"Later, when I was old enough to open my own residence, Nanny Hai naturally followed me out. I moved her entire family into the residence, but her husband had already passed away. Luckily, her two sons were grown. I had originally wanted to choose one to be by my side, but neither was very smart, and Uncle Lu didn't approve, so I simply asked them to help with the chores. I don't know if she knew the true relationship between my mother and me, but she preferred to discuss things with Li Mancang and rarely sought out Zhang Decheng, with whom she had been together for longer.
"When she was with Lin and Gong, she knew her limits. Although she helped manage things, she rarely acted as recklessly as she did that day. So, I was very surprised when she spoke to you that day. If I didn't know her well, I would have suspected that someone had taught her something. But since she contradicted you, I naturally won't protect her, so let her go home."
After Song Chengze finished speaking, he looked up at Meng Qi and said, "We've had so much on our plate lately. We've found some clues about why Prince Duan stabbed me last time, and then there's all the things you discovered and the rearrangements in the palace. I've been so overwhelmed that I almost forgot about Matron Hai. She came to me today and said she was wrong, that she was influenced by the rumors outside and didn't respect you enough. She originally wanted to come and apologize to you, but after what you said that day, she didn't dare come in, so she thought of looking for me."
Meng Qi nodded, "Did the prince agree to her?"
Song Chengze hummed, then shook his head, "I told her that you are the one who makes the decisions about the inner house, and whether she comes back or not is up to you."
Meng Qi breathed a sigh of relief. What Song Chengze said was very good. At least it would prevent the servants from looking down on her.
"She only said that she dared not serve in the inner house anymore, as it would displease you, and she wanted to serve in the outer courtyard."
"Outer Court?" Meng Qi looked up. "Does the Outer Court need her?"
Song Chengze shook his head. "You also said that the outer courtyard, especially my place, won't let them in easily. I won't leave her there. I think, since she said so, I don't want her to go back to the inner house. After all, we have a lot of things to arrange now. If she messes up, it will be bad. Why don't you just keep her in the outer courtyard and just let her stay with me and take care of some miscellaneous matters? That will save her dignity. What do you think?"
Meng Qi felt a little warm in her heart when she heard Song Chengze's gentle request. He did not tell her directly what to do, but asked her probingly. Although she would not object, she still felt at ease to be respected like this.
"Of course I agree with your arrangement. However, she was originally in charge of many of your affairs in the inner house. In the past few months since she returned home, apart from the personnel matters in the inner house, other matters have not been reduced much. Do you still want her to continue to be in charge?"
Song Chengze looked up at Meng Qi, his eyes like black gemstones filled with inquiry and thought. "Originally, I didn't have much in the inner house. Hu Changsheng is in charge of the affairs of Bibo Hall. I don't go to their places very often. If it's not too much trouble, how about you take care of these things?"
Meng Qi was stunned. She didn't expect that Song Chengze would actually let her take care of his affairs in the inner house. They both had an agreement. Shouldn't they be involved as little as possible except for the cooperation part?
And he only mentioned going to those women. Could it be that he wanted me to allocate a number of days to him?
Meng Qi's face turned red as she recalled all the messy things she had thought of before he came in.
Thinking of this, she spoke with an unnatural tone, "Well, well, you don't have much to do in the inner house. If you are at ease, I will let Madam Liu take care of it alone. As for their affairs, I have been thinking about it and decided to leave it as it was before."
Song Chengze looked at Meng Qi's sudden unnatural look and laughed in his heart. After all, she was young, but very smart. She understood it with just one word from him.
"Okay, just make the arrangements. There's one more thing."
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"Isn't Brother Mo moving to the outer courtyard? I met Lord Lin, the Viscount of Yongkang, in the palace today. He wanted to use Brother Mo's housewarming to congratulate him."
Viscount Yongkang? Meng Qi was stunned for a moment, then realized it was Lin's maternal family, Song Baimo's maternal grandfather's family.
"Has the prince decided on a date?"
"Not yet. Last month, Lin did propose two dates, but I didn't think they were suitable, so I asked Uncle Lu to take another look."
Meng Qi smiled and said, "The eldest young master's move to the outer courtyard is a big deal for him. From now on, he will be an adult in the eyes of everyone. It is reasonable for Viscount Yongkang to come to congratulate him. In this case, why don't I send out an invitation and invite all our in-laws. We haven't held a banquet since I came into the family."
Song Chengze hummed, "Okay, in the past, Mrs. Li and the two ladies did most of the work for the banquets. If you need anything, just let them do it. I'll have Zhang Decheng bring the banknotes in later."
Meng Qi didn't expect Song Chengze to be so thoughtful. She smiled and said, "Your Highness, please be more generous. I can spend money."
Song Chengze said, "Why, do you underestimate the Rui Palace? Let me be honest with you, I lack everything except money."
Meng Qi clapped her hands, "You said it, so I'm open to it."
Song Chengze looked at her with her head tilted, a bright smile on her childish face, and a slightly upturned chubby chin, which made him want to pinch her.
Song Chengze extended his hand and shook it again, picked up the tea on the table and took a sip, and the room suddenly became quiet.
Meng Qi finally realized that she had gone too far, but she was genuinely happy. She hadn't known Song Chengze was rich, not even in her previous life. She thought that an unloved prince, with all the money the emperor had given him to set up his own palace, support so many people, maintain personal connections, and especially build up his own private power, would have to spend a lot of money. Even if Song Chengze had some, it would only be enough to spend.
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