Chapter 18: When the Time Really Comes to Give a Pouch, She’ll Give That Pouch to the Target Character
Chunfeng embroidered magpies heralding spring, Xiahe embroidered the elegant charm of lotus flowers, Qiushuang embroidered persimmons symbolizing good fortune, and Dongxue embroidered twin blossoms—each truly had its own merits.
Seeing this, Zhang Susu couldn’t help but remark that the needlework of ancient women was truly impressive. Back when Zhang Susu had traveled to Suzhou with her parents, she had seen local Su embroidery, where silver needles and colorful threads created lifelike images.
Although the skills of the four maidservants were not yet as masterful, they were still among the best. If the Da Sheng Kingdom were to fall one day and she were to wander among the common people, perhaps she could open an embroidery workshop with them to make a living.
With such exquisite embroidery skills, it was likely that noblewomen and ladies of high status would be captivated by this craftsmanship. However, she wondered whether she would truly survive five years later, on the day the Da Sheng Kingdom fell.
“After looking them over, I still find Chunfeng’s magpies heralding spring most to my liking.” Su Yingxue examined the embroidery on the four pouches carefully and ultimately favored Chunfeng’s needlework the most. The embroidery was so vivid that the magpies seemed about to fly right out of the pouch! Such skill must have taken years to develop.
“By the way, Chunfeng, when you have some free time in the coming days, make a pouch for This Palace with a carp leaping over the dragon gate pattern. Keep the color subdued—make it navy blue. The style should be fashionable, preferably like the kind given to a sweetheart at lantern festivals. Make it delicate and refined, as This Palace has a use for it.”
Su Yingxue thought to herself that she would soon need to find an opportunity to leave the palace and meet the second male lead anyway. After all, in this otherworld, she still had to complete tasks to return to the modern era. Weren’t romance novels always written this way—if a woman gave a pouch to a man, it would increase his favorability?
In any case, Zhang Susu had no foundation in embroidery or needlework. From birth through her university years, her mother had always been gentle and caring, so she had never once picked up a needle. Needlework wasn’t a skill that could be mastered overnight, and her time to survive was limited anyway.
By the time she could master it, who knew how many years would have passed? It would be better to have Chunfeng act as a ghost embroiderer. As long as Chunfeng didn’t tell and she didn’t tell, when the time really came to give a pouch, she could give that pouch to the target character, claim it as her own gift, and the other party wouldn’t suspect anything, right?
Indeed, Zhang Susu was truly clever! Hearing Chunfeng agree, Su Yingxue couldn’t help but smile delightedly.
Upon hearing this, the four palace maids reacted differently—some covered their mouths to stifle giggles, some had laughter in their eyes, and others looked as if their faces were practically written with the words “won’t expose, won’t expose.”
What had they just heard?
A pouch for a sweetheart?
Did Her Highness the Eldest Princess have someone she fancied?
It seemed the rumors that Her Highness the Eldest Princess admired Chu Huangzi might not be baseless but true.
But how could Zhang Susu possibly notice the little thoughts in these palace maids’ minds? She was holding a plate of hibiscus cakes, eating while watching them embroider. The more Zhang Susu watched, the more she felt that needlework was no easy task—the needles and threads going in and out, stitching and embroidering, created such lifelike patterns!
Zhang Susu couldn’t help but marvel at her luck in transmigrating as an eldest princess, with a noble status that spared her from such trivial tasks. She thought to herself, if the System had made her transmigrate into the body of any official’s daughter or wealthy merchant’s daughter, would her life have been as comfortable as it was now?
In other noble households, unmarried young ladies of high status effortlessly master the qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, music, dance, poetry, embroidery, and feminine virtues.
Zhang Susu, having transmigrated into Su Yingxue’s body, adheres to the principle of three “cannot-dos”: First, this she cannot do. Second, that she cannot do. Third, she cannot do anything at all.
If her fate upon transmigrating had been slightly worse, she would have been beaten half to death by strict matrons and tutors, forced to learn this and that. How could she possibly enjoy the noble leisure, willful arrogance, and indulgent caprice of being Her Highness the Eldest Princess as she does now?
Thinking this, Zhang Susu suddenly felt that aside from a rather miserable future outcome, there wasn’t much wrong with Su Yingxue’s identity. Her status within the Dasheng Royal Palace was like a crab on the beach—there was nowhere she couldn’t walk sideways.
Moreover, with her notoriously bad reputation, no one was willing to pick fights or set traps for her. Su Yingxue was quite content with her idle life.
But suddenly, Su Yingxue remembered what Chunfeng had said earlier: in a few days, the weather would grow increasingly cold, and her winter clothes had already arrived.
However, that sickly, yandere antagonist ancestor currently residing in the Side Hall… for the sake of this body of Su Yingxue living a longer life in the future, she would have to step forward and curry favor with that future ruler of the Qi-Sheng Kingdom.
She couldn’t possibly let Chu Xingchen wear those pitifully thin, impossibly old, and thoroughly patched-up rags fetched last time from the Cold Palace, could she?
Thus, Zhang Susu, again in the guise of Su Yingxue, put on a shameless smile and asked, “It occurs to This Palace that Chu Xingchen is currently staying in the Side Hall. Last time This Palace personally checked, he hardly had any presentable cotton garments or ordinary, well-fitting, comfortable clothes.”
“Now that he’s bedridden with illness, it’s inconvenient to summon the Bureau of Imperial Attire for measurements. Chunfeng, why don’t you personally go to the Side Hall, take his measurements, then compare them with his old clothes. Work with the other three to make Chu Xingchen a few well-fitting, comfortable winter clothes and everyday garments.”
Su Yingxue sighed lightly, speaking with half a hibiscus cake in her mouth, her words slightly muffled, “Also, personally select a few clever young attendants to go care for him in the Side Hall. After all, he’s so young; he needs to recover properly from his illness to avoid leaving behind any lasting ailments.”
“Acknowledged,” Chunfeng replied with a smile and went to the Side Hall. Qiushuang went outside to select attendants, while Dongxue and Xiahe personally went to the Bureau of Imperial Attire to fetch fabrics, cotton wadding, and other materials for making clothes. Suddenly, the entire vast Bedchamber felt empty and desolate, leaving only Su Yingxue alone.
Su Yingxue tried to awaken the System with her thoughts, but once again, it was in vain.
Su Yingxue thought sheepishly, ever since the System last told her it was energy-depleted and needed to rest and recuperate for a while, she had secretly tried several times to awaken it for communication, but had never succeeded. So, she simply let it be.
Now, using the Great Sheng Dynasty’s calendar yesterday, she had created a five-year countdown and a two-year countdown.
According to the novel’s original plot, two years from now, the second male lead would meet the female lead and fall in love at first sight. The best opportunity for her to complete her mission was now, while the second male lead’s heart remained unclaimed. Hence, she made a two-year countdown.
As for the five-year countdown, it was because there were still five years left until Chu Xingchen would kill her. Every day she lived using Su Yingxue’s identity was a countdown to her death. But Zhang Susu, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, was bold and refused to believe in fate. Therefore, she felt it necessary to send someone to investigate the current situation of the second male lead as soon as possible.
When Qiushuang returned, she summoned her and instructed her to find the most reliable Shadow Guard by her side, dispatching him to secretly investigate Mo Yunsheng’s detailed information.