Chapter 356 Yixiu 34
Yinzhen hurried back and as soon as he stepped into the house, he saw this scene.
The originally anxious mood finally relaxed a little. After all, the expressions of Yixiu and Rouze's personal maids were comforting and peaceful, which at least meant that Rouze's situation did not get worse.
The first to notice him come in were, of course, Jianqiu and Lianxing, who were standing opposite the door. They quickly stood up and saluted, and Yixiu also put down her purse and looked up.
"Master is back."
Yixiu was halfway down when Yinzhen helped her up. She stood beside him and whispered, "Sister, you took the medicine and haven't been awake all morning. You haven't eaten anything either. Luckily, the imperial physician said you're fine for now, but you can't let you starve like this."
"I'll have my sister's small kitchen cook the soup recipe I came up with earlier. She'll use a clay pot to simmer a cordyceps and black chicken soup, and then a minced meat and egg custard. It's probably time now, Master. Do you think I should wake my sister up so she can eat something? Otherwise, the medicine will taste bitter in her mouth, and she won't be able to eat."
"Well, you've been tired all day. Let's go inside with Rouze to eat something. If we leave her alone, she might feel bad."
Yinzhen nodded. He didn't trust Yixiu's arrangements as much as he always did. Then he thought of Rouze, and his heart became heavy again. "Rouze is always sensitive. After Huifu left, she became even more worried. Now she is ill. If you find anything wrong, tell me as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, Master. I know everything."
The two of them discussed things behind the screen before walking in together. Rouze was still fast asleep on the bed. Yinzhen walked over and called her softly twice to wake her up, then helped her sit up. Shiyue beside her hurriedly filled the backrest and the sideboard.
Lian Xing called two second-class maids to carry a small kang table and placed it in front of Rouze. The waiter then opened the food box, and Lian Xing took out the dishes inside and placed them in front of Rouze and Yinzhen.
The prince and his wife sat opposite each other on the bed. Yixiu naturally set up a small table below, with a few dishes placed in a box. There was also a white porcelain bowl filled with smooth and tender egg custard, topped with fragrant fried minced meat; and a small palm-sized cup filled with bright and clear soup. Just the smell of its delicious aroma made people's appetites whet.
The three of them were a little hungry, so they each picked out their favorites. Rouze had a special liking for the soup she had made today, even using a lot of the black-bone chicken. She also ate half a bowl of egg custard and some stir-fried choy sum, which made Yinzhen happy.
"It's rare for Wanwan to have such a good appetite. Yixiu's recipes are really good!"
Yixiu also put down her chopsticks, rinsed her mouth with tea, and wiped the corners of her mouth. Upon hearing this, she only smiled with her eyes curved. Seeing Rouze looking at her, she stood up and bowed politely: "I believe that Master and Fu Jin still have important matters to discuss. I will take my leave first."
After saying that, he left without any delay with Jianqiu.
Not long after returning to Zhixinzhai, she received news that starting tomorrow, she would no longer be attending to the sick in the front, but would instead share responsibility for matters at the rear with Concubine Nian. Furthermore, the tasks assigned to her were mostly lucrative and well-placed, like kitchen and sewing work. While Nian Shilan didn't say she was in charge, it was more like she was helping her with the work.
The concubine was worried that their residences would be in the east and west, respectively, and would affect their colleagues. She thought of everything in advance and, without waiting for the prince to speak, ordered people to clean up a flower hall on the south side of the garden so that the two of them could meet every day. People who communicated with each other would go there, and over time it was called the meeting hall.
Yixiu knew why she acted this way, but she didn't argue, keeping her head down and being a down-to-earth person. Whenever she was in charge of something, she would follow the rules and follow established precedents, never showing off her own abilities.
Sure enough, Nian Shilan's true colors were revealed not long after. At the beginning, she was willing to behave herself and pretended to be the boss. In the past two days, she saw that the people below were busy taking advantage of Yixiu because she held the big power. In addition, she entered the mansion late, so she was thinking of placing some people in the mansion to facilitate her actions. Now that such a good opportunity was in front of her, there was no reason not to reach out.
But the one who was really in charge was Yixiu, so Nian Shilan naturally disliked her in every way, and gradually showed signs of doing so. At first, she only made some additions and subtractions on small matters, but gradually her appetite was opened, and she wanted to show her claws on important matters.
For example, today, the two of them were discussing the New Year's Eve family dinner in the hall. Yinzhen was going to enter the palace on this day. In the past, his wife would naturally accompany him, and the concubines would naturally stay in their own courtyards and wait for the host and hostess to come back. They would either have a dinner together or close the door and have their own time, depending on the wishes of the prince or his wife.
This year, Fu Jin fell ill, and Nian Shilan wanted to go with her, but she could only think about it. Even if Yinzhen didn't like Yixiu, he would definitely choose Yixiu on this day, not to mention that Yixiu still held considerable weight in his heart.
Since that was the case, Nian Shilan wanted to think about the family banquet. Her idea was that since the prince was not interested, why not set up a banquet in her Laiyi Hall this year and just invite everyone to her place to have fun together. It would also be a good omen for reunion. Moreover, with her and two new people in the mansion this year, everyone could use this opportunity to deepen their understanding and strengthen their relationship.
"I understand my sister is so lively, but there are so many things going on this year. I think it's better to keep New Year's Eve quiet. Let them have fun by themselves. If they are happy, we can have some free time too. Isn't that good?"
Yixiu casually flipped through the accounts. Rou was intelligent. Although her housekeeping skills had been somewhat lacking over the years, they had generally been satisfactory. This year, when the house was handed over to them, Yixiu slowly reviewed the personnel affairs of the mansion and made management look easy. The matters that Nian Shilan had raised were minor and insignificant, and Yixiu had almost always pushed back on the major issues, and this time was no exception.
Of course, Nian Shilan wasn't one to give in easily. Hearing Yixiu's refusal to agree, she took a sip of the Rainy Day Longjing tea from the table and said, "Sister, you're too cautious. Someone who didn't know would think you couldn't handle it."
"Who wouldn't celebrate during a major festival? We haven't made any exceptions, nor have we spared Fu Jin. It's in my own courtyard, so what's there to be afraid of? If you're worried about spending money, I'll pay for it myself."
"That's even worse. This isn't about money. If we open this loophole today, she'll take money and I'll take money too. Wouldn't that make the house rules just wave hands? Over time, I'm afraid the people below will become greedy and only willing to do things for money. What will happen to the other princesses in the house?"
Yixiu smiled at her, her words blunt. Nian Shilan was even more direct, retorting, "Which servant of a noble family doesn't have an eye for wealth and status? Let alone our palace. They say that too clear water has no fish, and too scrutinizing a person has no followers. Even when Fu Jin was in charge, she investigated all those cliques, those profiteering, and those seeking face. Did she really just turn a blind eye and not overly restrict them?"
"Could it be that other people can do this without any problems, but I can't?"
As he said this, he pretended to have an attack.
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