After the grand banquet, the Emperor began his visits to the imperial harem. As Yan Ge had expected, the first consort to be favored was Tian Jieyu. She was officially elevated to the rank of Tian Guiren by the Emperor the next day.
Yan Ge decided not to take any immediate action and planned to spend a few days assessing the situation.
News of the Emperor’s visits to various consorts in the harem circulated from time to time, and generally, the newly favored consorts received a higher status.
It was true that regardless of the era or dynasty, the Emperor was a philanderer. However, perhaps due to the current Emperor’s disinterest in men, there was no activity in the Chunfeng Palace.
According to the gossip from Wan Xiang, both Song Ruhao and Du Zhengfeng had been ridiculed by other consorts during their walks in the Imperial Garden. Among them, Zhou Wenhao’s reaction was the most intense, while Song Ruhao and Du Zhengfeng remained composed compared to Zhou Wenhao.
But Zhou Wenhao and Du Zhengfeng shared one thing in common: they both liked to seek out Song Ruhao. Du Zhengfeng didn’t show any signs of favoritism towards Song Ruhao, but he had invited Yan Ge several times to visit his residence or pay respects to Song Ruhao together, only to be politely declined by Yan Ge. In other words, Du Zhengfeng expressed a desire to get close to Yan Ge, Song Ruhao, and Zhou Wenhao, without focusing on just one person.
The Emperor had no interest in male consorts, much to Yan Ge’s delight. And with his low status, he was not qualified to pay respects to the Empress or the Empress.
His daily routine involved paying respects to Song Ruhao and Du Zhengfeng, both of higher rank in the same hall, and the rest of his time was spent in the small garden of the Chunfeng Courtyard. Although this life was monotonous, Yan Ge didn’t have to involve himself in the struggles of the harem, which made it relatively easy.
He didn’t have to compete with other consorts or feel jealous, enjoying a certain degree of freedom. It was what he had hoped for, and he would make use of this opportunity to accomplish what he could.
The first thing he planned to do was to improve the quality of life. Although feudal society had its advantages, such as less pollution and fresh air, the low quality of life was a fact. One notable issue was the absence of toothpaste and toothbrushes. Even brushing teeth had different levels within the palace hierarchy. Lower-ranking consorts could only rinse their mouths with tea, while higher-ranking ones received clean strips of cloth from the Ministry of Internal Affairs each month, which they used with saltwater to brush their teeth, discarding one after each use.
As for palace maids and eunuchs, they had to make do with willow twigs. Yan Ge rinsed his mouth with tea every day and felt that his teeth had never been clean. This only strengthened his determination to make toothbrushes.
“Xiao Chuanzi, come here,” Yan Ge beckoned to Xiao Chuanzi.
“Master,” Xiao Chuanzi approached, bowing his head to listen to his command.
Yan Ge inquired, “Is there any way to obtain some pig bristles?”
Xiao Chuanzi blinked, “Ah? Master, why do you need that? It’s dirty.”
Wan Xiang arched an eyebrow and narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, “Answer the master’s question directly. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Yan Ge didn’t mind Xiao Chuanzi’s retort, but he couldn’t let him get into the habit of asking questions. So, he didn’t interrupt Wan Xiang, only smiling and sipping his tea leisurely.
Xiao Chuanzi realized his mistake and hastily replied, “Master, if you want pig bristles, you have to find someone from outside the palace. As long as you offer some benefits to the palace personnel responsible for procurement, you can get as much as you want.”
Yan Ge handed him two taels of silver. Two taels of silver were quite substantial. From his understanding, two taels of silver were roughly equivalent to 2000 yuan in modern times, which was not a small amount.
“Arrange for someone to take care of it. As for the quantity, it should be enough to fill a washbasin for washing the face. Is this silver sufficient?” He had a general idea of how to make a toothbrush, but he had never made one before, so there would definitely be some waste of pig bristles.
Xiao Chuanzi replied, “It’s enough. Pig bristles aren’t worth much.”
“If there is any surplus, keep it for yourself,” Yan Ge said while secretly observing Wan Xiang. Fortunately, he didn’t see a trace of jealousy or greed in her eyes. He could feel more at ease if Wan Xiang stayed by his side in the future.
“Thank you for the reward, young master,” Xiao Chuanzi said cheerfully as he took the silver and left. Pig bristles were worthless, and he only needed one or two taels to arrange for someone. There weren’t many expenses in the palace, so he could save the remaining taels for future needs.
“Wan Xiang, let me test your knowledge. Do you know of something with strong adhesion, non-toxic, and doesn’t easily dissolve in water?” Yan Ge didn’t have much understanding of this era, so he could only ask Wan Xiang.
Wan Xiang pondered for a moment and replied, “Is the young master referring to resin?”
It turned out that resin existed in this world, which made things easier. “Yes, find a way to obtain some resin for me. I have a use for it,” he said, handing her two taels of silver. Then he asked, “Just like Xiao Chuanzi, keep any surplus for yourself.”
Wan Xiang nodded happily, “Thank you, young master.” Before she started following the young master, she used to wash clothes in the laundry, often unable to get enough to eat during meal times and never had the opportunity to be rewarded with money.
Ever since she started serving the young master, she not only had enough to eat and wear, but also saved some silver. Such things had only happened in her dreams before. However, she couldn’t help but wonder why the young master wanted things that were seemingly worthless.
