, the truth is that for every single concubine that we have chosen, this council and I had spent countless hours comparing various different candidates and only choose the best. I know it may seem unfair and some may even question the choices the court has made. Rest assured, according to the law, the reasoning behind each candidate would be available at our resident accounts and administrative building. You will be able to see that throughout this event, the council of ladies and I had placed heart and effort into picking and choosing."
There was a period of silence as The Empress spoke. Everyone seemed to lean into her warm voice as she continued on...
"The reason we had picked Zheng Mei Xi is due to her outstanding performance on the second test, cooking a meal and making it an outstanding dish with just plain flour. Zheng Mei Xi did within 2 hours what most of the girls here were unable to accomplish. Instead of just one dish, she had prepared an astounding 5. Each one of it delicious and heavenly."
The Empress praised Zheng Mei Xi as she blushed, biting her lips in embarrassment as her sister glared at her from above. Mei Yun curled her fists in anger as she tried to smile, pretending to be proud of her sister too. Even back home, Mei Xi would often get praises from their father and his numerous guests. Her cooking had been the talk of the town and even Mei Yun's childhood crush Kai had jokingly asked for her hand in marriage after having her famous fried mushrooms with fish.
Mei Yun lowered her eyes as she swallowed the bitterness in her throat. She had come here, praying to every single God she knew, just for a chance to enter the palace so that for once in her entire life, she did not have to be compared to her younger sister ever again. What kind of twisted fate was this, such that not only has to continue living with her younger sister, but be continuously compared for the rest of her life?
By now, the crowd had seemingly accepted the explanation as it had made sense to them. It was true as on the day itself, every other girl had swamped Mei Xi's station, asking for tips on chopping, frying, and even asking if they would be able to try the scraps of the dish.
Chen Xi was the only one who did not seem happy with the answer. However, she knew right now that there was nothing else that she could say. With her head bowed low, she meekly apologizes to the Empress.
"I am sorry my Empress, I did not mean to accuse you of not being fair."
The Empress smiled kindly, while she would want to punish this girl before her for daring to even speak up and accuse her of unfairness, she also understood that it is her duty as Empress to be forgiving and patient with the girls. One wrong move and false news would be circulated around.
However, the Empress did have one triumph card she could use. She sighs as she places her right hand down on the rosewood table, drumming her fingers. Her daughter, Yu Rou who was just about to pick up and munch on another honey cake noticed. Immediately understanding what her mother was doing, Yu Rou grinned and stood up defiantly.
"Royal Mother, you are too kind and forgiving! How wide your heart is that you may even overlook that fact that this girl before you had chosen to accuse you of being unfair. Perhaps it was not clear in the way she spoke, but hearing it broke my heart. She is one of your citizens and yet she did not have the faith that you would be fair. Her accusation was harsh and the way she just cut right in the middle of Xi Gong Gong's sentence was also very rude. Your daughter understands that you are patient, but the truth is she indeed disrespected you, and should be punished accordingly. If others were to follow in her uncivilized ways, what mayhem it would cause all over our country!" Yu Rou asks, gesturing to Chen Xi, who stood below them.
The Empress uncoiled her fan as she hid behind it and smirked. How wise her daughter, well taught indeed... she mused. She pretends to contemplate the idea, throwing on some narrowed brows, as though punishing Chen Xi would hurt her. After a while, she sighed, placing her fan down gently on her lap, she nodded sadly.
"While I forgive you for speaking such rude things in my presence my child, we must not deny that it was rude and wrong. If I do not punish you today, I would have failed in my duty as the Empress, mother of this nation. Just know that I trust that you will change over this and emerge a more mature, civilized, and respectful young woman."
Chen xi held her head high as she tried to push the fear out of her head. She had not considered the consequences of her actions before she had spoken up about it. She was aided on by rush bravery but alas, it seemed that it would have been better for her had she kept it to herself.
Meanwhile, every other girl could only hold their own tongue as they witness this entire event unfold before their very eyes. A few braver souls took a quick glance over at the Princess, Yu Rou who sat above them. The innocence that she is radiating seemed to be an image that hides the fact that a mere 10-year-old has more power than them. The other girls present knew there and then that if they were not careful with their words and actions, may risk offending the Princess, and thus unleash her wrath. Everyone was now wary and afraid of the Princess, Yu Rou.
Xi Gong Gong nodded his head in agreement with everything Yu Rou had said, he looked up as she signaled to the First Class Attendant Ra-on, his eyes seemingly telling her something. Ra-On noticed and nodded, knowing what she had to do. Turning slightly to her left, she bowed to the Empress.
"Consider the Princess's speech, and come up with a suitable punishment My Empress"
Xi Gong Gong also hid his smirk as he bowed to the Empress. "Consider the Princess's speech, and come up with a suitable punishment My Empress."
Upon seeing both Ra-On and Xi Gong Gong bow, the rest of the attendants caught on to their plan. Bowing towards the Empress, they chorused together as one voice.
"Consider the Princess's speech, and come up with a suitable punishment My Empress"
The Empress seemed to take her time thinking it through before she looked down.
"From today onwards, this child will be sent to the convent I had commissioned at Mount Hari for the nuns and scribes of Haribuo. For 4 seasons, she will do her daily chores, take part in meditation and copy the text on manners and duties for the lady. Hopefully, this time away from her family will teach her to be mature, independent and learn more about manners and respect. At the end of your punishment, we will send for you again, I hope that you do not see this bitterly and instead take this as a chance and opportunity to grow."
Chen Xi seemed to be in shock as she gasped, clutching her necklace and dress as she fell to the floor, her head spinning. 4 seasons away from her family, away from the luxury of having her own room, her own attendants, expensive hair ornaments, clothes, and food??? No doubt it was scary for her, having grown up as a sheltered lady, she never even had to do a single chore. Now she was expected to wash her dishes, clothes and maybe even sweep the floor?
Everyone else winced as they looked away, they pity the girl before them but at the same time, they knew her stupid bravery was going to get her into trouble. No one was willing to say anything more.
Xi Gong Gong smiled gleefully, not even bothering with hiding how he truly feels.
"You should be thankful that her majesty, the Empress had decided to spare your family child." He tutted.
The Empress raised her left hand and made a shooing motion, annoyed with the happening.
The guards who were silent as they stood at each side of Chen Xi stepped forward and grabbed onto Chen Xi's arms. They picked the poor confused girl off the floor and escorted her away to the side. Chen Xi seemed to be unable to process what had just happened as she weakly allowed herself to be escorted away.
The Empress held her head with her fingers as if she had a headache, gesturing to the princess and then to the crowd, Yu Rou once again, immediately understood what her mother was asking her to do. Looking forward to the crowd of girls who seemed to be afraid of her, Yu Rou smiled.
"This was an unfortunate event... It must have shocked everyone present. Let us all continue to be mindful of our manners as well as our position in life. Such dishonor and disobedience will not be overlooked. The Empress is kind enough to spare her, as such behavior could have resulted in her entire family being banished... I know that my royal mother's heart breaks giving out punishments. " Princess YuRou says in a gentle and kind voice.
While her smile reveals nothing, it reminded the ladies before her once again of their humble origins. They were standing in the midst of royalty. There was a fine and distinct line, and they should always seek to remember it.
The Empress nodded to Ra-On who understood and lifted a gold paddle from the top of the stairs. Upon seeing the paddle, Xi GongGong bowed and turned to the girls standing before him.
"Let us welcome the second noble lady, who shall from today onwards, occupy the Red sector. From the Zheng Zhou family, Zheng Mei Xi. Come forth and accept this decree. You have been selected and blessed by the heavens. From today onwards, you will be known as Noble lady Mei Xi. Now bow three times, once to the Emperor, once to the Empress, and once to swear your allegiance to the royal court."
Zheng Mei Xi made her way forward. The girl was 2 years younger than Mei Yun and yet one could immediately tell she was much prettier. With her high cheekbones, petite yet voluptuous figure coupled with her straight ebony black hair, one could tell that between the two siblings, Mei Xi would have been the favorite child.
Everyone watched on with the same quiet jealousy as Zheng Mei Xi stepped forward from the crowd and bowed three times before the Empress. She smiles as she collected her scroll from Xi Gong Gong.
With a snap of his fingers, she was whisked away by 2 attendants. Zheng Mei Xi emerged 10 minutes later on the second landing of the stairs. Her cheekbones were tinted pink as she was dressed in a robe that seemed similar in design to her sister. However, instead of the colors Black and red like her sister, Mei Xi was placed in a beautiful white and red gown. Her hair was also held in place with golden ornaments. Everyone could only look up to her as she took her place on her seat after bowing to the Empress. Already Mei Xi looked like she belonged amongst the royal ladies, as she sat on her seat. The girls below could only look on in jealousy.
Even Mei Yun could only fume in silent jealousy as she compared her dress to her sisters. Mei Xi looked like a fairy with her golden pins while here she sat, with second place silver in her hair, with a black gown. It made her feel worthless again...
The Empress once again lifted her hands to Ra-On, who gave the signal to Xi GongGong below the steps of the hall.
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