Chapter 1: Ordered to Enter the Palace

(She's a strong woman! The first chapter is just acting! Not a saintly figure!)

The third year of the Qi Yuan era, July.

This summer was much hotter than previous years.

Song Zhao gazed through the lattice windows at the wilted flowers in the courtyard,

The lotus pond steamed with transparent mist under the scorching sun, and even the cicadas on the branches seemed too lethargic to chatter.

Yet her boudoir remained pleasantly cool.

Song Zhao reclined on the warm seat, her delicate fingers idly playing with the ice presented before her.

The cool mist twined around her fingertips, dissipating with a flicker.

Her boudoir faced west, and the entire summer felt like living in a steamer,

Only a few days ago, when the imperial edict for her to enter the palace as a concubine reached the Duke's residence, did her room start receiving an endless supply of ice.

'Creak'

Song Zhao heard the sound of the door being pushed open and instinctively raised her eyebrows for a glance.

The maid Yunshan entered, carrying a dark purple overcoat, neatly placing it in front of her,

"Second Miss, your gown for entering the palace has arrived."

It was a robe of crimson purple Yunjin brocade with Suzhou embroidery, both the fabric and craftsmanship being of the finest quality.

Such a luxurious item, Song Zhao, born of a concubine, had never even touched before.

Now that she had it, she seemed unhappy,

"Just keep it for now, I'll wear the one I'm wearing into the palace tomorrow."

Yunshan glanced at the smoke blue cloud-patterned robe Song Zhao was wearing, with its ordinary fabric and rough stitches, and felt a pang of sadness,

"Second Miss, I know you're upset, but the imperial decree for entering the palace is final. There's no room for change."

Seeing Song Zhao silently lowering her head, Yunshan held up the garment against her,

"Look how this color brightens you up! On the first day of entering the palace, you must catch the Emperor's eye. The Master said, seize this opportunity to make the Emperor favor you. If you don't gain his esteem at first sight, it will be difficult to win his favor later."

Song Zhao was silent for a moment, then asked, "What time is it now?"

"Noon. You're to enter the palace tomorrow, and both the Master and Mistress are waiting in the main hall for your farewell."

"Help me up, and prepare my makeup."

Hearing this, Yunshan's eyes sparkled with joy, "Great! It's good to see you pulling yourself together, Second Miss!"

In her view, Song Zhao's willingness to dress up meant she hadn't given up on herself.

The path to the palace might be tough, but it was better than staying in the mansion.

With her mistress's extraordinary beauty, as long as she presented herself before the Emperor, she was bound to be favored.

But if she stayed in the mansion, she would have to endure endless bullying from the main wife and her daughter.

As Yunshan assisted Song Zhao with her makeup, Zhao took out a box of new face powder from the drawer and handed it to her,

"This face powder was given to me by my eldest sister when she learned I was entering the palace. Let's use it today."

Song Zhao had very fair skin, clear and translucent like fine jade.

With her celestial beauty, she could outshine all merely with some rouge and lip balm, even without face powder.

But today, Song Zhao asked Yunshan to apply an extra layer of face powder.

Yunshan commented, "Miss, you are already very beautiful without makeup."

Song Zhao, observing her delicate features in the mirror, smiled without responding.

After getting ready, she arrived at the main hall, where her family had been waiting for a while.

Seated at the head was Duke Song Shicheng, flanked by his wife Jiang and legitimate daughter Song Yue.

Six eyes from three people landed on Song Zhao, each harboring their own thoughts.

Song Zhao kneeled and paid respects to her parents,

"I apologize for my late arrival and making father, mother, and elder sister wait."

Song Shicheng raised his hand to allow her to rise, "I thought your stubbornness had gotten the better of you, refusing even this final meeting before entering the palace. Please, sit."

After she sat down, she heard Jiang's sarcastic remark:

"You should know, sending you to the palace is entirely for your own good. Your elder sister cares about you, giving up her own chance to enter the palace and pleading with your father to send you instead. The palace offers endless glory and riches. Don't be ungrateful for such fortune."

"Yes, thank you mother, thank you elder sister," Song Zhao politely responded, casually scratching her cheek.

Eldest sister Song Yue added, "Among the new selections for the palace, there are only four ladies-in-waiting. Although your status as a concubine's daughter only affords you a maid's position, all the noble ladies in the palace are kind and should not give you trouble."

Song Zhao nodded in agreement, "My sister is absolutely right."

Throughout the conversation, her scratching at her face never ceased, and it grew more intense.

Jiang's face darkened as she said, "Everyone is talking to you, why are you scratching and fidgeting?"

Upon hearing Jiang's reprimand, Song Zhao resisted the unbearable itch on his face before lowering his hands, only to hear Jiang exclaim in shock again:

"Oh! Your face..."

Everyone looked over in unison,

Only then did they see Song Zhao's originally beautiful and radiant face, now covered in swollen, red rashes, a sight shockingly distressing!

Facing their astonished gazes, Song Zhao, covering her cheeks, asked in confusion:

"What's wrong with my face?"

Song Shicheng hurriedly said, "Don't touch it! Someone, go and fetch Doctor Zhang!"

While waiting for Doctor Zhang, everyone had moved from the main hall to the side hall, and Song Zhao, in the copper mirror, saw her face, now a painful sight of wounds.

A woman values her appearance, and Song Zhao, naturally beautiful and charming, with an innate allure,

was supposed to enter the palace tomorrow, where she could have used her beauty to secure a good future,

but now, with her beauty ruined, everything was over.

She cried pitifully, like a pear blossom bathed in rain, a sight that evoked pity,

Jiang and her daughter watched and laughed at the scene, while Song Shicheng was genuinely concerned about Song Zhao's injury,

More precisely, he was concerned about her face that could enchant men across the world.

After all, he was counting on Song Zhao to gain favor in the palace, to be able to help him substantially.

Later, after Doctor Zhang's examination, he quickly identified the cause of Song Zhao's facial swelling and rash.

"Master, the young lady is suffering from an allergic reaction," he said.

"An allergic reaction?" Song Shicheng questioned in confusion, "She's only allergic to peach blossom pollen, but ever since we knew of this condition, our mansion has banned planting peach blossoms. And July isn't even the season for peach blossoms. Where could she have come into contact with peach blossom pollen?"

Doctor Zhang stroked his beard thoughtfully and speculated, "The reaction is only on the face, indicating that the pollen wasn't ingested with food. Perhaps it's related to something the Second Miss uses daily."

Following this clue, Song Shicheng ordered a thorough investigation.

Soon, the box of face powder that Song Yu had given to Song Zhao, which she had just used, was presented to everyone.

After a careful examination, Doctor Zhang exclaimed in alarm:

"Master, this face powder has been tampered with peach blossom pollen! And the pollen is ground so finely that it's extremely difficult to detect without a thorough examination."

At this revelation, the side hall erupted into chaos.

Before Song Yu could defend herself,

Song Zhao, in tears, accused her first, "Why are you so cruel to me, elder sister?"

(Ps: No time travel, no rebirth, no transmigration in this book; all characters are purely ancient.

The heroine is extremely cunning, with wild creativity. Read and cherish it, that's all~ Heart~)