Hongye hurriedly said, "Miss, this was started by that little hussy Hongye. It was Cuiming who gave me the idea. I didn't do anything."
Cui Ming smiled and said, "Miss, rather than letting others make the money, why don't we all share it?"
"How does 'everyone who sees it gets a share' mean?"
Cui Ming said, "Watch me."
Cuiming went outside to call Hongmian to come to the window to talk. The two chatted for a while before coming in with a smile and saying, "It's settled then. We'll each contribute some of the money we won from this bet, and we'll set up a separate table in Wutong Garden on Mid-Autumn Festival night so everyone can have a good time."
Qin Yuan laughed and said, "That's fine then. I'll contribute some money too, and you can all have fun together."
Hongye then said, "Then, Lord Marquis and Miss..."
Cuiming pulled her along, saying, "How tactless of you! The Marquis and Miss naturally had somewhere to go that day. Let's take a break and relax too."
Hongye realized what she meant and said, "That's true. Miss might have to go on a parade through the streets on Mid-Autumn Festival night."
After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about we postpone the banquet? This year, the Empress Dowager's birthday and the Mid-Autumn Festival are close together, and every household will be offering lanterns, not to mention the shops and markets. I heard that Ranxiangju has made a big incense burner lantern, which is both fragrant and beautiful."
Upon hearing about the lanterns, Qin Yuan was reminded of the fire at the hostage residence and hurriedly said, "You can decide for yourselves. Let's quickly finalize the plan on how to prevent fire."
Hongye said, "This morning I consulted with Steward Qian, Steward Han, and Steward Cao. They all said that when the manor was first built, several large water storage tanks were dug, and the water was changed once a year at the change of seasons. In recent years, there have been fewer people in the manor and fewer courtyards where people live. Besides, we have never crossed the water, so we have never paid attention to it. Seeing that the hostage manor has burned down like this, we still have to put it back into use as soon as possible."
Qin Yuan nodded.
"You just need to have a set of rules."
Just then, a servant outside called out, "Madam, the chief clerk of the Prince Qi's residence has arrived and says he wishes to see you."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Please ask him to sit in the outer hall first."
The servant agreed.
Qin Yuan stood up and said, "I'm afraid the matter concerning the Prince of Qi is almost settled. This is to deliver the news. Hongye, hurry back and get the white jade box I sealed. Cuiming, come with me to the outer hall."
Hongye hurriedly returned to Wutong Garden to retrieve the box.
The courtyard where the official business was conducted was right next to the second gate, and the chief clerk of the Prince Qi's residence was quickly led to the outer hall.
The maidservant quickly came up to serve tea, while Steward Cao stood to one side, his attitude respectful.
The chief clerk thought to himself, "The Lady of Dingbei has set good rules; she is indeed quite capable."
No wonder Lord Gu entrusted all the affairs of the household to her.
Then came the sound of footsteps, accompanied by the tinkling of jade pendants, and the chief clerk hurriedly stood up.
Sure enough, Qin Yuan came out with her maid.
The chief clerk glanced at it and felt that the dazzling light was overwhelming. He quickly lowered his head and dared not look directly at it.
After exchanging greetings, the two sides sat down as host and guest, exchanging a few pleasantries. The chief clerk then said, "Madam, His Highness Prince Qi sent me with a message, saying that he has fulfilled his promise to you and taken care of the matter. Recently, the Yelü clan has been inquiring about prices. If you want to stock up on goods, you should act quickly to avoid working hard only to have someone else take advantage of you."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "I would like to trouble you, Chief Secretary, to convey my gratitude to His Highness Prince Qi. If His Highness is willing to trust me, perhaps we can stock up on some after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
He paused, then added, "It's alright if the Yelü clan inquires about the price."
The chief clerk replied respectfully, "This humble official will certainly deliver it."
Qin Yuan clapped her hands.
The maidservant outside came in and handed over a white jade box.
Qin Yuan gestured to the maid to place the box on the table next to the chief secretary.
"My lord, this contains the incense pills sent by His Highness Prince Qi, which have been resealed with wax. I have also tried to make a few myself, and I would appreciate it if His Highness Prince Qi could try them."
The chief clerk's face lit up with joy, and he said, "Thank you, Madam."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Whether it will work or not is still unknown. If His Highness Prince Qi finds it useful, I will present the incense recipe. If it is not suitable, we will have to re-mix it."
The chief clerk's expression remained relatively calm upon hearing this.
His face darkened as he heard the rest.
Hearing the end, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The fact that she didn't mention hiring someone else shows that Lady Hou still has the capacity.
The chief clerk hurriedly tucked the box into his sleeve with a smile and took his leave, saying, "This humble official will hurry back to report to His Highness Prince Qi."
Qin Yuan then instructed Steward Cao to see the guests out.
Steward Cao escorted the Chief Secretary all the way to the gate of the mansion. The Chief Secretary sighed, "The lady is so young, yet she has managed to concoct this incense. Do you know that His Highness Prince Qi has been searching for this incense for many years? So many people said it was impossible when they heard His Highness Prince Qi's request."
Steward Cao, with a smug look on his face, laughed and said, "My lord, you may not know, but Manager Leng of Ranxiangju says that Madam's skill in blending incense far surpasses his. The several kinds of incense balls that are selling like hotcakes at Ranxiangju recently all use Madam's recipes."
The chief clerk sighed, "The Marquis is truly blessed."
Steward Cao continued, "Before the Marquis's mansion was sealed off due to smallpox, everyone in the mansion used the incense prepared by the madam to fumigate their clothes, and we also invited a doctor from Renhetang to the mansion, which is why there were no casualties in our mansion."
The chief clerk exclaimed in surprise, "Smallpox is such a dangerous disease!"
Steward Cao continued, "Every single detail of the funeral arrangements for the Sixth Madam was arranged by her. Everyone in the clan admires her greatly. They all say that my Madam is truly exceptional."
He gave a thumbs-up as he spoke.
The chief clerk sighed, "Extraordinary talent, extraordinary talent. What a pity."
"What's a pity?" Butler Cao asked, displeased.
Praising the lady was meant to let people know that she and the Marquis were a perfect match.
This person actually said it was a pity.
Can't you speak properly?!
The chief secretary was startled, then realized what he meant and immediately said, "It's a pity that the lady didn't enter the palace to become an empress."
Steward Cao's expression softened somewhat. He couldn't bring himself to say anything disrespectful, and could only manage a dry laugh: "Everyone has their own ambitions."
The chief clerk nodded hastily.
After seeing the man off, Steward Cao said angrily, "So he's a complete blockhead."
Butler Han said with displeasure, "Why do you always praise Madam outside?"
Butler Cao asked, "What's wrong?"
Steward Han whispered, "I heard that at the Imperial Academy that day, when His Majesty saw the Lady, he said that if he had known earlier that the Chancellor's family had such a fine daughter, he would have betrothed her to the Crown Prince first. The Marquis was very unhappy and even asked the Sixteenth Prince, 'Why does His Majesty always pick out the pretty girls he sees for his son? Is being the Marquis's wife not better than being a concubine in the Eastern Palace?'"
Butler Cao hurriedly asked, "What did Sixteen answer?"
Butler Han said, "Can Sixteen answer? If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, Consort Liang might become Empress. But does Sixteen dare to say?"
“Haha,” Butler Cao said, “That kid Sixteen is so clever. Let me tell you, last night I saw that they brought back no fewer than this number of boxes. When I asked him, he gave me the runaround. I heard what Madam said today, and I think she knows about it too.”
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