The next day, Geng seemed to have truly recovered, and never mentioned the previous day's events again, acting as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, the Fujin (Prince's wife) entrusted all the preparations for the eldest princess's coming-of-age ceremony to the head nanny, while she herself spent her days accompanying the Fourth Prince in his studies and calligraphy practice, acting like a loving mother. There was still no news from the Fifth Prince's side regarding the capture of Chen Shou.
"Madam, the preparations for the coming-of-age ceremony of the eldest princess are almost complete. Please take a look; this is all the arrangements for the day." The head nanny rarely entered the main courtyard, but for matters like the eldest princess, she still had to inquire with Madam, since this was a matter concerning the women of the inner court, and the eldest princess was being fostered by Madam.
"Thank you for your trouble, Granny," the Fujin said calmly, gesturing for Chunliu to take it.
The princess consort didn't want to interfere too much, after all, the eldest princess wasn't her own flesh and blood, and her marriage was already arranged, so there was no possibility of another marriage alliance with the Ula family. Therefore, she was even less interested.
"A theatrical performance has also been arranged?" The princess asked, looking down at the list in her hand.
"Yes, this was specially added by the master," the head nanny said without a trace of anger.
"Which team of people did you hire?" The princess's eyes flickered slightly, her cold nail polish scratching across the list.
"The geishas invited are all women, all from the steward's household." Although the head nanny was puzzled as to why the princess was asking this, she still answered truthfully.
"Do you have a list of these women and their backgrounds?" The princess's eyelids darkened, and her lips unconsciously pursed.
"No, these women have all been verified by the officials as legitimate wives." The head nanny was even more puzzled.
"The people coming from the First Princess and Jili's quarters are all princes and princesses, as well as ministers who are on good terms with the Prince. Their safety is related to the fate of the Qing Dynasty, and you cannot be negligent in this matter, Granny. What if a rebel infiltrates them and tries to assassinate them? You should go there yourself and find out the background of those women. If there is anything suspicious, you can take precautions in advance," the Princess said righteously and sternly.
The old woman's face flushed; it had been a long time since she had been spoken to like that. But she couldn't say anything, so she could only agree and leave.
"I hope that Cui Nong isn't among them, otherwise I really wonder what Niu Shi is planning." Granny Li handed a towel to the Fujin. Because after two blocks of ice were delivered to Geng Shi, the Fujin's room was noticeably less cool than before.
"Since we can't find Chen Shou, we can only start from here. Granny, why don't you pick a few clever ones from below and train them so they can serve me? Granny is getting old and sometimes she can't keep up." The princess took a handkerchief and pressed it to her forehead and cheeks, then threw it on the table.
Li Mama's legs went weak, and the words she wanted to say just wouldn't come out. She was even more shocked: Was this because I hadn't handled Cui Nong's matter well, and they wanted to promote a new person?
Looking at the face of the mistress she had served for over twenty years, Li Mama felt a chill in her heart for the first time: she was getting old and useless, and the princess wanted to replace her with someone new. The princess seemed to be getting colder and colder; she was a trusted old servant who had followed her for over twenty years.
"Granny, don't overthink it. I just see you're getting old and don't want you to worry too much. I think that little maid named Lingxiu outside is quite clever. Last time I said the chrysanthemums weren't blooming well, and I don't know what method she used, but I see the flowers in the courtyard haven't faded since." Seeing the coolness on Granny Li's face, the Princess Consort knew what she was thinking and quickly comforted her.
In fact, over the years, Granny Li has indeed been very dedicated, but she is getting old after all, and she still needs to find younger servants to serve her.
"What you say is very true, Madam. I will keep an eye on things outside from now on and train a few clever ones to handle things." The head nanny suppressed the bitterness rising in her heart, agreed, and then withdrew.
Stepping outside, Granny Li looked up and saw Lingxiu, whom the Fujin had mentioned earlier, watering the chrysanthemums in the main courtyard's corridors.
"Lingxiu, come here." Granny Li lifted the silver hairpin at her temple and looked at her with a slightly cold expression.
When Lingxiu heard Li Mama calling him, he was taken aback at first, then immediately put down the water jug in his hand and walked quickly from the corridor toward the direction where Li Mama was standing.
"Granny, what are your orders?" Lingxiu grinned. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she looked quite clever and gave off the impression that "I am your servant, and you can order me around as you please."
"Come on, follow me for a walk." With that, Granny Li left her behind and walked forward alone. Although the Princess Consort complained that she was too old and not good at handling things, Granny Li had long regarded the Princess Consort as her own daughter. The Princess Consort might not need her, but she had to think of the Princess Consort at all times.
"This servant will help you!" Lingxiu walked over eagerly, trying to take Li Mama's arm, but Li Mama shook her off. Lingxiu was neither angry nor ashamed, and still followed by her with her head down.
"I'm not so old that I need someone to help me. Just listen to the rules," Li Mama scolded with disgust. Although she had done many shady things to help the Fujin, she didn't like those who flattered and fawned.
"Yes, yes, please speak, Granny." Lingxiu realized that this was not someone who could be won over by flattery, so she put away the fawning smile on her face and immediately became obedient.
"How do you keep those chrysanthemums blooming forever?" asked Granny Li. She was also curious, as the flower arrangements couldn't be changed every day; it was common to change them every three or four days.
"I only used a little trick. I dissolved salt in the water and watered the flowers. That way, the flowers can stay fresh longer than if I water them with regular water," Lingxiu said cautiously.
After thinking for a moment, Granny Li said, "She's quite shrewd. How old is she this year? Was she assigned here by the Imperial Household Department? Which banner does her family belong to? Where do her parents and brothers work?"
Lingxiu pondered her words before speaking, "I am seventeen years old this year. My family are servants of the Bordered White Banner. My father and mother farm in our hometown, my eldest brother works as a minor clerk in the local government office, and my second brother works in the palace."
Granny Li stopped in her tracks, glanced at her, and said, "It seems your family is very poor, otherwise the second son wouldn't have been sent to the palace to end the family line."
Lingxiu wasn't embarrassed at all, as if she wasn't talking about her second brother. "Second brother went in to serve voluntarily, just like I am very willing to serve the nanny and the princess. People say that being a slave or maid is lowly, but I think it's much better here than going back home to farm. I would rather be a slave in the palace than go out and be a free and ordinary peasant woman."
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