Mysteries in the Imperial Harem: Chapter 3

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Hope our 2016 will be an awesome year!!!

Its actually quite confusing reading about the swap identities… I had to reread so many times just to get it straight (and also triple checked to ensure correct names were translated!) Everyone thinks that Qing Feng is Qing Ling and as such, she is always referred as Qing Ling by everyone.

This chap mainly provides Fu Ling’s perspective… So be prepared to be confused… ????

Fu Ling opened the food basket, that was received from the young eunuch, and just as expected, the meals from three days before were meat and fish dishes with hot broth has turned to meagre tasteless meals. Most of people in the Imperial Palace have the power to influence, thus this type of occurrence happens daily. Fu Ling, who was already used to it, lightly covered the food basket and walked towards the courtyard.

Qing Ling’s shadow can been seen by the half opened sliding window like before. For the past three days, she has often stood at the window with her eyes fixed on the lush Chinese parasol tree within the courtyard.

During the afternoon of the beginning of spring, the tree’s shadow fragmented the rays of warm sun on her face, but it’s a pity that it did not gave her any warmth. In the cool and serene glaze revealed a bone chilling feeling, like an everlasting white plum blossom in the sun. Unlike other women in the Inner Palace that put up cold and aloof pretences, her cold and unyielding made people apprehensive but unable to tear their eyes away.

Fu Ling gloomily sighed, the face behind the window is extremely beautiful but disfigure. She did not know if it can been counted a blessing in disguise, since once the Imperial Concubines were aware that Qing Ling was disfigure, they did not even bother to make things difficult for her. Thus, enabling her to get through these past three days peacefully.

After opening the door, Fu Ling started to lay out the dishes on the round table and lowly spoke, “Miss, please have your meal.”

“Fu Ling, when will I be able to see your monarch.” A cool voice unemotionally question. In the Imperial Palace, there are countless of beauties who are anxious to see the Emperor. But Fu Ling knows that her purpose of seeing the Emperor was definitely not to fawn over him.

After laying out the dishes, Fu Ling replied indifferently, “This servant don’t know.”

Qing Feng turned around unhurriedly, saw her quietly working at the table and softly questioned, “Other than saying you don’t know, what additional things do you say?”

Fu Ling’s hands, that were clearing the food basket, slightly paused but was soon focus on the task on hand. With regards to Qing Ling’s question, keeping quiet is correct.

After sitting at the round table, Qing Feng glance at two plain vegetarian dishes on the table and smile sarcastically. Picking up the pair of chopsticks and looking at the tasteless dishes, Qing Feng started to eat mouthfuls of cold rice. Upon finishing half a bowl of rice, Qing Feng lay down her chopsticks and coldly said, “Leave here.”

“The Imperial Household has arrange for this servant to serve Miss…” Fu Ling spoke half-hearted words plainly, but in actual fact she seek the peace and quiet here.

Before she could not finish, Qing Feng’s shadow interrupted her words, “If you don’t go, you will regret.”

Her words… What does it mean? Fu Ling had a dreadful sense of premonition and struggled for a while before replying softly, “Miss… It would be better not to do anything silly, nothing is better than… Being alive.” Even though her face is disfigured and left her home-town, which is truly pitiful, but aren’t there far more pitiful people in the world than her?

Qing Feng raised her head slightly and meet the pair of usually lowered and avoiding eyes before saying, “A person can live with compromises, can live with shame, can suffer all kinds of torment, pass each day arduously and for those who live on with hope, it is the most precious. But for my hope, it was ripped apart and destroyed earlier on!”

The previously cold set of eyes was inflected by such a hot rage, that even the clear voice was trembling slightly. Fu Ling could almost hear her grinding teeth. She only know that the Sisters of the Qing family were sent as tributes. As for how her face was disfigured and what that made her hate that much, she didn’t know.

Fu Ling opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately kept it tightly shut.

“Older Sister Fu Ling.” A little girl, similarly dressed as a palace maid, stood outside the courtyard and stuck her head in to peer inside but didn’t dare to enter.

A streak of cloud crossed Qing Feng’s face and Fu Ling quickly exited the room, closed the door and walked briskly out of the small courtyard.

Seeing that Fu Ling came out, the little girl quickly approached and smiled, “Older Sister Fu Ling. The last time Older Sister prescribe me medicine, I only had to eat three doses and the cold was mostly gone! These are some Chinese basil biscuits from my home-town, do hope that Older Sister will not despise.” She was the lowest ranked of the palace maids, the Imperial Physician in the Imperial Medical Institute will not even bother about her. To receive medical consultations from the lower ranked Physicians would require gifts. But she only received a small allowance monthly and still have to save up for the living expenses of her parents and younger siblings. Fortunately, Older Sister Fu Ling is a good person and gave her a few doses of medication else her cold will drag to who knows when.

The little girl pushed bag of stuff from her hands to Fu Ling’s. After much thoughts, Fu Ling remembered that she is Xiao You, a palace maid from Liu Yun Palace Hall. She reply with a smile, “You are too kind, its no effort at all.”

Xiao You laughed sweetly, “Only a good person like big sister will extend a hand.”

Fu Ling smile without a reply.

Xiao You tilted her head toward the inner courtyard, pass the half-opened window and vaguely saw a plainly dressed female, with long uncombed hair, silently sitting at a round table.

As Xiao You gentle tugged Fu Ling’s clothes, she ask in a hush tone, “Is the one inside the beauty from Hao Yue? Her face…”

Fu Ling knitted her eyebrows, she also came to inquire information? She has been serving in the Palace for ten years and these days the people who came to her far exceed the total amount of that in ten years. Fu Ling expressed a little impatience and Xiao You immediately said, “Older Sister Fu Ling, I truly came here to express my thanks! But when I left, the mistress saw and know that I was going to visit Older Sister, so she ordered me to inquire some information. I…”

“Well, you have seen for yourself and can account for upon your return. Return then.” Exhausted from listening to her excuses, Fu Ling unhurriedly close the main doors of the courtyard.

“Fu Ling.” A cool voice called out.

Fu Ling entered the room and initially thought that she would throw a tantrum at those who were discreetly gathering information. But unexpectedly, she suddenly asked, “Did that Wang Gonggong gave instructions that I was unable to leave this house?”

After some thought, Fu Ling replied, “No.”

A streak of colour crossed Qing Feng’s eyes and continued enquiring, “Then can I walk around your Imperial Gardens?”

She… thought about waiting for the Emperor in the Imperial Gardens? At times, the Emperor will head to the Imperial Gardens once every month! Fu Ling shakes her head and replied, “Only the Empress Dowager, Imperial Concubines, Princesses and Princes will be permitted to play in the Imperial Gardens.”

Qing Feng wrinkled her brows and snorted lightly, “Then it should be all right to walk around this area.”

They are at the Central Court which is far from the Imperial Palaces, where the Imperial Concubines and Consorts were living at. If she wanted to walk around this area, it will not pose any issues. Even if she said no, this Miss Qing will most likely ignore it.

After ponding for a bit, Fu Ling nodded.

“Then I would trouble you to comb my hair.” After getting a satisfactory answer, Qing Feng sat in front of the dressing table with a tranquil demeanour. Fu Ling, however, felt inexplicably sceptical.

She really only wanted to walk around?

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