Pitiful Ruoshan, hateful Qing'an

  After several days, one morning when I got up, I smelled a strong fragrance. The flowers of the sea buckthorn had indeed bloomed, and they looked extremely delicate and beautiful. So I picked a few branches and sent them to the Zhong Mansion, the Yang Mansion, and the Yu County Prince's Mansion.

  Xiang Xiang had always been by Ruo Qing's side, so she didn't know about the grudges between Ruo Qing and Ruo Shan. Her tone was somewhat resentful, "The princess is too kind-hearted, didn't Second Aunt treat you like that? And yet you still care about her life or death?" In fact, due to her own unkind thoughts, she actually hoped that Second Uncle would take in a few more concubines, and it would be best if Ruo Shan were driven to death.

  As she drank the goose meat soup that had been simmered with ginseng, brought over from the kitchen, she said lightly: "Silly girl, I'm not just thinking of her, but also of myself." If there's a second wife in the sister's household, and this gets spread around, who knows, maybe Ru Shi's husband will also take a second wife, which would be most unfortunate.

  If nothing is done about it, the reputation of the other party's sisters will also be affected.

  Chen Xiang understood the reasoning behind this, but he still felt uneasy in his heart. He darkened his face and took the branches of Haitang flowers, wrapping them tightly with palm leaves, and had a servant send them separately to the Zhong family, Yang family, and Yu Prefecture Wangfu. Moreover, he also dispatched a capable woman to each place.

  As for the emotional, personally dispatched Zhou Mama to send flowers, and took the opportunity to speak clearly, and after sending the flowers, she also had to present the gift prepared by Ruoqing for Yu Wangfei in person, and then again with a grand and magnificent sisterly affection, if Yu Junwangfei was an intelligent person, she would definitely be cautious and not dare to act arbitrarily.

  Two hours later, Zhou's mother returned from the Yu Prefecture Wang Fu and scolded Ruyi severely. "Second Aunt has not been well lately. When I arrived, she seemed to have cried. Later, I discreetly inquired and found out that there was a powerful concubine in Second Uncle's residence named Qiu Concubine. She was brought in as a concubine last year and gave birth to a son within just over a year of entering the household. The child is said to be intelligent and handsome, deeply loved by both Second Uncle and the Yu Prefecture Wang Fei. As a result, she has gained favor and is now proud of herself. However, Second Aunt can do nothing about her."

  "Like a big surprise, 'Second Sister has been following Zhang Niang since childhood, shouldn't she be familiar with her ways?'"

  "Zhou's mother curled her lip, 'Madam Zhang was able to contend for dominance in the inner courtyard back then simply because Old Master favored her, that's all. No matter how capable a mistress is, if the man doesn't support her, she's just an empty shell... Second Uncle dotes on Qiu Madam, but Second Aunt has the same fate as Little Li Madam from back then.'"

  It's as if fate is silent, isn't this what they call the cycle of fortune? Oh, no, it should be an eye for an eye. Back then, Zhang's wife had pushed Li's family to the brink of disaster, almost making them lose everything. Now, her own daughter, although the mistress of the house, is being squeezed out by another concubine, relegated to a secondary position. It seems that the cycle of retribution has indeed come full circle.

  But Ru Yi still couldn't understand, "Logically, the concubine and her children should be raised in front of the main mother, right? Is it possible that Second Sister is still allowing that child to be raised on the concubine's lap?" Ruyi was brainless, but she should have had this much common sense.

  Zhou's mother sighed, "This servant really couldn't bear to watch and so asked about this matter in front of the Princess of Yu Prefecture. Your Highness, can you guess how the Princess of Yu Prefecture replied?"

  Recalling the sarcasm of Yu Guo Wangfei, Zhou Mama didn't know whether to be angry or feel lucky. "Yu Guo Wangfei said that our Second Aunt was also born from a concubine and raised by her own mother, yet she grew up delicate and pretty. And Qiu Yiniang is the same as Second Aunt's mother, both coming from a scholarly family, it doesn't make sense that she can't even teach her child properly."

  Like a cicada, she was tongue-tied and didn't know how to respond. After a while, she finally said, "Second sister, this dumb loss is really frustrating." Like Shan had always been resentful of her own birth as a concubine, so in front of others, she would always elevate Zhang Yiniang, the daughter of a scholarly family who had fallen on hard times and become her father's concubine. Having a mother from a scholarly family was something that could bring honor and prestige outside, but now Qiu Yiniang was using this to shut her down, leaving Like Shan with nothing to say, unable to express her grievances.

  Old Lady Zhou sighed, "A person who is hateful must have a pitiful side. In Second Aunt's household, there isn't even a trustworthy personal maid now; she even has to personally pour the tea herself."

  "What, how is that possible? When my second sister got married, there were also four accompanying maidservants." In the past, Ruxin was in the Jingwang Fu and did such a thing, Fang Jinglan was so angry that he had three of Ruxin's closest maids beaten to death. But when Ruxin got married, she still brought all the maids from Lingyue Ju with her, including the wet nurse and the wet nurse's daughter.

  "Those few maidservants who came with the bride were all promoted to be attendants of the second aunt's husband by the second aunt. Now, in the second aunt's house, there is only one wet nurse and two or three small maidservants who can be ordered around, and they are all quite arrogant." Then she thought of something else and said, "I heard that the second aunt also promoted the wet nurse's daughter to be an attendant too."

  As if stroking her forehead, she didn't know what to say anymore. If it weren't for being at the end of her rope, how could she bear to have her own confidante elevated to a maternal aunt? Moreover, even the daughter of her wet nurse was also given a slap in the face.

  The delicate fragrance of the Western rose flower wafted from the small ceramic red flower vase on the side table, which was picked by Xiangxiang this morning and added with some water. The whole room was filled with a refreshing scent that even surpassed the expensive sandalwood incense. Having smelled the sandalwood for too long, my nose had become dull. Coincidentally, today's weather was fine, so I let the servant remove the charcoal fire from the house, open the doors and windows wide, and let the golden sunlight shine in like gold. Although there was a hint of chill in the air, wearing a thick silver fox fur-edged robe and reclining on the luxurious northwest sheep wool quilted couch, holding a hot water bottle, I felt quite comfortable and warm.

  She stretched out her slender fingers from under the quilt, and with a loving touch, she picked up a piece of warm milk pastry that had been toasted to perfection and drizzled with honey.

  "Second sister's wet nurse was also quite loyal to her. But that wet nurse's daughter was born with a clever spirit."

  Zhou's mother looked at Ruqing with appreciation and took over the conversation, "That's right, Gan Niang is really born well."

  As soon as the two of them exchanged a glance, they both let out a deep sigh. Generally, wet nurses are those who have been by one's side since childhood, and their relationship is not ordinary. However, no matter how good this relationship is, once it involves family ties and interests, it will become complicated. Now that Gan Niang has been elevated to the position of a madam, let alone whether she did so willingly or not, but now that she's in this role, even if she gives birth to another child, how can she still maintain a simple master-servant relationship?

  "As she sighed softly, 'Second sister is really muddled. How many outstanding maids does she have by her side? Even if she were to be promoted to a concubine, what would it amount to?' Ru Shan and Ru Mei had different temperaments, but they shared the same thoughts when it came to selecting servants - that their appearance could not surpass their own. The maids by Ru Shan's side were all still nimble, but as for beauty, they probably couldn't even compare to Qing Luan. Not to mention the peach blossoms and green willows from back then. Only the daughter of the wet nurse had a few outstanding features."

  Yu Rou then asked Zhou Mama about the second wife, and Zhou Mama said: "Following your instructions, I personally handed over the gifts to the king's consort. The king's consort is very concerned about you and asked me many things about you in the palace. Upon learning that you are pregnant, she was truly delighted. She also asked me to pass on a message to you, asking me to greet you on her behalf."

  As if with a flirtatious glance, if she knew she was doing poorly, wouldn't she be delighted?

  However, as Ru Xiang acknowledged that she was not a devout follower of the Holy Mother, and since it was a good deed, she made an effort to do it, and also gave Ruxin some face. As for whether the Princess of Yu Prefecture would continue to act unilaterally, it was no longer within her concern.

  However, the Prince of Yu has not done anything in recent years, but his eating and drinking have become more and more extravagant. Even if he wants to take a second wife, it must be approved by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Clan Office. Moreover, with the current empty treasury, the officials of the Ministry of Revenue are worried and scratching their eyebrows. It is estimated that even if the Prince of Yu takes a second wife and enters the imperial family register, there will be no more imperial grain to eat.

  ……

  During her pregnancy, Li Xiang stayed in Longxianju, which made people like Zhou Mama feel relieved. However, the ladies-in-waiting downstairs were resentful and occasionally mocked her when they came to pay their respects. Li Xiang pretended not to hear them and only said that she was feeling unwell, thus avoiding their daily morning and evening visits. But this also led to opposition, with people saying that serving the mistress was a matter of heavenly principle and earthly righteousness, and that rules could not be abandoned. Li Xiang knew what they were up to, so she never set foot in their courtyard. Every day, she would come to pay her respects, and perhaps see them briefly, but if she stopped even doing that, there would be no chance for them to meet with Li Xiang at all.

  But as expected, she didn't plan to share her man with them. With a bright smile, she said: "I knew you all understand the rules best. Alright then, starting tomorrow, you can discuss and divide the work among yourselves. Stay at Longxian Residence during the day and come serve me for my daily needs."

  Several aunts changed their faces, they served in Longxianju, didn't they really become Yuqing's maids? Come again Li Xiao

  Those who go out early and return late, even if they see each other, it's just a fleeting glance, and the opportunities to entice are extremely rare. Staying in Longxian House also has many restrictions on freedom, how can it compare to the comfort of being in one's own home? So the various concubines again made excuses, saying things like "my hands and feet are clumsy, I'm afraid I won't be able to serve the princess well." Some said: "This humble concubine had a cold a few days ago and hasn't recovered yet, if I were to pass on the illness to the princess it would be a crime." Others said: "This humble concubine is coarse and ugly, afraid of polluting the princess's eyes." The king didn't force them, smiling as he let them leave.

  However, looking at this group of women who are full of grievances, she feels a little guilty. As the legitimate mistress, keeping men from going to other people's homes and making them keep their chastity is also quite inhumane. But if she shows mercy and lets the men go, she herself will not be comfortable either. She has thought about letting them go, but she is afraid that once they leave, there will be other candidates coming in, so she still thinks it's necessary to keep them around.

  Then, as usual, he ordered the people below to serve these few aunts well, providing good tea and food, and if there was any slight delay, they would not be forgiven.

  Overall, pregnancy is extremely boring. The imperial concubine worries about Ruo Xue's body and not only exempts her from morning and evening shifts but also doesn't let her manage the affairs of the palace, just letting her have a good rest and nourish the fetus. However, no matter what, as a junior, how can she rely on this piece of meat in her belly to be arrogant?

  So, taking advantage of the good weather that day, she went to Taifei's place to pay her respects and also asked Song Jiang's family for some sewing lessons.

  "I've heard that Madam Song is also skilled in embroidery, so I came to ask for her guidance. I want to embroider a purse for the prince, and I heard that this year's popular style is a calabaza-shaped purse, but I just can't seem to get the cutting right, I wasted a lot of fabric before and couldn't succeed, I heard Madam Song is best at cutting, so I came specifically to ask for her guidance."

  Song Jiang's family had a bit of an unexpected turn, but seeing the sincere tone and language, and also taking out fabric and scissors, couldn't help but laugh: "Now that you're already a noble mistress, why bother with these things? If you want a handbag, can't you just give it to someone skilled in needlework? No need to ruin your own eyes."

  The princess also smiled and said: "Yes, now that you're pregnant, it's better to stay away from needlework."

  As she smiled and laughed, "Just passing the time when I'm bored. Besides, it's not much trouble to make a small embroidered pouch. But if Master Wang wears the pouch I personally embroidered, wouldn't outsiders say I'm virtuous?"

  The princess burst out laughing and pointed at her, scolding with a smile: "What a utilitarian you are! I didn't expect you to have such thoughts. But since you've said this to me, you're really a silly child."

  Ruyi smiled and said, "Silly, my grandmother always says that silly people have good fortune." Then Ruyi turned to the Empress and said, "Mengge is already five years old this year. My cousin from my mother's side was sent to a private tutor at the age of three. I also want to find a teacher for Mengge to start his education. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

  The empress dowager glanced at her unexpectedly and said, "You are his mother, you can make your own decisions about these things."

  Yu Ru asked Empress Dowager, "Since the dismissal of Hong's nanny from managing the inner court last year, this position has been vacant. If the slaves in the inner court do not have a manager for a long time, it is also inappropriate. Does Mother Empress have a suitable candidate in mind?"

  The princess asked in return: "You've also managed the household for a while now, have you found someone suitable?"

  The concubine hesitated and said: "I want to bring Yuan Fu into the house as a steward, I don't know what your thoughts are on this matter?"

  "Yuan Fula?" The Empress Dowager was somewhat surprised, "This old Yuan usually handles matters in the flower house, his daughter-in-law has always been in charge of Xiang'er's courtyard, do you think it's good for her to be in charge of this matter?"

  Yuan Fula's wife replied, "The rules and regulations of the Wang family are already familiar to me, and I am stable and steady in my actions. My daughter-in-law was able to pick it up so quickly, thanks to her reminders on the side. Moreover, when she took over as supervisor earlier, she did a great job." Yuan Fula's wife may not have managed all the servants in the mansion before, but she excelled at understanding right and wrong, thoroughly implementing the master's tasks, and being fair in handling matters. Recently, she had intentionally given her more power and secretly observed her for a while. This person did not become arrogant towards the people below her after gaining great power, but instead diligently completed her own tasks and rarely sought to take credit or monopolize decision-making.

  "Besides, Yuan Fucui's family is also a veteran of the mansion. The wife saw that she managed Longxianju very well and Wang Ye trusted her very much. According to Wang Ye's vision, she must be a capable person. The wife thought that it would be better to find someone who knows the roots of the palace for internal affairs. Yuan Fucui's family is also a natural choice." What's more important is that Yuan Fucui's family is really respectful to her, taking care of every detail in her daily life, even restraining the original maidservants of Longxianju, if anyone shows any disrespect towards her, they will be immediately dismissed and replaced. Just for this reason, Ruyi also has to treat her with respect.

  The princess thought that during this period, Yu Rong managed the household well, and there were no major disturbances in the palace. Moreover, the accounts presented by the accounting room were clear and transparent, and various expenses in the first month had actually decreased compared to previous years. The servants below also showed great enthusiasm for their work, so she still trusted her and agreed.

  Yuan Fula's family has been in the Wang Mansion for decades, but her husband is just a minor servant in the flower house and doesn't stand out. Now she only has one daughter under her knees, among all the elderly people in the mansion, she really isn't very prominent. If it weren't for working as a maid in Li Xiao's house, having some dignity, who knows when she would have been sent to an outer courtyard. This time, if she is favored and promoted, she will surely offend the lower-ranking servants.

  The housekeeper Wang, who was in charge of sweeping and cleaning, jumped out first to express her dissatisfaction.

  "The princess should think thrice, Yuan Fu has only served in the prince's household and hasn't done any other work, if the princess promotes her like this, won't it chill the hearts of us lower-ranking people?"

  As for these opposing voices, Qing didn't explain, but instead said lightly: "If you haven't tried it, how do you know she can't handle it? Or, are you capable of handling the position of general manager? If so, come on, write down the military order, give you a half-year deadline, if you can't manage the inner house well, you'll wait for me to expose your old face, okay?"

  That Wang's face turned red, she indeed wanted to be the housekeeper, but since things have been said to this extent, even the military order has been brought out, how dare she still go and argue? What if it doesn't turn out well, wouldn't that implicate the whole family?

  As if he had expected it, he looked down at the many officials below and said calmly: "I know you are not convinced in your hearts. But I mentioned to you earlier that you should first take care of your own affairs and not make mistakes because of the competition for the position of general manager. You touch your conscience and think carefully about what you have done in secret, do you think I am blind and didn't see it?"

  Many people pretend to be diligent and claim to work wholeheartedly, but secretly they are doing small actions behind others' backs.

  "Is there or isn't there? I'm too lazy to care about it anymore. But now that Yuan Fu has taken on this task, you all must not quarrel with her over who's right or wrong. If I find out, regardless of who's right or wrong, I'll dismiss and punish you all severely. Absolutely no exceptions." After a pause, his gaze swept across the faces of these officials, and he continued: "If anyone is dissatisfied, they can come to me directly and explain their reasons. Is there anyone among you who is dissatisfied?"

  Everyone looks up to you, and I look up to you too. Where else can we dare not obey? Even if we don't want to obey, we have to obey anyway.

  With a satisfied heart, he gave some instructions to Yuan Fugui's family: "You are in charge of this matter. If you say it's good, then do it well; if you say it's not good, then don't do it. However, even if you check everything every day, if there are people who are lazy, gamble, drink, or fight, you can punish them according to the rules. If I find out that you have shown favoritism, your face will be lost for this lifetime. If the lower-ranking people don't obey, then you must show off your skills to make them obey."

  Yuan Fu's family hurriedly responded with a "yes", and then, in front of the managers, he said: "Don't think that just because I have a child now, you can slack off. I will still conduct random inspections from time to time. If any department makes a mistake, not only will I punish that department, but also question you."

  Then he warned the officials, "I don't ask you to achieve great merits, but I hope you can manage your own affairs well. If you do a good job, I and the king will reward you. If you don't do a good job, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy. If you commit the crime of 'deception' again, don't blame me for being ruthless! This ugly talk, I'll stop here."

  ……

  On the sixth day, the palace also bestowed many precious and valuable items, including rare flowers, expensive pearl hairpins, fragrant handkerchiefs, famous calligraphy works, and many other treasures. The Empress Dowager also gave away a large quantity of bird's nest, pearl powder, and thousand-year-old ginseng. Especially, the Imperial Concubine Shun Chen personally presented a picture frame made of whole pieces of crystal glass with the words "Joyful Birth of a Noble Son" engraved on it. The frame was made of high-quality purple sandalwood, shining brightly and emitting a faint fragrance of sandalwood, which was pleasing to the eye. She ordered her attendants to hang it on the wall of her bedroom.

  Later, other princes and dukes also sent people to deliver gifts, some even came in person to pay their respects and brought many precious tonics. The Duke of Guo, the Duke of Ying, the Duke of Ning, and the Duke of Cheng all sent their trusted attendants with valuable gifts. The Ze Yun Hou Fu and Qing Chang Hou Fu also sent some seasonal luxury goods. As for other officials, there were too many to count. Every day, Ruan Yu would receive guests at Long Xian Ju until his face was stiff from smiling.

  The Empress Dowager cherished her like a close relative, fearing that she would be tired, and mostly had her personally receive guests. However, some close relatives, such as Grand Princess Ningjing, could not shrink from coming out of the house, so she personally entertained them at Longxian House.

  Princess Qing'an seems to have changed her temper this time, although she still has a proud face, but her attitude is much more gentle than before, and she even personally gave a string of shiny black pearls to Ru Xing.

  This southern pearl is as black as ink, a rare and precious tribute, with a small jade pendant hanging from it, carved with the image of Guanyin Bodhisattva.

  Ning Jing Da Zhang Gong Zhu saw the situation, glanced at her daughter-in-law and said, "You were so precious before, what's going on now? You know to give gifts to your sister-in-law."

  Princess Qing'an lowered her head, smiling awkwardly: "I'm about to become an aunt, how can I not be happy?" Then seeing Ruoxi didn't seem to want to put it on, she said: "Sister-in-law, you wear it. This was personally blessed by a high-ranking monk at the temple, ensuring that you'll give birth to a noble son safely and peacefully, warding off evil spirits and malevolent ghosts."

  As if the Guanyin Bodhisattva was smiling down on her, Princess Qing'an's anxious appearance only made her more suspicious. She laughed and said: "This is such a good pearl, how can I bear to wear it? What if it gets damaged, wouldn't that be a waste of my sister's kindness? It's better to treasure it carefully." Then she handed it over to Linglong, "Go find some silk cloth, wrap it up carefully and put it in my dresser."

  Princess Qing'an curled her lip and lowered her face, "Indeed, a mountain pig can't eat fine flour."

  Her ears perked up, and she shot a fierce glance. Yu Ru smiled quietly and said, "Yes, I'm indeed just a mountain pig, can't compare to my sister, who has been dressed in finery and fed delicacies since childhood, what precious thing hasn't she seen?"

  The empress turned her head and said with a smile: "There are rewards from the palace, enough for you to wear until next year, but I haven't seen you wear them, don't you like them?"

  "Are they not all precious treasures, how can one not like them? But it's really impossible to wear them all, even if we take turns wearing them." In the past, when others gave her a valuable piece of jewelry, she would be delighted for half a day and couldn't bear to wear it, carefully putting it away. But now, these pearls and jewels are as numerous as the stars in the sky, and even if she changed into a new set every day, she still wouldn't be able to wear them all out. They were all tributes from the imperial court, and taking them outside to pawn would be too embarrassing, while giving them away to servants would be too extravagant. In the end, they could only be used as gifts exchanged between noble families, a vulgar custom.

  Princess Qing'an sensed that the Empress Dowager and the Empress were not pleased with her, so she became displeased in her heart and put on a sullen face. Princess Ningjing pinched her and scolded softly: "Don't be jealous of your sister-in-law either. If you had given birth to a grandson for me early, would you have been worried about not getting rewards? But you've been married into our family for over a year, and your belly still hasn't shown any signs of movement."

  It seems that the rumors of discord between this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are true after all.

  Princess Qing'an's face was displeased, but after all, she had no children, and no matter how noble she was, she had nothing to say.

  Princess Ningjing mentioned the Yang family's affairs again, frowning, "......I've also heard a bit about the Yang family's affairs. How can there be people in this world who are eager to become concubines? It's truly unheard of."

  The queen said lightly, "That Qi Ning child is indeed stubborn."

  The serene princess sneered, "That's not being stubborn, it's completely selfish and shameless. As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis' household, she herself doesn't care about her reputation, but how can her mother also be so muddled?" She paused, incredulous, "Celebrating Chang's wife has always been known for being astute and concerned with appearances, how did she become so muddled this time?"

  "Even the most astute person has weaknesses, doesn't he?"

  "Yang Qining is the eldest daughter of the Marquis's household, and she's willing to be a concubine for Brother Wang. Mother should be delighted, so why refuse? It's really hurting their reputation." She glanced at Ru Xing with a cold smile on her lips, "Sister-in-law is really something, refusing in such a grand manner, not only losing face for the Yang family but also gaining a reputation for being jealous. How despicable."

  With a faint smile, "Sister thinks I should agree to Miss Yang entering the house?"

  "Others have a noble status and are the legitimate daughter of a prominent household, yet they willingly become someone's concubine. It's a blessing for the sister-in-law to be young and not understand the pros and cons here. Now, with this rejection, she slaps people in the face, earning herself a reputation for being jealous and also implicating the long-standing relationship between the Jing Wang Fu and Qing Chang Hou Fu families. Yang Niangniang and Mother have always gotten along well, but now because of sister-in-law's actions, they've become estranged. Sister-in-law, your sin is truly great!" Then she complained to the Empress Dowager, "Mother is also at fault for allowing sister-in-law to behave so recklessly."