Counterattack of the Cannon Fodder Chambermaid

Untitled Part 57

The next day Xiao Hua woke up very early. After finishing breakfast, she armed herself to the teeth and prepared to go pay respects.

The Jing Province's weather was very cold, especially in the winter. The winters were long and it seemed fresh snow would always fall before the snow on the ground could melt. Xiao Hua was still eating breakfast when she heard Ding Lan say that it was snowing lightly outside.

Xiao Hua put on her small lined jacket and wrapped the cloak Ding Xiang finished making for her yesterday around her. The cloak was velvet on the outside and fur on the inside. She carried a handheld furnace in her hand and wore wooden clogs on her feet. Ding Xiang held a pale silk varnished umbrella on the side. By the time they stepped out, it didn't seem that cold anymore.

The eastern three pavilions and the western three pavilions: one was in the east and one was in the west. There was quite a bit of distance between the two sides. Xiao Hua rarely wore wooden clogs in the past, and with the addition of the snow she had to walk extra slowly.

By the time they reached the Changchun Pavilion, Xiao Hua realized that she was the last one to arrive.

She took off her clogs and cloak in the hallway and handed the portable furnace to Ding Xiang. Entering the hall, she respectfully saluted the Jing Consort who sat in the seat of honor and Senior Concubine Qiao who sat to her left.

"I plead for the consort's magnanimity. This servant concubine came late."

Ding Xiang had informed her of the required etiquette during their casual conversations. Within the estate, apart from the consort and the senior concubine, concubines on the level of madams would have to address themselves as "servant concubines" in front of higher ups. Xiao Hua knew how to salute, but since this place would require more attention to detail, Ding Xiang gave her a few pointers.

The Jing Consort wore a red silk blooming peony lined jacket, her face full of smiles making her seem very approachable. She seemed to have forgotten to bid Xiao Hua to rise, seemingly examining her appearance.

Xiao Hua was dressed very simply today, a small, narrow-sleeved pink jacket with a pale bluish white satin skirt. While it looked good since her age made her look delicate and tender no matter what she wore, compared to the rest of the people in the hall it seemed a lot more simple and crude.

Furthermore, Xiao Hua also appeared very plain. This plain referred to the ornaments and jewelry on her body.

According to Ding Xiang, those with a madam's status would be given a set amount of jewelry every quarter by the estate. Xiao Hua was newly promoted and had received the allotment of jewelry which were two golden hairpins, a pair of jade bracelets and a pair of earrings. However, this definitely couldn't be compared to the rest of the harem's accumulations over the years.

Especially today. Whether or not these people did it intentionally, they were all adorned in gold and jade, and dressed extremely gorgeously. Even the two Madams Yu were extremely dressed up, let alone the Jing Consort and Senior Concubine Qiao.

In comparison, Xiao Hua indeed appeared impoverished.

The Jing Consort's eyes flashed imperceptibly, Senior Concubine Qiao let out an ambiguous sounding chuckle and Yu Rong directly opened her mouth and spoke.

"This little sis Hua dressed really plainly. Hasn't she already served in the Hall of Splendor for a while?"

Yu Jiao replied with a smile, but there were barbs within her words: "Really, why would you say that? There are several types of service, right? Everything's useless if you aren't favored."

The Jing Consort let out a light cough and seemed to realize she hadn't bid Xiao Hua to rise yet, saying with a natural expression: "Little sis please rise and take a seat. This consort was a little dazed at little sis's beauty just now."