Chapter 551: Chapter 451: Don’t Scare Yourself

’But then again,’ Wangxin thought, ’I already broke my vows when I met Xiao Mo and fell for him.’

’So, what’s the harm in breaking my vows one more time?’

"Lie to someone?" Ning Wei asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Wangxin nodded. "Some time ago, Lord Yan, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites, gave me a gift. I happened to overhear that the Ministry is selecting more female chefs for the Imperial Palace. Perhaps we could ask Lord Yan for a favor... but it would require telling a little white lie."

"That’s alright, Sister Wangxin!" Ning Wei said cheerfully. "Actually, you don’t even have to lie. Just give me a letter, and I can get in on my own!"

"Really?" Wangxin blinked.

"Yes, really."

Ning Wei nodded.

"Sister Wangxin, all you need to do is write a short letter of introduction. Leave the rest to me!"

...

「One hour later, at the Minister of Rites’ Mansion.」

Minister Yan sat in the main seat of the grand hall, looking at the letter in his hand.

The letter contained only a single, simple sentence: "This woman is a friend of mine; I was wondering if Lord Yan could let her enter the palace as a female chef, so she might earn a livelihood?"

Lowering the letter, Yan Zhen studied the woman before him and asked, "You are a friend of Master Wangxin?"

Ning Wei quickly curtsied and replied nervously:

"I wouldn’t dare claim to be a friend of Master Wangxin. It’s just that Master Wangxin once saved my life while she was traveling the world."

"I lost my father when I was young and have no one to rely on. I came to the Imperial City hoping to make a living, but I couldn’t find anyone willing to hire me."

"Fortunately, the heavens must have been watching over me, because I ran into Master Wangxin again. When she heard I was a decent cook and that the Imperial Palace was hiring female chefs, she suggested I might be able to find work there and support myself."

"And so, Master Wangxin wrote this letter for me."

"I see," Yan Zhen nodded. "Master Wangxin is truly a kind soul."

Yan Zhen respectfully tucked away Wangxin’s letter. He then said to Ning Wei, "Since this is a request from Master Wangxin, I naturally cannot refuse. Miss Ning, please wait here in the Yan Mansion for a short while. I will send a maid to the Imperial Palace to inform the female official at the Imperial Kitchen. Someone will be here to escort you shortly."

"Thank you, my lord! I, Ning Wei, will never forget your kindness!" Ning Wei bowed joyfully.

"Hahaha, it is not my kindness to thank," Yan Zhen said, stroking his beard with a smile. "If you wish to thank someone, Miss Ning, you should thank Master Wangxin. I am merely taking this opportunity she provided to perform a good deed. Now then, I have official business to attend to. Please, make yourself comfortable. I’m afraid I cannot keep you company."

"Yes, my lord. Please, take care," Ning Wei said, lowering her head.

Yan Zhen nodded and left the reception hall, instructing the maids to treat Ning Wei with the same hospitality they would show an honored guest.

And sure enough, an hour after Yan Zhen left the reception hall, a female official arrived at the Yan Mansion.

"You must be Miss Ning Wei, correct? Please come with me to the Imperial Palace."

The female official said with a smile.

"Of course, sister."

Ning Wei quickly stood and followed the female official into the Imperial Palace.

The moment she stepped into the Imperial Palace, Ning Wei saw that the Imperial Palace Array showed no unusual reaction, and she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Ning Wei had already used a Secret Technique to seal her own Realm. As long as she didn’t use any Magic, the Imperial Palace Array wouldn’t detect her.

And in Ning Wei’s opinion, she wouldn’t need to use Magic anyway. After all, she was only here to find someone.

Ning Wei was taken to the Bureau of New Arrivals to register her identity.

The Wandao Sect had forged numerous clean identities, so Ning Wei simply used one of them and passed the check without issue.

"Younger Sister Ning Wei, these are your clothes. Change into them now. A palace maid from Ningxue Hall will be here to get you shortly. As for palace etiquette, you’ll need to learn it quickly from your seniors in Ningxue Hall. Remember, don’t cause any trouble. Got it?"

In a private room, after the female official had verified Ning Wei’s virginity, she gave her two sets of palace maid uniforms for Ningxue Hall and offered some earnest advice.

"Ningxue Hall?" Ning Wei blinked, asking in confusion, "Sister, wasn’t I supposed to be a female chef in the Imperial Kitchen? Why am I being sent to Ningxue Hall?"

"Hehehe..." The female official chuckled, covering her mouth. "Minister Yan is Lady Xue’s father. He had someone personally petition the Empress Dowager on your behalf. How could the Empress Dowager possibly send you to the Imperial Kitchen to do strenuous labor?"

"Since you were sent here by the Yan Mansion, it means you now belong to Lady Xue."

The female official stepped forward and took Ning Wei’s small hand in a friendly gesture.

"From now on, you will serve Lady Xue well in Ningxue Hall. It’s highly likely that she will be the next Empress."

"And I can see you are quite beautiful yourself. His Majesty visits Ningxue Hall every few days. If he were to see you, he might want a ’taste of something new,’ if you catch my meaning, and have you attend to him for a night."

"If you rise through the ranks one day and become a concubine, don’t you forget about me."

"Sister... Sister, please don’t say that..." Ning Wei stammered, looking nervous and flustered. "I’ll be happy enough if I can just avoid angering my superiors. How could I dare to hope for more?"

Seeing the girl’s nervous expression, so new to the Imperial Palace, the female official was reminded of her own anxiety when she first arrived. A wave of warmth and familiarity washed over her.

"Don’t worry. Lady Xue is very kind to her servants. There are countless palace maids who would love to be in her service but can’t."

"But enough about that. We have a little time now, so I’ll tell you about some of the important places in the palace. Try to remember what you can, so you don’t get lost later."

"Thank you, sister!"

Ning Wei nodded eagerly. The female official then took out a panoramic map of the Zhou Royal Palace and began explaining which areas were accessible and which were forbidden.

An hour later, Chunyan arrived at the Bureau of New Arrivals. By then, Ning Wei had already changed into the palace maid uniform of Ningxue Hall.

After a brief handover with the female official, Chunyan led Ning Wei away.

...

"Our lady is kind-hearted, but she has her rules. You’re Ning Wei, correct? No matter what, you must not be disrespectful in her presence."

"His Majesty comes to Ningxue Hall every day or two. When our lady is attending to His Majesty, you must not disturb them. Remember that!"

"Our lady usually has osmanthus cakes in the afternoon, so they must be prepared in the morning."

"Right now, our biggest rival in Ningxue Hall is Hanjiu Hall."

"When you see the palace maids from Hanjiu Hall, be on your guard. You can curse them under your breath or be passive-aggressive, but you must never have an open confrontation. If you do, *we* will be the ones who lose face and look disrespectful. Remember, do not cause trouble for our lady."

"Have you understood everything I’ve said?"

Chunyan explained the rules of Ningxue Hall to Ning Wei as they walked toward it.

"I understand, Sister Chunyan," Ning Wei nodded quickly. "I’ve committed it all to memory."

"Good."

Seeing Ning Wei’s timid and nervous demeanor, Chunyan smiled. She found the new girl rather endearing.

"We’re here. That’s Ningxue Hall up ahead. His Majesty is staying the night, so before it gets dark, I need to take you to see our lady so she can get familiar with your face."

"Okay, sister."

Ning Wei hurried to follow.

But for some reason, the very moment Ning Wei stepped into Ningxue Hall, a jolt went through her heart.

It felt as if a True Dragon were watching her!

Ning Wei looked up, but the sky was clear and calm. There was nothing there.

’It’s okay, Ning Wei. It’s fine.’

Ning Wei reassured herself internally.

’Don’t worry. Even though you don’t have a Treasure Pearl like Sister Si Li, you’ll be fine as long as you don’t get near any cultivators in the Upper Three Realms and don’t use any Magic.’

’The only Tributor in the Zhou Royal Palace is just a single Golden Core Realm female cultivator.’

’Don’t scare yourself.’

Ning Wei patted her chest, took a deep breath, and continued walking forward.

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