Chu Dieyi waited in the main courtyard’s living room and, upon seeing Yang Mengchen, stood up to greet her, asking in a hushed voice, "Ah Meng, did Long Fengying really have an affair with Ma Tiankun, and was she caught red-handed?" Her face showed an unmistakable expression of shock and disgust.
Ah Yi, being a border defense commander, should not have too much contact with the various princes. If it wasn’t because of Ah Meng, she wouldn’t come to the Chen Prince Mansion and every visit was very secretive. Thus, during Prince Jing’s grand wedding, she and Ah Yi made an excuse not to go and only had the butler deliver the congratulatory gift.
Yang Mengchen nodded, both of them had an inherent disdain for those unfaithful in marriage, "Is everything in order with the affairs of the General Mansion?"
Although they were within the mansion, the matter concerned the royal family’s reputation, so Yang Mengchen didn’t want to talk about it much and thus changed the subject.
"The person you sent was very capable, otherwise, I would truly be in a flap," Chu Dieyi said with a slightly flushed face, somewhat embarrassed.
She was not skilled in managing household affairs from the start, and in her past life, she was often away on missions, not at home. Ah Meng would visit her house every few days to help sort things out.
In this life, she had been staying in that small town on the border where most of the people were military dependents. There was not so much fuss between them. However, she found the complex rules and etiquette of The Capital incomprehensible. Fortunately, Ah Meng arranged for two experienced stewards, one for inside and the other for outside chores, to assist her. After moving to the General Mansion, she gradually became familiar with various situations.
After accepting the tea Bai He handed over, Yang Mengchen took a sip, "Steward Rong and Sister Yan were stewards in large families before, they are capable and very loyal. Once you’re stationed at the border, you can leave the mansion affairs to them (their contracts have already been given to Chu Dieyi). With me looking after things as well, you don’t need to worry about any trouble arising in the mansion. This will make your vacations and eventual retirement back to the capital less troublesome."
"We’ll do as you say," Chu Dieyi continued smoothly, "Also, we don’t have many properties and we don’t understand how to manage them. You’ll have to help us with this; your brother-in-law said he’ll give you all our possessions in a few days."
Yang Mengchen couldn’t help but be amused, "I’ve already had someone buy an estate for you outside the city. Although it’s a bit far from The Capital, it has large areas of forests and fields. The people on the estate are hardworking and honest. I’ve arranged for professionals to guide them in agriculture and develop side businesses;
There were many things happening recently, and I haven’t had the chance to tell you. Since you’re here, just take the land deeds and those people’s contracts back with you. If I find any other suitable properties, I’ll arrange them for you and make sure they are well managed;
As for money, we’re close sisters, talking about money hurts feelings. Besides, your brother-in-law, being a border defense commander, doesn’t have a big salary anyway, and there will only be more places where money is needed in the future. Keep the money for yourselves. When you go back, tell your brother-in-law, if he keeps being so nitpicky, I won’t acknowledge him as my brother-in-law anymore."
"I’ll be sure to tell him every word," said Chu Dieyi unpretentiously, "Ah Meng, has the Emperor already agreed to our suggestions?"
Yang Mengchen nodded, "The Emperor had Wende issue a decree to let all military commanders tally up the names of all soldiers first, to implement leave starting next year. As for the conscription system, it is a completely new system, and it must be discussed by the court ministers before deciding whether to implement it. Also, the military academy will start construction after the New Year, but you need to draft the curriculum."
"Okay," Chu Dieyi promptly agreed, chatted with Yang Mengchen for a while longer, and then took her leave.
Before long, Hai Tang went out and came back in, handing Yang Mengchen a small cloth package.
Yang Mengchen opened it and looked inside, her eyes and eyebrows filled with a chilling coldness. She gave Hai Tang a few quiet instructions, and Hai Tang immediately went out again.
In the evening, hearing that Long Xuanmo had returned, Yang Mengchen left the study and saw only Long Xuanmo, Mo Mei, and Mo Yun Mo Lei; she did not see Grand Prince and her expression flickered with surprise. Nonetheless, she smiled and greeted Long Xuanmo, taking the large cloak he had removed and handing it to Hai Tang, "Why didn’t the Imperial Uncle come back with you?"
"The Imperial Uncle will come over tomorrow." With a wave to dismiss everyone, Long Xuanmo took his wife’s hand and sat down at the table.
Yang Mengchen poured a cup of tea for Long Xuanmo, "What did the Emperor say?"
"The Emperor was furious," Long Xuanmo took a sip of tea, "The Emperor originally intended to revoke Long Fengying’s princess title, he even wanted to issue a decree to sentence her to death. However, he realized that doing so at this time would equate to confirming the rumors. He had no choice but to hold back and placed Long Fengying under house arrest in the Princess Mansion, not allowing her to step out without a decree;
As for the matter concerning Long Yanrou, although there was the excuse of ’demon mischief,’ it still negatively affected the royal family. Now with Long Fengying’s actions, it fully demonstrates that there is a problem with the royal family’s education, and naturally, the Emperor is in a very bad mood."
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