"Master, I dare not pick out any more fancy tricks for your room. A maid is just someone who serves her master, why does she need to be so pretty?" Ever since the incident with Shui Ling climbing into bed, Cui Niang has been choosing honest and dutiful maids instead of just looking at whether they are clever.
"So you mean I'm getting old and past my prime, and I have to be wary of all these people in the house?" Lanqin said coquettishly. Actually, Lanqin had just turned twenty-seven this year, and was already eating the food of a twenty-eight-year-old, but in the Qing Dynasty, this age was almost old enough to be a grandmother. Hongli and Hongzhou were already eleven years old this year. In another two or three years, they would be of engagement age.
“My lady, you know that’s not what I meant. After what happened with that girl Shui Ling, I’m really afraid of these clever maids. I heard from Nian Xue that there was another maid named Huan Bi who also betrayed you!” Cui Niang quickly said. Now Nian Xue is Cui Niang’s sister-in-law, as is Xi Cha, and the three of them see each other quite often.
"There are a hundred kinds of flowers, and a hundred kinds of people. Is Shui Ling still behaving herself?" Lan Qin's eyes narrowed as she thought of her.
"Hmph, so what if she's restless? She's just a concubine. If it weren't for the master's mercy back then, he should have sold her off. It's so annoying to have someone like her constantly in the master's sight." Cui Niang's face was full of disdain when she mentioned Shui Ling.
"At the time, she was pregnant! How could I sell her off! Although the prince was unwilling to take her in, as the head of the household, how could I really force-feed her abortion medicine? What would the prince think of me? She had served me for six or seven years. Although she didn't appreciate the bond between master and servant, I still showed some consideration and persuaded the prince to take her in as a concubine. With her status, she could only be a concubine. Her life as a concubine was her own choice. Whether it's good or bad, it's her own business." Lanqin sighed, concealing a trace of helplessness.
"Yes. Master, please stop worrying about her. She wasn't destined to have the child; it was Heaven's will that prevented her from keeping it, seeing her improper conduct," said Cui Niang. "Let's see what names to give these maids instead."
"Cui Niang, could you please change to a few that you find more pleasing to the eye?" Lan Qin said helplessly. Yu Xiao, who was tidying up the account books for Lan Qin, glanced at Cui Niang and smiled with pursed lips.
"What are you laughing at? You're all getting on in years, why don't you hurry up and persuade your mistress? If she doesn't train a few capable women here, once you're all married off, all that will be left is this old woman and that old maid, Si Hua," Cui Niang said anxiously.
“Aunt Cui, Baoqin and I aren’t in a hurry. You can take your time to choose a few useful and loyal ones. Those four maids are a bit unsuitable. Their figures and appearances are lacking. They’re not the kind of maids that should serve the concubine of the Prince’s mansion. Aren’t you embarrassing our master?” Yu Xiao said with a smile.
“Yes, Yu Xiao is right. That’s exactly the point. Cui Niang, your mistress is, after all, a concubine of a prince. If she goes out to receive guests and people see that all the maids around her are ugly, they will start to wonder if Prince Yong can’t afford clean and pretty maids.” Lan Qin said.
Upon hearing this, Cui Niang realized that it made sense. She had been so focused on eliminating the potential threats around Lan Qin that she had neglected to consider Lan Qin's dignity.
"Alright then, those maids can stay outside as rough and tidy maids. I'll go and choose a few more maids for you who are good-looking and have a pleasant disposition," said Cui Niang. Since the head nanny returned to her hometown, the personnel management of the entire Prince's Mansion had fallen into Lan Qin's hands. Lan Qin, in turn, entrusted the entire allocation of servants to Cui Niang.
"The New Year is almost here, and there's so much to do at home. Cui Niang, you'll have to help me with the important tasks. Let's put the selection of maids on hold for now," Lanqin said, rubbing her temples. She wore a white fox fur headband with a fine, dark-colored, old-mine jadeite in the center, shaped like a teardrop. The moment Lanqin put it on, she felt like Wang Xifeng from *Dream of the Red Chamber*, a character she'd seen in her previous life. This headband was made by Wuxiha herself for her coming-of-age ceremony, and she'd personally put it on Lanqin. She said it was to protect her forehead from the cold winter winds. Lanqin looked at the headband; it was indeed exquisitely made. Wearing it, it perfectly protected her temples, truly keeping them safe from the cold winds. So Lanqin wore it throughout the entire winter.
“My lord, the matters concerning Consort Song and Consort Wu have already been assigned. With them sharing your burdens, you no longer need to do everything yourself,” said Consort Cui.
"Yes. The kitchen has been handed over to Sister Song, and the house repairs and such have all been handed over to Sister Wu. I'll just handle the accounts, festival gifts, and personnel, that's all I need to do," Lanqin said. Since Lanqin took over again, she still had Song and Wu come to help. Since they were idle anyway, it was better to have them do something so that they could get by in this inner quarters.
Fourth Master's health hasn't been as good as it used to be these past few years; he's turned forty this year. Lanqin knows that once a man passes forty, it means his body starts to decline.
Therefore, Lanqin began to treat the Fourth Prince's health. Although she knew that Yongzheng would only reign for thirteen years, she still wanted to try and see if she could change the Fourth Prince's fate.
"My lady, it's time to prepare lunch. What would you like to eat today? I'll go and tell them to start preparing early," said Cui Niang.
“Let’s go with the pot,” Lanqin said. “Yuxiao, let’s go check on Ushihabechuk.”
So Yu Xiao quickly tidied up the account book in her hand, put it into a large box, and then went to find Lan Qin's fox fur cloak and put it on her.
The two second-class maids at the door were promoted by Cui Niang last year. One of them, called "Willow Catkins," stood at the door and did things like relaying messages and fetching water and ashes. The other, called "Moon Orchid," was specifically responsible for delivering Lanqin's meals between the kitchen and the door of the house.
Liu Xu opened the cotton curtain, while Yu Xiao helped Lan Qin out of the warm main room.
"Go and rest in the corner room first. It's quite cold standing here." Lanqin glanced at Liuxu and saw that she was shivering, obviously from standing outside for too long.
"Thank you, Consort." Liu Xu was rather tall and honest, not the kind of person who would try to flatter Lan Qin. She would do whatever Cui Niang asked her to do.
Lanqin, supporting Yuxiao, walked along the bluestone path around the main house in the courtyard, to the back, and then onto the veranda, heading towards the house where Ushiha and Bechuk lived.
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