Chapter 413: Brocade
In the palace, the matter of Empress Dowager Cirui has finally come to an end and it is time for the New Year. This winter is really cold, with snow or sleet every few days.
Shen Chuliu was looking at the things sent by the Service Bureau, and among the people who came, there happened to be brocade.
Zhijin lowered her head awkwardly.
Shen Chuliu looked at the things that were sent to her, and the steward explained, "It's unusually cold this year, so we took the initiative to make a few sleeves for you. We happened to have some good leather from overseas, and they were just leftovers. We couldn't make other big items, so they were just perfect for sleeves. If you don't mind, you can wear them for fun."
Another manager disliked her for not being able to speak, saying something about the edges...
"This is the leather I ordered, but it's a little small and can't be made into anything else. Look, Madam, the quality of it..."
Shen Chuliu smiled and said, "It's just a sleeve. It's good to have some leftovers. I don't mind it. It's a good thing that you think of me. Jimei, bring the reward. It's the New Year. Tell them to have a good time. They work for me all year round."
Jimei sighed and went to get it.
Soon, three cloth bags were taken out.
She handed a small one to the steward and said, "Madame Li, look, this is for Madame Huang. This year, we have Cuiyunxuan and the Sixth Prince, so you have to worry about them. I would also like to thank Madame Huang for her wise arrangements on behalf of our master."
Then he handed her a big one and said, "This is to thank you for coming here despite being so busy this year."
"It's all we should do. Thank you, Your Majesty. Thank you, Your Majesty." The steward continued.
"The last one is for the embroiderers. Of course, we can't control everyone. We just want to say that those who have done embroidery for our queen this year will be rewarded. You see, it's freezing cold, and the little girls are freezing when they deliver the gifts. There are no more. At least let them all have some fruit."
The last bag is the largest, but it also represents the least valuable.
The two stewards agreed, took the things, and left with many thanks.
I didn't dare to look at it after I left Cuiyunxuan, and only opened it after I returned to the Service Bureau.
I first looked at the one that belonged to Huang Mama. Tsk, there were two things inside. A jade pendant made of yellow jade was very delicate. It was actually a bag inside a bag.
There is also a gold bracelet, which is a genuine shrimp-whisker bracelet, and it is heavy and hangs on the hand.
"Is Madam Huang's daughter going to get married? This is a good thing."
Nanny Li said.
"Yes, it turns out that Empress Jing Zhaoyi is the most generous." After saying this, he packed the things back enviously.
I opened another bag and found sixteen little golden turtles inside.
The two stewards laughed at that moment: "Oh, your Majesty is really... Oh, really, I am happy to serve your Majesty!"
In the Service Department, not counting Nanny Jin, there are a total of eight people in charge.
But two of them are specifically responsible for the Queen's affairs. The Queen also has thirty embroiderers. Whether they can be used or not, this is the Queen's rule.
So the two of them only listened to Nanny Huang and had nothing to do with the other managers.
Therefore, those two would not be counted among the sixteen little golden turtles given by the Queen. To put it bluntly, those two would not dare to accept them, as it would bring trouble if they did.
That is to say, there are six managers and sixteen little golden turtles.
The four people each took up two and that only took up eight. There are still eight left.
That is, whoever comes today will share the eight. At least now, Nanny Li and Nanny Zhou are sharing the eight in half. This means each person gets four! A small golden turtle is worth two taels of gold!
That's not silver, it's gold! Of course, since the four maids who were brought out to deliver the gifts saw this, they had to give more to others.
Immediately, the two maids opened the last bag full of small silver peanuts and counted out three taels for each of the four of them. One tael was exactly one tael.
"Take it. This is given by the Empress in Cuiyunxuan. Keep it well. It will bring you good fortune for the whole year."
Several maids hurriedly thanked him, all wanting to establish a good relationship with him, so naturally they would not say anything else.
However, the biggest benefit of who gives the gift to whom is no secret, it is just something that everyone knows.
Zhijin took three taels of silver back with him, plus the monthly allowance for the past few months, which added up to a total of 2 taels of silver.
Working in the service department is a bit tiring, but it feels extremely fulfilling.
She also knew that her family had already sent money to Shen Gengyi, and she was no longer in trouble. So Zhijin kept the money for herself. She had to make some allowance for herself.
Shen Chuliu gave rewards to the Clothing Bureau, so naturally he also gave rewards to the Kitchen and the chefs of Ruiqing Palace.
Anyway, everyone knows that this lady's principle is that I will not be lenient when it comes to rewarding you, but if you cause trouble to me, then you can wait for death.
People everywhere like this style and are not nervous when collecting money.
Everything is ready for the New Year.
Because the emperor is still in mourning, everything has to be kept simple this year.
The princes haven't taken off their mourning clothes yet.
The palace was all white and blue.
All members of the royal family must wear mourning clothes.
However, Shen Chuliu looked at them coldly, and found that Empress Dowager Li and Zhen Chongyi looked much better. Since these two were like this, it meant that the Ninth Prince was much better.
After a few months, Shen Chuliu also met the Eighth Prince seriously.
When the princes paid their respects and New Year's greetings to the Emperor and Empress Dowager Li, the Eighth Prince followed them in a daze.
Just slow everywhere.
At this time, Shen Chuliu was looking at Wen Chongrong.
Her face seemed expressionless, but her eyes were dark.
The princes all spoke auspicious words, and the Sixth Prince was naturally the most eloquent.
But he got stuck after he finished speaking.
The eighth prince couldn't take over.
Qi Yixiu frowned slightly and said, "Zhu'er will have a smooth year. It's time for enlightenment."
The Eighth Prince was so anxious that he didn't even know how to thank the Marquis.
It was Wen Chongrong who stood up to express his gratitude.
"Okay, he is not feeling well, don't worry about it, just take good care of him." The emperor waved his hand.
Wen Chongrong quickly replied yes.
The Ninth Prince indeed looked more energetic than before, and he greeted everyone sincerely.
The tenth prince could not speak clearly, so his wet nurse spoke for him.
The emperor was also happy and gave the children generous rewards.
This year's Chinese New Year celebrations still follow the same rules as before, except that the time spent entertaining guests at various places has been reduced.
There is more time to rest during the first month of the year.
However, the New Year in ancient times was not an ordinary time after all, so even if the time was reduced, people were still busy.
By the time the weather got a little warmer, it was already the fifteenth.
The fifteenth day is even simpler, and even the reward of palace lanterns is waived this year.
Yes, I am still in mourning period and have no mood to play these games.
After the feast, everyone dispersed with little interest.
There were no lanterns given as rewards for the New Year this year, nor were there any promotions for the concubines in the harem.
Of course, it was impossible to get promoted. How could one do such a thing during the mourning period?
I’m afraid that the concubines in the harem won’t be promoted until the first anniversary of Empress Dowager Cirui’s mourning period.
(End of this chapter)
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