Song Yunzhao put away the silver and took stock of her private savings. Combined with the allowance from her father, her coffers were actually quite full.
But for a concubine like her, who had to support an entire palace of attendants, the expenses were still quite high. In the palace, if you wanted to eat well, you had to use your own silver to order special dishes from the Imperial Kitchen. Otherwise, you were stuck with the standard-issue meals.
The menu for the standard-issue meals only had a few dishes on rotation each season. Anyone would get sick of eating the same things year after year.
Clothing, food, lodging—everything cost money. Outsiders saw the life of a concubine as glamorous, but they didn't know the hardships involved. Take clothing and accessories, for instance. Garments were supplied each season according to one's rank, but that only amounted to four sets of outer robes and four sets of undergarments. Even shoes and socks were issued in fixed quantities.
