Before Yun Jiao could speak, Attendant Lady Sun swayed gracefully as she walked in.
Attendant Lady Sun waited for a bit, seeing that Yun Jiao did not rise to greet her, she proceeded to sit down without any awkwardness and said, "I was thinking of my sister terribly, so I came in by myself. My sister won't blame me, right?"
Yun Jiao looked around and asked, "Does Attendant Lady Sun have sisters serving as palace maids in my room?"
Attendant Lady Sun replied, "Of course not."
Yun Jiao, puzzled, asked, "Then who is this sister you miss so terribly?"
It couldn't possibly be her!
Attendant Lady Sun was briefly choked by the question and looked a bit aggrieved:
"So it turns out I'm the only one who feels close to Attendant Lady Xi like a sister."
This statement was quite heavy.
In the harem, reputation mattered, and everyone served the Emperor. It was customary to maintain at least a superficial friendliness to avoid becoming the source of discord in the harem. Just like in modern workplaces, people were generally careful to maintain a harmonious relationship with colleagues unless they were particularly confident or indifferent to the job.
According to social norms, Attendant Lady Sun believed there was no issue in addressing Yun Jiao as her sister.
Unfortunately, for Yun Jiao, who had never worked, social norms often led to social blunders.
Yun Jiao said, "Before entering the palace, there was a chance, but after entering, it's difficult."
Attendant Lady Sun was startled, "Is it because of competition for favor and rank that makes Attendant Lady Xi hold a grudge against me?"
"No," Yun Jiao sighed with regret, "Sworn sisters must bow to my father as a sworn father, and it's inconvenient to meet an outsider after entering the palace.
…
Attendant Lady Sun's eyes nearly popped out.
Yun Jiao remained calm and composed.
When others act foolishly, she goes mad; both have bright futures.
Xue Ya and Gong Mei, who were listening, assumed that at this point, Attendant Lady Sun would surely flounce off in anger, but instead, she steadied herself and awkwardly changed the topic: "Living in the same palace is a kind of fate. I came with the intention to befriend Attendant Lady Xi. What's more, we once met at the Duke Mansion's birthday feast, and I spoke a few words with you. Perhaps you don't remember, but I just recalled this connection, and in the future, we should look out for each other."
The above content, purely fictional.
Sun's father's official position wasn't low. If it weren't for Yun Jiao living in Xianfu Palace and gaining imperial favor, the two daughters of official families would never have crossed paths in their lives. Attendant Lady Sun thought for a long time before coming here and couldn't recall meeting Yun Jiao anywhere, so she chose the safest – the sixtieth birthday of the Duke Mansion's old madam, attended by officials from the Capital City, all gathering together.
Yun Jiao said, "Attendant Lady Sun must have remembered incorrectly."
Attendant Lady Sun said in surprise, "How could it be? I suppose I look too ordinary to have left an impression on you."
"My father wasn't invited to the Duke Mansion's old madam's sixtieth birthday. He cried with me at home for three days, 'Don't bully the middle-aged poor,' I remember it vividly."
All Capital City officials celebrated.
Bracket, excluding minor officials.
Attendant Lady Sun's smile stiffened, and she stuttered to find comforting words: "Middle-aged career stagnation might not be the right time, your father needn't worry."
She said this with her mouth, but in her heart, she felt that Attendant Lady Xi's family background really wasn't impressive. They weren't even qualified to attend the Duke Mansion's feast, but she was fortunate to become favored in the harem... Compared to Attendant Lady Xi's useless father, her father was much more capable.
"It's fortunate that my father, after drifting half his life, still has you, Attendant Lady Sun, willing to recognize him as a sworn father."
Yun Jiao gazed at her with satisfaction and said.
Attendant Lady Sun: "..."
She wanted to escape but couldn't: "Please Attendant Lady Xi, don't mention this matter again."
Attendant Lady Sun entered the palace in the last selection, stayed the night twice, but the Emperor seemingly forgot her in the palace. Whenever he came to Xianfu Palace, he only sought Concubine Li. Moreover, Concubine Li was not as favored in the past half-year, and she dared not intercept the main lady's favor.
But Yun Jiao was different.
Her family background was poor, no backing, and judging by her behavior during the courtesy visit today, she wasn't the clever type.
Attendant Lady Sun thought she'd shamelessly head to the West Wing every day, hoping for the chance that the Emperor might visit Attendant Lady Xi. If she could show herself before the Emperor, she might not attract him entirely but could still make him remember her.
Yun Jiao looked at her, "Does Attendant Lady Sun have anything else?"
"Can't I just stay here if there's nothing?"
Attendant Lady Sun, after all, was the daughter of an official family. Lacking experience in being shameless, her face flushed after speaking. Yet Yun Jiao nodded once she finished, merely instructing Xue Ya to bring a needle and thread, stuffing them into her hands: "If you have nothing to do, find something to keep busy with."
Attendant Lady Sun felt both embarrassed and annoyed, "I'm not your palace maid either."
"The West Wing doesn't allow idlers. If you like it here, help me make some embroidery."
Attendant Lady Sun was still angry, but if making some embroidery for Yun Jiao in exchange for a chance to meet the Emperor was possible, it was worth it. She wasn't willing to give up. As she hesitated and struggled within herself, her hands began embroidering. No one spoke to her in the West Wing, so she had to focus intensely on her work.
She embroidered until dusk fell.
When Attendant Lady Sun returned, she was so exhausted she couldn't lift ten fingers.
Watching her depart, Gong Mei appeared indignantly passionate: "Master, Attendant Lady Sun is being too thick-skinned..."
In the harem, competition for the Emperor's favor saw all sorts of strange tactics, with the finest being those who could craft novel things to allure him. Attendant Lady Sun's shameless attempt to "steal favor" by lingering in another's palace was truly not an elegant method. Those with worse temper could even send her back.
But Yun Jiao didn't mind.
Not only did she not mind, she was quite pleased: "Take the embroidery Attendant Lady Sun made and exchange it for some Silver."
The attire of the concubines and consorts was provided by the Imperial Household, and in theory, anything desired was prepared by others. However, the embroidery room often served differently based on status. If low-ranking concubines sought specific styles, they faced indefinite waiting times, often receiving the excuse that "priority goes to those above, who do you think you are?"
Instead, making it oneself, having a palace maid create it, or buying with Silver Taels were more common choices.
Yun Jiao took the embroidery made by Attendant Lady Sun, exchanged it for solid Silver, and placed it discreetly in a chest. In fairness, Attendant Lady Sun, raised as a lady of a prestigious family, indeed possessed exquisite skill in needlework. Her designs weren't often seen in the palace and were found to be quite valuable.
Xue Ya and Gong Mei expected that after such humiliation, Attendant Lady Sun wouldn't return.
However, the next day, she came again.
Since she was here, knitting continued. This carried on for a week, yet the Emperor had yet to return to the harem.
Xie Zhixing was busy with two things.
First, addressing the summer's Yellow River flooding problem, and second, recovering unpaid taxes and grain from various areas, carefully deliberating where to allocate them. Busy as he was, he hadn't forgotten to keep an eye on Xianfu Palace. Ultimately, he didn't trust the Yun Family.
The task of surveillance naturally fell to Ying Lu.
Ying Lu was flustered, thinking the Emperor's indelible attention to Attendant Lady Xi meant great affection.
The job was simple, as Xianfu Palace's West Wing was like a sieve, riddled with gaps and flaws: "Since being assigned to Xianfu Palace, Attendant Lady Xi hasn't made any attempts to win over or discipline the palace maids, apparently trusting everyone."
Xie Zhixing, nonchalantly, asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Attendant Lady Sun visits the West Wing Palace every day and stays for the better part of the day."
Xie Zhixing's expression turned solemn.
Though not favored, Attendant Lady Sun's family background was undeniably prestigious. Her father was the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, a genuine Third Grade official. What were Yun Family's intentions in closely associating with her?
"Attendant Lady Sun made numerous embroideries and gave them to Attendant Lady Xi."
"What about those embroideries?"
"In reporting to the Emperor, all were sold by Attendant Lady Xi."
Xie Zhixing, thoughtfully, commanded, "Buy back those embroideries for me to see, but don't alert the others."