When Shen Youying left Ciyuan Palace with two boxes of gifts, Xue Shen had not yet returned. He had been summoned by Emperor Cheng'an, and Shen Youying estimated that he would be out later.
Since the two entered the palace together, they naturally had to return together as well. Shen Youying waited in the carriage, and after about a quarter of an hour, Xue Shen finally came out.
As the guards pushed him into the carriage, a dark and angry look still lingered on his face. But when he saw Shen Youying, he raised an eyebrow and instantly changed his expression, asking with a half-smile, "What did the Empress send?"
Shen Youying took out a list from her sleeve and handed it to him.
Xue Shen glanced at it, then put the list back in her hand, saying, "From now on, these will all be handled by the Princess."
Shen Youying didn't react for a moment and asked in a daze, "Don't all of these need to be registered and stored in the warehouse? How else do we manage them?"
Xue Shen gave her a meaningful look: "Previously, there was no mistress in the palace, and Wang Deshun had to run around with me, so Consort Xiao temporarily took charge of the household affairs. Now that we have a princess, it is natural that she should manage it."
"What, Your Highness is unwilling?"
Shen Youying blinked slowly, belatedly realizing that Xue Shen meant to hand over the royal household's finances to her.
She was somewhat puzzled as to why he suddenly brought up the matter of managing the household. In fact, she didn't really want to get involved in the affairs of the Prince of Qin's mansion. Xue Shen's harem of concubines alone was enough to give her a headache. If she were to take charge of the household affairs, she would inevitably have more contact with them. She didn't have any unrealistic feelings or expectations for the Prince of Qin. She just hoped to live peacefully in the mansion and really didn't want to witness any drama of wives and concubines fighting over him.
"Consort Xiao has been in charge of the household affairs for many years and has managed the Prince's residence in an orderly manner. I am new here and I am afraid that I will not be able to manage it well if I take over rashly."
Shen Youying lowered her head slightly, her long, thick eyelashes trembling, looking somewhat timid.
Xue Shen, however, seemed not to have noticed her polite refusal and said, "Your Highness need not worry, Consort Xiao will help you. If anyone in the backyard dares to cause trouble, just throw them out."
Shen Youying: "..."
.
Shen Youying was ultimately unable to refuse the task. After returning to the manor, Xue Shen summoned Consort Xiao and explained the matter: "The princess is young. If there are any shortcomings, please assist her."
Consort Xiao looked over with a slight surprise, the light in her eyes gradually dimmed, and she lowered her head obediently, saying, "Yes, Your Highness, I will certainly not fail your trust."
Xue Shen nodded and waved his hand to send the man away.
Consort Xiao obediently bowed and took her leave. Before leaving, she gently bit her lip and couldn't help but glance back at Xue Shen. However, he was talking to the princess with his face turned to the side, his eyes showing a relaxed expression that he himself might not even realize.
She was somewhat taken aback.
She had served His Highness the longest, and she had never seen such a relaxed expression on His Highness's face since the successive deaths of the late Empress and the late Emperor.
A hint of sadness flashed in Consort Xiao's eyes as she quietly turned and left.
Shen Youying noticed the change in Xue Shen's expression out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but look up at him.
The other party, however, seemed completely unconcerned.
Having heard that Consort Xiao had served him for many years and had been in charge of the household affairs, Shen Youying thought that Consort Xiao would hold more weight in Prince Qin's heart.
But judging from today's perspective, the King of Qin's attitude towards her was not like that of a husband towards his beloved concubine, but rather like that of a superior towards his subordinate.
A strange feeling flashed through Shen Youying's mind, but the feeling was as fleeting as a shooting star, and it dissipated before she could grasp it.
*
Although she was to take over the management of the household affairs, the Qin Prince's mansion was large and complex, and Shen Youying would have to put in a lot of effort and energy to take over completely. Even though she was not very willing to manage things, since the Qin Prince had entrusted it to her, she couldn't do a bad job and give others something to criticize, so she could only do her best.
The servants in the Prince's mansion needed to be thoroughly investigated, and the stewards needed to be assessed for their character. Furthermore, all the shops, fields, and estates in the area needed to be re-inspected and re-counted.
Shen Youying was so busy that she lost weight, and before she knew it, the Spring Banquet was here again.
When Bai Luo brought over the newly made dress, Shen Youying was buried in a pile of account books, and the hot tea beside her had gone cold, so she didn't even have time to take a sip.
"Young lady, you've been looking all day. Be careful with your eyes." Bai Luo placed the tray aside, adjusted the lamp wick, and poured her another cup of hot tea.
Shen Youying raised her head, rubbed her sore neck, and frowned as she asked, "What time is it now?"
Bai Luo said, "It's already 7:15 PM." She then urged, "Miss, stop looking. You have a banquet tomorrow. Try on your dress to see if it fits. If it doesn't fit, you can have it altered tonight so you don't miss wearing it tomorrow."
Shen Youying then remembered that tomorrow was the Spring Banquet.
"How come it's so fast?" she muttered, complaining. "I've been so tired these past few days, I really don't want to go to any more social events."
"The young lady has already accepted the invitation, and the prince is also going. There's no way to avoid it!" Seeing this, Bai Luo had no choice but to help her up, loosen her outer garment, and bring her a new dress to change into.
Three sets of dresses were made in total for the banquet, using expensive materials and elaborate designs. After changing into two sets, Shen Youying started to complain: "Is that enough?"
While coaxing her, Bai Luo said with some indignation, "Most of the ladies and gentlemen in the capital will be there tomorrow. If the princess doesn't dress up nicely, who knows what rumors will spread outside."
Shen Youying sensed the tone in her words and asked curiously, "What are they saying about me outside again?"
Bai Luo huffed, "It's just those vulgar words from those people. Don't dirty the young lady's ears."
During this time, the young lady was busy managing the household and accounts, going to bed early and getting up late, and didn't have time to go out. She spent most of her time in Tingmei Pavilion. It just so happened that the prince was also not in the manor these past few days. The couple hadn't seen each other since returning from the palace. This would be a very common thing in other families, but who knew that rumors would spread outside that the Prince of Qin had grown tired of the princess and had gone to find a new lover.
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