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

Shen Wei's singing is like the gurgling spring water in March, but suddenly polluted by feces; it is also like the lotus flowers blooming in the pond in summer, whose petals are bitten by toads; it is like the birds on the branches preparing to fly south in autumn, but suddenly shot dead by a hunter's arrow; or it is like the red plum blossoms blooming in winter, but the whole tree is crushed by the snow and will never be reborn.

The mountains cracked due to the earthquake, the rivers burst their banks due to the rainstorm, there was a bolt of lightning in the clear sky, the sky collapsed and the earth split, and ghosts cried and wolves howled.

After singing more than a dozen lines, Shen Wei finally stopped singing confidently, her big eyes sparkling, "Does it sound good?"

Cai Lian and Cai Ping were both silent.

How can I tactfully remind my master that her singing voice is unpleasant?

At this time, Rong Mama rushed in, holding a peach that she had not yet peeled. Rong Mama shouted anxiously: "Is there a mouse in the house? Why do I hear the master screaming in fear?"

Now it was Shen Wei's turn to be silent.

There is nothing difficult in the world, just give up.

But Shen Wei didn't want to give up. She couldn't sing the difficult Kunqu Opera, but she could learn some simple tunes. She didn't have to be proficient in it, but at least she had to know it.

As long as she keeps practicing, her singing skills will definitely improve.

Not only singing, Shen Wei also wants to continue to learn the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, learn the palace rules and etiquette, and understand the customs and practices of this world. She is always making progress as she learns until she grows old.

"By the way, where will the prince stay tonight?" Shen Wei asked Madam Rong.

Rong Mama replied, "I heard from the rich steward that the prince will have dinner with the princess tonight."

The princess is the legal wife of the Prince of Yan. The Prince of Yan visits the princess several times a month to give her the proper respect.

If Prince Yan had stayed with Shen Wei all the time, he would probably have gotten a bad reputation for "favoring his concubine over his wife," and Shen Wei would have become the target of public criticism.

Since the Prince of Yan is not coming to her place, Shen Wei can finally have a good sleep tonight. Shen Wei stretched and told Rong Mama: "Tell the kitchen that I want to eat stir-fried spinach, shrimp and kelp soup, and mushroom braised chicken tonight."

The treatment for a concubine is that she can eat whatever she wants.

The kitchen staff in the palace never dared to deduct her food. All the delicious food was sent to Shen Wei. Her treatment was only slightly worse than that of the princess.

...

At night, Shen Wei enjoyed delicious food in the Glazed Pavilion. The King of Yan returned in the dark. He was very busy today. The border war was tense, the south was flooded, and the Ministry of Rites was exposed for corruption.

The prince was in poor health, so Prince Yan had no choice but to help the prince deal with many busy official duties. He was so busy that he returned home only after dark, with his stomach growling with hunger.

Coupled with the hot and humid weather, Prince Yan was even more depressed.

The Prince of Yan was going to have dinner at the Princess's Kunyu Courtyard. Although he had no feelings for the Princess, she was his first wife after all, so the Prince of Yan would still give her the respect she deserved.

"Your Highness, these are the fresh-cut peaches sent by Master Shen. Master Shen said that the weather is hot and humid today, and the chilled peaches can help relieve the heat." Fugui walked over and took out the ice bowl from the food box.

In the bowl were three fresh peach pieces, peeled and with toothpicks stuck in them.

The prince took a bite and found the peach pieces to be crisp and sweet, and tasted great after being chilled. In the hot summer, the prince's irritable mood finally eased a little.

Fugui looked at the delicious peach and thought how happy he would be to eat a piece of it in the hot summer.

It's a pity that he is a servant and has no right to eat it.

"Go to Liuli Pavilion and tell Weiwei that I will go to accompany her tomorrow." King Yan ordered Fugui.

Prince Yan stepped into Kunyu Courtyard.

A strong scent of sandalwood from the Buddhist shrine permeated the air, a bit smoky. The princess burned incense in the temple every day, and over time, the whole courtyard was filled with the strong smell of incense and candles.

On a hot day, this smell is really annoying. Prince Yan missed Shen Wei's yard, which always had the refreshing fragrance of flowers and plants, and the bedroom was also refreshing in summer.

"Your Highness, dinner is ready." The princess took the initiative to greet him.

The princess naturally prepared enough for the prince's meal. The table was filled with braised pork trotters, sweet and sour spareribs, lotus root and ham soup, shrimps, etc.

The air is thick and hot.

The room was already stuffy and hot when the hot food was served on the table. Eating in the summer always makes you sweat. The King of Yan took two bites and sweat broke out on his forehead.

Prince Yan put down his chopsticks and asked the princess: "Have you prepared the birthday gift for Zhaoyang?"

The princess's hand holding the chopsticks paused.

Then she remembered that Princess Zhaoyang's birthday was coming up, and the Prince of Yan's Mansion naturally had to prepare a gift. But in recent days, the princess was busy supervising her children's studies and had forgotten about it.

But she couldn't show her dereliction of duty, so the princess forced a smile and said perfunctorily: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I am already preparing and will definitely give Zhaoyang a gift that will satisfy her."

The gifts given to the princess are nothing more than some gold, silver and jade.

The palace storehouse is filled with gold, silver, and jewelry. It won’t take much time to just go to the storehouse and pick out a few pieces.

The King of Yan did not ask any more questions and continued to eat his dinner. He really liked sweet and sour pork ribs and did not stop eating after eating five or six pieces.

The royal family has its own rules for eating. They emphasize chewing food slowly and thoroughly, and a dish cannot be eaten more than once.

But the King of Yan had been busy all day and was extremely exhausted and hungry, so he ate very quickly.

Perhaps because she often disciplined her children, the princess liked to discipline others. Seeing that the prince of Yan was not eating properly, she could not help but gently remind him: "Your Highness, eating too much meat will cause bloating, so it is better to eat more vegetables. Eat meat and vegetables carefully and chew them slowly - someone, take away the sweet and sour pork ribs."

As she spoke, the princess personally used her spare chopsticks to pick up two pieces of fried vegetables and placed them in front of the Prince of Yan.

The Prince of Yan became even more angry.

He put down his chopsticks with a snap: "I don't need the princess to teach me how to eat."

The princess' body froze, with a hint of grievance in her eyes.

She was only concerned about Prince Yan's health, but she didn't expect that the prince would not listen to her good advice.

The princess said bitterly, "My Lord, I am doing this for you. Since ancient times, honest words are unpleasant to the ears but beneficial to one's conduct."

The King of Yan was too lazy to listen to her noisy words, which were so long-winded that they made his head buzz.

Prince Yan took the princess's dignity into consideration and came to her several times every month even though he favored Shen Wei.

But every time she came, the princess's every word, every action, every move, all hit his sore spots accurately.

The King of Yan could not stay any longer and left in anger.

After leaving Kunyu Courtyard, the clear moonlight was shining and the air was no longer filled with the strong smell of fireworks and incense from the Buddhist temple. King Yan breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Go to the Glazed Pavilion." King Yan looked towards the Glazed Pavilion. Shen Wei had hung a few beautiful carp lanterns on the eaves of the second floor of the Glazed Pavilion, which were very eye-catching under the night sky.

In the lifeless palace, only the Glazed Pavilion is lively.

...

Prince Yan left again, and the princess weakly put down the chopsticks in her hand.

The table was full of delicious food, all of which she had asked the kitchen to prepare since the afternoon, with good intentions. But the prince didn't eat much, didn't give her face at all, and just left.

The princess' eyes were wet and her heart was broken.

Eunuch Fugui entered the room and said respectfully, "Princess, the prince has another instruction. Please prepare Zhaoyang's birthday gift and do not add to the academic burden of the two young masters. Also, please check the land revenue of the palace in spring with me."

The princess took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her eyes, and her tone became calm and cold: "In previous years, you were in charge of the land revenue of the palace in the spring. This year, you will continue to check it."