Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 239 Guess what?

Faced with the Emperor's "harsh" words, Hua Yan said slowly, "Of course it can't last as long as jade, but the radish, once carved, will eventually be eaten by me, so it's not a waste."

The Emperor smiled.

Hua Yan bowed and thanked the Emperor for his gift, then called Xia'er to her side and took the food box from her hands.

"The kitchen has prepared pear juice, and Consort Chun specially instructed me to bring it to Your Majesty. It is a token of Her Majesty's goodwill, so Your Majesty should enjoy it."

"Consort Chun is always so thoughtful and considerate. Did she also send some to the Empress Dowager?"

The Emperor has a sweet tooth and a craving for spicy food, and he is advised by the imperial physicians not to use them too often. However, he always breaks the rules in the Huining Palace, and the winter melon has perfectly captured his taste.

Hua Yan replied, "Consort Chun sent people to Cining Palace and Shou Kang Palace early this morning."

...The dividing line between Consort Chun's advancement to Master of Balance...

Before mid-October, Consort Chun, with the help of Hua Yan, was busy distributing allowances to the various palaces.

As the weather grows colder, furs, firewood, and candles must be distributed. In addition, there are more than a dozen kinds of rouge, face powder, eyebrow pencils, floral decorations, jewelry, and spices, each with its own rank and duties, which must not be overstepped.

Taking charcoal as an example, the two empress dowagers, the empress, and Consort Chun were all given red charcoal every day, in amounts of 120 catties, 100 catties, and 30 catties respectively. Red charcoal was made from hardwood from Zhuozhou, Tongzhou, Jizhou, Yizhou, and Wanping and Daxing counties under Shuntian Prefecture. It made a metallic sound when struck, and was not only strong and durable but also smokeless. Therefore, it was always exclusively enjoyed by high-ranking concubines.

Below the rank of Consort, the Nine Concubines and Jieyu were given silver frost charcoal, twenty catties per day. Those below the rank of Beauty were given the most ordinary black charcoal, only ten catties per day, which was only enough to maintain the most basic heating.

This is without any deductions.

With money paving the way, Hua Yan has become acquainted with the female officials of the Shangyi Bureau and Shanggong Bureau these days, and thus heard a lot of stories from the previous dynasty.

When Consort Min was managing the six palaces, she treated the concubines harshly. Even a fifth-rank beauty had to have her family secretly send silver through palace maids and eunuchs to help her out. There were even rumors that concubines from poorer families would secretly send embroidery or jewelry out of the palace to pawn for money.

Upon hearing this, Donggua said to Huayan, "No wonder the concubines are all so eager to curry favor with the Emperor. If they are not favored, their lives in the harem are not as good as those of ordinary daughters of officials."

Ruizhu whispered in her ear, "The Shen family is rich and powerful, and when has she ever suffered any injustice? I heard that when Yuehuan took her share of the allowance from the Accounting Department back to Qianying Pavilion, the Shen family threw all the black charcoal out in a fit of anger."

Donggua pouted: "It's not time to use charcoal yet. What will she use if not charcoal when the weather gets colder?"

Hua Yan smiled knowingly and said, "The Empress sent Xingyu over to appease them. The Jiang family and the Shen family are closely related, so they will naturally take care of them. It's also good for winning people's hearts."

Inside the study, Consort Chun held the account book and sighed, "I didn't realize it when I was helping Mother with the accounts, but now that I've seen the accounts of the inner palace, I know that there are many daily expenses. Not to mention each season, the daily expenses for food and firewood in winter alone are nearly a thousand taels."

Aunt Mei said, "It's not yet the day of the general election. If the palace adds new people, the expenses will be even greater."

Consort Chun closed the account book and sighed softly, "The annual allowance for a consort is only three hundred taels of silver. It's not surprising that unfavored concubines sell their jewelry."

Hua Yan led Lü Liu into the study. Upon hearing Consort Chun's words, she smiled and said, "Your Highness used to have a generous monthly allowance in the mansion, and the old lady and the eldest young master were always looking for ways to supplement it, which is why you feel a sense of loss. You should know that ordinary families who are virtuous and kind may not be able to save even ten taels of silver after a year of hard work."

After entering the palace, Green Willow formally paid her respects to Consort Chun, kneeling on the ground to greet her. Aunt Mei personally stepped forward to help her up, saying gently, "It's good that you've come."

Most of the palace maids who entered the palace in the past two months have now been assigned to various palaces. Chun Tao has also entered Dieqiong Pavilion to serve, Cai Lian went to the Shangfu Bureau to work in the Siyi Department, and the other three have also found their own places.

Green Willow and two other palace maids were assigned to Huining Palace. Consort Chun immediately assigned Green Willow to Hua Yan. Now, Xia'er and Green Willow serve Hua Yan closely. As for Dong'er, she was temporarily confined by Hua Yan to a side hall to do cleaning.

Consort Chun was moved by Green Willow's true feelings for Hua Yan, so she summoned her and spoke to her gently. She also asked Green Willow about some trivial matters such as Huan Yun's wedding date, and told Meng Zhu to remember to send a congratulatory gift when the time came.

Zhou Bai claimed to be engaged, and indeed he and Huan Yun were engaged in March of next year.

"Just now, I went to Lady Qu's place and happened to meet Jian Zhi. He told me some news from the manor. After the old lady celebrated her birthday at the Marquis's manor, she set off back to Lin'an. The eldest young master obtained leave from the Hanlin Academy to escort her all the way. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Consort Chun nodded, gazing absently at the withered branches extending out of the window. "Autumn comes to the north, and the climate is dry. It's not as good as Lin'an for nurturing people."

"Suwen married the son of Manager Gong. When Manager Gong heard that the old lady had returned to Lin'an, he also sent the young couple back with her. The old lady must be very happy."

"Suwen is a very considerate person. It is indeed reassuring to have her taking care of me."

Mengzhu echoed, "Your Majesty, please don't forget about Guangbai. After she got married, she went back to Lin'an to manage the Yong'an Pharmacy, which can be considered a reunion with the old lady. However, judging from the dates, the eldest young mistress's due date is approaching, so it would be better for the old lady to wait until after the New Year to return."

"It must be because of the two young ladies." Hua Yan sat on the embroidery stool and casually picked up the sewing basket next to her. Green Willow familiarly stepped forward to help her sort the silk threads.

Consort Chun said in a muffled voice, "The old lady is soft-hearted. I'm afraid there will be a lot of trouble when she goes back. Fortunately, my eldest brother went with her, which can at least have a deterrent effect."

This is a family matter of Consort Chun, and Hua Yan is not in a position to say much, but with Madam Yun present, the two young ladies would not dare to act recklessly.

Ruizhu came in to refill the tea and gossiped to everyone, "Something just came out that is truly astonishing."

Among the palace maids who entered the palace was one skilled at taming animals, named Anu. She was assigned to serve in Consort Guo's palace. It just so happened that the parrot kept in the Empress Dowager's palace had recently lost its appetite. When Consort Guo went to the Cining Palace to pay her respects, Anu teased it a little, and guess what happened?