The next day.
Lanqin was letting Nianxue comb her hair, but her face looked a little sullen!
Lanqin was a little upset that Fourth Master didn't come last night. It was a move to a new house, and he, the male head of the household, hadn't even come over.
“Princess, Eunuch Zhao from the master’s side has arrived, along with a few young servants. They seem to have brought quite a lot of things.” Huanbi was sweeping the floor outside the main room when she saw several eunuchs approaching. She stood outside the window and called out in a rough voice.
Lanqin was immediately delighted upon hearing this. Although Fourth Master hadn't come over last night, he was still thinking about her moving.
She quickly called them in.
Zhao Quan was Su Peisheng's apprentice to the Fourth Prince, making him a somewhat respectable eunuch. This was his first time appearing before Lanqin, so he respectfully bowed and said, "This humble servant greets Princess Niu!" Normally, he wouldn't bother with such tasks as bestowing gifts upon a princess, but seeing Princess Niu standing there enjoying such favor—even Princess Yin, who had entered with him and was pregnant, already had her own private courtyard—wasn't this a clear indication of her being the emperor's favorite?
Lanqin glanced at Nianxue immediately before saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law!"
Without saying much, Master Zhao waved to the eunuchs behind him, who then brought up all the gifts bestowed by the Fourth Prince.
Jewelry, antique vases, calligraphy and paintings by literati—you name it, they have it!
The maids looked on with delight, and even the usually quiet and reserved Zi Ran glanced at them a few more times.
When the master is favored, the servants who serve him also have an easier time.
Following Lanqin's instructions, Nianxue handed Zhao Quan a large purse embroidered with green bamboo—she had embroidered it herself. The other eunuchs received smaller, unadorned purses. It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings. It's best not to offend a lackey like Zhao Quan.
Zhao Quan was naturally pleased; in truth, the relationship between servant and master was not so complicated. When the master was generous, it was easier for the subordinates to get things done.
After they left, the master and servants went to look at the pile of things.
"Princess, these jewels are so beautiful," Huanbi exclaimed immediately, her straightforward nature evident.
Lanqin glanced at it; there were two sets of gold and kingfisher feather headdresses alone, along with various hair ornaments, hairpins, earrings, bracelets, and so on, piled up on a whole plate. Judging from the maids' expressions, these things were all of the finest quality.
The value of kingfisher feather inlay lies in its rarity. These two head ornaments, featuring butterflies among flowers and squirrels and grapes symbolizing double happiness, are truly luxurious. However, Lanqin doesn't particularly like these heavy pieces of jewelry. Although they are beautiful, they are just so heavy to wear!
"These jade bracelets are quite nice." Lan Qin picked out a jade bracelet with good translucency from among them, playing with it from all angles. On a whim, she put it on her wrist, and it slipped on easily. Back in the 21st century, Lin Mengyao also liked jade bracelets and had tried them on at the counter, but each time they were uncomfortable—either too big or too small. None of them were as comfortable as this jade bracelet today.
Xi Cha covered her mouth and chuckled. Lan Qin saw this and asked with a smile, "What's going on?"
Nianxue glanced at Xicha immediately before whispering, "When the princess was asleep, the master came over and ordered someone to measure the size of the princess's wrist and palm."
"Such things happen all the time! Why didn't you tell me?" Lanqin complained.
"My master forbade me to tell, that's why I didn't tell you, Princess," Nianxue said hastily.
As expected of a cunning man, he even likes to play little romantic tricks when giving gifts to women! Lanqin thought to herself, but she was still happy. The maids all saw how good the Fourth Master was to her.
Lanqin then looked at the antique vases and calligraphy and paintings. Although she studied humanities, her knowledge in these areas was insufficient, and she couldn't quite understand them. However, she noticed that Ziran kept staring at the antique calligraphy and paintings, unlike the other maids who only liked gold, silver, and gemstone jewelry.
"You recognize them?" Lanqin pointed to the pair of vases and asked Ziran.
“This servant knows a little. This is a dragon-patterned painted vase from the official kiln in the 8th year of the Kangxi reign. Only ten were made at that time, so it is very precious,” Zi Ran said softly, but her words were full of pride.
"Oh, so there are only ten. Things are valued for their rarity." Lanqin was startled: the Fourth Prince only got two, which shows that Kangxi treated him well.
"Ziran, you'll be serving in the study more often from now on," Lanqin said with a slight smile. Such an outstanding girl should be put to good use.
"Yes." Zi Ran gave a graceful curtsy.
The other maids exchanged glances and then remained silent.
"Nianxue, put them all away," Lanqin instructed.
After a while, Lanqin got bored again, so she called Huanbi and Xicha over to play cards. Nianxue was still tidying up, and Ziran didn't want to learn such trivial things. Lanqin didn't force her.
Of course, this deck of cards wasn't the one she had made herself; it was a genuine Western deck of cards specially given to her by Fourth Master. Lanqin was quite excited when she received this little gift.
Damn, seeing something from the Qing Dynasty that looks exactly the same as something from the 21st century is really exciting!
At this moment, Granny Wang from the gatehouse walked to the main house and beckoned to Zi Ran. After the two approached, Granny Wang whispered something in her ear. Zi Ran immediately turned around and went to Lan Qin's side, saying to her, "Princess, Princess Geng from the west courtyard has arrived."
Lanqin was taken aback, then quickly said, "Please come in."
When Madam Geng entered, the two maids had already retreated to the side, but the cards on the long table were still laid out on it.
"Sister Geng, come and sit down!" Lanqin was feeling bored, so it was good to have someone visit. It was better than hiding in this courtyard and not socializing. Although they were all Fourth Master's women, it wasn't a bad thing to get along well and have some fun together.
"Sister, what are these? They look a bit like the playing cards we use." Geng Shi noticed the playing cards on the long table and asked curiously.
"These are called playing cards, they're from the West. The principle of the game is the same as the leaf cards you play, only the numbers and suits are different," Lanqin explained patiently. This Sister Geng had been quite polite to her, and had even given her some pointers when she first arrived.
“Oh, that’s quite a novelty,” Geng replied, then continued, “Sister, I’ve come today to congratulate you on moving to your new home. We should visit each other more often. I’ve been missing you since you left.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
