"That's not necessarily true, perhaps I have a way?" After thinking for a moment, Wu Caiwei continued, "If possible, I want to leave here. The palace sounds prestigious, the most powerful place in the world, but your nature isn't suited for it. You're too kind, and there's too much deception here."
"If I could, I'd like to return to my hometown and properly care for my maternal grandparents." Although in Lin Ziyou's childhood memories, her mother constantly cursed Madam Lin, calling her a vixen who lured her father away, and shed tears daily, leaving her with much resentment.
However, she was more concerned about her aging maternal grandparents. They had only one son and one daughter. From childhood, she spent almost half her time by their side. That was her sanctuary.
She vividly remembered how her maternal grandfather and grandmother held her hands tearfully and looked reluctant when the Lin family brought her back.
"Put your mind at ease, I will find a way. To speak presumptuously, in my heart, you are my own sister, and I will protect your wealth and well-being for life." Wu Caiwei knew she was very flustered at the moment and quickly comforted her.
Lin Ziyou grasped her hand and said emotionally, "Whether you believe it or not, we grew up together, and I've always treated you as my own sister."
Without the original host's memories, Wu Caiwei would have been skeptical of her words. But now that she had accepted the memories, she naturally believed her words were true.
She immediately nodded and said earnestly, "I believe you."
Then, the two quickly discussed what clothes and jewelry to wear the next day.
This selection process required passing three rounds. The first round was upon entering the palace, where experienced governesses would physically examine each maiden for any illnesses. The second round involved screening by several high-ranking consorts the following day. The third round was for the Emperor himself to personally assess them; if chosen, they would remain, and if not, they would return to their respective residences.
"Has anyone from my sister's side informed us about the colors the consorts will be wearing tomorrow? I heard we shouldn't wear the same color as them, as it would be disrespectful." Since entering the palace, Lin Ziyou had personally gone out to gather information to avoid any taboos.
"Does my lady think they would be kind enough to tell us? They probably wish we would offend someone and be expelled from the palace," Wu Caiwei said with a cold laugh.
"But the governess clearly instructed us before entering the palace that sisters should help each other once inside." Lin Ziyou felt her worldview being challenged.
"My lady needs to remember that this is the deep palace, where one wrong step can lead to eternal damnation. Everyone's words and actions serve their own interests. No one can be trusted, not even Consort Lü. My lady must also be wary of her." From this moment on, Wu Caiwei decided to subtly begin transforming her mindset.
"But Sister Lü has played with us since we were little, hasn't she? She wouldn't harm me, right? Besides, didn't Xing'er just borrow something from you? And you lent it to her." Lin Ziyou looked at her with surprise and doubt.
The Consort Lü they spoke of was the daughter of the prefect of Fucheng, Lin Ziyou's hometown. The two were close friends.
"Time will tell who is true. My lady only needs to keep my words in mind and remain vigilant at all times." Wu Caiwei knew her views wouldn't change overnight and didn't want to say too much. In time, she would understand on her own.
"After all this talk, you still haven't told me what to wear tomorrow," Lin Ziyou quickly changed the subject, though inwardly she strongly disagreed with Wu Caiwei's perspective.
"Let's wear green tomorrow. The color is neither too flamboyant nor too plain, so we can avoid drawing attention and eclipsing others' radiance." From the original owner's memories, she knew that the consorts were inexplicably wearing plain-colored clothes this time. Although Xing'er had already reminded her that she shouldn't wear green clothes tomorrow, Wu Caiwei had just told her that some people couldn't be trusted.
Lin Ziyou nodded in agreement. She wasn't an ostentatious person by nature and was fine with anything as long as it wasn't bright red, yellow, or green.
The next morning, both women woke up early and quickly got dressed. They chose a set of light blue palace attire. Wu Caiwei only adorned her with a simple jade hairpin and two gold hairpins, opting for a simple and fresh style this time.
When they followed the governess to the designated spot, it was already crowded with palace maids and various ladies.
Consort Lü's pupils involuntarily contracted upon seeing Lin Ziyou's attire. She quickly looked at her maid, Xing'er.
As Xing'er met her lady's stern gaze, she shivered and quickly whispered an explanation, "Your servant did indeed instruct Dong'er. They don't seem to have discovered anything, so it's likely that girl Dong'er was muddled again and accidentally took the correct path."
Consort Lü was about to say something else, but seeing Lin Ziyou walking towards her with a cheerful expression, she could only force a smile and step forward.
"I didn't expect us to be wearing similar colors today, and our dresses are almost the same style. This must be what they call telepathy." The kind-hearted Lin Ziyou had long forgotten what Dong'er had said yesterday.
"Indeed. Otherwise, how could we have been sisters for so many years? It's because our temperaments and personalities align, and now even our tastes are the same." Having known each other for so many years, she knew Lin Ziyou was very naive. At this moment, she also believed Xing'er's explanation, as if she had doubts, Lin Ziyou wouldn't have spoken to her so openly.
Wu Caiwei quietly followed behind Lin Ziyou, remaining silent and protecting her.
"Oh, isn't this Miss Lin?" At this moment, a lady dressed elegantly and luxuriously approached. Her status was clearly not simple. She looked at Lin Ziyou with a sarcastic tone, scrutinizing her from head to toe, and said disdainfully, "This appearance is indeed good, but no matter how good it is, it can't hide a rustic aura. Truly a bumpkin from the countryside."
Lin Ziyou felt this person was very rude. She didn't know her at all, yet she spoke so aggressively. She was somewhat angry, but more so, she was flustered and uneasy. "We don't seem to know you, do we? Is there some misunderstanding?"
"No misunderstanding, I just can't stand you," Wei Ling said haughtily. She was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo's estate and had been pampered and arrogant since childhood. Hearing that someone was particularly beautiful, she deliberately came forward to pick a fight.
The County Princess Wu beside her was even worse. Without a word, she picked up the tea on the table and splashed it onto Lin Ziyou, then turned and left as if nothing had happened.
Tea leaves stuck to her skirt, and a large portion of her dress became wet. Lin Ziyou stood there stunned, unable to react for a long time. This was beyond her comprehension.