Joining the Imperial Bride Selection (3)

Seven days later.

"Heh, isn't this the oh-so-arrogant Chloe Chung from before? How come you're wearing maid clothes now and scrubbing the floors?" A mocking laugh suddenly rang out above Ivy Shen's head.

"Yeah, wow, this place is filthy. Hey, you'd better clean up properly!" Girl C jumped in, playing along and putting on airs.

"Heh, Miss Shangguan is totally right. Commoners will never make it to the big stage. Even if they get a chance, they're still the same—heh." Girl D giggled, kicking Ivy when she's down.

"Julia Shang, don't go too far!" Lana Qiu heard her and rushed over, loudly scolding.

Julia just sneered, "Oh, I forgot, you two are basically sisters. Funny—one's so pretty but ended up a maid, and the other's so plain she wouldn't turn heads in the street, but she made it to the end."

"You..."

"If you care so much about your 'sister,' why don't you become a maid and keep her company? Or is it that there's no such thing as real sisters in the palace—just using each other and then tossing them aside?" Julia Shang snarked, convinced there's no real friendship here.

"Julia Shang, you'd better watch your mouth. Tomorrow is the Crown Prince's decision day. Isn't it a bit early to be running your mouth? And let me tell you, Chloe is my sister—no matter her status, she'll always be." Lana Qiu declared firmly.

"Oh wow, 'sisters forever,' huh? Fine, I'll help you out. Once I'm a consort, I'll make sure you become a maid, so you two can serve together for life!" Julia finished with a smug eyebrow raise.

"Julia Shang, nobody knows their fate till the last minute. Maybe I'm nothing in your eyes, but the Crown Prince might see me differently. Don't get so cocky—if you lose, won't you die of embarrassment?" Lana Qiu snapped back, fuming at Julia's arrogance.

"Miss Shangguan, just ignore them. Those two have way too many issues," Girl C said, fanning herself as she saw Julia's face darken.

"Exactly, exactly. Talking to them just drags us down. Besides, she's just a maid!" Girl D sneered, glancing at Chloe Chung as she scrubbed the floor.

Julia Shang nodded. "True, good point." She looked down at Chloe and smiled slyly. "Once tomorrow's over and I'm a consort, I'll ask the Crown Prince to give you to me—so you can serve me in my palace!" She smirked and strutted off, head held high.

"That's too much! She's just jealous of your looks!" Lana Qiu said angrily.

Honestly, Ivy Shen couldn't care less about their bickering and drama.

The real reason she became a maid? On the third day of training, Ivy overheard the matrons whispering about Jude Song. Ever since the Crown Princess's miscarriage, the Crown Prince has barely paid attention to the candidates—he's too busy doting on his wife. Even if he picks someone, he probably won't remember who.

From their gossip, Ivy learned something useful: any girl whose dad holds office gets special treatment, straight from Empress Cao Wan'er's orders. Even if the Crown Prince picks multiple consorts, he'll favor the ones with powerful fathers first. If you're a commoner and somehow get chosen, you might never even see him!

That's when Ivy figured out Empress Cao Wan'er's real scheme: the selection is just a front. The real goal is to rope in all the ministers by taking their daughters into the palace. Even if she got picked, who knows when the Crown Prince would actually show up?

So, why not mess up on purpose? Sometimes, palace maids get way more chances to run into the Crown Prince than those consorts stuck deep in the harem!

“Don’t say that, Chloe! You’re the prettiest out of all of us. Actually... I think not getting picked might be a blessing.” Lana comforted her.

“Huh? Why?”

“Well... life in the deep palace isn’t as simple as it looks. We’re just commoners, our dads aren’t big officials. Even if we become consorts, the Crown Prince probably won’t pay us any attention,” Lana sighed.

“Then why did you come?” Ivy pressed.

“Because...” Lana paused, then flashed a bright smile. “I just really like the Crown Prince! They say he’s super handsome. I’ve wanted to meet him for ages!” She put on her best starry-eyed look.

But Ivy wasn’t convinced. Lana’s acting was good, and her topic-switching was fast, but she didn’t know Ivy at all. Fine, if Lana wants to keep secrets, Ivy won’t expose her—as long as she stays out of the way.

“Chloe, tomorrow the Crown Prince will pick us himself. I wonder if I’ll get chosen,” Lana said, gazing at the sky.

“You’ll totally make it.”

“Really?” Lana didn’t look happy, though—there was a flash of sadness in her eyes.

“Chloe Chung, come clean up!” Suddenly a voice called out.

Ivy turned her head. “Okay, coming!” She glanced at Lana. “You got this!”

“Thanks, I will!” For once, Lana managed a real smile.

Ivy nodded and picked up her bucket, heading off. Today was her last day on general cleaning duty. Tomorrow, she’d start at the Lotus Garden—the Crown Princess’s favorite spot, packed with lotus flowers. Her new job? Riding a little boat through the pond, checking for any spoiled blossoms that might ruin the Princess’s mood.

Ivy had paid a hefty bribe to the matron for this gig. She claimed she’d loved swimming since she was little, and handed over a fat bundle of cash. The matron agreed on the spot.

Ivy smirked. Rumor had it that Jude Song Zhijue visited the Lotus Garden every day—sometimes by daylight, sometimes at night. Everyone said his love for the Crown Princess was 'unbreakable.'

‘Unbreakable love?’ Ivy snorted. As if that playboy could ever be loyal to anyone.

Jude Song Zhijue, tomorrow we finally meet. Ivy curled her lips into a wicked grin—she was ready to put on a show.

Just you wait, Jude. Let’s see how you handle my tricks!

**************Preview*******************

PS: Tomorrow’s the big day—first meeting, woo~~~!!