Chu Fan was concentrating on using a feather pen to write about mature papermaking technology and movable type printing on paper.
After carefully cleaning up Chu Fan's table, the four palace maids quietly left the room. After leaving the room, their eyes fell on the almost untouched plate of vinegar fish on the stone table, their hearts filled with confusion.
After all, fish is considered a type of meat, and His Majesty Chu Fan has always been very thrifty with food and never wastes it easily. However, the dish of fish was left on the table almost untouched, which made them very puzzled.
One of the palace maids couldn't help but say, "This fish looks so well-preserved. Why don't we take it out of the palace and find a place to sell it?"
"It's better for us not to do this." Qiuya said to Hongzhu seriously.
"Your Majesty has invited us to dine with him, but out of respect and fear of violating etiquette, we have never eaten at the same table with him. Therefore, His Majesty does not mind us eating his leftovers. However, if we sell these leftovers, it would be disrespectful to His Majesty."
As Qiuya finished speaking, Hongzhu and the other two palace maids nodded in agreement. They knew how precious the food His Majesty had eaten was in the outside world. The wealthy merchants and aristocratic families all yearned to taste the food His Majesty had eaten, even at the cost of a fortune.
Therefore, the leftover food from His Majesty's meal was usually only eaten by the palace maids, or given as alms to the homeless people in Kaifeng City outside the palace. This food would never flow into the hands of the middle class, let alone be sold. Such behavior was not only a violation of etiquette, but also a blasphemy against His Majesty.
After Qiuya severely criticized the palace maid, Hongzhu realized her mistake. She lowered her head and said in shame, "Sister Qiuya, you are right. My thoughts just now were indeed inappropriate."
Qiuya continued to speak to the three palace maids, "Today we have fish and meat, and we can finally have a good meal. Hongzhu, go call a few sisters over so that we can enjoy it together."
Hong Zhu no longer worried about her own problems at this time. She immediately took action and called several palace maids, who gathered around the stone table outside Chu Fan's room.
The table was not only filled with Chu Fan's leftover dishes, but also with several dishes made by the palace maids themselves.
As for the vinegar fish that Chu Fan disliked, although Chu Fan didn't like it very much, the palace maids liked it very much.
Hong Zhu couldn't help but raise her doubts to Qiu Ya: "Sister Qiu Ya, you said our family is not short of money, so why do we live such a hard life after entering the palace?"
Qiuya gave Hongzhu a slightly reproachful look and said with a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone: "If you really don't want to continue to hold this position, you can submit a resignation to the royal family.
After all, the royal family doesn't forbid you from leaving the palace. As long as you don't talk nonsense after you go out, no one will bother you."
Hong Zhu sighed deeply after hearing this and responded helplessly: "Of course I won't resign from my current position easily. Sister Qiuya, don't think I don't know that you have a close friend in the palace, and she has always coveted this position.
If I resign, wouldn't she have a chance to take over? I won't do such a stupid thing."
After hearing this, Qiu Ya retorted somewhat unhappily, "If that's the case, then what's there to say? Who among us hasn't once been a lady of noble birth? Moreover, among us are the daughters of nobles from other countries. Everyone has made tremendous efforts to obtain this position."
Take the refined salt business some time ago for example. In your hometown in Cang State, because of your relationship with the Wei State ministers, your family was able to get imported refined salt at a much lower price than other families in Cang State.
Your family must have made quite a bit of money during this time. And your status as a concubine's daughter has also been significantly improved within the family, right?"
After hearing this, Hong Zhu smiled awkwardly and said a little embarrassedly: "Our family did make a little money. Isn't this the money sent by the family? I want to change my taste."
Then Hong Zhu said to Qiuya coquettishly: "Sister Qiuya, I was wrong, please don't be angry."
Qiuya pointed at another palace maid among the four of them and asked with a hint of curiosity in her tone, "Mo Yu, tell me what you think. After all, you come from a prominent family in the State of Gan. Why did you choose to come to the State of Wei and become a palace maid?"
Mu Yu put down the bowl and chopsticks in her hands when she heard this, her expression became serious. She answered seriously: "I have completely severed ties with the Mu family of Gan Country. Sister Qiuya, please don't say anything nonsense."
Qiu Ya didn't buy it. She continued to ask, "Do you think I don't know? You and your father's Mu family are still inextricably linked. Otherwise, who is behind all the smuggled salt into the country?"
Mu Yu felt his face flushed with shame after Qiu Ya revealed his true feelings. He didn't know what to do.
Qiu Ya did not stop because of Mu Yu's embarrassment. She continued, "When His Majesty eats alone, he only eats three dishes and one soup, and he doesn't allow us to waste food. Do you really think you can enjoy a sumptuous meal here?
If you really can't stand the simple food you have now, then you can resign from your current position. Then you can eat as much as you want."
After Qiu Ya finished her words, the other palace maids lowered their heads and continued to eat their meals in silence. Although they served His Majesty on weekdays and seemed to be doing only some ordinary work, in fact, the resources and treatment they received were incomparable to other palace maids.
These resources not only include material benefits, such as fine food, clothing, housing and transportation, but also include special status and connections within the royal family. They are also given priority in practicing the martial arts secrets mastered by the royal family.
Therefore, although they appear to be no different from other palace maids on the surface, in fact their status and treatment in the royal family are envied by other palace maids.
Of course, Chu Fan was completely unaware of what these palace maids were talking about. He had always assumed that the palace maids of Wei, like those depicted in the ancient costume dramas he'd seen online, were sent to the palace because of poverty and hardship. He had never considered that the lives of these palace maids might be different from what he knew.
Chu Fan sat in his room, listening to the lively conversation of the palace maids outside the window. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could feel that they got along very well.
(I remember there was a chapter before that mentioned the name of a maidservant close to the protagonist. Does anyone know? I forgot and couldn't find it. /(ćoć)/~~)
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