Chapter 200: Chapter 91: Infuriating Comparisons
When it comes to beauty, there are three key features: the face, the waist, and the bust.
Song Yunzhao’s face was flawless—easily in the top three within the palace. Consort Lu shared a similar style; they both possessed a striking, impactful kind of beauty. Princess Consort Wan, on the other hand, was the intellectual, aloof type, embodying the "white moonlight" ideal, a path that subtly overlapped with Qin Xiyue’s.
All in all, the four of them represented the pinnacle of beauty in the harem at present.
’If I had to choose the most beautiful one, it would, of course, be me.’
"Prince Chu favored slender waists, and so the women of his court starved themselves."
Although Feng Yi hadn’t openly expressed a preference for small waists, Song Yunzhao knew that whenever they were in bed, his hands always found their way to hers.
’He must be a closet waist enthusiast. It’s not just the Emperor; most men are.’
Lastly, there was the bust. This, unfortunately, was a sore spot for Song Yunzhao.
After all, this body hadn’t fully developed yet. She certainly didn’t have what it took to stand proud among her peers in that department.
’I may not have it, but I can create it. A little push-up, and voilà.’
And so, she decided to make a bustier. Without sponge or underwire, she couldn’t replicate the bra cups of later eras, but she could use her tailoring skills to create a push-up effect.
After finishing a prototype, Song Yunzhao tried it on. It wasn’t very comfortable. The length of the straps didn’t need adjustment since they were tie-on, which offered a great deal of flexibility.
The cut of the cups was fine too; the issue was the lack of support underneath.
So, she carefully cut layers of fine ramie cloth and added a thin layer of cotton inside. She adjusted the padding’s thickness, making it thicker at the bottom of the cup and tapering it toward the top, following the cup’s curve.
With this adjustment, it fit perfectly. The moment Song Yunzhao put it on, Xiangxue and the other maids stared, their eyes wide.
Fighting back a blush, Song Yunzhao had them cut new fabric. This time, they were to embroider patterns on it. ’A beautiful bustier needs exquisite embroidery to truly shine.’
This kind of skilled work was, of course, entrusted to those with the best craftsmanship. For instance, Qingfeng and Yulu were both excellent at needlework.
Song Yunzhao would never entrust such intimate apparel to the Clothing Bureau. The people there weren’t loyal to her. If she gave them this to make, news of it would spread throughout the entire harem by the next day. How could she possibly show her face then?
With the matter of the undergarment settled, she tried on the long dress she had designed. The waist was cinched exceptionally tight, while the skirt was made voluminous. Palace dresses were typically made with eight panels, but Song Yunzhao had hers made with twenty-four. This way, the wide, flowing skirt would further accentuate her delicate waist, making it look as if it could be encircled by a single hand.
With exquisite patterns embroidered on the hem, the skirt would sway beautifully as she walked, creating an image of ethereal grace and charm.
"Your Ladyship, this dress is absolutely gorgeous," Xiangxue exclaimed, her face alight with wonder. She had thought it would be pretty while they were making it, but she never imagined it would look so stunning on her mistress.
Song Yunzhao thought it was beautiful too. ’Pursuing beauty is something every woman loves to do.’ "Put the dress away for now, and don’t let anyone see it," she instructed. "Also, make several more in different colors and patterns based on my design to have as spares."
Shizhu quickly agreed. "Nanny Yu says the same. It’s called ’being prepared averts disaster.’"
Song Yunzhao smiled and nodded. "Nanny Yu is right. You should all learn as much as you can from her. It will benefit you immensely in the future."
Xiangxue and the other maids laughed. Their mistress wasn’t much older than them, yet she lectured them like an elder. They were happy to hear it, though. In the palace, not just anyone was willing to teach others.
After a full day of trying on clothes, Song Yunzhao didn’t want to move a muscle that evening. When Nanny Yu returned, she found her mistress beaming as she read a storybook. Seeing her so happy made Nanny Yu happy as well.
’When you serve a good mistress, life is much easier for us attendants.’
"Your Ladyship."
Song Yunzhao looked up at Nanny Yu. "Nanny, you’re back. Please, sit." She set down her storybook. ’Lately, not many of the storybooks Zhang Maoquan sends have been any good. And I’ve noticed none of them are from Yuquan Building.’
’Something’s fishy.’
She had Anshun deliver another message to Xie Linlang. By her count, Yuquan Building should have published at least five or six of her stories. ’How could not a single one have made it to me?’
This time, Anshun brought back an envelope for her from Xie Linlang. Inside were several silver notes, this time in larger denominations—all one hundred taels or more.
Judging by the payments from the Xie family, her books must be quite popular. It was very strange that none of them had reached her.
After Nanny Yu sat, she began her report. "Your Ladyship asked me to keep an eye on Huayang Palace. There’s been no movement for the past few days, but this afternoon, Qin Song from Huayang Palace left the palace. This old servant had a young Palace Attendant follow him. It turns out Qin Song didn’t go to the Grand Tutor Mansion, but to the Three Yuan Building. Once there, he went straight to a private room upstairs, and our girl couldn’t follow him any further. However, she waited outside. After about half an hour, she saw Qin Song emerge and head straight back to Huayang Palace."
Song Yunzhao looked at Nanny Yu and asked, "Do we know who he met with?"
Nanny Yu shook her head. "We only sent one person to follow him, so she couldn’t watch to see who was in the private room."
Song Yunzhao gave a slight nod. It was natural that a single person would be stretched thin. Focusing on Yan Song was what was truly important.
Yan Song was the Chief Eunuch of Huayang Palace, holding a position equivalent to Anshun’s in Wangyou Palace. For errands that required leaving the palace, Song Yunzhao typically sent Anshun.
She thought for a moment before looking at Nanny Yu. "Next time something like this happens, focus on tailing the person Yan Song goes to meet."
Nanny Yu took note.
Song Yunzhao couldn’t guess who Qin Xiyue had sent Yan Song to meet at the Three Yuan Building. ’Ah, the female lead... the darling of this story’s world. She’s always luckier than cannon fodder like me, always running into all sorts of helpful patrons.’
’This cannon fodder is different. My only option is to cling tightly to the Emperor’s thigh.’
’Comparisons are odious.’
’Whatever. Right now, the Qixi Festival is more important. Everything else can wait.’
The Emperor hadn’t visited the harem for the past few days. However, Song Yunzhao did receive a meal bestowed by him. But she wasn’t the only one; the three concubines also received one, and besides them and herself, the only other recipient was Qin Xiyue.
*Tsk.*
’So that’s the protagonist’s halo for you. Sometimes, you just have to accept it, whether you like it or not.’
Song Yunzhao sensed that Qin Xiyue must have done something. Otherwise, the Emperor would never have bestowed a meal upon Huayang Palace. The frustrating part was that she had no idea what it was.
’At this rate,’ she thought, ’instead of investigating what Qin Xiyue did, I might as well do something myself.’
And so, Song Yunzhao’s "soup of affection" made another appearance. Only this time, she didn’t deliver it personally, sending Anshun instead.
It was a small way of expressing her feelings. She had her pride, after all.
She hadn’t expected that by not going herself, the Emperor would end up coming to her that evening.
Song Yunzhao hadn’t expected the Emperor to visit. This was a pleasant surprise. ’So what if others received a meal from him? I’m the one who managed to lure him to Wangyou Palace.’
’Top-notch performance on my main duties,’ Song Yunzhao mentally gave herself a thumbs-up. Then, plastering a look of pure joy on her face, she went out to welcome him.
’Another day, another performance.’
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