Too high to reach

Chapter 110: Approachable
After this whole ordeal, Mo Yi finally settled down from her previous daze.

They obediently followed Granny Zhao.

We walked through the garden, around a palace, and it took quite a while.

Finally, they arrived at a huge palace courtyard. The vermilion gate was open, and several palace maids stood at the entrance.

"Aunt Zhao!" Upon their arrival, a palace maid greeted Granny Zhao.

Granny Zhao nodded and smiled as she entered the courtyard, where she was greeted by a woman.

"Lady Zhuang!" Granny Zhao bowed.

Mo Yi bowed in response, and upon looking up, she recognized the woman as the female official who had visited the Mo family before.

At this moment, she was no longer arrogant as she was in the Mo family, but instead appeared calm and composed, smiling as she returned the greeting: "Aunt Zhao, Her Majesty is in the main hall and has matters to attend to. Please ask Granny Zhao and Miss Mo to wait in the side hall."

"Yes," Zhao Mama replied simply.

"Please follow me!" As Lady Zhuang spoke, she gave Mo Yi a serious look.

She knew it was Mo Yi who had come, but she didn't recognize her at first glance!

Filled with astonishment, he couldn't help but examine it more closely...

Her attire was elegant, her posture dignified; she seemed to have grown taller all of a sudden, and her chin had become more pointed. She appeared to have shed her girlish naiveté and transformed into a refined young lady!
It seems... Granny Zhao has gone to great lengths to prevent her from losing face in front of the Empress!
He thought bitterly, "I don't know what King Qi is trying to do!"

It's no wonder she was dissatisfied. Although she was a female official from a family of modest birth, she was still a daughter of an official, with a good family background and some connection to the palace.

Moreover, they were all good-looking and talented.

Sending some money to the palace to become a lady-in-waiting in front of the empress is a way to gild one's resume and hopefully secure a good marriage in the future.

Princes, princes, and dukes all had concubines and wives who were originally female officials.

Many women were also betrothed to the families of civil and military officials as their principal wives.

Being by Prince Qi's side would certainly be a good place. She had even considered that the Empress, as the current legal mother, would arrange several trusted confidantes for Prince Qi, and perhaps one of them would fall to her. If she didn't want to be a princess consort, then being a concubine should be alright, right?

Unexpectedly, the Empress did not reach out to Prince Qi at all!

But why would the King of Qi take a liking to such an ordinary little boy?

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have spoken much, but deep down she was dissatisfied with Granny Zhao and always wanted to compete with her.

"Aunt Zhao! Miss Mo is completely different from when we last met. You really do have a golden touch that can destroy everything!" The tone was teasing yet sarcastic.

Granny Zhao smiled and said, "Miss Mo is a pure-hearted young lady. She's just not very familiar with palace etiquette, but a little guidance will make her much better!"

Lady Zhuang smiled and said nothing more. She entered the side hall, had them sit down, and then turned and left.

In the side hall, there were two palace maids standing there like statues, completely still.

Granny Zhao didn't look around; she kept her eyes half-closed, staring at the area in front of her knees. Mo Yi sat beside her, her eyes slowly darting around, taking in the side hall when no one was looking.

This is really... she almost laughed. This place is worlds apart from her own little room!
This carpet is so thick, you can walk on it without making a sound.

Furniture, screens, huge paintings on the walls, glass flower trees... Good heavens, each of these flowers could sell for several taels of silver, and the quality is much worse than this one. How much silver would these two big pots cost?!

There are also coral ornaments...tsk tsk, such a big basin, and so beautiful.

Does the Empress sleep in a palace like this at night? It's so big, how frightening must it be!

The palace maids are all so beautiful, and they all stand in the same way...

Just as she was lost in thought, Lady Zhuang returned. "Her Majesty the Empress summons Zhao Hui and Mo Yi to an audience!"

Granny Zhao stood up, looked at Mo Yi solemnly, and said, "Let's go!"

Mo Yi suddenly realized that she wasn't as nervous, curious, or calm as she had previously thought...

After entering through the side door and walking along the corridor for a while, we finally entered a large hall.

so big!

It smells so good!

Granny Zhao walked to a spot and stopped. Mo Yi also stopped and stood still.

"Your subject Zhao Hui greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings!" Zhao Mama knelt down.

Mo Yi also knelt down.

A gentle and leisurely voice came: "Get up." The voice was quite pleasant; was it the Empress speaking? This was much more amiable than she had expected…

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, this is Miss Mo Yi!"

"This commoner, Mo Yi, greets Your Majesty the Empress! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!" Mo Yi spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, enunciating each word clearly, and then respectfully kowtowed once more.

"Everyone get up!"

"Thank you, empress!"

Mo Yi stood up smoothly. The nanny had repeatedly reminded her that before kneeling, she should gently lift her skirt. Otherwise, she would be unable to get up.

"Is your name Mo Yi, young lady?! Raise your head and let me see you."

This made Mo Yi feel the Empress's kindness even more.

He raised his head and looked at the most noble woman in the world.

Her hair was piled high in a bun, adorned with jewels.

The bright yellow dress was covered in embroidery and shimmered. This was probably the extremely heavy dress that Granny Zhao had mentioned.

She sat gracefully on her throne, her posture elegant but not arrogant.

As for her looks, they weren't really that good... but when she looked at herself, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, as if she were smiling.

This appearance cannot be described as merely beautiful or ugly; it is truly incomparably noble.

Mo Yi was immediately convinced. A person who is the mother of the world should be so calm and composed, with a humble heart!

"Mo Yi...which Yi?" the Empress asked her.

"Your Majesty, it is the 'Yi' in 'the one I long for, on the other side of the water.'" Mo Yi was generous and cheerful, with a perfectly timed smile that also seemed somewhat innocent...

Watching from the side, Granny Zhao thought, "Hmm, so far, this girl has been performing quite well!"
"Hmm, the name sounds nice, and the eyes are very bright!"

"Your Majesty flatters me. I am unworthy of such praise!" Mo Yi replied.

"Was it Granny Zhao who taught you?"

Mo Yi glanced at Granny Zhao and nodded earnestly: "Your Majesty, I learned my manners from Granny Zhao."

The Empress nodded: "Please take a seat!"

"Thank you, empress."

Granny Zhao and Mo Yi thanked her and sat down on the chairs next to them.

"Zhao Hui, you haven't been to the palace enough. The Empress Dowager even mentioned you the other day!"

"It was Zhao Hui's fault for being impolite! I was just thinking that Your Majesty is very busy with state affairs, and I was afraid of bothering the Empress Dowager too much and tiring her out. Your Majesty's reminder is correct. Zhao Hui will pay her respects to the two ladies more often in the future."

The Queen smiled and nodded, "How old is Mo Yi this year?"

"Your Majesty, Mo Yi is sixteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning). Her birthday is in April."

"Oh, how many siblings do you have?"

"There are older brothers and sisters above, and younger brothers and sisters below."

"You have everything you need; you're a blessed family! What do you do on a daily basis?"

“The commoner stays at home with her mother, doing some handicrafts and growing some flowers and plants.”

"Can you read?!"

“I attended a girls’ school for two years. My father and brothers would teach me some things when they had time.”

The Empress asked a few more casual questions and exchanged a few more polite words with Granny Zhao.

"Zhao Hui, please take her to the side hall and wait for a while!"

Granny Zhao and Mo Yi both stood up, bowed, and then left.

"Is that all you've seen?" Mo Yi asked, somewhat incredulous.

They didn't say anything at all, so why did we have to meet?
Do you just want to see what I look like?
So, after all that time Zhao Mama taught me, and all that money spent on clothes and shoes, all she did was come in and chat for a few minutes?
I didn't believe it when the old lady first told me!
So that's really true...

My mind is on the Empress... She's so approachable!

(End of this chapter)