Quick Transmigration: Reversing the Life of a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character

Having said all that, the two young mistresses of the Lan family fully understood the meaning behind their sister-in-law sitting at the head of the table.

People can go to the capital, but they can't all leave at once. Tian Shi can't stay in the capital, especially if they all leave. Without someone to control her, the Tian family might cause trouble. It's best for the children to stay in the capital and wait until the boys grow up before gradually going over.

"When Liangyuan is at home, she likes to eat the pickled duck tongue and vinegared celery made by the nanny next to me. Today, your sister-in-law brought in a few jars of them, as well as some other pickled vegetables. It's good for Liangyuan to keep them for her own enjoyment and to give as a treat."

"Thank you, sister-in-law, that's exactly what I wanted," Lan Wan'er said, flatteringly. In fact, she lacked nothing. The servants in the palace were the most shrewd. Even though His Highness the Crown Prince didn't come to her place often, it was obvious that he treated her differently. If she wanted something, it was just a matter of saying a word.

If it were the original owner, one could still taste some of the flavors from home.

After the two young mistresses of the Lan family left, Xuan Chengyan had dinner here that evening.

"Your two sisters-in-law came today? Why haven't you summoned the Lady of the Marquis lately?"

Lan Wan'er said frankly, "My mother was angry with me because I made my uncle resign from his job in the Inner Court. After my father left, she caught a cold for a few days, so I stopped bothering her."

"Are you sure you're not afraid of being scolded by the Lady of the Marquis?"

Lan Wan'er paused in her actions: "Your Highness, it's better not to say anything even if you see through it. Besides, I'm already married, and it's embarrassing to be scolded by my mother like this."

"During the holidays, give Lady Hou more palace items. Mother and daughter don't hold grudges overnight; things will be fine after a while."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I'm thinking of giving her more gifts in a few days."

"You're quite the smooth talker, pushing it onto me like that?" The Crown Prince shook his head with a smile. He picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and ate it. "Don't try to fool me. Today, your sisters-in-law are here to give you money."

"That's part of my dowry. Oh, right, Qinghe, pick out some clean and nice-looking pickled vegetables that your sisters-in-law sent and bring them up for Your Highness to try."

In ancient times, even royalty and nobility rarely ate fresh vegetables in winter; they could only grow some near hot springs or in greenhouses.

However, traditional Chinese medicine theory advocates eating in accordance with the seasons, with spring being the time for growth, summer for flourishing, autumn for harvest, and winter for storage, which is the natural order of Qi.

Therefore, even if they could afford to eat it, royalty and nobility would restrain themselves and eat less.

The second young mistress of the Lan family has a secret recipe for pickled vegetables. The dish of vinegared celery served was bright green and crisp and delicious.

No wonder the original owner liked to eat it; now Lan Wan'er is also eating it bite after bite.

"No wonder your sister-in-law specially sent these to you from home, they really taste very good." His Highness the Crown Prince especially loved the pickled eggplant, and ate more than half of the plate.

"Your Highness, this isn't exactly fresh, you should eat less of it," Lan Wan'er quickly advised.

"Wan'er, don't be stingy. I'll return some pickled fish to you at the Imperial Kitchen tomorrow," Xuan Chengyan teased her.

"Your Highness, it's not stinginess at all! The 'Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold' says that one should not eat too much of any of the five flavors, and that salty, fishy, ​​spicy, and pungent foods should not be eaten in excess. If you keep eating, even Eunuch Liang will cry." Lan Wan'er picked up the plate and handed it to Qing He, gesturing for her to take it away.

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you." Xuan Chengyan smiled and picked up some other dishes.

During the New Year, as one of only two women with official rank in the Eastern Palace, Lan Wan'er naturally had to attend the palace banquet with the Crown Princess. It was her first year attending the palace banquet as a concubine, and Granny Qiu and Aunt Chang specifically explained the procedures and precautions to her.

The first step was to worship the ancestors. After that, incense and sandalwood torches were burned in the palace to illuminate the way and ward off evil spirits. Nuo dances were performed, and drums and music played to complete the ritual of expelling plague.

As the Crown Prince's concubine, Lan Wan'er did not need to participate in this process.

She was to attend the upcoming banquet, music and dance, and the New Year's Eve vigil. The Emperor, the various concubines in the harem, the civil and military officials, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were to follow the procedures from the morning of New Year's Eve until after midnight.

The Crown Prince and his consorts were a bit better off; they only needed to attend the banquet in the main hall of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the afternoon, but they still had to stay until after midnight, as there were a series of activities the next day, such as welcoming the new calendar.

Just thinking about it makes me feel tired.

Lan Wan'er's procedures are exhausting; those who can't go are actually envious.

When the concubine Lin came to visit, they started by chatting about clothes, jewelry, and local customs, but the conversation eventually turned to the concubine Li.

"Sister Li has been in a bad mood these past few days. The servants in the courtyard are too afraid to even breathe, so I brought them here to relax," Lin said with a hint of helplessness in her voice.

Li and Lin lived in the same courtyard. Li came in first, along with her child, and lived in the main house, while Lin lived in the east wing.

Lady An and another concubine, Lady Liu, lived in the same courtyard.

"What's wrong? Is the princess causing trouble again?" Lan Wan'er replied without much interest. The two girls in the Crown Prince's family have proper titles of princess, while the boys do not have formal titles. Normally, they could be called the Crown Prince's grandson, but Xuan Chengyan does not allow that, and only calls them young masters.

She didn't befriend either of the two concubines in the Eastern Palace who had children.

"No, isn't it because the palace banquet is coming up? She can't go; she's in a bad mood."

"According to the rules, concubines are not allowed to go. What could she possibly be upset about?"

"Sister Li is straightforward and has high aspirations. Oh dear, let's not talk about that anymore." Madam Lin waved her hand, smiling as she changed the subject, and began to talk about Lan Wan'er's courtesy name.

After Madam Lin left, Aunt Chang cautiously asked, "My lady, does Concubine Lin mean that she hopes you will punish Concubine Li?"

As Lan Wan'er sipped her tea, she said, "It would be best if this reached the ears of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."

"If she wants to complain, she can go and tell the Crown Princess herself. Why is she bothering you?" Zhu Wan complained.

"She just wants to be a good person, does she really think she's the only smart one in the world?" Qinghe said calmly.

Lan Wan'er: "She thought I disliked the Li family and would take advantage of this opportunity."

Unfortunately, her persona is one of straightforwardness and confrontation, so there's no need for her to resort to such roundabout methods. Lin was originally a palace maid with an even weaker family background. Living in the same courtyard as Li, she probably suffered a lot of humiliation at Li's hands.

These concubines in the Eastern Palace will probably never even reach the rank of Imperial Concubine. Xuan Chengyan's plan is probably to keep the Imperial Concubine positions to win over court officials and powerful families after he ascends the throne.

Aside from the Crown Princess and herself, none of the four concubines came from respectable families. Li's eagerness for the palace banquet stemmed from her ambition for a higher position, believing that having a child would grant her a high rank.

The personalities of these concubines were quite interesting. Li and An, who had given birth, were both simple-minded. Lin was somewhat shrewd, but not very deep. Liu, who was usually quiet, was not particularly outstanding in appearance or figure, but she served the emperor more often than I, a concubine.

This Lady Liu is a character in a story.