Unlike her usual simple and elegant makeup, Empress Niohuru was dressed in particularly gorgeous attire today. Her head was adorned with a magnificent gold ornament with more than three hundred pearls, and she wore a bright yellow collar ornament decorated with pearls and fir trees. She was dressed in a bright yellow robe with eight dragons and five-colored clouds, exuding the majesty and solemnity of royalty.

As soon as Pu entered the hall, he became the focus of everyone's attention.

The Empress walked straight to the head of the table and sat down: "Sisters, please rise."

The concubines smiled and agreed.

The Empress looked around the hall and then instructed the palace maids to bring soft stools, tea and snacks to the noble ladies, consorts and ladies-in-waiting: "Today is New Year's Eve, everyone should relax and have a happy New Year."

That's what they say.

After Wan Anran took a sip of tea and quickly grabbed two pastries to try, it was time to head to Cining Palace.

This was also the first time Wan Anran had met the two empress dowagers.

Compared to the smiling Empress Dowager, the solemn and dignified Grand Empress Dowager could command the surrounding concubines to lower their heads and raise their hands subconsciously with just a glance, each one showing great respect and obedience.

Wan Anran was the only one whose reaction was a beat slower.

She was stunned for a moment, then quickly lowered her head, staring at the back of her feet, unaware that her figure had already been spotted by the Empress Dowager.

The Empress led a group of palace concubines in paying their respects.

She curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress Mother."

Next came the greetings from the Imperial Concubine and other concubines: "Your humble servant/concubine/maid greets the Empress Dowager, greets the Empress Dowager."

You can tell how close or distant someone is just by looking at how they address each other.

Sure enough, Cining Palace became the place where the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress spoke. As for the others, including the Consort, they regarded themselves as wallflowers in Cining Palace and kept their mouths tightly shut.

Only after the conversation with the Empress came to an end did the Empress Dowager casually ask Consort Tong a question, and then exchange a few words with Consort Xuan... Judging from the number of times and the time, the next step would probably be to go to the Qianqing Palace... right?

To everyone's surprise, the Empress Dowager spoke again: "Which one is Consort Wan?"

Wan Anran felt a jolt in her heart.

She took a step forward with a heavy heart, while secretly lamenting her fate—Wan Anran had no desire to be the one to stick her neck out.

But now it's not up to her whether she wants to or not.

Staring at the gaze that was piercing her back and causing a dull ache, Wan Anran curtsied and said, "This humble servant is here."

The Empress Dowager then said, "Look up and let me see."

Wan Anran slightly raised her face. Having been eating and drinking well recently, coupled with her perfectly applied makeup, she not only showed no signs of illness but also looked full of energy. The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction: "She is a blessed person. Reward her."

After saying that, the Empress Dowager turned her gaze to Consort Xuan, a hint of gentleness appearing in her eyes: "Consort Xuan has taken excellent care of Consort Wan, she should be rewarded as well!"

Consort Tong lowered her head and composed herself, remaining silent.

The more the Empress Dowager praised Consort Xuan, the more she elevated herself, revealing her dissatisfaction with her. She let out a long sigh, feeling no joy of the New Year, only a growing sense of gloom.

I should have...

Consort Tong's gaze fell thoughtfully on Consort Wan. Wan Anran shook herself and tiptoed back to her original spot, her heart, which had been hanging high in the air, returning to the ground.

This New Year is really not going to be easy.

Looking around at the empty gazes of the concubines and the unchanging smiles on their faces, Wan Anran pondered with a troubled expression—and the upcoming family banquet at the Qianqing Palace further confirmed her thoughts.

The expectations I once had are like shattered mirrors scattered on the ground.

What delicious food, drinks, and shows? That's just a dream.

There are indeed plenty of delicious food and drinks.

The banquet was filled with a dazzling array of dishes, with extra food being served continuously—the problem was that most of these dishes were prepared in the morning and kept warm in the steamer. The chicken, duck, fish and meat were steamed until they were mushy and soft, while the vegetables were freshly stir-fried, but by the time they reached Wan Anran's table, they were already ice cold.

The worst was yet to come.

When the music first started playing, Wan Anran was still in a daze. Later, she realized that music played when the Emperor entered, when the Empress led the concubines to pay their respects, and even when the dishes were served. Forget about calming down to taste the food, chat, or watch the performances. In the end, Wan Anran only had three words in her mind: So annoying!

That's not even the worst part.

What frustrated Wan Anran was that what was supposed to be a family banquet was actually filled with numerous rules. When the Emperor appeared, all the concubines had to stand and curtsy; when the Emperor sat down, they had to bow; when the Emperor stood up, they had to bow again; and when the Emperor raised his cup, they had to bow…

Good heavens! After the family dinner, Wan Anran felt like she had done a full set of squats. Both of her thighs were sore, and her tense nerves made her so tired that she kept nodding off like a chicken pecking at rice.

Back at Xianfu Palace, she collapsed onto the bed like a salted fish, unable to get up.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve!

Wan Anran asked weakly, "How many more days do you think we have to live like this?"

The three palace maids were all taken aback.

Hai Tao then covered her mouth and chuckled, "My lady, this is nothing! Today is just the beginning; the main event will begin tomorrow!"

Wan Anran: …………

Seeing the young mistress's pained expression, Zisu comforted her, "Young mistress, how about we take a hot bath? Ju Bai and I have already boiled the water. After your bath, I'll give you a massage. I guarantee you'll feel comfortable and won't feel tired at all."

"Zisu, you can also give massages?"

“Yes, Your Highness. The Empress Dowager I used to serve was quite old, and she would get headaches and foot pains every few days. So I learned some massage techniques,” Zisu explained in detail.

A look of anticipation appeared on Wan Anran's face.

The mistress and her three servants entered the bathhouse. Haitao gently untangled her hair, first lathering the scented soap, then carefully massaging the foam into her hair. Once all her hair was covered in foam, Zisu scooped a ladle of warm water and slowly poured it over her, rinsing away the foam bit by bit.

It took me more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea just to wash my hair.

Ju Bai took the opportunity to fill the bathtub with hot water. Zi Su wanted to wrap Wan Anran's hair in cotton cloth and send her into the bathtub, but that would be uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Wan Anran shook her head. She took a long towel and quickly wrapped her hair tightly around it, then coiled it on top of her head.

Zisu looked distressed: "My lady, be careful with your hair!"

Wan Anran has long, glossy black hair. Even during her months of illness, her hair color has not been damaged. Haitao, Zisu, and Jubai praised her hair and took it very seriously, even combing it carefully for fear of missing any hair.

Where else can you find someone as brutal as Wan Anran?

Unlike Hai Tao, Zi Su, and Ju Bai, whose eyes were full of heartache, Wan Anran didn't care much. She strode towards the steaming bathtub.

She took off her outer garment and stepped inside. At first, she felt a little hot, but then she felt warm. Soon, the fatigue in Wan Anran's eyes was wiped away by the heat, and a blush rose on her cheeks.

Wan Anran rested her arms on the edge of the tub, her chin propped up, staring blankly into space. Zisu and Jubai quickly removed the towel wrapped around her hair and meticulously combed her long hair with a comb dipped in hair oil; just maintaining her hair took almost half an hour.

Hair dryers didn't exist in this era.

Once the combing was finished, Ju Bai was already waiting by the side with a towel. Drying hair is not such a simple task; it requires the three of them to work together. First, they gently covered the hair with a dry towel to absorb the excess water droplets, and then dried it little by little. The three of them went in and out, busy and bustling, and it was unclear how much time they spent getting it done.

As for Wan Anran, she was already drowsy.

As the hot water cooled, Hai Tao reminded her, and she got up and moved the bathtub out. Zi Su and Ju Bai came forward with thick towels, and just like when drying her hair, they had to be quick so that their mistress wouldn't get cold, and gentle so as not to bump into her body.

Thinking back to the discomfort of taking a bath for the first time after waking up, and then thinking about how I can now calmly stand as the palace servants wipe the water droplets off me and put on my pajamas...

Earlier, he had complained about the palace banquet being too cumbersome, but now, looking at himself enjoying the whole thing, and then at Hai Tao and the other two who hadn't stopped for even a moment, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

At least I'm a master after transmigrating.

What if she transmigrated into the body of a palace maid? While Wan Anran was lost in thought, she put on her cotton pajamas. The palace was supposed to make silk pajamas, which were smoother and more comfortable against the skin. However, Wan Anran preferred cotton, so these pajamas were made by Hai Tao earlier.

Look at her, if she weren't the master, she wouldn't even be able to wear such clothes. Wan Anran felt that she had been completely corrupted by the sugar-coated bullets of this era.

He returned to his bedchamber and lay down on the bed.

Zisu then began to massage her. Zisu's pressure was just right. Wan Anran lay on the bed and gradually dozed off. As drowsiness washed over her, she forced herself to stay awake and tentatively asked, "The three of you, do you feel... good to have me by your side?"

Zisu paused slightly with her fingers.

While Ju Bai was still in a daze, Hai Tao had already knelt on the ground: "Why do you say that, Your Highness? What have we done wrong? Please tell us, Your Highness..."

“You didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just me…”

Wan Anran couldn't help but sigh: "But I, your humble servant, have neither lofty ambitions nor a kind-hearted nature..."

"My lord, you are the best lord in the world!"

"My lady, do you want to send us away?" Ju Bai asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

The three palace maids looked at Wan Anran like little puppies.

Wan Anran was under immense pressure, shaking her head vigorously like a rattle drum: "How could this young mistress bear to part with you all?"

When Wan Anran patiently voiced what she had been thinking, the three of them were taken aback.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zisu, the oldest among them and the one who had stayed in the palace the longest, answered first: "Your Highness, for this servant, your place is the best place."

Before Wan Anran could show any doubt, Zisu lowered her eyes and said, "This servant used to serve the Dowager Consort."

Unlike the imperial concubines who received frequent rewards.

The concubines who had no children were the most likely to be neglected by the palace servants.

Hot food is food, and so is ice-cold food; freshly made charcoal is fire, and so is old and damp charcoal; bright and beautiful satin is fabric, and so is unevenly dyed imperial silk...

With so many people and so much material in the palace, there are always some things that others don't want or look down on, and in the end, these end up falling on the shoulders of these childless concubines.

What could the concubines do when they were neglected?

In the rigidly hierarchical Forbidden City, their choice was to direct their anger towards the palace servants who served them. The servants' meals were included in their masters' rations, and if someone wanted to make things difficult for them, they would ensure that the servants were not well-fed or warm, not to mention when they were on night duty.

Even if they survived until the death of the imperial concubines, the palace maids who had served them were considered unlucky and found it difficult to find a better place to go. Most of them ended up in the laundry department or cleaning in empty palace rooms.

As soon as Zisu finished speaking, Ju Bai pitifully chimed in, "This servant has no parents. It's already difficult enough for my elder brother and sister-in-law to raise their younger siblings, let alone help me in the palace."

Ju Bai and Zi Su recognized each other at a glance.

The two women knelt down and kowtowed to Wan Anran: "Your Highness, it is our greatest fortune to have met you!"

That's a huge exaggeration.

Wan Anran propped herself up and tried to help them up: "This young mistress... just feels like she's making a fuss."

"Your Highness, you're talking nonsense again."

"How can you say that about yourself, my lady?"

"Your Highness is so gentle and kind, you are the very, very best Your Highness!"

The three of them protested in unison.

Their faces were flushed red, and at first glance, they seemed even more agitated than Wan Anran. Ju Bai said repeatedly, "The work we servants did was far more detailed and elaborate than anything else in the palace, just like Consort Wuya!"

Um?

Wan Anran and Hai Tao both looked at Ju Bai.

Ju Bai did not go to Kunning Palace with her, and was unaware of the discord between the young mistress and Consort Wuya. Seeing that the young mistress was interested, she quickly told her everything she knew: "I heard from the nannies that Consort Wuya uses four or five different kinds of palace powder to wipe her face and massage every day, and the massage alone takes an hour!"

Wan Anran was dumbfounded.

She couldn't even be bothered to use one type of palace powder, yet Consort Wuya used four or five? While disliking Consort Wuya, Wan Anran also admired her greatly—she certainly couldn't do that.

Just then, Wan Anran heard Hai Tao's voice: "Master, we can't lose to Consort Wuya! This servant will go and get the Jade Face Powder to apply and massage your face!"