Concubine of the Eastern Palace (Qing Dynasty Time Travel)

“When Yang Gege arrived at the courtyard, she first invited Lady Ling to sit, then asked her to help manage the servants. She also inquired about the usual reward given to people in the palace, and when comparing it to how you reward people, she only gave two taels of silver as a reward to each person. When she was about to leave, Yang Gege was very attentive and personally escorted Lady Ling to the gate of the courtyard, privately giving her a large pouch, which Lady Ling refused to accept.”

Jin Mama had entered the palace only after Side concubine Li became pregnant. She had earned her place in Side concubine Li’s favor not just because she had been the nanny who raised Side concubine Li, but also because of her talent for gathering information, a skill few people possessed.

“She’s quite bold,” Side concubine Li chuckled nonchalantly. “She’s constantly comparing herself to me. She just entered and already considers herself as important as a Side Consort.”

“Exactly!” Jin Mama replied, taking the conversation further. “Although she acts humble in front of you, I don’t think she’s someone who stays in her place. Liu’er has been promoted to a senior maid and now stays in her room,she is always asking about the Crown Prince’s preferences!”

Side concubine Li pursed her lips, a surge of anger rising within her. Liu’er had previously served Lin Gege, but she had always been Side concubine Li’s person. Liu’er was a bait Side concubine Li had deliberately placed, and now that Yang Gege had bitten, Side concubine Li felt both angry and helpless.

Just hearing Lin Gege’s name made her temper flare.

Side concubine Li had been named the Side Consort in the 25th year of Kangxi’s reign, but she had never been highly favored. The Crown Prince had entrusted her with managing the household, but it felt as though she was only seen as the bookkeeper. He would occasionally ask her about expenses but rarely visited her in the Eastern Side Palace. Lin Gege, a palace maid, had been favored more than she had, despite being older. Though she had served the Crown Prince since childhood, Lin Gege was not as beautiful as Side concubine Li.

Side concubine Li had managed to have a child, which she had thought was a victory over Lin Gege, but the child hadn’t survived.

Thinking of the little baby that had been lost from her body, Side concubine Li’s eyes reddened. She couldn’t help but grab Jin Mama’s hand. “Mother, why is my life so hard?”

Jin Mama immediately stood up and embraced Side concubine Li, comforting her gently. “Xiu Lang, don’t cry. I’m here! Don’t worry about the child. You can’t force fate. Your time hasn’t come yet. You’re still young. Once we establish ourselves, we won’t have to fear that there will be no children in the future. Stop crying now; you’ll hurt your eyes.”

Side concubine Li cried out her sorrow on Jin Mama’s shoulder, releasing all her pent-up grief, and after a while, she felt somewhat better. Jin Mama then took a hot towel to soothe her eyes.

Side concubine Li always dismissed the others when speaking with Jin Mama. After a moment, she asked, “What about Cheng Gege?”

Jin Mama curled her lips and spoke disrespectfully, “She seems like someone with no real prospects, doesn’t understand the rules. After entering the courtyard, she neither organized the servants nor asked about matters inside or outside the palace. Instead, she happily wandered around. I suspect that Cheng Gege is not financially well-off. In the end, she rewarded me with a silver pouch worth one tael, and the maids and eunuchs in her room were given only half a coin each.”

Upon hearing this, Side concubine Li actually let out a sigh of relief.

She couldn’t help but harbor some resentment toward the two new Gege’s. It was only after she lost her child that the Crown Prince showed her a little pity, but before she could fully win his heart, another new concubine entered the scene.

Once the Crown Prince married, Side concubine Li feared there would be no place for her in Yuqing Palace.

Fortunately, Yang Gege thought highly of herself. She was currently being obedient, but Side concubine Li believed she would eventually reveal her true nature. Such people were no more than a passing nuisance, easily subdued with a bit of effort. As for Cheng Gege, though she appeared beautiful, she came from a humble background and seemed to lack manners. If she didn’t learn the rules, she wouldn’t last long in the palace, so there was no need to worry too much.

However, Yang Gege needed to be suppressed early. If she gained favor, her family background could eventually put her on an equal footing with Side concubine Li.

“I heard Yang Gege is favored by Consort Hui?” Side concubine Li lowered her head, gently caressing the sandalwood Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist, and faintly instructed, “Starting tomorrow, have Kang Haizhu come every 4th day to pay his respects. I hear he has come up with a few new hairstyles, so let him teach Chun Jian how to style hair.”

Kang Haizhu was a small eunuch from the Imperial Household Department’s Ceremonial Office who ran errands. He had a skill in hairdressing, and many concubines had him style their hair, with Consort Hui requesting him most often. He was quick-witted and appeared to have no connection to Yuqing Palace.

No one knew that he was also Liu’er’s sworn brother.

Jin Mama’s expression became stern, and she quickly acknowledged the order.

Side concubine Li pressed her fingers to her temple, feeling a bit tired. She stood up and, with Jin Mama’s help, walked toward the sleeping quarters. Chun Jian had already prepared everything for bed, along with the little palace maids.

Jin Mama and Chun Jian assisted Side concubine Li in changing her clothes and removing her headpiece. Side concubine Li quietly gazed at her weary face in the bronze mirror and softly instructed, “Mother, remember, don’t let go of things with Cheng Gege either. Her living expenses should be reduced by one part compared to Yang Gege’s.”

Seeing Side concubine Li’s dimmed expression, Jin Mama couldn’t help but feel sympathy and said, “Don’t worry so much. You must focus on taking care of your health.”

Side concubine Li shook her head.

Though Jin Mama was loyal, her vision was limited. She could only see the issues in front of her, but Side concubine Li’s deeper concerns could not be shared with her.

She never cared about people like Yang Gege or Cheng Gege.

They were all Han people, just like her.

Although the Emperor often said that the Manchu and Han were one family, the truth was, the Han were always one step behind the Manchu. Especially in the palace—where were there any high-ranking Han concubines? Even if they were elevated to a higher status, it was just for show; behind closed doors, no one took them seriously.

Side concubine Li had served the Crown Prince for a long time and understood that there was a thorn in his heart: the concubines and Gege’s serving the Eldest and Third Princes were mostly from the Eight Banner Manchu families, yet the only women placed by the Emperor beside the Crown Prince were Han women.

Side concubine Li could vaguely sense the turmoil beneath the surface, but she dared not think too deeply about it. The Emperor valued the Crown Prince so much, and surely there was a reason for this.

Therefore, the only thing she cared about was the still undecided position of the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess was of noble status, and undoubtedly, she would be a Manchu. The background and family of the Crown Princess would decide how Side concubine Li, as a side consort, would position herself in the future. As a result, she remained distant from the two Gege’s, cautious but not close.

She had no intention of currying favor with anyone.

Instead, she would place a few pieces on the board and wait to see the outcome.

#

On the other side, unlike Side concubine Li’s restless tossing and turning, Cheng Wanyun, for once, slept peacefully. When she woke up, the sun hung low in the west, and the evening light slanted in through the carved window. The surroundings were quiet and serene, and she felt refreshed.

When she had been in Zhongcui Palace, she hadn’t had a full night’s sleep. Every day, she was anxious, staying awake until late at night, only allowing herself to doze off after the maids had checked everything.

Finally, she had a good rest. Putting aside everything else, side concubine Li hadn’t been overly harsh with her in terms of food, clothing, and expenses, though she did subtly give her a warning about the servants.

The bed was comfortable too.

Cheng Wanyun, the daughter of a county official, had limited experience with luxury. In her past life, she wasn’t someone of great wealth or status, so she had no complaints as she looked around the room.

Perhaps hearing her movements, Qingxing, leading the little maid, brought in warm water and towels for her to wash her face. Bitao opened the chest, hung Cheng Wanyun’s clothes on the incense rack, and took out jasmine and osmanthus-scented sachets to freshen the clothes.

Sitting in front of the dressing table, Cheng Wanyun let Qingxing comb her hair while asking the two of them, “Which kitchen provides meals for us in Yuqing Palace?”

Bitao, holding a fan and fanning the incense rack, smiled and replied, “Are you hungry, Gege? Yuqing Palace has its own small tea kitchen and dedicated kitchen eunuchs. Our back room also has a little tea room, where we usually heat up some milk, brew tea, or make simple snacks.”

Cheng Wanyun secretly cheered in her heart. Regardless of how the cooks in Yuqing Palace performed, the best part was—she wouldn’t have to eat the huge pots of food from the external imperial tea kitchen. She was already happy enough!

During the two months she stayed in Zhongcui Palace, the meals delivered to her were almost always cold, with a thick layer of congealed grease on top, making them as unpleasant as could be.

Of course, this was also related to her stinginess in not tipping the eunuchs who ran errands for the imperial kitchen.

It wasn’t that she didn’t have money.

Though her father, Official Cheng, was a conscientious county magistrate who hadn’t given up on his ideal of benefiting the country and its people through education, his greed was limited.

However, he wasn’t an incorruptible official like Hai Rui. After taking care of the annual tributes like charcoal and ice for the higher-ups, they were considered a small but comfortable family.

To ensure her safe entry into the capital for the selection, Official Cheng had gone to great lengths, even using up most of the family’s savings and borrowing money from several uncles and maternal relatives.

Cheng Wanyun knew that money was hard to come by. Apart from the expenses for tipping the military leaders and covering her own food and supplies on the way to the capital, the fees for the body examination maid when entering the palace, and the tips for the head eunuch and maids when she was a candidate, she had saved as much as she could. But even so, money had been spent like water during the journey. Now, the only valuables she had left in the bottom of the trunk were a small stack of silver notes specially exchanged for her by Official Cheng, a box of loose silver coins, and two boxes of thinly beaten gold leaves.

What’s more, at the time, she had been thinking about the possibility of being eliminated and returning home, planning to keep some money aside to buy special products from the capital for her parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and siblings. Why waste money on food cravings? She had thought of it as a way to lose weight!

Who knew she would end up here instead?

Now that she was here, Cheng Wanyun didn’t want to think too much. She had been worn out enough in her past life and was unwilling to overthink in this one.

Therefore, she listened with great interest as Bitao reported on the monthly meal arrangements in the kitchen.

The food served in the palace was highly seasonal and meticulously planned.

For example, when she had been a candidate at Zhongcui Palace, it had been the second day of the second lunar month, the “Dragon Raises Its Head” festival. The outer imperial kitchen began working before dawn, preparing dragon scale cakes, dragon beard noodles, fried oil cakes, and sugar beans. By the hour of Chen (around 7-9 AM), the food was distributed to the various palaces, and even the temporary residents of Zhongcui Palace, including the candidates, received their share.

Even if she hadn’t tipped anyone, she still received a bowl of hot noodles, a plate of cakes, and a bowl of crispy fried sugar beans. No one dared to have bad luck on such a special day.

Because the food was so much better than the usual half-warmed steamed dishes, crispy, fragrant, and delicious, she vividly remembered it.

Now, it was already the end of March, and naturally, there were new seasonal dishes in the palace.