Eunuch Sun had managed the Beauty Palace for a long time, and for the time he had done so, no woman had ever been treated differently. Regardless of what their previous positions were, once they arrived here, all of them would dress up prettily and expectantly wait for Prince Hao to enter their room, but none had ever dared to speak like this.
“Eunuch Sun, these drawers are not simply used for hanging Beauty Plaques right?”
Eunuch Sun placed the plaque in his hand down. “If you’re that unwilling, then forget about it. You coming here wasn’t something decreed by Prince Hao anyways. However, if Prince Hao comes back from Nanzhao and officially accepts you into the Beauty Palace, that is a different story. When that happens, you must carve your name onto the plaque.”
Su Xi-er nodded. “I know, but what does the drawer contain?”
“Every woman’s birth date and which type of family they are born in. There are also some records pertaining to which woman’s room Prince Hao enters.”
There are so many women in the Beauty Palace that the way they are managed imitates the imperial palace’s imperial harem. It’s just like an emperor’s imperial harem, yet there is no mention of Pei Qianhao.
Faced with this, Su Xi-er finally came up with another reason for the existence of the Beauty Palace. Perhaps this is Pei Qianhao’s interest; locking up beauties and enjoying the feeling of watching them fight. After all, he is perverted enough to do such a thing. That said, perhaps there is also another possibility ー he established the Beauty Palace as a warning to those who would challenge his dignity.
Beimin’s little emperor is like a puppet. Otherwise, no one would dare to brazenly establish a Beauty Palace with supervision methods so similar to the imperial palace’s Imperial Affairs Division[*].
Su Xi-er pursed her lips. Is my imperial younger brother, Ning Lianchen, also the same as Beimin’s little emperor, completely stifled by Yun Ruofeng?
When Yun Ruofeng flies into a rage, would he punish imperial younger brother fiercely? Or would he not even allow that? Perhaps he would go as far as to place him under house arrest and seize control of the imperial throne, becoming emperor himself?
“Miss Su, since you will not be carving your name onto the plaque, let’s go out. This old servant will take you to where you are staying.”
“Alright,” Su XI-er responded softly before glancing at two plaques that had been discarded to one side.
One was empty, while was engraved with the words ‘Shi Liu’. I suppose this ‘Shi Liu’ is the woman who passed away.
~~~
Outside the door, Hong Li and Ruo Yuan were very anxious as they waited. She has gone in for so long and is still not coming out. What exactly are they doing inside? What does the ‘Beauty Plaque’ on the signboard mean?
Ruo Yuan was born of humble background and was illiterate. It was Hong Li who informed her about the words ‘Beauty Plaquet’.
Only when the two saw Su Xi-er walking out did they relax.
Eunuch Sun didn’t speak, choosing instead to directly head towards another path.
Hong Li and Ruo Yuan continued to stare in awe at the surrounding scenery. There was even a small lake, and a pavilion to go with it.
A few beauties were in the small pavilion. Their manner of dressing was very eye-catching; donned in light gauze dresses and singing as they played the zither.
“Miss Su, every woman will personally name the place they stay in. The place you are about to move into was inhabited by the woman who passed away previously. The signboard with the name she came up with has already been taken down to make room for yours. Once you decide what you will use for a name, you can inform me so that I can have someone hand up the sign for you.”
Su Xi-er replied unhurriedly, “I won’t be troubling you, Eunuch Sun. A name will not be necessary, as I’m only staying for a short while.”
The person every influential woman in this world dreams to meet is Prince Hao Why is this young lady the exact opposite? She’s emphasising that she has no relationship with the Beauty Palace and isn’t currying favour with Prince Hao.
At this moment, Su Xi-er suddenly spoke, “Eunuch Sun, what are you thinking about? Your eyes were staring ahead blankly.”
Only then did Eunuch Sun recover from his thoughts and continue to lead the way. “It’s right ahead.”
After walking for a short while, Su Xi-er saw a small compound.
There was a stone table and some matching stools along with a pomegranate tree[**] planted at the side in the courtyard. The compound was very small. Apart from some green trees, there were only pomegranate trees. It happened to match the name of its previous resident.
“Miss Su, if you don’t like these pomegranate trees, you can instruct this old servant to remove them.”
“Eunuch Sun, you are too courteous. You are the in-charge in the Beauty Palace. The reason so many women can stay together in harmony is thanks to your stringent supervision. In reality, the servant is not you, but me. How can I instruct you?”
Eunuch Sun sized up the woman before him again. When he saw her for the first time, he dared to say that she would be the most beautiful woman present if she officially entered the Beauty Palace. In particular, that pair of eyes flickers with a dazzling lustre that captivates everyone.
Now that he examined her again, his appraisal of her improved. Not only does this woman have a beautiful appearance, but she also has brains. Her replies are concise and conclusive, leaving no room for others to rebut.
“Miss Su, walk here. There are two dining halls in the east and west respectively. Let the two servant girls who came with you to go there and collect your meals every day at 7am, 11am, and 5pm. If they don’t arrive within an hour of those times, they won’t be able to collect the meals anymore.”
Su Xi-er nodded. “Many thanks, Eunuch Sun.”
“This old servant will be leaving first. Tidy up this place appropriately.”
Su Xi-er nodded again and softly replied with an affirmative.
After Eunuch Sun left, Hong Li immediately exclaimed, “The Beauty Palace is so palatial! Also, I noticed that a few women in the pavilion were looking in our direction as we passed by just now.”
Ruo Yuan continued, “This side feels like it is heavily guarded. How are we going to sneak out secretly?”
Su Xi-er grinned. “I naturally have a way. No matter how tight the security is, it is still incomparable to that of the imperial palace.”
Right after she said that, they heard a sound from outside the courtyard. As soon as Su Xi-er heard the voice, she knew who had come ー He Xiangyu
“I heard that a new younger sister[***]. has come today. Not only that, she was even assigned here by the Empress Dowager. I’m curious, the Empress Dowager is actually pushing women to Prince Hao?”
When she saw Su Xi-er, her eyes involuntarily widened.
Why is it Su Xi-er!
Su Xi-er looked at He Xiangyu. I had scratched her face with a hairpin previously, but no scar is left behind. Not long after that, the Empress Dowager ordered for her to be beaten with the planks, but from what I see now, it looks like her body has also recovered.
Hence, Su Xi-er smiled. “He Xiangyu, are you very shocked to see me? What’s the matter? You still haven’t learnt your lesson after the Empress Dowager gave you a flogging with the planks? You still want to suffer a beating?”
“You…” He Xiangyu’s eyes revealed rancour. Back then, Su Xi-er was still scrubbing chamber pots in the Palace Side Quarters while I had already been taken into the Beauty Palace.
I had happened to be favoured at the time, with Prince Hao allowing me to enter the imperial palace. Now though, I am completely neglected and bullied in the Beauty Palace.
Even Su Xi-er has come in to ridicule me! However, on what basis can she do so? She is merely a palace maid scrubbing chamber pots in the Palace Side Quarters.
“Judging from those eyes of yours, you still resent me? How can you hate me? Back then, I was the one who took the blame for you.”
He Xiangyu grew even more annoyed as she looked at Su Xi-er’s indifferent expression. On second thought, she managed to rein herself as she suspected Su Xi-er of purposely goading her.
At this moment, Hong Li suddenly commented, “You were punished by the Empress Dowager while Su Xi-er was transferred into the Beauty Palace under the Empress Dowager’s verbal edict. The chasm between you two is not just a little. With a cursory glance at you, I can already tell that you have the appearance of someone who waits in your empty boudoir alone. Looks like Prince Hao hasn’t entered your room for a very long time.”
(* It is part of the Imperial Household Department. The Imperial Affairs Division is mainly in charge of the matters of the eunuch and palace maids. One of its duties is overseeing and recording which imperial consort the emperor visits which is similar to the system in the Beauty Palace, thus the reference to the Imperial Affairs Division in this case.)
(** It is called ‘shiliu’ in Chinese and is the exact same characters as the name Su Xi-er saw just now.)
(*** Concubines and consorts tend to use ‘elder sister’ or ‘younger sister’ to address each other to express seniority when they have roughly similar positions.)
