As Mu Li listened, her eyes grew moist. Her mother had passed away when she was only five, and her image was no longer clear in her mind.
Only the portrait she kept pressed at the bottom of her trunk remained. She remembered when her mother had invited an artist to paint her as a child; she had begged her mother for a long time because she wanted her mother to have a portrait painted as well…
Mu Li gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes as she heard Old Madam Mu continue, "Your mother said these were to be kept as your dowry in the future and entrusted them to me for safekeeping. Now that you are entering the palace, there are many places where you will need to grease palms. Li’er, take these with you; it will make things much easier for you."
"I understand, Grandmother. It is just that I will no longer be by your side to accompany you. You must take care of yourself and listen to Mama Liu regarding your medicine. Please, do not worry about me…" Mu Li urged.
"Silly child, I am fine, but I hope for you to be even better." Old Madam Mu looked at the granddaughter she had doted on since childhood with deep affection.
Ten days passed in a flash, and today was the day Mu Li was to enter the palace.
In front of the gates of the Mu Estate.
The people from the palace had already arrived. A pink sedan chair stood before the gate, sent to collect Mu Li and take her to the palace.
The entire Mu family had come out to see Mu Li off. Many commoners were also gathered around, their discussions revolving around Mu Li’s perceived good fortune…
Mu Li faced the gathered family members. Mu Yuan’s face was expressionless; Liu Qing and Mu Wan dabbed at their eyes with silk handkerchiefs; Mu Yu stood to the side with a nonchalant air. Only Old Madam Mu’s eyes were truly red with tears.
Mu Li knew that out of everyone in the Mu family, only Old Madam Mu was truly loath to see her go…
"I take my leave of Grandmother and Father. I do not know when we shall meet again, so I hope Grandmother and Father will take care of your health," Mu Li said, curtsying toward Old Madam Mu and Mu Yuan.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Mu wept even harder. "My Li’er… you must also take care in the palace. If anything goes wrong, remember to write home…"
Mu Li forced a smile. "Do not worry, Grandmother. I will take good care of myself."
Mu Yuan stepped forward and patted his daughter’s shoulder with a serious expression. "Li’er, take care. If you lack anything, tell your father."
Mu Li was momentarily stunned, then gave a slight smile. "Thank you, Father."
"Alright, alright, the hour is getting late. the palace staff is waiting! Let her go quickly." Liu Qing, supported by Mu Wan, spoke with a tone that carried a hint of feigned reluctance.
Mu Wan stepped forward and said to Mu Li, "Eldest Sister, enter the palace with an easy mind. I will take good care of Grandmother and Father."
Mu Wan was born with a gentle and delicate beauty. Beneath her willow-leaf brows, her clear eyes shimmered with a watery mist that made one instinctively feel pity for her.
Mu Li’s smile did not reach her eyes. "Then I shall trouble my younger sister to fulfill my filial duties for me."
With that, Mu Li turned and stepped into the sedan chair under the gaze of the crowd. Starting today, she, Mu Li, would forget the past and begin a new life in that place that devoured people without spitting out the bones…
The procession entered the palace gates. Because Mu Li’s rank was only that of a Noble Lady, she could not use a sedan chair within the imperial palace and had to proceed on foot.
Mu Li stepped out of the sedan chair and looked up at the small square of sky above the palace. This small square of sky would be the place where she lived from now on.
Walking along the long palace paths, she saw the tops of the palace walls covered in yellow glazed tiles with green trimmed edges. It was indeed the imperial palace, a place everyone fought tooth and nail to enter…
Imperial Palace, Qingzhu Small Courtyard.
Though called a small courtyard, it was actually a palace building, though one constructed with exceptional elegance. Mu Li stepped into the courtyard under the guidance of a palace servant, and her eyes lit up as she entered.
There was a parasol tree in the courtyard, lush with foliage, its clusters of blossoms swaying and trembling in the wind. She liked the quiet elegance of this Qingzhu Small Courtyard very much.
"Noble Lady, this is your Qingzhu Small Courtyard. I must return to report my task, so I shall take my leave now," the lead eunuch said, clasping his hands toward Mu Li.
Mu Li glanced at Chang Xiu behind her. Chang Xiu understood and took a silk pouch from her sleeve, handing it to the eunuch as she said, "Thank you for leading the way, Eunuch. This is for you to have some tea, courtesy of our Mistress."
The eunuch’s eyes brightened as he accepted the pouch with a smile. "Thank you, Noble Lady. You are as beautiful as a celestial being; gaining favor is surely only a matter of time."
Mu Li smiled but said nothing. After the eunuch led the other servants away, Mu Li slowly stepped into the room.
Maids and eunuchs assigned by the Imperial Household Department were already kneeling inside, waiting for their mistress. When Mu Li entered, their eyes lit up momentarily before they quickly lowered their heads and shouted, "We pay our respects to the Mistress. May the Mistress have ten thousand blessings."
Mu Li swept her gaze over them. There were three maids and two eunuchs, the number of servants appropriate for the rank of a Noble Lady. She paused for a moment before saying, "Rise."
"Our thanks to the Mistress," they said as they stood up.
Only then did they steal glances at their new mistress; she was truly beautiful. Seeing this, Shan Wu chuckled inwardly; no one was ever not stunned the first time they saw her lady.
Mu Li stood at the head of the room, surveying the group. "Since you are people of the Qingzhu Small Courtyard, you must be of one heart with your mistress. I have always been clear about rewards and punishments. If anyone is restless, I have a thousand ways to deal with them. Do you understand?"
The group hurriedly knelt again. "We would not dare!"
Having established her authority, Mu Li sat on the daybed. "Fine, don't go kneeling at every little thing from now on. Chang Xiu, reward everyone with ten taels of silver."
The group was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Our deepest thanks to the Mistress!"
They were elated; one must know that their monthly salary was only five taels. This new mistress was indeed generous.
Mu Li looked at a maid with a steady expression and a slightly older appearance, asking, "What is your name?"
The maid replied, "I am called Wen Yue, and I am the Chief Palace Maid of the Qingzhu Small Courtyard."
"And you?" Mu Li nodded and looked at the others.
The other four bowed and said, "We ask the Mistress to bestow names upon us."
Mu Li was puzzled. As if sensing her confusion, Wen Yue said, "In response to the Mistress, aside from me being an old hand in the palace, these others were all newly assigned to the Qingzhu Small Courtyard by the Imperial Household Department."
"In that case, you shall be Ting Shu, and you shall be Nong Qin." After speaking, Mu Li looked at the two young eunuchs. "You two shall be called Xiao Chengzi and Xiao Luzi."
"We thank the Mistress for bestowing our names."
Mu Li spoke calmly, "Chang Xiu and Shan Wu are maids I brought from home; they are my personal attendants. If there is anything you do not understand, feel free to ask them. Chief Palace Maid Wen Yue will stay; the rest of you may go to your duties."
"Yes." The group bowed and withdrew.
"Which palace were you in before?" Mu Li looked at Wen Yue and asked in a calm voice.
Wen Yue replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "In response to the Mistress, I previously served Consort Dowager Jing. After the Consort Dowager passed away, I came to the Qingzhu Small Courtyard."
"Do you know how many others entered the palace with me?" Mu Li asked again.
Wen Yue replied, "A total of seven people have newly entered the palace. The ones with the highest rank are the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ding’s estate, Xiao Shutong, who was titled Concubine Qing, and the daughter of the Duke of Fu’s estate, Xia Yun, who is also a Concubine with the title Yun. After them is you, Mistress. Then the daughter of the Minister of Imperial Entertainments, Shen Ying, was titled Beauty. There is also a Beauty Lin and two Selected Attendants, namely Imperial Concubine Jiang and Imperial Concubine Zhang."