Free Web NovelChapter 66: Chapter 45: Reincarnated From a Pig?
Song Yunzhao was carried back to her quarters. ’Pretending to be a log the entire way was surprisingly exhausting.’
She heard the Housekeeper say, "Don’t crowd around here. A few of you, head back... Chief Steward Zhang, what brings you here?"
’Chief Steward Zhang?’
’Where did a Chief Steward come from?’
Song Yunzhao perked up her ears to eavesdrop. She heard the Housekeeper’s footsteps heading outside and grew anxious. ’Don’t go out! I won’t be able to hear anything.’
The footsteps faded into the distance, and she sensed the noisy chatter in the room vanish in an instant.
A strange sense of unease crept over her.
The Housekeeper, her face a mask of careful deference, bowed to Zhang Maoquan. "Chief Steward Zhang, it was just a small incident. We wouldn’t dare trouble you to come in person." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
They were merely housekeepers for the concubine selection; they never imagined they would startle Zhang Maoquan himself. They were naturally on edge, wondering how the news had spread.
Zhang Maoquan said with a stern expression, "His Majesty happened to be passing the library to retrieve a book and chanced upon the news that someone had fainted. He dispatched Hospital Director Tian to take her pulse. Housekeeper, please lead him in. I will wait out here."
"Yes, sir." The Housekeeper didn’t believe for a second that His Majesty had just ’happened’ to be at the library—let alone to fetch a book himself. But she didn’t dare question it. She turned to Tian Shuyang with a smile. "We are in your debt, Hospital Director Tian. Please, follow me."
"Thank you," Tian Shuyang replied with a bow of his own and followed her inside.
Not many people had followed them, but He Lan Yun, Qin Xiyue, and a few others who had some connection to Song Yunzhao had come along. They hadn’t expected to walk in on such a scene, and for a moment, no one said a word.
Song Yexi’s heart, in particular, was pounding with apprehension. Her face was pale as she nervously twisted a handkerchief in her hands. ’This... Did this reach the Emperor?’
’Is this a good thing or a bad thing?’
Song Yexi didn’t know what to make of it. The more uncertain she felt, the more she forced herself not to show any weakness. She kept her small face serious and dared not utter a single word.
Soon, Tian Shuyang emerged with his medical kit. He bowed to Zhang Maoquan, who nodded in return. "Hospital Director Tian, please accompany me to report to His Majesty."
This meant the matter would be reported directly to the Son of Heaven.
The Housekeeper hurried forward to see them off. Only when they were far in the distance did she let out a small sigh of relief.
Who would have thought? The girls who nearly drowned didn’t receive so much as a glance from His Majesty, yet the one who fainted from the heat had caught his eye.
But His Majesty had yet to even review the candidates and didn’t know what any of them looked like. You could only say that this Miss Song was incredibly lucky.
The Housekeeper committed Song Yunzhao’s name to memory. Then, she addressed the crowd, "Alright, all of you may return to your quarters. The results of today’s embroidery assessment should be ready soon."
Hearing this, the crowd had no choice but to disperse. Although Song Yexi was still anxious, she knew it wasn’t appropriate to linger and left with the others.
Song Yunzhao, in the midst of her pretense, had actually fallen asleep. She still had no idea what had just transpired.
Meanwhile, once the onlookers returned to their groups, the news could not be contained. Soon, everyone knew that the Emperor had sent the Director of the Imperial Hospital to diagnose Song Yunzhao. The revelation caused an uproar, and the expressions on everyone’s faces were a complex mixture of emotions.
The contrast was especially stark when compared to the two girls who had fallen into the water.
Song Qinghan could hardly believe her ears. ’His Majesty sent the Hospital Director to treat Song Yunzhao?’
For a moment, she couldn’t control her expression and quickly lowered her head to hide it. ’How could Song Yunzhao be so lucky?’
Zhao Xiaoyu murmured from the side, "Qing Han, that sister of yours is really something. She might be destined for great things."
Even as she said it, Zhao Xiaoyu felt a pang of resentment. They were all here for the selection, so why was Song Yunzhao getting all the luck?
’Weren’t the girls who fell in the water today in a much worse state than Song Yunzhao? And what did they get?’
Elsewhere, the housekeepers watched as none of the candidates seemed to have the heart to care about the results. They couldn’t help but shake their heads. ’These young ladies are still too green. This little incident is nothing. They clearly haven’t weathered any real storms.’
With the exception of the girls who had fallen in the water and the one who had fainted, everyone else was present. All the embroidery pieces were hung up one by one. The head housekeeper had everyone inspect them personally before finally announcing the results.
The result was just as Song Yunzhao had read in the book: Qin Xiyue’s Double-sided Embroidery and Lu Zhixue’s unique technique outshone all the others. Given that Qin Xiyue’s Double-sided Embroidery was deemed superior, she took first place, with Lu Zhixue a close second.
For a moment, the announcement of the results suppressed the crowd’s envy and jealousy toward Song Yunzhao. All eyes turned to Qin Xiyue and Lu Zhixue.
Qin Xiyue was as humble as ever. Lu Zhixue, however, seemed to take her second-place finish in stride, though she had originally expected to be first. She hadn’t anticipated that Qin Xiyue had actually mastered Double-sided Embroidery—news that had somehow completely escaped her.
