"Why do I have to find an Empress if I can do handle it by myself?"
For the nineteen girls, they have to take any opportunities to escape the life laid out for them. To be swept up in a world of glittering hanfus and priceless ornaments. To live in...
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Ryujin's POV
Palace of Great Benevolence, Forbidden City October 15, 1744
Yᴜɴᴀ ᴀɴᴅ Nᴀᴋʏᴜɴɢ was already preparing my clothes and ornaments, I can't call it an ornament though since it's just the lucky flower for this month. I decided to follow Nakyung's advice. Every girl would want to get the spotlight resulting in them to dress and look extravagant which will be common for today. Why not be simple, so the Dowager can easily spot you in the crowd? The poem Soobin gave me yesterday fit for a simple outfit.
Huening Kai. Well, true to his words he practices with all day and all night. Yuan and Nakyung were the ones judging my performance. We had all had fun yesterday. Kai and Nakyung broke the shells in front of me. I treated as an equal which relieved them from the constant thoughts that I'm one of those concubines who hit her servants with simple and minor errors.
Yuna as always, styled my hair she parted it into two halves, she tied my hair into a loose bun pinned with a wooden pin, and she didn't bother to tie my hair at the back letting it flow. She took the fresh hibiscus flowers and wrapped it around the base of the loose bun.
She took a gold earring, the earring has little chains dangling at the end of the chain were pink precious gems shaped like hibiscus. Then she added a gold flower hairpin that was huge enough to cover the right side of my hair.
Nakyung, on the other hand, was wiping my legs and arms with safflower oil to make my skin glisten like a top-rate porcelain jar. After, she brushed my hair with the hibiscus flower essence to make me smell good.
Finally, I wore a snow-colored hanfu, the tip of the skirt was stained pink with a hibiscus flower embroidered in it. Then I draped the long-pink silk cloth with spiritual animals littering the cloth on my arms.
I stood up and started to left my room Yuna and Nakyung followed suit. While Kai was a little bit slower since he was carrying a Guqin. Looking forward, I saw the other ladies wearing hanfus that were extravagant, ornaments covered their entire hair, cosmetics splattered on their faces making them look like Peking Opera performers. I had to stop myself from laughing out aloud.
Court Ladies were assigned to escort us to where the Empress Dowager hosting our test. An elderly court lady wearing a green robe with her hair tied up was waiting for me outside the palace's entrance, she smiled and bowed when she saw me.
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Belvedere of Prolonging Splendor, Forbidden City October 15, 1744
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The Belvedere of Prolonging Splendor is located in the northwest part of the Imperial Garden, against the north wall. It appears to be a two-story building for its outward-looking, yet in fact, a blind story was constructed in between. Surrounded by twisting verandas, the pavilion forms left-right structural equilibrium in correspondence with the Mountain of Accumulated Elegance in terms of the architectural arrangement.
