Although she had not continued to attend to the Emperor in bed, Qing Luo had been living quite comfortably recently.
The Emperor’s preferences were the weather vane of the palace; ever since Qing Luo first went to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to attend to him, countless people in the palace had been watching in secret, such as the Imperial Household Department, the Imperial Kitchen, and the Bureau of Costumes.
After the second time she attended to him, and having received the Emperor’s rewards, they all realized simultaneously that this Attendant Pei had truly won the Emperor’s favor.
Consequently, their attitudes changed drastically; instead of their past arrogance and rudeness, they were now fawning over her.
For instance, the Imperial Kitchen no longer skimped on her meals.
When there was supposed to be meat, there was meat; when it was supposed to be three dishes and one soup, it was three dishes and one soup.
They did not cut corners at all and followed the rules completely.
The Imperial Household Department also hurriedly delivered the fabric for this year’s summer clothes, not a single foot or inch missing, and they even made up for the allowance money they had previously withheld.
The Bureau of Costumes also became much easier to deal with.
When Zhu Lan went to ask them for help making clothes, they no longer dragged their feet or pushed the responsibility onto others, with no one willing to make clothes for Qing Luo.
On the contrary, there were quite a few people willing to do so.
Except for the fact that Qing Luo’s personal savings were still pitifully small, everything was wonderful.
According to the rules, a little concubine has an annual allowance of thirty taels of silver.
Thirty taels, if placed outside the palace, would be enough for a family of several to spend for a whole year, with plenty left over.
But in the palace, thirty taels of silver really meant nothing.
The Imperial Household Department had bullied others and withheld the Original Owner’s money, but it was only ten taels.
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Thirty taels was the income.
Every time the eunuchs from the Imperial presence came to deliver an oral decree, they were given a red envelope as a tip for their hard work, two taels of silver per red envelope.
Plus, Qing Luo was sometimes a glutton and had to spend extra money on meals, asking the Imperial Kitchen to make specific dishes for her alone.
Qing Luo’s total assets were currently only forty taels.
Other concubines either brought a lot of money when they entered the palace, or their families had some connections to send money into the palace.
Only the Original Owner had only one hundred taels of silver on her when she entered the palace for the selection.
She spent quite a bit bribing and smoothing relationships during the selection, and her family had no connections to send her money.
They probably looked at her lack of favor and abandoned her, so she was naturally strapped for cash.
At night, after Qing Luo finished her daily count of her private savings, she hugged the small box containing the silver and couldn’t help but sigh, “Sigh, why doesn’t the Emperor reward me with some money? Money is so good.”
Good food is nice, jewelry is nice, but money is even better—even better than the previous two—because with money, you can do many things.
Especially in this place where money flows like water, if you want to live comfortably, you cannot do without spending money.
Thinking of how she had never worried about money before she transmigrated, and now—sigh, let’s not talk about it; times have changed.
Zhu Lan was startled and hurriedly said, “Little Master, please be careful with your words. You cannot say things like that. Anything the Emperor bestows is excellent. Little Master must never say anything similar in the future.”
Whether it is thunder or dew, it is all the Emperor’s grace.
Let alone rewards, even a beating with a board must be received with gratitude.
This is the supreme authority of the Emperor.
To receive a reward is already a tremendous honor; if one were to be picky, that would be showing arrogance because of favor.
Qing Luo gave an “En” sound, “I know, I won’t say it again.”
After Zhu Lan turned and left, Qing Luo whispered softly, “Can’t I even say it privately in secret? Money is inherently good; that is a fact.”
Suddenly, a clear, bright male voice rang out.
Qing Luo was startled and scrambled to shove the small box of her private savings under the covers, then jumped off the bed, stammering, “Em… Emperor, why are you here?”
“Could it be that I cannot come?” Emperor Zhangping asked instead of answering.
He was seen with his hands behind his back, his posture calm and unhurried.
“You can, of course you can come.” Qing Luo nodded frantically.
Although this was the place where she lived, the entire palace belonged to Emperor Zhangping.
Of course, he could go wherever he wanted to go.
Who would dare to stop him?
He could come whenever he wanted, as long as he was happy.
“My Beloved Consort sees me and act like a mouse seeing a cat, panicking. Are you speaking ill of me?” Emperor Zhangping asked with interest.
Just now, when he entered, he had heard the Little Concubine muttering, but he hadn’t heard clearly what she was muttering about.
Qing Luo wailed in her heart instantly.
Heavens, why was her luck so bad, so unlucky?
Wasn’t it just one sentence about Emperor Zhangping not rewarding her with money?
How did the person himself show up?
It seems that speaking ill of people behind their backs is indeed unacceptable; retribution comes quickly.