"Eunuch Gao, what's going on?"
Gao Wuyong smiled and held up a long box.
"Princess, this is what the Prince sent to you. He said it's a thank-you gift for your hard work recently."
Geng Youran handed the box to Qianxue, and while replying to Gao Wuyong, she opened the box on the table:
"It's kind of Your Highness to still remember me. I thought Your Highness had completely forgotten about this."
Gao Wuyong bowed slightly.
"Look at what you're saying, Princess. The Prince has always been thinking of you."
When Geng Youran opened it, it was a painting, but it didn't seem to be in the style of the Qing Dynasty.
"Eunuch Gao, what is this painting?"
“Your Highness, a few days ago a missionary named Lang Shining came to our Great Qing. His Majesty likes his paintings very much. After our prince saw his works, he asked him to paint one for you.”
Although Geng Youran didn't say it aloud, she was very happy inside.
"Please trouble Eunuch Gao to pass on a message to the Prince, saying that I have prepared a small feast for the Prince tonight and await his return."
"yes."
Incidentally, Qianxue quietly handed Gao Wuyong a plain purse containing the tea money that Geng Youran had given him.
"Qianxue, call Xiao Anzi in and help me hang this painting up."
"Yes, Princess."
Geng Youran looked around the room, but couldn't find a suitable place to hang her self-portrait.
"Princess, I think you should just hang it in your study."
Finally, as Qianxue had suggested, the painting was hung in the study.
That evening, Yinzhen came to Geng Youran's courtyard at her invitation. Seeing the bluish-gray look in Yinzhen's eyes, Geng Youran felt a pang of heartache.
"Your Highness, have you been staying up late again lately?"
Yinzhen nodded, looking slightly tired.
"The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, so naturally we're quite busy."
Geng Youran got up and served Yinzhen a bowl of soup.
This seemed to have become an unspoken rule between the two. Whenever they ate alone, Yinzhen would not ask Geng Youran to do anything like serving the food. They would simply sit facing each other, eating and chatting about their recent lives.
Of course, Yinzhen only felt relaxed around Geng Youran.
"You had Gao Wuyong invite me over, just for that painting?"
Geng Youran chuckled a few times, thinking to herself that Yinzhen really understood her.
"Your Highness, now that Consort Nian has finished her confinement period, can I hand over these matters to her?"
"What, you want to be a hands-off boss?"
Geng Youran quickly waved her hand to indicate that she did not mean that.
“Your Highness, now that Consort has finished her confinement period, it is really inappropriate for me to continue managing affairs.”
Yinzhen knew that Geng Youran only wanted to manage her own little world, which was a real pity.
"In that case, you should discuss it with Jing Shu and the others tomorrow."
Having achieved her goal, Geng Youran was quite satisfied with tonight's 'dinner party'.
The next day, Geng Youran went to Li Jingshu's place first and told her about what she had discussed with Yinzhen the night before.
"Consort, this is the seal. Please keep it safe."
Li Jingshu was somewhat amused and exasperated; this was the first time she had ever met a woman who disliked holding real power so much. But then she thought, given the prince's abundant favor, whether or not she had real power didn't seem to matter much.
"Since my sister is unwilling, I can't force her to do it."
Seeing that Li Jingshu had agreed, Geng Youran quickly stood up to return the greeting and then left.
"Someone, please invite Consort Nian over."
"yes."
When Nian Yunrong heard that Li Jingshu had called her over, she couldn't guess why Li Jingshu wanted to call her over.
Greetings to my elder sister, may you be blessed with good fortune.
"Sister, there's no need for such formalities. I'm so sorry to have made you go out in this freezing weather. Someone, bring some tea!"
Li Jingshu then told Nian Yunrong about the housekeeper's situation.
Nian Yunrong was surprised and delighted, but she remained outwardly restrained, at least her expression was calm and composed, and she was polite in her words.
"Thank you for your trust, Sister. But I lack experience in this area. Isn't it too hasty to take over all at once?"
Li Jingshu lowered her head and sipped her tea, paying no attention to Nian Yunrong's so-called 'humility'.
"This is also His Highness's intention, so please accept it, sister. If you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask."
Nian Yunrong then accepted the seal, and on her way back, a satisfied smile finally appeared on her face.
After Nian Yunrong left, Li Jingshu's smile gradually widened.
"Someone, find a way to send this letter out. Remember, it must not be discovered by the prince's men."
"Yes, sir."
Li Jingshu knew that Nian Yunrong had wanted to manage the Prince's Mansion for a long time, but Nian Yunrong was proud and arrogant, and in time, the two of them would inevitably clash.
Her father was just a prefect, while Nian Yunrong had a favored older brother. For Hongshi's sake, she needed to temporarily avoid the limelight.
To achieve this, it is necessary to introduce someone, someone who is an equal to Nian Yunrong.
Putting that aside for now, thanks to the arrangements made by the two people, the New Year celebrations at Prince Yong's residence went quite well. In the first month after the New Year, a major event occurred in the court, which was also a good thing: the compilation of the Kangxi Dictionary, which had taken six years to complete, was finally finished.
In February, Kangxi arranged for Yinzhen to pray for rain on his behalf.
"Fourth brother, you still need to communicate more with the Imperial Observatory about the rain-praying ceremony. The Imperial Household Department will also do its best to cooperate with you. This is a major matter concerning the people's livelihood, so you must be careful."
"Your subject obeys the decree."
The news that Yinzhen had prayed for rain on behalf of the emperor quickly reached the ears of those who were interested.
"Eighth Brother, do you really intend to stay in the manor for the rest of your life?"
"Otherwise, what else do you think I can do? Fourth Brother is currently riding high, handling many matters for Father Emperor. But the higher the spotlight, the more attention he'll attract. Tenth Brother, you'd better stay put for now."
Giving up? Yinzhi would never do such a thing.
In his childhood, he often overheard people talking behind his back about his identity and his mother's identity.
In order to survive, he needs to please others.
As they grew older, their mother was also granted the title of 'Consort Liang'. However, even with the status of a consort, many people still looked down on them.
He always heard his mother tell him that he had to work hard to be liked by his father, the Emperor.
Later, he did indeed achieve this, becoming the youngest prince to be granted the title of Beile among the princes.
Later, the Emperor bestowed a marriage upon him, giving him the granddaughter of Prince An, Yue Le. He originally thought that everything would go smoothly for him.
However, he didn't know when it started, but his father gradually began to dislike him. He was resentful. Why were those people so favored from birth, while he, despite putting in a thousand times more effort, could only receive a perfunctory compliment?
But now is not the time for him to make a move. He must continue to gather and accumulate strength in order to ensure that his attack is successful.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
