Don't be a salted fish, the daily life of the concubine in the palace

...

As soon as Prince Yan left, Shen Wei in Fangfei Garden slowly put down the medicine bowl and stretched.

Shen Wei admired her own acting skills, which were becoming more and more superb.

She could interpret the half love for King Yan as full love. Thinking of her sour lines just now, Shen Wei's shoulders suddenly got goose bumps.

This is also Shen Wei's brilliance.

She did not take the initiative to tell the King of Yan about the haunted things, but let him discover them himself. In this way, in the King of Yan's heart, she was a tolerant, pitiful and sensible woman.

Can get more love (money) from King Yan.

As for Prince Yan's boots - black boots embroidered with gold and scratched, Shen Wei secretly scratched them with a knife this morning.

As for the work of making boots for the King of Yan, making clothes, shoes, and sachets, it was contracted to Cai Lian and Cai Ping. With a generous bonus, the two maids were happy to do it.

"Now, we're just waiting to move to a bigger house." Shen Wei's smile widened, and she was quite grateful to Zhang Yue.

If Zhang Yue hadn't played tricks, Shen Wei's plan to move to a bigger house would not have been brought forward.

In life, is there anything happier than getting a promotion, a pay raise, and a bigger house?

...

Fugui was worthy of being the chief steward of the palace. He was extremely efficient and soon found out that it was Zhang Yue from the Rose Garden who was playing tricks.

When a living person pretends to be a ghost, there are traces to be found.

Fugui was about to tell the King of Yan about this, but Rong Mama stopped him. Rong Mama took Fugui to a corner of the garden and said earnestly, "Master Fugui, we can't find the real culprit in this haunted matter."

Fugui raised his eyebrows and said unhappily, "Who said we can't find the real culprit? It's obviously Qiangweiyuan who is behind this."

Aunt Rong gave him a meaningful look and said, "My master said that the real culprit cannot be found."

As she spoke, Rong Mama stuffed an expensive enamel snuff bottle into Fugui's hand.

Fugui was stunned. He looked down at the snuff bottle, then looked up at Rong Mama who was so close to him.

Fugui's eyes rolled around and he immediately reacted. He smiled and played with the snuff bottle in his hand: "Oh, Rong Mama, what is Master Shen planning now?"

Rong Mama smiled and said, "How can this servant interfere in the master's affairs? Just wait and see what happens."

Fugui put away the snuff bottle, and the two of them completed the transaction tacitly.

...

The news of the haunting of Fangfei Garden also reached the ears of the princess, who was supervising her two sons to complete their homework.

The princess had also experienced cruel palace fights in her early years, so she naturally knew the little tricks of "playing tricks" in the backyard.

"Princess, should we punish Zhang Yue?" Nanny Liu asked the princess for her opinion.

The princess shook her head lightly. She didn't need to think too much as she had already guessed the direction of the next plot.

It was nothing more than Zhang pretending to be a ghost to play a trick on Shen Wei, and Shen cried and complained to the prince, and finally the prince punished Zhang, and the matter was just passed over.

Such despicable means of vying for favor are like a child playing house and are not worthy of being displayed in public.

Zhang Yue and Shen Wei's quarrel was actually meaningless. They were just two low-ranking concubines without children, fighting for the false favor in front of them.

"Don't interfere, just let it go." The princess didn't care and continued to supervise the two children doing their homework.

Seeing her eldest son dozing off while holding a brush, the princess angrily slapped her son’s palm with a stick and said, “You didn’t finish your homework, and you’re actually lazy and sleeping in the daytime!”

The eldest son, Li Chengke, was only ten years old. He said aggrievedly, "Mother, I only slept for less than three hours last night. I am really tired."

The princess's eyes were sharp, and her tone became more serious: "When your royal grandfather was ten years old, he could recite the Four Books and Five Classics by heart. You are also ten years old, why can't you do it?"

Li Chengke was crying with grievance, holding the brush in his hand, feeling restless and uneasy.

...

The news of the haunting in Fangfei Garden naturally reached the ears of several concubines.

In Mingyue Courtyard, Liu Qiaoer was having breakfast. Liu Qiaoer's family background was ordinary, and since she fell out of favor, her status as a concubine was downgraded to that of a concubine, and her breakfast consisted of only a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a bowl of very thin rice porridge.

Liu Qiaoer ate a simple breakfast and casually asked the maid, "How is Shen Wei?"

The maid replied, "I heard that Shen was extremely frightened, and she couldn't sleep or eat well, and she lost a lot of weight."

Liu Qiaoer smiled and shook her head.

See, this is the end of being in the limelight. The more prominent you are, the more you will become a thorn in the eyes of others.

Liu Qiaoer finished the last mouthful of cold porridge. The rice porridge tasted terrible, but at least it filled her stomach.

Mosquitoes buzzed in my ears. The maid said, "Master, the weather is getting hotter and hotter. The mat sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs is too worn out and the mosquito smoke is unpleasant... How about taking advantage of the recent downturn of the Shen family and finding a way to meet the prince?"

Liu Qiaoer could tolerate simple meals, but the maid couldn't.

Liu Qiaoer's allowance was reduced, and the maid's monthly salary was also reduced. This amount of money was not enough to cover the maid's family expenses.

The three concubines in the palace were not favored. Liu Ruyan and Zhang Miaoyu came from wealthy families, so they naturally had no shortage of food and clothing. Only Liu Qiaoer came from a family far away in Lingnan, and her father was only an ordinary seventh-rank official, so he could not provide Liu Qiaoer with supplies.

The maid hoped that Liu Qiaoer could work harder and win the favor of King Yan again. After all, the two of them were childhood sweethearts, and as long as Liu Qiaoer gave in a little, she would definitely win the love of King Yan.

But Liu Qiaoer just shook her head calmly: "Simple food can fill your stomach and bring you a peaceful life; fine clothes and delicious food may seem glamorous, but you won't be able to enjoy them in your life."

The maidservant had no expression on her face as she slapped a mosquito to death on her arm.

I kind of want to find another master.

The same situation also happened in Liu Ruyan's Qixue Pavilion. After learning that Fangfei Garden was haunted, the maid Xuemei knew that her chance had come.

Shen Wei was in a state of devastation, so the other wives and concubines naturally took advantage of the situation.

Xuemei encouraged Liu Ruyan: "Master, if Shen is scared to death by a ghost, our chance will come."

Liu Ruyan, in white clothes as white as snow, was sitting in the study painting plum blossoms. Liu Ruyan was born in a famous family, and although she was not favored by the prince, she was able to live a comfortable life.

Liu Ruyan put down her brush and looked at the lifelike white plum blossoms on the scroll. She said softly, "That female ghost is also a pitiful person. She didn't get the prince's love when she was alive, and she still feels resentful after her death. Alas, beautiful women have always had a short life."

When Liu Ruyan thought about her past with King Yan, tears fell down.

She had expected to spend every day with the King of Yan, drinking tea, watching flowers, traveling, and playing the zither in harmony. However, a lifetime together was ultimately just a mirage.

Liu Ruyan thought sadly, if she, Liu Ruyan, died one day, would the prince shed tears for her?

Xuemei was speechless.

Is this the time to sympathize with the ghost girl? Is this the time to shed tears?

...

At night, after finishing his official duties, the King of Yan returned to the palace. He summoned Fugui to inquire about the results of his investigation into ghosts.

Fugui knelt down and pleaded tremblingly: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. The Fangfei Garden is really strange and does not seem to be man-made. I have sent people to Qingcheng Mountain to ask a Taoist priest with profound cultivation to perform a ritual."