The Cricket

Qinghe kept looking outside after finishing her meal.

Qingmei couldn't resist anymore and had to ask, even if it meant getting reprimanded. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Qinghe, what are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

She had looked outside three times in the time it took to drink a cup of tea. How could that be nothing? What was really something then?

Qinghe was looking for Chief Palace Attendant Luo, right?

If Luo didn't come, it meant that the emperor wouldn't summon any Lady of Talents tonight.

Qinghe had never felt time pass so slowly. She even prayed to every bodhisattva and deity she knew in her heart. It didn't matter if the emperor didn't summon their own lady, as long as Handsome Fairness Chen wasn't summoned tonight. The goal was to be the first one. If their own lady was summoned first, then they could complain to the emperor and explain how Chen had been overbearing during the flower appreciation ceremony that day. But if Chen saw the emperor first, then she would certainly complain first, accusing their lady of disrespecting her.

They had to be proactive in this kind of situation, otherwise they would be at the mercy of others.

Qinghe was so anxious that she even wanted to give a lavish gift to Chief Palace Attendant Luo and Zhou Gonggong, hoping they could help their lady meet the emperor.

But they couldn't offer anything valuable at Haunting Fragrance Pavilion.

Qinghe didn't sleep well that night and even felt absent-minded when serving Xie Ning in the morning.

Xie Ning slept well at night and woke up feeling refreshed in the cool breeze. He felt better after her morning grooming routine.

When Qinghe was doing her hair, she was absent-minded and intended to put her hair into a Begonia bun. That meant separating her hair into several sections and twisting them up one by one, making the bun look like a blooming Begonia flower. But Qinghe gathered her hair together and tied it up with a string first. She realized her mistake after tying her hair up and immediately apologized before undoing the hair.

Xie Ning didn't really care about it: "Just tie it up, or you can even wear a messy bun."

Qinghe still persisted: "Today's weather is good, it's suitable to wear a Begonia bun."

Although Begonia flowers symbolized prosperity and good luck at this time, the word "messy bun" sounded depressing. So, they went with the Begonia bun, and after it was done, Xie Ning put on the pearl hairpin that was given to her by the emperor. The pearls shone beautifully on Xie Ning's dark hair, making it hard to take one's eyes off of her.

The yard was cleaned up, and the house was organized. Qinghe and Qingmei were stitching together while Xie Ning watched. Xie Ning could sew, but the stitches were not very neat, and the sewn area often looked wrinkled and unnatural.

Qinghe was the best seamstress in the Haunting Fragrance Pavilion, while Qingmei was not as skilled. Xie Ning watched carefully as the needle perfectly and obediently followed Qinghe's hand. She used thread that matched the colour of the dress, and the ripped area was gradually stitched up. Only a faint mark was left at the corner of the hem, which could still be seen if looked closely.

However, who would stare at someone else's dress hem? So this repair was already perfect, and Xie Ning was very satisfied.

"If we embroider a flower on it, it can cover the mark completely," Qinghe said, flattening out the repaired area while still not entirely satisfied. Although the mark was shallow, it was still visible.

Although Xie Ning didn't care about it, she knew that if this dress was worn outside, people could be very judgmental. They may ridicule someone for wearing a repaired dress. Qinghe could already imagine their mocking and pretentious attitude.

Xie Ning couldn't argue with her, so she allowed Qinghe to embroider a flower. However, Xie Ning still had the right to choose what kind of flower it should be.

Qinghe took out her embroidery notebook and asked Xie Ning to pick a design. The small tear had been repaired and was barely noticeable. Xie Ning flipped through the pages, searching for the perfect pattern. In the end, she chose not a flower, but a green cricket with antennae and wings.

Also known as a grasshopper.

Qinghe wasn't surprised by Xie Ning's unusual taste. Other young ladies often tried to dress themselves up with beautiful and unique designs. Even if they didn't embroider a flower on their skirts, they would embroider a lovely butterfly to complement their attire.

Qingmei said, "Remember the riding suit that Chief Palace Attendant Qi made? It was so pretty. I wonder when you'll get to wear it."

Xie Ning found the riding attire fascinating too. She had never worn anything like it before. Previously, she had only worn dresses, whether wide or narrow, thick or thin, they were all still dresses. But this outfit was different. The lower half was trousers, which made it easier to ride a horse.

Xie Ning secretly made up her mind to take out the riding outfit and try it on, even if she didn't have a chance to ride a horse. She could satisfy her curiosity and wear it at home.

Qinghe had completed half of her work, so she ate quickly and continued to embroider. Finally, she finished the cricket. The light green silk thread was slightly darker than the skirt's colour. The embroidered cricket was lifelike, even the wings' fine lines were meticulously embroidered.

"You did a great job," Xie Ning complimented, taking the skirt. "I'll try it on now."

She removed the skirt she was wearing and put on the embroidered one.

The skirt was not only mended, but the cricket also added an interesting touch. When Xie Ning walked, the skirt's hem and border would naturally move, causing the cricket to jump and hide in the corner of the skirt. If one didn't look carefully, they would believe that there was a live cricket jumping around at Xie Ning's feet.

She had just finished trying on the skirt when she heard the voice of Chief Palace Attendant Luo from outside.

Qinghe immediately stood up and quickly went to greet her, as if there was a ghost chasing her from behind.

It really was Chief Palace Attendant Luo, and Qinghe hadn't misheard her.

When Qinghe finally caught sight of Chief Palace Attendant Luo, she felt as if all the energy had left her body, making it impossible for her to move a step further. She had come all this way in a haste, now that she knew Luo was finally in sight, but it seemed like her exhaustion had gotten the best of her.

It was a relief to know that she had finally made it to the palace. Qinghe knew all too well that being out of favour was one thing, but to lose favour once again after having regained it, would be an unbearable pain.

There was a place in the palace at the back where some of the less ordinary women resided. There were some who had once held positions as palace attendants, while others had served the emperor at some point. Many of the women there were mentally unstable, and Qinghe would always hurry past the wall enclosing that area, for fear of what she might encounter if she got too close.