Chapter 696 Cheng Feng's Cousin
Hongxiu arrived at the Imperial Household Department but did not find Cheng Feng. She asked around and learned that he was in the warehouse checking goods.
She went to the storeroom, and as soon as she reached the door, she heard a sweet, delicate female voice coming from inside.
"Brother Feng, is this how it's written? Look at my character '酱' (sauce), is it written correctly? Does it have a horizontal stroke inside?"
Then Cheng Feng's voice came through, "There's a horizontal line inside, and the top half is written incorrectly. It should be written like this."
"Brother Feng, please hold my hand and teach me. I can't seem to write it correctly, it's too complicated. And these annotations, Brother Feng, could you please check if they're correct?"
Cheng Feng was also very busy. He had to personally check all the goods he sent to the palace, for fear of making a mistake.
He said, "You can leave it for now, I'll write it later."
"Fang'er came to the palace to learn from Brother Feng, so how can I be lazy? I will definitely learn quickly and not cause trouble for Brother Feng." Fang'er added, "Brother Feng, please teach me."
"Okay, I'll teach you. I really don't know how you studied at home. Have you been slacking off every day?"
"I wasn't slacking off!"
Through the crack in the door, Hongxiu saw what appeared to be a woman dressed as a palace maid in Cheng Feng's arms, and her heart clenched as if she couldn't breathe.
Hongxiu clenched her fingers and made a fist before turning and leaving. After only a few steps, she comforted herself, wondering what she was angry about. She and Cheng Feng had nothing going on, and they hadn't even clarified their relationship. The matter the Empress had instructed was important; nothing else mattered.
Just as she turned around to knock on the door, she felt it was inappropriate.
So Hongxiu found a eunuch and asked him to invite Chief Eunuch Cheng to Kunning Palace. Actually, she didn't need to come in person; she could have just sent a palace maid to invite Cheng Feng. But for some reason, she came herself.
As soon as she came out of the Imperial Household Department, Hongxiu was stopped by a young eunuch. "This servant greets Lady Hongxiu."
Hongxiu recognized him as Xiao Shunzi, who worked in the Imperial Household Department. She asked, "Is there something you need?"
Xiao Shunzi said, "There's a set of accounts that I just can't seem to make sense. I'd be so grateful if you could come and help me, Lady. If Steward Cheng finds out, I'll be fined my monthly pay again."
Hongxiu said, "I don't care about your Imperial Household Department's accounts. Besides, your accounts will eventually be reported to Kunning Palace. It's against the rules for me to suddenly interfere. You should ask someone else for help!"
Xiao Shunzi paused for a moment. He thought that since the female official Hongxiu had a good relationship with Chief Steward Cheng, his punishment would be lighter with her help.
Hongxiu also handled official business strictly. As someone close to the Empress and a female official in the palace, if there were any problems with the Imperial Household Department, she could only contact the head of the Imperial Household Department, who would then investigate his subordinates.
Just as Xiao Shunzi was about to leave, Hongxiu asked him in a deep voice, "Why did you ask me for help when your accounts don't match?"
Xiao Shunzi was stunned. Seeing her sharp gaze, he quickly said, "This servant heard that Steward Cheng likes the female official Hongxiu, and the female official is also..."
"Who is spreading rumors?" Hongxiu said coldly.
Xiao Shunzi said, "Everyone in the palace says so, Lady, please don't be angry. This servant knows he was wrong."
Hongxiu then asked, "Who are the new people who have recently joined the Imperial Household Department and are getting close to Chief Steward Cheng?"
Xiao Shunzi thought for a moment, "Miss Chunfang, she is with Steward Cheng every day, and seems to be a relative of Steward Cheng. She doesn't seem like she came to the palace to be a maid, but rather like she came to be a young lady. None of us dare to offend her."
"I understand. You can go back now. If the accounts don't match, try to find the reason. If there's a deficit, I can't help you. When you're working in the palace, remember not to be greedy." Hongxiu knew why the accounts didn't match as soon as she heard him say it. The most likely reason was that someone had embezzled or misappropriated the funds.
Having spent so many years in the palace, she had come to understand that it was impossible to ensure that no one could benefit from anything. However, everything had to be done in moderation. Being greedy for too much was called insatiable greed, while being greedy for a little could be considered as a favor, and some favors had to be maintained.
Xiao Shunzi was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "This servant will remember Your Excellency's teachings."
"Go ahead and get busy," Hongxiu said in a deep voice.
She stood under a plum tree, lost in thought, waiting for Xiao Shunzi to leave.
She appeared to be in a daze, but in her heart she was thinking: The Imperial Household Department has always obeyed the Emperor's orders. Cheng Feng is the Emperor's man. The Emperor made Cheng Feng obey the Empress's orders because of his relationship with the Empress. But in private, each palace has its own duties, and which of the palace's lowly soldiers and generals doesn't fear the major stewards?
She couldn't leave in a huff just because of Chunfang. She had to keep an eye on the Imperial Household Department for the Empress. Cheng Feng had a lot of power in the palace, and it wouldn't be difficult for him to easily place a relative into the palace as a maid.
However, she needs to investigate the details thoroughly before she can draw a conclusion.
Just then, a pretty little palace maid suddenly walked up to her and bowed respectfully, saying, "This servant greets Lady Hongxiu."
Hongxiu scrutinized her carefully, confirming that she had never seen this person before, but she seemed to recognize her voice. She asked, "What do you need me for?"
Chunfang straightened up after bowing, her eyes seemingly filled with arrogance. "I'm referring to Steward Cheng. I've heard him mention Lady Hongxiu, and I've also heard my uncle say that she's a very capable person and a great help to the Empress. My uncle even wanted me to marry her, but she didn't agree, and we missed out on that marriage."
Hongxiu clenched her fists, her face remaining impassive, and asked calmly, "Are you Cheng Feng's cousin?"
Chunfang smiled and said, "Now that my uncle wants me to marry Brother Feng, I will be Brother Cheng Feng's wife. So, since you have already refused, please keep your distance from Brother Feng in the future to avoid any unpleasant gossip."
The Cheng family are the Emperor's people, while Hongxiu is at most the Empress's people. Even the Empress has to listen to the Emperor, so Chunfang thought that Hongxiu would know better and keep her distance after receiving her warning.
"Why are you telling me all this? Is it because Cheng Feng still has feelings for me, and you're afraid he won't want to marry you, so you want me to reject him outright?" Hongxiu said coldly.
Chunfang's face turned pale instantly upon hearing this. She said angrily, "Your aunt and uncle will never agree to you marrying Feng-ge. He can't let you go, so he won't marry you. Even if he did, no one in the Cheng family would like you. If you dare to seduce Feng-ge and do anything immoral, hmph! You are a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, and it will be the Empress who will be disgraced..."
She had heard that Hongxiu often associated with Cheng Feng in the palace, and that's why she didn't agree to marry him back then—wasn't it because she looked down on Brother Feng for being just a lowly steward? Now that Brother Feng has become the Grand Steward, she's eagerly trying to get close to him.
"Slap." Hongxiu slapped Chunfang across the face.
Hongxiu said coldly, "A lowly palace maid dares to spout nonsense about the Empress."
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