Even the Fujin (principal wife) turned around and glanced at Granny Qian in surprise.
"From Huguang? That's quite unusual. In previous years, they would only send a greeting note to Fourth Master in the winter and summer. Why are they sending such rare green chrysanthemums this time?"
The princess consort was naturally aware of some of the external connections.
Of course, as the Fourth Prince's primary wife, she naturally needed to know who she could associate with and who she couldn't, and she certainly couldn't do anything that would cause the Fourth Prince unnecessary trouble.
"Which minister sent it?"
The princess asked again.
She did remember that a couple of years ago, when there was a flood disaster in Huguang, His Majesty had carried out a thorough reform of the bureaucracy in Huguang, and she was also well aware that the current governor of Huguang was His Majesty's man.
Granny Qian moved her lips slightly: "He is the Han Chinese Bordered White Banner Minister who is currently acting as the Governor-General of Huguang, and he is of advanced age."
The name brought the princess to mind.
As for why Nian Xialing was temporarily in charge of the affairs of the Governor-General of Huguang, it was because the original Governor-General of Huguang, Guo Xiu, went to the capital to pay homage to the Emperor and report on his duties, so Nian Xialing temporarily took over the Governor-General's seal and all matters, big and small.
The matter that Guo Xiu was going to report to in the capital was somewhat related to the Fourth Prince.
However, the Fujin was unaware of all this; at that moment, she was only thinking of something else.
"Nian Xialing? I heard his son, Nian Gengyao, is very capable."
The princess said this with a smile, but there was a hint of sarcasm on her face.
Granny Qian bowed: "Your Highness is wise, I suppose you've come here because of that matter."
Yu Ru, standing to the side, was completely confused and could only secretly observe the expression on the Fujin's face.
The princess was in a better mood now and was more willing to say a few more words.
“This autumn, Nian Xialing’s second son, Nian Gengyao, ranked forty-second in the Shuntian Imperial Examination. However, he was petitioned by the other candidates who failed the exam, who said that the examination was corrupt and bribery was rampant. Among them, Nian Xialing had given the examiners 10,000 taels of silver for his son.”
When the princess mentioned ten thousand taels, her voice unconsciously rose a little.
Granny Qian added from the side, "The two examiners, Li Pan and Jiang Chenying, were imprisoned as a result. Lord Jiang left a letter in prison and committed suicide by poison."
The princess twitched her lips and looked at the two emerald green chrysanthemums under the eaves: "If he can produce such rare and precious chrysanthemums, it's not surprising that Nian Xialing can afford to spend ten thousand taels of silver to buy his son a place in the imperial examinations."
Yu Ru frowned slightly, thinking to herself, if that were truly the case, how could someone as upright as the Fourth Master accept the green chrysanthemums sent by Nian Xialing? This was too suspicious, and—
Yu Ru finally voiced her doubts: "But what does all this have to do with Fourth Master?"
Although the Fourth Prince is a prince, he is the fourth son of His Majesty.
But with Prince Zhi and the Crown Prince above him, it's not appropriate to send such precious green chrysanthemums to everyone, is it? Besides, it doesn't seem suitable to send these to the princes, as His Majesty dislikes princes colluding with ministers the most.
If Nian Xialing really wanted to defend his son Nian Gengyao, why not speak to a high-ranking official close to the Emperor?
The Princess Consort had only just learned of this matter. She looked at Yu Ru and slowly smiled: "It was precisely because Jiang Chenying left a letter in prison and committed suicide by poison that His Majesty issued an edict a few days ago to personally lead the princes to supervise the examination and hold a re-examination."
To lead the prince to a second trial?
Yu Ru blinked and quickly understood what the Fujin meant. It meant that the Fourth Prince was one of the princes who would be supervising the examination.
Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has always attached great importance to the relationship between the Manchus and the Han people, and the imperial examination system has been used to select talents. This matter naturally needs to be investigated thoroughly.
When the Fujin (wife) mentioned this matter, she only listened to it as a joke, and at most she was a little wary of the previous year's events.
After all, the fact that the Nian family was able to approach the Fourth Prince was something the Princess Consort hadn't expected.
"Did the master leave the manor this morning for this matter?"
Granny Qian nodded.
The princess said "Oh," and casually waved her hand, instructing, "Have someone take good care of those two green chrysanthemums."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ru secretly glanced at Granny Qian. Granny Qian shook her head slightly, and Yu Ru silently swallowed the words that were already on the tip of her tongue.
The Fujin has only recently recovered somewhat. If she knew that the Fujin in the East Courtyard had also received two green chrysanthemums, she would probably be furious.
I decided not to tell the Fujin that the concubine in the East Courtyard had also received two green chrysanthemums.
The princess smiled, and then, as if thinking of something, said jokingly.
"I've heard that the youngest daughter of the Nian family is a beauty of unparalleled grace and fragrance, a famous beauty throughout the entire Huguang region. Today, Nian Xialing is willing to send his son such precious green chrysanthemums. I wonder if he would be willing to offer up his delicate youngest daughter when the Nian family faces trouble in the future."
Clearly, the Princess Consort did not like the Nian family's way of doing things.
Little did anyone expect that the words spoken in jest by the Princess Consort today would one day become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
However, the Fujin (principal wife) was unaware of this at the moment; she was only concerned about when the Fourth Prince would return to the manor.
When the luncheon arrived, the Fujin received a report from Wang Jinzhong that the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince had returned to the mansion together, and that the Prince Zhi, the Third Prince, the Eighth Prince, and others had all arrived in the front courtyard.
As for the wives, the eldest wife was unwell, so she sent someone to deliver the eldest prince's first birthday gifts to the main courtyard early in the morning.
Since the Crown Princess could not leave the palace, she only sent someone to deliver the First Prince's first birthday gift.
Today, only the Third Prince's wife, along with their concubines Zhaojia and Cao, the Fifth Prince's wife Tatara, and the concubine Liujia, came.
The seventh prince's wife, Lady Nara, is an acquaintance. The seventh prince has not yet taken a concubine, and the next one will be the eighth prince's wife, Lady Guoluo.
Today's lunch in the backyard is being held at the main courtyard by the Fujin (Prince's wife). Because of her status, Wu Gege, the birth mother of the First Prince, cannot show up.
The eldest prince was called and carried to the main courtyard.
Li Chenjiao is currently the Fourth Prince's concubine, so naturally she has to attend. As the host, she should also entertain the concubines who have come to the mansion today.
Since it was a proper day, after watching the eldest prince's first birthday celebration at the Qingyuan Courtyard in the morning, Li Chenjiao returned to the East Courtyard to admire the two green chrysanthemums before letting Qiu Hu do her hair and makeup.
Since today we are meeting with the wives and concubines of the princes, and their status is such that it is not appropriate to dress too conspicuously. Since ancient times, the primary wife and the concubines have never gotten along well.
Li Chenjiao finally chose a pale yellow qipao embroidered with peonies and cloud patterns on two sides of different colors. Her hair was styled neatly and elegantly, and her hair ornaments were a set of purple jade and gemstone headdresses. The purple jade had a hint of white and was considered a medium-grade purple jade, but it wasn't particularly outstanding.
The tassels hanging down from her hair bun complemented the color of her cheongsam, and her face was lightly powdered and adorned with rouge, creating an excellent color.
Li Chenjiao looked in the mercury mirror and smiled with satisfaction.
The next second, when she turned around, she saw the Second Princess being held by Madam Chen, who was drooling over her.
Li Chenjiao was both amused and helpless. She took a handkerchief and went forward to wipe the Second Princess's drool.
"Oh dear, our Aman is quite the little lecher, staring blankly at his mother?"
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