Waking up from a wonderful sleep, she opened her eyes to find the light outside a bit glaring. Unsure of the time, she called out, “Zi Zhu.”
Outside, Zi Zhu heard her lady calling and quickly brought in the prepared washing utensils. Setting them aside, she went to the bedside to pull her lady up.
Bai Fei Wan let Zi Zhu pull her out of bed and asked, “Zi Zhu, what time is it now?”
Pulling her lady up, Zi Zhu turned to get her clothes and replied, “It’s the beginning of Wu Shi. You need to get up quickly for breakfast—oh no, I mean lunch.”
As Zi Zhu dressed her, Bai Fei Wan said, “Zi Zhu, you’re the best.”
“Mhm, and you’re the best too, my lady,” Zi Zhu replied perfunctorily.
Zi Zhu was already used to her lady’s antics. In her lady’s own words, she was someone who had difficulty waking up because the bed refused to let her go.
She was accustomed to it. Every morning when her lady woke up, the first thing she had to do was pull her out of bed. Otherwise, her lady could lie there for another half an hour even after waking.
Once Zi Zhu had her all tidied up, the well-rested Bai Fei Wan felt full of energy for the day ahead.
After putting away the washing utensils, Zi Zhu said to her lady, “Let’s go, my lady. Ziyu has already gone to fetch lunch. She should be back any moment.”
Hearing this, Bai Fei Wan made an “OK” sign with her hand.
Seeing her lady’s strange gesture, Zi Zhu was already used to it and knew exactly what it meant.
The weather in the third month was still quite cold in Jingdu.
Bai Fei Wan wrapped her clothes tightly around herself and hurried to the dining hall to wait for her meal. She had arrived at You Shi the previous day and had gone straight to sleep without eating anything. The food on the road hadn’t been good, and she was feeling genuinely hungry now.
Before long, Ziyu arrived with the meal. Watching as Zi Zhu placed the dishes on the table, she saw three dishes and a soup, two of which were meat dishes. It looked quite decent.
After the food was set out, although Bai Fei Wan was hungry, she had always had a small appetite. In her modern life, she had preferred snacks and desserts, eating very little for her main meals.
After transmigrating here, her family had been poor for the first few years, so they weren’t particular about food. After she turned five or six, she had intentionally and unintentionally given Mother Bai and her third brother some ideas and strategies for making money. Since her third brother and Mother Bai were quite skilled in business, the family’s financial situation had gradually improved.
She had then slowly started to experiment with some modern desserts and snacks, and as a result, she wasn’t very fond of regular meals.
She couldn’t finish all this food by herself. Bai Fei Wan beckoned, “Quick, quick, Zi Zhu, sit down with me and…”
Before she could finish, she saw Zi Zhu giving her a look and remembered that this was a Prince’s mansion, where maids could not eat with their masters.
So she changed her tune, pointing to one of the meat dishes. “Zi Zhu, take this dish and share it with Ziyu and the others.”
Now that she was in the Prince’s mansion, servants couldn’t eat with their masters. The best she could do was give the dish to Zi Zhu for the maids to share.
Seeing that her lady had stopped herself from blurting out her initial words, Zi Zhu’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.
She stepped forward to pick up the plate and said, “Yes, Master.”
Seeing Ziyu still hesitating, Bai Fei Wan waved her hand. “Go on. I don’t like having people around when I eat. Just come back to clean up after I’m done.”
Hearing her master’s words and seeing how accustomed Zi Zhu was to stepping forward to take the dish, Ziyu said no more and went with Zi Zhu to eat.
After her meal, Bai Fei Wan began to carefully observe her courtyard. She had only given it a cursory glance the day before. Barring any surprises, this would be her future residence, so she needed to understand it thoroughly.
With Zi Zhu and Ziyu, she walked a full circle around the entire courtyard. The main building housed her study, reception hall, and bedroom. The three side rooms on the right were empty, while the three on the left were for the maids.
As Bai Fei Wan looked around, she thought to herself that a handmaid wasn’t allowed to have her own small kitchen. If she could, it would be great to turn one of the rooms on the right into a kitchen.
No, it seems I still have to work hard and get Jin Wang to agree to let me have a small kitchen. Then I can eat the desserts Zi Zhu makes for me again.
Behind the left side rooms, there was a small flower garden with some flowers planted in it. Hmm, not bad. I’ll have someone set up a swing and a table in the garden later. In the summer evenings, I can enjoy the sunset here.
Noticing there were no buildings behind Qingya Courtyard, Bai Fei Wan turned and asked Ziyu, “What’s over there?”
Ziyu looked in the direction her master was pointing. “Replying to Master, that is a small flower garden. Through the garden is the back gate of the Prince’s mansion.”
“Does that mean my courtyard is near the back gate of the mansion? Is my courtyard very remote?” Bai Fei Wan asked after hearing Ziyu’s words.
Hearing Bai Fei Wan’s question, Ziyu was a little afraid her master would be displeased, but she mustered her courage and said, “Replying to Master, yes, Qingya Courtyard is the most remote courtyard in the Prince’s mansion. Master, although this courtyard is remote, its layout is one of the better ones among the handmaids. Nan Shiqie, who entered the manor just a few days ago, has a courtyard that isn’t as remote, but it’s half the size of Qingya Courtyard.”
Seeing the little maid answer nervously, afraid she would get angry, Bai Fei Wan found it amusing. Had her question just now scared her?
So she said gently, “Don’t be nervous, I’m not angry. I was just asking about the courtyard’s situation. From what you’ve said, I quite like it here. It’s spacious and quiet.”
Hearing her master’s words, Ziyu looked up and saw that she didn’t seem to be lying, which put her at ease.
Thinking of the small garden behind them, Bai Fei Wan asked, “Ziyu, since that small garden is far away, does that mean very few people come here to enjoy the flowers?”
“Replying to Master, yes. There is a large garden in the center of the rear courtyard, not far from the Wangfei’s courtyard. Most masters choose to go there to admire flowers and stroll. Very few people come here.”
Hearing Ziyu’s words, Bai Fei Wan nodded. Then she tentatively asked, “Ziyu, do you know much about the Prince’s mansion? Can you tell me about it?”
Hearing her master ask this, Ziyu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Replying to Master, this servant doesn’t know very much. If you have any questions, this servant will answer what she knows.”
She glanced around and saw Xiaoqin and Xiaqiu busy near the side rooms. Xiaoqin would occasionally look over, but they were too far away to hear their conversation. Reassured, Bai Fei Wan said, “Tell me about the current basic situation in the Prince’s mansion.”
Hearing this question, Ziyu’s expression relaxed, and her tone became light and cheerful. “Replying to Master, the Prince’s mansion currently has a Wangfei. There is only one consort, Consort Dong. There are three concubines: Concubine Qiao, Zhang Shufei, and Concubine Yu. There are seven handmaids: Consort Su, Consort Lu, Consort Ye, Consort Chen, Nan Shiqie, and Handmaid Pei.”
Bai Fei Wan nodded, thinking to herself, Wow, my man, so many people in the rear courtyard already. Can he even handle it?
“Does His Highness have a favorite, or whose courtyard does he visit often?”
“Replying to Master, His Highness is very busy and rarely comes to the rear courtyard. I haven’t heard of him frequently visiting any master’s courtyard. His Highness dislikes being bothered by matters of the rear courtyard, so the masters here cannot go to the front courtyard without his permission. The masters who just entered the manor have not yet received his favor. Nan Shiqie tried to go to the front courtyard to find His Highness and was punished with a half-month of confinement and self-reflection.”
“What about the Wangfei? Doesn’t she manage the Prince’s mansion? Can’t she go to the front courtyard either?”
“The Wangfei manages the rear courtyard. The front courtyard is managed by Steward Yu and Eunuch Jiang on behalf of His Highness. This servant is not sure if the Wangfei can go to the front courtyard.”
No longer dwelling on this, Bai Fei Wan changed the subject. “What about His Highness’s children?”
Speaking of the Prince’s children, Ziyu moved closer to Bai Fei Wan and whispered, “The Prince’s mansion currently has only two children. One is the Wangfei’s daughter, who is four years old. She was granted the title of Princess Changning by the Emperor at birth. The other is Concubine Yu’s eldest son, who is two years old. He was born prematurely and is quite frail, so he cannot leave his room even now.”
Bai Fei Wan listened, lost in thought. There were so few children in Jin Wang Manor. “What about the others? Has no one else gotten pregnant and given birth?”
Hearing Bai Fei Wan’s question, Ziyu hesitated for a moment before whispering, “There was a Handmaid Jiang who was pregnant before, but she was only a little over a month along when another handmaid with the surname Zou poisoned her. It was one corpse with two lives. Consort Zou was sentenced to death by caning. Because there are so few children in the Prince’s mansion, after that incident, the Imperial Concubine came to the manor personally and made everyone watch the punishment. She also said that if anyone in the Prince’s mansion dares to harm a child again, they will suffer the same fate.”
Chapter
Chapter 3: Familiarizing Herself with the Surroundings
Waking up from a wonderful sleep, she opened her eyes to find the light outside a bit glaring. Unsure of the time, she called out, “Zi Zhu.”
Outside, Zi Zhu heard her lady calling and quickly brought in the prepared washing utensils. Setting them aside, she went to the bedside to pull her lady up.
Bai Fei Wan let Zi Zhu pull her out of bed and asked, “Zi Zhu, what time is it now?”
Pulling her lady up, Zi Zhu turned to get her clothes and replied, “It’s the beginning of Wu Shi. You need to get up quickly for breakfast—oh no, I mean lunch.”
As Zi Zhu dressed her, Bai Fei Wan said, “Zi Zhu, you’re the best.”
“Mhm, and you’re the best too, my lady,” Zi Zhu replied perfunctorily.
Zi Zhu was already used to her lady’s antics. In her lady’s own words, she was someone who had difficulty waking up because the bed refused to let her go.
She was accustomed to it. Every morning when her lady woke up, the first thing she had to do was pull her out of bed. Otherwise, her lady could lie there for another half an hour even after waking.
Once Zi Zhu had her all tidied up, the well-rested Bai Fei Wan felt full of energy for the day ahead.
After putting away the washing utensils, Zi Zhu said to her lady, “Let’s go, my lady. Ziyu has already gone to fetch lunch. She should be back any moment.”
Hearing this, Bai Fei Wan made an “OK” sign with her hand.
Seeing her lady’s strange gesture, Zi Zhu was already used to it and knew exactly what it meant.
The weather in the third month was still quite cold in Jingdu.
Bai Fei Wan wrapped her clothes tightly around herself and hurried to the dining hall to wait for her meal. She had arrived at You Shi the previous day and had gone straight to sleep without eating anything. The food on the road hadn’t been good, and she was feeling genuinely hungry now.
Before long, Ziyu arrived with the meal. Watching as Zi Zhu placed the dishes on the table, she saw three dishes and a soup, two of which were meat dishes. It looked quite decent.
After the food was set out, although Bai Fei Wan was hungry, she had always had a small appetite. In her modern life, she had preferred snacks and desserts, eating very little for her main meals.
After transmigrating here, her family had been poor for the first few years, so they weren’t particular about food. After she turned five or six, she had intentionally and unintentionally given Mother Bai and her third brother some ideas and strategies for making money. Since her third brother and Mother Bai were quite skilled in business, the family’s financial situation had gradually improved.
She had then slowly started to experiment with some modern desserts and snacks, and as a result, she wasn’t very fond of regular meals.
She couldn’t finish all this food by herself. Bai Fei Wan beckoned, “Quick, quick, Zi Zhu, sit down with me and…”
Before she could finish, she saw Zi Zhu giving her a look and remembered that this was a Prince’s mansion, where maids could not eat with their masters.
So she changed her tune, pointing to one of the meat dishes. “Zi Zhu, take this dish and share it with Ziyu and the others.”
Now that she was in the Prince’s mansion, servants couldn’t eat with their masters. The best she could do was give the dish to Zi Zhu for the maids to share.
Seeing that her lady had stopped herself from blurting out her initial words, Zi Zhu’s heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.
She stepped forward to pick up the plate and said, “Yes, Master.”
Seeing Ziyu still hesitating, Bai Fei Wan waved her hand. “Go on. I don’t like having people around when I eat. Just come back to clean up after I’m done.”
Hearing her master’s words and seeing how accustomed Zi Zhu was to stepping forward to take the dish, Ziyu said no more and went with Zi Zhu to eat.
After her meal, Bai Fei Wan began to carefully observe her courtyard. She had only given it a cursory glance the day before. Barring any surprises, this would be her future residence, so she needed to understand it thoroughly.
With Zi Zhu and Ziyu, she walked a full circle around the entire courtyard. The main building housed her study, reception hall, and bedroom. The three side rooms on the right were empty, while the three on the left were for the maids.
As Bai Fei Wan looked around, she thought to herself that a handmaid wasn’t allowed to have her own small kitchen. If she could, it would be great to turn one of the rooms on the right into a kitchen.
No, it seems I still have to work hard and get Jin Wang to agree to let me have a small kitchen. Then I can eat the desserts Zi Zhu makes for me again.
Behind the left side rooms, there was a small flower garden with some flowers planted in it. Hmm, not bad. I’ll have someone set up a swing and a table in the garden later. In the summer evenings, I can enjoy the sunset here.
Noticing there were no buildings behind Qingya Courtyard, Bai Fei Wan turned and asked Ziyu, “What’s over there?”
Ziyu looked in the direction her master was pointing. “Replying to Master, that is a small flower garden. Through the garden is the back gate of the Prince’s mansion.”
“Does that mean my courtyard is near the back gate of the mansion? Is my courtyard very remote?” Bai Fei Wan asked after hearing Ziyu’s words.
Hearing Bai Fei Wan’s question, Ziyu was a little afraid her master would be displeased, but she mustered her courage and said, “Replying to Master, yes, Qingya Courtyard is the most remote courtyard in the Prince’s mansion. Master, although this courtyard is remote, its layout is one of the better ones among the handmaids. Nan Shiqie, who entered the manor just a few days ago, has a courtyard that isn’t as remote, but it’s half the size of Qingya Courtyard.”
Seeing the little maid answer nervously, afraid she would get angry, Bai Fei Wan found it amusing. Had her question just now scared her?
So she said gently, “Don’t be nervous, I’m not angry. I was just asking about the courtyard’s situation. From what you’ve said, I quite like it here. It’s spacious and quiet.”
Hearing her master’s words, Ziyu looked up and saw that she didn’t seem to be lying, which put her at ease.
Thinking of the small garden behind them, Bai Fei Wan asked, “Ziyu, since that small garden is far away, does that mean very few people come here to enjoy the flowers?”
“Replying to Master, yes. There is a large garden in the center of the rear courtyard, not far from the Wangfei’s courtyard. Most masters choose to go there to admire flowers and stroll. Very few people come here.”
Hearing Ziyu’s words, Bai Fei Wan nodded. Then she tentatively asked, “Ziyu, do you know much about the Prince’s mansion? Can you tell me about it?”
Hearing her master ask this, Ziyu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Replying to Master, this servant doesn’t know very much. If you have any questions, this servant will answer what she knows.”
She glanced around and saw Xiaoqin and Xiaqiu busy near the side rooms. Xiaoqin would occasionally look over, but they were too far away to hear their conversation. Reassured, Bai Fei Wan said, “Tell me about the current basic situation in the Prince’s mansion.”
Hearing this question, Ziyu’s expression relaxed, and her tone became light and cheerful. “Replying to Master, the Prince’s mansion currently has a Wangfei. There is only one consort, Consort Dong. There are three concubines: Concubine Qiao, Zhang Shufei, and Concubine Yu. There are seven handmaids: Consort Su, Consort Lu, Consort Ye, Consort Chen, Nan Shiqie, and Handmaid Pei.”
Bai Fei Wan nodded, thinking to herself, Wow, my man, so many people in the rear courtyard already. Can he even handle it?
“Does His Highness have a favorite, or whose courtyard does he visit often?”
“Replying to Master, His Highness is very busy and rarely comes to the rear courtyard. I haven’t heard of him frequently visiting any master’s courtyard. His Highness dislikes being bothered by matters of the rear courtyard, so the masters here cannot go to the front courtyard without his permission. The masters who just entered the manor have not yet received his favor. Nan Shiqie tried to go to the front courtyard to find His Highness and was punished with a half-month of confinement and self-reflection.”
“What about the Wangfei? Doesn’t she manage the Prince’s mansion? Can’t she go to the front courtyard either?”
“The Wangfei manages the rear courtyard. The front courtyard is managed by Steward Yu and Eunuch Jiang on behalf of His Highness. This servant is not sure if the Wangfei can go to the front courtyard.”
No longer dwelling on this, Bai Fei Wan changed the subject. “What about His Highness’s children?”
Speaking of the Prince’s children, Ziyu moved closer to Bai Fei Wan and whispered, “The Prince’s mansion currently has only two children. One is the Wangfei’s daughter, who is four years old. She was granted the title of Princess Changning by the Emperor at birth. The other is Concubine Yu’s eldest son, who is two years old. He was born prematurely and is quite frail, so he cannot leave his room even now.”
Bai Fei Wan listened, lost in thought. There were so few children in Jin Wang Manor. “What about the others? Has no one else gotten pregnant and given birth?”
Hearing Bai Fei Wan’s question, Ziyu hesitated for a moment before whispering, “There was a Handmaid Jiang who was pregnant before, but she was only a little over a month along when another handmaid with the surname Zou poisoned her. It was one corpse with two lives. Consort Zou was sentenced to death by caning. Because there are so few children in the Prince’s mansion, after that incident, the Imperial Concubine came to the manor personally and made everyone watch the punishment. She also said that if anyone in the Prince’s mansion dares to harm a child again, they will suffer the same fate.”