The next day, Su Peisheng and Granny Ma came to Qingzhi Courtyard together.
One party delivered a dowry list for Princess Yierha, while another delivered a map of the Old Summer Palace.
Then there was Zhang Quan, Su Peisheng's apprentice, carrying an extremely tall box, grinning from ear to ear. Seeing his expression, Zhao Fuhai knew it must be something good, so he also approached with a big smile: "Zhang Quan, what good thing are you carrying?"
Zhang Quan was arrogant and domineering outside, relying on his master's prestige, but he dared not act presumptuously in Qingzhi Courtyard. He replied politely, "Brother Zhao, this was taken out of the storeroom by order of the master this morning."
Oh? It's not uncommon for the master to send things to Qingzhi Courtyard.
Without exaggeration, the most he ever made was about twenty trips a day. Who in the whole mansion didn't know that?
But I never saw this kid grinning like he'd eaten bee droppings, so it must really be something good.
Zhao Fuhai was even happier.
No wonder he's lucky; he's got a good master!
It's clear that the inner courtyard of the Prince's mansion is now entirely under our master's control. What's most precious is the Prince's unwavering favor, which has remained constant for ten years. It's practically a certainty that she will become the Prince's consort in the future.
He quickly made way for him: "Go quickly, go quickly, be careful."
Zhang Quan hurriedly followed Su Peisheng inside.
Granny Ma was handing Changning the dowry list and explaining in a low voice. The Fujin had already accumulated quite a few things for Yierha, especially after the marriage with Xingde was confirmed, she even picked out some valuable items from her own dowry.
Looking at the densely packed list, Changning couldn't help but be moved.
The princess was a kind-hearted person.
Putting everything else aside, she is exceptionally kind to the children.
Both Honghui and Yierha were raised as their own children, and the parents were extremely concerned about their health.
It should be noted that both Yierha and Honghui were premature and born weak. Not to mention anything else, even growing up was a problem, and they were both destined to die young, but she successfully raised them to where they are today.
Changning suddenly felt a pang of pity. Looking at the words above, she saw nothing but the maternal love of the Fujin. It was a pity that she would never have the chance to see Yierha and Honghui get married.
Sensing that the young mistress was no longer willing to discuss the dowry, Granny Ma tactfully excused herself.
Changning sighed. She could only try to be nicer to Yierha, including the Fujin's share.
After Granny Ma left, Changning immediately spotted Zhang Quan carrying an extremely tall box. He wasn't alone; he had two eunuchs assisting him.
"What are you doing? What rare thing is this?"
When his master finally noticed him, Zhang Quan couldn't hide his excitement, but he didn't dare to open his mouth to reply. This should be his master's job.
As expected, Su Peisheng bowed and smiled obsequiously: "Master Chun, this was specially ordered by the Master to be brought to you. He said it's the best way to cool off in the summer and that you shouldn't use too much ice."
When Zhang Quan opened it, Changning saw its full appearance. It turned out to be a bamboo wife as tall as a person, with a crystal clear color and a jade-green hue. Just one glance at it made one feel instantly refreshed from the summer heat.
Changning was pleased and had it brought forward. She touched it herself and found it indeed cool to the touch, but not excessively cold—perfect for cooling off in the summer. Moreover, it looked to be of superior quality, likely a tribute specially made for the Emperor.
Where did this come from?
Surely such a thing shouldn't be included in a prince's allowance?
Su Peisheng chuckled, "It was a gift from the Emperor a couple of days ago. The Master saw it and immediately said he wanted to send it to you."
Changning smiled and said, "He meant well. Zhuiyu, please accept it and give some melon seeds to Eunuch Su."
After chasing the rain for so many years, he's become quite clever. He grabbed a handful of golden melon seeds and handed them over.
Su Peisheng immediately burst into laughter, his teeth disappearing from his eyes.
Although given his status, he wouldn't be interested in such money, it's all about prestige! Pleasing his master is more effective than pleasing a prince!
After presenting the gifts and pleasing the master, Su Peisheng presented the map of the Yuanmingyuan with both hands.
“Your Highness, this is the blueprint of the Yuanmingyuan. His Highness has instructed that you may write down any things you like or wish to renovate next to it. His Highness intends to stay at Jiuzhou Qingyan and has arranged for you to stay in the Natural Picture Garden. There you can enjoy the lake view and also have a distant view of the Western Hills. It is a place with excellent scenery and feng shui.”
Changning looked at the map and saw that the forty scenic spots of the Old Summer Palace were listed.
"This location is indeed good, and the children can stay on both sides; it's spacious enough. Alright, you can go about your business now."
Su Peisheng sighed and continued, "Our Prince's Mansion is still built according to the regulations of a Prince's Mansion, and it will be greatly changed. The Prince said he would be in charge of the renovation and asked me to ask you, since the area will definitely be expanded a lot. When the main courtyard is re-planned, I wonder if you would be willing to live there?"
Are you going to move to the main courtyard?
Changning knew he was asking her if she wanted to become his princess consort, the Yong Prince's wife.
She was more than happy to be able to become his legal wife openly and legitimately.
The original thought was that it wouldn't be good for the new emperor to take over at this time, especially since the Empress had just passed away. Moreover, the Fucha clan's current power and wealth were already immense, which would surely arouse Kangxi's vigilance and apprehension.
That's why she discussed with Yinzhen that they would not remarry a new wife within this year.
However, Yinzhen always felt indebted to himself and always wanted to give himself a proper title.
He even secretly promised her that if he were to ascend the throne, he would definitely make her his empress. He would also try to appease and compensate her as much as possible.
Changning knew this was not just empty talk, and he had been working hard to promote the Fucha clan.
Human hearts are biased. If he truly loves himself, he will definitely consider his own needs wholeheartedly, and it is understandable that he feels indebted to others for this.
Changning simply put a shackle on himself.
She sighed deeply, wondering if it was because of her pregnancy or something else.
At this moment, Granny Zhang came over and said with a smile, "Your Highness, please don't sigh. If you sigh too much, the baby in your belly will easily become wrinkled."
Changning immediately stopped sighing: "Oh dear, really? I only sighed twice!"
"It's good that Master is paying attention. It's getting warmer these past few days, and the cooling beads that Yuezhi mentioned making a couple of days ago are already finished."
Su Peisheng had to admire Granny Zhang; she had managed to divert Master Chun's attention with just a few words.
She indeed stopped thinking about these things and smiled, "Really? Let me see it quickly."
Then he turned to Su Peisheng and said, "Eunuch Su, you should go back first and tell the Prince that the main courtyard should be built bigger so that the children can have enough room to live."
"Ah!" Su Peisheng felt that he had completed his mission very well, so he happily withdrew.
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