"It's alright, please continue." Yin Qingyi was hoping that Yinzhen wouldn't come back. Although she had accepted the fact that she had transmigrated, she still wanted to think about the matter of sacrificing herself.

“Yes, besides the princesses, there are two concubines in the inner courtyard, namely Concubine Lan and Concubine Jiang. But the Prince might not even visit once a month.” Chunlan continued.

"Okay, you may leave now. I'll rest for a while." Yin Qingyi nodded. This was pretty much what she had expected, except for the addition of two concubines she hadn't written about.

"Yes." The three men respectfully withdrew.

After the three left and closed the door, Yin Qingyi leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples with a headache. None of the women in this backyard were simple. She, a little white rabbit with zero cunning, had entered the den of the big bad wolves. She didn't know if she could even live until the female lead entered the manor. Sigh, she didn't want to think about it anymore. Things would work themselves out. Anyway, she didn't need to go to the main courtyard to pay her respects until she was favored by the Fourth Prince, so she still had a few good days to enjoy. She took out the silver notes she always carried with her. These silver notes were given to her by the original owner's father. It wasn't much, just two hundred taels, but it was already more than half of the original owner's family's savings. She didn't know how long these two hundred taels would last her in this Prince's manor.

It was already early summer, and the ice allotted to a princess was scarce. If it was used during the day, there wouldn't be any left at night. And this money couldn't buy ice either; the annual ice allowance was fixed, and everyone's share was calculated precisely. Even if you had the money, you couldn't buy more. In winter, however, she could buy charcoal. Like ice, the charcoal in her princess's allowance was also limited, and if used during the day, there wouldn't be any left at night. But she could have someone go out and buy charcoal. Although she couldn't buy silver thread charcoal, she could buy red silk charcoal, which was of superior quality, though expensive. She didn't know how much she could buy with her two hundred taels, and she couldn't use all two hundred taels to buy charcoal. She would also need money for rewards later. If she wanted to eat dishes or pastries not included in her allowance, she would have to pay. Although she had a monthly allowance, it was only a few taels, not enough for all her rewards. Therefore, she had to be very careful with her two hundred taels.

In the evening, the table of dishes bestowed by the Princess Consort was brought over by two strong eunuchs.

"Princess Yin, this was ordered by the Fujin (princess's wife). What do you think?" A burly eunuch bowed and reported.

“Little Jinzi.” Yin Qingyi glanced at Little Jinzi.

"Put them down, brothers. Just give them to me. This is from our princess. Take it and have some tea." Little Jinzi gave them a small purse.

"Thank you for the gift, Princess Yin. This servant will take his leave now." The two men accepted the purse and then withdrew.

"Make amends." Seeing the two leave, Yin Qingyi calmly spoke, suppressing her heartache. She was already broke, and now she had to start spending money on her very first day. This wasn't a place to enjoy life; it was a place to fleece her! Although she had only given away two taels of silver, that was enough for her family of three to eat at home for several days!

"Yes!" Chunlan and Qiuju had no idea that their princess was feeling the pinch. They happily made arrangements with Xiaojinzi. The dishes tonight were indeed delicious. The princess couldn't finish them all, so the rest would be theirs. They didn't get to eat such a sumptuous meal very often.

After washing her hands, Yin Qingyi sat down and looked at the three people standing by to serve her. To be honest, she felt a little uncomfortable, but she couldn't say anything. She had to adapt to the rules of this era and the hierarchy.

Yin Qingyi had no appetite and ate only a few bites before letting Chunlan and Qiuju tear the food away.

"Princess, you're eating too little. Why don't you eat some more?" Qiuju asked with concern, looking at the almost untouched food.

"No need, you can share it." Yin Qingyi shook her head. She had a headache right now and needed to think about what to do next. The good news was that Yinzhen was not in the mansion, so she didn't need to have any close contact with this Fourth Prince for the time being, although it was only a matter of time.

Qiuju had no choice but to agree. After all, it was only the first day, and she didn't know what kind of personality her master had. She didn't say too much, for fear of upsetting her master.

After Chunlan and Qiuju withdrew, Yin Qingyi sat alone at her dressing table, gazing at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Though somewhat blurry, she could still discern her undeniable beauty: almond-shaped eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, willow-leaf eyebrows, and cherry lips, her face as delicate and radiant as a lotus emerging from the water. Touching her face, Yin Qingyi didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy. Happy? No woman wouldn't want a beautiful face. Unhappy? This face was too beautiful. In this treacherous inner courtyard, this face was her original sin. If any of the women in the inner courtyard saw her face, they wouldn't let her live peacefully in this mansion; they would do everything in their power to kill her!

The next morning, Yin Qingyi was woken up by Chunlan.

"Princess, today is your first day in the manor. You should go and pay your respects to the Fujin." Chunlan looked at her mistress, who was just opening her eyes, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom with a slightly awakened and charming look. She was even more like a bewitching enchantress. Chunlan couldn't help but catch her breath and blush. Her mistress was so beautiful. She was also happy. Her mistress was so beautiful that she would surely win the favor of the Prince.

"Hmm." Yin Qingyi's somewhat dazed mind instantly cleared up, and she nodded as Chunlan helped her get up, dress, and wash up.

"Princess, is this outfit alright for you?" Chunlan asked, holding up a light yellow qipao.

"That one, please." Yin Qingyi glanced at it and then looked away, pointing to a somewhat dark blue cheongsam. Yesterday, when she entered the manor, the sewing room staff came to deliver clothes in the afternoon. There weren't many, only four or five pieces, but that was enough.

"Isn't this... a bit too plain?" Chunlan looked at the qipao with some confusion.

"Just this one." Yin Qingyi didn't want to say too much. She wasn't sure if these three people were actually working for someone else, and saying too much would only put her at a disadvantage. She had to be extremely discreet during her visit today; otherwise, with that face, would she dare to try anything high-profile? She'd be guaranteed not to live to see the Fourth Prince return home!

"Yes." Chunlan was puzzled, but she didn't say anything more. Since her master did this, there must be a reason.

After putting on the qipao, Yin Qingyi looked at herself in the mirror, frowned, picked up the face powder on the table and rubbed it on her face a few times. Her face, which had just been so beautiful, became dull. Although she was still pretty, she no longer had the aggressive beauty she had just had. Only then did Yin Qingyi stop, satisfied.

"Let's go." Yin Qingyi looked at Chunlan.

"Yes." Chunlan understood what her princess had done by now, and she secretly blamed herself. The prince was not in the manor now, and the princess was beautiful, so she should have kept a low profile.