Chapter 71 Socialite: Shen Wanqing was unaware that Emperor Kangxi was considering replacing the head of the Hesheli family. Luckily, she didn't know, otherwise…

Shen Wanqing was unaware that Kangxi was considering replacing the head of the Hesheli family. Fortunately, she didn't know, otherwise she wouldn't know whether to be happy or unhappy.

If Yulang really becomes the head of the Hesheli family in the future, and if the Crown Prince cannot escape the fate of being deposed, then I should lie down and enjoy a happy life for ten years or so, and then, as a family member of a core member of the Crown Prince's faction, peacefully go on my way. What Siberia and Hainan Island? Are those places I am qualified to go?

But this is the original course of history. Shen Wanqing has often wondered if history has been changed by her own beautiful little butterfly.

Or perhaps this world wasn't the one she knew before, and she was living in a dream, or one of the three thousand minor worlds mentioned in Buddhist scriptures. Anyway, Shen Wanqing didn't mind anything, as long as she knew that she was truly existing at this moment.

So if she knew Kangxi's plans, she might be so happy she'd take off immediately. As long as there's hope, who knows what kind of good life she might end up living?

However, Shen Wanqing didn't have time to study the true nature and mysteries of the world right now; she was busy working for the Shi family and the future Crown Princess.

The Shi family had changed their surname from Guarjia a long time ago, and their lifestyle and way of thinking had become more Sinicized. That's why Shen Hongshi was able to catch Shi Wenbing's eye when he was in Fuzhou. Ultimately, cultural belonging and a sense of identity are still very important.

As for whether the surname should be Shi or Guarjia, that was just a matter of whether the surname Guarjia would bring the emperor closer or the surname Shi would be more useful to him; it wasn't really that important.

Like the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain Yellow Banner, the Plain White Banner belonged directly to the Emperor. The Plain White Banner had a large number of Han Chinese soldiers, making it difficult to manage so many people. Prejudice and suppression couldn't be relied upon indefinitely; if so many people were suppressed for too long, the opportunity for them to retaliate would be far more terrifying.

Emperor Kangxi has been calling for Manchus and Han Chinese to be one family for many years, which means that there is still no real family relationship between the Manchus and Han Chinese. At least the upward mobility of the Han Chinese Bannermen is narrower than that of the Manchu Bannermen. In the eyes of outsiders, Shen Wanqing's marriage to Yulang was a marriage of high status.

The problem isn't scarcity, but inequality; all conflicts, discontent, and estrangement stem from this. Kangxi dared not and could not use more drastic measures, otherwise offending all the Manchu noble families would have serious consequences for the emperor.

The emperor currently sitting on the throne is Kangxi. The aristocratic families may dare to be angry but dare not speak out. What if the emperor is not Kangxi, not Yongzheng, or even Yinreng who changed their fate?

It is said that wealth does not last three generations. What is even rarer than wealth not lasting three generations is three generations of wise rulers. If the descendants can maintain this family fortune after a few decades, the ancestors should be praying to Buddha in the afterlife. Therefore, even if you have great ambitions, you can only take it slowly.

The Shi family was the line that the Emperor had wedged between the Manchu and Han people in the Plain White Banner and the Han Army Banner. This allowed the Manchu aristocratic families to get used to the Shi family, whose behavior was more like that of the Han people. It also allowed the Han Army Banner and the Han people to see that there were families like the Shi family, who were no different from the Han people, and that they also had a way to rise in society and could be valued by the Emperor.

The Shi family was very capable and knew their place well. No wonder Emperor Kangxi was willing to entrust his most favored and valued crown prince to a girl from the Shi family.

However, this also has a downside: apart from the royal marriage alliance, the Shi family's connections with other Manchu noble families have become more distant.

The Shi family's mansion in the capital was so large that it exceeded the regulations for a third-class earl. Without any relatives by marriage, relying solely on the old servants who looked after the house, it was uncertain whether the mansion would be fully cleaned up by the end of the year.

The servants of the Shi family had a different mindset when it came to tidying up the old house than Shen Wanqing. They felt that as long as the courtyard where their master wanted to live was tidied up, that would be enough. They would leave the rest untouched and wait for their master to return so that everything could be arranged according to his wishes. As servants, they could not make decisions on their own.

Shen Wanqing arranged everything from top to bottom and inside to outside. In her eyes, the entire Shi Mansion was a high-end, exquisitely decorated villa and manor.

The homeowner is about to inspect the property; can they really just leave the bedrooms and living room tidied up and ignore everything else? If they do that, they can only wait for the homeowner to complain and refuse to accept the property.

Whether or not one prepares is an attitude; how the Shi family changes things is their own habit. The Shi family has money and manpower, so they can simply rearrange everything according to their own wishes. Anyway, saving trouble and conforming to one's own wishes are two different things.

Shen Wanqing worked her way up from the bottom, and used to manage all sorts of trivial matters on the project. From construction to documentation to safety to logistics, she even hired a cook herself from a nearby resettlement community because she was tired of takeout.

If we bring them back, we need to pay their salaries and buy them insurance. Where will this money come from? How do we register with the insurance company? How much money do we need to maintain a canteen each month? How much should employees pay for each meal, and how much should the project subsidize?

The office staff and permanent staff working on the project pay monthly, while those who are out and about every day only pay for meals for half a month at the project. In short, she has to consider all kinds of things and people.

Therefore, having her temporarily manage and coordinate the servants of the Shen and Shi families to renovate and furnish the Shi family's residence from the inside out is not a difficult task for Shen Wanqing, except that it is a bit tedious.

"Mother, don't worry. Everything that needs to be arranged has been arranged, so there shouldn't be anything missing. Even if something is missing, I've had extra prepared so that we can make up for it later if anything is really lacking."

"Have all of our family members gone home? Did we leave anything behind at their house?"

“I dragged the housekeeper to check the house inside and out, and we were sure there was nothing left behind.”

The biggest taboo when helping someone else's family is taking something away or leaving something behind. So during this period, Shen Wanqing can help out, but no matter what small task she does, a servant from the Shi family must accompany her. Even a frail old woman sent by Steward Shi to watch over her is fine.

After finishing up the work yesterday, Shen Wanqing had a handover ceremony with Butler Shi and the Shen family's steward.

If it weren't for the fact that we don't really have the habit of signing off on handovers in writing, Shen Wanqing would have seriously considered making a handover form. It's really important to leave a written record after finishing a task!

"It's fortunate that you were here this time. I never knew you had this ability before."

The servants of the Shen family were very thorough in their work, doing things they had been doing for many years, so even if they made a mistake, it was easy to cover it up.

Being pulled to the Shi residence to help with the work was both unfamiliar and unsettling. Moreover, being outside their own territory made them hesitant and timid. Even with Xu Shi, Helan Shi, and Qin Shi watching over them every day, chaos still raged everywhere. Shen Wanqing had to give them clear and specific orders one by one, and they only needed to do as she said.

"I'm just taking it one step at a time, imitating what others are doing. Apart from having a lot of people, the Hesheli family doesn't require me to rearrange anything. How can I forget something I've just gone through once? I'm just doing it again."

Three days ago, Shen Hongshi said that the Shi family would arrive in the capital in two or three days. Yesterday, the Shi family's steward sent someone directly to Hesheli's house to invite Shen Wanqing, so that she could go to the Shi family and look around again.

Once she was sure the entire house was properly furnished, even the tea in the tea room was brewed, and everything looked as if the master had just gone out to a banquet, it was full of life and didn't seem like a house that hadn't had a master for over ten years. Only then did Shen Wanqing nod, feeling that she had done her job perfectly!

I thought that would be enough. Once the Shi family recovered from their long journey, both the Shi family and the Crown Prince would surely give me some benefits. This kind of thing isn't a one-off deal, so there's no need to rush.

Who knew that the steward who stayed behind at the Shi family's residence, whether he was afraid that Shen Wanqing's arrangements would displease his master, or felt that Shen Wanqing had worked hard all day, still specially sent someone to invite Shen Wanqing over in a sedan chair, even though it was the day the Shi family was supposed to return.

Upon arriving at the Shi family's guest courtyard, they saw Xu Shi, along with her cousin-in-law He Lan Shi, Zhou Shi, and her own sister-in-law Qin Shi. Several women dressed as Manchu and Han people were also sitting in the same room, who appeared to be distant relatives of the Shi family. If they were close enough relatives or had a close enough relationship, Shen Wanqing wouldn't have been assigned to help the Shi family tidy up the house this time.

Upon receiving the news, Shen Hongshi went outside the city to welcome Shi Wenbing. He was a former subordinate of Shi Wenbing, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to go and greet him upon his return to the capital. The gentlemen of the ladies in the house also went, and after a few pleasantries, they were indeed all members of the Shi family.

The two groups of people felt a little uncomfortable sitting together. Madam Xu felt that since they were all members of the Shi family, and her family was an outsider, why did they have to come and join in the fun today? How could the steward of the Shi family left in the capital be so incompetent?

The women of the Shi family felt that although they were from the same clan as Shi Wenbing, how come their men were not as well-off as the Shen family?

But he couldn't show it outwardly, since the three brothers of Shen Hongshi's generation all held official positions, which was much more respectable and prestigious than their collateral branch, which had relied on Shi Wenbing for many years.

Only Shen Wanqing didn't care about any of this. She could roughly guess what the steward meant. Everyone waiting for the Shi family to return today was one of their own, whether relatives or subordinates, they were all very close people who would be useful to Shi Wenbing or the Shi family member who was going to become the Crown Princess in the future.

However, this arrangement was indeed rather crude. This was a shortcoming of Shi Wenbing, who had been away from the capital for a long time. Not only were they themselves less perceptive, but even the servants who remained in the capital had become clumsy.

No wonder the Shen family is so highly valued. It's not that the Shen family is truly indispensable, but rather that Shi Wenbing probably doesn't have many capable people at hand right now.

Shen Wanqing was thinking about all this, but she didn't show it on her face. Sitting among a group of ladies and grandmothers, she was incredibly charming. She could join in on anyone's conversation and chat about anything. Her emotional value was off the charts.

When Shi Wenbing and his group arrived at the door, Shen Wanqing had already verbally agreed to several invitations, all from the ladies and grandmothers of the Shi family, who invited her to their homes.

Lady Aisin Gioro was sharp of hearing and sight; early this morning, before even entering the city, she had already sent her maidservant home ahead to check on things. It was just in case, but unexpectedly, she discovered something quite unpleasant.

The journey has been long and arduous, and who has the energy to see guests? But since they've come all this way, it's not right to refuse them. Even if they're useless relatives of the Shi family, the Shen family can't afford to be negligent.

Not to mention the aunt from the Shen family who married into the Hesheli family and the son-in-law who was highly valued by the Crown Prince, the Shen family had gone through so much trouble and even brought a doctor to save their master's life. With this kindness, their family could no longer regard the Shen family as just subordinate servants.

As soon as I stepped off the carriage and into the house, an indescribable sweet aroma wafted towards me. It wasn't just pure incense or floral scents, but rather a mixture of charcoal, melon and grapefruit peel, firewood, tea, milk, and other fragrances.

It makes people feel like they're not returning to a home they haven't lived in for years, but rather that they've just gone on a long trip, and that returning home is no different from leaving home.

When Shi Shi went to her father's post, she was still young, and her memories of the Shi family mansion in the capital were already very faint. But now, as she entered the mansion, she felt that this was exactly what her home should be like. Just by smelling the aroma of the mansion, most of the hardships and frost of the journey were dispelled.

Shi Huashan and Madam Shi were extremely satisfied. Madam Shi turned to her daughter-in-law and instructed, "First, meet Madam Shen and that eldest mistress. The Shi family members are not important."

"Don't worry, Grandma. We don't mind being tired for a little while. They've helped us so much. Our house is a mess today, and we still asked them to come and wait for us to come back. If we didn't even see them, what kind of frivolous people would we be?"

"Mother, let me go see her too."

"It's good to meet her. After you enter the palace, you might see this mistress more often than your family."

Shen Wanqing originally thought that even if she didn't see Madam Shi today, it wouldn't be a problem if they sent a maidservant to say a few polite words.

Unexpectedly, they actually arrived. Leading the way was a dignified and elegant noblewoman with a long face, while slightly behind her was Lady Shi, the future Crown Princess.

She was a woman of dignified appearance and elegant demeanor, whose every word and action carried an indescribable air of reserve and nobility. She was not pretentious, nor was she delicate and frail because of her wealth.

The moment Shen Wanqing saw the future Crown Princess Shi, a few words immediately popped into her mind: She was born to be the Crown Princess.

Shen Wanqing was rebellious at heart. Even in this world with its strict hierarchy, she still despised these masters and servants who clearly distinguished between superior and inferior.

But upon seeing Lady Shi, she suddenly understood why some people were chosen to be the Crown Princess; her demeanor was truly remarkable.

Shi was also observing Shen Wanqing. Along the way, the Shi family had sent people to inquire about the Shen family and the Hesheli family again. Shen Wanqing was like the most exquisite chain and keychain, connecting the Crown Prince, the Hesheli family, the Shen family and herself. It was extremely interesting.

However, having just arrived in the capital, Madam Shi and Shi Shi couldn't hide their fatigue. After a few pleasantries, they were done. Whether it was the collateral branch of the Shi family or Xu Shi and the others, they all felt that seeing the Crown Princess today was a sure thing, and that getting up early to come to the Shi family and waiting for so long was worth it.

Shen Wanqing hadn't thought that far ahead. She couldn't have gone through all this trouble just to see the beauty once. She had already used this as a stepping stone, and she would have many more opportunities to deal with the Shi family in the future.

Sure enough, as soon as she got into the carriage after leaving the Shi family, a maidservant from Shi's side caught up with her and gave Shen Wanqing a handwritten note.

The note was written by Shi herself, the ink still wet. It essentially said that she greatly appreciated Shen Wanqing's arrangement and decoration of the courtyard, and that once things settled down, she would definitely invite Shen Wanqing to the Shi family for a talk.

Shen Wanqing couldn't help but turn the note over, kiss the side without writing on it, and then waved the note at Chunxian, who had come out with her today: "It was all worth it after all this hard work."