sjar Chapter 413 Eyes in the Dark
Chapter 413 Eyes in the Dark
"The clothes are nice."
After getting dressed, Lu You took a thin black rope from Ming Cui and tied a small end of her short hair at the back of her head. Then she looked herself up and down in the bronze mirror.
"Alright, we're finally done washing. If we soak it any longer, our bones will probably turn to jelly."
Upon hearing this, Mingcui chuckled and said, "You're considered fast. Most of the concubines in the palace would take more than two hours to bathe."
"So long?" Lu You asked in surprise.
Two shichen means more than four hours.
People are probably going to get bloated from soaking in it, right?
Mingcui was tidying up the old clothes that Luyou had taken off.
“Miss, you take a bath to cleanse yourself, but the concubines in the palace take a bath to leave a fragrance.”
"When bathing, they would constantly wipe their bodies with fragrant substances such as flower petals."
"This process cannot be too short; it usually takes more than an hour to leave the fragrance on the skin."
"Not only the concubines themselves, but even their clothes were stored in flower cabinets."
"Only in this way can we attract the emperor's attention when we meet him."
“There are many similar little schemes in the palace.”
Good guy!
Lu You's gossipy nature was aroused.
In her previous life, the transmigration novels she followed on Tomato were all about becoming either princesses or empresses. The plots involving palace intrigue and family feuds were incredibly diverse, and the infighting was ruthless.
She was initially skeptical, thinking that the authors had fabricated the stories for the sake of traffic.
But now I hear that even taking a bath is a complicated affair for the concubines in the harem. It seems that the palace intrigues have really gone to great lengths.
"Mingcui, tell me, what other tricks do the concubines in the harem have up their sleeves?"
Upon hearing this, Mingcui frowned and thought for a moment.
"There are many tricks; making yourself smell nice is just the first step."
"Think about it, in that deep palace, no matter how fragrant the aroma is, it won't reach the Imperial Study."
"Therefore, if the concubines wanted to rise in rank, they had to spend a lot of money to bribe the eunuchs around the emperor,"
Upon hearing this, Lu You raised an eyebrow slightly.
"You can bribe someone like that? That's a capital offense!"
“Miss, what are you thinking?” Mingcui said with a wry smile, “They bribed the eunuchs not to do anything bad, but just to find out the Emperor’s preferences, his mood, or when he goes to the Imperial Garden.”
"Don't underestimate these seemingly small pieces of information; they contain many opportunities."
“There was a concubine who gained the emperor’s favor by meeting him by chance in the imperial garden and accompanying him to appreciate flowers and recite poetry. She was promoted to the rank of Noble Consort overnight.”
Bingqin, who was standing next to her, also agreed.
"Not only that, I've also heard stories of concubines who, knowing the time the Emperor would pass by their palace gates, would play the guqin in the courtyard beforehand to attract his attention."
"Those concubines went to great lengths to gain favor."
"Some people prepare for months but never even get to see the Emperor once. It's quite pitiful."
Women...
Lu You sighed inwardly, but when she thought of that extravagant lifestyle, she could only purse her lips helplessly.
Whether in ancient or modern times, whether for men or women, who can stand tall in the face of endless power and boundless wealth?
No matter how aloof you are, can your aloofness surpass the beauty of Guan Shanyue?
There will always be people or things in this world that you care about that make you bow down to power.
Bowing and scraping before the powerful and wealthy—that is the true logic of how the world works.
With a sigh in her heart, Lu You looked curiously at Ming Cui and the other person.
These two women were well-mannered, knew the rules, and were quite efficient; they must have been the personal maids that Lao Guan had arranged for him.
"Mingcui and Bingqin, how did you two, working in this Guan residence, learn about these things happening deep within the palace?"
Upon hearing Lu You's question, the two of them looked up almost simultaneously.
“Miss, we were not maids of the Guan family before; we were trained in the Yeting Bureau.”
"I received the imperial decree twelve days ago and was selected to be a maid in the Guan household."
Mingcui explained to Luyou with a smile.
"The Imperial Inner Palace?" Lu You frowned slightly. "What kind of place is that?"
“It’s an agency in the palace responsible for handling all sorts of miscellaneous matters, and also for teaching newly arrived eunuchs and palace maids various rules and skills,” Mingcui replied carefully.
amount……
Upon hearing this, Lu You's smile froze slightly, and her body involuntarily tensed up.
People sent by the Martial Emperor?
Are you spying on me?
As Lu You ate the fruit, her mind began to race, recalling every word that Mingcui and Lu You had just said.
The clothes were requested by Lao Guan, and Empress Wu agreed, which can be seen as an attempt to protect herself.
Why did he protect himself?
The Indian "Mighty Pill" that can revive the dead and heal bones!
A sect of immortals that he made up himself!
The ability to summon leopards!
Emperor Wu knew his own clothes were long and his shoulders were broad, so how could he not know his own methods?
Mingcui had said that they were selected and assigned to the Guan residence twelve days ago...
However, just thirteen days ago, he had arrived in Yanzhou Prefecture and used his token to mobilize a thousand Yanzhou soldiers to escort him eastward to Wudu.
In other words, the news of his mobilization of the Yanzhou army reached Emperor Wu the very next day.
Furthermore, he was certain that I would arrive in Wudu safely, which is why he issued an edict to bestow the Mingcui Bingqin upon the Guan residence.
Thinking of this, Lu You felt a chill run down her spine.
This Martial Emperor's control over those below him is ridiculously strong!
Was this a message delivered by the Hidden Dragon Guard?
But if you have such control, how come you lost Xijiang Prefecture and only reacted when the Jin army reached Qingzhou Prefecture?
Is this intelligence agency any good or not?
Or was he already being targeted after he displayed his abilities in Qingzhou Prefecture?
Looking back now, I realize that along the way, I changed my appearance and identity, trying to disappear from everyone's sight.
However, there is always a pair of eyes watching everything you do in the dark around you.
Just thinking about that feeling is enough to send chills down your spine.
"Miss?"
Seeing that Lu You's expression was off, Mingcui called out to her softly.
"Hmm?" Lu You looked at Ming Cui, a smile returning to her lips. "What's wrong?"
"Do you still want these clothes?"
Mingcui held up Luyou's clothes and asked.
"No, just burn it."
This other world has no Industrial Revolution or assembly line; cloth production can only rely on looms spinning thread by thread, resulting in extremely low production efficiency.
Therefore, regardless of the material, such as cotton, linen, or silk, each piece of old clothing can be altered and sold based on its material and size.
Among that set of clothes were several pieces worn close to the skin. If the maid were to dispose of them carelessly, who knows where they would end up?
Following Lu You's instructions, Mingcui and Bingqin grabbed their clothes and headed out.
"and many more!"
Lu You called out to the two of them.
"Among the maids in the manor, are there any who have been working in the Guan household all along? I have something to ask them."
Upon hearing this, Mingcui shook her head slightly: "Miss, in order to avoid suspicion, the master had no female relatives in the entire Guan family. All of them were managed by Steward Feng and a group of servants."
"If you have any questions, I'll find a quick-witted person to answer them for you!"
Upon hearing this, Lu You felt a sudden toothache.
Her original intention was to replace Mingcui and Bingqin, but to her surprise, there wasn't a single maid from the original household left.
Just how much does Lao Guan cherish his reputation?
"Fine, I'll go ask myself."
Lu You stepped out onto the second-floor veranda and pointed in the direction she had come from.
"You just said that the house I climbed up earlier was the council hall, and the Third Prince and the others should be resting there, right?"
"Yes." Mingcui bowed and said, "If Miss wishes to go, I will take you there right away."
"No need!"
Lu You said casually, then lightly stepped onto the second-floor corridor railing and leaped onto the roof of the side room, heading straight for the council hall in the third courtyard...