I decided to be not lazy today, so here is another chapter! Enjoy!
This is not a professional translation; you have been warned. ʘ‿ʘ
After hearing Aunt Qing’s words, Pan Er was a little bit unresponsive.
Not only she, but also Aunt Qing is a little confused.
Only then did she realize that the noble people in the palace did not live as well as the people in the outside thought.
It’s not enough to eat a chicken, you have to spend money.
Thanks to her steady personality, she didn’t show any clue in front of outsiders, only in front of Pan Er showed some traces of ‘unbelievable’ in her face.
As for Pan Er, she actually knows these things, but in her previous life, she had a difficult life, and she was not be so concerned about these external things at all. When she started to pay more attention, she was already a concubine, and didn’t care about that.
She was just embarrassed when Aunt Qing said, “You have to spend money to eat a chicken.”.
She, Empress Yi An, had to give people money to eat chicken.
Obviously, this ‘chicken has not been eaten, but money has to be spent’, which affects not only Pan Er, but also Xiang Pu and Qing Dai looking at Pan Er with sympathy.
Xiang Pu thoughtfully said, “Master, what do you want to eat for lunch? It doesn’t matter if they don’t give it. The slave takes some silver to try.”
Pan Er thought about it, hesitated and said, “Well, why don’t we give it a try?”
Strange chicken!
Except for Xiao Dezi and Xiao Tianzi, the other three people all agreed with the idea and were extremely indignant.
Then a chicken it is!
She went to wash her hands, took some silver and called Xiao Dezi. They went to the dining room together to have lunch. Bai Zhu is silent and continues to change the window screen with Qing Dai.
At the end of spring and the beginning of summer, the window paper in the Imperial Palace will be changed from paper to screen. There was no one living in the yard before, and the window screen had not been changed. There was copy of the screen that was sent a while ago. The work had not been done by Xiang Pu and Qing Dai, so Bai Zhu took them to do it.
After changing the window screen, sure enough, the room is more bright and fresh.
Pan Er asked them to wash their hands and have a rest so they can work in the afternoon. Pan Er is thinking about a problem, Pei Yong Chang gave them silver and she wanted to save some so it can last for five or six years but it may not take that long at all to spend it.
She was used to the life of being well-off. She could endure for a while because of the situation, but she could not endure all the time just to save money. In summer, there must be ice, in winter, there must be charcoal. She is not used to black charcoal, only the best [1]red charcoal. But aunt Qing told her just now that there is no ice in her case, and there is no red charcoal, only black charcoal.
Black charcoal has smoke!
There is no ice in summer. She lives in the west chamber which is very hot during summer. How can she live through these days?
Pan Er suddenly felt that she thought it was a little too simple. She thought that after she entered the palace, as long as she was away from the Crown Princess and lived her life in a low-key way, she would give birth to Yue-er and complete half of the task.
Now thinking about it, she is still struggling on the edge of survival.
She didn’t have time to think for a long time because Xiang Pu came back with the chicken she ordered.
In addition to the chicken, there are two more stir fried dishes. One is stir fried shredded pork with wood ear mushroom and the other one is stir fried three kinds of vegetables. Furthermore, there’s clear mixed noodles, and another mixed dish (egg, vegetable and mushroom). The chicken is braised in soy sauce. It’s very thick with lard and beans. The soup is red and thick, with Chinese yams in it.
Pan Er doubted that last night’s table and this morning’s breakfast were specially prepared for the new comers by the kitchen. Sure enough, when Xiang Pu helped her set up the meal, she told her that a little eunuch surname Zhang in the kitchen had said that the two meals before were for the new comers. Since the order had come down, he arranged the meal according to the order.
In fact, the little eunuch surname Zhang also said some stabbing words. However, once Xiang Pu stuffed him some silver, and he became dumb. Immediately, his yin-yang face turned into a big smile. He also advised Xiang Pu and Xiao Dezi. He said that in fact, some people can eat more than one share of the food, without giving money to the kitchen.
When he said this, the palace maids beside Hu Liangdi came to get the meals coincidently.
The little eunuch who was in charge of taking Hu Liandi’s meal, with a face full of flattery, was simply unbearable. The kitchen made a lot of dishes at that time, and was still stuffing the food box when they went out.
At that time, Xiang Pu was not comfortable, but she didn’t say anything. She suffered countless hardships when she was young. She understood that some words could be said and some words could not be said.
She knows but that doesn’t mean Yu Ping knows.
Yu Ping has been waiting for Zhao Xi Yue since she was a child. The big servant girls around the girls of the aristocratic family are no worse than the ordinary rich family. When did they lose face because of a bowl of food?
When she ordered, the little eunuch who was in charge of taking food for her said no and stabbed her with words twice.
Yu Ping was annoyed at once, making a scene in the kitchen.
When the Xiang Pu left, Yu Ping was still quarreling there but no one paid attention to her. At noon, when the kitchen is very busy, who would take care of her. This matter also reached Jide hall. In the afternoon, the Crown Princess sent an old Mama to teach Yu Ping and Yu Xia the rules without saying anything else.
This matter also affected Xiang Pu and Qing Dai, because they were reprimanded by the Crown Princess when they went to Jide hall the next day. It was known that they were all brought from outside the palace so they should be taught together, so as to understand the rules and not regenerate things.
Pan Er and Zhao Xiyue dare not say anything and who called their maids not sensible. It’s said that the old Mama’s surname is Li. She used to be the prince’s servant since he was little.
The rules are particularly strict and the hands are particularly black.
So she taught for a few days, Xiang Pu and others are crying with grievances. Every day they are back with injuries.
That’s not all, there is also a great influence in this matter. People in the East Palace are not paying attention to the people in this courtyard, which is embodied in the kitchen and Jide hall.
The kitchen is the place where we have to deal with every day. Originally, for the sake of money, other people still have a little smile. Now the smile is gone, and they always want to find something to ask for more money from time to time.
On the other side of Jide hall, Pan Er, as a concubine, goes to the Crown Princess every day to say hello. The people who serve in Jide hall, because they serve princess, they are superior to others. Therefore, their attitude towards to those who are concubines is not cold nor hot.
In fact, there are still differences. The difference is that some of them are polite, some are not polite, and others treat them like air.
T/N: The battle begins ~
I think they fuss over the chicken because it is a very common dish that even poor afford. Especially, in the countryside it is cheaper or they can raise it and they can even eat it on normal days. However, they were surprised that in the palace you had to pay more for eating it and Pan Er was not even given a share of it even though she’s a concubine now.
- [1] Red charcoal [hóng luō tàn] <红罗炭> – In the Qing Dynasty, the charcoal burned in the charcoal furnace in the Imperial Palace is the best “red charcoal”. Usually it is allocated to the Emperor and the harem.
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Kermille's Blog 
Seriously that crown princess is dumb. More supporter or no supporter, which is better.. if it’s me I’d give them greasiest meat and sumptuous feast. Why kept them concubines thin and attractive?
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