She soon arrived at the door to Princess Hua Chang's chambers. A maid standing outside saw her approach and came from the corridor to greet her.
"Miss Ji, the Eldest Princess is still asleep. Please wait for a moment in the side hall."
'As expected of the Eldest Princess,' Qingwu thought. 'In her own mansion, she can sleep as late as she pleases. Unlike me, who had to get up at the crack of dawn, only to wait for this Noble Lady to wake up.'
Ji Qingwu sat in the side hall and took in the room's furnishings.
A long incense table was laden with all manner of aromatic candles and diffusers, filling the room with a pleasant, fruity-floral scent.
A water-caltrop-patterned bronze mirror rested on a rosewood stand, flanked by panels of double-sided silk embroidery. On a table sat a Ru-ware vase, holding a spray of plum blossoms carved from crystal.
'Such elegance could not conceal its inherent nobility,' she marveled inwardly.
