Lu Jingxing carried Mu Wanyun back to Ganlu Palace.
As he laid Mu Wanyun on the Dragon Couch, Lu Jingxing furrowed his brow slightly. 'This woman wanted to divorce me for the Mu Family's sake not too long ago. Why am I getting so worked up just because she fainted?'
The Imperial Physician came to check Mu Wanyun's pulse. Bowing his head to Lu Jingxing, he said, "Your Majesty, Miss Mu fainted from... hunger."
"From hunger?" Lu Jingxing asked.
The Imperial Physician bowed with his hands clasped. "Yes, Your Majesty. Just have someone prepare a light noodle soup for her. Some sugar would be even better."
Lu Jingxing ordered Qiu Chi to prepare the noodle soup. A palace maid helped Mu Wanyun drink it, but she still didn't wake up.
Lu Jingxing's face darkened. He asked the Imperial Physician, "She's had the soup. Why isn't she awake?"
The Imperial Physician stepped forward again and checked Mu Wanyun's eyelids. "Your Majesty, it seems Miss Mu has simply fallen asleep. If you wish to wake her, I can use acupuncture."
Lu Jingxing waved his hand. "That won't be necessary. You're dismissed."
The Imperial Physician bowed and left. At the door, he saw Qiu Chi and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Zhang, is that Miss Mu Wanruo inside?"
'The new emperor despises the Mu Family, yet he's hiding one of their daughters in the palace. It seems even a great man can't resist a beautiful woman!'
Zhang Qiuchi said, "Doctor Zhang, do you know the greatest taboo for a physician in the palace?"
Doctor Zhang said hastily, "Rest assured, Mr. Zhang. I won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
Inside Ganlu Palace, Lu Jingxing watched Mu Wanyun sleep. He poked her cheek and said coolly, "All you do is eat and sleep, yet you dared to write me a letter of divorce?"
Mu Wanyun stirred, her hand finding Lu Jingxing's. She brought his finger to her mouth and bit down hard. "Chicken leg," she mumbled.
Lu Jingxing yelped in pain and snatched his hand back. With a cold expression, he called out, "Qiu Chi!"
Zhang Qiuchi entered. "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
"Take her back to the Clothing Bureau. Pick any room for her."
Zhang Qiuchi bowed his head in assent. Then he saw Lu Jingxing's bleeding finger. "Master, your finger...?"
"It's nothing."
Lu Jingxing hid his injured finger. As he watched Mu Wanyun being carried away, he warned himself, 'She's not that country girl from outside Yangzhou City anymore.'
'She's Mu Wanyun, the woman who divorced me for the Mu Family's power and influence. I shouldn't harbor any lingering feelings for her!'
'That ungrateful brat only married me for a single chicken leg. Her coquettish display just now was for a chicken leg, too.'
'A woman from the Mu Family is utterly unworthy of setting foot in Taiji Palace!'
...
When Mu Wanyun awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. As her memory returned, she recalled talking to Lu Jingxing right before she fell asleep.
But this place was small and cold, clearly not somewhere Lu Jingxing would stay.
'Could seeing Lu Jingxing last night have just been a dream?'
"You're finally awake? Where are the threads I told you to sort yesterday?"
Mu Wanyun froze at the sound of Lin Siming's voice. "Chief... Chief Lin, I... I fell asleep yesterday. I'll go sort the threads right now."
Lin Siming said, "The embroiderers are waiting for those threads. Go now! Or else you can go accept your punishment!"
Mu Wanyun scrambled to her feet and hurried to the embroidery workshop.
The palace maids who had been with her in the embroidery workshop last night were already at their stitching.
With Lin Siming present, they all seemed to hold their breath. The entire embroidery workshop was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Lin Siming stood stiffly and announced, "Old Madam Wei's birthday is in just half a month. If this outfit still fails to satisfy Miss Wei, you will all be fined a year's salary and demoted to the imperial harem to scrub chamber pots."
At the mention of scrubbing chamber pots, the thread in Mu Wanyun's hands snapped.
A young woman in a pink palace maid's uniform saw the golden thread in Mu Wanyun's hand break and immediately cried out to Lin Siming, "Aunt, she broke the golden thread!"
"That golden thread is for the phoenix embroidery! This is all we have left. The Weaving and Dyeing Workshop is completely out of golden thread. If we don't have this, everything is ruined!"
"It took so much effort to get Miss Wei to agree to a full-back phoenix embroidered with golden thread, one that would glitter in the sun. Now that the thread is broken, how can we possibly embroider the phoenix? It certainly won't be exquisite now!"
Lin Siming stared at the broken thread in Mu Wanyun's hand, furious. "How could you be so clumsy? Did your parents give you hands and feet just for show?"
"Why did the golden thread break instead of your hands? What are people from the Mu Family good for besides causing trouble?"
"Useless trash! Guards, take her to the imperial harem to scrub chamber pots!"
Although Mu Wanyun had grown up in the countryside, she had never been berated so harshly. Not wanting to be sent to scrub chamber pots, she said:
"Chief Lin, I am not useless. This golden thread is prone to breaking due to the weaving and dyeing process. Besides, a full-back phoenix embroidery is inappropriate.
"His Majesty has not yet decreed that Miss Wei will be the Empress. What if he has another candidate in mind?
"When that time comes, a full-back golden phoenix will not only incur the new Empress's displeasure but also make Miss Wei a laughingstock. The Clothing Bureau will end up caught in the middle, having pleased no one."
Lin Siming scoffed. "Still trying to argue your way out of this? Is the choice of Empress something the daughter of a disgraced minister should be speculating about?"
Mu Wanyun said, "I wouldn't dare speculate on the choice of Empress. But if His Majesty truly doesn't name Miss Wei as Empress, and the Clothing Bureau has made an empress's gown for her, everyone here will be implicated."
Lin Miaoyi interjected, "You say a golden phoenix is a bad idea. Do you have a better one?"
Mu Wanyun frowned. For a moment, she really couldn't think of a good alternative.
Just then, another maid named Ru Yan stepped forward. "Chief Lin, I have an idea. Miss Wei doesn't need an exceptionally gorgeous gown. She just needs to outshine Mu Wanruo and make a name for herself."
Lin Siming glanced at Ru Yan. "What do you mean?"
Ru Yan smiled faintly. "I've heard that Mu Wanyun and Mu Wanruo look identical. On the day of the event, we could have Mu Wanyun darken her face with powder and wear coarse sackcloth while standing beside Miss Wei. Miss Wei wouldn't even need a glamorous gown; having Mu Wanyun as a foil would be enough to grant her wish."
Lin Miaoyi said to Lin Siming, "Aunt, I think Ru Yan has a point. Why don't we do as she suggests?"
Lin Siming narrowed her eyes slightly. She looked at Ru Yan and nodded. "We'll do it your way."
'Miss Wei has a volatile temper, and she's the most doted-on daughter of the Wei Family.'
'If I displease Wei Minlan, I'm afraid my position as Chief of Clothing won't be secure.'
'This isn't a bad idea at all.'
Lin Siming said to Mu Wanyun, "Once this gown is finished, you will accompany me to the Wei residence to deliver it to Wei Minlan."
Mu Wanyun lowered her head in agreement. 'I also want to see what this Wei Minlan is like,' she thought.
'After all, according to the palace staff, the Wei family's daughter is destined to enter the palace, even if not as Empress.'
'Lu Jingxing, who has always looked down on me, will surely be pleased with this well-bred cousin of his.'
A sour feeling filled Mu Wanyun's heart. 'The husband who once belonged to me alone is about to marry another woman. Am I really going to be a servant for the rest of my life?'
Mu Wanyun was truly unwilling to accept this fate.
Mu Wanyun sighed deeply and continued to sort the threads. After she finished, she was relegated to doing odd jobs around the embroidery workshop.
After a day of hard work, her arms ached terribly.
"You, come with us to deliver this gown to Taiji Palace!"
A housekeeper handed Mu Wanyun a tray carrying a Dragon Robe.
A look of pleasant surprise crossed Mu Wanyun's face. "I can go to Taiji Palace and see His Majesty?"
Nanny Zhong glanced at Mu Wanyun's excited expression. "In your dreams. Get rid of any ideas you have about seducing His Majesty and becoming a royal lady."
"Empress Dowager Wei died because of the Mu Family. His Majesty was forced to wander among the common folk for five years because of the Mu Family. His hatred for them runs bone-deep. Even if you looked like a goddess, His Majesty wouldn't give you a second glance!"
Mu Wanyun thought, 'I wouldn't be so sure about that.'