Chapitre 9: Masterpiece

Lei Xing kept staring at the blank sheet pondering over what to do.

{...I definitely can't turn in a blank sheet, I'm pretty sure that would be considered an insult to the Royal family and my head will fly...Also, if I embroider something crappy, that could also be considered making a mockery of the competition, and by extension, the royal family and my head will fly...and I'm sure the whole family's would follow after...

...This is definitely a dilemma...embroider or not, it's going to insulting and I am going to look like a brave fool...I should have definitely played sick, at least there was a chance it could have worked, right?... Yeah, I definitely didn't think this through T_T)...}

Lei Xing was pulled out of her lamentation by the maid beside her advising, "Miss, you should start, it's already been over an hour."

Lei Xing froze and then nodded and looked forward at the burning 6 incense sticks in the large pot at the front, 2 were burned down and the third one was lit.

{...An hour? Already? Time really flies here....}

Lei Xing looked around her and spied the work of the other ladies beside her, one was embroidering some elaborate flower, and the other seemed to be embroidering a dragon or something like that.

{...Great, my flower would seem like a withering twig and my dragon a dying worm looking at the competition...Think, think, think...}

Lei Xing scanned the environment, looking for inspiration from something, anything.

"Miss, you sh-" The maid tried to advise again, but Lei Xing cut her off, "I know what I am doing." The maid nodded and quieted down.

{...No, I don't...but leave me alone to think! T_T)...}

As Lei Xing looked around her, she suddenly stopped and her face brightened as she looked towards the main hall, staring at the flags that were hanging down from the walls.

{...Oh, how about this!...}

Lei Xing looked at the threaded needles on the pillow at her side, picked up a black threaded needle and told the maid, "Can you prepare a gold or yellow line as well? Thank you."

The maid nodded and Lei Xing held her needle and hovered over the sheet.

{...Can't screw this up, only one sheet, no do-overs, gotta be careful...actually, you'd have to be pretty stupid to screw this up and stupid I am not...just start...}

Lei Xing began to "embroider" her masterpiece. After a while, she switched to a blue threaded one.

The maid from the side peeked at what she was doing, and furrowed her brows at it, and looked at Lei Xing with a confused expression.

{...What is that supposed to be?...}

Lei Xing finished with the blue thread and picked up a red one and continued her work diligently. Then she turned to maid, "The gold thread?"

The maid quickly handed it over to her, she had been too busy trying to decipher Lei Xing's work to put the threaded needle on the pillow. Lei Xing smiled and said, "Thank you, " and continued her work.

After a while, she looked up, sighed and whispered, "Done." She looked at her masterpiece with pride.

{...Yes, not bad...this could work...}

"Miss, there is still plenty of time left." The maid advised again

{...Plenty of time to rectify this mess...Is that even possible?...}

"Is there?"

"Yes, a bit over an hour. But it is still enough to..." The maid looked down and swallowed the rest of her words.

"Hmm...I guess I could do a bit more." Lei Xing said while holding her chin and scrutinized her work, while the maid nodded her head enthusiastically.

{...Yes, please do!...}

After a little while, Lei Xing turned to the maid and quietly asked, "Hey, how many countries border this country?"

"Ah?"

{...What does this have to do with anything?...}

"How many countries border this country?" Lei Xing patiently repeated, thinking that the maid's response was because she didn't hear her the first time.

"Ah, Um, there's Jing country...uh, Yang country...ah, no that's not right, we just conquered them..." She started to fidget, counting her fingers while thinking, adding and removing fingers, nodding and shaking her head

Lei Xing smirked as she watched the maid, she found her behavior comical.

"Ah, there's Baiya country and Jiu country too..." she said perking up.

{...Jiu? Sounds like a good place to live...}

****(Jiu means wine in Chinese)****

The maid then mumbled "um, ah that's it...I think." she bent her head, frowning in thought and counting her fingers again.

"It's okay, three is enough..." Lei Xing said with a smile.

"I'm sorry I'm so useless." The maid said, bowing her head deeply.

"It's fine, you've been most useful." Lei Xing said smiling, patting her shoulder.

{...I'm sure she didn't bargain for a geography test when she woke up this morning...}

The maid looked at Lei Xing feebly and nodded, and covertly sighed with relief. Lei Xing heard it, smirked and said, "I need more of the red, black, blue, and gold thread."

The maid perked up and happily went about threading the needles as Lei Xing stared at her masterpiece, trying to figure out how to make the additions.

After a while, she began embroidering again and was done after about 10 minutes, and then she narrowed her eyes and looked at her work and then grabbed a silver threaded needle and then added some finishing touches and nodded, "Now I'm done."

The maid looked at the sheet and looked at Lei Xing with a worried expression, Lei Xing smiled at her and then looked forward and saw there was still time to spare. They were on the last incense stick and still had over half of it left.

Lei Xing looked around her and spied the nearly finished dragon and blossoming flower at her side and nodded in appreciation of their workmanship. Then she started scanning the area, appreciating the scenery and its inhabitants to entertain herself while she deliberated over her future.

"Time is up, please make your way to the front and form two lines." The old maid said as the final incense stick reached its end.

The candidates all stopped, and the maids at their side, dismantled the embroidery set and rolled the sheets and held them in their arms, as the candidates stood up and walked up to line up in front of the old palace lady.

The maids then lined up behind the candidates and they all began to climb up the stairs again.

Lei Xing followed along, maintaining a straight calm face while her mind was frantically giving herself a pep talk on the inside.

{...Here we go, it should work...it should be fine... it will be fine...definitely will be...I mean, what could go wrong? hahahaha-ha-ha...everything?...I wanna go home T_T)...}

****

When they entered the main hall. The ministers were now all seated on the sides, with food and drink in front of them. There was also a low large circular platform placed in the center of the hall meant as a stage for the showcase.

{...It seems they are all set to enjoy the show -_-)...}

The candidates followed the palace lady into the hall, stopped in front of the platform, and bowed in greeting to the emperor and empress dowager.

"I assume you have all done your best. To make things more lively, the ministers will all be participating in the selection as spectators. So you have more of an audience to appreciate your work. Of course, they are free to comment as well."

Lei Xing sighed in her mind.

{...In other words, this is a bride /daughter-in-law selection stage for all of them...even though you don't become a royal wife, you could still make it to high ranking official's wife or daughter-in-law...fun -_-)'...but I guess it's a good thing for these girls whose only aspiration in life is probably to marry well and live happily ever after...but for me- could I even be said to have aspirations do I have now? T_T...}

"Begin."

The candidates bowed again, and on the direction of the old palace lady, the two lines moved to the sidelines, flanking the steps to the platform.

Their respective maids also stepped forward and stood at their sides, and an eunuch that was standing beside the platform climbed up and stood in the center.

"Lady Lian, please step forward." The old palace lady said to the first candidate on the left, motioning to the platform. When they left the hall earlier, she had looked at the tab the candidates held and registered their pseudo names.

Lady Lian bowed, nodded her head, and stepped up to the platform with the maid holding her work following behind her. When she got to the center, she and the maid bowed towards the Emperor and the Empress dowager, and the maid, with the assistance of the eunuch, opened the sheet and showcased her work to the front and then paraded it around the platform for all to see and returned back and faced the front.

As it went around, many ministers nodded in appreciation for her work. She had embroidered a colorful garden full of flowers with butterflies fluttering around them.

Lei Xing was astonished.

{...How did you do that in 3 hours? How do you even-... It looks like a painting...It's good I didn't attempt a flower, it would be too embarrassing to even open it here...failure is one thing, embarrassment is a whole other thing...}

"This is a hundred-flower garden to signify the hundred years of a fruitful and bountiful reign of the Emperor. The butterflies represent the good things to come and the future prosperity of the Long empire." Lady Lian explained.

"Very good, a profound meaning." The Empress dowager said, nodding.

Lady Lian smiled and bowed and then glanced at the Emperor, who had a straight face of disinterest, and her smile dimmed. She turned and went down and walked to the back of the line as directed.

"Lady Jin, please step forward."

Lei Xing watched as the dragon lady stepped toward the platform.

When they opened the work and displayed it, it was an embroidery of a Dragon and Phoenix dancing in the sky, she got another round of nods and whispers from the minister.

{...Just one word, Bold!... She is indirectly telling everyone that she is aiming to be Empress...I can already tell that she would be a piece of work to contend with...and I don't plan to contend either, but her boldness is admirable. Applaud!...}

The Empress dowager frowned and the Emperor raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused by this.

Lady Jin saw the Empress dowager's frown and quickly explained, "This is a dragon and Phoenix dance to signify the boundless and limitless future of the Long empire under the reign of the Emperor with the guidance of the Empress dowager."

Lei Xing wanted to laugh, but tried hard to restrain herself.

{...Haha, isn't the dragon and phoenix dance about the Emperor and Empress? But it's the Dowager now? I guess she is an aged Phoenix, so it still works...hahaha she must have chickened out at the last minute. Still, Applaud!..}

The Empress dowager's frown eased and she said, "Hm, it is very well done, so life-like."

Lady Jin relaxed, smiled and bowed.

Next was Lady Yu, the other person who was beside Lei Xing. When her work was opened, the viewers were stunned, it was a bird's eye view of a fully blossomed large blue rose, it was a magnificent and meticulous piece of work, it was beautifully stunning.

The Empress dowager nodded and said, "Magnificent."

Lady Yu looked down, flustered and said with a small, slightly shaky voice, "This is the rare blue rose, to signify that our Emperor is a rare exceptional ruler with unmatched might and intelligence who will lead this country to greater heights of prosperity."

"Very good, Very good." The Empress dowager said with enthusiasm, the ministers also nodded.

Lady Yu bowed and quickly stepped down.

"Lady Yin, please step forward." Lei Xing was hesitant to move.

{...Me? How do you want me to follow that?! O_O)...}

"Lady Yin?" The old palace maid called again. Lei Xing nodded, braced herself and walked forward with a straight face and confidence, completely masking the panic she was in on the inside.

{...Of all people to follow? My kindergarten work is going to look that much worse T_T)...Wait, that's what I want, to fail...so it's even better this way...but it so embarrassing though T-T)'...Either way, it is my masterpiece, I have to be proud of it for others to be able to see its greatness...it is great for a first time, Okay! T_T)...}