frightfiction Chapter 124 The Last Roommate
Chapter 124 The Last Roommate
Chapter 124 The Last Roommate
Three days passed quickly, and all the beauties from the Han Army Banner moved in smoothly. The last person in the two dormitories was also from the Han Army Banner, but the one assigned to Zhenhuan and the others was An Ronger, the daughter of the prefect, while the one who entered Jiayan and the others' room was Li Yazhi, the legitimate daughter of Li Bayan from the Han Army's Bordered Yellow Banner.
This Li Gege was the youngest legitimate granddaughter of Li Yongfang, the first Han official to surrender to Daqing. Upon his death in the eighth year of the Tiancong reign, Huang Taiji granted him the title of Third-Class Son, a hereditary title. Therefore, this Li Gege was the most prestigious among the Han bannermen of this time, and a likely candidate for the Imperial Consort.
Princess Jiayan gritted her teeth. Even though she was a member of the Guoluo clan and a Manchu military banner, she couldn't directly surpass Princess Li in terms of status and position. Furthermore, Princess Li's family was not short of capable people. She was the youngest daughter, and her uncles were overly acquainted with her. Her father, in particular, had risen to the rank of Commander-in-Chief, served as Gushan Ezhen of the Zhenglan Banner, and was granted the title of First-Class Zhaoxin Earl, and transferred to the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Han Army.
Over there, Jiayan was secretly gritting her teeth at her increasingly unhappy life, while over here, Zhenhuan was also having a headache because of her new roommate.
When she first heard this surname, Zhen Huan subconsciously thought of An Lingrong. But then she thought, a seventh-rank county magistrate and a fourth-rank prefect, how could they be considered the same? But then she realized that she was too reassured. This An was really no match for the An Lingrong in the TV series.
On the first day she moved in, she wanted to find fault. Seeing that the ladies in the room were of higher status than her, she always acted pitiful and weak, implying that she should be the only one to be served by the palace maids. The three of them could hire their own maids to help.
After the three of them disagreed, she thought about changing beds. Since she was the last one to arrive, she could only sleep on the bed near the door. She kept calling her sister and wanted to switch with Zhenhuan's bed near the window.
Could Zhen Huan spoil her? She immediately reported the ages of several people. It turned out that except for Hui Gege, who was half a year older than her, everyone else in the room was a few months younger than her. This embarrassed her so much that she didn't even dare to call her sister anymore.
After several commotions, even the good-tempered Ruhui was unwilling to pay attention to her, not to mention Zhenhuan and Tuduo who had already seen through her.
Zhenhuan also found an opportunity to privately remind Ruhui Yutuduo that the box must be locked and the items must be kept away. It is unpredictable when such a bad-intentioned person will bite you directly, so it is better to be cautious just in case.
The three of them looked at each other and saw helplessness in each other's eyes. Just bear with it. It's only a month away anyway. When the audition is over, they may never see each other again. Everything will be fine then.
After dinner that night, the three of them went to bed early in tacit understanding. Tomorrow they would start the real thing. After the preliminary selection, there would be a month of probation. During this period they would have to learn the rules and etiquette. Whether they could leave a good impression on the royal family would depend on this month.
The second day arrived quickly as everyone in the Tiyuan Hall had been waiting. This time, without any instructions, the concubines had quickly finished their breakfast and were waiting in the yard.
After a while, Madam Rong also came with a small team of maids. Seeing the concubines standing in groups of three or four and chatting, her face looked very unhappy.
There was a "dong" sound, and a little palace maid holding a small drum appeared from the back. The noise just now came from her side. This sound immediately made everyone who was still talking stop and look at Rong Mama and her group.
Aunt Rong: "Everyone look this way. Line up in groups of ten, with this old slave as the center. Ladies and gentlemen, please move quickly and get in line."
Then she instructed the maids around her, "Go and help too. There will always be mistakes the first time. Move quickly, hurry up, don't waste time."
Soon, more than a hundred people were dispersed and lined up in order of height from in front of Madam Rong to the back. The concubines also realized that the formal class had begun, and everyone stood in order obediently.
After seeing the team finally in order, Rong Mama spoke again: "I am the grooming nanny for this selection of girls. I will be responsible for all your etiquette and rules during the selection period. You can also call me Rong Mama from now on. You are all noble ladies from your families, but since your identities are not clear when you enter the palace, I will call you all "little masters" from now on.
Because the time they moved in was inconsistent, I'll reiterate the rules here today. First and foremost, you're not allowed to leave without permission. During the selection period, the girls are required to stay in the Ti Yuan Hall. Without being summoned by the palace masters, they are not allowed to leave this door. This door will also be guarded by two maids in shifts. If any young master is found leaving without permission, they will be punished according to palace rules at the very least, or even expelled from the Forbidden City at the worst.
The second is no causing trouble. Whether you become a palace empress, a concubine or a princess in a prince's palace, or marry a minister, it has nothing to do with me, and I won't care. However, if you cause trouble or frame someone without reason while I'm in charge of the Tiyuan Palace, I will show no mercy if I'm caught. I'll deal with you accordingly. The palace rules are there, and you'll find the appropriate punishment for your mistakes.
Third, I hope you can cooperate well during this month or so. Regardless of your reasons for participating in the audition, I hope you all will cooperate with each other during this month. Each room is assigned according to the Manchu, Mongolian, and Khanate banners. While some may not speak the same language, I hope you can communicate and grow together. You will learn a lot during this month in the palace, and I hope you will all make friends.
Okay, that's all I have to say. Next, let me introduce you to the maids who work for me. They are all my reliable assistants. While I teach you the rules and benefits, I'll also provide demonstrations and correct any shortcomings. If you don't understand something or haven't learned it well, do you see those small rooms at the gate? They're for these maids. They'll be here during the selection period, so feel free to ask questions.
After Rong Mama finished speaking and saw that no one asked questions or objected, she began today's etiquette teaching.
Madam Rong demonstrated as she spoke, "When performing the salute, we should stand with our legs straight, our upper body erect or slightly bent, and clasp our hands together in front of our chest. Generally, the right fist should be clenched outward, and the left hand inward. This is the example that you ladies can follow when saluting each other in the future. Now, please follow the maid in front of you and salute together."
The ladies said: "Madam, you are well."
"Well, very good. Now, look at each other and salute each other. Be careful not to shake your body. Keep your posture graceful and elegant."
Seeing that most of these concubines had a solid foundation, Rong Mama quietly sped up the pace of their teaching. Before lunch, the concubines had already learned the bowing, group worship, and kneeling. It can be said that their progress was very fast.
There is a two-hour break between lunch and afternoon classes. The concubines chose to have their meals in the house today and then use the time to rest.
When Zhenhuan was half asleep and half awake, she seemed to hear the sound of the door opening, but at that time she was too sleepy to muster up the energy to check. Her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep.
When she woke up and wanted to confirm who had gone out, she found that everyone in the room was still there, and they were all getting dressed and getting ready for the afternoon classes.
Zhenhuan looked carefully at the three people in front of her. Sister Ruhui was still the same carefree as before and was even yawning. But maybe it was because she had learned etiquette for a long time, but now she had learned to cover her mouth with her hands when she yawned, which was very delicate.
Sister Tuduo's face was beaming at the moment, but she still didn't understand the little broom head, so she was sitting obediently in front of the dressing table and letting the palace maid help her with her hair.
An Rong'er, who was near the door, was also dressing herself up at this moment, but she was multitasking. While dressing herself up, she was also praising Tu Duo: "Sister Tu Duo is still young and has many advantages. Look at your delicate skin, I really envy you. I wonder what kind of rouge and powder you usually use? Can I take a look?"
Tu Duo was a little unhappy when she heard this, but they had just moved in, and it would not be good if she directly rejected them. Thinking of this, she handed the ointment she had been using to An Ronger.
Seeing this, Zhenhuan perked up. Although her hands kept moving, her eyes were always looking at the mirror, observing An Ronger's movements.
An Ronger gently opened the rouge box, leaned in to sniff it, and finally, after getting Tuduo's consent, she scooped out a small piece with a small spoon and placed it in the palm of her hand, then slowly spread it evenly until it was absorbed.
Finally, under Zhenhuan's intent gaze, he closed the box of ointment and returned it to Tuduo.
An Ronger: "Sister Tuduo, this ointment smells really good. I wonder where you bought it from? Could you please introduce it to me? I will also buy a box after I leave the palace."
After seeing that her belongings had returned intact and not been tampered with, Tuduo was relieved. She did not hesitate to say, "I bought this when I first arrived in Beijing from a shop called Zuihuayan. I heard it's a new arrival. You can go take a look when you have time."
"Zuihuayan? So that's where my sister bought her perfume, and a lot of my rouge and powder were also bought from there. When we get home later, let's make an appointment to go to Zuihuayan together." At this time, Ruhui Gege, who was already sober, took over.
Tuduo nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay, when we came to Beijing, we heard that there were still a lot of fragrant essential oils there, but we came too late and there was no stock. After we leave the palace, we will ask my sister to go with us."
Zhen Huan also followed up at this time: "Don't forget me when the time comes. There is not only Zui Hua Yan in the capital, but also Man Ting Xiang. Let's go shopping together then."
As they chatted and laughed, they finished washing up and gathered at the table to drink tea. Zhen Huan also dispelled her suspicions about An Rong'er. Everything had just happened under her nose, and she hadn't noticed anything. She must have been overthinking it.
Soon a palace maid notified them to go to class, and they hurried out. Before leaving, Zhenhuan did not forget to check her small box. Only after seeing that it was locked did she feel at ease to follow.
Seeing this, An Rong'er joked, "Sister Zhenhuan is so careful. We've all gone out, and even though the box is open, no one comes over. Isn't she a little too cautious?"
Zhenhuan was not going to tolerate her sarcastic words. She threw down a sentence: "One must be on guard against others" and went straight into the team.
An Rong'er was left standing there with her mouth puffed with anger, but Ruhui and Tuduo had already walked away, so no one paid attention to her even if she was angry.
They still stood in the same positions as in the morning. In the afternoon, Rong Mama no longer taught them how to perform etiquette, but instead gave them basic knowledge on how to quickly identify the nobles in the palace when they met them to avoid being rude.
Madam Rong: "First of all, you must be clear that the emperor's clothes are mostly auspicious clothes and casual clothes. Once you find someone wearing a yellow dragon robe in the palace, you must first distinguish whether it is bright yellow or apricot yellow. Today, the maid has borrowed two, and one of the bright yellow ones is the current emperor's auspicious clothes." After saying that, she gestured to the two maids to lift up the emperor's auspicious clothes and display them.
"If you look closely at this auspicious robe, you'll notice nine dragons in every direction, and the color is a unique bright yellow. I believe you all remember it. Next is this apricot-yellow dragon robe with eight dragons on it. This is the auspicious robe of the current crown prince. Aside from the emperor and the crown prince, no one else in the Forbidden City wears yellow dragon robes. Please remember this."
Next is the daily uniform, which still has nine dragons, but the colors of the daily uniform are more diverse, such as dark blue, navy blue, black, etc. However, each of the emperor's daily uniforms still has nine dragons. "
After hearing what Rong Mama said, Zhen Huan felt very embarrassed: It turns out that all those TV dramas she had watched before were lies. There was no such thing as a concubine taking the wrong path and mistaking the emperor for a guard or a prince because the emperor's clothes were obviously different from others?