Flower Hall

All the maids, servants, stewards, and matrons in the mansion were here.

Separated by a screen, He Yue sat lazily in a chair in the lobby, leaning back and cracking sunflower seeds.

Hailan sat outside the screen, with a table in front of her, holding the household's roster. She called out everyone's name and then went up to each person to answer her questions.

Wang Mama had already found out who these people were working for. Leaving Heyue alone these past few days wasn't entirely without its benefits; she easily gained control of the conversations from all sides.

Some remained in their original places, while others were reassigned. Important locations such as the kitchen were filled with trustworthy and capable people, according to He Yue's wishes.

Some people were indignant, so Granny Wang had them kicked out of the mansion, and now no one dared to speak up.

“The Thirteenth Prince has already said that all matters in the manor are to be managed by the Princess Consort. If you are not satisfied, you can go and ask the Thirteenth Prince.”

When people saw Chen Kui, the steward of the outer courtyard, standing respectfully in front, no one dared to object.

This was clearly to support the new princess. Who would dare to disobey their master? Moreover, this new princess may look young, but she is not easy to control, so everyone was on high alert.

With Chen Kui present, the process went much more smoothly, and the handover was completed quickly. Even Li Sheng, the steward of the inner courtyard, dared not say anything.

Heyue was extremely satisfied with Thirteen's behavior and planned to reward him handsomely when he returned.

With Granny Wang around, things were quickly resolved. Heyue then handed over all these personnel matters to Hailan, with Granny Wang assisting, so that Hailan could also gain more experience in managing affairs.

Heyue brought several estates with her as part of her dowry. For the time being, the Cui family, who came with her as part of her dowry, will manage them and report to her regularly. Later, she plans to train a few more people to manage each of these estates.

Everyone in this household needs food and clothing, so her mother gave her a clothing shop as part of her dowry, and there are people specifically in charge of managing it.

In the afternoon, I met with the steward and nanny at the manor's estate again, reported the situation, and Heyue checked the accounts and found that although the income from the two estates was not much, it was stable.

These were all previously managed by Chen Kui. It was said that the Fourth Prince recommended Chen Kui to the Thirteenth Prince. Chen Kui was calm, efficient, and a good manager who handled things very well. So Heyue trusted Chen Kui and entrusted these matters to him again.

In the evening, Heyue lay sprawled on the bed, deeply aware of the hardships of being a housekeeper. She knew there would be many more such matters to come, and she needed to be on her guard.

"When will the Princess Consort host a family banquet to meet the Princess Consorts of other households?"

Reminded by Granny Wang, Heyue thought that since she had just married into the family, she should indeed gather the wives of the various households together to get to know them and cultivate the relationship between the sisters-in-law so that they could get along better in the future, especially since there was also the Eighth Prince's wife.

The thought of seeing the Eighth Prince's wife made Heyue extremely happy.

Arrangements were made for tomorrow afternoon, with Hailan to prepare invitations and invite everyone one by one. From now on, Heyue would entrust all matters inside and outside the manor to Hailan, while Chun Ya and Chun Rui would focus on serving Heyue.

Hailan is not careful or composed enough, but with Wang Mama's guidance, she will gradually improve.

When the Thirteenth Prince returned that evening, he went straight to the main room.

He Yue was resting in bed when no one informed her. When she was suddenly pulled into the other person's arms and pressed down on him, she was so shocked that she almost jumped up.

Thirteen held her tightly, kissed her cheek, and asked with a smile, "Was today alright?"

Heyue glared at him, secretly annoyed that the maids hadn't informed her.

After being ambushed, He Yue was annoyed, but when she saw that he didn't intend to continue touching her, but simply held her and lay down on his side, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Thinking of everything he had done for her, her heart softened instantly, so she let him hug her, tapped his cheek with her index finger, and smiled: "Thanks to you, everything is fine."

The Thirteenth Prince was overjoyed and hugged Heyue even tighter. But then he remembered what happened last night and, to avoid being kicked out again, he carefully nuzzled her face with his nose, not daring to go too far: "Please don't kick me out today, okay?"

Seeing him staring at her with pleading eyes like a puppy, his gaze filled with longing, He Yue couldn't bear to give him a cold look anymore.

Perhaps knowing that he hadn't gone to another woman's place last night, she felt somewhat touched.

She nodded, then glared at him fiercely, warning, "Don't you dare touch me again without my permission."

The thirteenth prince nodded like a chick pecking at rice, his eyes crinkling with a smile, and gave Heyue a light peck on the cheek.

But when He Yue wasn't looking, a sly smile crept across his lips.

"By the way, why won't you let me see those concubines?" He Yue thought of this and became furious, poking his chest hard with her finger.

The Thirteenth Prince stiffened, and guiltily grasped her small hand, weakly saying, "I was just afraid you'd be angry. If you don't want to see them, you don't have to force yourself. With me here, no one will dare say anything."

"Why should I be angry?" Heyue stared at him with her round eyes, fuming. "Don't make decisions on your own. Aren't you just afraid I'll bully them? Look how nervous you are. Do you think I'll eat you?!"

Although she knew that wasn't the case, Heyue just wanted to tease him and see his reaction.

To everyone's surprise, the Thirteenth Prince's expression immediately changed. He hugged her even tighter and said in a nervous tone, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not worried about them, I'm worried that you'll feel bad if you see them!"

Seeing how eager he was to express his feelings, Heyue couldn't help but burst out laughing, burying her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

The Thirteenth Prince was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant. He laughed and pinned her down, tickling her: "Oh! You tricked me!"

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