Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

The season gradually warmed after the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet passed.

One would naturally wish for cold drinks during a hot day.

Yui Mei was sitting outside on a stone, happily relishing the douhua that Mei Na gave her.

Douhua was a pudding-like food made from tofu.

Sweetened boiled beans and fruits could be added; one could also pour honey in it. On the other hand, it could also be seasoned to be a spicy side dish. It was a truly versatile dish.

She was currently eating the sweet version of douhua with plenty of honey in it.

“So yummy~”

Yui Mei squirmed as she scooped the pudding-like douhua into her mouth.

It was a great day. The sky was clear as it can be, and on top of that, it was her day-off too.

The douhua tasted more delicious as she slowly savored it.

Yui Mei was in cloud nine. If one were to ask whether her circumstances changed after the Cherry Blossom Viewing Banquet, no such thing happened.

Even though she suspected that the crown prince already knew her identity, they didn’t talk about it. 

She also saw Libin from time to time, but they only made some small talk, so her days passed peacefully.

‘Well, peace is still the best, after all.’

Yui Mei didn’t have any dissatisfaction in her current life. She was even grateful that they never said a thing.

Thanks to that, she could also enjoy delicious treats just like now.

“Hmm, so tasty, so happy!”

Yui Mei felt she was going to melt because of the douhua’s luscious taste.

“Xiao Mei, you’re eating something good, huh.”

Aunty Yang called to her, so she hurriedly stood up from the stone.

It was her day-off, so there should be no problem even if she lazed around. Of course, she couldn’t slack off in front of her superior, though.

“I bet that’s from Mei Na, right? Maybe I should also get some later.”

Aunty Yang usually ignored it when Yui Mei ate manju, but she narrowed her eyes at the douhua; maybe she liked it.

However, she did not come here just to get some douhua from Yui Mei.

“Ahm, is there anything I could help you with?”

“Yeah. It’s fine, finish that first then come to me.”

She got that reply to her question, but that didn’t mean she could say ‘Alright’ and continue taking her time eating it.

She hurriedly gobbled the douhua.

‘Ahh, I had wanted to savor it more…’

She was determined to request Mei Na to make it again for her next time. She took her bowl back to the kitchen then returned back here.

“Alright, let’s go. This way.”

Aunty Yang led her through the corridor to a small room where a guest was already waiting. 

“Eh, Libin?”

Yui Mei was perplexed why he was here. Libin replied.

“I’m the one who called you here.”

“…Is that so.”

Then for what purpose?

Stuff always occurred when she met up with Libin.

Yui Mei unwittingly became guarded. Aunty Yang spoke.

“His Highness the Crown Prince wanted Xiao Mei to accompany him as his attendant during his trip, apparently.”

‘Attendant during the trip?’

Basically, women of the Inner Palace could not go out.

However, there were exceptions. They could leave the Inner Palace if they were to accompany the emperor or the crown prince.

Of course, that was limited to the women within their vicinity.

A lower-ranking court lady like Yui Mei, who didn’t even serve nearby, normally did not have this kind of luck.

“May I ask why?”

If it’s just attendant, then there were plenty of people who could do so within the crown prince’s palace.

Yui Mei didn’t understand why the crown prince went out of his way to send Libin over just to summon her.

Libin sighed deeply when he saw Yui Mei being suspicious.

“You, normally people would be over the moon at this time.”

“I’d be troubled if you say it that way.”

Yui Mei did not intend to react in such a weird manner.

It was just that Yui Mei did not expect this opportunity to land on her lap, and she did not feel suffocated within the Inner Palace, probably because of its sheer size.

A person born in the capital would beg to differ since they did not experience being destitute, but compared to the poverty-stricken rural areas, this lifestyle was already good enough.

‘There’s no end to the things you’ll want if you start focusing on it. Besides, there’s no convenient stuff like the ones in Japan even if I went out.’

Because of that, her desire to leave wasn’t that strong.

It was clear to Yui Mei, but Libin and Aunty Yang found it strange.

“What an odd girl.”

“I totally agree.”

Libin wholeheartedly nodded in agreement to Aunty Yang’s slightly rude observation.

‘I’m not odd, it’s just a personal preference!’

And so, it was decided that Yui Mei would accompany the crown prince.

“Come after you wear this.”

There’s no way they would take her along in a wretched state, so a suitable outfit was handed to her.

“Go on, hurry up and change. Don’t make the crown prince wait.”

She returned to her room and did as she was told.

The clothes were made out of cotton, but it had a stylish design compared to her uniform.

‘Whoa, isn’t it cute?’

Even Yui Mei would also get excited wearing a fashionable outfit.

Yui Mei changed into the clothes she received, garnering attention from her surroundings as she headed towards the border between the Inner Palace and the Outer Court at the appointed time.

–––––-

T/L Thoughts: Douhua ? 

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. 

Please feel free to join us at our discord channel for release updates and more! Hope to see you there! We also have our Novel Updates page, if you enjoy what you are reading, feel free to leave a star rating and review, we appreciate it. I’ll be releasing an extra chapter for every 25 ratings we receive, as my token of appreciation.

I also finally launched my patreon! If you enjoyed the chapters and feel like you want to read more, please feel free to drop by. ;D Currently, you can get 5 advance chapters. This is not mandatory, but I’ll be forever grateful for your support! ?

My Ko-Fi page is also up! Please do check it out if you would like to support me as I strive to provide high quality, manually translated chapters. Extra chapters will be released when Ko-fi goal is met! Thank you very much (deep bow)! I’ll continue doing my best!