Chapter 341 Duty
"Princess, in this haste, we have not prepared enough in many places. I hope you will not take offense. If there is anything that is not to your liking, please do not hesitate to give me your advice. I will definitely have people make proper repairs. I only hope that you can stay comfortably in the Wei family."
Qi Yuxuan did not respond. She was following Wei Kangshi's footsteps, looking around at the two-courtyard house where she was only staying for four days.
The ground is paved with blue bricks, and the main hall has five rooms with an open and airy annex. Behind the carved nanmu wood lattice doors are moon-white silk curtains hanging down.
The main room was furnished with rosewood furniture, and behind the mica screen was a canopy bed with swastika patterns and lacquer filling. The brocade cushions looked to be at least three fingers thick, and an unknown incense was rising from the incense burner.
The east wing was converted into a study, with shelves full of books and a daybed next to it, clearly prepared for her to rest. Pushing open the back window next to the daybed, one could see a half-acre chrysanthemum garden, where golden sandalwood and jade phoenix chrysanthemums were in full bloom, their fragrance mingling with the scent of pine trees as they moved with the curtains.
The west-facing corridor leads directly to the small kitchen, where the charcoal fire burns continuously throughout the day. The Wei family does not know the princess's tastes, but they remember that the princess's servants take care of her food, clothing, and daily necessities. Therefore, the kitchen is fully stocked with all the necessary oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other ingredients. The Wei family does not actively participate in cooking.
The layout here is spacious but not extravagant, and all the items are within the regulations for a princess, so no one will criticize her. On the contrary, it reveals the wealth accumulated by the Wei family over generations.
Qi Yuxuan looked satisfied, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said softly:
"Mrs. Lao has gone to great lengths to prepare this place; I really like it here."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wei seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and smiled:
"That's good, that's good. I was worried that I hadn't prepared well enough and might have neglected the princess. Since that's the case, and the princess has come from the outer city, I won't disturb her rest any longer."
After saying this, Madam Wei Kang left the courtyard.
Several maids also started cleaning and preparing on their own initiative.
Qi Yuxuan brought a lot of things, but most of them were dowry items prepared for the marriage alliance.
In the battle at Tianque Valley that day, although there were moments of chaos and fear, the followers who regained their senses quickly dragged out the cartloads of priceless dowry, preventing them from being wasted. As a result, only a small portion was lost in the end.
The Wei family was very accommodating; they had prepared everything properly, and the furniture was spotless, clearly having been cleaned that morning.
Bihui went to the small kitchen to boil a pot of water, brewed rose tea, and brought it to Qi Yuxuan.
Seeing the weariness in her eyes, Bihui took the initiative to remove the jewelry from her hair, massaged the acupoints on her head, and told her everything she had just seen:
“Princess, the Wei family is indeed sensible. No wonder they can afford such a large mansion in Kuncheng. It is clear that they are very wealthy.”
Qi Yuxuan relaxed completely. Hearing her say that, she chuckled and said in a low voice, "It's not necessarily because of a deep family background or exceptional skills."
"Huh?" Bi Sui didn't hear clearly. "What did you say, Princess?"
Qi Yuxuan: "Don't be fooled by appearances. Please be careful these next few days and make sure no one takes advantage of you."
Upon hearing this, Bihui tensed up and exclaimed in alarm:
"What?! Has the princess noticed something amiss?"
Bi Sui stood up abruptly, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy:
"This servant is stupid and can't see it. Please tell me, Your Highness, otherwise what if you get hurt because we're not careful enough?!"
Qi Yuxuan opened her eyes, pulled her hand and made her sit down: "It's not that serious. I don't have any concrete evidence, I just feel that something is wrong."
"Look, even this rinsing bowl is adorned with gold thread and carved with gold inscriptions. This is an item that only princesses and above can use. Not to mention those precious and rare materials like mica and styrax... Think about it, how could these things appear so easily in Guankun City?"
"Wei Changshi's annual salary is less than a thousand taels of silver. How can he support a family of over a hundred people with the meager rent from shops in Kuncheng?"
"Of course, I'm just thinking about it. Maybe the Wei family really does have a knack for making money and has their own connections."
"Alright, don't worry. We're just staying here for a few days and will be setting off soon. Don't concern yourself with their dirty business."
With just a few words, he comforted both Bihui and himself.
Yes, she's only staying here temporarily for a few days, why should she care so much? She's eager to go home and just wants to return to Beijing as soon as possible to see her mother. Ideally, she'd receive news of the Vietnamese army's withdrawal and the cession of territory and payment of reparations before she returns, so she can stay by her mother's side in peace.
After she finished speaking, Bi Sui slowly relaxed. Then, her small face became even more serious and earnest, as if she was determined to protect her with her life.
Qi Yuxuan found it somewhat amusing and pinched her soft cheek.
It was almost lunchtime, and Qi Yuxuan wasn't too hungry. She took a short nap in the tidied room, and woke up on her own after about half an hour.
Lanxin was about to come in and wake her when she saw that the princess was awake. She smiled and said, "Princess, lunch is ready. Would you like to have some before you go back to sleep?"
Qi Yuxuan yawned, and the fatigue she had felt that morning finally dissipated a bit. "I'm not sleeping anymore, come help me up."
There was no need to go out today, nor to reapply makeup and jewelry. Seeing that Lanxin had skillfully styled her hair into a neat bun, Qi Yuxuan nodded to herself in the mirror:
"That's fine then, bring in the meal."
The chef who cooked the meal was one of the imperial chefs in the marriage procession. He was very familiar with the tastes of the Princess's residence, and the dishes he made were delicious and appetizing. As soon as they were served, Qi Yuxuan was so tempted by the aroma that she ate most of them by herself.
There were no special meals available in the military camp a few days ago, and even Qi Jun ate the same communal meals as the soldiers, so she naturally couldn't be an exception.
Qi Yuxuan couldn't even remember the last time she had a meal that was completely to her liking.
No wonder Aunt Meng said she had lost a lot of weight; her wedding dress was too big in many places.
"By the way, where is Aunt Meng?" She remembered that Meng Xian was still by her side when she entered the Wei family. How come after resting for a while, all four maids were here, but Aunt Meng was nowhere to be seen?
Lanxin's expression changed, and she said, "Princess, you don't know, just now the small kitchen was cooking when two people who claimed to be old servants from the Second Madam's room came. They said that the Second Madam was worried that the Princess was too tired from the journey to cook, so she specially brought food over..."
But they clearly said from the beginning that they didn't need to interfere in the princess's affairs, so why are they causing trouble after only a short time?
Judging from the fact that Madam Wei Kang didn't introduce any members of the Wei family, it's clear that she probably knew her own family was hopeless and didn't want the princess to know who they were.
That so-called second wife must be a shrewd and restless person.
"So, Godmother is going to the front to explain this matter to Old Madam Wei, and also to remind them to keep to their proper place."
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