Thirteenth Prince led Fourth Prince towards his residence in Yangzhou. This was a completely incognito trip, so they didn't notify the local officials. After Thirteenth Prince arrived, he rented a mansion from a wealthy local family. The maids and servants were already provided. When Thirteenth Prince and Cui Da and Cui Er arrived, they only said they were from the north doing business with the man. Now that Fourth Prince had arrived with two family members, they introduced him as the head manager and his two wives.
When they arrived at the residence located in the bustling city of Yangzhou, the head steward and the steward were waiting at the gate to greet them.
Fourth Master was eager to discuss matters with Thirteenth Master, so he ordered the steward to take Lady Nian and Lady Geng to settle in first. He himself went to the study with Thirteenth Master, Cui Da, and Cui Er to discuss matters.
Meanwhile, the head steward was also baffled. He couldn't tell which of the two ladies was older. Judging by their ages, Lady Geng was definitely older, while Lady Nian was much more delicate. So the head steward probably assumed that Lady Geng was the principal wife, and Lady Nian must be a concubine.
So the steward walked up to Madam Geng and said respectfully, "Madam, let me show you the backyard. Master Ai said that the ladies can choose their own rooms."
When Lady Nian saw that the steward was actually talking to Lady Geng, she immediately flew into a rage, but she couldn't find a reason to lash out, so she could only glare at the steward and give him a few fierce looks.
Geng Shi naturally sensed the annoyance from Nian Shi's side, so she suppressed her laughter and said to the steward, "Thank you for your trouble, steward. Sister, let's go together."
Nian ignored Geng's words and led her maid inside on her own.
The steward was now increasingly convinced that Nian was merely a favored concubine; her arrogant demeanor clearly showed she was spoiled and pampered. The steward, a middle-aged woman in her forties, had a husband who treated his wife and children extremely harshly after taking a concubine. At least she managed the household and didn't need to rely on that unfaithful man. Seeing Nian's arrogant and domineering behavior, she was even more convinced that Geng was the true wife of the wealthy man.
"Madam, let me take you there. Please do as I say!" The steward gave a few instructions to a younger woman beside him, essentially telling her to follow Madam Nian.
"Okay, thank you for your trouble," Geng said with a smile.
The steward, accompanied by the maids, led Madam Geng to the back of the residence, where a circular layout was observed. There were houses on the east, west, and north sides.
"What is your surname, Mother?" Geng asked, looking her over as she walked.
"My surname is Luo. You may call me Mama Luo, Madam," the lady said respectfully with a smile.
"Aunt Luo, where does the Thirteenth Master live?" Madam Geng asked softly.
"Replying to Madam, the Thirteenth Master lives in the south wing, right next to the study," said Mama Luo.
"Are there any rooms left in the study?" Geng asked.
"There's also a side room on the east side. Cui Da and Cui Er live there. There's only the main hall in front. I wonder if the boss will live in the front, or in the back with his wives?" Madam Luo asked.
"Let's reserve the best room over there. The big boss likes to have a room to himself. I'll stay over there," Geng said, looking at a room on the east side.
"Yes. This way, please." Seeing that "Madam" had made the arrangements, Madam Luo didn't need to make any decisions on her own, so she led Madam Geng towards the room closer to the east.
Meanwhile, led by the younger woman, Lady Nian headed directly towards the house to the north.
“Madam, this is the best room in our mansion.” The young woman said instinctively when she saw that Madam Nian didn’t even look at the other rooms. She thought that this room should be the one where the head steward had been serving the “official wife”, but she didn’t expect Madam Nian to come straight to this room.
"Oh, is that so? Then I'll stay in this room." Madam Nian almost blurted out "this princess," but stopped herself in time. On the way here, the Fourth Prince had already told her and Madam Geng that this was a clandestine visit.
"Won't that lady over there have any objections?" the young woman asked hesitantly.
"If she has any opinions, she can just ask me directly. Let's move all the luggage inside," Madam Nian said to the maids behind her, standing at the door.
Madam Geng led Lulan and Cuizhu into the room on the east side. They looked around and found several small rooms inside, which were perfect for the maids to live in.
“Madam Luo, the maids in the manor don’t need to come in to serve me anymore. I’m not used to having other people around. These two are my maids, so you can talk to them directly if there’s anything. Green Orchid, ask Madam Luo where the place to fetch meals and water is from now on.” Madam Geng walked to the main seat and sat down.
“Oh dear, there’s no need for you to fetch food and water, young lady. I’ll send someone to deliver them. You just need to tell me the madam’s meal plan in advance each day,” Madam Luo said with a smile. She was happy to have the easy life, since her mistress wasn’t this group of “wealthy merchants,” but the mistress of this house. It was good that they didn’t have to order their servants around.
“Okay, I understand. Madam Luo, I want to rest for a while; I’ve been in the carriage for too long,” Geng said.
"Madam, please rest. I'll take my leave." Madam Luo quickly understood what Madam Geng meant, and left with a smile, leading her servants away.
Meanwhile, Madam Nian had already taken her seat in the main seat of the room facing north, and said to the woman standing there with an embarrassed expression, "I need to have my meals and water delivered regularly by the servants. My maids aren't familiar with this place either."
The young woman was Luo Mama's most capable servant. Seeing that a concubine like Nian was replacing the "mistress" and living in the best room, she felt it was inappropriate, but she couldn't control it. So she agreed to Nian's request and withdrew.
"Cui Ling, hurry, I need to take a bath and then sleep for a while. I haven't slept well at all on the ship." Madam Nian touched her slightly haggard face.
Meanwhile, Fourth Master was discussing the poor harvest in the Yangzhou area with Thirteenth Master in the study, while Cui Da and Cui Er stood respectfully to the side and spoke.
"Cui Da, quickly tell Fourth Brother about our discovery," Thirteen said.
"Yes, Thirteenth Master," Cui Da replied warmly, clearly already familiar with the Thirteenth Master.
"Your Highness, since the Thirteenth Prince and I arrived in Yangzhou, we've been posing as grain merchants from the north, visiting the fields every day. The crops all look thin and sparse, as if they're sick, but I've never seen crops grow like this before. Not only the crops, but it's said that more cattle and sheep have died this year than in previous years. The Thirteenth Prince and I looked around and noticed that the soil in those fields was different from the soil I usually see; it looked reddish." Cui Dadao said.
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