Guarding the warehouse was a lucrative job. With the constant flow of money, most of the revenue the Bureau of Gardens made came from this position. Because the job was both profitable and not particularly demanding, it was impossible for someone without connections to be entrusted with it.

Liao Bing, the nephew of the head of the Siyuan Bureau, not only had the key to the warehouse but also a spare key to every room in the government office.

Yao Xi sat on the bed, surveying the devastation in the room. She immediately understood what had happened. The Queen Mother had ordered a search of the palace for her, and it seemed that the people from the Bureau of Gardens had assumed she would not survive the night. In their haste, they had divided up her belongings. The culprits could be one individual or even the entire staff of the Bureau.

If she wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble, Yao Xi knew she should clean up the mess and act as though nothing had happened. As a lowly servant without background or influence, she couldn’t afford to offend Liao Bing and his group. Perhaps this was Eunuch Liao’s doing.

But Yao Xi didn’t dare leave it at that. It wasn’t that she was greedy or unwilling to part with Zheng Da’s items, but once someone was bullied, it could easily happen again. If she endured this time, no one in the Siyuan Bureau would dare to mistreat her in the future. There were countless schemes among the eunuchs, and as long as she took on more responsibilities, she could avoid their games. What she feared most was that someone, noticing her mistreatment, would take advantage of her vulnerability.

No one had expected Yao Xi to survive her ordeal at Ning’an Palace. Meanwhile, Liao Bing kept weaving around Liao Yaoming, the head of the Siyuan Bureau, making the older man dizzy.

“Why are you still here? Did you put the things you bought this morning into the warehouse, or are you just wandering around?” Liao Yaoming glanced at his useless nephew. Despite his frustrations, he didn’t dare send him home. Liao Bing had entered the palace with nothing, hoping to earn enough to support his family. His elderly mother depended on his brother and sister-in-law to care for her back home.

Originally, with Liao Bing’s help, his family wouldn’t have to sell children, but Liao Bing, seduced by the wealth of the capital, volunteered to enter the palace as a eunuch. His ambitions were as large as his greed, but unfortunately, his vision was narrow.

“Uncle, do you know? Yao Xi from our yamen came back from Ning’an Palace this morning.” Liao Bing leaned forward.

Liao Yaoming sighed in irritation, “It’s no big deal!” He continued checking the accounts. After finishing, he would have to send them to the Imperial Household Department. He had no time to entertain his nephew’s words. However, Liao Bing’s comment made him pause. If one of his subordinates made a mistake in front of the emperor, he would bear responsibility. So he quickly instructed the attendant beside him, “Tell those in charge of Yao Xi to teach him a lesson and stop him from causing problems for the Imperial Household Department.”

The attendant nodded and asked, “Is it just a verbal instruction, or…?”

“Just say a few words. It’s not our concern unless the Empress Dowager has already made a decision about him.” Liao Yaoming was a shrewd man. He knew that there must be a reason why Yao Xi had survived the events at Ning’an Palace.

After the attendant left, Liao Bing added quietly, “The problem is, my nephew thought Yao Xi wouldn’t return, so he took all the valuables from his room…”

Liao Yaoming stopped writing and glared at him. “Did you steal them?”

Liao Bing awkwardly approached and said with a smile, “They’re all valuable things! I was going to give them to you this morning.”

“Do you think everyone is as shallow as you?” Liao Yaoming slapped his nephew across the face. “You’re stealing from the subordinates now? Did I starve you, or freeze you to death? Do you have any idea who gave those things to that boy? Don’t you know that Eunuch Zheng is close to him?”

Liao Bing rubbed his cheek, his face a mixture of bitterness and shame. “I didn’t think he would come back.”

Liao Yaoming sighed and muttered, “Eunuch Zheng is fine. I can still speak up for you. But what worries me is that such a big stir happened at Ning’an Palace, and Yao Xi returned unharmed. Does that mean he’s earned the favor of the Empress Dowager?”

Liao Bing’s eyes widened, “Then… should I return the things?”

“Idiot. Are you trying to make it obvious that you stole them?” Liao Yaoming’s tone softened as he calmed down. “Throw everything away. If you keep your life, you’ll get the best things. If word gets out and someone asks about it, just say that someone stole your key.”

“Okay, okay.” Liao Bing nodded quickly. “We should treat Yao Xi like an ancestor, right?”

“Not really. It won’t hurt to get in the Empress Dowager’s good graces when he truly wins her favor.” Liao Yaoming sighed. “Yao Xi is a troublemaker, but it would be best to find a way to send him to another government office.”

Liao Bing nodded thoughtfully. His uncle, now more anxious, kicked Liao Bing’s backside. “You little fool. Why are you still standing there? Throw the stuff away quickly! Do you want Yao Xi to show up and search your house?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Liao Bing hurried off.

---

When Wan Yi woke up, she thought it was already evening due to the darkness in the room.

“What time is it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

The maid beside her glanced at the clock. “Your ladyship, it’s not yet noon.”

“Why is the room so dark in the middle of the day? Why wasn’t the lamp lit?” Wan Yi rubbed her forehead, sitting up.

A maid quickly lit the lamp, explaining, “Your Majesty, it’s cloudy today. The Queen said the treasury is tight and asked the palaces to save money.”

“The treasury is tight?” Wan Yi frowned, then ordered, “If you don’t want the lamps on, then don’t. Open the window and help me change.” She paused and looked outside the palace, asking, “Has the servant from the Siyuan Bureau gone back?”

“Back already,” said the maid.

“Tell him that he will stay in the cold palace tonight,” Wan Yi said with an expectant look.

The maid nodded. “Aunt Yanxi has already informed him.”

After changing her clothes and washing her hands to prepare for lunch, Wan Yi sat at the table and looked coldly at the dishes before her. Today’s lunch was disappointingly simple, with only a dozen dishes—mostly green, with just two meat dishes.

Seeing her displeasure, all the palace maids in Ning’an Palace dared not make a sound.

“Heh…” Wan Yi sneered. “Who served this meal? Am I supposed to be fed like a cow or a horse?”

The eunuchs in Ning’an Palace weren’t allowed to serve directly, so all the palace maids knelt on the floor in fear.

Wan Yi glanced at them, grabbed the teacup in front of her, and threw it across the room, shouting, “Who served this meal?”

A young palace maid, on the verge of tears, stepped forward and explained, “This servant… This servant was told that the Empress decreed that from now on, each meal in Ning’an Palace should consist of eighteen dishes, while in the Empress’s palace, only fifteen dishes will be served. The masters of each palace have had their portions reduced…”

The harem affairs were under the Empress’s control, but Wan Yi, who rarely bothered with palace politics, could not let this pass. The Empress was trying to gain favor by making her live poorly? Not likely!

“Call the queen to me! If she enjoys eating these vegetable leaves, let her eat them all!” Wan Yi was not against frugality, but she loathed the queen’s pretense of virtue to please the emperor. If the queen truly wanted to save money for the state, she should focus on the right areas—like persuading her extravagant father. If anyone should reduce expenses, it should be the ones responsible for jewelry, clothes, and cosmetics, not food. Let’s see if those women who love luxury would remain silent!

In truth, most food in the palaces went to waste. The masters barely touched it, and after the meal, it was often distributed among the servants. But it was the image the Empress sought to project that angered Wan Yi.

When Empress Zhu heard that the Queen Mother wanted to see her, she immediately felt a sense of dread. The Empress’s affairs were complicated enough without the added pressure of the Empress Dowager’s interference.

“Did the Queen Mother tell you why she wanted to see me?” Zhu asked the eunuch delivering the edict.

The eunuch shook his head.

Zhu sighed in resignation. She knew this wasn’t going to be good. Although she managed all the palace’s affairs, the Empress Dowager held more influence than she did. The assassination attempts in Ning’an Palace had been cowardly, and Wan Yi, despite surviving them unharmed, still managed to command a degree of protection—something Zhu envied. If Wan Yi were out of the picture, Zhu would have cleaned up those who caught the emperor’s eye.

“Let’s go,” Zhu said, wiping her mouth. She knew she couldn’t avoid the conversation with Wan Yi. The late emperor had left specific provisions for her, safeguarding her interests, and Zhu couldn’t compete with that kind of foresight.

Zhu entered the dining room and immediately noticed the untouched food on the table and the shards of porcelain scattered on the floor. She had expected trouble. The food shortage was clearly unpopular, but only the Empress Dowager dared openly challenge her authority.

“Your daughter greets the Queen Mother. I assume you’ve invited me to join you for a meal?” Zhu said with a forced smile, bowing to Wan Yi.

Wan Yi smiled and gestured for Zhu to sit. “Yes, the food from the Imperial Kitchen is too much for me alone. How can I finish it all by myself?”

“I’ve already eaten,” Zhu replied, trying to downplay the situation. She wasn’t particularly hungry, especially when she knew Wan Yi was well-fed while she suffered the effects of the palace’s budget cuts.

The real competition for resources was between the women of the harem. Those with more money could maintain their luxurious lifestyles while pretending to be virtuous. But those who didn’t have much were left with scraps, making their lives even harder when their allowances were reduced. Servants needed to be rewarded, and the queen had no money to do so. That’s why some servants conspired against their masters to change allegiances.

Zhu didn’t understand why Wan Yi was making a fuss. She wasn’t hurting for money, not when the Empress Dowager had her own hidden treasury. Still, Wan Yi, with her quiet intelligence, had a way of turning the situation to her advantage.

Wan Yi smiled at Zhu and raised an eyebrow. “I heard the queen cut the palace expenses to save money for the emperor?”

Zhu nodded. “I heard the shortfall is over two million taels.”

Wan Yi chuckled softly, counting on her fingers. “Not much.”

“Does the Queen Mother have a plan?” Zhu asked cautiously, wondering if Wan Yi intended to dip into her private treasury to fill the gap in the state’s finances.

“Well,” Wan Yi said mysteriously, “queen, please take a look!” She then picked up a large piece of leafy vegetable and offered it to Zhu with a sweet smile. “Try it.”

Zhu hesitated but reluctantly took a bite, swallowing with difficulty as the green leaves seemed to stick in her throat. Just as she tried to decline, more food appeared in her bowl.

“Eat more. There’s more,” Wan Yi said warmly, like a mother trying to ensure her child ate enough, secretly enjoying the power she held over Zhu.

“Mother, I’ve already eaten. I can’t eat more, or I’ll be uncomfortable,” Zhu declined politely, though clearly unsettled.

Wan Yi’s expression darkened for a moment as she pretended concern. “Drink this. It will help your digestion.” She handed Zhu a bowl of soup with a smile that seemed almost too sweet. “Be good, don’t leave until you’ve finished it all.”