Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Allocation of Palaces

In the third year of Qiuhan, on July 11th, the newly selected concubines began to enter the palace one after another.

Yun Si also moved out of the Central Province Hall. Lu Cairen was allocated to the Heyi Palace, which was the eastern side palace of the Chonghua Palace. Chonghua Palace didn’t have a main residence, which was fortunate. However, the western side palace was occupied by a concubine named Qiu Cairen, who had followed the Emperor from his old residence and had never enjoyed the Emperor’s favor. It wasn’t surprising that Lu Cairen could move into the eastern side palace, surpassing Qiu Cairen, as soon as she entered the palace.

The day before the new concubines entered the palace, Lu Cairen moved into the Heyi Palace. There were hierarchies among the palace servants. Lu Cairen had six servants, including two court maidens who were only responsible for cleaning the courtyard. Strictly speaking, they couldn’t be considered entirely part of the Heyi Palace staff.

Yun Si had always been favored by Eunuch Liu in the Central Province Hall. This time, when the court maidens were allocated to the Heyi Palace, they seemed to look up to her.
Yun Si narrowed her eyes slightly, not thinking it was a good thing.

But ultimately, it would depend on the temperament of their master, Lu Cairen.

Yun Si instructed the court maidens to clean the Heyi Palace thoroughly, ensuring not a single speck of dust remained. She was busy from head to toe, checking every corner to ensure that the arrangements were suitable for Lu Cairen’s status. By the time she finished, it was already evening. Yun Si looked around and asked: “Has the other eunuch assigned to the Heyi Palace arrived yet?”

The configuration of servants for a Cairen included four court maidens and two eunuchs. Two of the court maidens served inside the palace, while the other two were coarse servants who weren’t allowed to enter the palace. However, only four court maidens and one eunuch had arrived at the Heyi Palace so far.

The eunuch who knew some inside information scratched his head and said: “I heard there was a problem with the original arrangement. Eunuch Liu has already replaced the person, and he should arrive soon.”

Indeed, the person arrived soon after.

Yun Si immediately furrowed her fine eyebrows. After arranging everything, her expression changed. She turned around and left the main hall. Xiao Rongzi lowered his head and quickly followed her.

Indeed, as soon as Xiao Rongzi went out, he saw Yun Si standing on the long corridor outside the hall.
He was a bit hesitant to approach her.

Yun Si was a bit angry, but she still kept her voice low: “Why didn’t you stay in the Central Province Hall? What are you doing here?”

Xiao Rongzi muttered: “My life was saved by you, sister. Wherever you are, I’ll be there too.”

Yun Si was taken aback, almost getting angry with this stubborn person. Didn’t he know that Eunuch Liu had always wanted to take on apprentices, and in reality, they were like adopted sons? After she left the Central Province Hall, Xiao Rongzi would be the one with the most opportunity to catch Eunuch Liu’s eye. Court maidens and eunuchs were different. For Xiao Rongzi, staying in the Central Province Hall would be a much more promising future than serving concubines.

But Xiao Rongzi kept his head down and didn’t say anything.
Yun Si knew she couldn’t persuade him.

Yun Si shook her head, feeling a bit angry: “Do as you please.”

Xiao Rongzi quickly took two steps forward, grabbed Yun Si’s sleeve, and then let go. He said hurriedly: “You’ve never left the Central Province Hall, sister. I want to follow you. I’ll be useful.”

Since he was close to his sister, he could sense some of her thoughts. Whatever she wanted to do, he wanted to help her.

Yun Si looked up and gazed at Xiao Rongzi for a long time. The surroundings were quiet, and the moonlight was faintly serene. After a while, Yun Si closed her eyes and said softly: “Alright, let’s go back and rest. The Imperial Concubine will enter the palace tomorrow.”
Xiao Rongzi shook his head, and Yun Si was puzzled.

After waiting for a moment, when they heard the sound of the night watch, Xiao Rongzi lowered his head and rummaged through his sleeve. He pulled out a small pouch, the kind commonly used in the palace, a money bag that the Central Province Hall issued every month.

Yun Si looked at Xiao Rongzi in confusion.

Xiao Rongzi said softly: “Happy birthday, sister.”

Yun Si was taken aback. She looked up at the sky and realized it was already past midnight. According to the time, it was now July 11th, her birthday.

She had been busy with moving out of the Central Province Hall and had completely forgotten about her own birthday. It was impressive that Xiao Rongzi remembered. Yun Si’s expression softened slightly. She took the pouch and weighed it in her hand, almost laughing out loud: “You’ve given me a whole year’s worth of monthly allowance, haven’t you?”

Xiao Rongzi nodded seriously: “I don’t need the money, sister. You can use it to buy a beautiful hairpin from your aunt.”

Some palace servants were skilled and had good things. To get something from them, you had to be willing to part with some money. Xiao Rongzi was referring to these skilled servants.

Yun Si was stunned. She suddenly lowered her eyes, and after a long time, she handed the pouch back to Xiao Rongzi: “Take it back.”

Xiao Rongzi shook his head and refused: “This is a birthday gift. There’s no reason to take it back.”

After saying that, Xiao Rongzi ran off, leaving Yun Si behind. Yun Si was taken aback, and it took her a while to burst out laughing.

For a long time, Yun Si looked down at the pouch in her hand. Her eyes were stunned for a moment. She paused, then put the pouch away.

There was something she hadn’t told Xiao Rongzi. She hadn’t received a birthday gift in many years.

In previous years, she remembered, but no one else did.

This year, she forgot, but someone remembered for her. They had even saved up a year’s worth of silver for her.

She didn’t say it out loud, but she was very happy.

********

The next day, the entire palace was bustling. Yun Si got up early to tidy up. She checked the palace again, making sure there were no mistakes. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Xiao Rongzi kept his head down seriously. A court maiden named Qiu Ling whispered to Yun Si: “Sister Yun Si, what are we supposed to do now?”

Yun Si glanced at the time and guessed that Lu Cairen should have already entered the palace. She said: “Let’s go. We’ll wait for our master in front of the hall.”

As soon as she spoke, all the court maidens followed her. Taking this opportunity, Yun Si took a good look at the Chonghua Palace. The Chonghua Palace was currently occupied by two masters, both of whom were Imperial Concubines. Actually, the location of the Chonghua Palace was good, not too far from the Yangxin Palace or the Empress’s Palace. However, since the occupants weren’t favored, the palace seemed a bit desolate.

If Lu Cairen could make an effort, the situation in the Chonghua Palace might change soon.

Yun Si silently thanked Eunuch Liu in her heart. She knew that Eunuch Liu had taken good care of her and had done his best to help her in this matter.
Otherwise, Lu Cairen might not have been so lucky to live in the Chonghua Palace.

During the waiting time, Yun Si seemed to see a court maiden peeking out from the Ningsui Garden, but she quickly withdrew her head. Yun Si’s eyes flashed, but she didn’t pay attention and withdrew her gaze.

After about a quarter of an hour, there was a commotion outside the palace. Yun Si immediately straightened her back and bowed her head respectfully.

The voice of the leading eunuch came: “Lu Cairen, you’ve arrived at the Heyi Palace.”

A soft and clear woman’s voice followed: “Thank you, eunuch.”

From the simple sentence, Yun Si couldn’t tell much. She didn’t look up, but her lowered gaze still saw someone take out a pouch and hand it to the leading eunuch. From this action alone, Yun Si knew that Lu Cairen wasn’t someone who didn’t understand the ways of the world. At least she knew how to behave, and it seemed that she had been taught by someone in her family before entering the palace.

Yun Si didn’t speak up rashly until she heard the woman say: “You’re all servants from the Heyi Palace, right?”

Yun Si finally bowed and knelt down: “This servant greets Lu Cairen. May Lu Cairen be blessed.”

Behind her, a group of people knelt down, their heads bowed respectfully. Then they heard a laugh from Lu Cairen, who didn’t make them suffer: “Everyone, please get up. We’ve been walking all day, and our feet are sore.”

The voice was soft and gentle, like she was pouting. It was clear that she had been pampered and spoiled at home.Yun Si stood up and caught a glimpse of Lu Cairen’s face. She was actually very pretty, with a sweet and lovely appearance, gentle and docile. Her eyes sparkled with a soft smile, which was quite different from the concubines who had lived in the harem for a long time. She seemed like a lively little bird, and she talked a lot.

During the short journey, Lu Cairen didn’t stop talking.

Yun Si listened quietly without interrupting. When they arrived at the Heyi Palace, Lu Cairen finally stopped talking. She turned around and looked at the court maidens behind her, and suddenly froze.

The surroundings fell silent. Yun Si’s heart skipped a beat.
She glanced at Lu Cairen discreetly.

After a long time, she heard Lu Cairen say: “You’re really beautiful!”

Lu Cairen’s compliment was straightforward, and her voice didn’t have any hidden meaning. Yun Si couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved at that moment.

She lowered her head and smiled slightly: “Your Highness is too kind. I’m just a humble servant, and my appearance can’t compare to yours.”

Lu Cairen didn’t seem to care about comparing her beauty with a servant’s. She just nodded and said: “You’ll serve me in the palace from now on.”

Lu Cairen had brought a maidservant with her when she entered the palace, which was allowed for her rank. However, this meant that one of the court maidens in the Heyi Palace would have to be removed.

Yun Si told Lu Cairen about this matter, and Lu Cairen didn’t seem to mind. She randomly pointed to a court maiden and said: “Her. I’m new to the palace, so I have to follow the rules.”

When the master doesn’t cause trouble, the servants naturally feel at ease.

Yun Si smiled, and after a moment, she learned the name of the maidservant who had entered the palace with Lu Cairen: Song Rong. It was said that Song Rong had grown up with Lu Cairen since they were young.

Yun Si understood in her heart that this bond was something that no one else could compare to.

Lu Cairen wasn’t foolish. She could tell that the court maidens respected Yun Si, which was why she had decided to have Yun Si serve her in the palace. She leaned against the soft couch, holding her face in her hands, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she looked up at Yun Si with a soft gaze and said: “Yun Si, tell me about the situation in the palace.”

Yun Si lowered her eyes. She knew that Lu Cairen not only wanted to know about the palace but also wanted to see if she was knowledgeable and useful.

“Your Highness should know that among the concubines who entered the palace with you, there are eight of them. Apart from Su Meiren, Mistress has the highest rank. As for the other six, Mistress should know more about them than I do, so I won’t pretend to be an expert in front of you,” Yun Si said.

When Lu Cairen heard that Su Meiren had a higher rank than her, she let out a soft humph. Then she nodded, indicating for Yun Si to continue.

“Besides the new concubines who entered the palace, there are more than ten masters in the palace. The most noble one is naturally the Empress. The Empress is respected by the Emperor. Next is Her Ladyship Consort De, who is pregnant with a prince and is known for her gentle nature in the palace. Although I haven’t seen her, I’ve heard that Consort De is easy to get along with,” Yun Si said.

“Then there’s Rong Zhaoyi and Yang Jieyu. Recently, Zhaoyi and Yang Jieyu are the most favored masters in the palace. Zhaoyi has a princess, and she’s one of the rare masters with a title in the palace,” Yun Si added.

Yun Si didn’t go into detail about every person. She only mentioned the key points.

Suddenly, Yun Si said softly: “I’ve heard that Yang Jieyu bears some resemblance to Zhaoyi.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Cairen’s head jerked up, and her eyes flashed with thoughtfulness. Yun Si saw this and lowered her eyes slightly.