Chapter 77 Better Sooner Than Later: "Young Miss, the young lady who serves Madam has arrived." "Is there something important...?"
"Young lady, the learned young lady who serves the madam has arrived."
"Is there something urgent?"
"Zhishu said that many ladies and grandmothers have come to the main courtyard. Madam asked when you plan to go there."
"I understand. Get some sweets for Zhishu and tell her it will be over in half an hour."
"Miss, there's no need to rush. Take your time. There will be plenty of other people waiting for you in the future. You can go to Madam's place whenever you want."
The old woman who spoke to Shi Qionghua had a long face and her hair was styled in an advanced version of the style of the old woman Zhou from Yulang’s courtyard, even more meticulous than before.
The wrinkles on his face seemed sculpted at the corners of his eyes and the sides of his nose. His gray hair gave him an initial impression of being a fierce and ruthless character. And when he spoke, he certainly didn't seem like a simple person; his tone inexplicably carried a hint of arrogance and condescension.
"Granny Shou, you should say such things less often in the future. What do you mean by 'in the future'? The imperial decree hasn't been issued yet. How can a young lady like me presume to guess the Emperor's intentions?"
"You're a palace maid who comes from the palace; you know the rules better than I do. Back when we were in Fuzhou, far from the emperor's reach, it was fine for you to say what you wanted. But now that you're back in the capital, you should be even more careful. Today's guests are either relatives or old friends; what right do I, a junior, have to act so important here?"
Shi Qionghua's expression turned slightly cold. When she looked at this 'palace maid', the last bit of her smile disappeared, and she looked solemn and dignified.
Not to mention Granny Shou, even the maids who had served Shi Qionghua since childhood were all silent and even breathed cautiously, for fear of being angered again.
Granny Shou came from the capital two years ago. Shi Wenbing's wife, Lady Aisin Gioro, said that Granny Shou had worked in the Qianqing Palace and was invited by the Shi family to teach Shi Qionghua the rules of the palace after she left the palace to live a life of leisure.
The Emperor wanted to choose a girl from the Shi family to be his Crown Princess, a fact initially known only to Shi Wenbing and his wife. It was only later, when they invited Granny Shou to their home to be Shi Qionghua's governess, that Shi Qionghua and the core members of the Shi family learned of this.
At first, no one in the family dared to say a word, for fear that if the matter were leaked, it would fall apart. Shi Qionghua was especially careful and meticulous, not daring to make any mistakes. She diligently followed Granny Shou and learned a lot about palace rules and heard many stories about the palace.
However, nothing and no one can withstand the test of time. When Shi Qionghua first learned she might become the Crown Princess, she was incredibly cautious and apprehensive. But as time went on, she seemed to settle into that routine. It would be best if she were officially appointed Crown Princess, but if she didn't become one, she couldn't die over it.
The same goes for Granny Shou. At first, Shi Qionghua felt a strange sense of awe towards her because she came from the palace and knew so many rules and conventions that even her own mother was not very familiar with, which were only passed down orally.
But as time went by, whether it was because Shi Qionghua had grown up or because Granny Shou had run out of new ideas, she gradually became unwilling to listen to Granny Shou's advice anymore.
Perhaps what she said made sense, but Shi Qionghua instinctively felt that something was wrong. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but at least one thing she was certain of: when Granny Shou left the capital for Fuzhou, it wasn't just to educate her, the future Crown Princess; she also wanted to use this opportunity to return to the palace.
Shi Qionghua's mother, Lady Aisin Gioro, thought it was feasible. After all, she came from the palace, and when she went to Yuqing Palace with her daughter in the future, she would have many old acquaintances in the palace who might be able to help her a lot.
Shi Qionghua, however, had already made up her mind that she would not bring Granny Shou into the palace. After all, Granny Shou was not a stupid person; if she really didn't want to leave the palace, she would definitely find a way to stay beforehand.
Since she's already out and wants to use her to get back into the palace, Shi Qionghua couldn't see what she really wanted, but that didn't stop her from eliminating any possibility of her re-entering the palace.
Shen Wanqing was already very familiar with the layout of the Shi family mansion. The five-courtyard, three-section mansion was even more magnificent and splendid than the one left behind by the Minister Shuai Yanbao.
The back garden not only has a large garden modeled after the gardens of Jiangnan, but the streams and bridges are also made with fresh water brought in from outside. On such a cold day, there is a small boat moored on the shore, which means that if the master is in the mood, he can take a ride on the boat in this weather.
Shen Wanqing couldn't help but take a second look. The boat and the boatman were things the Shi family had added themselves after they returned. It seemed that after living in the south for so long, their daily lives had become more like those of the aristocratic families of the south.
But after all, it's a residence within the inner city of the capital. How big can the garden and pond really be? Putting someone on a boat like this, only to have to get off after a short distance—this kind of refined taste and sentiment is truly incomprehensible to Wenqing.
The maid who led the way was also a familiar face. She had been guarding this old house for many years but had never seen the master of the family. Instead, she had been ordered around by Shen Wanqing before.
For the first few days, they grumbled among themselves, wondering how a shameless outsider could possibly order the Shi family's servants to clean their house. All the servants in the mansion were born into the household and had been working there for years; surely they could manage to clean just a few rooms?
However, as Shen Wanqing visited the Shi family more and more often, these murmurs gradually disappeared.
Shen Wanqing was methodical and unhurried. In her eyes, the entire Shi family was a renovation project. She repaired what needed repairing and replaced what needed replacing, from the inside out and from the ground up. Gradually, the renovation was almost complete, and the complaints from the servants subsided.
“Madam doesn’t know, but these days the old lady, the madam, and the eldest daughter have all been saying how capable you are. If it weren’t for you lending a hand to help manage things, we blockheads wouldn’t be able to get through the New Year.”
"That's too much of an exaggeration. I only talked, how could I be in charge of the overall situation? Wasn't it your Butler Shi who led you to get things done? Don't tell anyone, or you'll become a laughing stock."
Shen Wanqing was unaware of the little incident that had occurred in Shi Qionghua's courtyard, and she didn't take the servant's words seriously at all.
As she reached the gate of Shi Qionghua's courtyard, she happened to run into Zhishu coming out. The little maid not only received candy from Shi Qionghua to sweeten her mouth, but also a small purse. The purse contained gold and silver ingots, which, when converted to copper coins, were almost equivalent to her entire month's salary.
As Shen Wanqing walked past Zhishu, she smelled a very strong and pure coconut aroma. This was coconut candy that the Shi family had brought back from Fuzhou. The day before yesterday, when Butler Shi came to deliver the invitation, he also sent over the New Year's gifts. There was a whole small basket of coconut candy in it, which was specially delivered to the East Courtyard.
Shen Wanqing couldn't resist taking one and putting it in her mouth. Oh, the unique sweet taste of coconut was so delicious.
Shen Wanqing kept half a basket for herself, and had Ningxiang bring a plate for the other half. She sent a small plate to the main courtyard, the west courtyard, and Niohuru's side. The rest was divided into two halves. One half was sent back to Xu Shi, and the other half was kept by Yu Lang. He would put a little bit in his purse and take it with him when he was bored during his shifts in the palace.
The Xu family's ships sailed to Beijing every year, but most of what they brought to the capital was tea and sugarcane. The weather there was hotter than in Beijing, making it more suitable for growing sugarcane, and large quantities of sugar and tea were very profitable.
Or they would bring lacquerware, white porcelain, dried seafood, and various spices and herbs from Southeast Asia, as well as all sorts of Western gadgets. Coconut candy, something so common, was rarely on their shopping lists for the capital.
The Shi family is quite interesting. Despite the difficult journey back to Beijing, they brought back so much coconut candy. Considering the small boat I saw earlier, they seem to be a family that takes life seriously.
While lost in thought, Shen Wanqing didn't slow down at all. In just a short while, she had entered the house, taken off her cloak, and stood next to the incense burner that she and her men had retrieved from the storeroom. She reached out to warm her hands by the fire, trying to dispel the chill from her body.
Shi Qionghua is sixteen years old this year. She left Beijing with Shi Wenbing more than ten years ago and has not returned since. Although the small courtyard is cleaned by maids and servants every few days, there are still too many old and outdated places.
Before the renovation, this room was suitable for a little girl of a few years old, but if sixteen-year-old Shi Qionghua moved in, she certainly wouldn't be very comfortable.
Fortunately, the Shi family has a deep pocket and plenty of resources. If anything is unsuitable, they can simply send the Shi family's servants to their storerooms to find something that Shen Wanqing will be satisfied with.
Shen Wanqing didn't want to, nor dared to, make any changes to the ancient people's aesthetics. She simply tried to replace the things in Shi Qionghua's room with warm colors in a unified style. After all, she was a girl who was about to get married, and a brighter and simpler room would make her feel more relaxed.
Furthermore, bright colors and simple patterns can minimize personal style. Sometimes, people's words, actions, and choices inevitably carry their own emotions and preferences. Shi Qionghua's identity is too special, so Shen Wanqing is particularly serious and careful in dealing with her.
After Shi Qionghua's courtyard was furnished, Shen Wanqing secretly called it the best model room of the Qing Dynasty. If you just want to live comfortably, it's more than enough. If you want to change the soft furnishings, it's also very convenient. If you really don't like this style and want to tear it all down and redo it, you won't be able to find any fault with it.
Everyone has their own preferences. Shen Wanqing originally thought that Shi Qionghua would have to make some changes after moving in, but she didn't expect that what she saw after entering the house was basically the same as what she had decorated.
Many things were added but nothing was taken away. Shen Wanqing, who had warmed herself up in the outer room, couldn't help but look into the side room when she heard someone getting up.
Last time I only met the future Crown Princess briefly and didn't exchange more than a few words, so this time I'm determined to have a good chat with her to see what kind of person she is and why she's so satisfied with my taste and aesthetics.
Shen Wanqing helped the Shi family clean up the entire old mansion, which took a month or two. However, it was Yu Lang's first time entering the Shi mansion.
The two had already reached an understanding on this matter. Yu Lang was from the Hesheli family, the lineage of the former Empress, while the Shi family was the future Duke of Cheng'en's mansion. Strictly speaking, both families were considered in-laws, but one's relationship had expired and the other's hadn't yet been officially recognized, making their status somewhat awkward.
It's best to be cautious before you can officially interact with someone. For example, Shen Wanqing only received the invitation to the Plum Blossom Banquet right before the banquet was about to start, while neither the Suo'etu family nor the First-Class Duke's Mansion received an invitation.
This shows that no matter how powerful Songgotu is in the court and how he fights with Mingzhu's faction, Shi Wenbing has no intention of joining forces with Songgotu, let alone siding with Songgotu's faction.
This choice was both unexpected and unexpected. What was unexpected was that after Shi married into Yuqing Palace, the Shi family, like the Hesheli family, would have their honor and disgrace resting on the shoulders of the Crown Prince.
It's not surprising that if Lady Shi really becomes the Crown Princess, which is practically a formal appointment, then the Shi family will likely be closer to the Crown Prince than the Hesheli family. Even if the two families were to form an alliance, it would be Songgotu who would take the initiative to humble himself.
But would Suo'etu bow his head? Of course not. So Shi Wenbing never thought of having any dealings with him from the beginning, but the Hesheli family couldn't just ignore him. So Yulang, who was to be married into the Shen family, became a better choice.
Yu Lang was taken directly to Shi Wenbing's study. There were quite a few people in the front yard, and an opera troupe was singing. The audience sat in the opera house, which had incense burners and charcoal braziers. For those who were afraid of the cold, there were also small hand warmers to ensure that the guests would not get cold.
This batch of small tin hand warmers was also brought out by Steward Shi from the depths of the storeroom at Shen Wanqing's instruction. After all, the Shi family had been in Fuzhou for so many years and would definitely bring back a lot of servants and servants from Fuzhou. These people might not be able to withstand the winter in the capital, so it was best to prepare these things in advance.
There were quite a few people admiring the plum blossoms in the back garden. When Yulang walked around a bend along the corridor, he saw a small patch of plum trees.
Even though they were so far apart, it felt as if Yu Lang could already smell the crisp fragrance of the plum blossoms. He couldn't help but think that it was really worthwhile to hold this banquet for this garden of plum blossoms. It would be such a pity if such beautiful plum blossoms were not seen by others.
It wasn't until they entered Shi Wenbing's study that the hustle and bustle outside seemed to be completely shut out by the door. Inside the study, besides Shi Wenbing and the page who served tea, there was only Shen Hongshi.
"Changming, I was worried all the way back that such a large group of people would cause chaos in the capital, and I didn't know what would happen to the family. I didn't expect your fifth aunt to be so capable. I'm not exaggerating, she's much more capable than you."
“Before she got married, she didn’t have to worry about anything because of me and her mother. I never realized she was so capable. I feel even more comfortable and happy to hear the general praise her than he praises me. Why don’t you praise her a little more?”
After Yu Lang bowed and greeted them, he sat down and listened to the two men praising their wives. He listened for a long time but couldn't get a word in edgewise. It wasn't until the two men had finished talking that Shi Wenbing seemed to have just noticed Yu Lang was in the room and said to him with a smile.
"Lord Yu will be on duty at the palace tomorrow. Please pass on a message to the Crown Prince: if the Crown Prince still thinks highly of the Shi family, the wedding should be held sooner rather than later, as delays may lead to unforeseen circumstances."
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