After this morning’s greetings concluded, Mama Hu did not stay behind to accompany Zhuang Yunlan and the female officials in their discussions. She went to attend to the Crown Princess instead, and Ma Nao took over Mama Hu’s duties, standing behind Zhuang Yunlan and keeping a watchful eye.
Perhaps due to Mama Hu’s instructions, Ma Nao was quite attentive this time, refilling Zhuang Yunlan’s tea with hot water several times.
The matters before the New Year were almost settled. The final item discussed was the tasks for the year’s end: planting peach talisman boards, pasting door gods, hanging portraits of the Fortune God, Ghost Li, and Zhong Kui… as well as suspending gold and silver eight treasures, Western Buddhist sutra threads, and braided yellow coins on the beds in each hall.
There wasn’t much to decide here. Zhuang Yunlan’s main task was to calculate the quantities.
Once the Crown Princess affixed her seal to the expenditure list, the female officials went to coordinate with the personnel from the Twenty-Four Offices.
Zhuang Yunlan vaguely knew that this task involved offices such as the Foreign Sutra Workshop, Han Sutra Workshop, Gunpowder Bureau, Paper Workshop, and Red Basket Workshop.
However, she had no idea which office was responsible for what or which department of the Six Bureaus they coordinated with. No one thought she needed to know these details, including herself.
After finishing her work, Zhuang Yunlan hurried back to her Chenghua Side Hall to collapse.
Shuixian massaged her legs, Furong kneaded her shoulders, Haitang arranged fruits for her, and Shaoyao read from the travelogue she had been enjoying earlier. All four wore expressions that seemed to say, “You’ve worked hard, mistress. We feel so sorry for you,” making Zhuang Yunlan feel a bit embarrassed.
Truthfully, this task wasn’t particularly exhausting at the moment. It was mainly because she had spent over a decade as a freeloader, and suddenly having to report to the Crown Princess on a fixed schedule was something she wasn’t used to.
Still, Zhuang Yunlan considered herself quite fortunate.
Heaven only knew how many scenes from palace intrigue dramas flashed through her mind when Song Miaorong told her that Pu Xuan Shi was pregnant. She had been worried that the Crown Princess would order her to get involved in caring for Pu Xuan Shi during her pregnancy.
Tasks like adding food or supplies for Pu Xuan Shi seemed like clear signs of impending trouble, didn’t they?
Zhuang Yunlan had spent the entire day on edge. Fortunately, the Crown Princess didn’t go down that path, or she might have genuinely had to feign illness.
Zhuang Yunlan was quite curious about the New Year celebrations in the imperial palace.
Last year, while learning etiquette at Qionghua Palace, she had only seen a scaled-down version. She had never witnessed how the imperial family celebrated Zhengdan. After all the effort she had put in these past few days, her anticipation had grown. If she had to shut herself in and pretend to be ill under the covers, she would have felt it was a real shame.
Thank you for your wisdom, Crown Princess!
Zhuang Yunlan decided to have a good meal to celebrate her narrow escape.
However, after eating too much dragon liver and phoenix marrow at the Crown Princess’s place, Zhuang Yunlan found herself craving her simple porridge and side dishes.
When mealtime arrived, Shunzi went to the kitchen to order food for his mistress, as instructed by Shaoyao.
He requested a plate of seasoned eggplant, a portion of sweet and sour pork, a serving of fish-flavored shredded pork, and a bowl of mushroom chicken soup.
Since Zhuang Yunlan’s order was small, Shunzi could carry it alone and went by himself. However, when he left, a small fire attendant from the kitchen followed him back to Chenghua Hall, carrying a painted lacquer food box.
Along the way, the small fire attendant kept trying to cozy up to Shunzi, leaving him utterly bewildered.
Returning to the Chenghua Side Hall, several major palace maids carried over the dining table. Upon opening the two food boxes, they discovered an extra dish of Dongpo Pork Knuckle and West Lake Vinegar Fish, accompanied by several plates of pastries that were clearly prepared with great care.
Zhuang Yunlan instructed Shaoyao to summon Shunzi for a report.
Shunzi recounted the events at the kitchen that day, even repeating verbatim what the small fire attendant had said to him on the way, leaving nothing out as he reported to his mistress.
Upon hearing this, Shaoyao immediately understood: the kitchen staff believed their mistress was gaining influence and had begun currying favor.
Considering it, their mistress had indeed been quite prominent lately.
It was just a few extra dishes—accepting them wouldn’t be a problem.
However, this was only Shaoyao’s personal opinion. She knew well that whether to accept the kitchen’s offerings ultimately depended on her mistress’s decision.
Zhuang Yunlan carefully examined the extra food and confirmed with Shaoyao, "Is there anything here that exceeds my rank?"
Shaoyao had already checked earlier and quickly replied that there wasn’t.
Zhuang Yunlan felt relieved.
"Then let’s eat," she said, sitting down promptly at the dining table. "But I certainly can’t finish all this myself. The leftovers should be shared among you."
Since it was Shaoyao and the others who served her meals, the dishes on the plates wouldn’t be contaminated by Zhuang Yunlan’s saliva, so she had no reservations about sharing.
She told Shunzi, "Later, I’ll have Shaoyao give you a string of coins. When you go to the kitchen again, take the money with you. If anyone gives you extra, estimate an appropriate amount to give them in return. There’s no need for elaborate words—just say ‘thank you for your hard work’ and tell them to treat themselves to a drink. However, there’s one rule: never accept anything that exceeds my rank, not even the slightest bit."
Zhuang Yunlan had no intention of being the lone sober person in a world of fools.
Not just in the palace, a gathering place for shrewd individuals, but even among common folk, who doesn’t like to cozy up to those in favor?
For now, she was a temporary minor favorite. If she were to put on an act of being upright and incorruptible, warning others not to approach, no one would be impressed by her noble qualities. Instead, they would think she was foolish and ungrateful.
Zhuang Yunlan was neither foolish nor inclined to stand out. She was simply an unmotivated slacker.
As an ordinary person, she naturally had to blend in with the crowd.
Zhuang Yunlan was acutely aware that her current "favor" was only temporary.
No one could guarantee how long her minor prominence would last. What if the Crown Prince never visited her again?
Striving for favor was out of the question.
Although the Crown Prince had mentioned wanting to see her paintings and teaching her to play chess, Zhuang Yunlan believed it was merely a passing whim, spoken casually. She wasn’t foolish enough to take his words seriously.
Even with someone as perfect as Shen Zhaoyi right before him, the Crown Prince had never shown much interest in her.
Zhuang Yunlan knew her limits. She understood she had no ability to firmly capture the Crown Prince’s heart. If she were to shamelessly force her way into his presence, she might end up ruined.
Zhuang Yunlan had many favorite dishes, many books she enjoyed reading, and many things she liked to do. Although the palace restricted her, she still wanted to live well.
To live well and enjoy life as much as possible, she had to maintain good relations with the palace personnel in all departments, especially the kitchen, which directly affected her quality of life.
She wasn't about to have the people from the Western Side Hall go around calling them brothers or swearing sisterhood, but at the very least, she couldn't slap them in the face.
That way, when she fell from power, they wouldn't kick her while she was down.
So be it. She would accept their goodwill and return a little kindness in kind—they were all pitiful souls trapped in the palace, after all.
The miserable salted fish, Zhuang Yunlan, fiercely picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork, using its tangy sweetness and tender, springy texture to soothe her fragile heart.
QAQ, it's so delicious.
The kitchen's skills have actually improved again!