Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Fang Ying thought he had some secret to…
When Fang Ying went to Li's room, the mother and son were talking about the emperor's tour of Luoyang. She sat down and observed carefully for a long time, but couldn't tell what they were talking about. She had to wait patiently until they finished their meal and returned to their room before asking Ji Yanlang.
"What did mother say?"
"My mother scolded me." Ji Yanlang collapsed on the couch and lamented.
Fang Ying was surprised: "Why did I scold you?"
"Just like you, I scolded me for acting on my own without consulting you."
Fang Ying: "... Stop accusing me. I wouldn't dare scold you."
Ji Yanlang chuckled twice, patted his side, and asked her to sit over.
Fang Ying went over and sat down, listening to him say, "I was just joking with you. Mother was just giving me a lecture. She said that Father, whether he was young or now, always consulted with Mother whenever he encountered a major matter. If there was no time to discuss it, he would always explain the whole story to Mother. She also said that you are not an inexperienced young lady. As for housekeeping, I might not even be as good as you."
"I don't deserve that." Fang Ying didn't want the topic to get tangled up with her anymore, so she pressed on, "What does mother say about Madam Tong?"
"Mother said it wasn't surprising, that servants often had to bang and tighten the strings to use them properly. She also said she had been thinking of letting Si Niang learn some skills from you and Second Sister-in-law, so she'll hand her over to Second Sister-in-law tomorrow, starting with kitchen management."
Fang Ying smiled and said, "Mom, this is killing two birds with one stone."
"Well, I was just angry at first, but after hearing what mother said, I thought about it again. Second sister-in-law has already stepped in to punish you. If mother were to punish you again for this matter, it would be even more detrimental to Second sister-in-law and you in managing the servants."
That's right. If orders are issued to too many people, it will definitely harm the person in charge.
Ji Yanlang continued, "Why not push Si Niang out? This way, she can learn how to be a housekeeper, and we can also use this opportunity to punish the stubborn slave."
"Yes, killing two birds with one stone." Fang Ying felt relieved, remembering their conversation before dinner, and asked, "Has the date been set for the emperor's tour?"
"The 22nd is set."
"Then do you have to escort the emperor with your cavalry battalion?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to go."
"Why?" Fang Ying was surprised. It was both an honor and a merit to accompany the emperor on a tour, and he didn't have to fight in the battlefield. It was a good job that everyone wanted to grab. What happened to him?
Ji Yanlang looked at her, hooked his finger, and motioned for her to come closer.
Fang Ying thought he had some secret to tell her, so she moved closer, only to hear him whisper, "I can't bear to leave you..."
The warm breath rushed into her cochlea, making her feel itchy. Fang Ying glanced at him and sat up straight.
Ji Yanlang grabbed her hand and held it in his palm, smiling and saying, "Really? They're all vying to go anyway, so as long as the higher-ups don't insist on calling on my name, I'll stay home with you, and we can have some quiet time."
"Have you told mother?"
"I told you." Ji Yanlang knew what Fang Ying was worried about and added, "Mom doesn't want me to go either."
It was true that he had escaped death and had not lived at home for many days. He had just made a contribution to saving the emperor. It would not be a big deal if he did not go to protect the emperor this time.
Fang Ying also smiled and said, "You should rest at home for a while." Then she looked down at their clasped hands and said, "Your frostbite needs to heal. The dead skin hasn't fallen off yet."
Ji Yanlang nodded seriously: "That's right, we should take this opportunity to take good care of ourselves and replenish our energy. Then we can work hard to give mother a fat grandson."
"..." Fang Ying pulled her hand back, "I'm still on my period."
Ji Yanlang followed her momentum, moved closer, and said jokingly, "I said 'then', not now."
The two laughed and joked for a while, then tidied up and went to bed early.
On the morning of the next day, Li sent away the female relatives who came to pay their respects, leaving only Yue Qing'e, Fang Ying and Ji Si Niang, and instructed Ji Si Niang to learn how to be a housekeeper.
"Let's start with the kitchen. People say you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you manage the household. But in our family, most people don't know that you have to spend money to buy firewood and rice."
Fang Ying and Yue Qing'e both laughed. Li looked at them and said to Ji Si Niang, "Don't worry about your sisters-in-law laughing at you. If you don't understand something, just ask them directly. Your sisters all went through this."
Yue Qing'e smiled and continued, "It's the same with my sister-in-law. When I was at my parents' house, the first time I entered the kitchen, I happened to see them washing radishes. I thought they were ginseng and asked my sister-in-law where she got such a big ginseng. Everyone in the kitchen laughed at me."
Ji Si Niang smiled, and Li also laughed and said, "Look, we've all made jokes before, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Yes, I will definitely listen to my sisters-in-law and study hard." Ji Si Niang replied softly.
Li nodded: "Go ahead."
The two sisters-in-law took Ji Si Niang to say goodbye and went to listen to the ladies in charge. They also announced that Si Niang would assist in managing the kitchen from that day on. Then they took Ji Si Niang to the kitchen together.
"Recognize her, listen to how many things happen in the kitchen every day, and then teach her how to count and read the account books." Fang Ying told Ji Yanlang who had returned from the cavalry camp.
"That's great! While we're learning, we can recalculate the accounts and make those stubborn slaves tighten their skin and do their work."
He was still angry when Fang Ying smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mother has already told my second sister-in-law to take this opportunity to tidy up the kitchen."
With Li's words and Ji Si Niang taking the lead, Yue Qing'e had no scruples and caught a cook in the act of embezzling the share of the allowance and pocketing the money in just over ten days.
"It's not Madam Tong, it's Mrs. Zhao, her subordinate who cooks for the concubines." Fang Ying explained to Ji Yanlang, "He and Yang are rich and often give them tips, so she naturally doesn't deduct anything from them. Occasionally, she even cooks special meals for them. It's mostly Sun and Jiang who deduct most of the money."
All the concubines who were able to stay in the Ji Mansion had given birth. Concubine He gave birth to the eldest daughter of the Ji Mansion and Sanlang and Silang. Concubine Yang was the mother of Wulang. Concubine Sun gave birth to two daughters, Erniang and Sanniang. Concubine Jiang was the mother of Ji Siniang.
Ji Yanlang was surprised: "Si Niang has gone to take care of the kitchen, and she still dares to deduct money from Concubine Jiang?"
"Of course, the one we caught this time wasn't Madam Jiang withholding money, but we followed the clues and asked Si Niang to come forward for questioning. Mrs. Zhao was stubborn, and her subordinates couldn't hold back, so they quickly confessed everything." Fang Ying sighed at this point, "It was also our fault. When we saw Madam Sun always looking unhappy, we thought it was because of Second Aunt's matter. Who would have thought..."
Ji Yanlang took her hand and said soothingly, "I can't blame you. Aunt Sun has been serving me for so many years. Even when faced with something like this, she still holds it in and keeps silent. What kind of person does she think I am?"
"Having said that, Second Aunt's actions..."
"What does that have to do with Aunt Sun? Have Father and Mother ever taken their anger out on her because of Second Sister?"
That's true. The Li family has always been very disciplined in running the household. Illegitimate children were never raised or taught by concubines. Even the second aunt, who broke with her natal family because of her husband's family, was not very close to her biological mother.
Fang Ying nodded: "You are right."
"So how did Mrs. Zhao deal with it?"
"She was stripped of her job, beaten with a stick, and her earnings were confiscated." Fang Ying knew what he wanted to hear and continued with a smile, "Mrs. Tong claimed she knew nothing about this. Mother sent Madam Fu to the kitchen to publicly reprimand her for being incompetent and foolish, and for failing to live up to Madam's expectations. She will reduce her monthly salary by half to see how it goes. Mother will let Second Sister-in-law choose someone to fill Mrs. Zhao's vacancy."
Ji Yanlang was indeed delighted: "That's exactly what should happen."
Fang Ying smiled and took the tea, taking a sip. She listened as he continued, "After seeing off the emperor today, I'll be free. Is there anywhere you want to go? I'll take you there."
"It's spring time, it's nice to go anywhere." Fang Ying is not picky.
Ji Yanlang couldn't help but laugh: "Yes, the spring weather is just right. Let's go for a walk along the Bian River tomorrow. When we get tired, we can find a restaurant, sit down and rest our feet, and have a few drinks."
What he said was really tempting, and there happened to be nothing to do at home - after this experience in the kitchen, the situation should be much better. The next day, Fang Ying went out for a trip with Ji Yanlang without any worries.
The two of them walked along the south bank of the Bian River, passing through flowers and willows, stopping as they went, feeling very comfortable.
"The river seems a little shallower than last time." Fang Ying looked at the boats sailing on the river. "It's only rained twice in the past two weeks. Isn't it a bit dry?"
"I haven't heard of any drought. The Central Plains isn't like Shu. Rainfall is usually less, especially in spring. Otherwise, why do they say 'spring rain is as precious as oil'?"
Fang Ying nodded, and suddenly remembered something: "Has Kaifeng Prefecture started repairing the river?"
"The outer city is under construction." Ji Yanlang answered, and suddenly smiled. "Didn't we meet the King of Qin inspecting the river last time, and he mentioned that there were thieves in the outer city?"
"Well, was the thief caught?"
"I caught him. Guess where?"
"How should I know?"
Ji Yanlang was puzzled: "My father-in-law and his family moved to a new house on the 16th. Didn't you hear about it when you went there?"
The Fang family moved into a new house on the 16th. Fang Ying went there early in the morning, but Ji Yanlang arrived in the afternoon because he had something to do in the camp. At that time, everyone was busy settling in the new house, so he didn't have time to talk much with his father-in-law.
"No, my father never mentions government affairs at home."
"Well, that's right. The thief was caught in the dried-up and abandoned riverbed." Ji Yanlang revealed the answer.
Fang Ying was surprised: "Are there many dried-up and abandoned rivers in the outer city?"
"Not many, but a few are enough for them to hide."
"These people are good at hiding."
Ji Yanlang nodded. "Yes, they hide in the river during the day, eating, drinking, having fun, gambling, and come out at night to steal. Their whereabouts are secretive and extremely difficult to track down. There are also some charlatans who cheat and deceive people, hiding in there."
"Then how did Kaifeng Prefecture find them?"
"After the King of Qin took office, he personally urged the Military Inspection Office to intensify inspections and patrol day and night. Coincidentally, they were also patrolling the river, and the two intersections led them to discover traces and finally capture the gang."
"That's great." The King of Qin was truly a man of action. Fang Ying had a very good impression of her friend's fiancée and quietly asked Ji Yanlang, "The Emperor's western tour this time, leaving the King of Qin as regent, is also a way of emphasizing that the crown prince's position has been decided, right?"
Ji Yanlang frowned and said, "That's right, but when the emperor left yesterday, Prince Wei suddenly appeared in his entourage."
"Prince Wei? Didn't the emperor ask him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors?"
"Yes, originally the emperor only nominated the King of Chu, the King of Cai, and the King of Qi to accompany him on his journey to pay homage to his ancestors. No one expected that the King of Wei would actually accompany the emperor before his departure."
Fang Ying: “…” What is the emperor’s intention?
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The author has something to say: Prince Wei is the second prince. Princes Chu, Cai, and Qi are brothers of the emperor.
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