The affairs of the inner palace were still far from Wangshu's reach. As the weather turned colder, Kangxi visited less often. It was the end of the year, and he was very busy!
Wang Shu continued to behave herself as a dutiful palace maid in Jingyang Palace, just like before.
"The Lunar New Year is just two days away. I'm quite busy and probably won't have time to come see you. This is a New Year's gift for you."
Wang Shu accepted the gift from Kangxi, a piece of pure red stone the size of an egg, and she had a good eye for it.
"Is this chicken-blood stone?"
Although she was born into a bondservant family and had little formal education, she still had some knowledge. Her uncle's family had a lot of valuable items. After all, the Imperial Household Department handled many good things, especially the treasurer.
The original owner was taught how to recognize these things.
Emperor Kangxi raised an eyebrow: "I didn't expect you to know about this. It's a Changhua chicken-blood stone, a New Year's gift for you."
Wang Shu shook her head: "This is too precious. My uncle has a piece the size of a pigeon egg, but it's not as big as this one, and the color isn't as pure. Even so, my uncle still treasures it very much, saying he'll keep it to make a seal for my cousin."
This thing is very valuable. It must have been quite difficult for you to get one. You should keep it; it might be useful in an emergency to save your life.
Palace maids in the Qing Dynasty enjoyed a degree of security and better treatment due to their birth, but eunuchs did not.
“I have some connections with the people in the Imperial Court, and I receive quite a bit of tips from them on a regular basis. Someone of my status has no use for this kind of thing. I have no use for this bloodstone; it's just a stone to me. I don't lack money for bribes…”
At Kangxi's insistence, Wangshu accepted the New Year's gift from him, but she herself did not prepare a gift.
She was penniless and had no skills; she had the will but not the means!
However, Wang Shu would make empty promises: "I don't have any spare money, and I don't know how to make purses or anything. Next year, when I've saved enough money, I'll give you a return gift."
Emperor Kangxi was naturally aware of her situation and had not expected to receive a gift from her.
He wouldn't be used to her being so considerate in every way!
After receiving the gift, Wangshu did not see Kangxi again before the New Year. With Kangxi secretly taking care of things, Wangshu had a pretty good New Year.
After the New Year, the first person to visit Shu was her cousin Baozhu.
"Sister, you've arrived?" Wang Shu asked cheerfully. Seeing her family in the new year was always a joyful thing.
Baozhu smiled and said, "I originally wanted to come see you before the New Year, but the Qianqing Palace was quite busy, so I didn't have time to come. Today I can rest for a day, so I came to see you. No one in Jingyang Palace is bullying you, right?"
Wang Shu shook her head: "No, the people at Jingyang Palace are all very kind. They are all very friendly to me. Granny Zhang is very kind, and Sister Su Mu is also very kind. They even let me have dinner at the New Year's Eve dinner..."
Wang Shu kept rambling on about what had happened recently. Bao Zhu listened and found it very interesting. It was true that the palace maids in the Qianqing Palace were respectable, but with so many people, infighting was inevitable.
She found it difficult to open up to people. Listening to her younger cousin's ramblings, she felt that the unpleasant days in the Qianqing Palace were long gone, leaving only ease.
"That's good. Take this money and use it. Don't deprive yourself."
Wang Shu looked at the bag of silver in her hand; it was quite a lot, especially for a palace maid.
“Sister, this is too much. You work in the Qianqing Palace, so you need to bribe people even more. Keep this money for yourself, don’t give it to me.”
After some back and forth between the two sisters, the silver eventually ended up in Wang Shu's hands.
This money was arranged by her family, but she really didn't want to step into the battlefield of the harem. In addition, she had a sweetheart. If she could keep this a secret, that would be fine, but if she couldn't, the only thing waiting for her was to fall out of favor.
It was a terrifying and unsettling path. If it weren't for Wang Shu, she wouldn't have been able to refuse for the sake of her family. But now that she had Wang Shu, she wouldn't take the risk.
Therefore, she did not hesitate to take out a portion of the money her family gave her to help her younger cousin, who lived in Jingyang Palace, live a better life.
Investing for your family is also investing for yourself.
She knew, of course, that Wang Shu wasn't particularly clever, but her face was enough; she didn't think any man could resist such a stunning beauty.
Her plan was that once Wang Shu entered the palace, she would become Wang Shu's head maid and serve as her advisor.
After parting ways with her cousin, Wang Shu returned to her residence. Since she was assigned to work in the library, Granny Zhang had improved her treatment. Although she was still a third-class palace maid, it was quite remarkable that she could share a small room with Su Mu.
When Su Mu saw her return, he asked, "Your cousin came to see you again?"
Wang Shu smiled and nodded: "Yes, my cousin was worried that I would suffer, so she gave me some money."
Seeing her completely unguarded appearance, Su Mu couldn't help but worry: "Don't tell anyone that your cousin gave you money. If people find out, you'll definitely be blackmailed. You can't be too careful, don't you understand?"
Wang Shu looked at her with eyes full of sincerity: "I know, my cousin taught me, but Sister Su Mu, you're not a stranger, there's nothing I can't tell you."
She spoke so naturally, yet Su Mu couldn't help but be moved.
Having been in the palace for many years, she was initially naive, but later suffered many losses and grew up. Although she would not bully others, she gradually became much more indifferent.
Wangshu is like a little sun—sincere, passionate, and warm…
No wonder even the emperor...
Indeed, the fact that Su Mu was arranged to live with Wang Shu clearly indicates that he knew of Kangxi's existence.
Jingyang Palace has seen a significant change in personnel, including Granny Zhang, Su Mu, and a newly arrived head eunuch... all of whom are in the know.
Otherwise, Emperor Kangxi wouldn't have been able to keep his identity a secret for so long.
Su Mu snapped out of his reverie: "Even with close friends, one should hold back."
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