Dinner arrived a while later, consisting of two dishes and a soup, plus a bowl of rice. Compared to the food at the mansion, it was simple, but having some food was better than having none.
This was the first time Song Yunzhao had tasted palace food. After taking a bite, she found the taste mediocre, not as good as the dishes prepared by the Song family’s kitchen.
Considering the large number of candidates, the imperial kitchen must have prepared the food in large batches. How could mass-produced food taste exceptional?
She decided to make do with what she had.
After eating, palace maids came to collect the dishes. After washing up, Song Yunzhao laid down to rest. It had been a tiring day, and she needed to recharge in order to watch the drama unfold the next day.
Feeling relaxed, she quickly fell asleep. However, next door, Helan Yun kept making noises that disturbed her sleep. After being woken up twice, Song Yunzhao couldn’t bear it anymore. She stood up, took a copper basin, and banged it against the wall facing Helan Yun’s room.
With a loud “bang”, the next door neighboor fell silent.
Not only next door, but Song Yunzhao also noticed that all the surrounding noises had stopped.
The world was quiet again. She fell asleep immediately, completely unaware that her action had made her famous. Everyone now knew that among the candidates, there was one with a particularly bad temper who would bang on walls at the slightest provocation.
Early the next morning, someone knocked on the door. Groggy, Song Yunzhao got up to answer it. The palace maid outside bowed to her and said, “Miss, I have brought water for you to wash up.”
Song Yunzhao looked at the faint light of dawn outside and paused before saying, “Thank you.”
“You’re too kind, miss. It’s all part of my duties”, the palace maid replied with a smile. She helped Song Yunzhao wash up before taking the copper pot and leaving.
Before she left, Song Yunzhao quickly retrieved two gold and silver ingots and placed them in the maid’s hand. The maid accepted them without hesitation, then whispered to Song Yunzhao, “After breakfast, all the ladies will head to Qiushui Pavilion, where the stewardesses will assess your needlework skills.”
Song Yunzhao nodded, aligning this with what she had read in the book, and thanked the maid.
Shortly after the maid left, she brought breakfast to Song Yunzhao, setting it down and leaving quickly.
Song Yunzhao knew that each maid was responsible for one room. Unlike the maids in the mansion who were always present, these palace maids managed the affairs of their assigned rooms. Building a good relationship with them was beneficial.
After finishing breakfast, Song Yunzhao got ready. Soon, Song Yexi arrived. Seeing Song Yunzhao, she remarked, “You look well-rested. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
Song Yunzhao could sense a hint of complaint in Song Yexi’s tone, so she said, “When you’re away from home, you can’t expect the same comfort as being at home.”
Song Yexi teased her, “You say that as if you travel a lot.”
The little girl, pretending to be an adult.
Song Yunzhao thought to herself, in her past life, she indeed traveled a lot, but that was a long time ago.
“Hey, guess who’s living next to me?” Song Yexi whispered.
“Who?” Song Yunzhao had no idea. With hundreds of candidates, not everyone was mentioned in the book. Only those with significant roles got the spotlight.
“The daughter of the Deputy Commander[mfn]a military commander position of the 3rd rank[/mfn]\, Feng Yunjin.”
Song Yunzhao was taken aback. Who?
The protagonist’s little strategist in the book?
If Song Yexi hadn’t mentioned her, Song Yunzhao wouldn’t have thought of this person. She had such a low presence, despite being quite intelligent, she kept a low profile and willingly acted as the protagonist’s sidekick, without drawing attention.
“Do you know this person?” Song Yexi noticed that Song Yunzhao’s expression was a bit off.
Song Yunzhao shook her head. “I don’t know her, but I think I might have heard someone mention her while out shopping. The name sounds familiar, but I can’t remember exactly.”
Song Yexi knew that Song Yunzhao loved shopping and would go out a few times a month. After coming to the capital, with Third Master backing her, she went out a few times as well. Hearing this explanation, Song Yexi didn’t doubt her. “She knocked on my door last night. We chatted for a bit, and she seemed nice. Despite her better family background, she didn’t act snobbish.”
Hearing this, Song Yunzhao’s mouth twitched. Among the candidates, if ranked by their family’s official positions, their family would be in the bottom quarter.
But if they considered the glory of their ancestors, they might make it into the top quarter.
So, their position was quite awkward.
The truly prestigious families looked down on the declining Song clan, but the Song family still had some pride and didn’t lower their status.
That’s why Song Yexi felt happy that Feng Yunjin didn’t look down on them.
Soon, a bell rang, and Song Yexi turned to Song Yunzhao, “Quick, we have to go.”
Song Yunzhao followed Song Yexi out, closing the door behind her. Standing at the entrance, she saw Qin Xiyue emerging from the opposite room, and Helan Yun coming out from the room to the right.
Qin Xiyue greeted Song Yunzhao warmly, “Good morning, Miss Song.”
“Good morning, Miss Qin”, Song Yunzhao replied with a smile.
Helan Yun snorted disdainfully at the two and walked away.
At that moment, someone also came out of the room next to Qin Xiyue. Song Yunzhao looked up and saw it was Lu Zhixue, which didn’t surprise her.
A dignified beauty also emerged from the room to her left. Who could she be?
In the book, she was Han Jinyi, the daughter of the Minister of Justice.
Just as Song Yunzhao was thinking this, she heard Lu Zhixue speak, “Miss Yunzhao, what a coincidence. If I had known you were staying opposite, I would have visited you last night.”
Song Yunzhao thought, as expected, it was her.
Han Jinyi smiled and said, “It was too dark last night, and I didn’t notice you were opposite. Otherwise, I would have certainly visited.”
Qin Xiyue then added, “What a coincidence, I didn’t expect us to live together. We now have company.” She then introduced Song Yunzhao to the two of them. “This is Miss Song. We’ve met a few times, and she is a very chivalrous person.”
When they saw Song Yunzhao’s face, Lu Zhixue and Han Jinyi exchanged a glance before smiling and greeting her.
How could Song Yunzhao not see through their perfunctory attitude? Qin Xiyue’s comment about her having a chivalrous heart was ambiguous—it was hard to tell if it was a compliment or criticism. She responded with a perfunctory greeting and introduced Song Yexi before excusing herself and leaving.
Lu Zhixue watched the sisters’ backs and remarked, “Xiyue, that Miss Song is really beautiful.”
Qin Xiyue smiled and nodded. “Yes, she is indeed a rare beauty.”
Han Jinyi, suddenly said, “There’s also a Miss Song in the Autumn rooms. I wonder if she’s related to those two.”
“How do you know?” Lu Zhixue asked.
“Feng Yunjin lives over there. I visited her last night, and she mentioned it,” Han Jinyi replied.
Lu Zhixue was taken aback. “Really? Three sisters from one family are all participating?”
Qin Xiyue frowned slightly. “They might not necessarily be sisters. It could just be a common surname. Besides, it’s not uncommon for families to have multiple sisters participating in the selection.”
“But three sisters is a bit much.”
“Aren’t there also cousins? If they are from divided families, they don’t count as one family,” Qin Xiyue said with a smile, changing the subject. “Let’s hurry up, we don’t want to be late.”
Lu Zhixue pursed her lips and said to Han Jinyi, “I don’t know what kind of spell that Song Yunzhao cast on Xiyue to make her speak so well of her. That face is seductive and doesn’t seem easy to get along with.”
Han Jinyi laughed and said, “Don’t judge a person by their appearance. She seems fine to me.”
Lu Zhixue, having a striking appearance herself, looked at Song Yunzhao and felt a sense of dislike, seeing her as a rival.
After walking some distance, Song Yexi said, “How do you know that Miss Qin?”
Those girls clearly came from distinguished families, evident from their demeanor—something ordinary families couldn’t cultivate.
“I helped Miss Qin out of a troublesome situation while I was out,” Song Yunzhao explained briefly, then warned Song Yexi not to provoke Helan Yun easily.
Song Yexi frowned. She had heard of the Ming’an County Princess’s notorious reputation. “Mother also mentioned people in the capital to be wary of. This county princess is indeed difficult to deal with.”
Qiushui Pavilion wasn’t close to where they stayed. By the time they got there, they were sweating. When they arrived, they found the pavilion already filled with many people.
Helan Yun was surrounded by a group, saying something that made her smile.
The moment Song Yunzhao entered, Helan Yun’s expression darkened.
Song Yunzhao: …
Song Yexi also noticed Helan Yun’s unfriendly gaze and frowned slightly. She subtly shielded Song Yunzhao from Helan Yun’s view and led her to sit on the other side.
Qiushui Pavilion, surrounded by water on three sides, offered a full view of Kunlun Lake, making it an excellent spot for sightseeing.
After sitting down, Song Yunzhao looked at Song Yexi, surprised by her actions.
Meeting Song Yunzhao’s gaze, Song Yexi felt a bit uneasy and said, “My mother said that you’re young and impulsive, so I should look out for you.”
“We should really thank Auntie for that”, Song Yunzhao replied, unsure if it was a compliment or a slight.
Song Yexi, realizing her words might have come off wrong, quickly coughed and changed the topic. “Look, Song Qinghan is here too, and it looks like she’s with the same girl from yesterday. They seem to be getting along well.”
Song Yunzhao noticed many eyes on her. She knew it was because of her striking appearance. Yesterday, Song Yexi had shielded her in the corner, so not many noticed. Today was different.
She pretended not to notice the prying eyes of the crowd and looked in Song Qinghan’s direction. Sure enough, it was the same girl, and the two of them seemed to be getting along well.
With just one glance, Song Qinghan looked over, said something to the girl, and walked over with her.
Song Qinghan had dressed very carefully today and smiled brightly at the two of them. “Sister Yexi, Sister Yunzhao, this is my friend Zhao Xiaoyu.”
Zhao Xiaoyu?
Song Yunzhao thought for a moment. This name wasn’t mentioned in the original book. She looked at the girl, who wasn’t exceptionally beautiful but had a charming, delicate appearance.
“Miss Zhao”, Song Yunzhao greeted without intending to engage in further conversation.
Song Yexi also nodded, listening as Song Qinghan introduced them to Zhao Xiaoyu.
Zhao Xiaoyu’s expression towards Song Yexi was still cordial, but her gaze towards Song Yunzhao was unfriendly, greeting her perfunctorily. Song Yexi’s face instantly darkened.
Song Qinghan looked at Song Yunzhao with a smile and said softly, “Sister Yunzhao, I went to find you this morning to accompany you, but you had already left. Mother told me to look after you…”
Listening to Song Qinghan’s pretense, Song Yunzhao retorted immediately, not giving her a chance to slander her. “Elder Sister, think before you speak. Don’t assume others don’t know our family’s situation and talk nonsense. If you’re not afraid of losing face, then neither am I.”
If it comes to that, let’s see who loses face!
Song Qinghan’s smile froze. She hadn’t expected Song Yunzhao to be so audacious even here. For a moment, she was at a loss, unsure whether to continue. What if Song Yunzhao really exposed everything?
Zhao Xiaoyu, listening to Song Yunzhao’s words, couldn’t help but speak up, “Miss Song, Qinghan is still your elder sister. You should show her some respect.”
“Does Miss Zhao live by the sea?”
“What?” Zhao Xiaoyu didn’t understand what that meant. Her family didn’t live by the sea.
“Otherwise, why are you minding other people’s business so widely? You didn’t witness it yourself, and you have no evidence. I advise you to use your brain before speaking,” Song Yunzhao sneered.
“You… I was just trying to be kind. Why must you be so sarcastic?” Zhao Xiaoyu trembled with anger.
Hearing the commotion, Helan Yun walked over with a look of amusement, ready to watch the drama unfold.
