Two days later, at the same time, Lady Yehe and Lady Nian were picked up by two red sedan chairs sent by the Fourth Prince's mansion. Lady Yehe only brought two personal maids and two chests of dowry, while Lady Nian brought four maids and six large chests to carry her into the Fourth Prince's mansion.
After entering the house, the two women were led to their respective rooms by different matrons. When Lady Nian alighted from the sedan chair, the head matron was the one who led the way. She was wearing a silver-red wedding dress embroidered with peony patterns. On her head was a gilded peony headdress. The head matron was taken aback by her attire: This girl actually dares to wear peonies! Isn't this a slap in the face to the Princess Consort? What an arrogant little princess!
Following protocol, the head nanny escorted Nian Shi to the courtyard prepared for her. This place, once Yan Yu's residence, had been completely renovated. The Fujin (principal wife) had specially arranged for the railings, thresholds, doors, and windows throughout the house to be repainted, and all the furnishings and plants in the courtyard had been replaced. Inside the house, there were also some fine items; the furniture had been replaced with dark red sandalwood, and all the utensils were brand new. Even the walls were adorned with rare calligraphy and paintings, and the display shelves held several pieces of porcelain and jade that were not seen in the concubines' rooms. The gauze curtains in the room had been specially changed to red, and red paper-cut window decorations, symbolizing celebration, were pasted on the paper windows throughout the house.
With Cui Ling and Bi Rou's help, Lady Nian entered the house, which was better than she had expected. The head nanny specially brought servants to receive Lady Nian's dowry from the servants of the Nian family, and it was all carried in.
"Reporting to Princess Nian, this is the courtyard where you will be living from now on. It's very close to the main courtyard. Just turn left as soon as you step out the door, and walk along a small path to reach the main courtyard. Please bathe and change, as you will be going to the main courtyard later. The Fujin has prepared a feast for the two princesses. All the women in the inner quarters will be there. The master will also be coming. In addition, the servants standing at the gate are those assigned by the Fujin to serve you," the head nanny said matter-of-factly.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Granny. Baizhi, give Granny a purse." Madam Nian smiled politely and then turned to a maid beside her.
Bai Zhi quickly took out a purse from her sleeve, which looked to be several taels in weight, and handed it to the head nanny.
The head nanny remained unmoved, but accepted the gift from Lady Nian, saying, "Thank you for the gift, Princess Nian. This old servant will take her leave now."
Mr. Nian simply nodded slightly and said nothing more.
After the head maid left with the others, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked around again, then sighed again and said, "Go fetch me some water, I'm so tired. I'll take a hot bath first."
The four maids saw two maids and a young servant standing in the room. They had been standing there respectfully with their heads down since they entered.
"You three, come here." Madam Nian naturally noticed them as well.
"This servant greets Princess Nian!" Two maids knelt down, and the young servant also knelt down with them.
"If you follow me, then follow my rules. I won't ask about your original names anymore. From now on, you will be called Hongling, you will be called Qingyan, and the little servant will be called Baifu. Do you understand?" Madam Nian glanced at the three of them a few times and said.
"Thank you for bestowing this name upon us, Your Highness. We will serve you wholeheartedly from now on." The two maids were surprised that Madam Nian had brought four maids with her when she entered the house, and now she had changed their names without even asking their names.
"Well, from now on, you will all be in charge of sweeping the courtyard and watering and pruning the flowers and plants, following the instructions of the four maids I brought with me. You, Baifu, will naturally be running errands more often. The four maids I brought are all serving in the inner room. You are not allowed to enter the inner room without my summons. Now, Hongling, go fetch water and give it to Zining." Nian Shilan said, word by word.
Hongling and Qingyan agreed, and together with Xiao Baifu, they withdrew.
"Help me remove my makeup." Madam Nian turned and walked towards the bedroom. Cui Ling and Bi Rou immediately followed. Zi Ning and Bai Zhi then began to clean up the dowry Madam Nian had brought.
Meanwhile, Yehenara Mengyun was led by another nanny to the North Courtyard, which was the courtyard where Wang Shi used to live. It had been renovated, with paint applied everywhere, and the flowers, plants, and utensils were all brand new.
Yehe Shi, accompanied by two maids and several servants from the manor who helped her carry her trunks, entered the north courtyard. Song Shi, knowing that a new bride was coming today, stood at the door of her room, admiring the flowers while watching the commotion.
Yehe Shi was dressed in pink, her hair styled in a double bun, and wearing a set of carnelian headdresses. While not particularly expensive, they were very appropriate and suitable. As soon as Yehe Shi entered the courtyard, she saw Song Shi and, judging from her attire, guessed that she was a princess from the same courtyard. She nodded and smiled in greeting.
When Song saw her smile, she smiled back.
After being helped into the room by two maids, Yeheshi was given the same instructions as the head maid before taking her leave.
Two maids and a young servant stood in one corner of the room. They were assigned by the Fujin (principal wife) to serve Yehe Shi.
"Come here, state your names and ages," Yehe said kindly, sitting in the main seat of the room.
"Your servants Peach Blossom, Lotus, and Little Deng greet Princess Ye." The three servants greeted Yehe.
"Alright, from now on you'll be in charge of everything, big and small, in my room. Yu Mei and Yu Jin, whom I brought, aren't familiar with the area, so you'll guide them for a while. Xiao Dengzi will do some of the more strenuous chores. I don't like people who try to please or flatter me; I'll soon see who's truly loyal and who's just pretending," said Yehe Shi.
Peach Blossom and Lotus exchanged a glance, surprised that the newcomer, Princess Ye, was so straightforward; her words were all too clear. Of course, they immediately pledged their loyalty and went to fetch water for the Yehe clan.
Outside the house, Song Shi had already been helped back to her own room by Qing Ping.
“Princess, this Princess Ye seems to be a kind-hearted person,” Qingping said.
“You can know a person’s face but not their heart. She’s only just arrived, so naturally she won’t reveal anything. I heard there’s also a Lady Nian; I wonder what kind of person she is. Sigh, Lanqin is still living in the separate courtyard; I wonder if she knows that a new lady has arrived in the manor.” Madam Song said as she sat down.
"Princess, we're going to see the Fujin (princess's wife) later. You'll see Princess Nian soon. Would you like to change your clothes?" Qingping said.
"No need, this outfit will do. It's just a formality anyway," Song said indifferently.
"Princess, you finally get to see the master, why don't you dress up a bit?" Qingping complained.
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