No Work, No Way to Live!

The eldest princess said with a wronged expression:

"Empress Dowager, if you put it that way, I really won't accept it. There are guards outside the Cold Palace, and I don't even have a chance to leave it."

Besides, I don't have that many people under my command. Don't you know how many people I actually have at my disposal?"

The Empress Dowager looked at a palace maid beside the eldest princess and said, "Xiao Tao, tell me, what did the eldest princess do in the palace yesterday?"

Xiao Tao lowered her head and replied:

"Last night, after the eldest princess returned to the cold palace, she cried for an hour before going to sleep."

I woke up again in the middle of the night, and after waking up, I kept looking at the account books until dawn.

Xiao Tao is the Empress Dowager's spy.

The Empress Dowager looked coldly at Xiao Tao and said, "Are you sure what you're saying is true?"

Xiao Tao quickly knelt down and said, "This servant would not dare to lie; every word I have said is true."

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly and said:

"Fine, you've been in the Cold Palace for so long, I'll spare you! You can all go back now."

However, Zhou Wanwan will still have to be punished in the Cold Palace this year, after all, this child is unruly and difficult to discipline.

And he showed great disrespect to his own grandmother.

Old Madam Zhou sighed and said:

"Your Majesty, I know you're protecting me, but the child is still young, so he needs to be disciplined properly."

I think we should have the head maid teach her properly; there are many things to do in the palace.

For example, things like cleaning the toilet and washing clothes; even though the child is young, they still need to learn these skills.

The Empress Dowager immediately understood and said:

"Yes, since that's the case, it's good for him to learn more life skills."

"Someone, throw Zhou Wanwan into the Laundry Bureau and make her wash clothes every day. If she doesn't do a good job, she can forget about leaving."

Princess Jianing nearby, chuckled, "Yes, I still have so many clothes to wash. You should quickly take all my dirty clothes over there so she can give them a proper wash."

Zhou Wanwan was speechless. What was wrong with these people in the palace? Why did they like ordering her around so much?

The eldest princess was so angry that her eyes turned red. The Empress Dowager was deliberately humiliating her family.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, signaling for them to be led out of the palace.

Then, someone dragged Zhou Wanwan to the Laundry Bureau. The head maidservant beside the Empress Dowager sneered and said, "Several people, watch over her and make her work properly here. If she doesn't work, beat her severely, beat her to death, understand?"

The aunt from the Laundry Bureau came out and said, "Understood, Head Madam. Don't worry, we will definitely do as instructed."

The head maid looked at them with satisfaction and said, "I trust you all to get things done. Anyway, we can't let this little girl be idle. Let her sleep for two hours a day, and the rest of the time she has to keep working. Do you understand?"

The Laundry Bureau lady quickly nodded and said, "I understand."

The head maid looked coldly at Zhou Wanwan and said, "You'd better behave yourself and work diligently here, or you'll regret it."

After saying that, the head maid left.

The Laundry Bureau lady sneered, "Let's get to work! These are all clothes belonging to important people; we can't afford to ruin them."

Her six aunts looked at her, holding rulers in their hands. Zhou Wanwan sat down and stared blankly at the clothes in the basin.

This isn't just one or two basins, it's more than 30 basins, which means we'll be washing more than 30 basins of clothes today.

Of course, not all of them were nobles; many were palace maids and eunuchs.

Princess Jianing's clothes were also brought over, totaling more than 100 pieces. The head maid under Princess Jianing looked at Zhou Wanwan and said:

Princess Jianing said that all these clothes must be washed today, and they must be washed clean.

Otherwise, I won't give her any food.

Zhou Wanwan looked up at the head palace maid with a pitiful expression and asked, "Palace maid sister, why?"

The head palace maid sneered, "Why? Don't mess with people you shouldn't."

"Okay! I understand."

The Laundry Bureau ladies looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "Wash now! If you don't, we'll slap you across the face."

She grabbed the ruler, ready to strike Zhou Wanwan.

But before the ruler could strike, it stopped, and then the ruler began to strike her own face wildly.

"Crack, crack, crack..." Each crack was louder than the last.

Zhou Wanwan covered her eyes with her fingers, unable to bear looking at it.

That's too ruthless! How could the Old Scholar Tree bear to see her about to harm Zhou Wanwan?

The aunt's face was quickly slapped until it looked like a pig's head. She wailed, "What the hell is that? Waaaaah... It hurts so much! What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and get it!"

Just as the others were about to make a move, the rulers in their hands began to strike them, and in no time, these aunts were all bruised and swollen.

They knelt down and begged for mercy, "Little Ancestor, please stop hitting us! It hurts so much!"

"We know we were wrong, sob sob sob... Please, have mercy on us!"

"I'll do your laundry, okay? Just don't hit us."

They stopped as soon as they finished speaking, and the aunts burst into tears, crying, "Let's work! Let's work!"

If we don't work, we won't survive!

Zhou Wanwan lay back in a chair with tea beside her, reading a book as she said, "Then I'll have to trouble you all. Wash yourselves thoroughly, make sure you're all very clean, okay? Otherwise, you won't get any food."

The aunties nodded like chicks pecking at rice; they were so adorable.

Zhou Wanwan felt that everyone in the palace was very easy to get along with.

The aunts looked at Zhou Wanwan with eyes full of terror. What kind of monster was around this child?

Whenever they tried to slack off, the whips would crack, and they hurt terribly when they were whipped.

The aunts were suffering terribly, diligently washing the clothes.

Soon, the table was filled with more fruit and snacks.

Everything was Zhou Wanwan's favorite food; even the watermelon was cut into pieces, and there were also mangoes, strawberries, cherries, mangosteens...

Snacks include potato chips, preserved plums, beef jerky, shrimp crackers, sunflower seeds, pork jerky, and pistachios.

The atmosphere here is really nice.

After working all morning, Zhou Wanglang was starving. The Old Scholar Tree beside him said softly, "Wanwan, how about we have lunch? We can just order something simple for lunch."

Zhou Wanwan hummed in agreement and asked, "What dishes did the Imperial Kitchen cook today?"

"Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, Dragon and Phoenix Bringing Auspiciousness, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions, Braised Prawns in Oil, Braised Deer Tendon, Premium Camel Hump, Honey-Glazed Pigeon, Crystal Fish Maw, Pearl Fish Balls, Osmanthus-Stuffed Crab, Jade Cup Bird's Nest, Milk Crisp Rolls, Red Plum Snow Lotus Root, and I think honey-glazed roasted suckling pig!"

The outer skin is roasted to a golden brown and glossy color, crispy and fragrant, making a crunchy sound with a gentle bite, while the meat inside is so tender it's juicy.

It looks so delicious it makes my mouth water!

Zhou Wanwan swallowed hard and said, "Then let's have a special roast suckling pig, braised prawns, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, milk-flavored crispy rolls, and one vegetarian dish!"

The Old Scholar Tree beside him said, "Stir-fried tender bamboo shoots, stuffed eggplant (for imperial use), corn with pine nuts, stir-fried kale with goji berries, braised kale with fresh mushrooms, steamed ginkgo nuts with rock sugar, cold-dressed tender asparagus, bamboo shoots and mushrooms with osmanthus-flavored glutinous rice, steamed tender winter melon, crispy vegetarian rolls..."

Zhou Wanwan sighed. "It's so hard to choose from so many dishes every day!"

She chose a stir-fried tender bamboo shoot and corn with pine nuts.

The Old Scholar Tree soon went to the Imperial Kitchen to forage for food.