The Treacherous Concubine’s Guide To Whitewashing

Chapter 11, Pt 1 - Li Jie Yu

Yuan Luo finally sat, as was her right, by Empress Wei’s side. She smiled sweetly toward the palace hall: "You should all sit. You don't have to be restrained in front of this palace."

Everyone just sat down.

No one dared to speak for a while. It was as if they had seen a strict school principal instructing elementary students severely. They all sat nicely.

Empress Wei bit her lip. With this imposing manner this hunting household’s daughter regarded herself as Empress?

Realizing that the atmosphere had become too embarrassing, Concubine Zhuo smiled and said: "

"The imperial concubine has been busy serving the emperor these past few days.  How do you have free time to visit Kunning Palace?"

Yuan Luo said: "I remembered that I hadn't met all of the sisters for many days, so I came to have a look."

And as she said, her gaze swept around the hall. All the concubines, as if by prior agreement, simultaneously moved to serve tea and drink water. With these actions, they were able to avoid her gaze, while secretly looking above her.

Yet, because their movements were too uniform, it was inexplicably funny.

Following her entrance, it was like a lion had rushed in among a flock of sheep. Every sheep was eating grass, but each one of them had their ears pricked up.

"Just now, about what were you were all speaking? You seemed to be quite lively." Yuan Luo asked carelessly.

Concubine Shu smiled and said: "Merely mentioning the approach of the New Year festival, getting ready for this year’s palace banquet with drinks, dim sum, vegetable and meat dishes, and so on and so forth." She was older and had a smooth and evasive disposition.

"Speaking of dim sum, the imperial kitchen has recently made several new varieties. This palace thinks they are extremely delicious. By chance, today I have brought some to share with all the sisters." When mentioning the words ‘dim sum’, Yuan Luo deliberately increased her tone and winked at Empress Wei.

Empress Wei turned her head away angrily.

Yuan Luo made a slight gesture and Si Xi directed the palace maids to offer the snacks.

If not for the system’s mission, did you think I would wish to see your face? For the past few days, Yuan Luo had thought deeply.

Compared with Gu Yi, the favorability of Empress Wei was a little more hopeful, so she came today to test that theory.

According to consistent logic, if favorability dropped rapidly, it should also rise rapidly too... right?

The dim sum delivered to the concubines were all sparkling and translucent. They were more delicate and attractive than the various pastries popular in the palace. They were all young girls. Which of them didn't like beautiful things? Someone immediately picked up one of the desserts and sampled it.

Even Empress Wei couldn’t help, but to try a pure, white plum blossom design. The sweet milk fragrance spread in her mouth. Her eyes squinted in pleasure and then immediately she stretched out a hand toward a bright, red jasmine cake.

The flavor of her past life’s dim sum was much more suitable for young girls.

After she had finished eating two, Empress Wei saw Yuan Luo looking at her. She came to realize what she was doing and looked at the hand stretched out toward another dim sum. As if nothing had happened, she casually withdrew her hand. Using a thin, silk kerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth, she said: "The flavor is quite fresh and imperial concubine's small kitchen is really talented. It's no wonder the dim sum in the imperial kitchen is getting worse by the day."

Recently and in accordance with the imperial concubines requirements, Zichen Palace’s dim sum have been very popular. Several great masters who were good at pastries had also been dispatched from the imperial kitchen. Everyone in the palace knew. Empress Wei, trying to sew discord, spoke those words deliberately. This kind of little girl attitude did not make Yuan Luo angry. Instead she smiled and said, "If you are fond of them, one could be permitted to learn."

Empress Wei pursed her lips. For the sake of her own face, she should refuse, but the dim sum she just ate were really delicious. Moreover, of that box of twenty-four cakes she had only sampled two of them. The remaining were sure to be delicious. She wasn’t sure what to do. She had heard that the imperial kitchen was also making these pastries recently… Finally, her poor self-esteem could no longer resist the temptation of culinary delicacies, so she nodded reservedly.

Yuan Luo touched her hair quietly.

Her favorability went up +5 and just as she breathed a sigh of relief, there was a prompt sound of favorability -4, rapidly followed by +3, then -3. Up and down, up and down.

Do you need to be so confused over a snack?

However, it was verified that the girl’s favorability fluctuates greatly and even the smallest things will cause it to fluctuate drastically.

In the end, her favorability was added and subtracted. It eventually became -88. Seeing a lower value than when she started, Yuan Luo really wanted to plaster a box of dim sum onto this inflexible girl’s face.

Well, whitewashing was a long-term job and she hadn't expect immediate results.

It was imperative to be determined to whitewash and to ease the relationship with the harem concubines. She should just be a good sister and avoid snakes and scorpions as soon as they meet. What happened in the Imperial Garden not long ago, when the little concubine was scared into a faint, had spread rapidly and damaged her reputation.

Yuan Luo glanced around and discovered that the two concubines she met in the Imperial Garden were not in the hall.

"Where are Dou Mei Ren and Liu Cai Ren?"

For a moment the hall was silent. Empress Wei smiled mockingly, "These two people are rather sick. Presumably, it must be from when they angered the imperial concubine and felt uneasy."

Someone can be scared sick? Yuan Luo turned her head and instructed Si Xi, "Send the new dim sum gift box from the imperial kitchen to Dou Mei Ren and Liu Cai Ren's palaces." She hoped it would give them peace of mind.

Yuan Luo couldn’t still still for a long time and soon left Kunning Palace.

Walking on the path back to the sleeping hall, Si Xi couldn’t help asking: "Empress, should the dim sum be delivered to every concubine?"

Yuan Luo nodded.

"Then Li Jie Yu over there?"

Yuan Luo’s footsteps stopped. She had almost forgotten about that situation.

Li Jie Yu was the unlucky person who had just entered the palace two months ago. She was a beauty presented by the East China Sea king, who, reportedly, was born with a national grace and divine fragrance. Even Sikong Lin had been excited when he saw her and she was conferred as the fifth-rank Jie Yu on the spot. Apart from Yuan Luo, she was the only concubine that Sikong Lin had conferred personally. Empress Wei and Concubine Zhuo were both title ranks proposed by the Ministry of Rites and the clan's mansion.

Upon hearing this, the original owner was furious and immediately ordered Li Jie Yu’s face to be ruined and for her to be thrown into a remote palace to die.

After Yuan Luo had crossed over, Si Xi had given her a reported about this incident. She had ordered Tian Pan to send someone to her for treatment, but then later forgot.