Although the Seventh Prince has been established as the Crown Prince, he is just over a year old now. In the harem, without the protection of his own mother, there are always places Hesheli Shi cannot see. If one is not careful, anything could happen. Therefore, now that Lanzhu is entering the palace two years after the selection, she will inevitably face the chess pieces chosen by Hesheli Shi. Tong Guowei is worried about Lanzhu. Especially with today’s reward from the Emperor, it has caused Tong Guowei considerable distress. Father and daughter are thinking along the same lines. Even before entering the palace, the Emperor has already attracted the hatred of the harem towards Lanzhu. The path for his daughter after entering the palace will not be easy.
“Father just wanted to see you, nothing else.”
“Your daughter is well, thank you for your concern, Father.”
After the two exchanged some heartfelt words, there was a knock on the door, followed by Yi Qing’s moderate voice: “Master, Gege, this servant has brought back the meal.”
Tong Guowei turned to look at Lanzhu, his expression full of affection: “Did you instruct this?”
“Your daughter heard that you hadn’t eaten yet, so I asked Yi Qing to bring back dinner.”
“Has Lanzhu eaten?” Tong Guowei recalled that Yi Qing had previously reported that Lanzhu had returned from outside and went to rest, so being called over now, she probably hadn’t had time to eat.
Lanzhu shook her head: “Not yet.”
“Then accompany Father for some.” Tong Guowei instructed Yi Qing to bring in the meal, which was then placed on a table nearby. He also asked Yi Qing to call in his daughter’s maids.
After Yi Qing set up the meal, Tong Guowei took a closer look and, as expected, all the dishes were extremely light. Instantly, Tong Guowei’s face showed a slight frown. Seeing her father’s expression, Lanzhu understood immediately: “Father, the physician said last time that your liver fire is strong, and you need to eat less meat and have a light diet.”
“Father is just busy with affairs recently, so I’m a bit overheated. My health is fine,” Tong Guowei said defiantly.
Lanzhu did not relent, just looked at her father without speaking. In the end, it was Tong Guowei who couldn’t hold out and was the first to give in: “Alright, alright, Father didn’t say he wouldn’t eat.”
“Father will take good care of his health.” Hearing her father’s words, Lanzhu finally smiled: “Father must keep his word, or your daughter won’t pay attention to you.”
“Got it.” Lanzhu happily accompanied her father for dinner, then returned to the courtyard with Liu Chun and the others.
…
After the incident in the capital, the streets were quiet for about half a month, but as the rumors subsided, the capital became lively again. However, the citizens of the capital noticed that there were many more soldiers in the city. In the blink of an eye, midsummer was about to pass, and the palace once again welcomed the grand Ban Jin Festival. Last year, due to the mourning for Empress Xiaocheng, even the festivities in the palace were cautious. This year, they could finally hold a grand celebration.
As early as a month ago, the Imperial Household Department had already started preparations. As the day approached, the ministers attending court could also feel the Emperor’s joy. Recently, the court meetings had become much more relaxed, and even if something displeased the Emperor, he could endure it for the sake of the Ban Jin Festival. However, whether there would be repercussions later, they did not know.
October 13th. Before dawn in the palace, eunuchs and palace maids everywhere were already busy.
Imperial Kitchen.
“Zhichun, take care of these two.” Nanny Li from the Imperial Kitchen brought in two young palace maids whose hair hadn’t even grown out yet, and handed them over to Uya Zhichun, who was quietly washing vegetables.
Uya Shi was a bondservant palace maid selected into the palace in the twelfth year of Kangxi. She was only fourteen when she entered the palace, and now, two years later, she had transformed from a naive girl into a calm and composed young woman. Uya Shi was able to come to the Imperial Kitchen thanks to the connections left by her grandfather; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been assigned such a good position.
Uya Zhichun looked up and gave Nanny Li a gentle smile: “Nanny Li, the Imperial Kitchen is busy today, I’m afraid I can’t manage.”
Even when refusing, Uya Shi spoke gently. But the experienced Nanny Li didn’t quite trust Uya Shi’s character. Don’t think the Imperial Kitchen is easy to navigate, but Uya Shi managed to establish herself in just two years. While part of it was due to past connections, more importantly, it was likely due to Uya Shi’s own exceptional character and skills.
“The Imperial Kitchen’s busyness doesn’t concern you. These are newly assigned palace maids, and you have the best temperament here. Nanny believes you can handle it,” Nanny Li said with a smile, not getting angry at the refusal.
What else could Uya Zhichun do? Nanny Li had already put it this way, and refusing again would be ungrateful. Moreover, staying in the Imperial Kitchen now didn’t mean she wanted to stay there forever. After observing for so long, she realized that Nanny Li was the only one with some connections. If she wanted to leave, she would need to rely on her. It wasn’t wise to offend Nanny Li now.
“Since Nanny has said so, this servant will not disappoint Nanny’s expectations.” Uya Zhichun wiped her slightly pale fingers and then gave Nanny Li a perfectly standard bow.
Nanny Li’s eyes flickered, and she smiled slightly: “I knew I wasn’t wrong about you, Zhichun, you have a good temperament.”
“Don’t worry, Nanny remembers.” Nanny Li patted Uya Shi’s arm with a hint of affection. She originally wanted to hold her hand, but seeing Uya Shi’s fingers, she felt a bit disgusted and settled for patting her arm instead.
“This servant doesn’t dare to take credit; it’s what I should do,” Uya Zhichun said, keeping her head down so no one could see her expression.
After Nanny Li left, Uya Zhichun raised her head, still wearing a gentle smile, but there was no trace of a smile in her eyes.
“Is this your first assignment?” The selection is held annually, starting in February and ending in March, with the new palace maids entering the palace in mid-March to learn the rules for half a year. Usually, assignments are completed by the end of September, so why were these two not assigned until October? Uya Shi didn’t believe these two had no background. Generally, those left until the end were either too good or too foolish, and these two clearly belonged to the former. And being assigned to the Imperial Kitchen only further proved the point.
“Yes, Uya Sister,” they replied.
Uya Shi quietly observed the two, noting from their appearance, eyes, and fingers that they were likely well-pampered at home and came from good families. Uya Shi became somewhat interested: “What are your names?”
The palace maids selected in the small selection were all bondservant bannermen and naturally had names. Some bondservant bannermen families were even better off than some Manchu noble ladies. Of course, no matter how outstanding the bondservant bannermen families were, they couldn’t compare to the starting point of the Eight Banners noble ladies. After all, there was a huge difference between the major and minor selections.
“This servant is Wanliuha Yunhe.” The first to speak was a young girl with an oval face, her appearance delicate and charming. Even though she was only fourteen, her figure was graceful, though her short hair slightly marred her beauty. The first thing a newly selected palace maid does upon entering the palace is not learning the rules but shaving their head, a rite of passage for every newly selected palace maid. Uya Shi had gone through it herself, and even after two years, she still felt unsettled! Why should bondservants be inferior? She was no less than the Eight Banners noble ladies!
“This servant is Daijia Jinyun.” The second palace maid to speak had a much more striking appearance than Wanliuha Shi, but she wasn’t very tall. Hearing these two surnames, Uya Shi’s eyes narrowed slightly. These surnames were not insignificant, and judging by their looks, their families likely had different intentions.
“Alright, you two follow me today, don’t go inside the Imperial Kitchen.”
“I don’t need to tell you the importance of the Ban Jin Festival.”
“Stay here quietly and wash vegetables. After the Ban Jin Festival ends tomorrow, I’ll assign you tasks.” Uya Shi had worked hard to get into the inner circle of the Imperial Kitchen and hadn’t yet had the chance to show her face in a good position. How could she let these newcomers take the spotlight? Nanny Li’s timing was perfect; she might even get a chance to attend the banquet today. Thinking of this, Uya Shi’s breathing quickened slightly.
“Don’t say I’m bullying you. Washing vegetables is a big task. If you do it well, you might get noticed by the supervisor. If you weren’t brought by Nanny Li, I wouldn’t give you this opportunity.” Uya Shi spoke with a righteous tone, her expression sincere, without revealing any ulterior motives.
“Thank you, Uya Sister, for your kindness. We will complete the task carefully.” Regardless of their other thoughts, they knew it was their first day, and they didn’t plan to stand out recklessly. Better not to risk their future by failing to play their cards right.
“Alright, I have some things to do. Stay here quietly and wash the vegetables.” After giving her instructions, Uya Shi hurried into the Imperial Kitchen. She needed to find an opportunity to get closer and see if she could secure a task of delivering meals.
After Uya Shi left, Jinyun and Yunhe exchanged a glance and then silently squatted down. They looked around, and seeing no one, they began to speak softly.
“Jinyun, do we really have to wash vegetables here?” Among the two, Jinyun’s father was a seventh-rank official, while Yunhe’s father was a fifth-rank official. However, the one taking the lead was Daijia Jinyun, whose family status was lower.
“There’s no other way right now, let’s just do it.” They had just entered, and Uya Zhichun had been in the palace for two years. They didn’t have the strength yet and could only bide their time.
“But today is the Ban Jin Festival. It’s our first year in the palace, don’t you want to take a look?” Yunhe said. The nearly eight months of learning the rules hadn’t made Yunhe much more compliant. She understood her purpose in entering the palace, but it was difficult for bondservants to stand out. She needed someone to take the lead, and Daijia Jinyun was the person Wanliuha Shi had chosen.
Jinyun glanced at Yunhe, her eyes showing some hesitation, but what lay within was unknown: “Nanny said that palace maids who have just entered and shaved their heads aren’t qualified to show their faces in front of the masters, for fear of offending their eyes.”
To say Daijia Shi didn’t want to show her face would be a lie, but Daijia Shi was self-aware. With so many eunuchs and palace maids in the palace, how could a newly entered palace maid stand out? Wanliuha Shi, seeing Daijia Shi’s reluctance to stand out, immediately became dispirited: “Then… let’s forget it.”
“Nanny’s punishments are painful, I don’t want to be punished again.”
“That’s right, we have plenty of time in the future, no need to rush now,” Daijia Shi said.
“But this water is so cold.”
“Don’t worry, just endure it, and it will pass.”