In August, Yi Hua sent Yu Xiao off in a grand ceremony, allowing her to marry directly from the main courtyard of the Prince's Mansion. Her dowry, consisting of eighteen tiers, was overflowing with gifts, with the most prominent item being an inkstone that Yi Hua had obtained from Yin Zhen. This level of dowry made all the maids in the Prince's Mansion envious.
She went from being a servant to becoming the young mistress of the household, directly transforming from a slave to a free citizen. Her marriage was so glamorous, with the prince's fine gifts to bolster her status. Presumably, no one in her husband's family would dare to look down on her. She had both substance and prestige. From then on, everyone was eager to enter the main courtyard to serve her.
It's all about serving others; if you follow the right master, you can get ahead.
Leaving Yu Xiao made Yi Hua feel very inconvenient. Yu Xue was clever enough, but she was not as skilled as Yu Xiao. Fortunately, she and Yu Ling complemented each other. Yi Hua lamented that she had been thoroughly corrupted by capitalism and had even started to be picky and particular.
Three days after the wedding, on the auspicious day of returning to her parents' home, Yu Xiao came to pay her respects to Yi Hua with a beaming smile. Yu Xue brought her a small stool and stood guard outside the door to give the former mistress and servant a space to talk.
Yi Hua looked Yu Xiao up and down and noticed that Yu Xiao was dressed much more brightly than when she was with her, and had more jewelry, some of which were not gifts from her. She knew what was going on: "Sit down. How have you been these past few days?"
Yu Xiao's happiness seemed genuine: "Replying to Madam, I have been doing well these past few days. Although my husband is not talkative, he listens to me in everything. My mother-in-law has long since handed over the management of the household to me. I just miss Madam a little. I have been serving you all these years. I am just afraid that those two maids will not be to my liking."
Yi Hua nodded: "You don't need to worry about me. Just live your life well. If anyone dares to cause trouble for you, and your husband can't handle it, just come to me. Also, you don't need to call me 'servant' anymore. You are a law-abiding citizen now."
"I am willing to serve by your side for the rest of my life," Yu Xiao said with a touch of sadness. "I will always remember how good you have been to me."
"Speaking of which, I do have something to ask of you, and I wonder if you can do it." Yi Hua took out a token from the table, on which was written the character "酒" (wine) in a long, flowing style.
“The shop that Ninth Prince’s wife and I run is currently short of a second steward to manage the accounts. The head steward is a business expert sponsored by Ninth Prince.” Yi Hua handed her the token. “You have been helping me handle the affairs of the manor for many years, and you are very familiar with the accounts. So, are you willing to take over?”
"Yes, I am willing." Yu Xiao knelt down to accept the token. She hadn't expected the Fujin to leave such an important position to her. She had seen with her own eyes how much the Fujin cared about this shop.
"Get up quickly, don't kneel all the time." Yi Hua said with a smile, "I'm not using you for nothing. According to the rules for managers in the capital, you'll get one hundred taels of silver every month. Your mother-in-law certainly won't say anything more."
"Madam, isn't this too much?"
“Fool, there are still people who complain about the money. This is what you deserve.” Yi Hua took a sip of tea. “Yu Xiao, don’t let me down.”
"This servant will certainly live up to your expectations." Yu Xiao carefully put away the token and left with a sense of accomplishment.
Yu Xue entered the room to add tea for Yi Hua: "Sister Yu Xiao looks as energetic as if she's about to go to war."
"You're so good with words." Yi Hua was amused.
******
August 12th, the best day of the second half of the year according to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, is the day of the Crown Prince's second marriage.
Organized by the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department in accordance with the old system, the Crown Princess's procession, accompanied by music and fanfare, circled the main road from the palace, giving the people of the capital a good look before finally arriving at the gate of the Tong family.
In contrast to the desolate and declining state of the Longkodo mansion, which had been under house arrest, the threshold of the Tong family home, where Tong Guining lived, was so crowded that it was almost worn down, indicating its bustling activity.
Early in the morning, Yi Hua led several children to Yuqing Palace with Yinzhen. Yinzhen went to the front courtyard to entertain the guests with Prince Zhi and others, while Yi Hua led the children to stand in the procession of princes' wives, waiting for the arrival of the new bride.
Dong Eshi and Yi Hua whispered to each other: "Ever since Yue Xing'a joined the Imperial Guard, I've heard that His Highness the Crown Prince has been very kind to him. Now another woman from the Tong family has arrived. I wonder which member of the Tong family will be more important to the Crown Prince in the future."
Yi Hua silently rolled her eyes. Third sister-in-law, you really worry too much.
"I haven't seen which little one is going to roll on the bed today." Yi Hua looked around. Although little Liu Liu was the right age, she was a girl and was afraid it would be a bad omen, causing the Crown Princess to only give birth to girls. Therefore, she wanted a boy to roll on the bed.
When Yi Hua learned about this rule, she was furious. What did having a boy or a girl have to do with being a "bed-rolling child"? Her Liu Liu didn't roll around on just any bed. Let whoever wanted to do this job do it.
Fortunately, the Fourteenth Prince was Liu Liu's uncle, and only after his insistence did Liu Liu allow him to roll around in bed once.
“It’s Prince Yu’s youngest son,” Dong Eshi said, pointing behind the curtain. “He’s getting dressed up in the back.”
"Speaking of which, Honghui is old enough to understand human affairs now. Have you put a maid in his room?" Dong Eshi began to exchange parenting experiences with Yihua.
"What maid?"
"A maidservant."
"What?!" Yi Hua's raised voice drew the attention of those around her. She calmed herself down and said, "He's so young, why would he need this?"
In modern times, he's not even a middle school student yet. Holding a young girl's hand would be considered indecent. At this age, instead of studying properly, he wants to be a beautiful woman by his side. He's dreaming!
“You’re not young anymore. Fourth sister-in-law, you married the Fourth Prince before you even reached marriageable age. If that’s the case, it hasn’t been many years. Surely you wouldn’t be unaware of these things when Honghui gets married.” Dong’e felt a little strange that Yihua was reacting so strongly.
“This marriage is an imperial decree, not a marriage like Honghui’s,” Yihua retorted. “We’ll talk about it when he turns fifteen.”
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
