The next day, Anning woke up before dawn. Since the Empress was not present, the two imperial concubines sent someone to tell her that she could pay her respects after serving the Emperor, so she didn't need to get up early.
He immediately lay on the bed in a daze, thinking about how to survive in the palace.
That's right, it's about just getting through it.
After seeing the three women living in the back yesterday, Empress Anning knew what kind of life the unfavored concubines in the harem lived.
She had a dowry and a good family background, so even if she wasn't favored, the Imperial Household Department wouldn't skimp on her dowry. However, the inner palace was small, with many rules and taboos.
She needed to figure out something to pass the time.
Because she was once free, and now she has to watch herself lose her freedom for the rest of her life, she is also afraid of being trapped and depressed. It would be ridiculous if she outlived Kangxi and died before him.
As An Ning thought this, many ideas flashed through her mind.
Ultimately, it all came down to playing mahjong, tending to flowers and plants, and learning some traditional methods of making cosmetics.
She knows how to play mahjong; she used to play it often during holidays before the apocalypse.
She tends to flowers and plants because she has wood-type abilities, which can accelerate plant growth, improve plant genes, and purify plant essence.
Plant extracts can be used to make beauty and skincare products. Some flowers and herbs are not only ornamental but also medicinal, and their essences are naturally extraordinary.
Since we have wood-based abilities, we can't just leave them unused.
The key is that it can also be used to compete for favor. She dares to guarantee that there are no concubines in the harem who use flowers and plants to compete for favor. By cultivating some special but not unusual flowers and plants, and inviting Emperor Kangxi to come and admire them, she can avoid being bullied by the sycophantic servants in the harem.
Of course, the extracted essence has both good and bad aspects. Being in the harem, she couldn't guarantee that others would treat her with kindness, so she needed to obtain certain things to protect herself.
As for traditional cosmetics, she mainly feels that the existing cosmetics are too scarce, so she pays extra attention to what she puts on her face.
Wood-based superpowers are closely related to plants. Ancient cosmetics, skincare products, and toiletries are all inseparable from plants, and one can make a fortune from them when necessary.
She plans to have children, and to ensure a worry-free future, she needs a legitimate way to make money...
As I was thinking, it became bright outside.
Chunlan and Baiguo came in to help her get up.
After a quick breakfast, Anning suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Do the ingredients for the small kitchen come from the Imperial Kitchen or the Imperial Household Department?"
The food prepared in the small kitchen was quite to her liking, and she was determined to focus on food and drink for the rest of her life. Now it seemed that she was favored by Emperor Kangxi, but this illusory favor was like a castle in the air.
To ensure that things would continue this way in the future, she always made sure to find out the details.
Chunlan said, "Our small kitchen is funded by the Imperial Household Department. All the small kitchens in the palace are funded by the Imperial Household Department. The only difference is that some are subsidized by the Emperor and go through the Emperor's private treasury, while others go through the Imperial Household Department's accounts. Our Changchun Palace goes through the Emperor's accounts."
An Ning paused for a moment, then resumed her normal expression and asked, "Do you know of any other kitchens in the palace that are being paid for by the Emperor?"
"Consort De of Yonghe Palace, Consort Tong of Chengqian Palace (though Consort Tong's small kitchen follows the old Empress Xiaoyi's habit), Consort Yi of Yikun Palace, Consort Wen of Yongshou Palace, and the recently favored Consort Wang, who lives in Yonghe Palace. Although she doesn't have her own small kitchen, the Emperor subsidizes her quite a bit, and it's all on the Emperor's tab."
"Your Highness Consort Hui, does Your Highness Consort Rong have no objections to this?"
Before Chunlan arrived, her orders were to protect Consort Shu's safety and ensure her survival in the harem. Anning intended to use this opportunity to inquire about the situation in the harem, and Chunlan naturally answered all her questions without reservation.
"This story begins when the Emperor first assumed power. Consort Hui and Consort Rong were among the first to follow the Emperor. At that time, the court was unstable, and the Emperor was preoccupied with the court."
Consort Hui managed to save the eldest prince with great difficulty, but the emperor valued the crown prince more, so although the small kitchen was available, the emperor was unwilling to grant him any extra favors.
As for Consort Rong, she had given birth to five sons and one daughter for the Emperor in her early years, but only one son and one daughter survived. The Emperor harbored some resentment towards Consort Rong for not being able to raise her children. After the Emperor bestowed titles and honors upon the harem, Consort Rong's favor had waned considerably.
"Only after the Emperor quelled the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories did he have the mind to focus on the harem. It just so happened that Consort Yi and Consort De rose to prominence, and being able to bear children, they received imperial favor."
Consort Yi and Consort De have come a long way, and even now, Emperor Kangxi still gives them face. Luck played a part in it; they were fortunate to have caught up with the good times when Kangxi pacified the previous dynasty. Otherwise, Kangxi would not have had the mind to focus on the harem.
Consort Hui was intelligent, but her appearance was not particularly outstanding. Her luck lay in raising the eldest prince, which was why she lost another prince and was able to keep her position.
Consort Rong was exceptionally beautiful and fertile. In her early years, she was constantly favored by the emperor, and her womb was almost always full. However, her children died one after another, which terrified Emperor Kangxi. In the end, he dared not let her continue having children.
After she gave birth to the current Third Prince, she recovered and had several more children. Her appearance was no longer what it used to be, and she lost much of the Emperor's favor.
After breakfast, Anning continued working, as there were still some details that hadn't been sorted out properly yesterday.
After working for half a day, Anning finally had some free time.
While they were busy at work, behind Changchun Palace, Xia Daying arrived at Chen Changzai's residence.
"I've met Sister Chen."
"Sister Xia, there's no need for such formalities. What brings you here?"
Xia agreed to stand up: "I just wanted to talk to my sister."
Chen Changzai smiled and welcomed the person in.
After the two women dismissed the palace maids, Xia Yingying spoke up, "Sister Chen also saw the commotion up ahead. I wonder if Sister Chen has any thoughts on it?"
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