Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 476: A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix?
Chapter 476: Chapter 476: A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix?
She hadn’t paid attention before, but now she noticed.
After realizing the small hall was carpeted, she exerted some force and stepped on it, feeling that it was indeed very different. It was much more comfortable to walk on, and the ground felt solid.
Once Nanny Qi took action, one could tell the difference—the effect was extraordinary. The side hall looked completely rejuvenated.
Lian Hua couldn’t stop admiring it. After Nanny Qi’s arrangements, the interior looked luxurious yet warm and cozy, giving off an indescribable feeling. One glance and you’d think the occupant was living a very good life.
Approaching the screen, she couldn’t help exclaiming, "Nanny, there are so many birds embroidered on this screen, and each one looks different!"
The entire washroom was hidden behind two screens with no gaps on either side, making it unclear where to enter, very different from the previous screen.
The previous screen had been placed in the middle, and one would enter the washroom from either side.
She looked around in amazement, touching the screens. When her hands reached the middle, it seemed she had discovered some mechanism and looked towards Nanny Qi.
Nanny Qi nodded with a smile.
Lian Hua turned her head and pressed symmetrically on two spots on each side of the screen and gently pushed. The two screens slid open, revealing the washroom before her eyes.
She found it magical. Doors that slid open on both sides were rare, and these were disguised as screens. The screens were exquisite, with the embroidered birds looking lifelike and meticulous. It was her first time seeing such screens, and she couldn’t help but study how they were made.
Nanny Qi regarded the embroidery on the screens thoughtfully.
These two screens had been sent by the Emperor himself, fitting perfectly, not the one she had asked to be brought from the Weaving Bureau.
On both screens, there were over a hundred birds embroidered, all flying towards the center, in the direction that the doors were pulled open.
Interestingly, when one opened the doors, standing in the center would make it seem as if the birds were all flying towards them.
At the moment, the young girl was standing in the middle, so the birds appeared to be flying toward her, but she was oblivious, looking instead at the tracks installed under the screens.
All the birds, flying towards a phoenix?
Was this intentional or unintentional by the Emperor?
In the palace, only the Empress was entitled to the pattern of "all birds flying towards the phoenix". What then was the Emperor implying?
Nanny Qi suppressed the questions in her heart, feeling more and more perplexed. If her conjectures were correct, the burden on her shoulders was not light...
After examining the screen, Lian Hua turned towards the inner chamber. Upon seeing it, she could hardly believe her eyes. The floor was carpeted as well, but unlike the small hall, the inside carpet was fluffy, looking soft and comfortable. It made her reluctant to even step on it.
The curtains on the Small Crescent Moon Gate had also been changed, with two layers. The outer layer was a sheer fabric, and the inner layer was made of some unknown material, in a pale crescent moon shade, embellished with subtle patterns that looked very delicate. It suited the colder days well, appearing very warm.
She hesitated whether to step on the plush carpet, but Nanny Qi persuaded her from the side, "Don’t worry about soiling it. We have plenty. If it gets dirty, we’ll just change it."
This carpet was a tribute item, and it would only mold in the Emperor’s storeroom if unused. It was better to take it out and use it, especially to keep the chill of the ground from reaching the young girl as winter approached.
Lian Hua felt it was a shame, as the carpet looked very expensive. She asked, "Isn’t this too costly in silver? If it gets dirty, can it be washed and reused?"
"Yes."
With her mind at ease, Lian Hua stepped in. The carpet felt soft and cushiony, even softer than the one in the small hall, and was extremely comfortable. If she were barefoot, it might feel even better, right?
Nanny Qi watched from the side, her heart filled with emotion, "The little girl is truly thrifty," she thought. "No one would believe it if said aloud."
This was good, too; it would save her from being dazzled by luxury and forgetting her true nature.
She had confidence that, even if the little girl were to rise to a high position in the future, she wouldn’t change much.
To the little girl, the four characters of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation meant that she was a bit more particular about food—and it was not about delicacies but rather the taste that mattered.
As for her attire and daily expenses, the little girl paid them no mind; she would wear whatever was given to her, and even found jewelry too heavy to bear, wearing it only under compulsion and stealthily removing it when out of sight. The exquisite jewelry was no more attractive to the little girl than real gold and silver.
The items acquired during her time as a Cainv and Little Daying were still in use now that she had become a Beauty; she had never thought to replace them.
How could such a girl change?
As Nanny Qi was immersed in her thoughts, Lian Hua had already gone inside to look.
She exclaimed, "Nanny, it’s so spacious inside that one could do cartwheels!"
She hadn’t expected that Nanny Qi’s reorganization would make it that much more spacious.
She said, "It’s better to have more space. His Majesty will no longer feel cramped when changing clothes."
Then she went to look at the windowsill. Her dressing table was still placed under the windowsill, but the colorful beaded curtain she had made from pebbles had been replaced with a real bead curtain. Each bead was round and lustrous, sparkling with a pure and translucent light.
She sighed, "This must be very expensive, right? It could be exchanged for a lot of silver..."
She reached out and lifted a string of beads, touching them to feel their smoothness.
She could understand their worth somewhat; upon handling them, she knew these beads were no less valuable than the Gem Marbles gifted to her by Consort De.
The entire inner chamber was arranged very cozily and comfortably; it was very suitable for her, and she liked it very much.
Yet, she felt a bit uneasy and couldn’t help but look towards Nanny Qi.
As if knowing what she was thinking, Nanny Qi walked over and said by her side, "Don’t feel burdened. These things have been stored for some years. Keeping them unused serves no purpose. Using them for you is just right; this way, they are not wasted."
The items newly arranged in the hall came partly from Nanny Qi, partly from the Emperor, and others from various places.
Like this bead curtain, it was a complete set of crystal bead curtains, extremely precious. Each bead was almost identical in size; their color was crystal clear, transparent, and cleanly luminous. In this dynasty, crystal was scarcer than jade, let alone such a large set of crystal bead curtains.
It was awarded to Nanny Qi by the Former Empress Dowager.
Over these days, she had made her decision. Having spent her time in Yixiang Palace, and apart from missing the Former Empress Dowager, she likely wouldn’t return. Therefore, she had some of her belongings moved here from Yixiang Palace.
This set of precious crystal bead curtains was one of them. She originally planned to wait until the Main Hall was renovated to gift it to Lian Hua but since it was being used now, it was just as well.
"Is that so..." Lian Hua thought for a moment and then earnestly said to Nanny Qi, "Nanny, you have worked hard. I really like what you’ve arranged for me. But Nanny, when we move to the Main Hall later, how about you live here instead?"
Nanny Qi was about to say something.
Seeing her expression, Lian Hua, fearing that Nanny Qi would decline, quickly said, "Nanny, I want you to live more comfortably as well. Your room is too small; the walls are bare and it’s drafty from all sides. It could be cold in the winter, which isn’t good for your health. His Majesty and I would worry."
