TSNCWEM Chapter 41.2

Her smile faded, and she averted her gaze.

Even a blade of grass on the ground looked more pleasant than Song Qinghan’s face.

Song Qinghan was infuriated by Song Yunzhao’s reaction, nearly storming off on the spot. What did that mean?

But she knew this wasn’t the Song residence and was well aware of Song Yunzhao’s temperament. She stood aside with a cold face.

The palace servants in the distance kept their heads down, seemingly not noticing the scene.

Fortunately, Song Yexi soon arrived, and once the three of them were together, a palace attendant led them along a corridor, through a garden with flowers and willows, accompanied by birdsong and the sound of a stream, to a small hall where their bundles were already placed on a table.

They took their bundles and followed the palace attendant, eventually arriving at a pier and boarding a boat. The boatwoman rowed with her double oars, creating ripples on the lake’s surface, and they quickly left the shore.

Jincui Garden had a large lake called Kunlun Lake. From the lake, the pavilions on the opposite shore were barely visible, only coming into view as the boat reached the center, demonstrating the lake’s vastness.

Alas, one pot is not enough to cook them all.

Oh, wait, with so many beauties, they could definitely be squeezed into the pot.

Song Yunzhao turned back and saw several more boats slowly approaching from behind, though they were spaced apart, making it difficult to see the faces clearly.

After they disembarked, other palace attendants came to guide them, and the boat that had brought them immediately turned around and left.

The entire journey was silent, like an unspoken display of authority, enough to turn the faces of the timid pale with fear.

Fortunately, Song Yunzhao was bold. However, seeing the tense expressions on Song Yexi and Song Qinghan’s faces, she thought they must be nervous but didn’t want others to notice.

Feeling it wouldn’t be appropriate to separate from the group, Song Yunzhao immediately put on the same expression.

Perfect.

The palace attendant who came to receive them wore a perfectly appropriate smile. She bowed to them and said, “Young ladies, please follow me.”

The three of them followed like puppets. Song Yunzhao noticed that Song Qinghan’s pace had slowed down a bit. She chuckled inwardly; for the sake of beauty, Song Qinghan had worn a pair of exquisitely crafted embroidered shoes today. These embroidered shoes were petite and elegant, making her feet look very delicate. They were perfect in every way, except for one thing: the soles were a bit thin.

Having traveled frequently in her previous life, Song Yunzhao was well aware of the importance of good shoes. Therefore, the shoes she wore were thousand-layered soles personally made by Qian Cao, with the soles thickened, though it wasn’t apparent from the outside.

Yes, it was her idea—hidden height increase.

In any case, these handmade embroidered shoes with thick thousand-layered soles were extremely comfortable. Seeing Song Qinghan’s strained expression only lifted her spirits even more.

As for Song Yexi, Yunzhao had subtly hinted to her—not being overly explicit—but looking at the shoes on her feet, it was clear she had taken the advice to heart.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, not knowing how many gates they passed or how many corridors they traversed, they finally stopped outside a splendid and magnificent palace.

The multicolored glazed tiles shimmered dazzlingly under the sunlight. Above the palace gate hung three gilded characters: Zhichun Palace . The palace maid leading the way stopped, bowed to the three of them, and said, “I will escort you young ladies up to here; please proceed inside.”

The palace maid didn’t wait for them to speak, turning and walking away immediately. The three of them exchanged glances, and Song Yunzhao remained silent, thinking that this must be how secondary characters were treated.

When the protagonist participated in the selection, her family had taken care of everything, so she didn’t experience such cold treatment. The leading palace servants were warm and even offered insights into the situation at Zhichun Palace.

Never mind. Although the young palace maid didn’t say anything, Song Yunzhao had a bug, her innate ability.

Song Qinghan, raising her head as the eldest among the three, said, “Let’s go in then.”

Song Yexi pouted but didn’t say anything, just lightly nudging Song Yunzhao with her arm.

Song Yunzhao responded with a polite smile.

Entering Zhichun Palace, they were greeted by a screen wall depicting a spring scene. Even before rounding the wall, they could hear faint voices.

Song Yunzhao instinctively straightened her back, ready for anything, as if heading into battle.

“Yunzhao, are you okay?” Song Yexi noticed that something seemed off with the person next to her and immediately asked with concern.

Song Yunzhao quickly replied, “I’m fine, just a bit nervous.”

“No need to worry, I’m here with you.” Song Yexi found it amusing, never expecting that the usually tough and outspoken Yunzhao would have moments of fear.

Song Yunzhao maintained a smile.

The stone-paved path led straight to the main hall, and the voices came from within. The group stepped onto the stone steps and quickly reached the hall’s entrance.

Seeing them, a palace servant came forward to greet them, “Ladies, please follow me.”

The three followed into the hall, which was already filled with many people. The room was resplendent with jewels, silk, and brocade. As Song Yunzhao entered the hall, the chatter momentarily paused.

Song Yunzhao: …

Someone snorted softly, but Song Yunzhao pretended not to hear it and followed the palace servant’s guidance to sit down in the hall.

The hall was quite spacious, with countless seats arranged densely. At this moment, there were already dozens of people seated in the hall. A quick glance revealed Qin Xiyue sitting by the window. Almost instinctively, Song Yunzhao grabbed Song Yexi and found a seat diagonally opposite the protagonist.

Staying away from the protagonist was to ensure her safety.

Song Yexi, looking bewildered, followed Song Yunzhao. Song Qinghan was also caught off guard by this turn of events, but quickly reacted and turned to follow. In her heart, she cursed Song Yunzhao, knowing that this girl certainly had no good intentions and was trying to trip her up as soon as they had arrived.

After sitting down, Song Yunzhao sighed in relief, feeling temporarily safe.

Song Qinghan was very dissatisfied. Turning her back to the others, she scolded Song Yunzhao in a low voice, “What are you doing, choosing such a remote corner? Do you want to be sent out on the first day?”

Song Yunzhao calmly replied, “I didn’t ask you to follow me. You can go find a place you like.”

“You…” Song Qinghan’s face turned dark with anger.

Song Yexi coolly added, “Sister Qinghan, our family reminded us to be cautious once we enter the palace. We know nothing about the situation here, so how can we take the lead? If you want to go, you can go by yourself.”

Song Qinghan, seething with anger, turned around and sat down, no longer paying attention to the two of them.

Song Yunzhao pursed her lips, thinking that if Song Qinghan had any backbone, she would have walked away. Was that all?

Song Yunzhao: …

Noticing many people glancing in their direction, Song Yexi sat next to Song Yunzhao, conveniently shielding her in the corner, giving Song Yunzhao a strong sense of security.

Soon, more people entered the hall, and the attention on the sisters shifted away. Only then did Song Yunzhao discreetly look over at Qin Xiyue.

Qin Xiyue was talking to someone beside her. The woman sitting next to Qin Xiyue had a slender waist, a delicate oval face, a high nose, willow-like eyebrows with a hint of green, vermilion lips, and a pair of captivating eyes. She was very beautiful.

Seeing those eyes, Song Yunzhao immediately identified her as the second female antagonist in the book, Lu Zhixue.

Lu Zhixue was the youngest daughter of the Minister of Personnel, with a noble background. In the book, she initially joined forces with the protagonist but later became her adversary- quite a formidable character.

Surviving until the later stages of the story was not something just anyone could do; even for a minor character, she was of a nuclear bomb level.

Seeing the two of them getting along harmoniously, Song Yunzhao realized that what was written in the book was true. Since they knew each other outside the palace, it was natural for them to stick together during the selection.

Song Yunzhao averted her gaze. As more people entered, the noise in the hall grew louder.

She leaned back in her corner, taking advantage of Song Yexi’s protection to relax a bit. She even took a short nap. When she woke up refreshed, the sun was already leaning towards the west.

No wonder her stomach felt empty. Fortunately, she had come prepared.

Taking a piece of beef jerky from her pouch, conveniently sized to fit in her mouth, she discreetly ate it using her handkerchief as a cover. She also handed a few pieces to Song Yexi to stave off hunger.

Song Yexi looked at the food in her palm in astonishment. Instinctively covering it with her handkerchief, she turned to Song Yunzhao and asked, “How did you manage to bring this?”

They didn’t take it from her during the examination?

Song Yunzhao blinked. “I stuffed it into my pouch this morning and forgot to take it out.”

Song Yexi didn’t believe her, but she was really hungry. She discreetly popped a piece into her mouth.

After eating a bit, they didn’t feel as hungry. As the sky outside gradually darkened, people in the hall began to fidget, craning their necks to look outside.

Sitting for so long on the bench made Song Yunzhao’s backside sore. She wanted to get up and walk around, but since no one else was standing, she had to endure it.

Fortunately, night was approaching.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and a palace servant entered, causing the hall to fall silent.

The leading palace servant glanced at everyone before slowly saying, “Ladies, everyone has arrived. Please follow me.”

There were quite a few people in the hall, roughly estimated at over a hundred.

Thinking of the long line of carriages outside the palace, only so few were left. The elimination rate was quite high.

Finally able to stand, Song Yunzhao immediately got up, subtly shaking her hands and feet, then followed the crowd outside.

Song Yexi nudged her arm, and when she looked up, she saw Song Yexi giving her a look. Following her gaze, she saw Song Qinghan walking affectionately with a girl in a light blue dress, as if they had been close friends for years.

Song Qinghan, who could manipulate Cai Shi at home, was skilled at superficial acts and could quickly establish a connection with others.

Zhichun Palace was vast, designed specifically for the selection process. It had many rooms, with each participant assigned a small room that could only accommodate simple belongings. Room allocation was done by drawing lots.

It was said that during the reign of the founding emperor, disputes over room assignments among participants once led to a death, hence the rule was established to draw lots for rooms.

Song Yunzhao clicked her tongue twice, thinking it was natural to draw lots. Without drawing lots, how could conflicts not arise?

After all, those who got to live next to the protagonist in the prime location were destined to be major antagonists in the harem. As a minor character, she didn’t have that kind of luck.

Feeling relieved, Song Yunzhao and Song Yexi followed the crowd to the big wooden box for drawing lots. She reached into the box, stirred it randomly, and pulled out a wooden token, which read “Spring Thirteen.”

The rooms in Zhichun Palace were arranged by the seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. So, she got room thirteen in the Spring section.

Song Yexi drew Autumn Eighteen. As they made their way to their rooms, they found that the Spring rooms were the outermost row, with the Summer rooms directly opposite. The next row had the Autumn rooms opposite the Winter rooms.

A long row of single dormitories facing each other looked rather eerie.

Song Yunzhao and Song Yexi parted ways. She followed the crowd to find her door number and was about to push the door open when she suddenly remembered something crucial.

Where was the protagonist’s room again?

Thirteen…

Thirteen!

She turned abruptly and looked across the way, just in time to see Qin Xiyue pushing open her door with her back to her.

At this moment, should she start singing, ‘Look over here girl’?