LRAB Chapter 2 Exquisite Appearance
Chapter 2 Exquisite Appearance
"Who is the supervisor?" Shen Shixi asked, glancing at the people around her.
She was exceptionally beautiful and charming, with fair skin tinged with pink, arched eyebrows, and a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes that shimmered like spring water. Her figure was slender yet graceful, with a delicate, sickly beauty amidst her refined and elegant demeanor, making her all the more pitiful to behold.
Upon closer inspection, a sharp glint appears between his brows and eyes, making him someone not to be underestimated.
The four were overjoyed to see their master for the first time.
In the palace, who wouldn't want to marry someone with a promising future, good looks, and intelligence?
With such talent as our master, how could he not be favored!
A eunuch and a palace maid stepped forward.
"This servant, Lanying, greets Baolin!"
"This servant, Chao'en, greets Baolin!"
Lan Ying was the head palace maid, and Chao En was the head eunuch. All four of them were decent in terms of looks and wit.
Another palace maid was named Chunhua, but Shen Shixi disliked the name and renamed her Lantan, while instructing the eunuch to call her Chaoyu.
"Follow me, and I won't promise you anything about the future—I can't even guarantee that myself. But I can guarantee one thing: if you work diligently and are loyal to me, I will protect you."
I will see that you have done your best. If you have done your best but made one or two mistakes, I can forgive you. But there is one thing: anyone who dares to turn away from the Lord will have only one fate with me, and that is: death!
The four women shuddered. "We wouldn't dare!"
"It's good that you don't dare!" Shen Shixi said. "I know there are people who are not afraid of death, and many people who are ready to die, but there is also a way of life in this world called living a life worse than death!"
I don't want our relationship as master and servant to end up like this. I'll give you a chance. Anyone who doesn't want to follow me, just say so, and I'll find a better place for you.
All four shook their heads, "We are willing to serve our master faithfully!"
"Willing to stay?" Shen Shixi nodded. "From now on, if I'm doing well, you'll all be doing well. If I'm not doing well, you'll only be worse off than me. Always remember that, and you won't go astray!"
After giving him a dressing down, Shen Shixi instructed Bai Ping to reward the two head waiters with five taels of silver each, Lan Tan and Chao Yu with four taels each, and the junior eunuchs outside with two taels each.
This is almost half a year's salary for them, and everyone in Zhaoyang Palace is celebrating like it's New Year's.
The art of managing subordinates is nothing more than a combination of kindness and severity, using both reprimands and favors, a skill Shen Shixi has always been adept at.
Once you've taken the money, you have to work.
"Pull out all the flowers and plants in this courtyard, dig three feet into the ground, plant vegetables here and corn there! Ask Bai Ping for vegetable seeds; clean up all the withered lotus and water plants in the lotus pond in front, and build a hexagonal pavilion next to it."
Before the age of sixteen, one can travel the world; after sixteen, one can lie down and be assigned to a retirement position, holding a golden rice bowl of wealth and honor, a government job, never having to worry about being laid off.
Marrying into a wealthy family and becoming the mistress of the house meant managing the household, overseeing concubines, raising children, and working like a slave. Not only did she have to worry about the business going bankrupt, but if she encountered a powerful and ambitious man, she also had to worry about her family being raided, exiled, and her entire clan being wiped out.
The Great Zhou Dynasty lasted only thirty years, and Li Yuanke was clearly not the kind of ruler who would bring about the downfall of the dynasty.
Although the inner palace has its risks, and the power struggles never cease, it is also endlessly entertaining.
She had the water emptied and changed in the several water vats under the eaves, planted water lilies, left a corner in the wall to plant grapes, built a swing, and transplanted a patch of roses along the wall, which climbed up the wall and were just waiting for the season to come and bloom.
Shen Shixi then instructed Chaoyu to fetch some silver-red soft gauze from the Imperial Household Department to replace the window screens. The current screens were a pale blue color, which looked rather old-fashioned.
The large red lanterns under the eaves have been replaced with cute rabbit palace lanterns, covered with silk gauze, making them more translucent than before. When the light shines down, they appear snow-white and brighter.
The hall was cleaned at least three times, and the furnishings were rearranged according to Shen Shixi's requirements. The original ugly and tacky items were all removed, and what was needed was silver that she had someone take to the Imperial Household Department to exchange for them. After the rearrangement, it appeared elegant and luxurious, comfortable and refined.
The living quarters of the palace maids and eunuchs were cleaned, tidied, and inspected three times. Shen Shixi then had Bai Ping and Bai Kui inspect them one more time.
Only then did she feel at ease settling in, allowing her subordinates to see what kind of person their master was.
After a busy day, Shen Shixi gave everyone a reward in the evening, some receiving a tael of silver, others a half string of cash.
Moving to a new home should be done with a sense of ceremony.
She then had Chao En take some silver to the imperial kitchen to order two tables of food and a jar of fine wine. She set up one table for herself and another for her servants, and they held a lively relocation banquet.
The morale of the people inside Zhaoyang Palace was high, and the atmosphere was joyful.
A light rain fell during the night, which helped the crops take root and break through the soil. Listening to the sound of the rain hitting the glazed tiles, Shen Shixi decided to go fishing for a day tomorrow and make some fish soup for dinner.
She went to bed early and got up early every day to exercise actively. During the day, she tried every means to get something to eat. She was so engrossed in the delicious food in the imperial kitchen that she forgot where she was.
Three days passed, and it was time for the new concubines to serve the emperor. The first one chosen was Li Sihe, a ninth-rank concubine, who stood in the middle on the day of the selection and flirted with the emperor.
The following day, Li Sihe was promoted to the rank of Eighth-Rank Imperial Attendant.
After entering the palace to serve the emperor, they would be promoted, but it would be very difficult to be promoted again. They would need to either make contributions to the imperial heir, have their maternal family make contributions, or encounter a situation where the emperor bestows titles upon the harem.
Shen Shixi didn't care about these things.
Shen Shixi got up at 3:30 a.m., did a set of stretching exercises, ran about 800 meters in the courtyard, rested for 15 minutes, and then had breakfast.
She paid great attention to health and wellness, after all, this was an era without penicillin, where even a cold could be fatal.
Baolin's rank was among the lowest three grades. Today, she didn't take any money to order food from the imperial kitchen, and the standard breakfast was already hard for her to swallow. The variety was limited, the presentation was poor, and the taste was mediocre.
Shen Shixi was very dissatisfied, but she couldn't spend her own money every meal; what would be the point of having a man then?
The best solution is to have a small kitchen for yourself.
This is the short-term goal. The long-term goal is that she can go to pay her respects to the Empress if she wants to, and she won't go if she doesn't want to.
She doesn't need to go yet; concubines usually pay their respects to the Empress the day after they have been with her.
Two days later, near dusk, the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department arrived and stood at the door, announcing, "By imperial decree, Consort Shen will serve the Emperor tonight!"
Shen Shixi was stunned. The whole palace could hear this shout. Do concubines have no human rights?
Congratulations, Baolin! Congratulations, Baolin!
It seemed like everyone in Zhaoyang Palace had made a fortune. Shen Shixi was speechless. What was there to be excited about?
She had been single for over ten years, and tonight a handsome man was to serve her in bed, but she was only excited.
"My lady, let's start preparing now. Take a bath first, and dress up nicely. The Emperor will be stunned when he arrives!" Bai Ping said.
"Take a bath!"
Forget about dressing up, who sleeps with hairpins and jewelry on their head and face covered in makeup?
She did whatever made her comfortable, and she didn't care whether the emperor was satisfied or not, since she would be promoted when the emperor bestowed titles upon the harem anyway.
After taking a bath, she did a full-body skincare treatment using a natural skincare cream that she had made herself. Her whole body smelled wonderful, and her skin felt smooth and radiant. She was completely captivated by it.
After dinner, Li Yuanke arrived. When he reached the entrance of Zhaoyang Palace, he looked up and recognized the name "Zhaoyang Palace," but he didn't recognize the place inside or outside.
A hexagonal pavilion had appeared beside the pond at the entrance. Not a single flower or plant remained inside. Half-dead plants climbed the walls, and rabbit lanterns under the eaves spun in the wind, beckoning to him.
"Your Majesty, Consort Shen had the palace staff clean up the inside and outside today, and it looks... much clearer now!" Li Fude, the chief eunuch of Qianyuan Palace, noticed the emperor's confusion.
It's not clear at all; the courtyard has been completely stripped bare!
Shen Baolin really knows how to cause trouble.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
A eunuch announced the ceremony outside, and Shen Shixi led people out to greet him, "Welcome, Your Majesty!"
Shen Shixi looked up at Li Yuanke. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his angular face, making him exceptionally handsome and dignified.
It's just like the saying goes: "Through a lifetime of wandering, amidst jade steps and precious trees, few in this world can compare to you!"
[Absolutely stunning; sleeping with her wouldn't be a bad deal!]
Li Yuanke's outstretched hand paused halfway, his beautiful phoenix eyes narrowing slightly. "Consort Shen, do you have any complaints about bringing me to the palace?"