"Miss, you're so stunning. Who would doubt that you're a celestial maiden? Since His Majesty says you're a celestial maiden, you must be one."
My mistress, please understand His Majesty's painstaking efforts. He's suffered so much since you left. Now that you're back, please don't think about escaping. Xiaotao had watched her mistress and His Majesty go through so much these years.
"Just because I'm good - looking, I must be a celestial maiden? You're so naive, girl. Let me ask you, do you know why His Majesty brought me here? Did he tell you anything when he brought me?"
"His Majesty only said that you were coming to the palace to recuperate and told us servants to serve you well."
Su Wan'er frowned, thinking it was a useless answer. But since she was trying to get information, she had to put on a good - natured face. "When did he tell you this? And besides you, what other preparations did he make?"
She had to figure out whether Si Junlin had been planning this for a long time or if it was just a momentary impulse. If it was an impulse, she could cause some chaos in the palace tomorrow. If she annoyed people, she might be able to get away. But if it was a long - planned scheme or there was some other conspiracy behind it, things would be much more difficult.
"Of course, there were many preparations. His Majesty has always been very concerned about the lady... well, about you. He not only told us servants to serve you well but also ordered the imperial kitchen, the workshop, the clothing department and all the departments related to food, clothing, housing and transportation to start making preparations..."
Sure enough, listening to Xiaotao list all the things related to food, clothing, housing and transportation, Su Wan'er was so sleepy that she couldn't keep her eyes open. So she let Xiaotao help her lie down and soon fell into a sweet sleep.
Xiaotao couldn't help but smile secretly. She had known this would be the result. Moreover, the things she had just listed were what His Majesty had ordered a few days ago. He wanted everything to be prepared according to the standards for the queen. It was really troublesome. Back then, even showing the list to her mistress in a booklet, her mistress had been too lazy to look. Now, listening to her read one by one was even more like a lullaby.
But Su Wan'er was a diligent person. She went to bed at the hour of Hai and got up at the fifth watch.
When she got up in the morning, Xiaotao called out to the outside, "Miss, it's time to get up." Then, like a flowing stream, the maids came in. One carried a basin, one a towel, and the others carried spittoons and items for rinsing the mouth.
Oh my god! This was not a life for ordinary people. Could it be the rules for celestial maidens? Su Wan'er had almost forgotten that she had once been the queen. Seeing such a grand arrangement, she had an illusion that she had become a celestial maiden.
After letting others tidy her up and getting over her drowsiness, Su Wan'er suddenly remembered that she had been so un - aspirational as to fall asleep yesterday. So she continued to ask Xiaotao.
"Xiaotao, continue what you were saying yesterday. What preparations did His Majesty make?"
"His Majesty prepared twenty bolts of damask, twenty - five bolts of gauze, thirty bolts of silk, satin..." While skillfully combing her hair into a soft and gentle bun to cover up her martial air, Xiaotao recited the list in a proper manner.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! Who asked you to recite all these things? I'm just wondering, what do I need so much fabric for?" Su Wan'er really couldn't understand the conspiracy behind these strange behaviors.
"To make clothes. We need to make two sets of clothes from each kind of fabric every month, not counting the rewards." Xiaotao was really happy. Now that their mistress was back, all the people in the palace would have a better future.
"Two sets of each? What do I need so many clothes for? One set a month is enough." Su Wan'er absent - mindedly looked at herself in the mirror and decided to give up on getting information from Xiaotao. It was really not easy to get something from her mouth.
"That won't do. These are set rules. No matter how frugal we are, the rules for the middle palace cannot be broken, or we'll lose face..."
"The middle palace?!" Su Wan'er raised her voice in surprise. Had she heard wrong?!
"No, no, it's my fault. I said the wrong thing. Please punish me, mistress." Xiaotao also immediately realized that she had said something wrong. But her problem of getting more flustered and making more mistakes was still hard to correct. In a hurry, she even called her mistress.
Looking at the familiar style of the bun in the mirror, although she had never seen it before, Su Wan'er was sure that it was the casual style of the queen. And this little girl kept calling her mistress. It was clear now.
Si Junlin! He just wouldn't give up! She had managed to escape the draft, but still couldn't escape this!
Su Wan'er didn't care about Xiaotao kneeling on the ground. Angrily, she paced around the room.
"Mistress, you've always been kind to me. I'll tell you the truth..." Seeing her anxious look, Xiaotao was afraid that she was thinking the worst, so she spoke up.
"His Majesty intends to make you the queen this time. I'm afraid the news will come after the morning court today."
After hearing this, Su Wan'er still paced back and forth and said even more angrily, "I know."
Xiaotao was confused. "You know? Then why are you so anxious? Wait...," Xiaotao lowered her voice, "when you become the queen, it will be the greatest honor. Then we'll still serve you whole - heartedly, and His Majesty will surely cherish you more..."
"Who wants to be the queen? Let me tell you, Si Junlin can forget about it!" Su Wan'er didn't even care about the difference between the monarch and the subject now.
"..." Xiaotao was helpless. Her mistress was still the same. There was no one else in the whole palace who dared to directly mention His Majesty's name like this.
When it was almost time, Xiaotao went outside the hall to ask the little maid on guard if there was any news.
But the little maid said she hadn't heard anything. But another hour later, Fang Xi actually came in person.
"Good morning, Eunuch Fang. Is His Majesty sending someone to pick up our mistress?" Xiaotao asked with a big smile. But Fang Xi looked gloomy.
"Don't even mention it. I just got scolded and came back. You should serve her well for a few more days. In the court today, His Majesty proposed to make the celestial maiden who came from the sky the queen. But a group of old officials said it needed further discussion."
"Do we need to discuss about a celestial maiden? Isn't our dynasty most... most respectful of the imperial grace?" Xiaotao was really puzzled. These old officials were really something. If His Majesty fancied someone, he should just make her the queen. Why stop him?
"Tsk. That's exactly the problem. A group of old officials said that His Majesty's move might be a blasphemy against the celestial maiden and was very inappropriate. And some..." Fang Xi frowned into a "chuan" character.
"And what?" Xiaotao asked quickly.
"And... some said that the true form of a celestial maiden doesn't easily appear in the world, so it's not trustworthy. Even worse, some said it's not certain whether it's a celestial maiden or a monster."
"They're talking nonsense!!!" Xiaotao was immediately angry. How could they say such things about her mistress? With a face like a celestial maiden descending to the world and a kind heart like a Bodhisattva, how dare they talk nonsense!
"Tsk. It makes a lot of sense." Su Wan'er didn't know when she had walked out of the hall and came over to interrupt. "What celestial maiden would be so easily caught by your His Majesty? Go back and tell him that I'm a monster. Let me out quickly, or he'll be in trouble." If she were really a god or a monster, it would be great. She wouldn't have to suffer this kind of humiliation!
"Oh, my ancestor! Please don't make things worse. Don't say such things again." Fang Xi really had a hard time. For every day the coronation of the queen was postponed, His Majesty would be more annoyed, and he would be in more trouble. If it was postponed for a few more days, being with the monarch was like being with a tiger. He was afraid that his life would be in danger.