Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

“Yui Mei is also a woman, so you should at least dress up.”

Mei Na was strangely enthusiastic about this, but Yui Mei was troubled.

“Ahm, I don’t want to stand out too much.”

Yui Mei said as she desperately tried not to sneeze from the face powder; however, Mei Na smiled and replied.

“Relax, people who are more eye-catching than you are scattered all around you.”

“Ah…”

Yui Mei recalled each and everyone of the court ladies who was were too invested about this to the point that they were running around like headless chickens.

‘Well, that’s true, though there are also people who looked like they’re participating in a costume competition.’

Mei was the leader among them, though.

She stuck an extremely gaudy feather on her head; anyway, the result was truly something to look at.

Really, one could only say ‘amazing’.

Compared to that, a little bit of make-up did seem plain.

While she was thinking about whether she should be relieved with that stark contrast, color was lightly dabbed on her cheeks, and rouge rubbed on her lips.

“Alright, your done! You have a face that takes well with powder, huh.”

Mei Na was brimming with satisfaction, and Yui Mei raised her brow at her remarks.

“…That means my face is mediocre, isn’t it?”

The effect of powder could be more readily seen on people with plain faces compared to those who had distinct features.

Anyway, it was the arrangement of hair after the face was done.

Mei Na deftly fixed her hair beautifully, then she took the hairpin that was lying there.

“What’s with this hairpin? I thought you didn’t have a hairpin?”

Mei Na curiously asked as she inserted it in her hair.

Yui Mei didn’t usually have such a thing, and she never saw this in her room before.

After Libin put it on her, she took it off soon after, so nobody saw it.

“Somebody gave this to me.”

Yui Mei didn’t know how to lie, so she told her the truth.

“Oh, even you can’t be left in a corner, huh.”

Mei Na was somewhat grinning, so she must be anticipating an amorous story.

Sorry to disappoint, but she would not go along with her expectations.

“A eunuch I frequently talked to told me to own even just one, so he gave it to me.”

Mei Na had a complicated expression when she heard her explanation.

“Did you hook up with an eunuch? Might be good, but might be futile.’

‘Well, that impression is natural, huh.’

Mei Na’s reaction as a court lady was ordinary.

Even if she partnered up with a eunuch, a child was impossible, so no matter how much of an Adonis one was, it was difficult for them to be his partner.

Leaving that aside, Yui Mei’s appearance was in good order as one of the flowers in the flower viewing all thanks to Mei Na.

After the flurry of last-minute preparations, the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet finally began.

The garden became the venue for the event, and the concubines who were gathered there engaged in pleasant chit chat while sipping tea.

“How splendid.”

“The flowers are blooming beautifully this year as well.”

Their figures were elegant as they exchanged words like this.

Yui Mei stood absentmindedly at the edge of the venue, and she gazed at them from afar.

Mei Na and the rest of the kitchen staff were busy with cooking and food preparation, but the low-ranking court ladies like Yui Mei did not have work anymore.

To put it strongly, their job was to stand there in a line as lively staff.

‘I can’t sneak a bit of food at this rate.’

In that case, Yui Mei had nothing to do but observe the people.

In order not to stand out with her bluish hair, she mixed in with the tall court ladies, and she peeped at the concubines from behind them.

Yui Mei was assigned to a place different from where the people from the crown prince palace was, so she didn’t see the crown prince nor Libin’s figures.

In exchange, she could clearly gaze at the higher-ranking concubines.

“Oh my, those hair ornaments are new, I presume?”

“Likewise, your clothes are dyed ones that came into fashion recently.”

They complimented each other as they enjoyed the flower viewing in harmony.

However, if one looked closely, one would notice that these women gathered into two groups.

They were naturally divided into the group who was further into the garden where the scenery was most wonderful, and another group who huddled together in a distance.

‘Empress dowager’s faction, and those who are not, I guess.’

She tried to strain her ears so she could hear what court ladies were whispering about, and she learned that the elderly woman sitting in the middle of the group of concubines who were further into the garden was the rumored empress dowager.

Indeed, lively voices flowed from that direction.

“That woman over there, serve wine over here.”

“Bring the dishes here.”

Men who were not eunuchs ordered the maids and court ladies around in commanding tones.

There were several men serving around the empress dowager, and no matter how you looked at them, they seemed to be from the same generation as the emperor.

They were probably the brothers of the emperor.

Aside from them, there were also young men who chatted happily with the concubines.

They must be the brothers of the crown prince.

‘Going near them is a no no, huh.’

Since she was buried among the court ladies, she probably wouldn’t enter their field of vision, so it would be fortunate if she managed to stay still in place.

Unfortunately, she discovered a problem.

Even though it became warmer, if she stood in place without moving, her body would gradually become colder.

When it gets colder, it would also be natural that she would get the urge to use the toilet.

“Excuse me, I will go to the washroom for a moment.”

Yui Mei explained to the court lady nearby, then she left that place.

Hi everyone, Hanazakura here, thanks for reading, I’m grateful to you guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace schedule of release is every Mon, Wed and Fri, at 8:00 GMT. 

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