Chapter 16: The Disabled Young Lady (Sixteen)
Chapter 16: The Disabled Young Lady (Part Sixteen)
Early the next morning, Su Kui was abruptly pulled out from her soft, cozy bed by Lv Yao, who cheerfully announced, “Aunt Tan from the Ceremonial Office will be here soon to teach palace etiquette.”
Su Kui raised an eyebrow coldly and retorted, “Do you think I need to learn such things?”
Lv Yao fell silent, unable to respond.
Then she quietly pulled the covers back over Su Kui, who turned over and narrowed her eyes lazily. “Go tell Aunt Tan from the Ceremonial Office that I’m sick and can’t attend. The more serious it sounds, the better!”
Lv Yao had no choice but to leave.
—
In the spacious main hall of the Ceremonial Office, over a hundred young maidens stood in neat rows, their postures upright and eyes fixed ahead.
At the front stood Aunt Tan, dressed in a deep purple palace robe, her demeanor dignified and her expression stern.
Her eyes, sharp as ice blades, swept over each girl in turn. Those caught in her gaze quickly averted their eyes, their glances flickering away, unwilling to meet hers.
Suddenly, Aunt Tan’s eyes paused, narrowing as her gaze settled on the third position in the second row.
—
That spot was empty.
A hush fell over the hall, the air seeming to congeal into a tangible weight.
Under this oppressive atmosphere, the girls held their breath, terrified to move.
The tension was suffocating; Aunt Tan remained silent throughout, her face cold enough to freeze.
After a long moment, she pointed sharply at the vacant spot and asked coldly, “Where is the girl who should be standing here?”
The girls instinctively lowered their heads.
“Hm?!” Aunt Tan’s tone grew harsher. “Are you all deaf? If your conduct is this poor, why even bother selecting or training? Just pack your bags and go home!”
Each word struck like thunder, echoing relentlessly through the vast hall.
Low sobs began to ripple through the crowd, accompanied by whispered murmurs: “Why ask us? How should we know?”
“Yeah, who does she think she is, talking to us like that?”
Before the murmurs finished, Aunt Tan’s gaze landed on the sixth girl in the front row. “You—step out of line!”
—
The crowd erupted in unrest, the sobbing spreading like contagion, some girls losing control.
The girl in the sixth spot wore a delicate pink gauze dress, her cheeks flushed with youth, her long black hair neatly pinned into a graceful coil adorned with a golden tassel that shimmered as she moved.
Noticing many eyes on her, her pretty face flushed deeper. She stepped forward defiantly, glaring. “If you want me out, then fine! Do you know who I am? I’m just a servant here—what gives you the right to act so arrogantly? We’re here to compete, not to be scolded by you! If anything happens to me, can you bear the responsibility?”
Her words struck like a bolt from the blue, silencing even those who had been sobbing moments before.
The palace maids serving in the hall bowed their heads, though some clearly lacked awareness.
Aunt Tan sneered, her face freezing into a layer of icy disdain, as if any word she spoke might shatter into shards of ice.
“Ah, the third young lady from the Left Prime Minister’s residence, Yu Yingying? She does have quite a presence.”
In an instant, the icy veneer melted away, replaced by a warm, almost thawing expression.
Yu Yingying, who had momentarily shown a hint of uncertainty, suddenly lifted her head proudly, a triumphant smile spreading across her face.
It was as if to say: See? I told you this old servant is nothing but a paper tiger, harmless and powerless!
(End of chapter)