"Please make do with this for now, Mistress. Vegetables and fruits are scarce in winter. When spring arrives and the weather warms up, there will be more dishes suitable for hotpot," Shaoyao said, taking advantage of Zhuang Yunlan's focus on eating meat to add the few available leafy greens into the pot. Watching the heat carefully, she then picked up a piece of baby bok choy and placed it in Zhuang Yunlan's bowl.
Zhuang Yunlan nodded naturally.
Her rank was low, so when it came to scarce winter items like vegetables and fruits, her share was naturally meager.
Sometimes, even if her monthly allowance included them, if someone of higher rank requested extra dishes or someone of similar rank spent more silver, there would be none left for her that day.
After all, the allowance only specified how much each rank could enjoy per month. As for exactly which day things were delivered, that fell within the "discretionary consideration" of the kitchen staff.
Nearly half of the one thousand strings of cash awarded by the inner palace during her investiture had already been spent. Zhuang Yunlan would never engage in such a losing trade—spending silver just to attract attention.
"This is enough to eat. It's better to save our silver. Otherwise, if we truly need it someday and can't produce it, that would be troublesome."
The Cairen of the Crown Prince's tone carried a hint of melancholy. Beyond the screen wall, Zhang Bao wished he could bury his head in his chest.
The young attendant on duty at Chenghua Hall knelt trembling on the ground, wanting to send word to his mistress but pinned in place by a single glare from Zhang Bao.
Consider it Mistress Zhuang's bad luck.
Who could blame His Highness for being in a foul mood today? If this could help His Highness vent his anger, then Mistress Zhuang would be doing her part to share his worries.
Blocked by the screen wall, Zhuang Yunlan was unaware of the dispute outside. Seeing Shaoyao's expression grow somewhat heavy, she tried to comfort her.
"Don't worry. After all, we don't have to worry about food and clothing ourselves. It's just that when palace servants from other places come here on errands, we give them some hard-earned silver. Besides that, even if I wanted to spend money, there's nowhere to spend it. Rest assured, when it's time for rewards, I won't shortchange you all or let you suffer during festivals."
"Mistress!" Before Shaoyao could finish sighing, she was amused by her mistress's teasing tone. "…Who's worried about that?"
She was thinking about whether those palace servants who fawned on the powerful and bullied the weak would withhold her mistress's provisions now that Chenghua Hall had no principal occupant.
When the Crown Prince's Jieyu was still here, although she was domineering and not particularly kind to her mistress, servants from other places dared not cross Chenghua Hall because of the Jieyu's temperament.
Zhuang Yunlan understood what Shaoyao was thinking.
But life in the palace was already hard enough. If she worried every day about things that hadn't even happened, there would be no way to live.
"If you keep overthinking, you'll get wrinkles. I don't want to face a wrinkled face every day—I'd have to replace you then," Zhuang Yunlan teased Shaoyao again, picking up a piece of tripe with her silver chopsticks, rolling it in the dry dipping sauce, and eating it.
"Mistress! You…" Shaoyao turned her head to chide, but before she could finish her sentence, she froze in place.
Four zhang away from the hall, the Crown Prince, dressed in black ceremonial robes, turned around the screen wall. The young attendant on duty, having just escaped Zhang Bao's piercing gaze, knelt slightly behind, frantically making faces and signaling to Shaoyao with his eyes.
Shaoyao immediately knelt down, not forgetting to subtly tug at her mistress's sleeve.
To prevent the hotpot aroma from filling the entire room, they had their evening meal outside the hall.
Zhuang Yunlan, her lips and teeth still fragrant from the meal, was about to pick up something else with her silver chopsticks when Shaoyao grabbed her.
She looked up and was momentarily stunned, quickly rising to curtsy. "Your humble concubine pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince approached but did not enter the hall, instead taking a seat on the stone stool opposite Zhuang Yunlan.
He had some recollection of this Zhuang woman.
But only a faint one.
The palace was filled with too many beauties; even the most exceptional among them was hardly enough to make him unforgettable. Shen Shi was no exception, and neither was Zhuang.
In truth, due to the demands of court affairs and the studies assigned by the Grand Scholars, the Crown Prince rarely visited the rear courtyards.
On those rare occasions, he mostly spent his time accompanying the Crown Princess.
Yet today, such a situation had still arisen.
The Crown Prince recalled his father's words and silently scoffed, withdrawing his gaze from the person before him. His eyes then fell upon the pot beside her, filled with vibrant reds and greens, steaming with heat and emitting a fragrance that wafted for dozens of meters.
A hot pot?
The Crown Prince never ate hot pot.
It was too spicy, leaving his stomach burning uncomfortably after consumption. Yet without the spiciness, the gamey taste of lamb could not be masked.
Moreover, the steam rising from the pot not only left one reeking of its aroma but also made the meal time-consuming—a luxury the Crown Prince seldom had for indulgence.
But today, the Crown Prince felt stifled and vexed. He no longer wished to be the diligent and upright Crown Prince.
"Rise," the Crown Prince waved his hand, his eyes shifting to the hot pot, which looked quite different from those he had seen before.
Zhang Bao was quick-witted. As soon as the Crown Prince's gaze drifted over, he signaled the attendants of Chenghua Hall to present clean bowls and plates to the Crown Prince. Now, gauging the Crown Prince's intent, he picked up a slice of lamb roll with his chopsticks and placed it on the plate before His Highness.
The attendants of Chenghua Hall were a step slower but, under Zhang Bao's urging gaze, prepared a dry dipping sauce for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince took a bite. The tender lamb roll, soaked in the sweet and sour broth and coated with the fragrant dry sauce, reminded him of Zhuang's earlier cheerful and teasing tone.
"Are you short on silver?" the Crown Prince found a moment to glance at Zhuang Yunlan, who stood nearby.
He was not unaware of the difficulties faced by those in the palace, but Zhuang was truly the first to speak of her troubles so lightly and without concealment.
She didn't even mind appearing vulgar.
From the moment she paid her respects to the Crown Prince, Zhuang Yunlan had automatically switched to a silent mode.
The Eastern Palace had fallen out of favor with The Emperor, and even a fool would know the Crown Prince's mood was unlikely to be good.
Zhuang Yunlan admitted she had no talent for flattery and feared she might misstep, offending the Crown Prince and being immediately banished to the Inner Anle Hall to continue sharing quarters with the Crown Prince's Jieyu.
Today, she simply hadn't expected the Crown Prince to come to the western side. She had assumed he would either visit the Crown Princess or remain in the front hall to vent his frustrations alone.
Had she known the Crown Prince would wander this way, she would never have eaten this hot pot, opting instead to close the hall doors and secretly indulge in a bowl of spicy soup to satisfy her cravings.
Now, called upon by the Crown Prince, she realized her earlier conversation with Shaoyao must have been overheard. She hurriedly explained, "The rewards from the inner palace during the conferment ceremony are still sufficient. Your humble concubine was merely preparing for the future. In truth, I lack nothing. Thank you for Your Highness's concern."
This aligned with his impression of the dutiful and reticent Zhuang. The Crown Prince slightly furrowed his brow and gestured to the stone stool opposite, indicating for Zhuang Yunlan to sit. He was unaccustomed to looking up at others.
Once she was seated, the Crown Prince fixed his gaze on Zhuang Yunlan and said, "I wish to hear the truth."