Reborn as a Maid in Ancient Times

Zhang You chose a relatively better bed that could occasionally get some sun.

Taking advantage of the good afternoon sun, I first put the clothes and blankets I received outside to air them out for a while, then simply washed the bedding and tidied up my belongings.

Although she wanted to postpone it a little longer and not face work life so soon, she had to admit that when you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head.

Ugh.

Zhang You resignedly went to the small kitchen to find Granny Chang.

Fortunately, she had just arrived, and Granny Chang hadn't assigned her any work.

He simply took her and the six girls to familiarize themselves with the rules of the mansion, a practice commonly known as—listening to gossip.

The group of eight sat in the open space next to the small kitchen, practicing their smiling faces while listening to Granny Chang talk about the Qiao family.

Actually, this house was the Qiao family mansion a long time ago. Later, the previous head of the family joined the army by chance and became a general. He helped the late emperor stabilize the country and rose from the Dingbei General's Mansion to the Dingbei Prince's Mansion, becoming a sworn brother of the late emperor and settling in the capital.

The house here became an old house, and for forty years, the old prince only sent his collateral relatives to manage it.

A few years ago, the northern barbarians were eyeing the area covetously.

The emperor then dispatched the current prince to guard the border and fight the enemy.

After the prince arrived, he won more than ten victories in less than a year.

To prevent repeated invasions by barbarians, the prince stationed himself here.

The princess and the prince were deeply in love, and later the whole family moved back to this old house.

However, due to mismanagement in the previous decades, there was a shortage of people and resources in many areas, so people were gradually brought in to renovate the old house.

Because this head of the family grew up in the capital and spent a long time guarding the border, he inevitably missed the capital, so he specially renovated the house in the capital.

Therefore, the trees and flowers here are especially precious and need to be carefully cared for.

Zhang You and her colleagues' current work includes planting and maintaining the plants in the North Campus, but that's something they need to do tomorrow morning.

Because she was afraid they would talk back to their masters, Granny Chang made a point of emphasizing the identities of the various masters in the mansion.

The prince is not in the manor because there is still fighting on the border recently, so the prince has been at the front line. However, the prince will send his attendants to deliver messages to the manor.

The Princess Consort is currently in charge of the household and lives in the main courtyard on the east side. She appears gentle and kind, but she is decisive and efficient in her actions.

When they first moved here, the collateral relatives who had previously managed the household were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. After the princess discovered this, they were given ten strokes of the cane and expelled from the mansion. Only a few loyal collateral relatives remained to help manage the affairs of the mansion. For example, Steward Qiao, who bought Zhang You into the mansion, was from the collateral branch of the Qiao family. His original name was Qiao Tong, and he had two older brothers, Qiao Jin and Qiao Yin, both of whom held positions in the mansion. Because his two brothers held higher positions than him, he especially disliked hearing others talk about this matter.

This tactic of making an example of someone to deter others also served as a warning to many servants and maids with ulterior motives.

There are six young masters in the manor, but one of them, the third young master, is not here; he stayed in the capital.

Although Granny Chang said it nicely, that the Empress liked this third young master and, considering his young age, couldn't bear to see him running around with the prince, she kept him by her side to raise him.

However, for Zhang You, who has extensive knowledge of palace intrigue, this was clearly a hostage.

It was merely a tactic to manipulate the Prince of Dingbei and make him wholeheartedly serve the royal family.

However, the third prince is the daughter of the queen and is the most legitimate heir to the throne.

Now that he's been detained in the capital, this prince's mansion probably isn't a safe place to work.

Sooner or later, I'll have to leave this place. Whether I follow the steward or the master, I'll make it work for them and get a contract of servitude so I can leave.

However, judging from the current situation, the emperor still has to rely on the Prince of Dingbei, which means that this place is safe for the time being, and it is estimated that it will be safe for the next few years as well.

Let's keep doing this, save up the money, and then we can run away.

"Besides the Third Young Master not being in this residence, the Eldest Young Master, Second Young Lady, Fourth Young Lady, Fifth Young Lady, and Sixth Young Lady are also currently here..."

Among them, the Third Prince and the Fourth Princess were born to the Princess. The Third Prince's personality was unknown, but the Fourth Princess was sometimes gentle, sometimes strong, and could even be considered spoiled; she was very unpredictable.

As for the eldest son and the second daughter, they were born of the same mother, a concubine. However, she was short-lived and passed away less than two years after giving birth to the second daughter.

As for what their birth mother was like, Granny Chang didn't know much either; she only knew these things from what the old people in the mansion had told her.

I wonder if it's because this concubine died early, but the eldest son, who was a sensible and obedient child, has now become a dissolute and frivolous man.

He often harassed young girls in the capital, but he was much more restrained here—perhaps because most people here were starving and there weren't many beautiful women.

There were also many courtyards in the mansion where he kept the concubines he had taken in the capital, all of whom were arranged to live in the courtyards on the north side.

Although they were born of the same mother, the second daughter's personality was completely different from his.

She was an extremely gentle and quiet girl who often went to the princess's house to fulfill her filial duties. Sometimes she got along better with the princess than with the fourth young lady.

So she lived near the main courtyard where the princess lived, just like the fourth daughter.

The fifth and sixth daughters were born to two concubines, both of whom were of a quiet and unassuming nature. As a result, the two daughters were also quiet, unassuming, and had a very low profile.

There were several concubines and one secondary consort in the household. The secondary consort had no children and usually preferred to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. They all lived in the northeast corner.

After introducing (gossiping) the identities of the various masters of the Prince's Mansion, Granny Chang went on to introduce a bunch of rules.

The rules covered everything from how to take care of the master to how to care for the flowers and plants, leaving no detail unattended.

They talked until it was getting late before Granny Chang led them to the main kitchen to help prepare dishes for the masters.

I must say, the masters ate incredibly well!

In one meal, especially in the north, there were three meat dishes!

And this is only for one person!

It smells so good!

Zhang You handed the cleaned fish to the chef, and looking at the old hen soup simmering in his small clay pot, she shed tears of envy.

The milky white broth, the golden chicken, the fragrant aroma!

Although it was just a fleeting glance, it was still deeply etched in Zhang You's mind.

Even if we take a step back and say that a lowly maid can't get a little meat on her plate, does that mean she can't get a little meat on her plate?

"Uncle, can the masters finish all this food? If they can't finish it, can we have some?"

Zhang You stared longingly at the braised fish in the chef's hands, secretly swallowing her saliva.

"Hey, you're new here, aren't you? This kind of dish is reserved for the masters. If the masters can't finish it, the leftovers are given to their personal maids and servants. It's not for us."

The chef deftly fried the fish while talking.

Zhang You was trying to curry favor with him, so she stayed by his side helping out and kept praising his skills. And indeed, his skills were impressive.

Perhaps the chef took a liking to her, because he secretly used the broth from stir-frying beef and scrambled eggs to stir-fry a small portion of cabbage for her.

Zhang You secretly ate, praising him even more enthusiastically, "When I have money in the future, I will definitely buy you wine to show my respect."

The chef beamed with delight.