Set in the late 17th century in the Qing dynasty during the reign of the Kangxi Emperor, Mei Xiang met a prince who stole her heart. At first, it was a challenge to tolerate him and then it become a challenge to be with him.
Obstacles were thrown i...
My hair was in a fancier updo than usual so it would hold the extra accessories that will be added to it.
Normally, the back part of my hair would be let down and the sides pinned up. My bangs weren't pinned and let loose. Only a ruby buyao would be stuck into my hair, showing everyone that I was neither a mere commoner nor a high ranking official's daughter. Just someone important but not really important.
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But today, since I was about to meet the Empress, that look was not appropriate at all. With whatever jewelry my mother owned, she passed them all to me and had wanted me to wear them all. She didn't have much but it was overboard if I were to put them all on my head.
It might insult the Empress and it wasn't matching at all. Most of mother's hair ornaments were blue which matched the dress that I was going to wear. It has been 5 minutes and the maids weren't even nearly done with my hair.
They had to braid my hair then pin it up, I think. It was too complicated for me to catch up with what they were doing. All I knew was that my neck was hurting from being strained and that I didn't know how I was going to survive if I had to do my hair this way every day.
Once they were done with my hair, I couldn't help but stretch my neck. A few popping sounds were made and I slumped in the chair, tired from sitting up straight. Immediately, this caused my mom to reprimand me which made me sit properly.
"Mei Xiang!" she yelled, her voice momentarily startling me. "I know that all of this is very tiring but you have to get used to it. If only I had trained you when you were younger and didn't let you slack off, you wouldn't find this hard to do."
"But mother, it is hard. If I have to endure this every day, I would really hope her Majesty wouldn't choose me. I would rather do hard labor than sit and have people dress me up," I complained, the corner of my lips turned downwards.
She didn't show any concern for my discomfort and only went on to continue scolding me. "Mei Xiang, I'm warning you. You better get rid of this attitude of yours before you meet the Empress. Such words are treasonous. People might interpret it as you looking down on the Crown Prince."
She sighed and knelt down so she would be eye to eye with me. Taking my fair-skinned hands into her small ones, she said, "I do not wish for you to return with an edict that sentences your death, neither do I wish for you to be married into the Imperial family. But this time, the Empress herself personally invited you to the forbidden city.
"She didn't say if she wishes to see if you're good enough for the Crown Prince but does the Imperial family ever say things directly? Perhaps, you might meet your aunt there if the Emperor has let her off of her house arrest. For now, just follow the palace's rules to the best you can and come home safely to me."
