Chapter 169: Life in the royal chamber
...
The whole family is adapting to the new life.
Jiang Mianmian adapted especially quickly.
She moved into her own royal chamber, which had a partition next to the bedroom. Normally, there would be a maid on duty in the partition in case the young lady got up in the middle of the night to do something.
Aunt Yin said that normally a young lady from a powerful and noble family would have at least eight people serving her.
Two personal maids, two maids in the room, two maids for rough work, a wet nurse, and a woman.
A personal maid is equivalent to a modern private butler.
One is responsible for daily life, the four treasures of the study in the house, as well as needlework, spices, clothes, antiques, calligraphy and painting, that is, they are responsible for more advanced things. In short, one is responsible for finances, and the other is responsible for personnel and managing the maids below.
The specific work of tea and food, which requires close contact, is done by the lower-level maids.
Other things such as flowers, plants, decorations, cleaning, etc., need to be done, but those that do not require close contact are done by the rough maids.
If the noble lady is going to travel, she will also be equipped with a female guard.
The more versatile maids are not only personal butlers but also serve as female guards.
Just like Yao Gu who is beside Madam Jiang, she is very skilled and manages all the matters around Madam Jiang, including the maids.
The maids in the room are also responsible for combing hair, preparing spices, and so on.
As long as you can think of it, no matter how many people are needed.
So it is understandable that a princess or something like that is served by dozens of people.
From this, a male owner has a wife, many concubines, and many children. The number of people serving is full, so Lord He sent more than a hundred servants, which is not too much.
It is not an exaggeration.
It is the basic equipment of normal dignitaries.
Of course, Qin Luoxia was not overwhelmed by this sudden wealth.
Take your time.
Now I am not used to managing people. It doesn’t look right to have so many maids and servants at once. I have to get along with them everywhere. Maybe I will be controlled by them.
Although my aunt said that if she doesn’t like it, she can just sell it, but there are still many messy and scary things in the big family. My husband is like this. He didn’t have a good life in the Jiang family. There are many maids and servants around him.
So Qin Luoxia gave the little girl a chubby maid who looks stronger, capable, and not too cunning.
The rest should be taken care of by my aunt.
Two ordinary-looking people were chosen for Yu Jie’er.
After all, Yu Jie’er is already married, so she has more things to do.
Qin Luoxia has to worry about these two ordinary-looking people for a while. She thinks Yu Jie’er is not as cunning as me.
It would be good to take care of the two maids who look a little clumsy first.
Take your time, don't rush.
She also selected two people, a woman and a maid, who looked capable.
As for her husband, she chose a literate servant.
Feng Ge'er also chose two servants, but no maid.
She chose a bunch of little maids for her aunt, and let her teach them slowly.
In addition to the maids, Lord He also prepared a lot of other things.
It seems that Jiang Mianmian can basically move in with just a bag.
All aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation have been prepared.
For clothes, a lot of fabrics were sent, and there were also embroiderers, tailors, and they could start making clothes directly after taking measurements.
Food, kitchen seasonings, coarse grains, fine grains, vegetables, meat and eggs were all prepared. Not only food for people, but also a lot of hay and beans for feeding animals were prepared. The chef, the maid, and the back kitchen staff are all fully equipped.
For accommodation, each room is cleaned, and the beds and bed sets look new. You can sleep right away.
OK, a carriage is provided.
According to the official position of Sima, a carriage is provided, as well as a pulling horse and a mule, which is more docile.
So in terms of travel, there must be at least two employees, a driver and a person who is ready to maintain the carriage (someone who feeds the horses and mules). If there are many people in the family, some want to go shopping, some want to go out to attend parties, and some want to go to work, one driver (driving the carriage) is not enough, at least two are needed.
Anyway, in ancient times, if you want superior, high-end and comfortable living conditions, you must have a lot of people to serve you.
With this calculation, the population is full, not too many at all.
Jiang Mianmian is trying hard to adapt to the life of the rich and powerful at home.
Jiang Changtian, who took his son and son-in-law to the government office to take up their posts, is also adapting to the life of the rich and powerful.
Jiang Changtian adapts faster.
He looks like the second generation of the rich and powerful in Beijing who has come down to experience life. He is not a villain.
His robes are flowing, his long hair is fluttering, and his words are like a fairy.
Yesterday, someone spread the rumor that the new Sima Jiang is very fierce. This must be a rumor. How can such a beautiful young man be fierce?
Could it be that the little fairy Feng saw Sima Jiang's beauty and became so ashamed that she died?
So the rumor really came out in a new version.
The newly appointed Sima Jiang was so beautiful that Xiao Fengxian was shocked at first sight and committed suicide...
Of the two legends, the latter one was more popular and everyone believed it more because it had a twist and a curiosity. Xiao Fengxian was beautiful enough. She was the Xiao Fengxian who could destroy a family. How beautiful a man must be to make Xiao Fengxian commit suicide.
When Lord He went back to report his work to his boss, he was asked about this gossip: "Is Sima Jiang really more beautiful than Xiao Fengxian?"
Lord He nodded without saying anything.
No, although Lord Sima was more beautiful than Xiao Fengxian, Xiao Fengxian was indeed killed by Lord Sima's people, not by suicide.
But the leader had stopped listening and was thinking about the rest of the story.
Lord He couldn't force him to explain.
"Is Sima Jiang satisfied with our arrangement?"
Lord He nodded slowly.
His job is to satisfy people. If they are not satisfied, it means he is not doing his job well.
"Invite Sima Jiang to all kinds of banquets and activities in the future. We must let Lord Sima feel the hospitality of our city officials."
Lord He nodded obediently.
"Tonight's welcoming banquet?"
"Go, we must go, we must give face, and take a good look at this legendary Sima who is more beautiful than Xiaofengxian."
Several people in the yamen laughed.
Lord He opened his mouth, wanted to say something, and closed his mouth again. Forget it, you will know it when you see it for yourself.
Seeing is believing.
...
Tonight, my father is out for socializing and did not go home for dinner.
My eldest brother and brother-in-law are also out for socializing and did not go home for dinner.
The dinner was made by the cook.
Probably because he wanted to show off to his master, he made a very rich meal.
Jiang Yu was so excited that she didn't even care about her elder brother, her husband, and her father who didn't come home.
She walked around the table several times.
Her aunt glanced at her several times.
It wasn't until her mother went back to the house and got a whip to check if it was firm that her sister stopped walking around and wiping her saliva.
As a result, Jiang Yu was a little dazed and disappointed when she ate.
She just respected the food. These were all fine grains and various seasonings, all rare things, so she forced herself to eat them.
She was a little confused. Are things in the city so bad? It's impossible.
Could it be that they looked down on them because they were from the country, so they deliberately set up traps and gave them cooks who couldn't cook?
Sure enough, her aunt said that the place outside was very dangerous and she was too scheming. If it weren't for her good taste, she would have been deceived.
Jiang Mianmian was used to the food made by her elder sister and her mother, and she was a bit picky about food. The food made by the people here was indeed a bit hard to describe, but the presentation of the dishes was quite nice.
Qin Luoxia said nothing.
Yin Gu also ate silently, but ate little.
Anyway, there was a lot left, which was a waste and not in line with their family's usual style.
Yin Gu said, "Give these foods to the people in the dance troupe."
Jiang Mianmian asked for the nine people, collectively referred to as the dance troupe.
Qin Luoxia nodded, okay.
Jiang Mianmian felt a little strange in her heart. Sure enough, it was a gift to give the leftovers to others.
It seemed like she had seen such a plot before.
Seeing the surprised look on the little girl's face, Aunt Yin gently touched her head and said, "The superior giving food is a sign of intimacy. Although our conditions are good, you can go to the market and rent bones to cook at home. A large bone can be rented several times." (Note 1)
Jiang Mianmian's mouth opened slightly.
Those who rent bones to take home, in order to get the maximum return, will they lick the bones again?
Grateful for their parents' hard work and progress.
No need to rent bones to cook at home, otherwise, just think about it...
Giving leftovers and receiving the grateful thanks of the members of the song and dance troupe.
Jiang Mianmian felt that except for the youngest girl who seemed to be really grateful, the others were just routine thanks, with a little gratitude, but not much.
Sure enough, there is no such thing as giving a meal of leftovers to gain loyalty. It is against human nature.
Jiang Mianmian lay in bed at night, thinking back.
She came into contact with more people today than she had in the past few years.
It was dark after a busy day. She inexplicably felt that she was integrated into this society.
After saying good night to Jiang Xiaoshu at the head of the bed, Jiang Mianmian fell asleep.
Before going to bed, she thought that the new fabrics in ancient times should not have formaldehyde. They didn’t smell good.
In the hazy sleep, she felt that her father and mother came over. Her father kissed her and left.
She slept soundly. She slept
a little.
In late autumn, the big bed of the lady was covered with a solemn curtain.
A fat maid outside is sleeping uneasy, always feeling that a maid is watching her. There seem to be a lot of ants on the floor of the house, so I have to get up and clean it tomorrow morning.
...
(Note 1: The source of the saying of renting bones is "British Food History" page 317. In the Victorian era, the rich and powerful would cook a lot of meals every meal to show their status, but they did not eat them. They were very strict about their body management, so this became a benefit for the chefs and servants. They collected leftovers and sold them in the market. At the same time, there were stalls in the market that rented bones by the hour to make soup. I thought this content was amazing when I saw it for the first time, so I expressed it in my aunt's language. If you are interested, you can read this book, it is very interesting.)
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