Chapter 88: Hidden Troubles in Court Attire

Chapter 88: Hidden Troubles in Court Attire

After the passionate night of spring, Song Zhao rose early the next day.

Today was the day they were heading to the Wenquan Mountain Villa,

and it was also the first time Song Zhao would meet the Empress Dowager after her long stay in the palace.

People in the palace all said that the Empress Dowager was very strict, so when meeting her for the first time, everything had to be formal.

When the concubines entered the palace, ceremonial attire was custom-made for them according to their status.

Song Zhao had worn her court attire only three times,

The first time was when she met the Empress after becoming a concubine, the second time was the day after she served the Emperor, and the third time was at Xiao Jingheng's birthday banquet.

In order to make a good impression on the Empress Dowager, Song Zhao had her court attire sent to the laundry early for cleaning when she learned that she would be accompanying the Wenquan Mountain Villa.

This morning, as Song Zhao was getting ready and applying makeup, Zhihua returned from the laundry with her court attire.

She entered the bedroom with a less-than-pleasant expression on her face, and Yunsan couldn't help but nag her a bit.

"Why did you take so long? I was about to send Xiyin to look for you. It's getting late."

While Yunsan was nagging, she took the court attire from Zhihua's hands.

However, as soon as she held it, Yunsan noticed something was wrong. "Oh, why is it damp?"

She touched the dark brown satin fabric on the outer layer of the court attire, and there was a noticeable dampness seeping through the surface, as if it hadn't completely dried after washing.

Zhihua quickly explained, "When I went to pick up the clothes, I found that they hadn't completely dried, so I asked the palace attendants at the laundry. They said that in the cold weather these days, it's not easy for the clothes to dry completely, so that's why."

Song Zhao assigned this task to her to rectify the situation. Now that there had been a hiccup, she naturally felt anxious.

Seeing everyone's silence and gloomy expressions, she immediately tried to make amends, "But only the outer layer is damp. I've touched it, and the inner lining is completely dry."

She turned the lining of the court dress inside out, and Yunshan touched it to ensure it was dry, then said:

"The lining is dry, at least it won't catch the cold. How about the young miss puts it on now? We need to hurry to Ninghua Gate to join the procession later, and the Empress Dowager will be there today. It's not appropriate for the young miss to be late."

She moved forward to help Song Zhao change her clothes, but Song Zhao gestured for her to stop, "There's no rush."

After a moment's contemplation, she looked up at Zhihua, who appeared downcast and self-blaming, and asked softly, "Tell me in detail, how did the Laundry Bureau explain this to you?"

Zhihua timidly replied, "They said that these past few days have been cold, and with the heavy snow, the clothes are not easy to dry, and this..."

Yunshan, frustrated, exclaimed, "They are careless in their work, finding excuses! When we were in the mansion, I always did these tasks personally for the young miss. Though it’s cold in the capital during winter, it's dry, especially after snow. Even without drying them in a warm room, hanging the clothes in a ventilated area should dry them in a day."

She pursed her lips, muttering, "It must be the Laundry Bureau neglecting our palace's tasks! These court dresses were sent there two days ago, but they probably only remembered to do it yesterday."

Although Yunshan's tone wasn't pleasant, she wasn't wrong.

The Laundry Bureau was responsible for washing the clothes for the palace's masters, and they should know how to do their job.

And although Song Zhao's rank was only that of a common consort, Xiao Jingheng's favoritism towards her was well-known,

Palace servants always curried favor with the consorts based on the emperor's preferences, so there should be no excuse for the Laundry Bureau neglecting Song Zhao's palace's tasks.

Song Zhao pondered silently, eliminating all possibilities, making the situation seem strange.

She said, "Even if they only remembered to wash the clothes yesterday, drying them overnight with a charcoal basin wouldn’t be difficult."

As she spoke, she glanced at Xiaofuzi,

Xiaofuzi immediately understood and brought a brazier over from the heated seat.

Song Zhao received the court attire from Yunsan's embrace and began warming it by holding one corner of the sleeve over the brazier.

Seeing her serious expression, Yunsan refrained from saying much and just muttered quietly to Xiaofuzi,

"At this point, trying to dry the clothes is definitely too late. The court attire is originally dark brown and won't show water stains. It's actually not a big deal to wear it. Today is the day when you first meet the Empress Dowager, and it wouldn't be good to delay..."

Xiaofuzi's gaze was fixed on the part of the attire being heated, and she whispered to Yunsan,

"Have you forgotten what I taught you? Unusual occurrences often have hidden reasons behind them. It's always wise to be cautious, especially for the mistress."

While they were talking, they suddenly heard Song Zhao sigh coldly,

"Just as I expected."

Everyone's attention focused on the part of the attire being heated, and they were astonished to see that the originally dark brown satin was gradually fading into a pale yellow.

The expressions of everyone present were filled with surprise, but Song Zhao seemed to have anticipated it, gazing at the part of the attire with a cold expression.

After a while of heating, the section of the attire had completely dried, and its color had changed from pale yellow to bright yellow.

The entire court attire was dark brown, so this bright yellow section stood out conspicuously.

Yunsan stared in disbelief for a while and then exclaimed, "Someone has tampered with the court attire!"

It was Zhifua's responsibility to handle the court attire.

Witnessing this scene left her utterly shocked, and she stuttered as she explained to Song Zhao,

"M-Mistress... I d-don't know how this happened. I f-followed your orders and sent the court attire to the laundry two days ago. I even emphasized to them to be careful with everything. Early this morning, even before the laundry opened, I rushed there to wait, hoping to retrieve it as soon as possible..."

The young maid was so distressed that she was on the verge of tears, and Song Zhao never suspected her for a moment.

This incident was clearly orchestrated by someone instructing the laundry, so even if it were Yunsan retrieving and delivering the court attire, the outcome would likely have been the same.

Song Zhao gently patted Zhifua's shoulder and comforted her, "I know this has nothing to do with you, so don't blame yourself. I don't want to make a fuss about it either. Just pretend you don't know anything and go about your duties."

Zhifua nodded vigorously and left with red eyes.

Xiaofuzi took the court attire from Song Zhao's hands and examined it. He touched the sticky texture of the satin and spoke in a deep voice,

"It seems that a special pigment has been applied to the satin surface. It fades upon contact with water but reveals its color when dry.

Fortunately, Mistress didn't wear this attire to meet the Empress Dowager. Otherwise, with the initial dampness on the clothing surface, we wouldn't have noticed anything. But inside the carriage to Warm Spring Villa, there are always charcoal braziers. It's likely that halfway there, the clothing would have been thoroughly dried. By then, the originally dark brown court attire would have turned into the forbidden bright yellow color only reserved for the Emperor and Empress!"

Yunsan also expressed her unease, "Mistress's belongings are all in the back carriage. If Mistress were to attempt to change clothing, there wouldn't be any available. The Empress Dowager is very strict about rules. If she saw you wearing bright yellow attire at Warm Spring Villa, she would definitely punish you severely!"

Song Zhao remained silent, her gaze dark and focused on the court attire held in Xiaofuzi's hands, and a faint furrow appeared on her forehead.