The last group to arrive were the stewards from the Jingshi Office.
They had come to deliver personnel.
In the palace, the number of eunuchs and maidservants assigned to serve the consorts also followed specific standards.
Ordinary court ladies, before receiving imperial favor, only had the personal maids they brought into the palace with them and were not allocated additional attendants.
As for daily living arrangements, these were uniformly managed by the head matrons.
Only when a court lady was promoted to the rank of Daying would she be assigned one ordinary eunuch and two maidservants, and she would move out of the court ladies’ quarters to reside in either the Eastern Six Palaces or the Western Six Palaces.
Above Daying was Changzai, whose standard allocation was: three ordinary eunuchs and three maidservants.
In just over two months, the person seated on the Dragon Throne had changed, and Su Muyao had transformed from an ordinary court lady into a Taichangzai. Naturally, she should now be allocated according to the quota for Taichangzai.
The eunuch steward from the Jingshi Office gestured behind him, and the six maidservants and eunuchs following him stepped forward, kneeling on the ground and speaking in unison, "Greetings, Taichangzai."
The eunuch steward said with an ingratiating smile, "Please take a look. Are you satisfied with these individuals?"
Su Muyao gave them a cursory glance and smiled, "Thank you for making the trip. I am aware of the palace regulations, but my affairs here are few, and I currently lack no additional hands. Wouldn’t it be better if I were to request them from your Jingshi Office in the future when I am in need?"
Hearing this, Yun Mo grew anxious and was about to speak when Su Muyao stopped her.
The eunuch steward was only there to carry out this duty and go through the motions. Whether Su Muyao accepted them or not had little to do with him.
He acknowledged her words and left with the maidservants and eunuchs.
After the Jingshi Office personnel had departed, Yun Mo couldn’t help but say, "Miss, wouldn’t it be better to have more people serving you? Why didn’t you accept them?"
Su Muyao gently tapped her forehead and said with amusement, "Let me ask you, if you were an ordinary maidservant, would you be willing to be transferred by the Jingshi Office to serve a Taichangzai like me?"
"I…"
"Tell the truth."
Yun Mo couldn’t help but feel somewhat embarrassed.
If she were an ordinary maidservant, of course she wouldn’t be willing.
As the saying goes, "Old crows and wild sparrows flock to prosperous places." No one is a fool.
As a servant, being assigned to serve a Taichangzai, no matter how well you serve, is of little use—no money, no benefits, far from the center of power, destined for a bleak future.
It would be better to serve an ordinary court lady or Daying. Perhaps one day, if the mistress gains imperial favor, then "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." Not only would the rewards be generous, but one’s own standing would also be strengthened.
Su Muyao said, "Look at those eunuchs and maidservants just now. At first glance, they appeared proper and submissive, but each of their faces showed no joy, their brows furrowed with worry, looking as if they had lost their parents or were facing imminent disaster…"
She shook her head helplessly.
Yun Mo snorted, "Miss is too kind-hearted. In my opinion, why bother with their thoughts?"
Su Muyao smiled, "We can keep their persons, but not their hearts. What’s the point? What if one day they forget loyalty for profit and betray their old master? Wouldn’t I be inviting trouble?"
Yun Mo nodded and said no more.
Then she brought up another topic.
"Miss, don’t you think today’s events are a bit strange?"
The people from the Shangshan Bureau, Guangchusi, and Jingshi Office seemed to have coordinated, all coming to our door one after another. We’ve never seen them so proactive before.
If it were due to the young lady's promotion to Taichangzai, that had happened several days ago. At that time, these mid-level stewards from the Imperial Household Department hadn't rushed over eagerly, sending both people and supplies.
Although these people and items were all part of their rightful allowances.
What Yun Mo could think of, Su Muyao naturally considered as well.
Considering the recent experiences over the past few days, the only possible cause for these changes was the morning visit to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.
Su Muyao carefully recalled the events during the visit and suddenly felt a stirring in her heart.
She remembered that when the Empress Dowager saw her, she first remarked that she knew the rules, then turned to the matron behind her and gave a vague, puzzling order: "Inform the people at the Imperial Household Department and Shoushanfang as well."
Presumably, all these changes stemmed from that one sentence spoken by the Empress Dowager.
Upon hearing her speculation, Yun Mo remained somewhat puzzled and said, "That must be it, but…"
As the senior manager of the inner palace, if the Empress Dowager knew that the allowances of the consorts were being withheld, why didn't she intervene to rectify the situation?
Su Muyao, however, thought otherwise.
Yun Mo was young and still carried a touch of naivety, but she understood that from ancient times to the present, the world was never simply black and white.
Didn't Emperor Qianlong know about Heshen's corruption, yet he never intervened to address it?
For some in positions of power, all they cared about was whether their subordinates were obedient and loyal to them. As for these subordinates exploiting and oppressing others, they simply turned a blind eye.
If there were no benefits in following them, who would be willing to do so?
To put it bluntly, it was deliberate indulgence.
Su Muyao sighed inwardly.
Truly, when under someone else's roof, one must bow their head.
Her initial caution had been correct. Those in the palace who dared to embezzle had protectors, with layers of interests intertwined. If she had confronted Shoushanfang at that time, offended the stewards there, been reported, and incurred the Empress Dowager's displeasure, it would have been over.
Looking at the large pile of unorganized supplies in the courtyard, Yun Mo said happily, "No matter what, the Empress Dowager still has a favorable impression of the young lady."
"Impression?" Su Muyao was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. "Silly girl, she is the Empress Dowager. What impression could she possibly have of a mere Taichangzai like me?"
Not only did she have no impression, but she also didn't care in the slightest.
At that time, the Empress Dowager had made her wait for a long while, and in the end, she didn't even spare her more than a glance before dismissing her.
Yun Mo blinked, confused. "Then why did the Empress Dowager deliberately give that order?"
Su Muyao smiled. "That was for show."
She remembered that when the second group of the current emperor's consorts came to pay their respects, the Empress Dowager asked the Empress why Consort Nian hadn't come. The Empress replied that Consort Nian had requested leave due to poor health.
Whether Consort Nian's health was truly poor, she didn't know.
However, judging by the Empress Dowager's demeanor, she seemed rather displeased that Consort Nian hadn't come to pay her respects.
Later, when she appeared—as a consort who had genuinely been in poor health and nearly lost her life—and immediately came to pay respects to the Empress Dowager after recovering, no matter how one looked at it, the Empress Dowager was satisfied with her actions.
In contrast, the Empress Dowager ordered the restoration of her rightful treatment to demonstrate her own power and status in the inner palace.
She was merely fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, serving as a timely pawn for the Empress Dowager.
However, whether or not to make a raft had no impact on Su Muyao, but the benefits were tangible.
Yun Mo couldn't help but sigh, "Before, I was so worried about food that I nearly went bald. Now, just because of a word from the Empress Dowager, we have rice, flour, and daily necessities for the coming year. It's truly…"
She paused, unsure how to describe the feeling in her heart.
Su Muyao looked at her deeply and asked, "You want to say that it's truly a case of 'my fate is in others' hands, not my own,' isn't it?"
Yun Mo nodded heavily—that was exactly what she meant.
Su Muyao couldn't help but smile gently and said softly, "Since we can't control what happens outside, let's focus wholeheartedly on living well in the present."
Ever since she transmigrated to the Qing Dynasty, her life philosophy had become: survive as long as possible, the longer the better.