After coming to that realization, Bai Fei Wan slowly began her life as a salted fish.
For the entire month, Jin Wang did not enter the rear courtyard, so the prince’s mansion was relatively quiet. According to Ziyu, the prince had gone away on official business.
Speaking of Ziyu, she was practically a walking encyclopedia of gossip. Over the past month, she had frequently shared little tidbits of news from around the mansion with Bai Fei Wan.
After a month of observation, Ziyu seemed decent enough for now; she hadn’t been seen in contact with any other masters. Xiaoqin was likely the Wangfei’s person, having made contact with people from the main courtyard several times while fetching meals. Xiaqiu had been in contact with someone from the consort’s side.
Bai Fei Wan didn’t plan to do anything about it for the time being. There was nothing in her courtyard worthy of their attention at the moment.
The weather in the fourth month was still rather cold. Thankfully, she didn’t have to go pay respects to the Wangfei, or else waking up early would have been the death of her.
There wasn’t much entertainment in ancient times. She went to bed before nine every night, woke up at eight for breakfast, and then took a walk in the small garden in her courtyard.
After that, she would go to the study to practice calligraphy for an hour, and study Go formations, especially endgame scenarios. In modern times, she had often played Go with her grandfather.
After lunch, she would take an hour-long nap, followed by embroidery. Her embroidery skills, specifically Su Embroidery Double-Sided Embroidery, had been taught to her by her grandmother in the modern era. When she got tired, she would arrange flowers or draw design sketches to relax.
She was in a small business partnership with her third brother, running rouge and powder shops, clothing and jewelry stores, and restaurants. She provided the ideas, and her third brother managed the operations.
Next year, her eldest brother was due to take the Imperial Examination. Her third brother would surely follow him to the capital. He had long wanted to do business in Jing Cheng, but there were too many nobles, and without connections, it was impossible to survive, which was why the family hadn’t let him come.
Once her eldest brother passed the exam next year, and with her being in the prince’s mansion, he could slowly start his business in Jing Cheng. In less than a year, she could ask someone to deliver the design sketches she had drawn to her third brother.
For now, she was quite satisfied with her life in the prince’s mansion. The only issue was that the main kitchen staff were snobs who judged people by their status. The meals they sent over grew worse by the day. She could only have Xiaoqin bribe them with silver to get slightly better food, which was still a far cry from the meals she had when she first arrived.
This life continued until the beginning of the fifth month, when word came that Jin Wang had returned from his business trip. Without even leaving her courtyard, Bai Fei Wan could feel the stir of excitement in the rear courtyard.
But none of this had anything to do with Bai Fei Wan. As a mere servant concubine, she couldn’t go to the gate to welcome the prince. Besides, on his first day back, the prince would certainly go to the Wangfei’s courtyard.
Sure enough, that afternoon, Ziyu reported that the prince had gone to the Wangfei’s.
Bai Fei Wan had already guessed as much. She said nothing and continued arranging her flowers.
She had just been embroidering, and her eyes were tired from the prolonged effort. Remembering that the flowers in her room hadn’t been changed in two days and were starting to wilt, she decided to arrange some new ones to relieve her fatigue.
However, the others were not as calm as Bai Fei Wan, especially Zhang Shufei and Nan Shiqie. They had yet to even see the prince since entering the mansion, and who knew what kind of gossip was being spread about them behind their backs.
Zhang Shufei’s rank was higher, so even without having been summoned to serve the prince, she still had to pay respects to the Wangfei. As a result, she was often mocked by the others who were also there to pay their respects.
They had entered the prince’s mansion through the same Imperial Harem Draft as Bai Fei Wan. Since Bai Fei Wan’s home was farther away, she had arrived two days after them.
But no matter how anxious they were, it was no use. On his first night back, the prince would definitely go to the Wangfei.
What they were anxious about was whose courtyard the prince would visit the following night. It wasn’t just the newcomers who were anxious; the long-time residents of the mansion were as well.
In previous years, the prince used to frequent the rear courtyard, but no one had become pregnant. For the past two years, he had visited the rear courtyard less and less, coming only five or six days a month.
Moreover, on the first and fifteenth of every month, he had to go to the Wangfei’s courtyard, leaving the remaining days for the others.
Thus, in this rear courtyard where there were many monks but little meat, everyone cared deeply about whose residence the prince visited.
Bai Fei Wan thought that she had no control over where the prince went. In any case, he certainly wouldn’t come to her place tomorrow. Ahead of her were the newly entered Zhang Shufei, the high-ranking Consort Dong, and Concubine Yu, who had a son. By any calculation, it would not be her turn.
After finishing the flower arrangement, she admired her work. Not bad, her skills were improving. The flowers in her room were from two days ago and had started to wilt. She said to Zi Zhu, “Take these flowers to my room and replace the old ones.”
“Yes, Master.” Zi Zhu took the arrangement from Bai Fei Wan and carried it into the room.
Feeling sufficiently rested, Bai Fei Wan returned to her embroidery. When her third brother came to Jing Cheng to open his shops, she could place her work there to be sold, which would also help attract customers. After all, double-sided embroidery was quite valuable.
The next day, the women in every courtyard rose early and began to dress and adorn themselves, hoping to show their most beautiful side when the prince arrived.
Consort Dong was especially diligent. She woke up early to dress up, ordered her servants to tidy her courtyard inside and out, and instructed her private kitchen to prepare the prince’s favorite dishes. When the prince came, she was determined to make him stay.
Aside from the Wangfei, she held the highest rank in the mansion, yet she remained childless. She desperately wanted to bear the prince a child. If she gave birth to a son, how could that bitch Tang Jingning continue to occupy the position of Wangfei?
The other courtyards were much the same, all preparing for the prince’s arrival.
Bai Fei Wan, however, remained unaffected, continuing to follow her daily routine.
After waiting a whole day and seeing that the prince had still not come to the rear courtyard, someone sent a maid to the front courtyard in the evening to inquire. The news came back that the prince was busy and would not be visiting the rear courtyard tonight; he would be resting in the front courtyard.
Alas, for the women of the rear courtyard, their exquisite preparations were once again a day of unappreciated self-admiration.