After the gathering ended, a series of matters arose. For example, as the dignified Consort Qi, Wan Anran had to take over some palace affairs, even if she really had no interest in them, she had no choice but to accept them this time.

The same applies to Consort Hui, Consort Rong, and Consort Xuan.

Consort Hui and Consort Rong were both seasoned veterans and did not want to cause any more trouble or clash with Consort Qi, who was currently in the limelight. Therefore, they both chose to handle the palace affairs they had dealt with before without hesitation.

Consort Hui was in charge of matters concerning the palace's personnel needs.

Although it looks complicated, there are rules and regulations for everything. As long as the palace servants are well managed, it will be fine as long as the rules are finalized on time.

Consort Rong was in charge of the preparations for the palace banquet.

Next comes the New Year, and there are so many things to prepare that it's enough to make one's legs hang off their feet; it's quite tedious and burdensome.

Immediately afterwards, Consort Hui and Consort Xuan both looked at Consort Qi.

These two tasks may seem tedious, but they each have their own advantages. For example, the matter of the palace's allowances and stipulations concerns many palaces in the harem, and frankly speaking, it is extremely convenient for spies and confidants.

As for Consort Rong, she was able to gain a good reputation among the imperial wives and noblewomen. What in this world is more important than a woman's reputation?

Both of them were somewhat uneasy.

If Consort Qi were to bring it up, how should one respond? Wan Anran frowned, unsure which part to choose. After a moment's thought, she cautiously inquired, "What usually troubles Your Majesty the Empress?"

The empress was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

Consort Xuan coughed and said, "Sister Qi, Her Majesty the Empress usually manages the inner palace, serving the two Empress Dowagers, receiving the imperial concubines and noblewomen, and secondly guiding and educating the princesses."

In short, the Empress's job mainly involved receiving and socializing, and secondly, educating the princesses on how to serve their elders. As for managing palace affairs, keeping accounts of income and expenditure, or organizing palace banquets, these were handled by the palace servants, who would then report back to the Empress.

The same applies after it is handed over to the imperial concubines.

This is not something that the concubines are supposed to do. The concubines' main job is to coordinate, supervise, and make decisions. The other miscellaneous tasks are of course left to the palace servants. Otherwise, what would be the point of having so many people?

Wan Anran blushed deeply.

Consort Hui and Consort Rong couldn't help but chuckle to themselves. This was entirely Consort Qi's own fault. When she was a concubine, she would slack off whenever she could and never helped with any work, which led to this embarrassing situation today.

The Empress laughed so hard she almost fell over.

She affectionately scolded Wan Anran, "You really don't take things to heart."

Wan Anran's eyelashes fluttered, and she was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear into the ground. Seeing that Consort Qi was in a dilemma and couldn't think of what to take charge of for a long time, the Empress thought for a moment and then asked with a smile: "It's almost the end of the year, so Consort Qi, why don't you help me tally up the year-end rewards and the comings and goings in and out of the palace?"

On New Year's Day, members of the imperial family and court officials would present gifts, and the emperor would also bestow many rewards upon them. As for the number of people coming and going from the palace, it was countless. The registration and record-keeping alone amounted to over a hundred entries a month. Although it sounds simple, organizing and reviewing them was extremely tedious.

This is not a good option.

The Empress simply thought it would be a good opportunity to train Consort Qi's character, but of course, it didn't matter if Consort Qi was unwilling.

Wan Anran thought about it and agreed.

Therefore, not long after she returned to Chuxiu Palace, a group of more than 30 palace servants delivered more than 100 books.

The sheer number of them piled up like a small mountain in the study.

After reading one book, Wan Anran felt completely unwell. For example, there was a register containing a list of gifts presented by the wives of imperial family members, officials, and envoys during the New Year of the 20th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, along with a list of corresponding rewards from the palace.

Wan Anran: …………

She felt dizzy after reading just two pages, and couldn't help but recall the time-travel novels she had read, where the female protagonist could always use spreadsheets to organize the accounts and other things neatly, which amazed readers.

In fact...

Wan Anran looked at the densely packed booklets and silently chose to close them.

I'm sorry! I can't do it!

Who can improve this thing? Just looking at it makes me feel like I'm going to die. After forcing herself to perk up and flipping through a few volumes, Wan Anran felt a surge of admiration for the Empress—she would transcribe a couple more scriptures for the Empress during the New Year, and pray to God to bless her with peace and safety!

This shows the pressure these booklets exerted.

Of course, Wan Anran also had her own questions, such as whether the legend of an egg costing one tael of silver was true. Thinking of this question, she enthusiastically opened a book about the income and expenditure of the imperial kitchen, and after looking at it for a while, she couldn't help but pout.

"What...?"

"Master, what's wrong?"

"I wanted to check the vegetable prices, but..." Wan Anran grumbled, glaring angrily at the booklet in front of her with some dissatisfaction.

What? One tael of silver for one egg.

All the vegetables and meat were provided by the Imperial Estates under the Imperial Household Department. Where did they come from to purchase from the people? There was even a record on a certain day that there were 3,320 catties of leftover kitchen waste, and the sales revenue was more than 2,700 taels of silver.

Wan Anran: ...?

She pointed to this line in the booklet, her face full of curiosity: "What... is this? Selling leftovers?"

The palace servants in Chuxiu Palace were also unaware of this.

They looked at each other, and after a long while, all shook their heads. Ju Bai thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "My lady, perhaps I should go to the imperial kitchen to ask?"

"What do you want to ask?" Before Wan Anran could answer, Kangxi asked as he pushed open the door.

Compared to the trembling palace servants, Wan Anran was already used to it. She curtsied and then asked a question curiously as she stood up.

This is unbelievable.

Does the palace still sell leftover food? How is it sold? Where is it sold?

Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily.

He gave Wan Anran a shocking answer: "This was your father's idea."

"...Father!?"

“That’s right.” Emperor Kangxi was amused by Consort Qi’s shocked expression.

He laughed heartily.

As Kangxi removed his snow-covered cloak, he smiled at Consort Qi and said, "Last time... cough cough, next time I'll take you to the streets of the capital to see if there are any special restaurants that sell the same dishes as the Emperor and the Consort."

She almost blurted out that she was leaving the palace.

Kangxi changed his mind very quickly, and even so, Hai Tao and the others looked surprised.

Taking their master out of the palace?

Their eyes met, and they were clearly overjoyed.

Wan Anran: …………? ? ?

Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she could hardly believe her ears.

Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but laugh when he saw Consort Qi's expression.

He recounted the matter in detail: "Ever since potato pastries and pig offal became popular in the capital, the Imperial Household Department has come up with quite a few ideas for these things. Among them, the matter of selling leftovers was done by your father, and I was shocked when he brought it up."

When it came to Consort Qi's father, Emperor Kangxi found it amusing.

Perhaps it was because Consort Qi inherited her father's temperament, Wanliuha Tuoerbi was a cautious and meticulous person to begin with. After becoming the head of the Imperial Household Department, he became even more meticulous and conscientious, and also more... timid as a mouse. In any case, Wanliuha Tuoerbi was undoubtedly the first person to frantically and fearfully deliver any bribes he received to him.

Water that is too clear has no fish.

Emperor Kangxi desired honest officials, but he didn't force it. However, when he encountered someone like Tuoerbi, although he verbally expressed his disdain, he was actually quite satisfied with him in his heart.

Of course, even this small bribe was beneath Kangxi's notice.

He immediately instructed Turbi to accept the bribes, but by the end of the year, he received a list from Turbi detailing the amount of bribes received, who gave them to him, and what each person requested...

Emperor Kangxi's reaction to receiving this book was one of mixed emotions.

This was the first gift he had ever received in his life that left him speechless.

Wan Anran was still asking, "How can leftover food be sold? Shouldn't it be donated..."

"I have also thought about it, but in practice, it has been exploited by others for profit, causing quite a few troubles." Kangxi's expression became much more serious when he spoke of this.

He didn't go into the details of the dispute, but instead casually changed the subject: "After trying it, I think Tuoerbi's idea is better. Divide these leftovers into several categories, sell some to Shuangpu, and sell others to street vendors. With a little processing, they can be sold to ordinary people at a low price. Even if the food in the palace is bad, it is still better than what many people eat."

Emperor Kangxi recounted the story in detail.

This was also the first time Wan Anran had heard of this. Just by looking at the Emperor's expression, she could tell that the matter had probably been handled in a way that pleased the Emperor greatly.

What about the content that the Emperor skipped over earlier?

The Emperor's words sound simple, but in practice, it's far from being such a simple and easy thing.

Wan Anran's eyes reddened slightly.

She had only met Lady Wanliuha once, and could barely remember what Törbi looked like, yet the other party had done so much in silence.

Why did Wanliuha Tuoerbi do this?

Wasn't all of this for her daughter in the palace? Wan Anran's eyes welled up with tears, and she thought that if her predecessor were still alive, if she could know the good intentions of her parents and family... that would be so good.

Wan Anran sniffed.

Seeing Consort Qi blinking and trying to hold back her tears, Emperor Kangxi couldn't help but feel a surge of tenderness. He gently patted her back, his voice exceptionally gentle: "Your father has done only good things, why are you sad?"

"I know... I just couldn't help it!" Wan Anran said in a muffled voice, with a slight nasal tone, as if she were pleading.

Emperor Kangxi chuckled softly.

He said gently, "If you miss your family, summon your mother to the palace so you can see her and have a chat."

"Hmm..." Wan Anran nodded.

"Don't overthink it. You're a concubine now, how can you still be so timid?"

Emperor Kangxi looked at Consort Qi's still cautious demeanor and was both amused and exasperated. He earnestly advised, "Consorts, it is normal for you to call your families to meet during festivals and New Years. Apart from when you were promoted last time, when have you ever called your families? You should see them more often to put your mind at ease."

Wan Anran always felt that the filter used to filter Kangxi was strange.

She simply didn't know how to get along with Lady Wanliuha, which is why she chose to give her gifts during festivals instead of summoning her.

But in the Emperor's eyes...?

Wan Anran was unaware that all of this was due to Tuoerbi, and looked at Kangxi with a slight sense of doubt.

Just then, Emperor Kangxi was sighing with regret.

His expression was one of satisfaction, yet also tinged with a hint of something unreadable: "The personalities of your family..."

Others are worried about the interference of the empress's relatives in politics, but she herself is actually complaining that Consort Qi's family is not bold enough? What a strange encounter.

Wan Anran: …………

She felt it best not to shatter the Emperor's illusions... so Wan Anran nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty, I understand."

Emperor Kangxi nodded in satisfaction.

He then changed the subject: "Speaking of which, I heard you had a dinner party a few days ago?"

What was flowing in Kangxi's eyes... a sense of melancholy?

Wan Anran's eyelids twitched, and she chose to avoid Kangxi's gaze: "It's normal for a few of us to have a meal together."

"And what about me?"

"It feels completely different when the Emperor is here."

"It was I who promoted you to a higher rank."

"Didn't His Majesty already eat it a couple of days ago?" Wan Anran sighed, her eyes glancing repeatedly at Kangxi's waist.

She chose to hold back.

Last time we had chicken hot pot, this time we had spicy stir-fry, next time we had barbecue, the time after that we had spicy skewers, and the time after that we had cheese fried chicken...

After indulging in feasting in the Chuxiu Palace, the Lunar New Year arrived. Once the holiday was over, and seeing that not only had the Emperor's eight-pack abs disappeared, but even his cheeks had become noticeably rounder, Wan Anran finally couldn't take it anymore.

She reached out and pinched the flesh on Kangxi's side.

Wan Anran's face was full of sorrow, and her voice was filled with grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, you need to lose weight! If you keep going like this, I'm afraid that when you go hunting at Jingshan in the spring... you'll be able to break the horse under your weight!"

Kangxi: …………