Chapter 208 - 181: Part 2

The steward from the Ji Mansion, who had brought the two maids, knew how to take a hint. He remarked that while the Ji Mansion might be short on other things, serving maids were practically worthless—this gift wasn’t nearly as valuable as the one they’d sent two visits ago. As he spoke, he thrust the maids’ indenture contracts at Jiang Ke. He took them instinctively, and the Ji Mansion steward gave the two girls a push forward before scurrying away.

Leaving Jiang Ke alone, bewildered and helpless.

When the two maids followed him into the house, Ms. Zhang could hardly believe her eyes. "Last time I said I was willing for you to take in someone new, but you didn’t have to get two at once!"

"..."

After an exasperated Jiang Ke cleared himself of suspicion, Ms. Zhang was dumbfounded. "So you kept them? We don’t have so much work around the house that we need maids. I can manage just fine."

Jiang Ke said that they couldn’t refuse a third time, or they’d risk offending them. "Just have the maids do the rough work in the outer rooms. Don’t let them into the study or the bedroom, and don’t talk about important things in front of them. They’re right about one thing: it’s improper for the mother of Lady Zhaoyi to not even have a single maid."

Since her husband had spoken, Ms. Zhang had no choice but to accept the two maids’ indenture contracts and name them Zhi’er and Dong’er.

Yanchuan trotted out on his short little legs to take a look. "Mother, are they guests?"

"No, they’re maids Mr. Ji sent to wash your dirty clothes, light the fires, and cook for you from now on." Zhi’er had particularly sharp ears. She expected the child to thank Mr. Ji upon hearing this explanation, but instead, Yanchuan simply nodded.

"Oh, so it’s just another person trying to curry favor with my sister."

...

「Let us leave matters outside the palace be for now.」

Back at her family home, Ji Mingyun first received the imperial edict making her a Noble Lady. On the day she was to enter the palace, the other new concubines of the Daying and Changzai ranks were intensely jealous of her. However, once inside the palace, the hierarchy was absolute. Given the difference in their stations, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble for her.

Xin Daying, conscious of her own low status, wanted to latch onto the Noble Lady’s coattails, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

She humbled herself and showered Consort Ji with a torrent of flattery. Although Consort Ji didn’t immediately take her in as a confidante, a smile did grace her lips. "You make me sound so wonderful, sister, I’m almost embarrassed. I just worry others don’t see me that way."

Not far away, Song Changzai nearly rolled her eyes into the back of her head.

Xin Daying was still talking when a nanny came out to greet them. "I don’t care what others think. I feel a special connection with you, Sister Ji. It would be wonderful if we could be assigned to the same palace to keep each other company." She then smiled and asked the nanny, "Which palace have Sister Ji and I been assigned to?"

"Miss Xin is in Changchun Palace, and Miss Ji is in Yizhu Pavilion,"

the nanny said.

The moment her words fell, Song Changzai couldn’t help but let out a snicker. Lowering her voice, she said, "And here I thought she was so special. It’s not even a proper palace hall." She didn’t dare say it loudly, afraid Consort Ji would have something to use against her.

Consort Ji, however, was able to keep her composure. "Then I am truly fortunate. Of the two who previously lived in Yizhu Pavilion, one was promoted smoothly, and the other had the Emperor’s favor and a son. I hope some of their good fortune will rub off on me."

By bringing up Gu Zhaoyi, she made it so no one else dared to speak ill of Yizhu Pavilion again.

At the very least, it was the place that had produced Lady Zhaoyi!

"Please lead the way, Nanny,"

Consort Ji said softly.

Xin Daying followed them in as well. After they passed through the palace walls, the nanny first led Consort Ji to Yizhu Pavilion. Only then did the two of them realize just how remote Yizhu Pavilion’s location was! It was simply incredible that Gu Zhaoyi had managed to win the Emperor’s Holy Favor from the rank of a mere Daying in a place like this.

After settling in, Consort Ji generously took out some silver and sent someone to investigate why she had been assigned to Yizhu Pavilion.

...

"The Emperor didn’t inquire at all about the palace assignments this time?"

Consort Ji was willing to spend silver, but without any foundation in the harem, she only managed to uncover the most superficial information.

’If the Empress deliberately sent me to Yizhu Pavilion, this tactic is far too crude.’

"Forget it. Life goes on no matter where you are. Lu Qi, take some silver to the Imperial Household and see if you can procure the things we’re missing."

Consort Ji, on whom her family had placed great hopes, had entered the palace with a generous "dowry." After tipping the Imperial Household, she also distributed "heating stove silver" to the Imperial Kitchen. A Noble Lady’s allowance included two extra desserts, but there were no rules about what kind of desserts they had to be. Originally, the Imperial Kitchen had prepared sour plum glutinous rice balls for Consort Ji. The sour plum paste, let alone the plums themselves, wasn’t valuable, and glutinous rice was even cheaper. They were effortless to make and could be left to the apprentice eunuchs.

Now that she had spent the heating stove silver, Consort Ji got to eat desserts made with white sugar.

Lu Qi reported softly, "I just came back with the meals alongside Yin’er from Cao Daying’s retinue. The vegetable leaves for Cao Daying were all wilted, and the only meat dish was pure fat. I saw it and couldn’t even imagine eating it. She must not have tipped the eunuchs in the Imperial Kitchen; they are experts at making things difficult for people. But you, Miss, are a Noble Lady and are destined for great things. Even if you didn’t spend any silver, they would never dare send you such an insulting meal."