The next day the capital is busting in activity. A total of 37 girls are coming to the palace to learn etiquette and manner to present themselves better on Princess Ming Hui birthday party.
Jun Hua stays in her carriage calmly. She doesn't feel much excitement over going to the palace. All she wants is to have some peace and not getting dragged into this kind of activity. Of course it's going to be impossible given her background. Though only concubine born, her father is prime minister.
Xiao Yun rarely goes out so she's looking at the commotion with great interest. Even Xia cannot help herself to not laugh in front of such cute movement.
"You will have more chance to stare outside later," Xia said.
Xiao Yun pouted, "But it's only Sister Xia that got the change to go outside all this time."
"You will get your change. Don't embarrass our Miss and sit down."
Xiao Yun finally gives in and sits down calmly. She doesn't want to make any trouble for Jun Hua so she held herself back. Jun Hua herself doesn't really pay any attention towards the antics of these two. Her mind is busy thinking about a lot of things.
Xia shows the pass Princess Ming Hui gives them before to the guard. Soon, Jun Hua can enter the palace compound. The palace is huge with so many building here and there. Jun Hua herself knows that she won't get lost as long as she follows the main road. Walking for a long road is nothing to her but the other girls breathing already turned uneven.
All the girls that come from the nobles' household are placed in one big building. On the first ground is a magnificent hall. Their rooms are located upstairs and they need to go to their room first to place their belonging and let their servants wait before gathering on the hall.
"Jun Hua!" hearing the call, Jun Hua steps stopped.
Fan Lanying waved to her, "Are you ready? We already have a lesson this afternoon."
"That quick?"
"Yes."
Sure enough when they are gathered in the big hall, there is one person in charge. She's saying that she will be the one teaching and the lesson start from that moment.
"The first lesson today is standing," the teacher is a person who teaches in the palace. They won't show any gentleness nor leniency when they're teaching. This teacher doesn't care about the family background of these ladies and only cared for their postures.
For Jun Hua and Fan Lanying, standing is not a problem because they have been used with it. It's different than the other nobles' girls who think of it as torture. They are not used with walking so far and long.
If it's walking in the gentle manner, it will be the torture for both of them. But this time they got off lightly.
"It's good that we only have to stand today," Fan Lanying smiled. She has not expected that she could pass of today lesson well. She had already imagine how hard it will be if she were to walk gracefully.
"Yup," Jun Hua nodded. She has been serving in the military and even become a general so standing is not a problem. Even if they ask her to stand for the whole night, she still can. But to walk gracefully and all, she needs some lesson to get used to.
Fan Lanying stretched her body, "The etiquette of the palace is harsher than in the academy. Best wishes for both of us tomorrow."
"I just hope we don't get punished heavily."
After practicing, they go to the dining room to eat. The foods of the palace are truly good and many times better than the usual food they eat.
"This is the first time I eat this good," Fan Lanying said happily.
Jun Hua laughed a bit. For her, this is not the first time because the food they served somehow resembles the food at Restaurant Han Yan. Not only that, the food on that restaurant is actually even better than the one at the palace.
She picks up some of the dishes she has never seen before and tasted them. She found that the skill of the chef must be really good to make this kind of food.
Not only Jun Hua and Fan Lanying, most of the noble girls are also whispering among themselves. They too found that the foods served are far better than what they usually eat. Only some of them may get the chance to eat some better food.
Jun Hua eats a lot of food. Compared to her small body, the amount of food she eats definitely a lot. Especially with most of the girls keep on eating a small amount of food, she becomes one of the unique among them.
"How can you eat so much with such a small body?" Fan Lanying asks in surprise. She herself only eats a bit more because she has been training in martial arts and has bigger appetite. But she still didn't dare to eat a lot of food because it will make her fat.
Jun Hua shrugged. She has learned martial arts too, so it's normal that her appetite is much bigger. But since it's a secret she cannot tell it to other people, not even Fan Lanying.
After they eat, the girls turned to their room for rest.
"Miss, we have prepared water for you," Xia said when Jun Hua returned.
"En," Jun Hua answered. She takes a bath quickly before returning to her bed and takes out her embroidery. The red flower is still there. Jun Hua picks a blue color of thread and started to do her work.
"Miss, your embroidery has become more exquisite," Xiao Yun said with sparkling eyes.
Jun Hua smiled, "Thank you Xiao Yun. Can you do embroidery?"
Xiao Yun nodded in excitement. Jun Hua asks the girl to do it with her and to her surprise, the skill Xiao Yun had with needles is truly good. Jun Hua had to admit that she still needs to learn a lot from these women.
"Xiao Yun, try to look at mine."
"Okay Miss."
"Miss, it's already late at night, you need to sleep."
"Xiao Yun, how about this one?"
"Miss...."
