The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

According to the rules of the harem, a regular servant is required to have two maids and two young eunuchs. When she was first canonized, An Lingrong had reported to the Imperial Household Department that she would bring a personal maid into the palace, so the Imperial Household Department allocated a maid.

An Lingrong walked into the hall, and Baojuan led two other young eunuchs to pay their respects to An Lingrong.

"The servant Xiao Linzi pays his respects to the young master."

"The servant Xiao Chengzi pays his respects to the young master."

An Lingrong took a sip of the tea brewed with perilla leaves, then gently placed it on the small plum blossom-patterned vermilion lacquer table beside her. She wiped the nonexistent tea stains with her handkerchief before speaking softly, "From now on, you will all be members of my palace. Ability is of the essence, but loyalty is paramount. Remember that?"

The three people below were trembling with fear. Although their mistress was the daughter of a minor official, her aura was not to be ignored. They quickly responded, "Yes, yes, this servant will serve you loyally."

"If you are loyal to me, I will naturally protect you!" After An Lingrong finished speaking, she winked and Su Ye took out silver from his purse and gave each of them an ingot.

"Go down!"

After the three of them left, An Lingrong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her previous arrogance was all fake. Didn't you see Su Ye was holding back his laughter?

An Lingrong carefully surveyed the palace, her gaze sweeping over every detail, and a sudden sense of déjà vu washed over her. Everything here, the tables and chairs, the ornaments, the screens—it seemed as if she had seen it countless times before, and this familiarity surprised her deeply.

But at this moment, An Lingrong didn't have time to think deeply about this strange phenomenon. She had more important things to do. She turned to Su Ye beside her and said, "Su Ye, I want to go and pay my respects to Noble Lady Fu Cha in the main hall. Please go and ask if she has time to see me."

After hearing this, Su Ye immediately nodded and said, "Okay, my lady, I'll go ask right away." After that, she turned and walked towards the main hall.

In the palace, meeting with a noble person requires following certain rules and etiquette. If the noble person is not convenient to meet, they cannot disturb him forcibly.

Noble Lady Fucha was born into the Fucha clan, one of the eight major Manchu clans. She was of noble status and her position was higher than hers. An Lingrong had just arrived, so she had to do her best to save her face.

As for Xia Dongchun, they have the same status, so there is no need to greet them. Besides, we have already met them just now!

After a cup of tea, Su Ye came in and replied, "My lady, Sang'er beside Noble Lady Fucha said that Noble Lady Fucha is tired and will talk to you when she is free."

An Lingrong was actually happy to have some free time.

In the Qing Dynasty, people had two meals a day, breakfast at around seven o'clock and dinner at around two o'clock. Snacks could be added after the main meal, and the time was not fixed.

Soon, dinner was delivered from the imperial kitchen, including braised goose feet in fermented rice wine, choy sum with fresh mushrooms, roasted lamb, steamed sea bass, and a bowl of thick bird's nest and shredded chicken porridge.

Since the young ladies had just arrived at the palace and the imperial kitchen was still relatively new, the meals they served were all of the highest standard within their allotments. An Lingrong had only eaten a few dim sum since morning, and her stomach had already begun to sing the empty city plan. She ignored the already somewhat cold dishes and ate them gracefully.

The oil used in cooking at that time was mostly animal fat, so the dishes were fragrant but very greasy. In addition, in order to cater to the tastes of most people, the imperial kitchen did not use chili peppers or peppercorns for seasoning. In order to maintain a good image in front of the emperor, the concubines in the palace did not eat foods with strong flavors such as onions and garlic. So after this meal, An Lingrong, who was used to eating foods with heavy oils, salts and food additives, felt that the imperial court meals were just average!

Most girls think they're fat. In her previous life, An Lingrong only ate until she was 70% full, a habit she'd carried over to this time. Most of the food on the table was left over. Adhering to the principle that waste is a grave sin, An Lingrong asked Su Ye and the other four to take it away and finish it. Su Ye had lived a life of poverty, and this was the first time she'd eaten food made with such expensive ingredients. Although she didn't show it on her face, she was delighted.

After dinner, An Lingrong felt a bit bored. She sat on the couch, not knowing what to do. She thought back to her past life, when she could scroll through Douyin for entire afternoons. When her eyes tired, she'd turn on Tomato and listen to a novel, or go shopping with her two sisters. She'd never known the meaning of "boredom." Thinking about how she'd be living this boring life for the rest of her life, An Lingrong sighed, holding her forehead. She needed to find some hobbies.

An Lingrong carefully recalled the hobbies of the women in the harem. Concubine Qi liked to roll dice, which was not encouraged, as gambling was prohibited in the country. Concubine Jing liked to count bricks, but wasn't that a bit boring? Concubine Hua liked to lecture people, which was even worse. Who would she dare to lecture as a nobody in the harem? Playing the piano or the flute seemed a bit difficult, and she wondered if she could learn them.

After taking stock, An Lingrong discovered in despair that she was really a useless person with no special skills at all. It seemed that she could do nothing except eating and waiting to die.

"Alas, I was born at the wrong time!"

After Su Ye settled down in his own quarters, he came to the main hall and saw his mistress half-leaning on the couch with her eyes looking up at the sky. Su Ye quickly reminded her: "Mistress, mistress, be polite."

An Lingrong sat up straight and folded her hands like a primary school student who had been called out.

The first day in the palace was boring.