Chapter 68: Troublesome: Please Move Aside Your Golden Cudgel
Even though Dongfang Que was a solid choice, Ye Jiuge still felt slightly uneasy about him. For a long time now, a rumor had been circulating in the capital: because Dongfang Que had injured his leg, he had already lost the will to fight for the throne. As Ye Jiuge thought about it, she concluded that he was hiding his light under a bushel, biding his time, and disguising himself as weak to vanquish his stronger foes. It would be difficult to manipulate a crafty, ruthless character like him, who excelled in self-restraint, into wrapping himself around her little finger. She did not want a large tiger pouncing on her from behind right after she’d driven the wolves away.
Forget it. I will enter the palace first and assess the situation before deciding.
Ye Jiuge set fire to Bai Songling’s slip of paper and reduced it to ashes. After that, she shut herself in the Pill Production Room and continued her work.
The day that Ye Jiuge was to go to the palace, Qing Mama woke her early in the morning. After she washed her face and rinsed her mouth, Qing Mama dabbed balsam diligently on her face and hands. Then, she painstakingly fashioned Ye Jiuge’s hair into a topknot in the “spiritual snake” style and inserted a golden openwork hairpin adorned with beaded plum blossoms, giving the impression of a refined, dignified lady. In her bamboo-colored pleated dress peppered with flower motifs, Ye Jiuge looked youthful and immaculate without appearing plain. Though Qing Mama had planned to apply makeup, Ye Jiuge refused.
“This heavily scarred face is my characteristic feature. If you conceal it with cosmetics, perhaps they will refuse me entrance at the palace,” Ye Jiuge said half-jokingly.
In any case, even if she met the Empress looking like a goddess, the Empress would not pay her more attention. There was no need for her to put so much effort into attempting something so futile.
“Fine!” In Qing Mama’s mind, even if Eldest Miss’s face was covered with scars, she was still a soul-stirring beauty.
A carriage from the palace was already waiting outside. However, it was not Court Eunuch Fu who had come to fetch her, but a stern, long-faced elderly palace maid who acted as if her father and mother had passed away. She maintained a ramrod-straight posture, even as she stood on the carriage. As soon as Ye Jiuge set her eyes upon her, she already knew that she would be difficult to deal with.
With a smile, Qing Mama walked over to the elderly maid and tried to push a money pouch into her hands. However, she was turned down coldly by the maid’s unaccommodating personality. Ye Jiuge did not feel inclined to be friendly to someone who reacted to her goodwill with disdain. She pulled Qing Mama away and climbed into the carriage alongside the maid.